food | Peaches Prattlings

{June 9, 2024} Cadillac Mountain Sunrise… Bar Harbor Breakfast… Ferry to Nova Scotia

Who’s alarm was set for 330a this morning? Mine was! PSM’s was! CDH’s was! Any other takers? Nope…not on your life! the bed is comfy and the covers are cozy, the room is warm, and dry, my feet are toasty, nope, you go on without me! I’ll look at your photos! ha ha

Obkb, alarm went off at 330a this morning, only bad part…I think I fell asleep about 1am, go figure! Well, the alarm went off, PSM and I were up like a shot, teeth brushed, face washed, meds taken? Don’t remember…on the bikes and met up with CDH at 347a, we were off! We got to Acadia National Park with everyone else heading up to watch the sunrise. The park ranger only wanted to see my ticket to get in, you had to reserve your spot to get into the park at that hour to watch the sunrise, but I pulled everything else out! My National Park Pass, compliments of my wonderful husband, some girls get jewelry, not me, I get national park passes and motorcycle accessories, works for me! I had pulled out my ID, ready to go! He said, you’re on a bike, as long as you have your reservation for the sunrise, you’re good. well…alrighty then.

We rode up a wonderful winding road, following a car that could have gone just a wee bit faster! I don’t know if you ride, but it’s not easy to ride slowly, 25 is tough, slower is tougher! But…we made it up the mountain, I had opera playing through my headphones, Pavarotti, it was spectacular. Imagine something classical and powerful playing in your ears as you are climbing a mountain and the sun is starting to peek through the clouds. Can you see it? Oh my.

We got to the top, parked, and walked out onto the rocks and found a place to stop, watch, and just marvel at what Mother Nature and the Earth have to offer and oh wow, did they offer! We watched as the sun started to rise, it was going to be here in no time at all!

One of the things I was most excited about, being up there, and one of the reasons I wanted to go…my baby sister, GES’, birthday is today! So…I got to make her one of my special birthday videos, but…from the top of Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park! I hope she likes it!

Here’s a video I took, you can hear how the wind is whipping all around us, but wow, yeah, I don’t know what else to say! Apologies for some of the jerky movements, I zoomed in and out a few times and once I was really zoomed in! Sorry you can hear us talking a few times, hope it didn’t totally ruin the experience. But I hope you can get a feel for what we enjoyed!

I remember watching the sunrises and sunsets when we lived in Hawai’i, there were times we purposely got up to go somewhere and watch it and others, I just stood on the lanai, I was usually up anyway. This made me think of those times and made me smile, especially experiencing it with PSM.

Looking out over the water in places, it didn’t even look like water, it looked like snow patches, just the way the water was, and the light played on it. I love taking pictures of other people’s pictures, see what they’re seeing, feel what they’re feeling. This was such an amazing experience, I would do it again and again, and I would not have missed this for the world!

A little after the official sunrise and just after 5am, we rode back down the mountain, more classical music in my ears, back to the hotel. CDH went back to his room, and we went back to ours, to try to get some sleep, we were going pack up our bikes, check out of the hotel at 10:00am and head to breakfast.

After PSM attempted to sleep, he actually nodded off for a bit, I was quite pleased, I would love to say I did the same, but nope…so, we got out of bed, got dressed and headed into Bar Harbor, down by the water, where we were last night. We thought we would get some coffee and tea, maybe a pastry, it was about 7/730am and we weren’t going to be eating breakfast for a few hours and we were awake.

The town was quiet, only a handful of people were out, but it wasn’t dead, by any means. We got coffee and tea, and a pastry, at a local coffee shop, I’m not even going to mention the place, everything was awful. The coffee and tea were off, and the pastries definitely did not taste like they were made fresh, and on site, despite the claims on the wall.

While we were walking around, we got a text from KDN, he wasn’t feeling well, he started feeling ill yesterday, so he and KK were going to head out before we met for breakfast and head back to Boston, they weren’t going to join us for the Nova Scotia portion of the trip, they were always going to ride with us to Bar Harbor and then take off. Looking forward to the next trip with them! Safe travels home guys!

We sat with a nice couple and chatted, they were waiting to go on a boat tour, and we watched the people lining up to get on a whale watching tour. [I don’t know if this is the one everyone was waiting for, but at least you’ll get an idea of what’s involved!] We walked around the town, it really is charming. I haven’t been here since I was just about 16, I biked the Coast of Maine, from Bath to Bar Harbor with a group, what an experience, needless to say, it’s been a while. PSM, on the other hand, has fond memories of visiting Bar Harbor and even camping out in the parks. I would love to go back one day to stay and explore a bit.

As we were walking back to the bikes, I stopped in one of the shops to pick up my magnets and stickers for Bar Harbor, I already started in Vermont, not stopping now! We headed back to the motel, packed up our bags, loaded the bikes, and headed to the office to check out. Then we waited for everyone else to gather and we headed back into Bar Harbor to the breakfast place I had picked out and…PSM and I saw it when we rode in earlier, so we knew just where to park!

I put our names in, there was quite the wait, and hung out across the street for the 20/30 minutes until our table was ready. We talked, laughed, planned the day, talked about what was to come and I remembered….I went to Walgreens and bought some Dramamine and some cough drops. I learned a long time ago, I don’t always do well on some bigger boats, as much as I love being on the water, it’s not always a good thing! Especially if there’s bad weather! And…good thing too, we needed them!

After breakfast, we went to the local coffee place and a few folks got coffee, more specifically espressos that they were craving. Then, after a bit, we headed for the ship. We were taking The Cat ferry from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth, NS. After we checked in, we sat down in the waiting area, the nice thing was we could be inside because the weather wasn’t pleasant for bikers! While we were sitting there we filled out our declaration forms, the funny thing was, they had one pen there because they had lent them to people yesterday, but didn’t get them back!

