While working in the Albany area in September, I found a delightful little place in Saratoga Springs called The Wine Bar
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A clever sign out front:
It was so delightful that I returned a few weeks later for another glass of wine and appetizer!
Across the street is the Saratoga Honey and Tea Shop....and the chocolate honey is "to die for"!
I took a quick jaunt to Massachusetts and stopped in Plymouth one morning....
...to see my old friend, Massasoit who watches over the "rock" and the harbor
I traveled onto to the Cape and one morning brought a muffin and juice to the beach. A quiet and peaceful spot in September!!
I took the ferry to Martha's Vineyard....
and spied on Susan Branch's home:
I have been a fan of her art and books since the beginning - here's a stack of my favorites:
I blogged about that fun day here.
I strolled around Vineyard Haven....
...and you can't go to Oak Bluffs without walking around the "Campground" - NOW, this is what I call camping:
After a fun filled day, I headed back to Falmouth to stroll the town!
And LUCKY ME...this is my best friend's home on the Cape, a special place I get to visit a few times a year :
Once October comes around, I love to go to the "Pumkin Patch" (I just wish they spelled it properly!!), which is in my town.
And what better way is there to carry home a few pumpkins?
The first week in October we went on our annual apple picking trek to Beak & Skiff, in Lafayette, NY
There are acres and acres of apple trees, hayrides, wine tasting, hard cider, vodka and gin tasting, apple fritters and cider donuts, a great country gift shop and yummy apple cider....
...and the best chicken salad croissants with apples, grapes and nuts!
Columbus day weekend was lots of fun, college friends from Massachusetts came for a few days. We had a picnic lunch on the Cayuga Wine Trail...
...had lots of tasty snacks which were tucked into Miss Kenzie and..
...Miss Taylor enjoyed the beautiful vineyards....
...and we sampled lots of wine...
...and took too many pics!
The next day we went to the Alexandria Bay in the Thousand Islands and took a boat ride to Boldt Castle:
A sad love story about this Castle:
Construction began on Boldt Castle in 1900 at the bidding of millionaire hotel magnate George C. Boldt as a tribute to his beloved wife Louise. Boldt Castle was designed as their summer dream home on the St. Lawrence River, in the heart of the 1000 Islands. However it was not to be, Mrs. Boldt passed away suddenly just months before the completion of the castle. Mr. Boldt was inconsolable and immediately stopped all construction on Heart Island, leaving the property vacant for over seventy years…read more HERE
It was a brisk fall day, so we bundled up for the boat ride over!
Miss Taylor came along, too!
Here's a lovely view of the St Lawrence Seaway from the top of the Castle:
My 3 cohorts peeking from behind the sign!!
And what did we find as we were leaving the town? The Thousand Island Winery, where this tin soldier had a tote like mine!!
In mid November I spent an afternoon with Peggy, from Rochester. Peggy has been a loyal follower of my blog for quite a while and we met briefly, in person, a year ago. This day we spent 4 1/2 hrs having "lunch". It was such a delightful afternoon and we have so much in common!
Earlier in the month I also met another of my faithful readers, Tricia from Baldwinsville. We are hoping to get together soon so I can get to know her better!!
Thanksgiving was spent in Ohio:
Carter drank apple juice from a wine glass, Sara made the cutest "turkey shaped cheese dip", the favors were tissue paper turkeys filled with candy, and the traditional shots of blackberry brandy were plenty!! It was a wonderful week in Ohio!
It sure has been a delightful three months with family and friends, and the Traveling Tote has many more adventures coming up!
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The Traveling Tote Tribe had an ornament exchange last month and I received these three military nutcrackers. They are so special because they were from Sarah @ Hyacinths for the Soul and she bought them at the National WWI Museum in Kansas City, MO.
The Navy, Air Force and Marines
Each year when I unpack my Christmas ornaments, I will always think of Sarah!!
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The Traveling Tote Tribe is offering another giveaway. Debbie at Mountain Breaths is sponsoring the giveaway this time, so please visit her blog and leave a comment for a chance to win this lovely glass acorn from MacKenzie-Childs:
and don't forget to visit the other Traveling Tote Bloggers:
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Linda with Miss Rosie @ More Fun Less Laundry
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply
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Stay tuned for our next post on March 1st!
