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Saturday, September 28, 2013

Williamsburg, Amtrak, back to work etc.

HannaBeen meaning to post an update for a while now but just didn't get around to it yet. The rest of our/my stay in Virginia was a lot of fun. On our way down to Williamsburg we stopped at a couple of wineries. Actually the first one we stopped at was Blenheim Vineyards which is owned by Dave Matthews. What a neat place. The building itself is a green building with solar panels on the roof, lots of neat art inside and just a cool vibe throughout. Delicious wine too. It stands out even more considering that Trump Winery is just next door. What a contrast. We did not taste at Trump for the record. Really didn't want to give him any money.

Williamsburg was a lot of fun as always. Mike stayed Saturday and we went to the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News. A neat place. Saw an otter feeding (so cute!) and a bunch of other animals. They had a nice outdoor boardwalk. Small but fun/different place.    

Sunday Mike drove back to CT with a stop in Arlington, VA (near DC) to meet up with some friends for lunch. I stayed behind and spent a few more days with my parents. Sunday I walked around colonial Williamsburg for a bit in the morning. Then in the afternoon we took the ferry and had lunch at Surrey House followed by the exploration of Chippokes Plantation State Park. 

Monday we took the bridge-tunnel over to Cape Charles where we had lunch at Aqua. Delicious food and great Chesapeake Bay views. Also stopped at a neat little store called Drizzles where I bought some pink peppercorn and Spanish rosemary salt. I always enjoy stores like that where you can taste various products.

Tuesday we drove to Virginia Beach (another beautiful fall day) and had lunch right near the boardwalk at Waterman's Surfside Grille. Yummy food (one of the best crabcakes I had in a long time).

Wednesday it was already time for me to leave. I took Amtrak back which all in all wasn't a terrible experience. I liked the seats and the fact that there is in-seat power and free wi-fi. The train arrived about 20 minutes late into Williamsburg. By the time I made it to Connecticut there was about an hour and a half delay. But that was mostly on account of the electrical problems they were having due to the problem with Con-Ed earlier that day.

My parents flew back to Austria yesterday. Called me today and arrived safely. 

Now it's back to work and normal every day life. Am at work today. Once we finish up we are driving down to Bridgeport where we are seeing FUN. in concert. Looking forward to that. Before the show we are planning on dinner at the Barnum Public House beforehand.  

Mail Update: Mailed a letter on Monday to: Charles/TN. Mailed letters on Thursday to: Nina/WA and Jessica/DE. Received letters still owe a response to: Carmen/Malta.

Posted by Hanna at 01:31 PM in Food and Drink, Performances, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Virginia update

Hanna+Mike-ShenandoahFinally getting some time for another quick update. It's been a fun stay here so far. Monday we went to Luray Caverns.

Then Tuesday we checked out Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. The weather was supposed to be really nice according to the forecast so we were really surprised when it ended up being super foggy once we got there. I guess you can never quite predict mountain weather. Luckily the clouds/fog cleared middday and we had a gorgeous rest of the day. Were still able to get in some hikes and lots of pretty scenery. If you are Facebook friends with me you probably already saw some pictures. For everyone else I promise I will get around to creating a Shutterfly album sooner or later. :)

Wednesday we went to tour two president's homes. First we stopped at James Madison's Montpelier and then at James Monroe's Ash Lawn Highland. Both were interesting, especially since we toured Jefferson's Monicello estate last year. Now we are just missing Washington's estate in Mount Vernon. After our touring we had lunch at the Citizen Burger Bar in Charlottesville.

Today we spent the day wine tasting which was a lot of fun as well. Went to four different vineyards and brought back a few bottles to bring home. Always enjoyable. Had lunch in Staunton, VA at the Clocktower Restaurant. Staunton turned out to be an interesting little town. 

Tomorrow we are checking out here and are heading south to Williamsburg. Are going to stop at a few wineries along the way since we can't check in at the other resort until 4pm anyway. 

Mail Update: Mailed letters today to: Laura/Spain, Eunice/Malta. Received letters still owe a response to: Nina/WA and Charles/TN.

Posted by Hanna at 06:31 PM in Food and Drink, Travel, Wine | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Monday, September 16, 2013

Hello from Shenandoah Valley

HannaHello from Virginia. :) Had a busy Saturday running errands and taking care of various things at work and otherwise. Also managed to squeeze in seeing the movie "Austenland".

Sunday we left for Virginia to meet my parents at their Shenandoah Valley resort, about a 7 hour drive. It's a massive resort with two 18-hole golf courses and around 2000 units. We have a nice condo room with a full kitchen, living room and two bedrooms. Very nice place.