As we sat there, other bikers came in and sat in the same area, we shared the one pen we had! We talked about the trip, where we were going to be riding, the plan for when we land, and we got to know the other bikers. Eventually, it was time to board the boat, we rode on, secured our bikes and headed up to the main part of the ship. While we were down there, we realized the weather would not be conducive to us riding from Yarmouth, where we were docking to Halifax, where our hotel was. So… group decision, I found a hotel in Yarmouth, a Tru by Hilton, I called the Diamond Desk and made a reservation for 3 rooms, this was the easiest thing to do.

We headed upstairs and then I called the hotel we were booked in and cancelled the reservations. All good for everyone else, my reservation somehow was non-refundable, but I made the same reservation as everyone else. I was too tired to fight, and no one ever called me back, chalk it up to a loss. I won’t ever be staying there again!

We settled in, I realized I forgot my charger and asked the purser if I could go down to my bike and get my charger, he was kind enough to escort me down. I told him I would not have asked if we were already out of the port, but he was wonderful and I learned much about him! I got my charger, headed back upstairs, and drinks were waiting for me! I immediately took a Dramamine and handed them out to anyone who asked. I could also feel the ocean, so I asked PSM to get me some potato chips, I knew it would help. He got me sea salt & vinegar, don’t like those, but they were salty and tangy and just what I needed, along with the water and ginger ale.

The boat set sail and we were off. Some people went to the back of the ship, I stayed right where I was, facing forward. When we found our spots, I made the statement that I will compromise almost anything for someone, but I must sit facing in the direction we were traveling, just a heads up if you end up traveling with me! The waves were hitting the boat, the rain was coming down, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve been in.

The boat was nice, there were two decks below for vehicles, inside, there was a bar at one end, with some food, the other end had a cafe, no alcohol, in the middle there was another snack bar and lots of tables and chairs everywhere, and some bench seats, plenty of room. One thing they didn’t have…charging ports, glad I was able to get mine!

There were TVs in the area we were, car racing was on, but in and out as we lost signal. In the middle of the ship they were playing movies. A pretty comfortable situation overall. When we did this before, we were on the overnight ship from Portland, Maine to Yarmouth, it was a 12 hour trip, there was a full dining room with sit down service and staterooms, which we had and I was so thankful for, if you know what I’m saying!

At one point, I put my hood down over my eyes and I was out like a light, just the way I like it! Ignorant of what’s happening around me! After I woke up I went in search of a rest room and on my way back, found the gift shop for a magnet and a sticker, go figure! Back to our group where everyone was starting to wake up and come back to life. Oh, I forgot, there was a guy playing guitar for most of the trip, he wasn’t great, but he kept us entertained! And my wonderful husband tipped him as he finished. Such a good egg!

When the boat docked, we headed back down to the bikes, got them unhooked and ready to ride. They have a very smooth and efficient process to get you on and off the boat, along with the tie downs, a well oiled machine, so to speak. When we were finally able to ride off the boat, we got into the line to go through border control into Canada. We had to wait a bit, they had 4 lanes, car > car > bikes > bikes. The downside…they were on strike so only a few people were working. Some people got made because they thought they were letting all the bikes go at once, nope, it was car > car > bike > bike. Now…some of us went by 2’s because we live in the same household… relax!

When we were all through passport control and assembled outside the gates, we rode the 7 miles to the hotel, checked in, got permission to park our bikes right in front of the windows, under the awning, to help keep our bikes out of the rain a little. We then went to our rooms, coordinated on food for the evening, pizza: simple and something everyone can agree on [maybe not our stomachs, but simple and tasty!] we also ordered a salad and CDH and MMH went out to get beverages.

We met down in the lobby when the food arrived, gathered, ate, talked, laughed, and watched the Celtics game, they are in the playoffs and everyone in the group, except for me are from Boston, so… Celtics fans! I’m not anti-Celtics, I have fond memories of Larry Bird!

When I finished eating, I wished everyone a good night so I could come and talk to you and everyone else stayed downstairs to watch the game, enjoy! Plan first…breakfast at 7a, KSU, Kick Stands Up, at 730a off to Baddeck in the AM! Mother Nature, please be kind tomorrow!

Good luck Celtics, I’m outta here!

Happy Birthday GES! I hope today was as fabulous and magical as you! Your big sister loves you so very much!

{May 11, 2024} A little puppy love, a bike ride, breakfast, a coworker/friend adventure, a new place for food!

Another normal Saturday, right?! Today was a lot of fun!

Got up stupid early, well, not completely stupid, but why was I awake at 530a?! Seriously? It’s Saturday! Well…I refused to get out of bed until at least 6am! We did need to get an early start, but not that early! I finally got motivated about 6am, got the dogs and took them for our morning walk. When we got back DH and Tequila were up and I fed the dogs, then took Tequila out to do her thing.

I came back in and attempted to feed her, as I discovered last night, she does not scarf her food like our dogs, she is a grazer, I’ve heard of that in dogs, but I’ve never experienced it in person! She still hadn’t finished the food I gave her last night! I grabbed Ruby’s bowl from the studio and fed the girls. When I tried to feed Tequila she wasn’t interested, so I left it in a bowl in the studio and unfortunately, DH left the door open and Ruby had a second breakfast! Oh brother!

I took all three dogs outside and the ground was very wet, so…we had a damp beagle and a damp golden retriever…um. They had fun in the yard, very excited the dogs got along, I think if they had more time to play it would have been better, but we kind of threw them together and for that short amount of time, they did great!

