Pandora's Box: the traveling tote

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

The Tales of the Traveling Tote. #48

The Tales of the Traveling Tote is a series of adventures that share where our Mackenzie Childs tote bags have taken us. Three 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

This is what I have been up to:

MAY

I picked up a few things for my little garden at the Farmers Market. I have only a few peppers currently growing in the garden - This gal has no green thumb!

JUNE

Each year we attend the Polish Festival - the food is amazing, the talent is entertaining and the "Pierogi Eating Contest" is amusing

JULY

I enjoyed working the Annual Mackenzie-Childs Barn Sale in Aurora for a few days.

We attended the Blueberry Fest at the Blue Barn Cidery and we picked blueberries at West Wind Farms with our daughter's family:

Sunflower Farm

This lovely sunflower farm is on a country road in Phoenix, NY and is free for everyone to walk around and enjoy....

....you enter the maze and are welcome to cut flowers from the back of the sunflower patch.

I cut 5 flowers to bring home, took a few photos, and enjoyed the country ride to the farm!

How kind of the owners to do this for the community to enjoy!

A fun afternoon with my Town Tote!

Cape Cod

College Friends:

A day in PTown:

I could sit here for hours and just stare out into Cape Cod Bay:

Ohio

We got to watch our two oldest grandsons go off to 3rd and 12th grade!

We enjoyed dining and walking around Dublin:

We participated in a Murder Mystery in Delaware. Our task was to visit 10 stores in town to gather clues and we solved it correctly!

The Great NYState Fair always is a sign of summer ending.

I participated in making salami roses in the Culinary Center, went to the Commodore concert, saw the farm animals and was amazed at the butter sculpture this year!

Apple picking is always on the agenda in the fall, this year we went early with our other two grandsons:

In a blink of an eye, the summer has ended. Leave a comment for Emily for a chance to win this tote:

Don't forget to visit my friends:

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box YOU ARE HERE

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home

Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Bookish Dilettante

Happy Travels!

Thanks for stopping by, Patti

Friday, May 15, 2026

The Tales of the Traveling Tote #47

the traveling tote

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

February was a snowy month and nothing too exciting happened, but here are a few places I traveled to during the last 3 months:

March trip to Mackenzie-Childs in Aurora, NY:

Deb and I in the Breakfast Room of the Farmhouse:

Deb, Amy and I - A cute idea from our photographer Joe!

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John and I spent an afternoon walking along the "ice shoves" or "ice tsunamis" on the East end of Oneida Lake at the end of March:

We enjoyed lunch at the Lake House overlooking the beach.

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April and early May:

I spent 5 weeks in Palm Beach Gardens with my aunt as she recovered from hip surgery. Many afternoons were spent by the pool as well as a few trips to the beach!

Singer Island

Jupiter Beach Lighthouse

This was my new best friend:

While in Florida, My daughter and her family came down for a week and I was able to spend some time with them:

Loggerhead Marine Center

I also caught up with some old friends:

I left Palm Beach on a hot, sunny day....

.....and when I landed in Syracuse at midnight I spotted a Traveling Tote at the airport, it was AMY! We were both exhausted and weary and it took a few seconds for us to recognize each other. She was returning from a business trip in Dallas!

A few days ago we took a drive out to "apple country" to see the apple blossoms. It was a cloudy day, but there were miles and miles of trees in full bloom and the orchards were so lovely!