The Beauty Around Us

Our Thanksgiving Holiday – The Last 3 Days

We spent Thanksgiving Day and two days afterward in New Hampshire. The activities of our first three days of our Thanksgiving holiday are provided here.

On Saturday (November 27th) the only plans we had for the day were to meet up with a blogging friend and her husband, to go shopping at the Merrimack Premium Outlets and to pack in preparation for our drive back home the next day.

We met Dorothy and Patrick at the 99 Restaurant, located on our hotel grounds, at 11:30 am. Dorothy and I are blogging friends. We have been blogging friends for at least 8 years. This was the first time we met in person. Dorothy’s blog is called “The Frog and PenguINN”. Our visit lasted about 2 hours. Our lunch choices were delicious. Conversation flowed naturally and pretty much non stop. I am happy that we met and hope that the opportunity presents itself to meet again.

After lunch we went our separate ways. Bob and I went to the Merrimack Premium Outlets.

Bob and I at the Merrimack Premium Outlets

This is the only moose we saw, while in NH.

Merrimack Premium Outlets was hopping; people everywhere! Most people carried at least one bag; many people carried several bags. It was a good shopping day for the outlet stores! We found what we were looking for, and we got some exercise. We have been doing way too much sitting since Wednesday morning.

[NOTE: When we returned home, we discovered that Bob’s purchases at Merrimack Premium Outlets turned out not to be what Bob thought he purchased. The PJ set was a woman’s PJ set, not a man’s set. The PJ set is too big for me. We offered the PJ set to someone in our local Facebook Helping Hands group, who is gathering Christmas items for those in need. The two Under Armour shirts are short sleeves, not long sleeves. Bob will keep the shirts. I helped Bob with both of these selections. I guess, after 20 months of avoiding shopping in stores, we are not good at in-store shopping any more!]

We returned to the hotel around 3:15 pm, where we stayed for rest of the afternoon / evening.

On Sunday we started our drive back home. We checked out of the hotel. Then, we ate a filling breakfast at a Denny’s Restaurant near our hotel.

This breakfast was the best since arriving in NH.

Shortly after 8:00 am we were on our way back home. When we left Nashua, the sky was partly sunny. It wasn’t long, though, until the sky became overcast. On our way to NH we didn’t see any snow. On our way home, we saw snow on the ground in NH (not far from Nashua); Wilmington, Woodford and Bennington VT; Hoosick NY to Albany NY (very little in Albany; snow flurries falling there but short lived). There was much more traffic on our way home than there was on way to NH!

As we did on our way to New Hampshire, we made a stop at the Hogback Mountain Overlook.

Hogback Mountain Overlook
(Marlboro, VT)

This building is located below the Hogback Mountain Overlook platform.

Here are a few snowy scenes, while driving on the Molly Stark Trail (Route 9).

and my favorite …

The snow returned in Duanesburg NY, where we turned onto I-88. Snow stayed with us from Duanesburg to Owego. Thankfully the roads were clear of snow for the most part.

We arrived at Best Western Oswego Inn around 2:40 pm and checked into room 108. This hotel used to be a Holiday Inn Express. I don’t know when it changed hands. Our hotel room is spacious. Its furnishings include two double beds, a chest of drawers with a tv sitting on top of it, desk and chair, two end tables and a kitchenette complete with refrigerator, microwave, two burner stove, Keurig Coffee Maker, a sink and cupboard/drawer storage. We paid for this room by using reward points.

On Monday we checked out of our hotel and ate breakfast at a nearby Dunkin’ Donuts. We were on our way home by 7:45 am. At that time the sky was overcast; the temperature was 31 degrees; and the trees were lightly frosted. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground. The road surface was wet, not icy.

We encountered occasional snow showers most of the way home. The ground was snow covered along I-86 in the Finger Lakes area (NY); tree branches were snow covered. The most snow we saw was in Jamestown NY, where there was easily a foot of snow on the ground.

Before returning home we stopped at Shults Auto in Jamestown to pick up spark plugs that Bob ordered online on Black Friday. He saved 20% on his purchase. Now, he needs an ”Indian Summer” type of day to install the spark plugs.

We returned home at 11:30 am. Much less snow was on the ground in Warren than in Jamestown. There might have been 3 inches of snow on the ground at our house.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends. It is always good to be back home, though.

Our Thanksgiving Holiday – First 3 Days

We spent Thanksgiving Day and two days afterward in New Hampshire.

We drove from our home in Warren PA to Bennington VT on Wednesday. We left Warren at 7:20 am. It was a gorgeous, but frigid, morning. The temperature was 18 degrees, when we left home.