After everyone was put together, our dogs went into the crate, Tequila and DH got in PSM’s jeep, the vehicle he was driving had 2 car seats in the back that were too hard to dislodge! PSM and I got on our bikes and we headed to Hernley’s to drop the bikes off for their Spring service. It was cold, but a great morning for a ride! It’s been raining, so not much riding this past week, so this was great!

After the dealership, we all jumped in the jeep and went to breakfast at Heisey’s, a place we really like, I’m pretty sure I’ve told you about it before, if not, I’ll tell you another time. A great breakfast place that we introduced DH to, one of the things we’ve loved about moving here…all the fabulous breakfast places we have discovered!

After breakfast, we headed to the house and said goodbye to DH and Tequila, let the dogs out, I went up to take a shower and get dressed, and then I kissed everyone goodbye, that sounds so final! and I got in the car, dropped the top, and I was off to Philly for the day!

The weather was perfect for a convertible, it was supposed to rain, that’s why I took the car. I have to tell you, the weather was fabulous all day, it didn’t actually rain until about 8pm when I was driving back home, so score one for the bug-a-boo! I drove into Philly, only hit a few spots of traffic, but made it in under 2 hours, not too shabby.

I was meeting my co-worker, NO, oh my goodness, I just realized her initials are NO! I LA LA LA LOVE that! And now…she will forever be NO in my posts! ha ha! Anyway…she is in Philly, from Chicago to teach class last week and this week and we get along really well and I had asked when she was coming in if she would like to get together this weekend…oh yeah! So…I got to Philly, texted her that I was downstairs and she would see me when she came out…”red car, blue hair!” my exact words and I wasn’t lying!

She jumped in the car and we compared lists of what we both had researched, she had a great and healthy list! First…a nosh, we were both hungry, but not full meal hungry, so she told me about this place called Goldie. Goldie is a vegan, Israeli-style falafel shop serving fresh-to-order falafel, French fries and tehina shakes, and gluten free! We were both set!

Fries…yes! Cabbage on top…yes! Schwarma seasoning on the fries, a little spicy for me, you know I’m a wimp, but it worked for the fries! And falafel on top…oh yeah! And the falafel was delicious, tender, and definitely not dry, thank goodness. Next…tehina shake, what? Yes! A vegan ice cream shake with tehina…the sesame paste you use to make hummus and baba ghanoush, among other things! And did it work as a shake? you bet your sweet bippie! Oh my word! Delicious!

After our snack, we walked back to the car and we decided to go to Valley Forge. It is he encampment site of the Continental Army during the winter of 1777-1778. It was great, we started at the visitor’s center, spoke with a very nice park ranger who gave us some pointers on what to do. The park closed at 515p and there was a 10 mile encampment driving tour…sold!

We jumped back in the car, top down, and started off on our adventure. We saw the barracks where the soldiers would have lived, the barracks where the officers would have lived, quite a difference! We also climbed into the bunks and got some pictures, not very roomy, I can tell you that!

We went to each site and along the way we would dial a number and enter the stop number and a recording would play telling us about where we were, what we were looking at, and the history of that spot.

You may be asking, ‘But JJ…why Valley Forge is so important? and I will tell you friends ‘Valley Forge was a naturally defensible plateau where the army could train and recoup from the year’s battles, and the wet and cold winter weather, muddy and impassable roads, and scant supplies made major battles less likely.’ Isn’t amazing?!

We learned that when enlistment was up, many soldiers decided to stay on, they taught themselves, the made their own clothes, found food, they had a purpose and a mission and that is what won the war. I was so impressed.

We even got to got o George Washington’s headquarters! It had offices, where much planning took place, a dining room and bedrooms that housed about 30 people, that was the Washington’s and their staff, both free and enslaved. It was amazing to see what it was like. We got to speak to another park ranger and get her opinions on some things and a little background, as much as she could give us right before she was locking up! We were definitely thankful for her time!

By now, it’s closing time, so back to the car and onto the road, we were hungry, especially after seeing the kitchen and the food they may have prepared, didn’t matter that it was fake, we were hungry! We decided to go into Valley Forge, that meant going into King of Prussia, where we were was like an outdoor mall and we settled on Founding Farmer’s, cooperative-grower-owned spot serving farm-to-table-themed American fare in rustic digs.

It’s a farmer-owned restaurant, the food was fresh, and tasty, they even have their own distillery! And…we were both able to find something to make us smile and fill our bellies while we continued talking and getting to know each other. I definitely give this place two thumbs up and I would definitely go back! If I was back in the area, there are so many great places to try, do we go back or try something new? If it was NO and I, some place new, if it was PSM and I, which we will probably go at some point, I can see taking him there!

After dinner, we headed back to Philly, we talked some more, laughed, discovered, and just had a really nice time. It was fun to talk about work, and talk in person! The great thing…we talked about work…maybe 10% of our time together, the rest…getting to know each other, laughing, learning about Valley Forge, General Washington and his armies, getting lost on the roads, imagine that…two people directionally challenged using a map, g r e a t…

Before we knew it, we were back in Philly at the hotel. I put the hazards on, got out and we chatted a little more before I was going to leave and a police officer put on his lights and used his siren…at me! Was that my car, yes officer, just saying goodbye to my friend… a few more minutes, and we said another goodbye, have a great day tomorrow, talk to you on Monday and off she went and I drove home to PSM and the puppies.

And here I sit talking to you about my day. And now… g’night!

{May 3, 2024} A Swearing in, an Honour, and a Celebration!

Today was very special for myself and PSM, we were honoured to be a part of something very special. We got to witness the swearing in of some friends, and receive their citizenship to the United States.

