Pandora's Box: vacation

Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts

Sunday, June 1, 2025

The Tales of the Traveling Tote #43

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!

The Tales of the Traveling Tote #42

the traveling tote

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The Tales of the Traveling Tote #40

#travel

September 2024

To read about how it all began, go HERE

Here's what Miss Kenzie and I have been up to the last 3 months:

It was a summer filled with family, friends and fun:

I have been working a few special events for MacKenzie-Childs and enjoyed working in the Aurora store during the in store Barn Sale. If you have never been to Aurora, NY, add it to your Bucket List - you wont be disappointed!

My totes and bags have enjoyed their adventures this summer. We live about 1/2 hour from Lake Ontario and this "ocean girl" can get a quick fix here! I truly miss the ocean, the smell, the waves and there are days that the Lake can resemble it, and this day was one of those days:

There is nothing like being on a rooftop lounge on a summer day, especially overlooking the Oswego River:

We spent a week in Ohio: some mother/daughter time, happy hours, card games, soccer games and playing with food:

On the way home from Ohio we crossed the border, over the Rainbow Bridge, into Niagara, Canada:

We spent the night in Canada and enjoyed dinner and the casino, pictured below. I love the feel of Canadian money, especially when I win!!

Every night, at 10:00 there are fireworks over the Falls, so we walked down STEEP Murray Street again to see the nightly lights and the full moon!

The walk down the steep hill, again, to the Falls early the next morning, after breakfast, was quiet and peaceful as most of the tourists were still in bed!

One of our favorite stops for an afternoon cocktail and snack is Queen Victoria Place, overlooking the Falls:

Dinner up in the Skylon, with a revolving dining room, is another favorite place of ours. The view is amazing and the elevator ride up is exhilarating!

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Many Saturday mornings were spent at the Farmer's Market - lots of flowers, baked goods, fruits and veggies

The New York State Fair is always a reminder that the summer is coming to a close. This year I was on the hunt for Peachey's Donuts - if you can imagine eating a sugary cloud - they are by far the best I have ever had!!

Again, this year, we saw the Herman's Hermits concert AND, you can't leave the fair without having a wine slushy!

And that is my summer wrap up!

As always, we offer a MacKenzie-Childs giveaway and this time Jenna is hosting, so leave a comment on her blog for a chance to win this To Go Tote:

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

GIVEAWAY: Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box

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

We'll be back on Dec 1st:

Saturday, June 1, 2024

The Tales of the Traveling Tote #39

cape cod

The Tales of the Traveling Tote bloggers published their first connected post 9 years ago, on June 15, 2015! To read how it all began, go here.

Turning Stone Casino and Resort Birthday Getaway

birthday

This has been the birthday celebration that has gone on for over a month! Friends and family created great memories for me to cherish forever:

Tales of The Traveling Tote #35

giveaway

Welcome to the 35th edition of The Tales of the Traveling Tote and our 8th year of sharing our travels!

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!

Boston, South Shore and Cape Cod Vacation

vacation

A few times a year I return "home" and this time my daughters and Aunt met me for a few days....We had too much fun! Then I spent a week with my college BFF!

Tales of the Traveling Tote #29

#travel

Welcome

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 10 bloggers each write a connected post about the places we have been. We also offer a fabulous MacKenzie-Childs giveaway on one of the 10 posts each quarter. 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

Cape Cod Cranberry Day

cape cod

Last Saturday, while on Cape Cod, we stopped at the

Thornton Burgess Green Briar Nature Center.

The Red Lion Inn in the Berkshires ....and Dorinda Medley's home

the traveling tote

We decided to take a little detour on our way to Cape Cod in western Massachusetts.

First we stopped in West Stockbridge for lunch and shopped in the cute little antique shops. Outside one of the shops was this adorable "straw lady" riding her bike....

Campfire Cake

fall

We are spending a few days in Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks.

We aren't deep in the woods like we were a few weeks ago, but rather staying at the Saranac Waterfront Lodge:

We are hoping to catch some relaxation and foliage!

Here's a cute cake to make for those of you that love a fall campfire:

July Family pics

family

The last 3 weeks has been family time for us, spending time in Ohio, Rochester, at home and the Adirondacks. This is a "photo dump" to remind me of the fun times we have when we get together!

The Tales of the Traveling Tote #27 and a GIVEAWAY!

cape cod

March 2021

This year our Pirish celebration was quiet and we visited Caitlin and her family in Rochester for the day...

...and this little leprechaun brightened our day!

The Mackenzie-Childs Aurora store closed and a few of us met there for the sale at the end of the month:

It was a gorgeous spring day and we spent the afternoon in the parking lot chatting and catching up. You can see Cayuga Lake across the street! Lunch at the Aurora Inn was delish!

APRIL

Another day was spent on Lake Ontario. It was a bright sunny day and the water was so calm!

MAY

The Outlet at MacKenzie-Childs opened on May 1st and a group of us met at the crack of dawn to be the first to enter the store. You can see us through the arch, all set up for mimosas and breakfast!

It was a chilly morning, but later on the sun came out and it was a beautiful day!

My tote was hiding in my car filled with purchased treasures!

We had loads of laughs and fun tailgating in the parking lot for hours!

This photo was taken out the side door of the shop. Cayuga Lake is in the background! If you haven't been here, add it to your bucket list! The Finger Lakes region of NY is absolutely beautiful!

The second weekend in May we drove to Ohio to visit our grandsons.

My Courtly Check bag fit right in with the Soap Box Derby decor! We had a great time with the boys and it was great to see all of them after many, many months!

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At the end of May I went to Cape Cod for a "Girl's Week"

I stopped in my home town for my fav pizza and ate at DW Field Park, one of my fav spots on earth:

Have you ever tried to take a photo, while driving, on a circle, in traffic, while someone behind you was tooting his horn? Well here's proof it can be done:

My college BFF and I spent a day in Plymouth....

Introducing #mytravelingbeachbag:

...Another day was spent at Falmouth Height Beach on the ocean side and also East Sandwich Beach on the bay side:

I walked the path to Scusset Beach....

...and then the Jetty along the Cape Cod Canal:

Funny story about Jetties - - when my brother and I were young we used to love to run on the jetties and my Mom would always scream at us "stop running on the jetties because you will fall into the ocean and I am not going to help you get back up". Luckily we never fell - and I don't think I have the coordination to do it now!

These two photos are taken at opposite places. On the left I was at Scusset Beach, taking a photo of White Cliffs and on the right I was at White Cliffs taking a photo of Scusset Beach!

A day spent at Heritage Gardens in Sandwich was well spent. The azaleas and rhododendrons were so colorful:

My college girlfriends and I took the fast ferry to Martha's Vineyard....

...on a beautiful 80' day....

....I stopped by Susan Branch's home:

...we enjoyed cocktails at Nancy's in Oak Bluffs and had lunch at The Black Dog in Vineyard Haven. we had a later stop at The Seafood Shanty for another cocktail overlooking Edgartown and Chappaquiddick!

The Sandwich Boardwalk is always a fun jaunt to the beach on the bayside:

While walking the boardwalk....

...we saw a shark egg in the marsh:

Town Neck Beach has this scary sign - it makes you want to find a swimming pool nearby:

Bye, bye Cape Cod!

It is so exciting to know that we can begin to feel safe in our travels and enjoy some trips that have become traditions....I hope you are feeling comfortable in your community to resume doing the things you have missed this past year!