Ok, so I am currently finishing up this post on Barbs computer because after last weeks Sunday happy my computer FUCKING CRASHED!!!! Yup, right after I joke about my computer dying, it did. Lesson learned, do not joke about the death of computer on computer. (to Barbs computer in which I am currently using…do not die!)%u00a0I was able to get some of %u00a0my pictures off of the computer before the crash so that’s a plus, but most of them are gone. At least I got some from my trip. Oh well, what you gonna do?%u00a0
Anywho, Rhode Island, the tiny little state south of Vermont that I never really go to because the family that lives there alway come up here. But as we were driving home after our visit we realized that we live pretty close (4.5 hours) and need to visit more often. Rhode Island is petty cool.%u00a0
Our trip was short but sweet.%u00a0We stayed with David and Lori in there super cute and cozy beach cottage where were got to sleep on there porch and walk along the beach before the sun even came up.%u00a0We filled our time having out with David and Lori doing the fun things you do. We went to the farmers market and got some apple and hung out with the alpacas.%u00a0Spent some time at the ocean which was pretty great because we don’t get much ocean around here. The sky was grey and clouded and perfect for for rock and shell hunting.. I honestly don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much if it were sunny. I needed the grey.%u00a0%u00a0We also made our way to an antique shop that was basically thousands of old wooded furniture pieces stacked in large, very scary looking piles, and took a %u00a0trip around the city to see some of their projects.%u00a0
David and Lori do kind of the same thing that the mr and I do except in a big city with way way bigger buildings and have people that work for them to help do it.%u00a0We got to go take a peek at a couple of their past project that they have completed. Big ass old brick mill buildings turned into lofts and a skinny brick building right in downtown providence with the pretty staircase and a view of some street art (I guess the huge mural was painted by one of the mr’s favorite graffiti artists). My favorite place we went to was a place called the Steel Yard. It use to be an actual steel yard but when they tuned the building that it is attached to it into lofts, they tuned the yard into art space. It’s like a huge building of steel workers, black smithing, ceramics, and now thanks to Seth who just donated all of his wood working tools and machine, a wood shop. We didn’t get to stay for long because they were holing an event, but man was that the coolest space.%u00a0
After our adventures we ended up at with Seth and Pam’s for dinner.%u00a0%u00a0Their loft is something out of a magazine. Everything from the floors to the high ceilings with all the light to the his and her toilets (that is just genius) and view of the river off of the balcony. The place was amazing and full of all of Seths furniture designs and art and amazing things that the he and Pam have collected from there travels around the world. %u00a0The mr ended up inheriting a shit load of Seth’s fly fishing fly making stuff (did I say a shit load, cause I meant a fucking shit load) and a bunch of new fly rods . We seriously packed our car full of boxes and boxes of feathers and hooks.The mr is now the happiest fly fisher in the world and is never allowed to buy another fly again.
All in all, a grand little trip hanging out with some pretty amazing humans who happen to be my family. I have a pretty great family.%u00a0
OF all the places that we went on our adventure, this place was the craziest. Maybe it was because we had been traveling for a while by then and I might have been a little loopy and hungry and full of traveling endorphins , but Iceland felt more like we had traveled to a different planet. Covered in snow and ice, gigantic , jagged mountains, and barely a tree to be seen. The sun was limited,%u00a0 rising around 1030am and setting around 330pm. %u00a0The landscape has a very barren, almost aggressive feel, but at the same time, really pulled me in. We only got to spend 4 days there( and they were the coldest 4 days they have had all year) but what time we did spend only made us want to go back (int he summer) to explore even more.
Our bnb wasin Hafnarfj%u00f6r%u00f0ur,%u00a0 a town outside of the big city. It isright next to a harbor with all the house build snuggled close on the hill in between rocks and boulders. The houses are so cute with a very danish feel, lots of clean edges, metal sidings, and fun colors. And the lights. Just about every house had some type of twinkly lights in there yard making the town light up like a fairy land at night. It was magical and beautiful and made me very happy.
We ended up taking a bus tour of the Golden Circle. I had never taken a bus tour before so I wasn’t exactly sure of what to expect. And I am not going to lie, I am so glade we did it, the tour lady had lots of really interesting stories and facts about the country to tell us andwe wouldn’t have been able to see any of what we saw if we didn’t do it, but I am not a fan of the bus. Eight hours of cramped seats, cold and damp withridged time restricted… not my cup of tea, but whatever, it was still really cool.%u00a0 Oh and did I mention the elves and trolls yet?%u00a0%u00a0 I had heard this before we went, but Icelanders believe in another dimension where mystical creatures live and that sometimes travel to this world. YES YES YES!!!!%u00a0 Isn’t that just freaking fantastic! On the tour, our guide was telling us all about it (she even believed in them) and how these creatures live under and in all the big rocks and boulders and those rocks and boulders cannot be moved or else you will disturb them. And not joke, there is anationalpsychicthat talks to the creatures in the matters of the roadand new building construction (are we to close to you boldermr. elf?) They take care not to disturb their natural habitats. (When I heard this I was just so happy.) All I know is thatI need to start believing in elves.
And the people. To be honest we didn’t have a lot of interactionwith local Icelanders. We stayed with the sweetest couple at theairbnb we rented, but they had only been in Iceland for a year. We did talked to people, but it seemed that everyone we talked to were traveling as well. The boys we were staying withm as wel as the tour guide had mentioned that the locals were not excatly the most friendly people. Not that they were mean or anything, just maybe a little standoffish. We kind of got that feel, but whenever we needed any help, the people we dealt with were very nice, but I kinda got what everyone was saying. It’s not the most jolly la la la place for people.%u00a0
Another strange part of being in Iceland was the food.%u00a0 Eating was difficult and very expensive. There was a restaurantin the town, but they mostly served meat ans seafood.%u00a0 There grocery store stocked very little in ways of fresh produce and what they did has was crazy freaking expensive ($6 for quart pund of carrots.. OUCH) Luckily I was able to score a bag of lentils, some apples, and a head of cabbage, so that’s what I lived off for the time we were there. Next time we go, I am for sure going to be packing a checked bag full of carrots. yeah, that’t what I will do.
So much, so much. I am sure I forgetting to tell you all about something I was going to tell you, but now I am just drifting in and out of all the pictures (I have so many more pictures)%u00a0 and am having a hard tie concentrating.%u00a0 So I will leave you with these to look. Andbefore I go, a little advice.%u00a0 Next time you find yourself going to Europe, take advantage of the Icelandic layover. The place is not the cheapest, but how can you pass up a free stop in a crazy cool country. (think about it..)
Have fun times today!
-C
Second leg of our adventure was Copenhagen which was fantastic. The city was beautiful with spindly topped buildings, cobblestone roads and just the smell. The city smelled like one big pastry. I loved it and we have decided that we must go back, just next time in the summer (it was pretty freaking cold and windy)
So we only spend 3 days there, but with what little time we did have, we spent walking, and walking, and walking. We walked our buts off. We figure there is no better way to get a good feel for a place then to walk the streets. And boy was there a lot to see. The bikes alone. Oh man where there so many bikes and the coolest ones at that. (it really made me missed my bike) and again, baked good galore. Everywhere you turned, someone was eating a pastry and the smell just wafted. There were flower shops and flowers on the streets. Little danish art galleries and danish pottery studios (I wish I could have bought it all) And a bike shop on every corner. The coffee was good (far better then Ireland), the veggies were plentyful and the people were very nice.
I have to mention the littles. The place we were staying there was around the block from a little preschool. Every morning I would walk by and see the fleets of moms ans dads biking their littles inbike containers (or thrown over a bike bar) , on their way to school. The kids all wearing the cutest jumpers, laughing and being happy. The preschool itselflooked so cool with huge outdoor space and a nature made playground.. It made the fever great.%u00a0 I love the way danish people raise and take care of there kids. (maybe we should move to Denmark and have us a cute little that sleeps outsideand smells like a pastry…)
But enough about the littles…%u00a0 Here are pictures of our adventures. It’s funny cause I thought that I was taking a million and one photos, but when I downloaded them, I didn’t take as many as I thought. I guess I was so into my made up little danish world that I somewhat neglected the camera which I totally cool with. My head is full of the city.
What can I say, Ireland was everything and more that I thought it was. The landscape is amazing, the people are so kind and friendly, stone walls a plenty, a pub or 5 on every corner, and the driving.. Oh man, that shit was cra cra!
