Scion Road Trip - Day Three

I have finally made it to Day Three of my Scion Road Trip of 2011.   I drove the whopping 25 miles from Lisa's home to Matt & Patti's home in the Pocono Mountains.   I even managed to arrive without running out of gas.

It was nearly lunch time and Patti had arranged for me to meet up with a special guest at a restaurant so we took off to eat.  The special guest was her sister, Lori, who I had met a few weeks earlier in Jacksonville. It was a girls luncheon as Matt stayed home and Patti and the two girls came with us. It was a very nice treat! 

Then the five of us ventured up into the mountains.  I immediately noticed that the pine cones in the Pocono Mountains are teeny tiny compared to the pine cones in Florida.  When I get back I'll have to do a comparison.  The top photo shows the smallest pine cones that I saw that day. 

Standing on the mountain afforded us a lovely view of the Delaware Gap which is a where the Delaware River cuts through the Appalachian Mountains.  It also designates the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.   It was definitely a cool sight to see.

Florida isn't known for it's Birch Tree population, since it doesn't get cold enough for that variety of tree, so I was very happy to see them in PA.  I've missed seeing Birch Trees, they are so beautiful.

These steps connected the lower parking/viewing area to the upper parking/viewing area. I thought this would make an excellent photo, so I made Patti go around again so I could go back and get a picture of it. Thanks Patti! I love this one.

The drive up to the mountains was full of Rhododendron bushes in full bloom.  I thought this particular plant was done blooming months ago, but I guess the cool mountain air keeps these beauties around a lot longer.  Either that or they bloom a lot later in the mountains. 

On top of the mountain we saw this giant storm cloud moving in.  I thought this particular cloud looked like the smoke coming from a genie's lantern.  Can you see the rain pouring down?  It was a very fast, very heavy storm and we managed to miss most of it. 

We went on a sightseeing adventure and ended up at a chocolate store, imagine that!  The store had lots of wonderful delights, but the best thing was this thin mirror.  Ahhhh, that was worth it.  :)

Then we came back to Matt and Patti's home, ate a wonderful dinner, chatted for several hours and then brought out the ice cream.  This family does ice cream like no one else!

Several  different flavors, two types of sprinkles and even some cool whip if you so desired.

Ice cream is one of Matt's favorite treats, so they do it big time!  Their daughter shows off her ice cream masterpiece for the camera. 

Day three came to a quick close, but it was a lot of fun.  My Scion had fun, too, as she was able to share the driveway with Matt and Patti's Scion xD.  They looked quite happy together, mine in blue and theirs in orange. 

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD - Mytoi bridge

POTD - Mytoi Bridge

©2011 Kristin Corlett

In a little garden on Chappaquiddick Island is this beautiful bridge, next to this fabulous pine tree.  The gardens were named Mytoi because the creator of them literally called it "my toy."   Given that the garden is Japanese inspired, the name Mytoi, a Japanese sounding name was created. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Hydrangeas on the Vineyard

POTD - Hydrangeas on the Vineyard

©2011 Kristin Corlett

The hydrangeas on Martha's Vineyard are some of the most spectacular blooms I have ever seen. There are blue, purple and pink blooming on the same bush, too. Oh, I could take pictures of them all day, they just that spectacular. I'm so glad that I came here if only to see these beautiful hydrangeas on the Vineyard.

Enjoy!
Kristin

My second day on my Scion Road Trip, after running out of gas, Lisa and family took me on a tour of their area.  As you may know, I called up several friends and blogger friends along a certain route I was taking to my New Hampshire destination and asked if I could spend a day and night with each family.  Lisa, who I have never met in person but has been my blogging friend for a few years now, agreed without batting an eye!  We are now official real life friends!  Whew!  I was nervous there for awhile :0)  Lisa planned a great photography tour of the area for the both of us.

High up on the agenda was to visit six local covered bridges.  Two of them were still in use as a roadway and the others were used as a picture taking and picnicking area.

The giant curved timbers that were used to support this bridge are truly amazing. 

I'm always amazed when I see the cost to build a hundred plus years ago.  I can't even imagine how much $1100 would be in 1849.  Was this price astronomical to them?  Was this figure more than they ever hoped to earn in a lifetime?   Many people today could put an amount like this on their credit card.

The still beauty of these bridges with the water and life below.   Truly fascinating.

