Photos

July 28, 2010 In De-lish, People, Photos, Virginia

today is national milk chocolate day!

How is it possible that I never knew there was one until today? How is it possible that there even is a National Milk Chocolate Day?

This reminds me to thank everyone again who has gifted me Nutella for my trip. I have a Costco-sized jar in my car now from my last stop. I think I need to start talking about how much I love apples and porches, then maybe that’s what people would gift me and I’d eat more fruit and have fast fancy cars to drive…ha!

Nah- I’ll take the Nutella.

I’m dedicating todays morning post to my cutie patootie small fry pal Libbie. She is the daughter of my friend. Before I left VA we had a couple ice cream dates. Apparently she has been asking “When is Diane coming back so we can go get ice cream?” Talk about my kind of buddy! Here is a photo of her at one of my favorite places for a sweet treat called Bev’s. Don’t you just want to squeeze this adorable this face?

If you are a chocolate lover out there, I’d love to post a great photo of yours like this if you’d like to send one to me. If you have a recipe for something chocolate-y you’d like to share, send that, or maybe share a chocolate spot somewhere I can check out in my travels? I’ll take it all and keep posting about the de-lish spots I find too.

Happy chocolate feasting!

July 27, 2010 In Photos

highways, honking truckers, and hundreds of miles

Oh what a day! I love blasting down the road. I stopped in Cleveland for a bit- what a cool little city. More on that later. For now this photo from my last pit stop/rest stop. I just couldn’t walk by it. I’m all about some rich food, and the “I shouldn’t eat this but I’m going to anyway” stuff, mixed in with the healthy, but is this ad supposed to make me want to eat this? I hate to be all “EW!!! Gross!- But, UGH. GROSS.

July 26, 2010 In Photos

amen sisters!

I snapped this on my last day in Upstate NY. A perfectly fitting motto for this trip. As soon as I read this I laughed to myself and thought if my friends were alive, this is how they’d be living and exactly what they’d write.

Every little step on my journey tells me I’m going in the right direction. Thanks M and B. I know you’re with me every step of the way.

July 26, 2010 In Ohio, Photos

welcome to ohio!

I know they say you shouldn’t use your cell phone and drive, but how else would I be able to snap photos like this?

It sure is a great sunny summer day for driving today!

July 24, 2010 In New York, People, Photos

meet gary

Gary is my friends dad. He is one of the kindest, most genuine, insightful and accepting people I have ever known. He and his lovely and equally wonderful wife Jeanne, have been loving, accepting and welcoming me into their home for the past 13 years every summer as if I were their own child. My cottage time is so sacred and has always been the favorite few days of my summers.

After a dinner on the patio overlooking the gorgeous lake the other night, Gary asked me if I wanted to go fishing with him. He hadn’t caught anything worth keeping all summer until that point and thought I might be able to bring him some luck, so off we went. He caught a tiny fish pretty quickly but nothing after that. We joked about a hex on the boat or something as there have always been trout a plenty in years past. Fish or not, it was worth going out as the company was great as always and I even got to drive the boat home. Here’s a photo of Fisherman Gary. (By the way since our outing the other night He’s broken the hex and reeled in a 6-pounder!):

I also snapped this photo of the shore room as we were speeding away in the boat the other night. This was an addition to the cottage a couple of years ago for Gary’s 70th birthday. I get to sleep there when I visit now. One word to describe waking up in that room? Heaven.

There are many reasons I love coming to the lake, but the biggest is the time I get with my friend Patrick and his incredible parents. Over the years I have learned so much from them even though they probably would never know they were teaching. I’ve learned about acceptance, love, joy and being grateful. I’ve been inspired to be more open and give more of myself. This family exudes light, life and love more than I could ever describe. Their overall positive energy is a force to be reckoned with and they have that magnetic way that just makes you want to be around them as much as possible. They are the purest beings and a few of my absolute favorite ones on the planet. Each summer as I pull up the long steep road away from them, I feel completely full and peaceful.

As my time at the lake comes to an end now, I already dream of boat rides, quiet dock time, dinners on the patio, listening to the lapping of the water, the lessons, and all the true conversation over the sunset shores with this family. Thank you Patrick, Jeanne and Gary for every moment of our time together and every ounce of love you continue to give me and everyone around you.

July 23, 2010 In New York, Photos

could you, would you anywhere?

(I have officially passed 600 posts. YIPPEE!!)

Last week thanks to a friend who took me, I was at the Hotel Ganzevoort sipping cosmos among the hot, trendy crowd with spectacular views of the city as I sported a sassy black dress and sky high heels.

Last night thanks to a different friend who took me, I was at the Grassroots Festival sipping a Heineken, among the hippie, free-lovin’ crowd with spectacular views of people dancing in fields as I sported a flowy dress with flip flops.

(I had some fun hamming it up):

I’m bummed I didn’t get any photos of RG and I at Hotel Gansevoort last week, but here’s Patrick and I last night goofing off at the festival between bands, on our way to shake it to Arrested Development:

Thanks guys! Both were so fun, fun, fun. From pish-posh with bathroom attendants to dirt fields with porta potties.

I love life’s potpourri.

July 21, 2010 In New York, Photos

each summer i love you more

View from after dinner on the porch last night:

…and from my bed waking up this morning:

If you’ve never been to Upstate, NY/Finger Lakes area, think about this place for your next family summer vaca. 13 years of coming every summer and it continues to be my favorite place on the planet. I cherish my every minute here each summer and often wonder why this area is not completely overloaded with people. It’s like the best kept secret in the country for lake time…

July 20, 2010 In Photos

meet juan, juanita and pablito

They are my travel buddies. I’m not big on tchotckies, but these guys had to come on the trip with me. My sister brought Juan and Juanita back from Ecuador this winter. She and I have lots of inside jokes. We often geek out about silly little things, so when she said she saw tiny Juan and Juanita (I named them) and immediately knew she had to bring them back for me- it made total sense to me.

A friend handed me Pablito the monkey at my going away happy hour telling me Pablito would keep me safe. Apparently this monkey has been to Germany, Japan and all over the place. Well traveled mini sock.

These pals of mine will be in plenty of photos from this trip so keep watching for them!