It all started from Boston, after a four hour drive in the snow, we made it to the airport to sit around for a few hours before boarding my first plane ride ever. The excitement and fear were real, sending me into a walking fit where I went from bathroom to bathroom to pee (I pee when I am nervous… TMI?) But then we boarded and squeezed into out sets and the plane took off. And let me tell you, after taking 6 flights over the course of 2 weeks, that very first flight was a nightmare. The entire flight was constant turbulence and I had gotten a touch of vertigo. I though I was going to barf and was pretty sure the plane was going to crash. But I didn’t and it didn’t and that was that.
So three plane rides and one 8 hour layover later, we landed safely at the Dublin airport. It was late, to late to get our car, so we ended up sleeping (but not really) in the food court where the seats we plush and there was free wifi. At the very first second we could we rushed to the car rental place and got out sweet little ride, with the steering wheel all wrong. It was fantastic. The mr was the driver, for reasons of many, mostly I am a chicken shit and was to scared so I never did any of the wrong side driving, which was great cause the mr, he was a pro, like he had been driving on that side all his life.
And off we went, over the hills, into the countryside, around and around all the roundabouts. Hoping around every few days from bnbs (we did airbnb all the way and it was awesome) and just kept on going, going and going. We saw so much. Little towns, ocean for miles, the cliffs, the beaches, the green. Huge stone ruins all over the place. Castles, churches, sheep and cows. Everything was so lovely, so green even in the winter, and just so dang pretty.%u00a0 The weather was fine, never to cold, always a little drizzly (which I kind of liked) but the wind.. The wind was ferocious and nearly blew me away on many occasions. And again, the people.. We talked to so many folks and every one of them were so kind and helpful, it really made the place feel homey. Oh, and the produce. I ate my weight in fresh cabbage ans carrots, all grown in the country! But the one not so great thing that I must mention is the coffee. We had a heard time finding a decent cup anywhere. It was all about the tea. Tea and scones everywhere. I was coffee depleted by the end of the first day.
I could keep telling you every little detail, but I won’t,%u00a0 Ill just leave you with lots of pictures (I have so so so many pictures) and let you imagine yourself there.
And now I can’t wait to go back, but next time we want to bring our camping stuff and maybe rent some bikes Travel around like cool kids. (I would be ok with not driving over there anymore)
Have a great day and maybe go plan a trip to Ireland.
Bye
-C
Vermont in the fall is like living in a world that is on fire%u2026 not literally, but the trees, all the colors. It’s freaking crazy amazing and no matter how many years I have lived here (all my life) I still am in awe of of the beautifulness of it all.
Being the good %u00a0Vermonters that we are, the mr and I have taken to the road a couple times for some leaf pepping.%u00a0%u00a0We pack a picnic lunch, a few layers of clothes, %u00a0get in the car and fallow the color. The music goes on(or NPR), a little bit of heat blowing from the dash, and settle in for an adventure.%u00a0I bring my camera and he brings his fishing pole (just in case) Sometime we find a nice hiking trail, or sometimes we stay in the car cause it’s pouring rain and freezing out.%u00a0We always stop somewhere and get ourselves big hot cups of coffee and maybe stop at a quaint antique store (or salvation army) along the way. We also like to find our dream homes in the cuties little towns nestled in the valleys between the mountains all on fire. (someday!) It’s just so much lovely and nice. I can never get enough.%u00a0
Ah Vermont%u2026 I love you.%u00a0
So needless to say, I have taken a crap-load of pictures over the past couple weeks. I figured I would share a few of my favorites.
Enjoy, and if you live where the trees turn, go watch.. it’s freaking fantastic!
