I finally met Karol, Foster and cute (gwapo!) Foster in Pennsylvania last Christmas eve. We had a wonderful afternoon together, and to say the least, it was a blast! Yehey, sa wakas, nagmeet na rin tayo, mareng K!
Anyway, to those who are interested, here's the link to our pictures in Seven Springs... Enjoy!
Somehow, Friendster f*cks up my blog entry about my trip to Washington, D.C. and New York City. So for those who are interested about my blah-blah travel, you can read the chronicles at my Multiply blog. Ciao!!!
Okay, so it wasn't exactly a vacation. Eowyn and I just tagged along with Dan 
when he went to work for a week in Lake Placid, up in the Adirondacks. After being left alone at home last September when Dan attended a conference in Canada, I didn't relish the idea of spending 4 nights and 4 days at home sans Dan. Just the thought of that makes me cringe... so I quickly packed our bags on Sunday night after arriving home from Pennsylvania, and off we went again for the 2 1/2 hours drive to Lake Placid.
I really think that the Adirondacks is one of the loveliest places on 
earth... no exagerration here! I didn't see much on our way to Lake Placid Sunday night, but when we drove back towards Albany on Tuesday afternoon so Dan could attend class, the view was really spectacular. It took my breath away!
I feasted my eyes and my heart out looking at the splendid gorges 
and ravines, little brooks and streams, towering mountains, endless pine trees, a winding river, and enchanting lakes. It was foggy on the drive down, which only added to the mystery and surrealness of the view.
As we descended on the Hudson Valley, I remarked to Dan how flat and unappealing the Albany area is compared to the Adirondacks. This made him laugh, telling me that mayhaps I really am a mountain girl at heart. Oh yeah... didn't he know that I 
hailed from the mountains of Davao? Hahaha!
Although Eowyn and I stayed mostly in our hotel room during the day, Dan would take us out for dinner and a stroll along the heart of Lake Placid when he comes back from work. Unfortunately, most of the shops would close at six in the evening, so there really wasn't much to see. I wish we could have more time to really tour the place, but Dan promised me that we will come back, if not this winter for some skiing fun, then definitely this spring or summer. I'm sure it will be a treat for a tropical girl like me!
More photos of our Lake Placid trip here.
Road trip... and all those cars!
Wednesday morning was a rush. A quick shower, getting Eowyn ready for the long travel, loading the car... and we were on our way just a little after eight. I didn't even have time to cook breakfast but that's okay. Dan and I just went to a Dunkin Donuts drive-thru to get coffee, french toast, hash browns, and breakfast sandwiches. I was in a very good mood.
As we approached the Schoharie Valley, I noticed that the frost was thickening on the trees. At first I wasn't so sure what it was: ice, snow, fog? The landsacpe looked hazy and quite white, a scene unfamiliar to my tropical eyes. So I asked Dan about it and he said it was just frost, a thick heavy frost. I was amazed.
Eventually, I settled back on my seat and began to munch on some potato sticks. Because it is a long trip, I took the liberty to stock up on chichiria: chocolate cookie sundaes, cheese nips, potato chips and lots and lots of water! Normally, it would just take about 7 hours to arrive in Bear Rocks, but because we have a baby on board and we had to stop every couple of hours to feed her, change her diaper, etc., it took us two hours more to get there.
I also noticed that there was an unusually heavy volume of traffic on the interstate highways. To ward off my boredom, I began noting down the license plates of cars we see along the road. To my amazement, the list came up to about 32 states, including cars from California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Georgia. People are indeed coming home for the holidays.
A Little History
Before I came to the US, I barely had any idea when or what Thanksgiving Day is. Vaguely, I knew it had something to do with pilgrims and turkeys, but other than that, I really don't know what it is. I had no idea that aside from Christmas, Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays in the American calendar.
Dan made me watch a documentary on the history of 
Thanksgiving after we had our big dinner celebration so I will know more about it. From what I learned, the Pilgrims fled their homes in England back in the 1600's to escape religious persecution. They sought refuge in Netherlands but soon got disillusioned with the Dutch's way of life. To make a long story short, they decided to find another place to settle in, commisioned a ship called Mayflower, and set sail for the New World (now the US).
Their voyage was a rough one and many of them died along the way. They finally set ground in Plymouth Rock on 1620 but had a quite difficult winter. They soon befriended Indians who taught them how to plant crops and basically survive the harsh winter. In celebration of a bountiful harvest during the next year, they held a Thanksgiving feast which lasted for three days. Cool, huh?
Thanksgiving Celebration
In between watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC on tv and helping mom prepare dinner, I had my hands quite full on Thursday morning. Dan minded Eowyn, who thankfully was in her best behavior. It was my first time to see up close the preparations 
on making roast turkey and stuffing, and I did my best to remember what mom did because I know that someday, I will be hosting my own Thanksgiving dinners too.
After we had the turkey ready, it was time to bake the pies. Mom made pumpkin and apple pies --- a really yummy treat after a very filling dinner! There was also cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, and my usual serving of rice. *sly grin* Mom cooked rice especially for me because she knows I love it.
Dinner was a family affair. I guess what makes Thanksgiving extra-special is the togetherness and camaraderie that everyone shares during this time. I like to think of it as a pre-Christmas celebration --- just as much food but without the presents! All in all, I had a very lovely time and can't wait again for next year!
You'll never appreciate autumn unless you go out and see the leaves: such brilliant colors that transformed the landscape into a painter's palette. And if you allow yourself to forget, you can even trick yourself into believing that these dazzling hues do not prelude the season of death.
Last Saturday, Dan took me leaf peeping across New York and into Vermont and Massachussetts. It was an experience entirely new and fascinating to a tropical girl like me who grew up in a country where the leaves are green all year round. This is my second autumn here, but last year was a lousy fall (it was always raining) and besides, around this time last year, I was already bogged down by morning sickness and all-day nausea due to pregnancy. 
So in effect, for me, it was like experiencing autumn for the first time all over again.
When we drove along tree-lined streets where leaves have turned a brilliant yellow, I felt like I was in a different universe. The colors are simply amazing. There is a certain glow, an unmistakable aura emanating from nature, that just changes the landscape and gives it a surreal feel.
When I stare from a distance at a tree whose foliage are tinted orange, it was like seeing a tree on fire. I keep expecting to see smoke, and once I thought I did, only to realize it was just fog. Silly old me.
When we passed little streams and brooks on the countryside, I would ask Dan to stop so I can take pictures. Somehow the combination of fall foliage and the rushing water just appeals deeply to me. There is something very serene there, so utterly enticing, that just relaxes me immensely. The fresh scent of the air and the chilly breeze complete the feeling of perfection.
A sign in front of a church that we passed by said that "in autumn, it is hard to tell which is God's favorite color." And I agree. I couldn't decide what color I like best either. Perhaps the deep reds. But the yellows and the oranges come very close too. It's a dazzling array of hues that simply delights my senses in a very peculiar way.
As I was saying, if you just let go and forget for a moment that autumn preludes the season of death (Dan always objects and tells me that things do not die during winter, but there's really not much difference, is there?), you can fool yourself into thinking that the burst of colors is a celebration of life.
Hmmmm.
Perhaps it really is that: it is nature's way of reminding us to put on a beautiful show and enjoy the magnificence of life before we say goodbye. And then maybe death will not be as depressing because of all the beauty you've created and the wonderful memories you've left behind. Naks!
*******
More photos of my leaf peeping escapades HERE.
I'm in Pennsylvania (again!) for another week-long vacation. Been here since last Sunday, and much as I wanna be online everyday to check my mail or just to see what's new with everyone here, I just couldn't find the time at all. Well, I'll be back in circulation again by Saturday, when we head for New York after this week-long bliss, probably our last vacation till Thanksgiving.
Ciao!
