A week in Manhattan

I grew up 20 minutes outside of Manhattan, or as my father liked to say “11 miles as the crow flies from Central Park”. Our tiny one square mile suburban town is called Bronxville. Some confuse it with the Bronx, yet the two communities are entirely different places. Like many other families in Bronxville, our father commuted into Manhattan. In my case, my father commuted all the way downtown to One Water Street. Also like many people from my community, my family spent a lot of time in the city or as some call it “town”. Our school took us on field trips into the NYC museums and occasionally to Broadway shows. When my classmates and I were twelve our school took us to see Yule Brenner in the King and I. I went home and raved about it so much that my parents brought me back the next week so they could see it too. My parents loved the performance as much as I did!

My family went into NYC often to eat, go to the theater, visit Central Park, shop, and visit my sister when she lived there. We never did any tourist things. We would often go in and meet my father after work or go to lunch and the theater with my grandmother. Christmas holidays always brought us to the city for some very special restaurant visits, to see the holiday windows, and a trip to see a show or a holiday musical performance. In the days before cell phones, plans needed to be made in advance. My father knew exactly how long it would take him to get from his office downtown to anywhere in NYC. Having lived in Manhattan before marrying my father, my mother knows more about NYC than anyone I know. She knows where all the parking garages are and would tell my father where we would meet him for each event. I have a vivid memory of waiting with her for my father outside of the Algonquin hotel. I can still picture my father arriving with a big smile on his face. As per usual he was in his work uniform, a Brooks Brother suit, wingtip shoes, a trench coat and a fedora.

As a teenager I would go into the city often with friends for concerts and underage bar visits in the village. Our shenanigans were endless.

What my family never did was sleep in NYC. Unless I was sleeping in my sister’s or a friend’s apartment, we always headed back to Bronxville at night…sometimes running for the last train. I never stayed in a hotel in New York growing up. I don’t even recall it ever being a discussion. It wasn’t part of our suburban life. Our beds were eleven miles away…on the back of a crow.

I didn’t start sleeping in the city until I began dating my now husband and we were living in Vermont. We would come down on Amtrak and stay in a friend’s studio or a hotel and enjoy a few romantic days alone together in the city. I still marvel at sleeping in the city to this day and find it funny to go to bed in Manhattan. Imagine sleeping in a hotel in your hometown.

Over the years Don and I have found some favorite hotels and we also continue to try new ones. This week we are here to find an apartment for one of our kids. And boy were we lucky to find a great one the first day, leaving us three free days of fun!

Our view of St. Patricks from our hotel window.

WHERE WE STAYED

For this trip I booked with American Express Platinum. This has become one of my go to ways to book a hotel. You can use points, get x5 the points on certain bookings, get upgrades, and get cash credits at the hotels for food. This time I booked the Lotte New York Palace which is the old Helmsley Building or as my children well recognize, Serena’s home from Gossip Girl. The 455 Madison Avenue at 50th Street location was perfect for getting around the city and proximity to fabulous restaurants.

We enjoyed the hotel very much and I would 100% stay here again. Our eldest son arrived Friday so we are now in two rooms next door to each other.

WHERE WE ATE:

We are a family that loves all types of restaurants. We love a fabulous upscale place, a mom and pop diner, and wonderful meals from around the world. On this trip we covered all of those things.

My two favorite restaurants we went to on this trip were a new to us sushi restaurant called Hatsuhana and an old favorite, the Austrian treasure, Wallse.

Courteney and Don enjoyed fabulous platters at Hatsuhana.

MoMA

WHAT WE DID

Our primary goal in coming into the city this week was to find an apartment. We thought it was going to be a much bigger and worse job than it turned out to be. We have a fabulous agent who knocked it out of the park for us. That left us lots of time for fun. The majority of our travels were on foot so we could proudly brag to each other about our step counts. We also traveled by bus, subway, and taxi. We explored the neighborhood where our daughter will be living several times and we spent Saturday in the West Village with our eldest and youngest. One of our all time favorite things to do in New York will always be visiting the art museums. This is something I try to do with my children wherever we are. On this special visit we returned to the Guggenheim and MoMA.

I took Courteney to the Peggy Guggenheim in Venice in April. It was fun to return to the NYC Guggenheim on Thursday.

Our family always splits up on museums. I was delighted to find this guy in front of the Pollack. He was actually the one who planned the museum visit which made it even more special!

Going to Morocco- Part one: Other people’s bucket lists and traveling through Paris

Many of us have bucket lists trips, trips we dream of going on, places we have always wanted to visit. What happens when you are invited to go on someone else’s bucket list trip? Do you go? I found myself presented with this opportunity a year ago. My brother-in-law Phil (who I first met on my 8th birthday) was given a bucket list trip by his wife Puddy, my sister. Phil is an extraordinary photographer and knew immediately his dream destination was Morocco. When he invited us to join them, my husband and I contemplated this question: “Do you go on someone else’s bucket list trip, and move your own down the queue?”. My own bucket list includes Bhutan, Scandinavia, and Scotland. Plus, I always want to return to many of my favorite places like Kenya, Europe, and the English countryside. I am a quick decision maker and my husband is much more thoughtful and contemplative, our answer was “YES!”. We were enthusiastic about returning to Africa and traveling with Puddy and Phil. I personally was very excited to join this Abercrombie and Kent trip. Having just started my own travel business, I was very curious to see how they ran a tour.

Don took me to the Luxembourg Gardens, a place I had never been before. It was a perfect setting for a man who loves gardens and his wife who loves sculpture!

This was Phil’s dream trip and he was planning the whole agenda. Although Don and I were invited to participate in the planning, we opted out.  Knowing my brother-in-law’s love of research and good taste, we knew he would spend much more time selecting hotels, restaurants, and sites than we would. Don and I did our paperwork, made the payments, purchased our airfare, and nothing else. We never even read the itinerary until 4 days before we left. Using the word “read” is a huge exaggeration. I would say we skimmed it and looked up the hotels on Instagram to get a vague idea of what they looked like. We trusted the process and like a pair of youngest children, went with the flow. I like watching highly recommended movies and reading books that I know absolutely nothing about. I know it’s going to be good, but it’s going to be a big surprise. This is exactly how I went into this trip!  However, since I am a huge, gigantic packing geek, I did research the weather, appropriate dress for women in Muslim countries, and “what to wear while riding a camel”. Hilarious yet true.

