The Tales of the Traveling Tote is a series of adventures that share where our Mackenzie Childs tote bags have taken us. Four times a year a group of bloggers each write a connected post about the places we have been. We have built incredible friendships through our blogs and we hope you enjoy our tales as much as we do!
To read about how it all began, go HERE
So, come along and travel with:
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron
Katie with Miss Daisy @ Preppy Empty Nester
Linda with Miss Rosie @ More Fun Less Laundry
Linda with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Patti with Miss Kenzie and Miss Taylor @ "Pandora's Box"
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply
Here's my tale....
On March 14 and 15 Storm Stella dumped 27" of snow on us and shut down the town for traveling. A few days later I ventured outside and took a walk on the Erie Canal....
...and made a little snowman with shamrock wings...
...while we enjoyed a St Patty's Day happy hour in the afternoon sun...
The following week we flew to Miami and hopped on a cruise ship
where my daughter got married on Grand Cayman...
...and we took the Magical Beach Ride to Mahogany Bay in Roatan, Honduras...
...and spent a day in Belize...
...and another day in Passion Isle in Cozumel...
...it was a wonderful vacation with 24 of our family and friends ...
...and my BFF of 44 years also joined us...
...to return to the "motherland" for the Mackenzie-Childs Warehouse sale, where I ran into Justin, the Asst Manager from the Manhattan store...
...and then I drove up the road along Cayuga Lake to the store in Aurora. The store is lovely, but my favorite part is the bright and cheery bathroom!
Before we knew it Easter had arrived and we entertained 14 family members...
...and finally, spring arrived in Central NY.
I enjoyed walks around the Erie Canal in the warm sun...
...trips to the del Lago Casino and the new MacKenzie-Childs store in the Finger Lakes with John...
...an Urban Pop Up Market event at the Sky Armory in Armory Square in Syracuse with girlfriends...
...and a Tito's and Tapas Party at Phoebe's Restaurant with Janine.
Caitlin celebrated Mother's Day early with me and we spent a day in Skaneateles, lunching at Blue Waters, browsing through the gift shops, wine tasting at Anyela's Vineyard and White Birch Winery, beer tasting at Finger Lakes on Tap and ended the day at the Patisserie for some sweet treats!!
I also traveled to Massachusetts for a 2 week escape. My first stop was in Northborough to have dinner with my first college roommate and 2 other college friends whom I hadn't seen in over 43 years - we opened and closed the restaurant that night:
I took a drive through my hometown of Avon, MA and enjoyed sometime in DW Field Park, one of my favorite places that brings back some great memories:
and then traveled on to Cape Cod to "play" with my BFF, Denise, whom I also met in college:
She lives in a beautiful home on a pond in Sandwich and the weather was beautiful ~ for only a short time! We had breakfast on the deck overlooking the water....
...and walked along the beach...
...and then the weather turned grey and gloomy!
I was delighted to meet another member of our Traveling Tote group, Katie, from Preppy Empty Nester. We had lunch in Mashpee and shopped at The Lily Pad:
Because it was a grey, rainy week I did a little exploring. The Hoxie House is in the center of Sandwich on Shawme Pond and was built around 1675, making it one of the oldest houses on Cape Cod and one of the oldest surviving houses in Massachusetts:
Town Neck Beach was quiet due to the cloudy weather, but soon will be packed with beach-goers:
Before I knew it, it was time to pack my bags, leave the Cape and head to Albany to work for a few days:
It's been a fun-filled three months and I look forward to a relaxing summer!
Please visit the other Traveling Tote Blogs to see where they have been for the last three months:
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron
Katie with Miss Daisy @ Preppy Empty Nester
Linda with Miss Rosie @ More Fun Less Laundry
Linda with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Patti with Miss Kenzie and Miss Taylor @ "Pandora's Box"
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply
Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Rita @ Panoply is hosting our giveaway this quarter. Stop by and leave her a comment for a chance to win this handy MacKenzie-Childs enamel storage container:
View some of our photos on Instagram: #talesofthetravelingtote
And FYI: A friend introduced me to Wente wine, a California Riesling, which has become my new favorite wine - and the MC "market tote" is perfect to take to the liquor store!...