It was so very cool! The president of the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club and his family were being sworn in as citizens of the United States, and we were there to support them, and cheer them on! We found out about it a few weeks ago and we were able to be there today to show our support, along with some other folks from the club. We saw them in the room before the ceremony, then we went into the courtroom to wait with everyone else for them to arrive.

The future citizens came in in groups, they had to do a lot of paperwork, then when everyone was in the courtroom, we stood as the two judges came in, and the proceedings began. There were introductions of the judges, then a welcome from The Honorable Charles T Jones, Jr a very moving speech and from his words you could tell how much he enjoyed this part of his job. There was a presentation of Petition for Naturalization & Motion, that was seconded, then there was the administration of the oath.

All the candidates stood and recited the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America. This is some very heady stuff, what they have to promise to do, defend, and uphold, it really makes you realize how much they want to be here, and what a privilege it is for someone like myself, to have been born here. There were several of us watching, listening, and getting emotional, I know I teared up, as did a few people sitting next to me. It really was an honour to witness and be a part of, I’ve seen it in the movies, but there really is nothing like seeing it in person, and feeling the magnitude of it all.

Next, one by one, each citizen-to-be stood, walked to the front as the judges called their names. They received a folder with paperwork, a certificate, a pin, I think, and an American flag. There was a lot of hand shaking , some bowing, flag waving, and a lot of cheering! I think almost everyone had at least one person with them, but I think we had the largest cheering section! There were 20 people who were receiving their citizenship, and they were from all over the world. There were people from Nepal, the United Kingdom, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Bhutan, Mexico, India, Haiti, Jamaica, and Cambodia, amazing.

After each person received their folders and flags, they sat down, when the last person received their packet, we all stood to recite The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. I’ll be honest, I get a little emotional when I say it, but this time, it felt more special. Then the court crier announced the adjournment and we all hugged, shook hands, and hi-fived. It was a special moment. Then a group photo, so cool!

After the ceremony, hugs and congratulations all around, we went outside to take a group photo with the new citizens of this great land of ours! There was going to be a celebration at the club house, a cook-out, and we were definitely attending, but first…a stop for a drink at a local watering hole, close to the club house, the Union Beer House.

We all rode over on our bikes, got drinks and hung out for a bit. Then the family headed home to change, and then on to the club house, they were putting on the spread! After a bit, I went home to take care of the pups, PSM hung out and I would meet him at the club house.

The pups were happy to see me, at least the wagging tails told me so! We went for a walk, they got dinner, and a little while later, I headed out to the club house to meet PSM and see everyone else. It’s been great getting to know the folks in the club, they are incredibly welcoming and we feel like we truly belong.

The club house was decked out in red, white, and blue, of course! There were burgers, dogs, chips, sides, desserts, and drinks. All free tonight, in celebration of the new citizens! So very generous! We ate, talked, laughed, met a few new people, wash-rinse-repeat! It was a great time, then we went upstairs for the meeting.

It wasn’t a very long meeting, but fun as always. The historical fact for tonight’s meeting? On this date in 2024, the president of the club became a citizen of the United States! Big cheers! After the meeting, chatting with some of the folks, and it was time to head home for the night.

Truly…an honour, thank you for letting us share this with you! And welcome!

{April 23, 2024} Second Seder and Homeward Bound

First night with my family was fabulous, as always. Second night is always with PSM’s family, a fun time that!

It’s Tuesday, so it’s still a work day, that means, more cooking, just to fill in some of the gaps from what we ate last night at the first seder. We made two more kugels, another matzoh brittle, more gefilte fish, and more broccoli pancakes, oh yeah, more hard boiled eggs.

In between cooking, there was work to be done, for my job that is! I actually got a lot done, had a few calls, GES and dad went to the grocery store for some supplies, I did go out and treat myself to a chai at Starbucks, ended up talking to a nice guy about bikes, he commented on my Sturgis sweatshirt, how could I not talk about how much we love to ride?!

About 5p, I started to pack up my stuff and about 530p, I hugged and kissed everyone goodbye and headed to PSM’s family’s for seder. There were a lot more people at the second night seder, GES was having about 20, we had 11 last night, sound about right!

I walked in with my goodies, the fabulous veggie matzoh ball soup for me and the peach matzoh kugel for all. Let’s just say, I know it was good, but…there was absolutely nothing left for me to take back to PA and PSM! Happily disappointed!

We sat down about 630pm, I ended up at the kids side of the table. Kids being the youngest was about 16 or 17 and the oldest in their 20s, these are bigger kids. They still do the Four Questions, well, they’re still the youngest! Of course, I was also seated across from some of the older trouble makers, myself included, not complaining, there was a lot of laughter and love!

As all families, they have their own traditions, we sing Take Me Out to the Seder, sung to…you guessed it, Take Me Out to the Ball Game! They use different Haggadah’s, as most families do, but like most families, everyone takes a turn reading, participating in the service and the telling of our story.

I stayed until the seder was over and we started clearing the table, and some folks were heading out, it was about 930p and I had a very long drive home! Not looking forward to that…I got on the road, had the top down for part of it, of course! I decided to go through Connecticut, how much traffic could there be at 12-1am?! Well…not hours of traffic, but there was traffic! Seriously? I cannot stand driving through that state! I may have already said it, I enjoy the state, just not driving through it! ugh!

After about 3 hours, I probably stopped every hour, to get gas, walk around, keep myself awake and ready to go. It was a very, very, very long drive. I find that during the day, I can drive for what seems like forever! I remember driving from St Louis to Denver, CO, it’s about a 12 hour drive, I did it in one fell swoop, isn’t that a great expression! But once the sun goes down, I’m not good for the full drive without stopping.