My favorite night in Paris is always walking over to Le Soufflé for dinner and a Vivaldi concert to follow at Sainte Chappelle. The chapel is wall to wall stained glass and a magnificent place to listen to beautiful music. On this visit to Le Soufflé I ordered the pear soufflé for dessert and they poured warm chocolate sauce on it for me. Best soufflé I have ever had!

We flew to Paris a few days early to acclimate to the time change and break up the flights. I am a big lover of acclimating. I am a very enthusiastic and devoted sleeper and I know that I have a much better time on international travels if I can adjust to the time difference before jumping right into fun activities. A few days in a romantic hotel on the left bank with my husband, several orders of Croque-Monsieur in Parisian cafes, long walks through world famous gardens, and two art museum afternoons were exactly what the doctor ordered. The garbage was starting to pile up in Paris and protests had begun. The complexities of the political policies and protests regarding Macron and the retirement age are far beyond my purview to write about. With great respect for the French people we left Paris through strike conditions and cancelled our return trip to Paris. We were disappointed but knew that it was the right move for our family. If I am going to find myself in the middle of a giant protest, I want to be sure I know the language and can foresee problems.

I love walking around Paris and taking in the sights, even on a slightly grey day.

Once we got through the numerous passport checkpoints in Charles de Gaulle, the rest of the trip to Morocco was very easy. Abercrombie and Kent sends an airport guide to get you through immigration. This was a wonderful treat, as our guide knew exactly what line to put us in for a speedy process and he translated for us with the customs officials. There were a lot of adventure travelers in baggage claim and it was fun to speak to the other travelers about who they were traveling with and where they were going. (And yes, I am that weirdo New Yorker who doesn’t socialize with my neighbors at home but randomly befriends adventure travelers in airports in far off lands.)

We were met outside the airport by our travel team, our guide and driver. I had no idea what a treat I was in store for.  Ghani our guide, and Adele our driver/guide would be the stars of our show. The minute they arrived with confidence, professionalism, kindness, and big smiles I knew we were in good hands! It was our pleasure to spend twelve days with these two men who would show us the beautiful country of Morocco, share it’s rich history, and introduce us to the culture we quickly came to love.

Venice Day 3- Vaporettos and Vivaldi

Italian public transportation is rather easy and user friendly. Once you get the knack of it, you will feel like a pro. Most ticket desk operators speak English and you can also purchase tickets from fairly self explanatory machines. The trick to riding a train in Italy or the verparatto in Venice is knowing your own residential stop name. You must also know what line you are supposed to travel on to get home to your stop and always, always validate your ticket in the small machine near the train track or veperatto line. If you are riding an Italian train, like an American train, you should know the train number and the final destination of your particular train. Our experience has been that everyone is very helpful in when you are trying to get around Venice. The local people, the hotel front desk, and the other travelers all gave us great tips and clear instructions.

A chic woman riding the vaporetto in Venice

In Venice the Vaporetto is the water ferry. It’s run very much like a New York City bus. The Ferry goes around and around the canals. Different line numbers stop at different docks with clear signs. You buy your ticket, either in small incremental rides or as a multi day pass. You put your ticket against a machine, much like a grocery scanner to validate it before you get on the ferry. There are very steep fines if you are found on Italian transportation having not validated your ticket because that means you are stealing a free ride, as the ticket could be used again. In Italy you currently have to wear a mask on public transportation and they will not let you get on the Vaporetto without your mask fully on your face. I have seen passengers report riders who partially remove their masks. The ferry officials will also speak to or remove any passenger who has removed or lowered their mask.

All businesses and services travel the Venetian waterways, even the ambulances.

Don and I had great fun riding the Vaporetto around Venice and also traveling across the canal via gondola. Crossing the canal or riding around the canal gives you a gorgeous view of the city and the palaces from the water. There are two types of gondolas in Venice, the private sightseeing gondolas you hire and the canal crossing gondolas. The latter are fabulous. There are signs and little areas periodically along your foot travels where you can get in a multi passenger larger gondola with two gondoliers. These gondolas will take you across one of the larger canals for a few euros. The local Venetians stand and the visitors sit. Stand at your own risk. This is one place I am happy to stand out as a tourist.

We quickly became very comfortable with all forms of Venetian transportation and used it to our advantage. Private water taxis are also available. They can be pricey but are so glamorous. For example, we took a private water taxi from St Marks square to our hotel which was across the canal from the fish market on the other side of the Rialto bridge. It costs 60 euros. It was a really lovely late afternoon ride and we so enjoyed it. We also felt so comfortable on the Vaporetto that we cancelled our private water taxi to the train station and decided instead to take the Vaporetto to the train station when it was time to head to Lucca via train through Florence.

On our third day in Venice we looked at more art both in museums and as part of the Biennale art show that is currently all over Venice. Sometimes when we travel Don and I each pick something to do. On our third day in Venice we each had something in mind we wanted to see. For my husband’s selection we headed over to a museum with a Japanese garden.  With vast interests in gardens, Japanese gardens, architecture, and modern design ~ perhaps influenced by his many years at the Cranbrook School in Birmingham, Michigan, my husband found the perfect spot for both of us. After doing a little research he found a museum I had never heard of before and had walked by many, many times over the years completely unaware of it’s existence. The Fondazione Querini Stampalia a former home turned museum and is filled with gorgeous period furnishings and textiles. It was heartbreaking for this rule follower that I could not photograph the gorgeous Italian textiles. Woven through this delightful experience of fading opulence is a vast collection of modern paper lights in various shapes. I never would have imagined that old stone walls, thick rich Italian textiles, antique books, colorful tiles, and modern paper Japanese lanterns would marry so beautifully into a glorious feast for the eyes. A Japanese influenced garden in the back is a small joyful surprise in the middle of Venice.

My choice came from Instagram. I kept seeing an American artist popping up all over Instagram accounts of creatives that I follow. We took a lovely walk to find her powerful Beinniale sculpture exhibit and in doing so explored a part of Venice we had not yet experienced.

About 8 years ago Brooke and I spent a week or so in Venice in a very quiet, wintery November.  I will treasure that meaningful and magical time forever. Every day we walked the city and explored. We found a restaurant we just loved and went there almost daily. Some nights we would return, tired art girls who had been scouring the city, for a lovely dinner on the way home. As it began to get dark we loved wandering in to our special favorite cafe as it was  joyfully filled with locals and their families.  I rediscovered this restaurant on this trip. It took me a couple tries to find it because now it is summer, and I had only seen it at the beginning of Aqua Alta (when the waters were rising.) Now the care had awnings and umbrellas and tons of outdoor dining.. and guess the name...THE CAFE!!! Don and I chose to sit inside at one of my favorite tables. When I opened the menu and saw they had a big crepe selection I laughed, of course Brooke and I loved this place, Crepes are one of our all time favorite foods!