My my my! You have been a busy bee these past few months! I love all your pics and collages. I'm so glad that I had the chance to meet and spend time with you, Patti. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeletePatti, You have been very busy the last few months! Just when I forgot about that winter storm...but spring has been so delightful ever since so I can't complain! The wedding and related side trips all sound fabulous. We are thinking about a cruise too so I'll have to get advice from you. Your beach and bridge photos are making me very excited that summer is on the way! I hope you are planning more great adventures to share with us. Linda
ReplyDeleteOh my Patti, you certainly had a busy Springtime! Congratulations on the wedding of your darling daughter and new SIL! What a fun time you all must've had. It was fun to see you with all your friends, enjoying special time together.
ReplyDeleteYou are never at home for long Patti! Such wonderful trips, a dream wedding, shopping, and meeting old and new friends, so many adventures! I love Wente chardonnay 🥂 cheers! I absolutely love my tote which I never thought I'd use as much as I do, thank you so much for including me in the traveling tote fun!
ReplyDeleteJenna
You certainly know how to live it up in retirement! What a wonderful busy life you lead, Patti. I find all your adventures enticing! The thought of 27" of snow makes me shiver, but bundled up, I think a walk along the banks of the Erie Canal sounds delightful. The wedding cruise must have been a fabulous way to celebrate together as a family. Great idea! And it goes without saying that living so near the motherland of Courtly Checks makes me tingle with excitement. I can't even imagine! Add in the Cape, and I'm truly giddy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing all the fun!
Wow, I'm exhausted from all this virtual travel but wishing I could have tagged along for all the fun you've been having! What a wonderful wedding that must have been and so many great ports of call. I would have loved the big sale. Love all the snow fun you had, we never get to do that here! Can't wait for my trip to NY later this year, would love it if we can find a date that works for both of us...........
ReplyDeletePatti, such a fun post. I am so happy to be part of this Fun Traveling Tote group. You have many adventures. Such a busy life you lead, but the important thing is, you are having a great time. You are such lucky to live close to the MKC store. Happy Thursday.
ReplyDeleteOh Miss Kenzie and Miss Taylor really gets around! And it seems as if they run into lots of relatives, too! So many wondrous adventures and celebrations! You all are having just too much fun with your travels!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up on the Wente wine! I'm having a get together soon and will try that. Miss Kenzie and Miss Taylor are keeping you hopping! Looking forward to taking "the girls" to the Barn Sale to fill them up with more goodies. Although I do leave them in the trunk so the associates don't think I stole them. Have a perfect weekend Patti!
ReplyDeleteIf this isn't the Mother Lode of Traveling Tales, I don't know what is! I'd say I am green with envy, but the truth is, I'm so tired after all these trips I just vicariously traveled through, Patti! You were on the go non-stop - how do you do it?? Your friendship with Denise is so remarkable (and including her with your daughter's wedding party so fun!), opening and shutting the restaurant with friends a hoot, meeting Katie such a treat, and seeing that Hoxie House - amazing! I love this tribe, I love your initiative in getting us together. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
ReplyDeleteWow, you traveling totes have so much fun. You have been busy. I loved seeing parts of your daughter's wedding. How exciting to have a destination wedding. All the other cruise stops looked exciting too.
ReplyDeleteThen you are all over the place in the north. Since, I am a southerner I will need to look up the places you visited on a map.
I was not familiar with MC until the last four or so years after following the traveling totes. It's too late in my life to start a new collection ( my husband would kill me) but I am so tempted. So for now, I will enjoy your dishes and fun trips showcasing your bags. I might get permission to buy a bag.
Ok.....wait just a minute!!! Looks like I'm just gonna have to get in on this group for it seems when you have the tote, you get the travel bug! I'm ready for that so off to Mckenzie I go!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe used to sail 4 months out of the year and roatan was one of our stops. I think I know that island by heart! Made lots of friends there.
Hoping you're keeping a journal of your travels I have 9 yrs worth of sailing adventures written down and LOVE to re read those life adventures!!