This bridge is called a twin covered bridge.  One section goes over water and the other section (I'm guessing) was built over the land that probably was more marshy or prone to flooding.  I think it would be a lot of fun to have a little party or family event here.  I can certainly see how the bridges would make a great backdrop for weddings or photography portrait sessions. 

...that is, if you don't mind a bit of nature.

If you ever get the chance to visit a covered bridge, Go! 
Take your camera. 
Take your kids. 
Take a picnic. 
I highly recommend it.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Chicken

image via Google images

I completely forgot to mention one of the funniest parts from the standing by the side of the road waiting for my rescuers to arrive tale from yesterday.

As I was standing by the side of the road, leaning on the guard rail with my phone in one hand and my camera in the other, a semi truck loaded with live chickens came barreling by. All of a sudden I was completely bathed in feathers!

I saw it coming and there was just nothing I could do about it.

Chicken feathers were everywhere!

I was really hoping that my friend wasn't going to show up at that moment because I was sure I had feathers stuck in my hair.

Have a great day!
Kristin

POTD -Green Bridge

POTD - Green Bridge

©2011 Kristin Corlett

Near one of the covered bridged that Lisa showed me on our photography outing was this beautiful green bridge.  The shape of it reminded me of the camel back bridge that's in Okemos, MI, but that's about as close as they are to being alike.   It's a beautiful green, one of my favorite colors.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Along the roadway

If you were to pull off the road, say on to the shoulder of the road, why would you do that?

Would it be to take a picture of the factory/mining place?

Would it be to take a picture of the wind turbines in the distance?

Maybe it would be because you wanted to see if the bolts in the guardrail are made in the USA.

Three C's gas delivery to the rescue!

Or maybe it was because 20 miles before your destination you had to call the people you were going to meet (for the very first time in person!) and ask them to bring you a can of gas.

...because you ran out.

...because you were listening to the audio book and didn't look at the gas gauge.

...because

aww heck, I can't give any excuses.

I'm such a dork.

I have to say though that my very first reaction was to laugh a big hearty laugh at my mistake. My second was to call my friend, Lisa and see if she could help me out. My third was to get out of the car because I was far too close to the white line. My fourth was to write on FB that I ran out of gas so that everyone could have a good laugh like I did. Then I called my husband and I admitted to him that I did something really goofy. He wasn't surprised.

So that's a great way to meet a fellow blogger and her family. Ask them to come rescue you from the side of the road!

More about Lisa in the coming days as well as my stop to see Matt and Patti and then Nancie and Chuck and my friend Bob and the trip to the vineyard that is beginning in the morning.

There aren't enough hours in the days on this road trip, I'm finding out.

I'm getting a whole lot of in-person socialization and can't seem to stay awake long enough to blog it. I will though, I promise!

Have a great weekend!
Kristin

POTD - Pocono Birch Tree

POTD - Pocono Birch Tree

©2011 Kristin Corlett

As I was walking down a path on the top of a mountain in the Poconos, I spotted this gorgeous birch tree with the misty valley and mountains in the background.  It was instantly my favorite sight of the day. 

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - All you need is Love

POTD - All you need is Love

©2011 Kristin Corlett

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.
(Lennon/McCartney)

Enjoy!
Kristin

Which way to the loo?

In this short but speedy Scion Road Trip update I have to tell you that the people that I have asked to sponsor me on my trip (those willing to give up their time, show me around, feed me and give me a dry place to sleep) -- Yes THOSE people!  They are wearing me completely out! 

I have been worn to the point of near exhaustion for the past two days. 

And I'm loving every single minute of it.

I'm not finding any time to even look at my photos, let alone edit them - so this is short and sweet from lunch today.

On the tables in some restaurants they have the little flip cards on the table where you can peruse the dessert menu or see what types of appetizers or drinks they have available...

In this place they had.........

DIRECTIONS to the Bathrooms!!!

We managed to find them, too.  But we did it in less than 23 steps. 

We were thinking that the person who was the official stepper had very short legs.

The Poconos were today and I'm going to New Hampshire in the morning.  I should be at Bob's by dinnertime.

I'm having a ball!  Thanks everyone for coming by!
Kristin

POTD - Closed

POTD - Closed

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I think this was Gate 4 or maybe it was Gate 6. Oh shoot, I can't remember. No matter which gate it was, I actually obeyed and didn't trespass past the gate. I liked the simplicity of the sandy road cutting through the trees with this small red gate delaying passage through. I used the cartoon effect from photobucket to change it up a bit.

