Sad days...

Hello, friends. We ended up having a long, difficult week. Those of you who follow me on instagram know that my 94 year old FIL passed away peacefully last Thursday. My husband and his sister were at his side. We appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers... I'll be back to blogging about books later in the week.

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An Adirondack Adventure

Another weekend, another adventure... this time in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. On Thursday the three of us from central NY and our Manhattan daughters gathered in Lake Placid.

Our oldest, a triathlete, travels to Lake Placid every summer for a training weekend. Due to race schedules and work commitments, she was not able to join her usual group this year. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for a family getaway, so we booked a condo and drove north for an "alternative" training weekend. While she did her swim, bike, and run, others of us walked, read, and shopped. Later we all gathered for the prime event - dinner!!

The girls drove back to NYC Sunday morning, while three of us continued on to Plattsburg for lunch, then Ausable Chasm  (the colorful specs in the lower right are people)...

and Fort Ticonderoga/ King's Garden...

before landing in Saratoga Springs for the night. Monday we visited some favorite spots in Saratoga,  toured the battlefield at Saratoga National Historic Park, and had a picnic overlooking the Hudson River.

We plan to stay put for the rest of the month, but who knows what adventures September will bring?

Our Summer Adventure - Part 2

We took the scenic route up the coast on Wednesday... stopping for lunch at a favorite brew pub in Brunswick, ME, reminiscing as we strolled around Camden, then marveling at the scenery as we ventured farther north into unfamiliar territory. After arriving in Bar Harbor, we took a quick look around the town before selecting a "lobster pound" overlooking the harbor for dinner.

The next morning was drizzly and overcast, but that didn't stop our planned visit to Acadia National Park or drive to the summit of Cadillac Mountain... where were were greeted by dense fog and very strong winds. It was a struggle to stand upright and we couldn't see a thing!

The next day was bright and sunny, so we decided to try again. Same spot on the summit, much better view!

Both Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor are located on Mount Desert Island. We also explored the rest of the island... there are several smaller, less commercial towns, as well as a lighthouse at Bass Harbor.

Bar Harbor (all of Mount Desert Island, really) is my new favorite Maine destination. We're already talking about retuning next year... possibly in the fall.

(Our Summer Adventure - Part 1 is here.)
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Our Summer Adventure - Part 1

Road trips are the best. My husband and I both love them, and Twin B is usually happy to come along for the ride. Our recent summer adventure began with a few nights in Manhattan.

Family Brunch 

We celebrated my birthday, saw a broadway show (Come From Away), visited museums, walked in Central Park, ate in amazing restaurants, shopped at my favorite book stores, etc... Despite a little rain, it was a perfect weekend.

On Monday morning, the girls went off to work and we began the next leg of our adventure.

While planning a trip that would take us from the heart of Manhattan to the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, I decided to search for a literary stopover that my husband and daughter might also enjoy. The possibilities in New England are endless, but I finally settled on The House of the Seven Gables in Salem, MA.

The tour itself was about 40 minutes long, then we spent more time exploring the grounds, spectacular gardens, Hawthorne's birthplace, and, naturally, the gift shop.

We finished in time to enjoy lunch overlooking the harbor - a lobster roll, of course! Then we explored nearby Gloucester, the Eastern Point Lighthouse, and hiked along a very narrow path and up the rocks (good thing my sneakers were still in the car!) to the Dog Bar breakwater. At the end of the half-mile breakwater, the view back to the harbor and lighthouse made the climb worthwhile!

The following morning we continued up the coast to Bar Harbor, Maine.

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Summer is here!

It's been an eventful few weeks... not much reading and even less blogging. We left Sanibel shortly before Memorial Day weekend - around the same time the first named storm of the season, Alberto, was gaining strength. After a quick overnight in Savannah, we headed to Asheville.

The Chihuly exhibit at Biltmore was the draw this time. (A few years ago we stopped for the Downton Abbey costume display.)  The glass sculptures are always stunning, but set against the backdrop of Biltmore House and Gardens they were absolutely spectacular! I shared several photos on Instagram.

We got back to Central NY Sunday night, just in time to enjoy Memorial Day with my family. It was so good to have everyone together again... extra sweet after a long winter away.

A few days later our hearts were broken as we said goodbye to our beloved greyhound, Zelda. Her health had been deteriorating for the past month. At one point we weren't sure she'd be able to make the trip home, but she rallied briefly. Five days later, she was gone.

We tried to distract ourselves by readying the house, patio, and garden for summer. The boat and docks are in, my herb garden is planted, a few more pots must be filled, and a landscaping project is in the works.

Our oldest daughter and a couple of her friends spent a long Father's Day weekend with us and participated in Ironman 70.3 Syracuse. The day was brutally hot and humid, but they all finished with respectable times.

And now it's time to get back into some sort of blogging routine. I'll continue with a bookish update on Sunday or Monday and we'll go from there...

A Day in the Life: Snowbirding

Welcome to the second annual A Day in the Life event hosted by Trish at Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity. I didn't participate last year because I thought my day would be too boring and even though my life still isn't terribly exciting, I've decided to play along this year.

