June 16, 2010
Broad Brook, CT
After on-and-off showers for the better part of the last week, things finally cleared up a bit and yesterday was quite nice. Of course, that means that we're due to get more rain today! I just checked the weather radar and it looks like it'll start raining within the next hour. That's no problem since I'd planned today as a "catch up" day. Catch up on the blog and photos. Catch up on bills. Dust off the to-do list. Good stuff for a rainy day. The next few days are supposed to be nice, and we have a few more family events planned for the weekend, so things will be hopping. We're looking forward to it!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
More great dinners
June 15, 2010
Broad Brook, CT
Well, we're certainly eating well here in CT. Yesterday, Al grilled us lamb chops with his "Famous" Mushroom-Port sauce. The loin chops were quickly seared on a hot grill, and the sauce, made with an oyster-shiitake-maitake mix and some 20-year Tawny Port, was a great addition. Geri made a large batch of "Grandma Reds" (pan-roasted potatoes, fingerlings this time) and a zucchini hit the grill as well. With a Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet from Al's cellar, it was a fine meal. Geri had planned to make peach-brie quesadillas for dessert but ran out of time, so Pat quickly turned it into a peach-strawberry pie that was excellent.
Tonight, we had a couple of special treats. First, Geri made her "Famous" Chicken & Brie with Bowtie Pasta (a recipe from Barbara & Jim). Second, Mike & Lynne came over with the first bottle of their homemade wine, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. Third, they brought along their friend, Beth, and her little Yorkie, Petey. Merlin and Maya Lynn enjoyed the doggie company and we had another great dinner.
We're not getting a lot done during the day, but we're certainly enjoying the evenings!
Broad Brook, CT
Well, we're certainly eating well here in CT. Yesterday, Al grilled us lamb chops with his "Famous" Mushroom-Port sauce. The loin chops were quickly seared on a hot grill, and the sauce, made with an oyster-shiitake-maitake mix and some 20-year Tawny Port, was a great addition. Geri made a large batch of "Grandma Reds" (pan-roasted potatoes, fingerlings this time) and a zucchini hit the grill as well. With a Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet from Al's cellar, it was a fine meal. Geri had planned to make peach-brie quesadillas for dessert but ran out of time, so Pat quickly turned it into a peach-strawberry pie that was excellent.
Tonight, we had a couple of special treats. First, Geri made her "Famous" Chicken & Brie with Bowtie Pasta (a recipe from Barbara & Jim). Second, Mike & Lynne came over with the first bottle of their homemade wine, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. Third, they brought along their friend, Beth, and her little Yorkie, Petey. Merlin and Maya Lynn enjoyed the doggie company and we had another great dinner.
"Yep, just like I expected it to taste!"
Beth finds that the way to Merlin's heart is with Blueberry Pie!
We're not getting a lot done during the day, but we're certainly enjoying the evenings!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Catching up with the more family members
June 14, 2010
New Britain, CT
Today, we caught up with family members that we haven't seen in quite a while. Last week, I got an email from my cousin, Ric, letting me know that there was a Connecticut trip planned on their end, soo we made arrangements to get together for lunch. Ric and his wife, Susan, and mother, Doris, were all in CT for a wedding and had some free time, so we met at the restaurant at the Stanley Golf Course, which was about equidistant. They had lived in Cheshire, CT, for years before relocating to Georgia several years ago. We saw them at their daughter, Kate's, wedding two years ago, but didn't really have time to visit so this was a great opportunity. We talked for several hours, well past the end of lunch, and we'll try to get over to their place just northeast of Atlanta the next time we're in the Southeast.
New Britain, CT
Today, we caught up with family members that we haven't seen in quite a while. Last week, I got an email from my cousin, Ric, letting me know that there was a Connecticut trip planned on their end, soo we made arrangements to get together for lunch. Ric and his wife, Susan, and mother, Doris, were all in CT for a wedding and had some free time, so we met at the restaurant at the Stanley Golf Course, which was about equidistant. They had lived in Cheshire, CT, for years before relocating to Georgia several years ago. We saw them at their daughter, Kate's, wedding two years ago, but didn't really have time to visit so this was a great opportunity. We talked for several hours, well past the end of lunch, and we'll try to get over to their place just northeast of Atlanta the next time we're in the Southeast.
Ric, Susan, Geri, George, and Doris
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Satisfying a Lobster Jones
June 13, 2010
Broad Brook, CT
Geri's been wanting a lobster dinner since February. OK, that's because I promised her one for her birthday. But, I was painting the house and time just got away from me. So, with lobsters going for $4.99 per pound (as opposed to the $13.99 ones in AZ), Geri and Pat did a seafood feast today. Steamed clams, steamed lobster, corn on the cob - great to be in New England!