After making a few stops (for fuel, breakfast, stretching and bathroom), we arrived in Bennington VT shortly before 3:00 pm. Our drive there was smooth sailing all the way. The weather continued to be gorgeous; the traffic wasn’t bad; and the temperature got warmer. When we arrived in Bennington, the temperature was 36 degrees.

We checked into the Best Western Bennington, room 172. Our hotel room was spacious, with access to an outside deck.

The room looks nice on the surface. If you look closely, though, you will notice a moderate amount of wear and tear. The room was clean and appeared to have been recently painted. The refrigerator was turned off, and wouldn’t turn on. We assumed it was plugged in, but there wasn’t a way to check this as the refrigerator was bolted in place. We didn’t have anything with us that had to be kept cold. We didn’t say anything about the refrigerator until the next day, when we checked out, only to alert the hotel to the fact that the refrigerator was not working.

At 4:00 pm we ate dinner at Bennington Pizza Plaza, located in a strip mall behind our hotel. I had baked ziti with meat; Bob had stuffed shells. Both meals came with garlic toast. Dinner was delicious. Bennington Pizza Plaza, with its attractive table and chairs for dining in and tasteful seasonal decorative touches, was a notch up from a regular pizza joint.

On Thanksgiving Day we drove from Bennington VT to Bob’s sister and our brother-in-law’s house in Amherst NH. We got up at 6:15 am and went to breakfast about an hour later. We enjoyed a hot breakfast, with all the selections (waffles, eggs, bacon or sausage, pastries, etc.) normally offered by Best Western hotels. We departed the hotel at 7:45 am, en route Cynthia and Larry’s house. Our route took us on the Molly Stark Trail (Route 9) through the Green Mountain National Forest.

We stopped for a photo opportunity at the Hogback Mountain Overlook,
a short distance east of Wilmington VT.

Leaving the Green Mountain National Forest, we stopped briefly for a photo opportunity in West Brattleboro at the Creamery Covered Bridge.

Cynthia and Larry were not expecting us until after 11:00 am. In order to kill some time we drove into Nashua. We parked below Water Street at the entrance to Le Parc De Notre Renaissance Franchise.

These art murals are located where we parked.

We walked a short way along the Nashua River, in Le Parc De Notre Renaissance Franchise. The first thing to catch my eye was a sculpture of a woman and a child.

This sculpture pays tribute to the women and children who worked in the textile mills during the first half of the 20th century.

Later in the week we would meet up with a blogging friend and her husband. My blogging friend and her husband live in what used to be a textile mill.

Clocktower Place, a former textile mill,
is where my blogging friend and her husband live.

From Nashua we drove to Cynthia and Larry’s house, arriving there shortly after noon. Lunch was served around 1:00 pm.

We enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, baked squash, green beans, Brussels Sprouts with walnuts baked in maple syrup, and cranberry salad. For dessert we had a variety of delectable cupcakes to choose from.

We left Cynthia and Larry’s house for our hotel sometime between 4:00 and 4:30 pm, with plans to meet up again at 1:00 pm the next day. We drove to the Clarion Inn located in Nashua NH. The hotel is about a 20-minute drive from Cynthia and Larry’s house. We checked into room 235, which would be our home for the next 3 nights. Our hotel room was spacious with a king-size bed and a couch that would fit three people comfortably. Our room would sleep four people, as the couch pulls out into a bed. The room is equipped with a refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker.

We got up for the day on Friday around 6:30 am, after a good night’s sleep. The clerk who checked us in the prior night said that our room would be quiet, and it was. The rooms on our side of the hotel are used only as needed in late fall and winter. An hour after awakening we had showered, gotten dressed, had breakfast and were back in our hotel room. There were less offerings at breakfast here than there were in Vermont. We could make our own pancakes or waffles; there were cereal and packaged muffins selections; yogurt was available ; and there were juice, coffee and tea selections. We preferred the breakfast at Best Western Bennington.

We spent Friday afternoon and evening with Cynthia and Larry. We enjoyed a second Thanksgiving dinner that included open-faced turkey sandwiches with gravy and soup that Larry prepared using leftover turkey, rice and vegetables. Later in the day we left to go to an inaugural outdoor light show, located on The Links at LaBelle Winery golf course in Derry, NH. Unfortunately it was raining, so we didn’t see the display. We drove by a couple houses in Bedford that are usually lit up for Christmas. One house had decorations outside, but the lights were not turned on. The other house didn’t have any decorations on display. So, we didn’t get to see any Christmas lights. For dinner we had Chinese take-out that Bob and Larry picked up. After dinner we sat in the living room and chit-chatted for a while. We left for the hotel around 7:45 pm. Twenty minutes later we arrived at the hotel.

Thank you, Cynthia and Larry, for a wonderful Thanksgiving! We enjoyed our time with you and look forward to the next time we get together with each other.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

Corning NY Mid-Week Getaway: Day 3

We spent three nights the week of October 17th in Corning, NY. I published blog posts previously about our activities on October 19th and 20th. This blog post is about our activities on October 21st.

