Pioneer Valley Peaks

I’m back home again after my repeat pet/housesit in Northampton to share some favorites from this year’s stay. I repeated a couple of spots from 2025, but made an effort to expand my horizons and tried some new things in addition to revisiting some places. There’s a lot to do in the Northampton area, so … Continue reading Pioneer Valley Peaks

Declaring (personal) independence

In 1996, I was settling into the home we had recently purchased, preparing to start a new permanent professional position and getting ready to start a family. Having all three of those major life milestones occur within a six month window of time, reflectively, seems crazy but, at the time, I was completely unfazed to … Continue reading Declaring (personal) independence

Not charmed by BWI, but in ❤️ with Southwest

Last week’s return from Savannah, unfortunately, was not great. The day before my scheduled flight, I received an email offering me the opportunity to change my ticket due to severe storms forecast for the east coast. Not feeling flexible enough to extend my trip due to my restaurant obligations, I decided to just hope for … Continue reading Not charmed by BWI, but in ❤️ with Southwest

The Grey, in black & white

When I first started planning my brief time in Savannah, after purchasing my plane ticket, I solicited things to do over on Fodor’s travel board. Among the suggestions for places to dine, The Olde Pink House and The Grey were each mentioned multiple times. So, I booked at both. My Olde Pink House experience was … Continue reading The Grey, in black & white

Savannah – delights and a disappointment

Generally speaking, I found Savannah to be an absolutely lovely city populated with friendly people. The amount of ma’am-ing I received tickled me and I thoroughly enjoyed my time wandering around the historic district. I would come back here in an instant, perhaps a bit earlier in the year in time to catch the magnolias … Continue reading Savannah – delights and a disappointment

The Olde Pink House

I have a confession - I almost canceled my dinner reservation for this place after perusing some recent online reviews that were less than positive. Folks were complaining about reservations not being honored or food and service being subpar. It was over hyped and not that good, some said. I am so happy that I … Continue reading The Olde Pink House

Ireland packing list loading…

When one is committed to carry on luggage exclusively, packing becomes an art. Especially when a person is striving to live up to the title bestowed upon them in 1980 - “best dressed girl” in the 8th grade Greenwood Lake Middle School class. As I started preparing my back of the envelope packing list, I … Continue reading Ireland packing list loading…