Broad Brook, CT
Geri's been wanting a lobster dinner since February. OK, that's because I promised her one for her birthday. But, I was painting the house and time just got away from me. So, with lobsters going for $4.99 per pound (as opposed to the $13.99 ones in AZ), Geri and Pat did a seafood feast today. Steamed clams, steamed lobster, corn on the cob - great to be in New England!
"Lefty", "Larry", "Louie"...
Whiner says "save some for me"!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
"Hey, it's a birthday party!"
June 12, 2010
Marlborough, CT
Today was a relaxing day. We puttered around a bit, then headed to Marlborough for a birthday party for Geri's grandson, Josh. We visited with Geri's son, Pete, (Josh's Dad) and his friend, Val. Josh's sister, Belle, and her friend, Danielle, Geri's son, Paul, daughter, Melisa, and grandson Jesse were all there. Pete did burgers and dogs on the grill and Val made enough baked macaroni to feed an army, so we were almost full by the time the cake arrived.
We all wished Josh a "Happy Birthday", and Pete surprised him with tickets for the Yankee game the next day. Good job!
Marlborough, CT
Today was a relaxing day. We puttered around a bit, then headed to Marlborough for a birthday party for Geri's grandson, Josh. We visited with Geri's son, Pete, (Josh's Dad) and his friend, Val. Josh's sister, Belle, and her friend, Danielle, Geri's son, Paul, daughter, Melisa, and grandson Jesse were all there. Pete did burgers and dogs on the grill and Val made enough baked macaroni to feed an army, so we were almost full by the time the cake arrived.
We all wished Josh a "Happy Birthday", and Pete surprised him with tickets for the Yankee game the next day. Good job!
Danielle, Belle, and Josh
Melisa, Al, Pat, and Geri
Val and Pete
Friday, June 11, 2010
Through The City and on to Connecticut via multiple states
June 11, 2010
Broad Brook, CT
Today was a very good travel day. We bid PA farewell and headed for CT.
We were up early and greeted with a partly sunny morning. Coffee in hand, I finished the travel preparation, which was basically just pulling in the power cord and hooking up to Rover. We left right around 8:00 AM as planned, and made our way cross-country (there are no direct routes) south. We tried a new route and it worked out pretty well, heading west from the RV park, then south to PA-41. We soon crossed into Delaware where a quick maneuver put us on DE-141 right down to I-295. We were soon across the Delaware Memorial Bridge into New Jersey, and ducked into the Flying J for fuel - both the coach and the people (this time, I remembered that we were going to have breakfast at our first stop).
We then made the quick hop over to the New Jersey Turnpike (aka "The Turnpike"), zipped through the EZ-Pass express lanes and headed north. As we usually do, we check New York City (aka "The City") traffic around New Brunswick. After hearing that there was a negligible delay on the local approaches to the George Washington Bridge (aka "The George" - OK, you get the idea: we can sometimes be New York-centric), we decided to go for it, saving 40-75 miles in the process. We had our alternate routes identified from past travel, so we knew we'd have options if things changed.
As it turns out, we really didn't have any issues. We followed the Turnpike all the way past the Meadowlands sports complex to the end, used the local lanes, cut over to the upper deck lanes (no trucks/propane on the lower level of The George and saw an empty HOV lane marked "6-9 AM and "3-6 PM". It being 11:00 AM, that looked like the right lane for us, and we drove right up to an EZ-Pass only lane and were through in a matter of seconds.
From the tolls, it's only a few hundred feet to the bridge, then quickly across the upper tip of Manhattan into the Bronx. OK, "quickly" is relative since we had a bit of stop-and-go traffic for a few miles. Other than a few slow spots along I-95 in Connecticut (the inevitable construction zones), we had a good ride up to New Haven then north on I-91, sneaking through Hartford just before the afternoon rush and arriving at Pat & Al's place in East Windsor right around 4:00 PM. Other than a run-in with an angry wasp while plugging in, we were quickly settled and enjoying a beer (the Lone Star that we brought Al from Texas) on the porch. All in all a good day.
Broad Brook, CT
Today was a very good travel day. We bid PA farewell and headed for CT.
From the tolls, it's only a few hundred feet to the bridge, then quickly across the upper tip of Manhattan into the Bronx. OK, "quickly" is relative since we had a bit of stop-and-go traffic for a few miles. Other than a few slow spots along I-95 in Connecticut (the inevitable construction zones), we had a good ride up to New Haven then north on I-91, sneaking through Hartford just before the afternoon rush and arriving at Pat & Al's place in East Windsor right around 4:00 PM. Other than a run-in with an angry wasp while plugging in, we were quickly settled and enjoying a beer (the Lone Star that we brought Al from Texas) on the porch. All in all a good day.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
A whirlwind week in PA/NJ
June 10, 2010
Embreeville, PA
Whew! We've been running all week. OK, not literally, but we've been busy nonetheless and have had a good time as well.