For our third night in Venice I had pre purchased tickets for the Vivaldi concert. They are easily available online from your country of origin. We had had a big walking day exploring museums and the D section of Venice so we were perhaps a little less than enthusiastic about having a commitment that night. We had dinner and arrived

Venice: Day Two- Visiting Peggy and Mary

Our magnificent hotel in Venice. For the first time we stayed in a different part of the city a distance from the main square and it was so nice to be away from the summer tourist crowd.

The best laid plans.

The last time I was in Venice was with my eldest daughter, Brooke. She was on a semester away from St Lawrence University studying painting in Cortona with the University of Georgia. I was in France and flew to Venice to meet her for our first International getaway  It was November and Venice was empty of tourists. It was magical, wintery, soulful, quiet, and energetic. The waters were rising, a situation that the Venetian call Aqua Alta, and we felt part of something only few outsiders see.  Brooke and I had the city to ourselves. It felt like it was just our little travel duo and the residents of this magical port. We walked everywhere all day, exploring and discovering. It was on this visit that I first visited the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. I was horrified. Yes, horrified, saddened that I waited until my 3rd visit to Venice to go there. I now tell everyone who visits Venice for the first time...”Do not miss the Peggy Guggenheim museum!!”

One of the things I was most excited about regarding this trip was bringing Don to visit my now favorite museum. I purchased tickets online for our first full day in the city. I was not counting on the comfortable bed, blackout curtains, and our being such sleepy souls. We awoke after our ticketed 11 a.m. time.

We quick-ish-ly got our acts together. Comfortable walking sneakers- check. Cross body bag- check. Adventuresome spirits - check, check, check. And off we went. Don and I wandered all over Venice, meandering our way through the fish market, crossing canals by bridge, stopping to look at the gorgeous architecture, window shopping, and having breakfast. When we finally arrived at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum they welcomed us with open arms and honored our tickets from hours earlier.

The Peggy Guggenheim Museum is  the personal collection of modern art housed in Peggy’s home in Venice. The property, located in the wonderful Dorsoduro section of Venice, is an 18th century palace set majestically on the Grand Canal. Ms Guggenheim lived in this home for 30 years and you can easily understand the layout while in this magnificent architectural treasure.

Peggy acquired most of this collection between 1938 and 1946, it includes works by Calder, Kandinsky, Picasso, Pollack, and Klee, among many other magnificently talented artists of the time.

This museum is my favorite in the world (followed closely behind by the Picasso museum in Paris.) Visiting this home on the Grand Canal is spectacular. Seeing Peggy’s personal collection as she enjoyed it fills my heart.

Don’t miss the small but fascinationing tombstones while you are there and on your way to the museum cafe for a cold drink.

If you are looking for lunch after the museum and want to avoid the crowds and tourists I suggest the Hotel Messner. The Hotel Messner is a small spot down a nearby canal. I saw the flags and beautiful vines growing up the building and walked down to take a peek. There I found local Italian business people avoiding the tourists and enjoying wonderful classic Italian lunches. We sat canal side and had a tasty lunch and superb service.

My favorite house on my way to our next adventure.

After lunch we made our way to St. Mark’s square where I was able to find my way back through the side streets to my second favorite spot in Venice.  This is just a small special moment, a tiny treasure that is not on other tourists’ lists of things to do. In the basement down below the lovely Church of San Zaccaria, is a statue of the Virgin Mary and a crypt. For centuries this treasure was sitting hidden below this very large church. Venice, a man made set of islands has been built on and built on for centuries. A 3 euro entrance into a tiny church museum to the right of the alter will include a staircase under the church and the ability to visit my favorite Mary.

A big thank you to my sister-in-law Lucinda for bringing us to this church for the first time several years ago.

For dinner we dined at Algiubagiò a very well recognized waterfront restaurant on the sea. (They have been awarded a Michelin Star previously). Our waterfront seats looked out at the mysterious and magical cemetery island. Our service was delightful and the food was very good. I particularly enjoyed our Venetian sashimi appetizer. We wandered back to our hotel Ca Sagredo through Venetian residential neighborhoods.

Arriving in Venice

There are various ways to arrive in Venice. Over the years I have arrived via train and by plane. For this trip we arrived by plane and left by train.

Flying into Venice is magical.  Floating in the sky over the islands and canals of one of our planets most unique visual treasures is breathtaking. (Keep this in mind when you pick your seat on the plane!) Managing the Venice airport is very simple. You will quickly find yourself in the customs line upon arrival. Signs are very clear as to which line is yours, basically international traveller vs Italian nationals and residents. If you are an international traveller you will go through a turn style and scan your passport and have your photo taken by a machine, you will then step up to the customs desk and have your passport stamped. The next doorway will put you right into baggage claim. It is here you will find your luggage if you checked any and you will see many signs for drivers, escorts, and tour groups.

For this trip we arranged a transport from the airport to a water taxi that would take us directly to our hotel. I always struggle with this because the transportation in Venice is actually very easy. It feels like it would be overwhelming but once you get the hang of it it’s simple. For this trip we arranged transportation through our hotel. You pay a premium to be greeted, escorted, and assisted with baggage rather than make your way to the water taxis yourself. If you book a car, the driver drives you to another dock but still brings you by water taxi as there are no cars (or bicycles) in Venice.

As luck would have it, for the first time, we ended up needing to navigate this ourselves. Our escort was not there to greet us. I searched everywhere multiple times. So we made our way out of this small airport to see if the escort was outside. He was not. So we walked down the water taxis and called the hotel. While sitting down at the water taxi dock we watched the whole process. There is a desk where you book your water taxi and then you meet your boat at the assigned dock.

Our escort finally stumbled in, late, disorganized, and apologetic. (Our hotel was embarrassed, apologetic, and did not charge us for this service.)

My lesson during this trip was that in the future I want to just go down to the water taxi myself and book my own boat.

I am a boat girl, born and bred, so water taxis are my dream. Don and I had a joyful ride to our hotel in our taxi, taking in all the beautiful sites as we arrived to my favorite city.