Enjoy!
Kristin

POTD - Jawbreakers

POTD - Jawbreakers

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I see these giant jawbreakers fairly often but I have no idea who actually buys them. I'd think that small children would be the ones who want them, but I swear these things are bigger than their heads! (OK, so I'm exaggerating a little)  Jawbreakers are something was around when I was a kid, but I was never interested in trying them.  They looked just too darned hard to eat.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Scion Road Trip - Day One

My Scion Road Trip 2011 is taking me up the East Coast, first meeting up with a blogger, a friend who got a transplant, my friend Bob, then off to Martha's Vineyard with Bob and a few other women :)  My return trip home includes a few more transplant friends and I may even stop off and see a former neighbor of mine.  My return trip isn't set in stone yet so I'm really sure how it's going to turn out.

Today I drove almost 700 miles.  I have another 300 until I arrive at the blogger friend's home.  I'll reveal who that is (if I haven't already in an earlier post -- I can't remember!) when my visit is finished.  I don't want to reveal too much until I find out if I can reveal her location.

Right now I'm in Harrisonburg, VA.

I've traveled in FL, GA, SC, NC and VA.

Here are some photos from on the road - none of these have been edited, so I'm just posting a few before I go to bed.

OK folks!  Have a great night!  I'm going to be dreaming about David Cassidy.  The audio book I'm listening to on my trip is called "I think I love you" and it's about some girls in 1974 who are in love with David Cassidy.  It's a great book and it takes place in England, so the person reading the book is English.  I should finish the book tomorrow and I'm totally looking forward to getting back to it. 

But for now -- sleep.

Have a great night!
Kristin

POTD - It's a face

POTD - It's a face

©2011 Kristin Corlett

The tread on the backhoe looked like it had a face!
Two eyes, a nose and a mouth.
It's just silly!

Enjoy!
Kristin

Scion Road Trip - 2011 Edition

Welcome to the pre-launch of the Scion Road Trip - 2011 Edition.

I have decided that a road trip wouldn't be any fun without a car to drive and since I have this bright shiny new 2010 Scion xD that only has a little over 4000 miles on it, I might as well make it one of the stars of the show.

(Not to mention, if Scion wants to sponsor this trip or any upcoming trip, I'd be more than happy to feature my blue baby more often!)

My husband says that I shouldn't tell people where I'm going because I'm just inviting criminals to come to our house.  Well, I'm here to tell you that I will be gone for almost three weeks and I have one husband, one cat, a painfully slow elevator to the 5th floor and no more assigned parking spaces all staying at home while I travel.   If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, please call ahead so Tom can make you some dinner :) 

The list of Things To Do the day before a big Road Trip is extensive, but the day before a Scion Road Trip is even bigger!  I'm used to packing up my larger vehicle to the rafters just because I have the room.  This time I'm being smart and packing only what I need so that I will plenty of extra room in the Scion to move around if necessary.  I've already found that there is much more space in there than I originally thought.  I'll be interested to see how packing goes. 

I am so nervous that I'm going to forget some cord to some device that I've written about a dozen Post-It notes to remind me not to forget.   I went to the store yesterday to get the very last bit of road food and Tom food before I leave.  The very first thing on the list - peanut butter - was the only thing I forgot to pick up.  I found a piece of furniture sitting next to the dumpster yesterday (it's a coffeetable with a dislocated drawer front - but the front was sitting on top of the table - all it needs is a little glue!)  That's in my car now, so I need to drop that off.  I have misplaced a prescription and I still need to fill another before I go.  I also need to gather all of the names, addresses and phone numbers of the places I am visiting during my Scion Road Trip - 2011 Edition so that I will know where I'm going, but also so I can give a copy to my husband. 

Other than that, all I have to do is pack up the Scion and head out in the morning.  She's all gassed up and ready to go. 

I hope that you enjoy the ride, I know I will!

Kristin
"Official driver of the Scion Road Trip - 2011 Edition vehicle."

POTD - Sandwich

POTD - Sandwich
©2011 Kristin Corlett

My husband made the best sandwiches tonight. Chicken breast with bacon, Havarti cheese, fresh tomato and lettuce all on two thick slices of multi grain Italian bread spread with a homemade garlic and dill mayo.  I ate every bite.  It was scrumptious!