The mr and I took off for NYC for the weekend to get us in some fun times, to hang with his brother, see some art, and basically just to get out of town.%u00a0
What we do when we go down is pretty much %u00a0always the same. We are big into art, and the mr is especially into street art (or “graffiti” as some may call it), and what better city is there to see amazing art? So when we are there, most of our time consists of walking around and taking in the sense. And walk we did. The second day were were there, we ended up walking from the east village, across to the west, all the way up to central park, and back down again. The little walking guy on google map said that our route (without all the side streets that we weaved through)%u00a0was 11.5 miles. So yeah, we walked our asses off. %u00a0But it felt good cause, well,%u00a0I like to walk and after the past few visits I feel like I am starting to get the hang of where I am and where I am going. (as a friend pointed out, the city is a grid.. but still)
We also got to spend a little quality time hanging with the mr’s little brother. He has been living in NYC for a few years now and has gradually turned unto a cool dude hipster that works like crazy running his own online business, but plays just as nuts. His friends came over for the “pre game” and left us for sleep at around 1 in the am%u2026 and his return home was a bit later.%u00a0%u00a0I mean, 5:30 am is a normal time to come home right? And of course when you get home, you must play some mid 90’s Seal %u00a0before drifting off to sleep. Mind you, he lives in a one room tiny apartment,%u00a0Oh Ev.. you are such a little shit, but I love you.%u00a0
To list a few of the highlights.%u00a0Osgemos street art (the mr has a hug boy crush on these guys) and all the other ssrteet art around the city. Seeing some live action taping of the new Ghost Busters movie which was cool las hell. Walking the high line (again, but I will do it every time I go)%u00a0Strands book store, Dick Blick art store and all the little shops and coffee shops we stopped in along the way. Oh, and shaving the ass of his brothers cat (it needed to be done, the knots were just out of control!)%u00a0
All in all, another successful trip to the city. Nothing was lost, no one was hurt, %u00a0we did what we wanted to do.
Love you New York!
The past few weeks, whenever the mr and I have a free couple of hours, we have been hitting the countryside, in such of the best rivers (for me to play in and for him to fly fish)%u00a0
We have been to many, but this one is my new favorite. There is shade to sit in, sun to bath in,%u00a0and hiking trails to hike. There are little wading pools, deep spots that are great for fishing, and lost and lots of the most amazing rock formations. And bonus,%u00a0the was not a mere person in site, only a few cute little frogs.
%u00a0No matter that I think I broke the bottom of my foot walking barefoot in the water and jumping hard onto a rock, or that the mr came back with a touch of poison ivy (poison something). We still both love it and are looking forward to our next trip back with shoes and long sleeves!
You got any plans this weekend? If not, I am recommending that you hit a river. Bring a book, bring a picnic, and bring a little bucket for your river treasures. Soak up the last bits of the summer, take a break from the crazy, and just go. Trust, you will be happy you did.
Every year, the second weekend in August, the Stem family ,%u00a0siblings, %u00a0cousins, even my 94 year old grandmother makes the trip from Easton PA,%u00a0%u00a0come %u00a0together at, what we call, “the cabin.” (It’s more a house, but it started out as a cabin) . Its a little crazy, but such a good fun time.
This cabin, oh this place is %u00a0magic. The air, the tree’s the streams, the mountains, and of course the people.%u00a0%u00a0It’s all the things that I love about life. Some of my earliest memories are from this place. Hanging out with my siblings, running around the meadow or through the woods. Playing in the swinging holes. My grandfather pulling taffy or making orange juice box houses with my grandmother. The giant rocking chair that my uncle made and all of us kids used to play on. %u00a0So many camp fires and s mores.%u00a0There are just so many memories because it’s been a part of my life, my whole life. It’s one of my favorite places in the world.%u00a0
A little background on the place (what I can remember)%u00a0Sometime in the late 70’s, my uncle and my grandparents bought a big chunk of land on the side of a mountain in the middle of nowhere Vt.%u00a0%u00a0After doing %u00a0some clearing of trees, they went to building a cabin.%u00a0(my aunt, grandmother,%u00a0and dad helped a bit too). It was amazing, but quaint.%u00a0A 2 story situation with a kitchen living area and one door to get in and out. At some point %u00a0my grandparent ended up selling their share to my uncle and he took over the entry of the place.%u00a0Over the years my uncle, (who is a carpenter, furniture designer,design professor,%u00a0%u00a0and all out crazy amazing person),%u00a0continured to work on the place. He has added on a kitchen, a second floor bathroom, new this, and that, but never has it once felt like a patchworker pieced together place. And now the place is more like a amazing craftsman home, with just the right touches of cabin, but with two running toilets,%u00a0a beautiful kitchen, electricity and running water ( There is even internet access, which sucks, but still).It is a little gem nestled on a side of a tiny mountain in one the most beautiful places.%u00a0