When you arrive at your hotel via water taxi, your driver pulls right up to the hotel dock and the bellman assists you from there. Waterfront hotels and restaurants have both, a dock and a door out to the street.

For this trip we packed only carryon luggage, I have adopted this as my favorite way to travel. This would come in very handily when we left Venice via Vaporeto (water ferry) to the train station.

Arriving at our hotel

Packing list for 3 weeks in Europe: Summer 2022

We are preparing to go on a long overdue trip. In 2019 we signed up for (and paid for) a sailing trip with my college girlfriends and their husbands in Greece. The unexpected pandemic happened and we postponed twice due to Covid and closed borders. Don and I thought for sure that our money was long gone. We could not imagine that the charter company would stay in business without being able to operate. Lucky for us, we were wrong! Our trip is a go in 2022!

Today we head off for two weeks in Italy and one week in Greece. If you have been reading this website you know I am a travel nut job. I love everything about traveling… the planning, packing, and most importantly the adventuring. I love visiting new places and seeing how other people live. I am obsessed with the architecture, the design styles, the home furnishings, the food, and the street style fashion in other countries. Everywhere I go, I want to live!

Today I will be returning for my fourth visit to Venice. It is a city I love dearly and know well. We originally planned our return to Venice so we could bring our son who lives in Europe. In the meantime he got a fabulous new job and ironically needs to be on a business trip in New York City. We are just missing each other at JFK by a few hours.

This will be Don’s second trip to Venice and I am so excited to show him some special new spots I found last time I was there with Brooke. We will then travel to Lucca, a place dear to my heart. We will meet up with our friends from Oregon for a yoga retreat at a villa in the hills. I was there a few years ago and the whole time I wished Don could see this special spot. I am delighted he will join this amazing adventure this year.

Our third week we will head off to Corfu where we will meet up with more friends. Although I grew up sailing very regularly with my father, I have never been on a sailing charter nor an International sailing trip. I am very excited for this last leg of the trip.

For the past few weeks I have been considering what I might need. Twice we have been on International trips with other travelers who lost their suitcases. They had to make due with what they could find on the way. I now prefer to travel with a carryon and not deal with that potential. I also am a big believer in not carrying around dirty laundry. I would rather have laundry done here and there along the way. On one trip I washed my clothes in a shower in a French Chateau, only to find out the heat didn’t work and the clothes took 4 days to dry in the cold bathroom! I have tucked away a bar of laundry soap from the The Laundress just in case! Luckily it will be hot and drying will not be an issue.

This is what I packed for one week in Venice, one in Tuscany at a yoga retreat, and one week of sailing the greek islands.

Suitcase for Europe summer 2022

Packed in larger Away carryon with front pocket

3 cotton pants -khaki, army green, black

3 short sleeve blouses - white

3 dressy blouses- two white, one black Tuxedo shirt, Escalade ruffle, and linen tunic

4 T shirts - two white, one black and one pink

9 underpants

I tank top

1 slip

3 regular bras

1 sports bra

3 pairs of socks

2 very light cardigans - cream and black

1 light jacket- cream

1 kaftan

1 parro - Julia Amory

2 shorts. - khaki and army green

3 dresses - white shift, two maxi

3 pair of leggings

2 bathing suits

2 pairs of sandals

1 sun hat

2 plastic fun necklaces

Baby pillow (I go everywhere with my pillow, always in a patterned pillow case so it doesn’t get left behind)

I foldable shopping bag

Plane attire

stretchy jeans

White blouse

White cashmere sweater

Sneakers

Personal item back - T. Anthony tote from The Real Real

Passport

wallet

cross body bag - Parker Thatch Mimi bag

glasses/contacts (lots of all)

tech bag with charger

Baggy of minimal toiletries

Make up

Inhalers

Needlepoint

Journal and favorite pen

1 paperback on Italian culture

iPad

Phone

Needlepoint and tiny scissors

Preparing for a long distance trip

I am a self proclaimed packing geek, a queen geek at that. When I was a child and traveled with my parents, they always made sure I was prepared, for comfort and weather, and with the appropriate attire for the occasion. That mindset has stayed with me as I plan for my own trips.

Here are some of my tips to prepare for your trip ahead of time:

1. Check your passports and make sure you have the allotted time required for your travel window. You are required to return well before your passport expires. Research the requirements for your country.

2. Some people like to plan every leg of their trip and others enjoy traveling without plans. I have done both and know the joys in each style of adventure. If you are planning your tip in detail take some time to review every step of the journey. I find it helpful to write all our plans on my paper calendar so I can visualize each leg. I double and triple check it to make sure I have gotten my dates and times correct and my flights or train trips will deliver me where I need to be on the right days.

3. Start thinking about luggage. Will you be checking your suitcase? Will you travel with a carry-on? Will the amount of luggage you choose to bring work in various forms of transportation? Are there any luggage requirements where you are going? I often make the decision on what to carry based on how often we will switch locations or how adventuresome our trip is. We have found luggage size and weight requirements on some small planes and safari type trips. (Soft bags transport better in Land Rovers on group Safari trips.) On my upcoming trip I will be getting on and off several trains in Italy and taking a small plane to Greece so I will be traveling with a carry-on. Once you decide what you want to do, assess what luggage you have. If you don’t have the right size bags do some research on what type of luggage you want. Think carefully before you purchase because if you do it right, your luggage can last you a very long time. Read the luggage size and weight requirements for your airline.

4. Consider the weather. This is a bit more complicated when you travel from country to country. Packing layers is helpful.

5. Plan out your wardrobe needs. It doesn’t have to be specific but it’s good to know what you are missing. It may sound silly to think about it way ahead of time but it makes the whole process so much easier. We don’t live in a place where adventure shopping is easy. I plan ahead so I don’t have to spend the days before I leave trying to find what I need. There are some really fabulous capsule wardrobe photos on Pinterest. Search for your destination and the season you are going and you will find lots of packing lists. I personally 100% believe in having my laundry done while traveling. There is no way I want to carry around a big suitcase of dirty laundry! Weigh the costs of laundry vs the checked bag fees, you will be pleasantly surprised. Plus there is nothing like getting clean clothes from the hotel laundry while on a long journey.

6. Evaluate what you need regarding electronics. I know from experience that forgetting a camera charger can be a big nusience in another country, especially if you don’t speak the language. I searched all over Rotterdam for a camera charger. Thank God my son Colin speaks Dutch and could help out. The reality is that searching for the camera charger wasted our time when we could have been doing other things. Don’t forget camera cards!

