BACK TO THE GRIND

I'm back at work now after a few days off. The weekend was really nice although I could have stood for a few more days off. Here's the breakdown:

Friday

Matt and I left just after 10 AM and headed out on I-86. The weather improved quite a bit as we drove East. Sunny skies is a joyous thing to see in November. We stopped in Corning to eat lunch at the Market Street Brewing Company. I had the MSBC Cream Soup. It had artichokes in it and the cream base was flavoured with lemon and rosemary. Very delicious and not overly heavy like some creamed soups can be. Matt had a hamburger of some sort *rolls eyes* I bought two gifts from The Lost Angel for my Aunts Carol and Ginny there.

When we arrived at the Seneca Lake Watch Bed & Breakfast, no one was there but a key was taped to the door. We let ourselves in and checked out the place. Very nice! It was the perfect Victorian house and just about what you dream a bed and breakfast should be. My only complaint is that I would prefer a tub in the bathroom rather than a shower stall.

After dropping off our stuff, we headed out to some of the wineries. In a quick two hours we hit Atwater, Liedenfrost, the Red Newt and Wagner. Needless to say, I was quite tipsy by the final tasting. I'm just a horrible lightweight and the fact that most places were filling the wine glass one-third of the way up didn't help! Fortunately, I was still able to enjoy our dinner at the Red Newt. I had pork medalions with cranberries, garlic smashed potatoes and a broccoli/cauliflower mix. Dessert was pumpkin mousse wrapped in a crepe with a sweet sauce on top. That was incredibly light and wonderful :-) We collapsed at the B&B after that.. watching tv and reading. That night I didn't feel all too well, but it passed.

Saturday

Saturday's breakfast was warmed pears and rasberries stewed in their own juices, homemade pumpkin bread, and homemade cinnamin swirled French toast with two sausage links. I know I'm getting a little much with the food, but since I don't cook for myself too much.. I love it when other people cook for me! We decided to forego the wineries for the day and instead hit the Watkins Glen Gorge trail. I hadn't been there since 1989, but still found it utterly breath-taking. Lots of Kodak film was used up there.

Lunch was served at The StoneCat Cafe. Both Matt and I had the smoked pulled pork sandwich with dill coleslaw. Our waittress suggested a little known spot to see a nice waterfall, so we took off for there. You have to go down a winding road, almost into Seneca Lake, and then park in a gravel parking lot to the side. After you follow a trail, you end up hopping from stone to stone in this creek bed. After you turn a corner, a 20-foot waterfall comes into view. I guess when it's warmer, people climb one side of it and follow the creek to another, larger waterfall. Since it was still a bit cool out, we decided against it. Plus, we were having more fun watching this couple play fetch with their dog Sarah.

Our third waterfall for the day was the Taughannock Falls (I think that's how it's spelled). This is closer to Ithaca and these falls, while not impressive in volume, are 30 some feet taller than Niagara Falls. Well, blow me down! I've seen them before, but Matt hadn't. Still cool.

Saturday is a long day. If you can believe this, we then went to Ithaca and wandered around the Commons. Ithaca isn't one of my favourite places anymore. I decided the area had too much attitude and was not quite as open-minded as it likes to think it is. Believe me, the vibe was very judgemental. We had hot chocolate at some cafe and I decided that the only way I was going to make it to the evening was to take a nap. We returned to the b&b and did just that! Dinner was at DeClemente's in Corning. A kind of a hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant that was actually nice and cozy inside. I had an overflowing plate of rigatoni (of which another meal still sits in my refrigerator even after eating some more yesterday) and Matt had Chicken Parm. Good stuff! We walked around for a tic and then got coffee at the Soul-Full Cup. Happiness!

Sunday

Breakfast was a brown sugar baked grapefruit, banana/walnut bread and a baked egg/bacon thing with salsa on top. A side of toast and 2 tomato slices accompanied this. Next came packing and checking out. We made a last winery stop at Fox Run Vineyards and actually tasted some wine (at 11am) and bought some as well. We then drove up to Waterloo and hit the Outlets. I bought a new teapot and a black woolen pea coat from London Fog. I can't explain the happiness there! I've always wanted a pea coat, but they're so expensive. The outlet price (and actually earning a living wage) helped make this purchase possible. *sighs happily*

We had coffee and danish with my parents as we talked about our trip at their/my home. Dinner was pulled pork (again) and creme brulee. My dad has a small blow torch and had fun trying to caramalize the brown sugar on top of the pudding *heh* After watching some television and talking on the phone with Matt B., we went to Cibon (new coffeehouse in Rochester on Park Ave. where Tivoli's used to be). It's a really nice place! I like it a lot more than Tivoli's and part of that is partly due to the decor. You can tell that the current owner of Java's also owns this place. They also have sit-down service. Quite a rarity in coffeehouses.. at least in Rochester. Matt thought it was a bit close (crowded feeling), but I think that's some of its charm. It was also nice to spend time with my parents.

Monday

My dad made his famous blueberry pancakes and we all lounged around that morning. Lunch was at Bill Gray's. Man.. I miss their hamburgers! Matt and I then took off. I crashed hard when we got home, but at least that helped facilitate watching the new season of Absolutely Fabulous! It doesn't seem as funny as it used to be. Maybe I just have been away from it for too long. We'll see how it goes in coming episodes.

Today

That's about all! Super long post, but that's what I've been up to!