As most of you know, we have been in Florida since January trying out the snowbird lifestyle... and trying to make some decisions about whether/when/where retirement fits into our plan. My siblings often ask what we do all day down here and, in fact, I often wonder myself. Time seems to pass so quickly and we're often amazed to find the days over so soon.

This post chronicles Friday, March 18, which turned out to be an atypical day. Though I suppose we're still trying to work out what exactly constitutes a typical day.

6:45 AM || Just before dawn... throw on shorts and a t-shirt, turn on the coffee, and take Zelda out for a quick walk

7:00AM || Back home. Feed the dog, pour my coffee, head out to the lanai with my laptop to check email, news, etc.
- The house is still quiet. Everyone is sleeping in today... my husband, the twins, and Twin A's boyfriend.
- Another cup of coffee, read and comment on blogs, listen to the birds, enjoy the tropical breeze..
- Wash two loads of laundry
- Need to head out for a walk before it gets too hot

9:10 AM || Walk on the beach - 4 miles today. Sometimes my husband or daughter will go with me, but I'm alone today and listening to Be Frank With Me. Such a good book!

10:20 AM ||  Back home for breakfast - yogurt with grape nuts.
- I'll read a few blogs while I eat, then hop in the shower.
- Slight delay... discussion of "life issues" and upcoming NYC living situation with Twin A. Parenting isn't as physically demanding these days (no more college move-ins), but the emotional/mental aspect can be every bit as exhausting.

11:15 AM || Shower... at last!

11:50 AM ||  I'm finally ready to go, BUT hubby gets a call from the office.
This might take a while...
{At this point, we're running so late that I wonder about just staying home to watch March Madness - SU vs Dayton}

12:20 PM || Now we're really leaving...

12:30 PM || Arrive at the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village... beautifully preserved, it documents the history of old Sanibel "from the Calusa and Spanish eras to the early pioneer families who settled on the island in the 1800s." Very well done.

On to the marina and Gramma Dot's for lunch. Ugh... a long wait! We'll try The Lazy Flamingo, an old favorite, instead. They have the best peel-and-eat shrimp on the island!

2:05 PM ||  Here we are at the Flamingo and guess what?  I can follow the final 5 minutes of the Syracuse game on their patio TV. What luck!!  Since it's Friday and  March Madness, we order a pitcher of beer to go with our shrimp and watch the rest of the game. SU wins over #7 seed, Dayton. Here we come round 2!

The pitcher of beer (and our earlier discussion with Twin A) leads to us ponder life's big questions over lunch - when to retire, where to live, etc... No final decision, but we seem to be getting closer to an agreement.

4:00 PM ||  Home again. Received an email that I was approved for a review copy of Anna Quindlen's new novel, Miller's Valley. This is turning out to be a good day! I post a photo on Litsy, but today is boycott Instagram day.

4:20 PM ||  Reading time!  Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg ... I decide to head over to the pool.... where I may or may not have fallen asleep for a few minutes.

6:30 PM || Zelda loves beach as much as I do... we head out for another walk.

7:15  PM || We are on a late schedule today! It's time to think about dinner, but we're not all that hungry after such a late lunch. Decide to grill boneless chicken breasts. Steamed green beans and a salad sound good, too.

8:00 PM || The five of us sit down to dinner.

9:20 PM ||  Dinner over, kitchen clean. I call Daughter #1 to get a report on her first week of the new job. She sounds so happy.... and, of course, that makes me happy, too!

10:00 PM ||  Relax on lanai, read a little, talk over the day with my husband. Seems like a lot of "life stuff" for everyone right now...

10:45 PM || Read in bed

11:11 PM || Lights off, but I want to listen to a few more minutes of my audiobook. I put in an earbud and set the sleep timer for 8 minutes, but don't last quite that long. Zzzzzz...

That's our day of snow birding, or at least last Friday's version of it. I could get used to this...

Find links to more A Day in the Life posts here.

Did You Miss Me?

Three and a half weeks. It sure seems longer. Adult children and house guests have come and gone, an internship ended and a job offer was extended (!). We visited attractions all over New York state,  we cooked and ate fabulous food, we boated, kayaked, and cheered at a local triathlon, and now, summer is ending.

Twin A is back at school for one final semester. Sunday was move-in day... our last one. Ever. We've been moving kids in and out of college dorms and apartments since 2008, so this is the end of an era. No more tuition bills! But it's almost scary to think about how fast time is marching on.

Fall is almost here. Leaves are beginning to change and the air was tauntingly crisp last week. Orchards are open for picking and the arrival of pumpkin spice lattes is imminent. Perhaps they're already here? As much as I love fall, it still seems bittersweet. Summer is so short around here.

As for the blogging... I missed it! Or, to be more precise, I missed all of you. I did not, however, miss writing book reviews.

There wasn't much time for reading, but I did finish these books:

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

Old Filth by Jane Gardam

Sabbathday River by Jean Hanff Korelitz 

The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck

I'll catch up on reviews with a series of "Book Briefs" over the next couple of weeks.

Now it's time for me to get back on a reading and blogging schedule again. Can't wait to catch up with all of you... what did I miss?