7. Plan way ahead for your home, pets, family, work, and other responsibilities. The more you prep ahead of time, the less stressful the days leading up to your trip are.

8. Consider getting travel insurance. We do it.
   

9. If you have new shoes for your trip, break them in. You will be so happy you did.
   

10. Start thinking about notifying your credit card companies and ordering any currency from your bank that you might need.
    

11. Research and consider how you want to use or not use your phone while abroad. Check out your International travel planes.

Don looking at the menu before heading into breakfast at our beautiful hotel in Vevey, Switzerland. His travel outfit was perfect for going in and out of the hotel and exploring around town.

A small portion of the outstanding breakfast buffet. I was so taken by this wallpaper, very appropriate for a lake town in Switzerland known as “The French Riviera”

Your travel wardrobe doesn't need to be boring. I will never forget walking into a museum in Paris and seeing a group of American women on vacation together. Each one was wearing what they thought French women wore, and they were ALL in almost identical outfits - black pants, white shirts, and black cashmere ponchos and wraps with Hermes scarves. Eight of them! And they matched! I couldn’t help but laugh and also feel embarrassed for them. My experience is that all over Europe there are lots of stunning men and women in fantastic colors. Don’t be afraid to throw some fabulous colors in your suitcase!

Read, Listen, and Watch… The December Edition 2021

READ:

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Here is the truth, I bought this book because I was bored of needlepointing in an airport this fall and I liked the cover. We have a trip to Greece on the calendar for 2022 after having to push it forward over and over during the past two years due to Covid. I have been thinking I need a big refresher on Greek mythology to really get the full effect of sailing the Greek isles. The inside cover of this novel gave me the impression that there would be Greek mythology woven through the pages and small reminders of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, an American mystery set at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont.

Alex Michaelides, the author of The Silent Patient did not disappoint. I was thrilled to discover he had developed another intriguing modern day British “who done it”. Set in a small British women’s college in Cambridge, the author presents his readers with layer after layer of character history, interpersonal intrigue, and drama to keep us following clues, round and round, and around again, trying to get ahead of the therapist and detectives trying to solve this case.

In the world of fast information, I found myself once again tucked in quiet corners reading this book. I kept it in my purse and pulled it out at every opportunity until I found the answers I was looking for. I loved this book.

After finishing The Maidens, I delivered it to my 92 year old veracious reader aunt. On the inside blank page I wrote the numbers descending from 1-10 and put my name on number 1. I told my Auntie Carol to put her name down on number two when she reads it and pass it on to the number 3 of her choice. She got a big kick out of that. The women in our family used to be huge book sharers back in the day before we switched to electronics and I would love to bring that back. I remember my grandmother loved an occasion to go to my aunt’s for a visit to bring favorite books she knew would be passed around the family. There is something glorious about a well worn novel that has been held and enjoyed by a friend or relative! The Maidens is a perfect novel to share with friends and family!

LISTEN:

The Last Thing He Said to Me written by Lauren Dave, narrated by Rebecca Lowman.

Don’t you just love stumbling upon a gem? This happened to my daughter Birdie and I recently on a long car ride. We love to listen to books on Audible while driving for hours upon hours per day crossing state lines as we explore our way around America, often with two fuzzy friends in the backseat.

I downloaded this new novel I found on Rees Witherspoon’s bookclub reading list and hoped for the best. I have read several of Rees’ selections and have always enjoyed her choices. Birdie and I knew absolutely NOTHING about this particular book before hitting play.

By the best of luck I happened to have chosen The Last Thing He Said to Me written by Lauren Dare, narrated by Rebecca Lowman. A 22 year old university student and her 56 year old mother were both enthralled with this story. We loved the writing, the character development, narrators voice and style, and the absolutely unexpected and fabulous mystery.

Without giving away too much, because going into this without knowing much is simply divine, I will tell you this….

When your life is going swimmingly, with just small waves of goodness and complication, and you are hit with a tsunami of What the Fuck, you need to dig deep. Two women, one in the prime of her life and one just becoming a woman are hit with a huge confusing, upsetting, and shocking news. They are faced with the need to dig deep, into what they know, what they suspect, and what may be. This journey takes them places they never imagined and uncovers truths they were unaware of. This book is really really good, and I promise, you don’t want me to tell you anymore.

We absolutely loved the audible edition. We enjoyed hitting pause, turning to each other, and trying to solve the puzzles on our own, and then quickly hit play again.

WATCH:

Rita Konig’s The Ultimate Guide to Interior Design by Create Academy

My selection for “watch” this month a little different. It’s a class.

For some reason I can not remember how I discovered Create Academy. A tad similar to the American Masterclass series, the British Create Academy is an online school for creative endeavors. I have become quite enamored with this Create Academy and enjoy it immensely.

My fist dabble into this program was when I discovered that famed British designer Rita Konig was teaching a series on interior design. With zero formal training, and an inability to identify my personal style or narrow down a favorite color, I began my pretend designing process with a dollhouse I inherited from my mother and older sister as a small child. I have set up many homes over the years and made too many mistakes to count. There were some wacky ass colored walls, and some wonky homemade window treatments. My love of antique and consignment shops combined with a nod to my paternal grandmother were the foundations of my early beginnings. I did develop a good eye for antiques, lamp and lampshade collections, and a deep passion for decorative table top items, art, and table settings. These skills only go so far, you do need a sense of color, fabric, and bedroom design, areas I continue to stumble through, in part because it means narrowing down the many things I like…and Voila! Enter Rita Konig’s Create Academy program into my life. The opportunity to take a class with a master designer was presented and I jumped at it.

I absolutely LOVED this online class with Rita. I watched it more times than I will ever admit. Seriously, the amount of times I have watched this is embarrassing. I loved this about Create Academy, once you buy the class, it is yours to review whenever you want.

World class interior designer Rita Konig provides about a half a dozen hours of very detailed and enormously helpful strategies for interior design. There was so much information in this program that I had zero previous knowledge of. It is enormously helpful if you are building a home from the ground up, moving into a new house or apartment, or revamping an old one you are at wits end with. Much of the class is taught in her own home in the English countryside. She covers all the basic “how to’s” and also many different strategies to bring your home to the next level. She addresses educating yourself about antiques, understanding auction houses, and discovering your style. I learned a lot about creating a budget, the benefits of furniture placement, and the ins and outs of house set up. She takes a trip to an auction house to talk about purchases and visits Amanda Cutter Brook’s gorgeous Costwald shop. I had the opportunity to visit Cutter Brooks right before lockdown and it’s fun for me to watch Rita do the same. I grew up in a town with a fabulous gift shop (Cliffhangers in Bronxville, New York) and I am a decorative items shop enthusiast. It was immensely joyful for me to hear Rita talk about setting up desks and bathrooms with beautiful items.