Dan and I just got back from Pennsylvania last night. Whew, what a trip! A whirlwind vacation - that's what it was. From Day 1 till the time we left, I had such a great, busy, wonderful time. Oh, the food and the shopping! Man, that sure was exhausting but loads of fun.
It was a little after 8 in the evening Monday night when we arrived in Bear Rocks. I was tired from the almost 10-hour long car trip and had a back ache so I promptly went to bed and slept (but not before Dan gave me a soothing, relaxing back massage). I was as content as a kitten all wrapped up and buried under the warm blankets, sleeping like a baby the whole night though I had to get up twice or thrice later to go to the bathroom and pee. Yep, pregnancy made me such a terrific pee-er! Good thing I don't wet the sheets. :)
Tuesday proved uneventful because I was still trying to recover from the exhausting travel. I spent the whole day in bed, reading a book, watching tv, napping, eating creme-filled doughnuts... and then dinner time! Mom prepared such a divine meal: baked barbeque-flavored chicken, potato salad, green beans, and of course, my usual serving of white rice. Yum! I had ice cream after dinner too, and I was so full I found it hard to breathe. (Ang takaw kasi, hehehe!!!)
Wednesday was shopping day. Dan and mom and myself had lunch at a local diner close to Bear Rocks. I had a very yummy club sandwich (with lots of bacon, ham, tomatoes, cheese and eggs) and country-style fried potatoes. The lemonade went very well with it too, but I guess I had a little too much of the drink coz I peed several times after. :) Then, shopping galore! Mom helped me pick out more maternity clothes (several sweaters and blouses I can wear to work), two pairs of shoes, nursing gowns and nighties. Nothing for the baby yet... that will have to come later! Afterwards, Dan took us for a joyride along the quaint Pennsylvania countryside, with its gently rolling hills and wide, wide open spaces and mountains looming far in the distance. Great view!
On Thursday, we met up with Loriann (Dan's niece) and her boyfriend Don. We had lunch at Eatin' Park where I had another lovely meal: baked shrimp with Maryland crab stuffing, rice on the side, and garden salad with French dressing. Yum! Again, it was a very satisfying meal and I ended up so full I couldn't eat more than one bite of the "Smiley cookie" that dan bought for me. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Don's and Loriann's place (what a cozy, lovely apartment they have!), watching a movie and just chatting and keeping up to date with each other's busy lives. It was late in the afternoon when we headed back home, stopping first at the mall where Dan looked at computers and I had a delightful tropical fruit shake. More food awaits this spoiled, pregnant penguin at mom's house... she had baked ham and deviled eggs and potato salad. I was surprised I could still eat a plateful after pigging out most of the day. Hmmmm, I figured it must be Eowyn who's making me eat like a hog!
Everytime we go to my mom-in-law's place, I really feel at home and super relaxed. I love the fresh, pristine mountain air of Bear Rocks that always carries with it the scent of pine. I love the duck pond and the little bridge and all those brown ducks huddled close together for warmth, when they're not noisily fighting over morsels of food you give them. And all those tall pine trees: the white pines and the yellow pines and the Scotch pines and the blue spruces and all the other varieties I couldn't even remember the name anymore! If it wasn't so cold, I would have pestered Dan into taking me for a walk everyday, down to the Country Club lake and around the lush, 4-acre-something paradise of his childhood with all those leafless maple, peach, and apple trees. Glorious place!
I hated leaving (we had to go on Friday morning coz the weather's bad on the weekend), but I know we will be back soon - maybe come Easter if my tummy isn't so big yet and it's not that uncomfortable or unsafe for me to travel. But definitely when my little angel's born, we will be home again. Grandma and everyone else are already so looking forward to her arrival, my precious little darling Eowyn!
Just a short post... Dan and I will be going to Pennsylavia tomorrow for a week's vacation. I didn't even learn of this trip until the other day. Dan completely surprised me, hehehe! Anyway, if I'm out of circulation for awhile, that just means I'm out of town for a few days. We'll be back either on Friday or Saturday. Ciao!!!
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