I made it home safely, finished a podcast, started a new one, that kept me going for hours, I wasn’t sure when it was going to end, but good for my drive! I made it home about 330am and I was done! I emailed dad and my sister to let them know I was home, went into the house and was greeted with running, snuggles, and kisses from the fur babies, someone had fallen asleep and left them out.

I proceeded to love on them, get them in the crate, and it was all I could do to walk upstairs, put on my jammies, and fall into bed, the alarm was still coming at 6a, really?

All in all, a good trip, too short, but a good one. Family, friends, food, and fun, what more could you want? Notin’ I tell ya! Nothin’! G’Night!

{April 21, 2024} It’s Sunday…let’s go!

Yesterday, after the Biker and Bike Blessing, I loaded up the convertible, kissed PSM and the dogs buh bye, jumped into said convertible, dropped the top and away we went! We being me and the cah! [I said cah because I was heading to Bahston!]

PSM gave me a way to avoid the traffic in Connecticut, that Connecticut is so famous for and makes people not want to go or drive through Connecticut. Ok, so maybe people want to go, I spent a great weekend there with CWB two years ago, but driving through it to get to Boston, not my favorite, or my husband, or my dad, or anyone else who has to do it. That being said, PSM gave me a route that would add about 100 miles to my trip, which meant about an extra hour, but I would avoid Connecticut, and it worked!

I arrived at my sister’s about 830p, eyes were slits, but I made it! After visiting for a bit, I was done! Down to the sofa in the basement, set up the blankets, jammies on, and I started talking to you and couldn’t sleep, really?!

I did not set an alarm for this morning, but lucky me…I woke up about 530a, fun! I lay there not thinking or doing anything, I just snuggled deeper into the covers, it was cold in the basement, but I was toasty under a few layers, works for me! Eventually I got up and wandered upstairs and my sister was in the kitchen with EJS, she was heading off with ACS, to do a father-daughter college tour and soccer ID clinic. Can you believe it…college tours! O M G!

MGS came down eventually, she had a soccer game in the afternoon, she was going to chill until then. GES and I started to cook some of the dishes we would need for the Passover seder tomorrow and Tuesday. She hosts first and second night. I’m always at first night and when I started dating PSM, we go to second night with his family. Their first night seder is usually held in a hall with a lot, when I say, a lot, I mean a lot of people! They’ve had up to 100 in the past! That would be something to see!

We have to strategize what we’re going to cook because there’s only so many good size burners and only so much oven space! We started with a matzoh brittle, y u m! This is one cup of brown sugar, one cup of butter, melted, then you put it on a tray of matzoh, which goes into the oven for 5 minutes at 350. When it’s cooled, you break it into pieces. Some people make it with chocolate chips and nuts, I’m a purist. You’re welcome, you’ll thank me later!

I started on the veggie matzoh ball soup, y u m! Then we made I lost count of how many hard boiled eggs, then the potatoes, we had gefilte fish to make too. This is where the musical burners comes in because there are only two large ones and we use large stock pots for everything!

We had thumbprint cookies to make, coconut macaroons, matzoh apple and peach apple kugel, charoset for just the two of us, since we can’t eat apples. I think that’s everything. You know…I really need to give you our recipes for these dishes, they are sooo good! Other people would be bringing items tomorrow, so we don’t have to cook everything like we used to when we were kids.

About 1030am, we went over to a friend’s house to help them with the crafts for her son’s bar mitzvah, it’s a baseball theme and she needed a little extra zhuzhing it up [you just have to say the word out loud]. That was a lot of fun, there were glue guns, batteries, lights, baseballs, the whole nine yards! And she had a Cricut, so I had someone to chat Cricut, you know I was in heaven!

After the craft party, we headed back home to cook some more. When we got there, dad had arrived! The family is together! We chatted and caught up while we made a few kugels, then everyone left for the soccer field, I stayed behind a few minutes to get the kugels out of the oven, the off to the game I went.

Great to see MGS on the field, it was a lot of fun, she’s really getting so much better! This was her first game with this team, definitely a new experience! I’m so very proud of her! I hope she knows that!

Let’s just say, I had my top down on the way to Boston, today…I couldn’t warm up fast enough when I was back in the car after the game. I could not feel my feet or fingers, thank goodness it all came back to me! Back at the house, a little more cooking and then it was time for dinner. They brought in pizza and salads, I had a nice big salad, I had to go to the grocery store earlier and got some of my favorite vegan cheese, Chao Cheese, the brand is Field Roast, I actually never noticed the brand name before! I was always focused on the flavor. It is a full, rich, cheese, and melts nicely!

Dinner is always fun at my sister’s house, lot’s of chatter, banter, silliness, and laughter, what more could you want?! After dinner we did the last of the cooking we needed to, cleaned up the kitchen, everyone else went up to bed and GES and I sat on the sofa and relaxed! What a day?!

I know I nodded off a few times while we were sitting there scrolling through our phones and watching something on tv, I know this because I kept waking myself up! ha ha. After a bit, I went downstairs and here I am telling you about my day.

I’m going to say Bonne nuit (bon nwee), that’s french for good night.

{April 20, 2024} A Bike and Biker Blessing

Say that 10 times fast! Today was a great experience, I told you last night I would tell you all about it today and here it is!

A biker and biker blessing is a truly moving event, we participated in our first one in Hawai’i. It was held at a church, it felt like every bike on the island was there! We met, there was a blessing, in Hawai’ian and we went on our way, knowing we were, well, blessed!

Today, we were with the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club [LVMC], there was also the biker/bike blessing with our Indian Motorcycle Riders Group [IMRG], it wasn’t an easy decision, but we went with the LVMC because we haven’t ridden with them yet and last weekend we had our first IMRG group ride of the season. I also needed to be closer to home, after the blessing and lunch, I high tailed it to Boston for a few days!