Enjoy friends! Please feel free to send me your recommendations. I would love to hear them!

Read, Listen, and Watch.... The November Edition

In order to help you get through this crazy, busy, and often insane time of year, I thought I would share with you my new favorite forms of entertainment. 

In no particular order…this is what I have been enjoying.

PODCASTS:

I particularly love podcasts where I get to hear really candid stories of entrepreneurs telling the host the truth of how they got started…the more these entrepreneurs follow a dream with guts and little experience, the more I LOVE THEM! There is nothing more inspiring than seeing someone make their dreams come true! And if they started at the very beginning, tumbling their way to the top, making mistakes, and figuring it out as they went along…the more I enjoy hearing about their success.

Podcast success stories:

How I built this: Kate Spade with Kate and Andy Spade. Episode from February 6, 2017 recorded in 1991.

In this podcast Guy Raz interviews Kate and Andy Spade about the very, very beginning of the creation of the Kate Spade empire.  Starting from their days in college, the Spades take him through their very humble beginnings of making the first Kate Spade purses. Kate talks about finding sources in the phone book and carrying purses in garbage bags through the NYC subway system. It’s a lovely, entertaining, fun, and touching listen.

The Second Life: Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard: The Veronica Beard Co-Founders The March 11, 2019 episode 

I am always very late to the fashion party. Raised by my father who wore Nantucket reds and button downs from Brooks Brothers paired with old worn topsiders and Ray Bands… my fashion sense tends to lean towards “boatyard apparel”. As a huge fan of Kate Schelter’s stunning watercolors and her fabulous book Classic Style, I first discovered the brand Veronica Beard when Kate posted on Instagram about a collaboration with the Beard sister-in-laws. Somehow this led me down a magical rabbit hole of discovering the über talented Beards and Swansons. I can’t remember how I stumbled upon the podcast series The Second Life with Hillary Kerr and in particular her extraordinary interview with Veronica Beard co-founders Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard. This interview is absolutely one of my favorite podcasts. I have listened to it several times and immediately called both my daughters and told them they had to listen to it. I LOVED hearing about the guts, grit, and a hell of a lot of humor these two women shared about the creation of their fabulous fashion brand. I literally laughed out loud alone in my car, hearing about them running their business out of their homes, juggling motherhood and business,, and how they put themselves out there and took risks to follow their dreams. Even if you don’t know what your dream is…this podcasts is for you! If you are thinking of or have ever juggled motherhood and work, this is also a great listen.  Veronica Swanson Beard gave some advice which I thought was spot on. Now in my 50s, with a moment to myself, I am much more in tune with how hard and time consuming the gift of motherhood is. I look back with such love for my little babies who all now towering over their mom. This podcast really addresses the difficult juggle, I particularly loved when the two Veronicas spoke about driving around NYC together with a big car full of carseats doing work errands. I could so relate!!

Mystery Podcasts:

National Park After Dark:

My husband and I started listen to this series on “The Summer of Long Road Trips AKA 2021"“. We got so into it that we never minded getting in the car to zig zag across the country. This podcast is created by two friends, Danielle and Cassandra, who share a deep passion of hiking, camping, National Parks., and mysteries. Each host takes turns presenting a story to the other and to their audience highlighting different National Park mysteries for each episode. We found this series hilarious, touching, and riveting. My husband loved it so much that he went ahead without me on a solo drive from Michigan to Vermont! The nerve of him! That has never happened before! There is no need to listen to these in order but we did just for fun.

 Murdaugh Murders Podcast: by Mandy Matney

Anyone else following this insane story in South Carolina? Holy Hell, what is going on down there?! The poor families who have fallen prey to this insanity! This particular podcast on the Murdaugh case is hosted by local journalist Mandy Matney. Mandy does a great job of taking you step by step through all of the evidence of this case. Her research is extensive and the ways she explains it keeps us hanging on. I’ve really enjoyed the detailed and factual style manner Ms Matney uses to present the case. I must admit I am always thrilled when I see she has released a new episode of this unbelievable story.

TELEVISION:

McCleod’s Daughters 2001, 224 episodes

There were many wonderful shows that most of us became glued to during the pandemic. We watched all the  ones everyone else was talking about all over social media. After we watched ALL of the TV, I enjoy finding other shows that were a bit unknown, especially international shows and movies. This can be a little challenging for a Needlepointer! Subtitles and needlepoint do not go hand in hand. I often turn to my British subscription to ACORN TV for new content. My favorite of all my finds was an Australian series.  I often look at how many episode a show has…the more they have, the higher the probability that their formula works. I stumbled upon a show that brought me great joy. One night out of desperation for something to watch I clicked on the first episode of McCleod’s Daughters and never looked back. I went into this blind which was really wonderful. I had no idea what to expect. What I will tell you is that after the first few episodes… You, my friend, are going to want to be a cowgirl in the Outback! Grab your Carharts, your dirty T-shirts, and your work boots because there are cattle to rustle, some horses to gallop, family dinners to eat, and some cowboys next door to flirt with! I absolutely loved this show. I grew to love all of the characters, and rooted for them throughout various calamities and triumphs. Life is hard and wonderful out in the Aussie desert. Simple pleasures are not taken for granted and friendships are gold. 

I always travel with my little pillow, an eye mask, a book and a reading light.

BOOKS:

While this title was one I had heard before, it was not a book I had ever owned or read. I recently bought my husband and I Kindles so we can travel without carrying lots of books around. My new Kindle came in handy this summer on Lake Michigan when my daughter Birdie was nose deep in a book she was couldn’t put down. I purchased my own copy and didn’t put it down until I was finished!

One Thousand White Women: the Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus

One Thousand White Women is a historical ficticous journal, don’t you just love a journal? I do!  This one tells the story of pioneer women, who for various reasons, make a deal with the U.S. Government to go out west and marry men from American Indian tribes as part of a “deal” between the Indian Nations and the US Government. I don’t want to give away anything as I began this novel with no previous knowledge and that was so wonderful and perfect. I literally could not put this book down (or in my case, my kindle.)  After finishing this amazing and informative story…I was delighted to learn there are two sequel journals!  I will 100% dig into these in the New Year. What I will tell you is that this story is riveting, touching, and both heartwarming and heartbreaking. There are several twist and turns and constant adventure. I thought it was very well written.

