Our family headed to Upstate New York over the weekend while the outside of our house was being stripped and prepped for painting. We had to leave and it was a good excuse to do some more exploring of the northeast in pursuit of our dreams of owning land. Our last trip led us to Vermont; this trip we found ourselves in Ithaca, New York.
There is something about this little college town that has captured my imagination. It is collegiate and grungy, pastoral and urban, crunchy and conservative, and has just enough variety to hold our attention. What a place. What a funny, quirky, scattered, together place. I. love. it.
We took a driving tour of the Cornell campus, hiked the waterfalls, ate at the Moosewood Cafe. It helped me edit and expand my dreams (do we want a family cow?! should we live by a lake?).
That's the good. Now for the bad and the ugly. My husband got a stomach bug, it rained half of the trip, our two oldest children each had a middle of the night tantrum that awoke the rest of the family (and kept us awake) on two separate nights. No amount of bribing or threatening (no pool time? no Milano cookies?) could help three sleep deprived kids (and two grumpy grown-ups acting like kids) keep their cool during the day.
But we made it home, only a little worse for the wear (I wonder for how long the words "hotel" and "car trip" will give me cold sweats). We will venture out again, although when we do I hope the poor people staying next to us in the hotel do not recognize us.
10 comments:
Ahhhh!! Those road trip can be so good...and so bad. Glad you survived! A good childhood friend is moving to Ithaca this summer. How was the Moosewood?!?
I grew up in upstate NY. I think that the rolling drumlins, finger lakes, gorges, glens, and waterfalls of central NY make it one of the most beautiful places in the country.
Road trips sure can be brutal. With my brood of five children we've had some very memorable ones, too ;-)
One of those trips... Next one will be better. Nice pictures!
Sounds just like our venture to DC. Traveling with kids is just not the same as doing it alone.
When it was good it was very, very good and when it was bad...
We are in the down-time in between two big road trips right now. I am hoping that our next one does not involve standing in the back kitchen part of a Culver's restaurant while a tornado blows through the town that you've stopped in for dinner.
Ithaca looks and sounds lovely!
We are planning a moving trip in the fall, I am scared we will be the people asked not to come back. Five kids, and two dogs moving from Southern California to Austin, Texas. I hope the bug has already passed.
What a magical place! We went there this past summer, so it brings a smile to my face to see your pictures. And moosewood- yum!
Oh my, that's just how it goes sometimes! I've always thought it would be lovely to live in a small college town--hope you get your dream!
Oh my, I'm sorry to hear about the rough times! It sounds like there were good times too, though. These photos are beautiful!
Sounds wonderful! Well, except for the stomach bug and night tantrum parts. Very nice to venture out and hone in on your dreams, though. :)
Great pics!
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