We got to the clubhouse at 1030a and there were already about 30 bikes and people there, by the time we left, I think we were somewhere between 50-60, maybe, I couldn’t tell, but there were a lot of us! It was fun meeting some new people in the group and seeing what everyone rides, that’s always the best part.

We were very organized, not us personally, the group. There were several people who would be blocking traffic, that means that they block traffic at lights and stops so we can all ride together as one big group. The idea, which I liked the analogy when we rode in Hawai’i was we should function like a tractor trailer, everyone stays together.

We left in one big group, I know someone was taking photos, I can’t wait to see them! I have to tell you, it is such a site to see all the bikes riding in one long procession, it sounds wonderful and it looks beautiful! We rode to the Lebanon VA Medical Center, what an honor! There were some residents who were outside watching, some in the lobby, and many from their rooms. We did a tour around the perimeter, came to park in front and we all got off our bikes and walked towards the chapel.

Father Paul was waiting for us, he was wearing a long white robe, full regalia, with sunglasses, a baseball cap, and sneakers! LOVE IT! We all gathered around and Father Paul read from his prayer book, a few prayers I recognized, what I loved was he added motorcycles in there! He talked about being able to ride was freedom, reminding us of what we can do, and to keep each other safe. It was a lovely ceremony.

We all received badges/pins, oh yeah, before we left the clubhouse, we all received an American Flag with the Biker Blessing on it to attach to our bikes! After we received our pins, we got back on our bikes and rode past Father Paul, who then blessed us each with holy water! SO cool!

After we were blessed, we made our way back to the clubhouse for a fine feast of picnic and comfort foods and good conversation. We met some new folks and really just enjoyed ourselves. I know we would have had fun with the IMRG folks, this was fun getting to know the LVMC folks!

After lunch we headed back home, played with the dogs a little, I loaded up my car and headed out and here I sit at my sister’s house writing to you. I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow! I need sleep! After getting up about 6am, then the biker blessing, then a 7 hour drive to Boston, I’m beat!

Vroom Vroom…God natt (goo nat) [Good night in Norwegian]!

{April 19, 2024} A new place and a meeting

Today was your average work day, it seemed to go on forever, was yours like that? I looked up, it was 12p, then I looked up and I thought it was 3p, nope, it was 1p, then 2p, what happened?! I was very busy, so that should mean the day flew by and I didn’t have enough time to get what I needed to done. Nope, it was weird. I didn’t quite make my deadline, but I got a lot done, go figure!

After work, take the pups for a walk, they got in their smells, found some potato-chippy worms to munch on, munched on some grass, I listened to a podcast, and that’s how it usually goes for us. Oh, we did meet some of the dogs in the neighborhood, we said hello to Charlie, the teeny poodle who definitely tries to defend and protect his property and his humans, Calvin, the black and white great dane, what a sweet and gentle doll baby, having a moment on the other dogs names, but they all did the doggie meet-n-greet, let’s sniff there, oh my!

Then PSM got home from work and we tried a new place on our Lebanon Valley Libations Trail, The Union Beer House. It is in a random place, nestled in between some car dealerships and other businesses, you almost drive by you. When you walk in, it’s very cool, they have beer coolers on the left, a lot of coolers, basically, a wall of coolers, these hold bottles by the six-pack for sale. Then on the right, there are shelves of wine, and a cooler with beer cans, I didn’t get over there to look if the cans were for sale in six packs as well. The last cooler had single bottles of beer, again, didn’t get over there to see if they were for sale individually.

At the counter you can order food and drink, on the left were all the taps and a proper bar. When I say proper bar, I just mean that you can sit or stand at the bar and gather, chat, congregate, which is the same as gather, right? In the middle, wide open space, they had tables and chairs for eating, they had a high top long bar along the window. Then as you wander, they have a video gambling room, that was different.

The food was ok, I’ll be honest, the only thing on the menu I could eat was veggie fried rice and an order of 5 mini spring rolls, I asked about a veggie burger, I was told they have a black bean burger, but it was spicy. Fried rice and spring rolls it is. PSM had fish and chips. The chips were good, we both liked them.

The place was crowded with friends, families, single folks, groups, couples. It had a good atmosphere of people enjoying themselves on a Friday night. Kitchen closes at 8p, brewery closes at 10p, welcome to Central PA!

We went because it’s on the Libations Trail, but it wasn’t a place I would go back to. I could see going if PSM wanted a beer or some friends wanted to go have a beer and hang out, but overall, not my first choice. I enjoyed the experience and I’m glad we tried something new, but it wasn’t for us. We really like to sit at the bar and talk to people. Oh well…

Now, the plus…we were only a 2 minute drive from the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club! Score! We got there a little before everyone was going up to the meeting, we just missed the home made carrot cake, bummer! D is a great baker! I really like everything I’ve tried!

Tonight the place was packed, not quite standing room only, but a lot of people! I think because the weather is getting nicer and rides are about to start happening, people were there to get more information. Tomorrow, I’m excited, we’re going to a bike blessing, not telling you much more because I want to tell you about it tomorrow!

I’m glad I ran into R when I was at White’s Harley Davidson and he told me about the club, and I’m glad we finally went to a meeting and joined. Everyone is very friendly and has welcomed us warmly and we’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone. And…excited to go on our first ride with them and see what everyone rides!

And on that note, I’m going to wish you a शुभ रात्रि (shub raatree) [good night in hindi].

{April 11, 2024} A New Lebanon Valley Experience!

Lebanon Valley is back with a new opportunity to explore. You went with us on the Lebanon Valley Java Journey and now…we are starting the Lebanon Valley Libations Trail! Yup, you guessed it, we went from coffee to booze!