AUDIBLE BOOKS:

We were Liars by E. Lockhart

I love an island and I especially love an island off the Massachusetes coast. This story covers the trials and tribulations of 3 generations of residents of a small private island near Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. My daughter and I were glued to this book on a drive across country. It was not until we were finished that we learned that this was originally a YA book. Don’t let this deter you, it’s a pretty interesting story.

MUSIC:

For lack of a better term, these are my favorite “albums” of late.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: : Berliotz : Harold in Italy preformed by Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Gorgeous music.

SOUNDS OF NATURE: Lightening, Thunder, and Rainstorm: Amazing two hour midnight thunderstorm This is my all time favorite “white noise”. I often put this on when I am on a plane and want to read or sleep and want to block out the sounds of my neighbors. I also put it on when I just really need to chill out and put my head down. The second track is my favorite.

Enjoy my friends!! Feel free to share your favorites in the comments!

Tips for Successful Road Trips and Co-Pilot Stitching

As may be evident by now, I love to travel. As much as I love exotic travel in a safari vehicle, a European riverboat, or a Swiss gondola, I am also a girl who loves a great road trip. I love the control you have in picking your itinerary, accommodations, restaurants, and tourist spots. I love spontaneity. Many times I have driven by an antique shop and turned around to go back and check it out. I’ve done many, many, many drives with children, and over the last few years, many alone with my husband. I find the car trips are a great place to have deep and meaningful conversations. Any mother knows that cars are the best places to discuss difficult or uncomfortable things with children who don’t have to look you in the eye. I’ve explained many body parts and body functions from behind the wheel. My husband and I love car trips for the opportunity to listen to a great book on Audible together.

Another perk to having your car is storing extra clothes. I was so happy when we went to visit friends at the beach this summer and I realized I had a baseball cap and a school sweatshirt in the back of my car for cool sunset walks.

Empire, Michigan

Don and I went on a 5 day car trip through the Pyrenees in October..

Here are some tips I have found along the way:

• People often ask me about my photos of needlepointing in the car. The trick to needlepointing in the passenger seat is to not look up. Keep your eyes down on your canvas or within the car itself. Do not look out the windows. It is seeing the movement which will make you feel car sick. Avoid looking out the window at the movement at all costs. That said, I also use car rides for stitching the bigger spaces, a big background of basketweave on 13 mesh is my car trip jam!

• Bring food. Have snacks and drinks with you. You can still stop for meals and fresh caffeinated drinks but it’s really nice to have favorite foods you like and agree with your dietary desires. We bring items like tangerines, macadamia nuts, and organic lemonades. Cheese and crackers is another favorite.

• A really full car can feel weary. If you can ship things ahead to your destination and have ample room in the car you will feel much “lighter” in multiple ways. Shipping can be expensive so look into your options.

• We travel with “carry on bags”, these are overnight bags containing favorite toiletries, night clothes, and a fresh outfit or two. This is so much easier than bringing in your big luggage into the hotel every night.

• I travel with my pillow everywhere I go. I know with 100% confidence that I will get a better night sleep and enjoy my trip much more if I use my own pillow. I have learned the hard way not to use white pillow cases. Put your pillow in a bright colored or patterned pillow case so that it doesn’t get left behind mixed in the hotel bed linens. Once you start doing this, you will realize there are a lot of “pillow carriers” out there.

• Any valuables you are traveling with need to come out of the car with you. I keep them in my purse or backpack and bring them into the hotel room at night.

• Keep that gas tank full. Not only is this just plain wise, it also allows you to make spontaneous carefree detours to discover new destinations.

• Don and I travel with book lights and eye masks.  Some nights we find one person wants to stay up later to read or watch a game and the other wakes up early. It allows you to stay snuggled up together without disturbing your partner’s sleep.

• Call ahead for a room if you have specific requirements.

• Pick some books on audible that you and your companions will love. Not only does it enhance the trip, it gives you wonderful topics to talk about over dinner.

Many of our road trips have great friends on the other end.

A favorite house spotted this fall in Little Compton, RI

En route to Burlington, Vermont.

Spontaneous trip to Chatham, Massachusetts

Additional tips for road trips with dogs:

• Book hotel rooms ahead of time. Dog friendly hotels are not as plentiful, especially over the holidays.  Our favorite is the very pet friendly Kimpton Hotels.

• Teather your dogs in the car.  Consult your vet on the best way to keep your dogs safe while driving. We personally always tether our dogs in the backseat to keep them safe and from climbing on our laps or knocking the gear shift. 
  
  

• Don and I take some razzing in our family over this but we stop every two hours, walk the dogs and switch drivers. It keeps us fresh and also keeps the pups in good spirits. Typical needlepointer, I try to make sure to my time off is in the daylight hours for stitching.

• Put dog beds in the backseat for their comfort.

• Our dog Daisy is more sensitive to noise in the hotel and we prefer that she doesn’t bark. We find that white noise playing in the hotel room comforts the dogs and helps them not react to every noise.  Rain storm in room 256!

Daisy and Finn have a big run around in Boca Grande, Florida. They love car rides but are so happy for their breaks every two hours.

Travel Days

For me, long “travel days” are the hardest. I often have trouble sleeping the night before which adds to the discomfort. I have a few necessities that I have in my easy access carry-on or “personal item” which helps. For this particular trip I’m carrying a Patagonia backpack.

Travel comfort items:

1. A huge scarf or pashmina

2. Noise canceling headphones and some white noise downloaded into my phone. I have a favorite thunderstorm soundtrack I like for sleeping on planes.

3. Reading material

4. Needlepoint projects and books on tape. I carry my needlepoint in a gorgeous Pip and Roo leather tube. I always carry extra needles in my wallet and cosmetic case.

5. Eyemask

6. Snacks

7. Sudoku and my pencil case. I bought this one in France and since its all numbers it’s perfect. I’m a pencil addict. They work in all conditions!

Travel Day necessities for the fast train and Chunnel from France to London.

Let’s not carry dirty laundry around the world: 20 packing tips for international travel

My husband and I are currently traveling around Europe and Africa for 5 weeks. We both are experienced travelers and have learned a lot about packing. I’ve traveled a variety of ways, with gorgeous giant bags and beautiful carry-ons and on long extended trips with a backpack. I’ve found that at 54, there are things I care about more than I used to.

