home home again...

Paul and I at the falls at Watkins Glen.

This place was magnificent.

There were hundreds of steps...seriously, hundreds and hundreds.

I think, "hauntingly beautiful" would best describe it.

Oh, evil steps...

What can I say about this picture? These little mobile homes were across from the diner we ate our breakfast in this morning...their backyard is a cliff, their front yard is the highway, with the diner across the road. There were five of them right in a row, all painted that lovely beige. I shall never complain about my house again.

The view from our lovely motel room. We did have a nice room, on the end, with sliding glass doors on to the deck. It was a Mom and Pop kind of place, but the carpet was new, and the room was spotless. No complaints from us at all. It was much nicer than any chain hotels I have stayed at, except for in Jamaica and Dominican.

The Wine and Food Fest was amazing. I didn't know I liked wine so much. There were dozens and dozens of vendors there, and I didn't want them to know how absolutely ignorant I was, but alas, I didn't do too well. When I asked what the difference was between a chardonnay and a chablis, the guy looked at me like I had antlers. How was I supposed to know it was the grapes? Then one of the winemakers explained the process of fermentation in stainless steel to take away the oak-y taste, and I just nodded. Paul and I only know about the cardboard-y taste. But. I did discover what kind of wine I like, a riesling. In between a dry wine and a sweet wine, low sugar content. Some of the sweet wines were super yummy, but too sweet. Paul was driving, I was not driving, I was learning about wine. To say we had fun is a total understatement. And I doubt I could convey how nice it was just to be together and not be Mommy and Daddy for a weekend.

We went out to breakfast at two different places, out to dinner at two different places, and to Subway today for lunch. (I had enough points on my card to get two free subs, so that was really fun!)

I didn't go too overboard with eating, but I did have some peanutbutter cookies and an apricot danish to die for...and I ate the home made raisin toast that came with my scrambled eggs yesterday. And I had an ice cream cone today. And the wine, oh the wine. Calories. But. I had to shut down part of my mind this weekend, and enjoy myself. I didn't eat the fries that came with my fried haddock Friday night, well, only three. So I didn't just go crazy. This week, however, I shall have to get back into the groove and move it and eat well.

Those steps at Watkins Glen...they were fun! They hurt a little at the end, my thighs were quivering a bit, but seriously, I enjoyed it. Last year, it would have been torture. Sheer agony.

And now I am home, and the camping kids are home, and I am tired. Tomorrow starts a new week, full of its own fun and challenges...my first Field Trip with Jon's class on Wednesday, making dozens of cupcakes for my niece's wedding reception on Saturday, and buying food for the church conference...