And you also know me…two things I love…ha ha! Yeah right! They are both things that PSM loves, but I enjoy going along for the ride and…depending on where we are the libation…the more he drinks, the more stuff I get, a win-win, wouldn’t you say?!

There are 18 bars, breweries, and distilleries on the list. Some we’ve already been to because that is one thing I explore, new places to eat and drink, but this time, we get points for participating, no passport or mug to buy. The way it works is you download the pass, but this one is virtual, you don’t have to remember to bring it with you when you go somewhere, so that’s a plus! “Did you bring the passport?” “Crud, no, we need to go back and get it!” none of that! So.. you download the pass, when you go to one of the establishment you check in and enter the code and collect your points. You can put the points towards free stuff, some of the stuff you get at the bar itself and some you get might be mailed to you. Either way, free stuff, wahoo! Some places have discounts on food and merchandise while you’re there, score!

Some of the places we’ve already been to, and several of them we like, and some of them we don’t. We’re trying to decide if we go to those early and get them over with or leave them towards the end, but I don’t want to end on a negative for us, so…decisions, decisions. There wasn’t anything drastically wrong with them, they just weren’t the places for us, but…being slightly competitive, we’re going to do them all! We met someone last year who told us about the Lebanon Valley Libations Trail just as it was ending and gave us all the codes from the bars they went to, so we were able to get some free stuff, score! This time, we’re starting at the beginning and we’re going all the way!

And, just like last time, I’m going to share our experience with you, because if I didn’t, what type of friend would I be?! A few of the places I’m really excited about because they’ve been on my list of want to try for a while, score!

Tonight, we went to the first place, not the first place on the list, just the first place. PSM called me to ask me out to dinner, it’s been a beautiful day and turning into a beautiful evening. He rode the bike to work and said let’s meet somewhere! He didn’t want to go to one of the places close to the house we go to regularly, so we decided on the Blue Bird Inn. This is a place our realtor took us when we were house hunting and it seemed so much farther away! At the time we were in a hotel about 40/45 minutes from here, so it was. Now…it’s about 15 minutes from us, score!

The Blue Bird Inn was built in 1859 and renovated in 2009. It’s a classic pub, big indoor seating area, actually there are several rooms, a very nice bar, then an outdoor seating area that is actually indoors, if that makes sense, it’s all windows, but it’s not inside the main room. Then you go outside and there is an upper level deck with a bar and a lower level, no bar. The outside decks both have tables for outdoor seating, it’s quite nice.

The atmosphere is great, the staff is great, the ambiance is great, the drinks, from what I’ve been told, are great, and yes, the food is great. I’ve enjoyed all but one trip there, they have great vegan options for me, but this one time, I’m not sure if the chef was mad at my veggie burger, but it came out hockey puck style! Yup, beyond repair, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so! But…my broccoli was great that night, saving grace!

As I mentioned, they have vegan options for me, they make cauliflower wings, tasty, but even better, cauliflower steak! If you’ve never had it, don’t knock it until you try it! A cauliflower steak is when the cut the cauliflower in a thick piece and grill it, fry it, pan sear it, whatever you do with a steak, you do with a big slab of cauliflower, except put gravy on it, that would be weird, for me anyway, but if you want to try it that way, go for it!

It was a loverly evening, we sat, talked, drank, laughed, rounded out the meal with some very good bourbon bread pudding, I recommend it highly. Yeah, we’ll go back! After we ate, and talked, and laughed, and had a great time, it had started to get a little chilly, so back on the bikes we went, stopped for gas, and then, home sweet home.

And that was our first stop on the Lebanon Valley Libations Trail, not to worry, we have until June 15th, and you know us, we’ll do it! Maybe one here and there, another day maybe two or three, or more! Who knows! But you know I’ll tell you all about each one!

And now…I say to you…Buona notte (bwona nohteh) [good night in Italian].

{March 25, 2024} I did not stop writing again and I did not forget about you!

I promise! I have been under the weather, then sick as a dog since we last spoke and I am sorry! There was a big event to tell you about and I could not even bring myself close enough to the pc to tell you about it! But I will…in another post!

I started to feel woogie on Wednesay, I taught a class, did a few things and decided I needed some Dayquil, then to sit down and rest. Now, normally, when I start to feel woogie, and yes, that is a technical term, when I start to feel woogie, I take a Dayquill or two, meaning two doses, the directed 4 hours apart, I know, I know, you’re shocked I actually follow directions! Well, usually, that works. Nope, not this time.

Thursday came, I started feeling woogier and taught my last class, oh and the cough decided to join me for class, gee thanks. There were a few ‘please hold, I have to turn off my camera and mic and choke for a moment’ moments, fun! But we made it through class, but by the time it was over, I was not doing so hot. I did what I needed to do to wrap up the day, but it was time to lay down, I don’t think I was even able to walk the dogs.

Now, as I said, I usually can take the Dayquil in a day or two, I’m right as rain, PSM says I have a really strong immune system, well, Mother Nature‘s storm front, the hot/cold/hot/cold days, Spring, and allergies all rolled up into one, did nothing for me! So…I got in bed by 9p, yes, you heard me, 9pm and I was done for!

I only got up a few times in the middle of the night, oh joy! Friday came and I was a zombie…I do not know how I made it through work. I finished everything I needed to for the classes I taught for the week, took a nap, went back to work and prepped for the next week, which started today, prepped for some classes I have scheduled in the future and at 430p, I was 100000% done. I took a scalding hot shower, because that sometimes helps, put on my jammies, fed the dogs, and I was under the covers by 6pm.