So an awesome cabin in the woods with a bunch of crazy, but awesome people= Stem family reunion.%u00a0
THE LOVELY CRAZY
September 18, 2019 by maximios • Blog
Ok, so I am currently finishing up this post on Barbs computer because after last weeks Sunday happy my computer FUCKING CRASHED!!!! Yup, right after I joke about my computer dying, it did. Lesson learned, do not joke about the death of computer on computer. (to Barbs computer in which I am currently using…do not die!)%u00a0I was able to get some of %u00a0my pictures off of the computer before the crash so that’s a plus, but most of them are gone. At least I got some from my trip. Oh well, what you gonna do?%u00a0
Anywho, Rhode Island, the tiny little state south of Vermont that I never really go to because the family that lives there alway come up here. But as we were driving home after our visit we realized that we live pretty close (4.5 hours) and need to visit more often. Rhode Island is petty cool.%u00a0
Our trip was short but sweet.%u00a0We stayed with David and Lori in there super cute and cozy beach cottage where were got to sleep on there porch and walk along the beach before the sun even came up.%u00a0We filled our time having out with David and Lori doing the fun things you do. We went to the farmers market and got some apple and hung out with the alpacas.%u00a0Spent some time at the ocean which was pretty great because we don’t get much ocean around here. The sky was grey and clouded and perfect for for rock and shell hunting.. I honestly don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much if it were sunny. I needed the grey.%u00a0%u00a0We also made our way to an antique shop that was basically thousands of old wooded furniture pieces stacked in large, very scary looking piles, and took a %u00a0trip around the city to see some of their projects.%u00a0
David and Lori do kind of the same thing that the mr and I do except in a big city with way way bigger buildings and have people that work for them to help do it.%u00a0We got to go take a peek at a couple of their past project that they have completed. Big ass old brick mill buildings turned into lofts and a skinny brick building right in downtown providence with the pretty staircase and a view of some street art (I guess the huge mural was painted by one of the mr’s favorite graffiti artists). My favorite place we went to was a place called the Steel Yard. It use to be an actual steel yard but when they tuned the building that it is attached to it into lofts, they tuned the yard into art space. It’s like a huge building of steel workers, black smithing, ceramics, and now thanks to Seth who just donated all of his wood working tools and machine, a wood shop. We didn’t get to stay for long because they were holing an event, but man was that the coolest space.%u00a0
After our adventures we ended up at with Seth and Pam’s for dinner.%u00a0%u00a0Their loft is something out of a magazine. Everything from the floors to the high ceilings with all the light to the his and her toilets (that is just genius) and view of the river off of the balcony. The place was amazing and full of all of Seths furniture designs and art and amazing things that the he and Pam have collected from there travels around the world. %u00a0The mr ended up inheriting a shit load of Seth’s fly fishing fly making stuff (did I say a shit load, cause I meant a fucking shit load) and a bunch of new fly rods . We seriously packed our car full of boxes and boxes of feathers and hooks.The mr is now the happiest fly fisher in the world and is never allowed to buy another fly again.
All in all, a grand little trip hanging out with some pretty amazing humans who happen to be my family. I have a pretty great family.%u00a0
OF all the places that we went on our adventure, this place was the craziest. Maybe it was because we had been traveling for a while by then and I might have been a little loopy and hungry and full of traveling endorphins , but Iceland felt more like we had traveled to a different planet. Covered in snow and ice, gigantic , jagged mountains, and barely a tree to be seen. The sun was limited,%u00a0 rising around 1030am and setting around 330pm. %u00a0The landscape has a very barren, almost aggressive feel, but at the same time, really pulled me in. We only got to spend 4 days there( and they were the coldest 4 days they have had all year) but what time we did spend only made us want to go back (int he summer) to explore even more.
Our bnb wasin Hafnarfj%u00f6r%u00f0ur,%u00a0 a town outside of the big city. It isright next to a harbor with all the house build snuggled close on the hill in between rocks and boulders. The houses are so cute with a very danish feel, lots of clean edges, metal sidings, and fun colors. And the lights. Just about every house had some type of twinkly lights in there yard making the town light up like a fairy land at night. It was magical and beautiful and made me very happy.
