FALLIN' INTO NEW ENGLAND

A roaring fire warms me and dries my rain spattered clothes.  Jasper the golden lab contentedly lies in front of the fireplace emitting the familiar odor of wet dog.  A sip from glass of small batch rye whiskey  warms me all the way down to my belly.  Through  large glass doors  misty mountains painted with the last golds of a New England autumn disappear in the distance.  Nearby, a few cows graze in an impossibly green pasture  flanked by white bark of now bare birch trees.  I can almost hear the rush of the water in  the river in the  Kedron Valley below.  I look up and admire the soaring post and beam structure of the living room in Gordon and Doria's  magnificent home in Woodstock, Vermont.  (Long time readers of the blog may remember an earlier post about a tramp through Deadfall Meadow with Gordon and Doria who is Deb's cousin).

View from Gordon and Doria's Living Room

"NEW HAMBURG, NEXT STOP, NEW HAMBURG,"blared the speaker above our seat. An afternoon trip up the Hudson River on the Metro North Railroad is nearly at end after a rush along the river glistening in the afternoon sunlight.   Distant low flying seagulls dipping their wings in the water become sailboats as we near our stop.  The river is flanked by a kaleidoscopic vision  of reds and oranges and golds and rusts in the hills above.

   

Afternoon on the Hudson River

We have arrived in New Hamburg near Jean's house; another of Deb's cousins.  (She has a lot of cousins in New England.  Must be something about the long winters)     We gather our bags and rush from the train.

Bridge over the Hudson

The next morning after enjoying  the hospitality of Jean and husband Tony, we are off to Vermont.  We follow back roads flanked by riotous foliage to the Taconic Parkway.  There are few better drives in the world than a drive through New England  in the fall.  As we speed through the rolling hills of New York, Massachusetts and Vermont,  a bright sunny day sets the hills on fire.   After a circuitous route using a smart phone as our guide  we eventually arrive at Doria and Gordon's just as the sun is setting.  Gordon is quick to press a microbrew into my hand as we watch the sun  set over Killington Mountain behind firey orange clouds. After a pot of Gordon's beef stew, several more microbrews, too many glasses of red wine, local artisan bread, and much laughter,  somehow I find my bed and fall in for a good nights sleep.

Vermont locals

The next morning dawns rainy and cold so most of the day is spent in Doria and Gordon's gorgeous house looking out across the verdant hills and lush valleys of Vermont.  Frankly, there are not too many places I would rather be on a cold rainy day.

We take a break in the early afternoon for a drive to the very quaint town of South Royalton.   South Royalton has a small claim to fame as the birthplace of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church.  Other than its charming houses, buildings and setting (as if that isn't enough),  South Royalton has a burger joint to recommend it called Worthy Burger.  A short menu of organic beef burgers, beef tallow fried french fries and an extensive microbrew selection provide a perfect way to while away an hour on a rainy New England day.

Back row:  Gordon, Lynn, Richard

Front row:  Doria, Dennis (another cousin!), Deb

Doria and Gordon's house-Woodstock, Vermont

Lunch is followed by a backroad tour through a quintessential northeastern countryside of rolling hills, rushing streams and hardwood forest, much of which is  still in full fall color.  Old farm houses dot the countryside with cows, sheep and horses populating the meadows.  We stop by Ben and Amy's (son-in-law and daughter of Gordon and Doria).  A short conversation through the open window of the truck spatters me with rain and I am happy when Gordon suggests that a fire in the fireplace is just the thing for a cold rainy day.

Is this New England or what?

Richard "lost" in the woods of Vermont

PLANES, TRAINS AND A WALK ON THE MILD SIDE

The first leg of our journey to Turkey is an all too common tale of  delayed flights, missed connections, unhelpful agents, overcrowded planes and misinformation.  Stuck in SFO for six hours we were rescued by good friend Patsy who whisked us away, made us dinner and drove us back to the airport to catch our redeye to New York.

Engine snout of our plane to SFO

Already fried and half drunk from our nearly thirteen hour sojourn from Mt Shasta to SFO,  I noted with some relief that my center seat on the plane was flanked by a diminutive Chinese man.  However, my  hopes were soon dashed when a gent, whom I will call Vinny, sat beside me.  “Vinny” had a physique like a Mack truck slightly gone to seed.  He was  dressed in a tailored, black satin-like jogging suit and running shoes that had only seen the kind of track that horses raced around.   “Vinny” settled himself in his seat, draped his arms over both armrests and spread his legs; one halfway into my leg area and the other half blocking the aisle. Undaunted, I promptly put my arm on the arm rest and pushed my leg out to the width of my seat.  Vinny  said in a gruff, thick Jersey accent,”We are going to have to do something about this space issue”.  As I looked into his unsmiling, slightly menacing face, I quickly realized that his “we” meant me.   I promptly removed my arm from the rest and pulled my legs together and did my best to disappear into the other side of my seat.

I was so exhausted  from our earlier ordeal that I  was asleep before the plane was in the air.  It was a fitful sleep.  My seat did not recline and I certainly did not want to lean on Vinny.  I spent my night alternately nodding off and jerking awake.   Each nod to the right was a jerk of self preservation fearing any possibility of revisiting Vinny’s space issue.  Fortunately it was only a five hour flight and after a few quick train rides and a short walk along Central Park we arrived at daughter Kate’s apartment.

After a much needed shower I fell into bed and slept til noon.  When we awoke Kate’s friend Jean-Paul slipped out to Alice’s Tea Shop and returned with a bag of some of the best scones to be found anywhere on the planet.    My favorite was a Vegan raspberry and feta scone.  Some strong, black Chinese tea provided the added stimulus to get us up and running for our day in New York.

Kate,  Deb (shadow) and me in Central Park

Much refreshed we took a stroll through Central Park on a crisp fall day.  Being mid-week and out of season, the park was not too crowded and we were treated by Kate to a tour-guide worthy stroll though mid Central Park. 

Belveder Castle-Central Park

Turtles sunning in Central Park

After a two hour walk, we realized, thanks to Kate, that we could just catch a late lunch at Momoya which for my money is one of the best sushi joints on the east coast.  We feasted on sashimi, sushi rolls and a really smooth sake.

Momoya fare

As the sun was setting over Manhattan, we returned to Kate’s apartment for a break and ended up hanging out to watch the second Presidential debate. 

After a nightcap of anejo rums, barley tea and a gourmet chocolate bar. We laughed our heads off until well after midnight and literally fell into bed after a great day in New York.

San Remo at Sunset

Next stop Vermont