We ate breakfast at Donna’s Restaurant in downtown Corning.

The restaurant is full of vintage Pyrex dishes on display. It is a quaint, homey restaurant. Bob had a steakhouse sandwich (shaved ribeye, sautéed peppers & onions, egg and cheese on a grilled everything bagel) with corned beef hash. I had a western omelet with home fries and wheat toast. Our breakfast entrees were delicious and filling.

See that older man, looking at me? I showed him his picture. He liked it. All during breakfast I caught him looking at me. The few times are eyes met, he would give me the biggest smile.

After breakfast we went for a walk to Centennial Park.

Centennial Park Bridge
This is a pedestrian bridge that crosses Chemung River.
We walked halfway across the bridge.

Chemung River, as seen from Centennial Bridge

Corning Inc. World Headquarters and Little Joe Tower,
as seen from Centennial Bridge

According to a Wikipedia article, the Little Joe Tower “was built in either 1912 or 1913 by Corning Glass Works (now known as Corning Inc.). The construction came during a period of growth for the company, and the 187-foot tower was used in drawing glass for thermometer tubes. On the outside of the white tower is a blue stenciled silhouette of “Little Joe”, a glassblower, giving the tower its name.”

The Centennial Park Pavilion is attractive.

The Farmers Market is held at Centennial Park each Thursday from 10:00 am-2:00 pm. We visited the next to last Farmers Market this year, as the last one was held on October 28th.

Centennial Park Pavilion and Farmers Market

Centennial Park Farmers Market
Centerway Square Clock Tower is at one end of the market, and
Centennial Bridge is at the other end.

Fresh Vegetables at Centennial Park Farmers Market

Flowers at Centennial Park Farmers Market

Bob purchased soft ginger snaps at the Farmers Market. The cookies were delicious!

We returned to downtown Corning around 5:00 pm, when we went to dinner at Sorge’s Restaurant. Bob had lasagna; I had spaghetti and meatballs. Both entrees were accompanied with salads and fresh bread. Dinner was tasty.

When we weren’t downtown, we were at our Airbnb resting and relaxing.

Relaxing on the backyard patio at our AirBnb

——————–

We got up around 7:00 am the next day. We showered, got dressed, and ate breakfast. We packed our stuff and carried it down to the car. We left, en route home, around 9:00 am.

Shortly before 10:30 am we stopped at Tim Hortons in Olean NY. I had wanted a Boston Creme donut since the start of this trip. We picked up two donuts and coffee/tea at the drive thru and ate our treat in the parking lot. This wasn’t the best mid-morning snack, but it sure was tasty!

We returned home around 1:00 pm. We enjoyed our getaway, but we always are happy to return home too.

Corning NY Mid-Week Getaway: Day 2 – Taughannock Falls

We spent three nights the week of October 17th in Corning, NY. I wrote about our first day here.

On October 20th we visited a covered bridge in Newfield, NY and then drove to Ithaca, NY.

Our first stop in Ithaca was at Buttermilk Falls State Park.

Our second stop in Ithaca was at Treman Triangle Park, where we hiked the Cascadilla Gorge Trail.

From Cascadilla Gorge we drove along the western side of Cayuga Lake to the Taughannock Falls Overlook, located in Taughannock Falls State Park.

Do you see the trail located at the lower right side of the picture? We could have walked that trail to see the waterfall from that vantage point. We opted not to do so, as I had enough walking from hiking the Cascadilla Gorge Trail. We have hiked that trail in the past, and will do so again I am sure.

Bob and I at the Taughannock Falls Overlook

After Bob took the selfie picture of the two of us at the overlook, a woman asked if we wanted her to take our picture. I gave the woman my iPhone. The resultant picture is displayed below.

You may wonder why I am laughing. As the woman was composing our picture, a man photobombed us. The woman said “oh there are three of you”, which made Bob and I turn our heads. The man was so close to us, I am surprised I didn’t feel him breathing on my neck! I saw only his face and long, black beard. The woman taking our picture did not capture the photobomber in our picture. I did, however, take a picture a few minutes earlier that captured the man who photobombed us.

The man in black photobombed us,
but jumped away
before he was included in the picture.

I really wish we had a picture of him photobombing us!

After viewing the falls from the overlook, we decided to go somewhere for lunch. Bob used Google Maps to locate a restaurant near us. One of the restaurant choices was Dugan’s Country Grill in Aurora, NY. That restaurant wasn’t too near us, about 36 miles on the opposite side of the lake. We opted to go there for lunch, as it would be a new restaurant for us. The restaurant looked nicer online than it did in person. The food, though, was good. Bob had a pulled pork sandwich with onion rings. I had a tuna melt sandwich with macaroni salad.