Sunday, we visited our friends Wayne and Doris in Chadds Ford. Their garden, "Wyneden" (http://wyneden.com/, http://wyneden.blogspot.com/), is a popular spot for horticultural tours, and Wayne's done an amazing job in both design and execution. We spent some time touring the garden before a nice dinner, and ended up talking well into the evening. Merlin and Maya Lynn enjoyed the visit with Nico, their champion standard poodle, as well!
On Monday, we caught up with friends from the working days, Bob & Sarah and Dave & Sandy. After wine and hors d'oeuvres at Bob & Sarah's, we headed to a local Italian place and had another nice meal. It was great to see everyone, and we all agreed that we should try to get together more than once every two years!
Tuesday took us to New Jersey, this time to visit friends, Shelley & Felice, who were neighbors when we lived in Berlin. They have a nice house in a quiet neighborhood (keeping the rampant development at bay) and it was fun to see all the home improvement projects they've completed. Their Dalmatian mix, Oliver ("Ollie") is just a few months older than Merlin, and they've been "buds" since they were puppies. Ollie's been suffering with some health issues, and we hope his treatments are productive. Yes, Ollie has his own chair at the table and, yes, he likes chocolate cake...
Wednesday dawned cloudy and rainy, and we ended up in New Jersey again, this time for shopping. Costco, Wegman's, and Canal's Wine Shop were all on the itinerary, and we got most everything we needed (and probably some things that weren't "on the list"). We took the pups with us since it wouldn't be too hot (especially not with temperatures in the low-60s), and they had a good day not being cooped up in the coach.
Today was our last day in the area, and we decided to hit a few local stops. Since we're right near Kennett Square, "the Mushroom Capital of the World" (says so right on the water tower!) and I always enjoy being a "fun guy", we walked around the historic district and picked up a couple of pounds of fresh mushrooms (mixed oyster, shiitake and maitake - yum). Our next stop was at Va La Winery (http://www.valavineyards.com/), in the little town of Avondale. I did some research and found this place online and was intrigued by the irreverent wit, so it was a natural place to stop. The notice in the "loo" is a good example of their sense of humor. We did a tasting and bought a couple of bottles (surprised?).
They serve each wine with a local cheese, and the tasting room manager suggested a side trip to a cheese shop. Since we had a little extra time and it was a nice day, we took the half-hour cruise up to Gap, PA, and found the place right under the clock tower. What a great find! We tasted every cheese we wanted and ended up buying six different ones. Can you say "cheese plate"? Oh, yeah.
Tonight, we used some of the mushrooms, with shrimp in a cream sauce over linguini. We're doing our normal "night before travel" stuff, so we should be able to hit the road around 8:00 tomorrow. This gives us a chance of getting through The City before the afternoon rush. Wish us luck!
Embreeville, PA
Whew! We've been running all week. OK, not literally, but we've been busy nonetheless and have had a good time as well.
Sunday, we visited our friends Wayne and Doris in Chadds Ford. Their garden, "Wyneden" (http://wyneden.com/, http://wyneden.blogspot.com/), is a popular spot for horticultural tours, and Wayne's done an amazing job in both design and execution. We spent some time touring the garden before a nice dinner, and ended up talking well into the evening. Merlin and Maya Lynn enjoyed the visit with Nico, their champion standard poodle, as well!
On Monday, we caught up with friends from the working days, Bob & Sarah and Dave & Sandy. After wine and hors d'oeuvres at Bob & Sarah's, we headed to a local Italian place and had another nice meal. It was great to see everyone, and we all agreed that we should try to get together more than once every two years!
Wednesday dawned cloudy and rainy, and we ended up in New Jersey again, this time for shopping. Costco, Wegman's, and Canal's Wine Shop were all on the itinerary, and we got most everything we needed (and probably some things that weren't "on the list"). We took the pups with us since it wouldn't be too hot (especially not with temperatures in the low-60s), and they had a good day not being cooped up in the coach.
They serve each wine with a local cheese, and the tasting room manager suggested a side trip to a cheese shop. Since we had a little extra time and it was a nice day, we took the half-hour cruise up to Gap, PA, and found the place right under the clock tower. What a great find! We tasted every cheese we wanted and ended up buying six different ones. Can you say "cheese plate"? Oh, yeah.
Tonight, we used some of the mushrooms, with shrimp in a cream sauce over linguini. We're doing our normal "night before travel" stuff, so we should be able to hit the road around 8:00 tomorrow. This gives us a chance of getting through The City before the afternoon rush. Wish us luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)