We ended up taking a bus tour of the Golden Circle. I had never taken a bus tour before so I wasn’t exactly sure of what to expect. And I am not going to lie, I am so glade we did it, the tour lady had lots of really interesting stories and facts about the country to tell us andwe wouldn’t have been able to see any of what we saw if we didn’t do it, but I am not a fan of the bus. Eight hours of cramped seats, cold and damp withridged time restricted… not my cup of tea, but whatever, it was still really cool.%u00a0 Oh and did I mention the elves and trolls yet?%u00a0%u00a0 I had heard this before we went, but Icelanders believe in another dimension where mystical creatures live and that sometimes travel to this world. YES YES YES!!!!%u00a0 Isn’t that just freaking fantastic! On the tour, our guide was telling us all about it (she even believed in them) and how these creatures live under and in all the big rocks and boulders and those rocks and boulders cannot be moved or else you will disturb them. And not joke, there is anationalpsychicthat talks to the creatures in the matters of the roadand new building construction (are we to close to you boldermr. elf?) They take care not to disturb their natural habitats. (When I heard this I was just so happy.) All I know is thatI need to start believing in elves.
And the people. To be honest we didn’t have a lot of interactionwith local Icelanders. We stayed with the sweetest couple at theairbnb we rented, but they had only been in Iceland for a year. We did talked to people, but it seemed that everyone we talked to were traveling as well. The boys we were staying withm as wel as the tour guide had mentioned that the locals were not excatly the most friendly people. Not that they were mean or anything, just maybe a little standoffish. We kind of got that feel, but whenever we needed any help, the people we dealt with were very nice, but I kinda got what everyone was saying. It’s not the most jolly la la la place for people.%u00a0
Another strange part of being in Iceland was the food.%u00a0 Eating was difficult and very expensive. There was a restaurantin the town, but they mostly served meat ans seafood.%u00a0 There grocery store stocked very little in ways of fresh produce and what they did has was crazy freaking expensive ($6 for quart pund of carrots.. OUCH) Luckily I was able to score a bag of lentils, some apples, and a head of cabbage, so that’s what I lived off for the time we were there. Next time we go, I am for sure going to be packing a checked bag full of carrots. yeah, that’t what I will do.
So much, so much. I am sure I forgetting to tell you all about something I was going to tell you, but now I am just drifting in and out of all the pictures (I have so many more pictures)%u00a0 and am having a hard tie concentrating.%u00a0 So I will leave you with these to look. Andbefore I go, a little advice.%u00a0 Next time you find yourself going to Europe, take advantage of the Icelandic layover. The place is not the cheapest, but how can you pass up a free stop in a crazy cool country. (think about it..)
Have fun times today!
-C
Second leg of our adventure was Copenhagen which was fantastic. The city was beautiful with spindly topped buildings, cobblestone roads and just the smell. The city smelled like one big pastry. I loved it and we have decided that we must go back, just next time in the summer (it was pretty freaking cold and windy)
So we only spend 3 days there, but with what little time we did have, we spent walking, and walking, and walking. We walked our buts off. We figure there is no better way to get a good feel for a place then to walk the streets. And boy was there a lot to see. The bikes alone. Oh man where there so many bikes and the coolest ones at that. (it really made me missed my bike) and again, baked good galore. Everywhere you turned, someone was eating a pastry and the smell just wafted. There were flower shops and flowers on the streets. Little danish art galleries and danish pottery studios (I wish I could have bought it all) And a bike shop on every corner. The coffee was good (far better then Ireland), the veggies were plentyful and the people were very nice.
I have to mention the littles. The place we were staying there was around the block from a little preschool. Every morning I would walk by and see the fleets of moms ans dads biking their littles inbike containers (or thrown over a bike bar) , on their way to school. The kids all wearing the cutest jumpers, laughing and being happy. The preschool itselflooked so cool with huge outdoor space and a nature made playground.. It made the fever great.%u00a0 I love the way danish people raise and take care of there kids. (maybe we should move to Denmark and have us a cute little that sleeps outsideand smells like a pastry…)
But enough about the littles…%u00a0 Here are pictures of our adventures. It’s funny cause I thought that I was taking a million and one photos, but when I downloaded them, I didn’t take as many as I thought. I guess I was so into my made up little danish world that I somewhat neglected the camera which I totally cool with. My head is full of the city.
What can I say, Ireland was everything and more that I thought it was. The landscape is amazing, the people are so kind and friendly, stone walls a plenty, a pub or 5 on every corner, and the driving.. Oh man, that shit was cra cra!