After we got here yesterday around 5pm we relaxed for a bit and then headed out to dinner at a local BBQ place. Today the weather was a bit iffy especially in the morning so we decided to head to the Luray Caverns. Definitely a stunning place. Had fun explorig the caverns on our tour. 

After our tour we headed to Harrisonburg for a late lunch/early dinner at the Capital Ale House. Definitely a fun place with tons of different brews on tap. Had a yummy meal. Now we are back at the resort just hanging out for a bit. 

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to improve and be really nice again. As long as that holds true we will probably check out Skyline Drive in the national park. Should be fun. 

 Mail Update: Letters should be going out soon to: Laura/Spain, Eunice/Malta. Received letters still owe a response to: Nina/WA.  

Posted by Hanna at 04:22 PM in Food and Drink, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunday, September 08, 2013

Seaplane Fun

SeaplaneAnother busy week. Worked 6 days including the Labor Day holiday on Monday and yesterday Saturday. At least now we are past the holiday so that's good. We also had Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, on Thursday/Friday so definitely a busy week holiday wise. Whenever there is a holiday that affects the school schedules things get hectic. Especially with holidays where some schools are off, some are not, etc. 

We now have another week and then we are off to Virginia to meet up with my parents. They get into Washington DC on Tuesday next week, are going to spend 2 nights there and then are continuing on to their resort in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia where we will meet up with them. Still deciding what day we will drive down there. 

I am looking forward to our vacation but am also slightly worried about everything at work. While I am gone another person will also be on vacation which will compound things, especially with the new added accounting duties. Guess we will figure it out and things will just work out some way some how. Guess they always do one way or another. 

Today, Sunday, we scheduled Mike's seaplane flight at Lake Candlewood. This is his Christmas present from me from last year so I am glad we got to schedule it before another Christmas season rolls around. :) It's a gorgeous day as well so all worked out nicely. I stayed behind at the dock which was perfectly fine with me. Not a huge fan of small planes. :) Mike seemed to enjoy himself though so that's all that matters really. 

Ran some errands, home for a bit, and in a little while we are going to head to the White Horse Pub in Marbledale. They have a nice patio next to a brook and since the weather is so nice it will be perfect sitting outside weather. Looking forward to it. 

Mail Update: Received letters/still owe a response to: Laura/Spain, Eunice/Malta and Nina/WA.   

Posted by Hanna at 11:28 AM in Food and Drink, Outdoors, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Labor Day, Rockefeller Estate, Albany, Work, etc.

20130831_115540_resized_1Sorry it's taken me a little bit of time since my last update. It's just been very hectic. Work was very busy leading up to Labor Day which of course isn't unusual. Combined with various schools starting up plus my new accounting duties, let's just say it was definitely interesting and kept me on my toes. 

Was off on the weekend, both Saturday and Sunday, which was nice considering that this week will be another 6-day week for me. Saturday we drove to Sleepy Hollow, NY to tour the Rockefeller Estate there. I had been there once before in 2001 with my parents but Mike hadn't been so it was nice to see it together. Afterwards we went to Yonkers to have lunch at the Yard House there. That location opened a few years ago and we always wondered why they would put one there. Well when we went we figured out that it's actually in a brand new shopping complex, sort of like an outdoor mall. It reminded me of Atlanta's Atlantic Station area. So that makes a bit more sense now. The complex seems huge and definitely thriving so hopefully it will bring money into Yonkers to update some other areas of the city.

Sunday we decided to take another roadtrip and went up to Albany for lunch at a brewpub up there. We had been there before, the first time when we went to see a Jerry Seinfeld standup in Albany. So it's always nice to be able to go back to places you enjoy. Had a fun lunch.

Yesterday, Monday, was Labor Day but we still had to work. Under normal circumstances the actual holiday is usually a pretty quiet day at work. The days before and after are usually when it gets crazy. Yesterday wasn't that much of an exception. Only difference was that we also had to deal with a system issue that had developed over the weekend, erasing some of our orders, data, etc. Fun.

Well today is Tuesday and I am not sure what the day will bring. We will probably be very busy considering it's the day after the holiday. Plus since we received no mail yesterday due to the holiday and Monday is usually our busiest day for payments coming in through the mail I am sure today will be hectic. Well, let's see how it goes. Fingers crossed. :)

Mail Update: Wrote and need to mail letters out to: Jessica/DE and Charles/TN. Received letters/still owe a response to: Eunice/Malta and Nina/WA.   

Posted by Hanna at 07:18 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack