Northeast Road Trip- A Feast for Our Senses

I've always known that New England insects love me. They still do, but that didn't have any negative effect on our outstandingly pleasurable road trip, which ended very appropriately last night, with 4th of July fireworks. Greg claims that there was a circle of flying  buzz around me throughout our hiking excursions this past week. Despite his constant attempts to swat them away, they managed to make frequent contact with my skin...Nevertheless, I'm at peace with it: They're only doing their job, I refuse to use DEET, and the one time we used the very natural Buzz Away Extreme, I was nauseated to the core to the point that being bitten sounded like the attractive alternative. 

So I've been bitten, so what? (not Greg, just me!) I'll say it's a very small price to pay for a magical road trip. I mean it.

  I've been taking a lot of pictures lately, so it's only natural that I'm going to share our incredible experience using more than just words.... 

Hugging a tree right into Lake Champlain with hair sticking to my freshly sunscreened face. Always wear sunscreen :-)

A closer look into the tree to my left in previous photo.

Gorgeous Mushroom by the Lake. Can't stop staring. Is it just me or are the mushrooms staring back?

Lake Placid blew me away. Yes, first time. Will be back soon!

More breathtaking Lake Placid View

Flowers.

This delightful flower is everywhere!

My favorite color is purple. Craving my favorite coffee (naturally flavored & organic), we bump into a purple coffee house (!), serving Jim's Hazelnut Organic Coffee!!!! And that's not it! Inside you feel like you're on another planet. Loved the green attitude (pasta stir straws- yes!), loved the gallery upstairs, loved reading quietly, sipping excellent coffee and sampling their yummy dishes. 

I told you....

Trees, mountains and clouds in perfect harmony


Mirror Lake, Lake Placid. Serenity Now.


Dreamy bridge on the way to Vermont


Entering Vermont. They look like people to me.



This is the view from the dining room window of The Rabbit Hill Inn, as we sit down for our incredible dinner experience. It has just started to rain, which takes the candlelit dinner to an even higher level of romantic and cozy. Did I say romantic? Rabbit Hill Inn is possibly the most romantic place on earth and is like no other inn. 
Dinner was beyond delicious and everything about it involved at least 3 senses...

 
Beets can be magical, yes.



I want to find a way to make this soup. There's cucumber, there's melon, there's watermelon, and I've never tasted anything like it.



You'd think it's just a salad, but oh, no, it's not. Harvest Hill Farms Head Lettuces & Early summer Vegetables tossed in lemon vinaigrette. Yummy local produce.

Rare-Seared Hawaiian Kampachi with broccoli rabe and mushrooms. Where can I find this fish in NYC??? I'm still trying to describe its unique mouth-watering flavor. Like buttah! 

Not reading coffee grounds, just staring into tea

Soooooo good!! Peach Tart Caprese

peach-basil tart, fresh mozzarella ice cream, cherry tomato jam.

YES! This one is soooo delicious! The flavors keeps surprising you while you chew!  

Mayan Chocolate Shortcake spiced chocolate biscuit filled with strawberries and lime, white chocolate crema, and mint

Sewing Kit in the room. Did I mention the inn was established in 1795?

The more you walk around, the more you discover...

We found a nest by the inn's pond!

And flowers.

More.

Did I mention purple is my favorite?

Heading south, we found this at the Littleton, NH Co-Op. Open and sip?

Trying to figure out if this is the first dam I've ever seen in the flesh. Either way, it's captivating. Waterford, VT.

What a feeling, to be the only car on the road! That happened a lot on the road trip. 


Time to head home.

One more thing. Hanover, home of Dartmouth, is a cute little town, highly recommended if you're in the area. We made a perfect little stop there, with a memorable visit to Left Bank Books, where you can find used, out of print and rare books. I lost track of time once I discovered a fascinating theater gem....

Downstairs you can't miss and shouldn't miss The Dirty Cowboy Cafe. They have the BEST single serve coffee collection I've ever seen (yes, I went for flavored). Their bagels are BETTER than H&H (and I'm a big H&H fan), and if you want fresh veggie juice, you'll find great combinations! (I recommend my mix of organic carrot, beet & ginger). Very inviting atmosphere too.

Happy Belated 4th!!!! Here's to metaphorical year-round fireworks!!

That was my first attempt at photoblogging. Hope you enjoyed. 

I'll be back soon, with or without pictures....

Life Force, Gratitude, Hope and Love - Post Nursing Home Visit

(For my Hero)

They wait for him. He is the highlight and the sunlight of their day. Some cannot see him, but his voice, energy and words manage to clear out existential blurriness and sprinkle laughter over their achy bodies and souls. His spark warmly strokes their hearts, sending my mind directly to Henry V…

Oh, that unforgettable 4^th act prologue. 

I see overwhelming suffering everywhere I look. The air is soaked in stomach turning smells. I hear dulled unbearable pain. I almost can’t breathe. I am surrounded by expressionless expressions, marginal or evasive consciousness, and my heightened compassion is battling with my acute urge to run out and never come back. Hope. Where is the hope. Where do they go from here. What do they know, want to know, able to know, refuse to know. Life keeps them going. Life force makes me ponder its meaning, and oh so typically…the meaning of life.

Entering a room, his voice instantly softens the gloomiest despair, and you can almost see the warmest wave taking over the space. He smiles and they smile. He tells a joke and they laugh. He offers them a special brand of hope; he customizes compliments and fills their eyes, those mirrors of their souls, with comforting glee and cheerful memories.

How does he do it? His strength, energy, presence, humor and unique conduct radiate healing powers.  Everyone here is so profoundly touched by him; I see it in the glowing smiles on staff and patients’ faces as they greet him in the long somber corridors. You can almost touch the atmosphere change that he brings about. 

I walk next to him, filled to the brim with admiration, gratitude and love. I am proud, oh so proud.  My man. MY man.

I look at him attentively while I hold his hand tighter, subconsciously attempting to transfuse him with energetic fuel, just in case. And we walk out to the rarely sunny and warm winter day.