After lunch we drove to the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge. There was little to see here…nothing but Canada Geese, buzzards and a few ducks.

We stopped for ice cream sundaes (dessert) in Watkins Glen and returned to our Airbnb in Corning around 5:00 pm. We stayed in for rest of the afternoon and evening.

This ends our Day 2 activities. Here is a map that shows where all we went that day.

Corning-Newfield-Ithaca-Aurora-Montezuma-Watkins Glen-Corning

Stay tuned. I have one more blog post to share about our mid week getaway in Corning.

Corning NY Mid-Week Getaway: Day 2 – Cascadilla Gorge

We spent three nights the week of October 17th in Corning, NY. I wrote about our first day here.

On October 20th we visited a covered bridge in Newfield, NY and then drove to Ithaca, NY.

Our first stop in Ithaca was at Buttermilk Falls State Park.

After viewing Buttermilk Falls, we walked back to our car and left for the Cascadilla Gorge Natural Area. The approximate 3-mile drive from Buttermilk Falls to Cascadilla Gorge took about 10 minutes. This was our first visit to Cascadilla Gorge.

We started our hike of the Cascadilla Gorge Trail at Treman Triangle Park. There is parking along several streets surrounding the park, including a pull-off directly across the street along Linn Street. We were fortunate to obtain free parking across from Treman Triangle Park, as that area can accommodate only a handful of cars. The gorge trail starts at the back of Treman Triangle Park.

As long as this gate is open, the public may enter the gorge.

According to a placard at the gorge entrance, the Cascadilla Gorge Trail is a hike of approximately 1/3 mile. The trail ascends approximately 400 feet passing by six waterfalls (or eight waterfalls from another source). The gorge trail was easy walking at its beginning. Once in the heart of the gorge, however, the climb became moderately difficult for me because I am out of shape and have an arthritic knee. It was well worth the climb, though, as the gorge is beautiful! We didn’t count the waterfalls, and I don’t know if I photographed each waterfall, so I can’t verify how many waterfalls we saw. I can attest to the fact that there were many waterfalls (small and large) and running water, where waterfalls were not present.

This video shows the first waterfall that we saw during our hike. It is the waterfall seen in the previous two photographs.

Bob took this picture of me standing at the top of the first waterfall.

Waterfall #2
The man at the top of this waterfall is looking for a missing AirPod (or a similar ear device).
This man is one of the many volunteers who maintain the gorge trail to keep it looking its best.

Waterfall #4
Isn’t the long exposure image of this waterfall beautiful?

Video of Waterfall #4

I took this picture from the top of Waterfall #4.

This is the last waterfall that we saw during our hike.

I LOVE the long exposure image of this waterfall!

Bob at the base of the waterfall,
before we began our climb out of the gorge

We ended our hike at College Street. We decided not to return to our car via the gorge. Instead we walked downhill (a steep walk downhill!) on the sidewalks along the roads to our car.

From Cascadilla Gorge we drove to the Taughannock Falls Overlook, the subject of my next blog post.

Corning NY Mid-Week Getaway: Day 2 – Buttermilk Falls

We spent three nights the week of October 17th in Corning, NY. I wrote about our first day here.

On October 20th we visited a covered bridge in Newfield, NY and then drove to Ithaca, NY.

Our first stop in Ithaca was at Buttermilk Falls State Park, where we parked in the lower parking lot. We have the NY State Empire Pass, so we did not have to pay an entrance fee.

Buttermilk Falls is visible from the parking lot.
This view is only a few feet away from the parking lot.

I walked down to the red barrier seen in the above photograph.

Buttermilk Falls, as viewed from near the red barrier

A bridge crosses over the creek.
I took this picture of Buttermilk Falls from that bridge.
Buttermilk Falls is 165 ft high.

There is a gorge trail on the right side of the waterfall. We walked up a very short way on the trail.

In addition to still pictures I took a couple videos that I sliced together and uploaded to YouTube.

We walked back our car and left for nearby Cascadilla Gorge (the subject of my next blog post).

Corning NY Mid-Week Getaway: Day 2 – Newfield Covered Bridge

We spent three nights the week of October 17th in Corning, NY. I wrote about our first day here.

We got up around 5:30 am on October 20th. By 7:30 am we had showered, dressed and eaten breakfast. At 8:00 am we left for Ithaca, NY.

Before reaching Ithaca we stopped at the Newfield Covered Bridge in Newfield, NY.

Newfield Covered Bridge was built in 1853.

Newfield Covered Bridge is the oldest surviving covered bridge
still open to daily vehicular traffic in the State of New York.

We walked down a few steps from the parking lot to an observation platform.

Day 2 activities to be continued …