It all started from Boston, after a four hour drive in the snow, we made it to the airport to sit around for a few hours before boarding my first plane ride ever. The excitement and fear were real, sending me into a walking fit where I went from bathroom to bathroom to pee (I pee when I am nervous… TMI?) But then we boarded and squeezed into out sets and the plane took off. And let me tell you, after taking 6 flights over the course of 2 weeks, that very first flight was a nightmare. The entire flight was constant turbulence and I had gotten a touch of vertigo. I though I was going to barf and was pretty sure the plane was going to crash. But I didn’t and it didn’t and that was that.
So three plane rides and one 8 hour layover later, we landed safely at the Dublin airport. It was late, to late to get our car, so we ended up sleeping (but not really) in the food court where the seats we plush and there was free wifi. At the very first second we could we rushed to the car rental place and got out sweet little ride, with the steering wheel all wrong. It was fantastic. The mr was the driver, for reasons of many, mostly I am a chicken shit and was to scared so I never did any of the wrong side driving, which was great cause the mr, he was a pro, like he had been driving on that side all his life.
And off we went, over the hills, into the countryside, around and around all the roundabouts. Hoping around every few days from bnbs (we did airbnb all the way and it was awesome) and just kept on going, going and going. We saw so much. Little towns, ocean for miles, the cliffs, the beaches, the green. Huge stone ruins all over the place. Castles, churches, sheep and cows. Everything was so lovely, so green even in the winter, and just so dang pretty.%u00a0 The weather was fine, never to cold, always a little drizzly (which I kind of liked) but the wind.. The wind was ferocious and nearly blew me away on many occasions. And again, the people.. We talked to so many folks and every one of them were so kind and helpful, it really made the place feel homey. Oh, and the produce. I ate my weight in fresh cabbage ans carrots, all grown in the country! But the one not so great thing that I must mention is the coffee. We had a heard time finding a decent cup anywhere. It was all about the tea. Tea and scones everywhere. I was coffee depleted by the end of the first day.
I could keep telling you every little detail, but I won’t,%u00a0 Ill just leave you with lots of pictures (I have so so so many pictures) and let you imagine yourself there.
And now I can’t wait to go back, but next time we want to bring our camping stuff and maybe rent some bikes Travel around like cool kids. (I would be ok with not driving over there anymore)
Have a great day and maybe go plan a trip to Ireland.
Bye
-C
Vermont in the fall is like living in a world that is on fire%u2026 not literally, but the trees, all the colors. It’s freaking crazy amazing and no matter how many years I have lived here (all my life) I still am in awe of of the beautifulness of it all.
Being the good %u00a0Vermonters that we are, the mr and I have taken to the road a couple times for some leaf pepping.%u00a0%u00a0We pack a picnic lunch, a few layers of clothes, %u00a0get in the car and fallow the color. The music goes on(or NPR), a little bit of heat blowing from the dash, and settle in for an adventure.%u00a0I bring my camera and he brings his fishing pole (just in case) Sometime we find a nice hiking trail, or sometimes we stay in the car cause it’s pouring rain and freezing out.%u00a0We always stop somewhere and get ourselves big hot cups of coffee and maybe stop at a quaint antique store (or salvation army) along the way. We also like to find our dream homes in the cuties little towns nestled in the valleys between the mountains all on fire. (someday!) It’s just so much lovely and nice. I can never get enough.%u00a0
Ah Vermont%u2026 I love you.%u00a0
So needless to say, I have taken a crap-load of pictures over the past couple weeks. I figured I would share a few of my favorites.
Enjoy, and if you live where the trees turn, go watch.. it’s freaking fantastic!