PSM came home with some soup, it wasn’t the best soup, but it was hot and it hit the spot, he even tasted it and agreed, but I love that he brought me soup and he took charge of me! Thank you! He then said we are switching to Nyquil, because you need sleep! Yes sir! I am down with that!

I took the Nyquil and then there was a new type of woogie feeling, but that faded into the back of my eyelids! I woke up at some point, took more Nyquil, oh, and did I mention the hot cups of tea with honey that kept coming? I am one lucky broad! There were several scalding hot showers, because they open my chest up, the steam clears my nose up and I feel warm and wonderful…for about an hour, but I will take it!

I also woke up sweating several times, so those showers were wonderful and refreshing. Back to bed, more Nyquil. Saturday was a blur! The last does of Nyquil came about 11pm, I fell asleep about 12am, woke up at 1am and I did not fall asleep again until about midnight Sunday. Oh, about 4am Saturday night/Sunday morning, I decided I was laying there long enough, I’m going on a trip Friday, I’m going to do my hair.

I didn’t do the best job this time, in terms of…if you saw the back of my neck, you might notice the giant blue and purple blobs! o m g! ha ha ha. There has been a great deal of exfoliating going on as we speak! I may be wearing a scarf on my flight if I can’t get the color off my neck! I am sitting here laughing hysterically as I write this! I am also reading this out loud as I write it and I almost never do that! I might still be delirious!

Yesterday, PSM was very wise to not let me do anything, even getting up to brush my teeth took a lot out of me! He was great, he’s taken the pressure off me to do things, he’s walked the dogs, fed them, put them up, all the things we share duties on, but he’s done them all, and I so appreciate him for that.

Today, still taking it easy, glad I work from home, I sat at my pc, worked, took breaks when I needed to, but didn’t move much. I did a little laundry, so I have what I need for my trip, but taking it very easy. I’m still not 100% and I don’t have much of an appetite, but I’m getting there, as my grandma would say ‘yiddle by yiddle’. I still have this cough, but my throat isn’t as sore and I have about 10 minutes worth of talking time before I start choking or get tired, so…

That being said, I’ve talked to you now for about 30 minutes and I’m feeling it! So…g’night!

{March 3, 2024} A pahty, dinner with dad, drive home

I…am…beat…yeah, I’m done! I just got home from Bahston and dinner with dad, I’ll tell you about my day, then I’m crashing!

Got up, the pups had slept with me, they love that treat, I’ll admit, I love it too. It really is a treat because it doesn’t happen every day. I let them on the bed sometimes on a Saturday or Sunday morning, but spending the night on the bed, now that’s a treat. Ruby did her thing and turned around twice and laid down, Bee turned around twice and then dug herself into my side, it was soooo cute. She moved once or twice, but settled into the crook I made and it was warm and cuddly, sigh.

We got up, went for a walk, thank goodness the rain finally stopped! Oh my car window…we came back, they had breakfast, I took a shower, then we headed to J&A’s for Uncle A’s 80th birthday bash! I got there, asked if I could do anything and A said she completely forgot vegan stuff, and there was a gluten-free person coming, so I said I would go to the grocery store and get some, easy! GES is going dairy-free for a while, I wanted to share some of my favorite options with her too.

Ruby just came upstairs to tell me it was time for bed!

I went to Wegmans and picked up some vegan and gluten-free options. I forgot how much I really like Wegman’s and what a great vegan selection they have! And how expensive some of that stuff is! I know it’s expensive, but usually I’m only buying one or two things along with our other groceries for the week!

I headed back to the house and people were starting to show up, including my hubby, PSM! I hadn’t seen him since Friday morning when he headed towards Vermont, very nice to see him, the girls thought so too!

We were in town for Uncle A’s 80th birthday bash and what a bash it was! GES was able to come over for a little bit, try some of the vegan cream cheese and smoked gouda, oh my I was happy, I love this Violife brand! They have such good dairy-free options! She was able to have bagel-lox-and cream cheese, with onion, of course! Not for me, thanks!

We ate some good food, got to chat with friends and family, laugh, hug, tell stories, and have an all around good time! It was so good to see everyone, I don’t think we’ve seen them since the Chanuakah party the weekend of Thanksgiving!

We bade everyone goodbye, PSM loaded the girls in the Jeep and headed towards home, I got in my car, programmed the directions and headed to my dad’s house. Let’s just say, no one likes driving through Connecticut! Aren’t they done with construction yet? Maybe that’s the national pastime in Connecticut!

It was a 4.5 hour drive with no stops, I had to get gas once and use the facilities a few times, and with traffic, it only added about 30 minutes, not too shabby. And…it got up to 70, guess what I did…dropped Annie’s top and we wer rockin’ down the road, that helped! I got to dad’s about 5p, we hugged hello, then loaded up in his car, I needed a minute not to be driving! We enjoyed Zara’s so much on Friday we decided to go back and even got the same meal!

We had the appetizer platter with babaganoush, hummus, tabouleh, eggplant salad, and sauted eggplant, it was so good! And we had a shepherd’s salad, the bread they bring out is fabulous and enough for the appetizers, I had a cup of turkish tea and we ended the meal with an order of baklavah! Sooo good! I’m ready for the next time.

Back to dad’s house, I helped him with his new timer light and then it was time to drive home. It’s only 2.5 hours, but when it’s been a long day and you’re tired, and already drove 5 hours, 2.5 can be tough! Especially after driving to Boston yesterday! But…made it home safe and sound, hello to the hubs and the dogs, unloaded the car, I’m talking to you and as soon as I click publish…I’m going to introduce myself to the back of my eyelids. Now…you know me, I know this, and you know this is just me talking a big game! ha ha

I’m going to give it the old school try! Night!

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