Enjoy!
Kristin

Pink Tiger

I took my friend and her two daughters to the Riverside Arts Market yesterday.  I love RAM, but I had not gotten to it at all this year.  I could hardly believe it, but my Saturdays have been busy this year.

Well,  on this Saturday I made a point to take my friends.  Our first stop was Food!  I had one of the grilled cheese paninis and it was SO good!    The other three had food from the same vendor and we all ate every bite.  Good stuff.

I'm sure my friend won't appreciate the back view, but I liked seeing her with her daughters.  The youngest holding her hand and the teenager walking alone :)

The youngest wanted to be a pink tiger for the day.  The gal who was doing the painting was fast and very good. 

Although I have to say that her child subject hardly moved a muscle in that chair.

My friend told me that her daughter just loves to have her face painted.
I told her that they didn't have face painting when I was a kid (boo hoo) so I had no idea what it was like!  I think she said she'd never had her face painted either.  So I guess I wasn't the only one!

Here is the pink tiger in all her glory.

I took them to a park, after RAM,  and we got a few family photos.

I love family photos with a sense of humor!





Please go visit more folks who have already joined in Unknown Mami's Sundays in my City.
I'm sure you won't see a pink tiger at any of those places, but you will probably see something very interesting!


Have a wonderful Fourth of July!
Kristin

POTD - Tractor

POTD - Tractor

©2011 Kristin Corlett

Tractor from the Alpine Groves Park - The park contains three structures that are original to the area. The house was built in 1900 and the barn, where this tractor is located, was probably built earlier. The third structure is a two story barn like building that was built in the mid twentieth century. The tractor is one of the many pieces of machinery that was used to maintain and harvest the orange and lemon groves that were grown on this property.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Friday Fragments

It's Friday Fragments Day!!

It's Friday Fragments Day!

It's Friday Fragments Day!

It's Friday Fragments Day!  

It's Friday Fragments Day!

Welcome to Friday Fragments!  This is the place where we're able to put little snippets of fun or interesting things together without having to stretch that idea into an entire blog post.

Mrs. 4444 is our lovely host and I am so grateful for her continued hosting of this fun carnival.  For more Friday Fragment finds, please head on over to Half-Past Kissin' Time.  Thanks!

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It's been ages, absolute ages, since I have actually made it through the entire Friday Fragment list and the Sundays in my City list. I love reading those two carnivals and I have felt a bit lost without my weekly reads.  Thanks to everyone who links up to one or both and those who stop by my place, too.  You are loved :0)  I didn't get through all of last week's FF, but I did visit all of the SIMC folks.   I hope to visit everyone in both carnivals this week!

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Eagle Watch 2011
On top of the Emergency Room building at the Jacksonville Mayo Clinic an eagle decided to build a nest. The past few weeks we have been watching the nest for signs of life and finally it happened. Two little heads started peeking over the edge of the nest. A few more weeks and the eagles look big enough to fly from the nest at any time.

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My friend Julie who had two liver transplants in January of this year has been home for a little over a month.  She's now having a bought with rejection.  Although rejection is fairly easy to treat to get back on track, she's had such a tough run this year that I'm asking for prayers.  I wish she was back here at Mayo with her familiar team of doctors and the transplant support group, but for now we're going to have to trust that her doctors out there will get her back on track.  Thank you!

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I've been having trouble getting to sleep at a decent time - it's an ongoing issue - I get myself all turned around every few months and stay up all night and sleep all day.  Well one of my friends suggested this: "Try thinking about things you are thankful for in alphabetical order... Puts you right to sleep." Now that's a great idea!

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The status update of a friend of mine --

I had to laugh. There was an ad on PBS for the Waldo Flea Market.
With a straight face my mom turned to me and asked, "Where's Waldo?"

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Hope you enjoyed!
Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!
Kristin

POTD - Pomegranates

POTD - Pomegranates

©2011 Kristin Corlett

I cannot even imagine the first people to open up a pomegranate and see that gorgeous inside with all of the ripe red seeds. What about the first person to taste the seeds inside? My mouth is puckering just thinking of the taste! Pomegranates are an ancient food, mentioned in the Bible, yet it has never made the "Most Popular" list. My local grocery store had them all lined up so nice and neat that I wanted to bring one home, but I had no idea what to do with it...so I took a picture instead. 

Enjoy!
Kristin