The mr and I took off for NYC for the weekend to get us in some fun times, to hang with his brother, see some art, and basically just to get out of town.%u00a0
What we do when we go down is pretty much %u00a0always the same. We are big into art, and the mr is especially into street art (or “graffiti” as some may call it), and what better city is there to see amazing art? So when we are there, most of our time consists of walking around and taking in the sense. And walk we did. The second day were were there, we ended up walking from the east village, across to the west, all the way up to central park, and back down again. The little walking guy on google map said that our route (without all the side streets that we weaved through)%u00a0was 11.5 miles. So yeah, we walked our asses off. %u00a0But it felt good cause, well,%u00a0I like to walk and after the past few visits I feel like I am starting to get the hang of where I am and where I am going. (as a friend pointed out, the city is a grid.. but still)
We also got to spend a little quality time hanging with the mr’s little brother. He has been living in NYC for a few years now and has gradually turned unto a cool dude hipster that works like crazy running his own online business, but plays just as nuts. His friends came over for the “pre game” and left us for sleep at around 1 in the am%u2026 and his return home was a bit later.%u00a0%u00a0I mean, 5:30 am is a normal time to come home right? And of course when you get home, you must play some mid 90’s Seal %u00a0before drifting off to sleep. Mind you, he lives in a one room tiny apartment,%u00a0Oh Ev.. you are such a little shit, but I love you.%u00a0
To list a few of the highlights.%u00a0Osgemos street art (the mr has a hug boy crush on these guys) and all the other ssrteet art around the city. Seeing some live action taping of the new Ghost Busters movie which was cool las hell. Walking the high line (again, but I will do it every time I go)%u00a0Strands book store, Dick Blick art store and all the little shops and coffee shops we stopped in along the way. Oh, and shaving the ass of his brothers cat (it needed to be done, the knots were just out of control!)%u00a0
All in all, another successful trip to the city. Nothing was lost, no one was hurt, %u00a0we did what we wanted to do.
Love you New York!
The past few weeks, whenever the mr and I have a free couple of hours, we have been hitting the countryside, in such of the best rivers (for me to play in and for him to fly fish)%u00a0
We have been to many, but this one is my new favorite. There is shade to sit in, sun to bath in,%u00a0and hiking trails to hike. There are little wading pools, deep spots that are great for fishing, and lost and lots of the most amazing rock formations. And bonus,%u00a0the was not a mere person in site, only a few cute little frogs.
%u00a0No matter that I think I broke the bottom of my foot walking barefoot in the water and jumping hard onto a rock, or that the mr came back with a touch of poison ivy (poison something). We still both love it and are looking forward to our next trip back with shoes and long sleeves!
You got any plans this weekend? If not, I am recommending that you hit a river. Bring a book, bring a picnic, and bring a little bucket for your river treasures. Soak up the last bits of the summer, take a break from the crazy, and just go. Trust, you will be happy you did.
Every year, the second weekend in August, the Stem family ,%u00a0siblings, %u00a0cousins, even my 94 year old grandmother makes the trip from Easton PA,%u00a0%u00a0come %u00a0together at, what we call, “the cabin.” (It’s more a house, but it started out as a cabin) . Its a little crazy, but such a good fun time.
This cabin, oh this place is %u00a0magic. The air, the tree’s the streams, the mountains, and of course the people.%u00a0%u00a0It’s all the things that I love about life. Some of my earliest memories are from this place. Hanging out with my siblings, running around the meadow or through the woods. Playing in the swinging holes. My grandfather pulling taffy or making orange juice box houses with my grandmother. The giant rocking chair that my uncle made and all of us kids used to play on. %u00a0So many camp fires and s mores.%u00a0There are just so many memories because it’s been a part of my life, my whole life. It’s one of my favorite places in the world.%u00a0
A little background on the place (what I can remember)%u00a0Sometime in the late 70’s, my uncle and my grandparents bought a big chunk of land on the side of a mountain in the middle of nowhere Vt.%u00a0%u00a0After doing %u00a0some clearing of trees, they went to building a cabin.%u00a0(my aunt, grandmother,%u00a0and dad helped a bit too). It was amazing, but quaint.%u00a0A 2 story situation with a kitchen living area and one door to get in and out. At some point %u00a0my grandparent ended up selling their share to my uncle and he took over the entry of the place.%u00a0Over the years my uncle, (who is a carpenter, furniture designer,design professor,%u00a0%u00a0and all out crazy amazing person),%u00a0continured to work on the place. He has added on a kitchen, a second floor bathroom, new this, and that, but never has it once felt like a patchworker pieced together place. And now the place is more like a amazing craftsman home, with just the right touches of cabin, but with two running toilets,%u00a0a beautiful kitchen, electricity and running water ( There is even internet access, which sucks, but still).It is a little gem nestled on a side of a tiny mountain in one the most beautiful places.%u00a0
So an awesome cabin in the woods with a bunch of crazy, but awesome people= Stem family reunion.%u00a0
Here are some pictures of the shenanigans..%u00a0