Here are some tips for what I prefer and find the easiest:

1. I do not want to carry a large bag of dirty laundry around the planet. I would prefer to carry half the load and pay a few dollars every so often for laundry service. A clean nightgown, a pair of jeans, 3 shirts and a handful of underpants midway through your trip will make you ecstatic and set you back around 30 dollars. For me, that is worth it.

2. I love my Tumi 4 wheeled carry-on size bag. I am a 4 wheel girl. I’m all about ease. I also like the extra pockets to store dirty laundry or books I’ve collected on my journey.

3. Bought new clothes for your trip? Wear them at home before you go! You may realize the pants are too baggy, the socks itch, or that travel shirt is hot as holy hell. The last thing you want is a surprise disasterous article in your very limited wardrobe.

4. Determine your priorities. Mine is usually camera equipment and electronics for communicating and uploading photos. Adjust your “personal item” AKA second bag accordingly. I’ve ditched the cute tote for a backpack to carry my very heavy camera and lenses. My shoulders are thrilled.

5. Really wonderful sleep does wonders for a great trip. What is crucial for you to have the highest quality sleep? My must haves are my pillow and reading material. My husband and I always EACH have a reading light and an eyemask by our sides. This way we can both sleep or read and neither feels disturbed. I actually cut one of my favorite pillows in half and put it in a baby pillow case to save room.

6. Seperate liquid toiletries and “dry ones” so that you can easily pull out your liquid bag in security. Try to find a durable, reusable liquid bag. Read plastic bag laws for countries you are visiting.

7. Carry a lightweight medical bag with any prescriptions or over the counter medications when traveling internationally- include blister help. Again, a clear and reusable bag is ideal. It can be challenging when ill to find the right medications abroad. Keep all medications in the original packaging.

8. Pack early and somewhere other than your own bedroom. If you wait until the last minute and pack near your closet, you will end up with too many unneeded items. Edit, edit, edit! You’d be surprised how little you need. I start with a desired pile of clothes and just keep deleting, deleting, deleting until I get down to the bare minimum.

9. Set your priorities and limits and work within them. For example, I don’t mind wearing jeans, buttondown shirts, or nightgowns multiple times. I really care about clean underwear. Easy! Fewer clothes, lots of underwear!

10. Wool travels better than cashmere. Wool retains a much better look after several wearings, cashmere can end up a pilled mess. I have one of each with me currently and the cashmere sweater is about to become a bed jacket, it looks so terrible.

11. Bring one dressy outfit. Amanda Cutter Brooks is absolutely correct in her directive to “always pack a party dress.” One dressy outfit can be worn multiple times. I currently have a feminine blue blazer, a good belt, an Hermès scarf and black croc Belgian loafers with me. I can put them together with a blouse and trousers and voila! My husband always has a blazer when we travel abroad and I love seeing it on him.

12. Have a visible list that you check off every time you check out of your hotel. Mine is a list of things I could easily forget, sleeping items I use the night before we leave, which could end up under the bed and left behind. My list says “pillow, watch, phone, eyemask, chargers, documents” After loosing two favorite pillows in hotels I learned a valuable lesson- no more white pillow cases. This will also help you remember your chargers which may still be in the jacks.

13. We use dark but not black luggage. One of our sons was on a plane recently and another passenger was having a complete and understandable meltdown. A different passenger had grabbed her carry-on bag out of the overhead and run to their next plane, leaving their bag behind and taking with them all of her business clothes and presentation materials. Colored baggage gives you a little more hope of keeping track of your own bag.

14. Bring two international adapters so you have a spare. I also bring an Ikea multi charge plug so I can charge my Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad all in the same block.

15. Extra glasses and sunglasses might be much more important than extra clothes, especially in remote areas.

16. You don’t need as many shoes as you think you do! Edit! Make sure you have at least one great pair of walking shoes. That “Europeans don’t wear sneakers” idea is very outdated! Sneakers are everywhere in Europe!

17. I carry an old elegant change purse of my grandmother’s and keep it in my pocket. Euros are often used in coin form. I can pay for small things without pulling out my wallet or opening my purse.

18. A great waterproof coat and a very light and reusable shopping bag are fantastic to have. Both of mine fold down and into small pouches. They fit in my purse.

19. I wear a simple wedding band and a small pair of gold knot earrings. I don’t want to spend one minute worrying about where my jewelry is. Sometimes I bring a colorful plastic necklace along.

20. My most luxurious accessory are my noise canceling headphones. I adore my Bose over the ear headphones and never travel without them. I have some pleasant rain albums downloaded into my iPhone that I can put on while I read on a noisy plane. I also love audible books and always have one going.

Favorite go to comforts while in France. Favorite pillow from home, reading light, sleep bask from Leland Gal in Leland, Michigan, Beauty Counter facial wipes, my travel liquids in a clear zipper bag, my Roberta Roller Rabbit cosemetic bag for non-liquid items, and an Ikea multi charger with a European adapter.

I often leave a note for myself written on scrap paper near the door or on my suitcase. This way I don’t forget last minute items, especially those which might be in my bed from the night before.

Favorite pillow, great read, and reading light accompany me on a long weekend to Fisher’s Island.

A Tumi carry-on, Patagonia backpack, and a Pip and Roo leather needlepoint case got me through a very long journey from Barcelona, through Pyrenees to western France wine country, to London, Kenya, back to London and through Oxfordshire. It was manageable getting on trains, planes, safari trucks, and in small European rental cars. When I took this photo on the Barcelona train station I had no idea we would be on the last train out of the city before the planes would also be grounded and roadways closed due to political protests and unease after a court verdict.

Midwest Summers

Midwestern Summers

As I’m sitting here trying to figure out how to explain how this works, my heart is full, and I have a big smile on my face with the anticipation of returning to the family cottage.

Many midwestern summer cottages pass down through multiple generations. This somewhat simple process, if done right, causes ever growing families to bond. In our case, the second generation are now the owners. Because this family chooses to use the summer months to spend time together, rather than divide the time amongst individual families…the magic result is really wonderful family time with multiple generations and geographically divided loved ones gathered together. The other magical result which I have witnessed first hand is that all of the cousins from around the country know each other really well.

I am filled with anticipation as we get ready to flip the calendar to July. In the coming month we will gather together. We come from various parts of Michigan, Palo Alto, Washington DC, Berkley, Boulder, Denver, Bend, Salt Lake, Charleston, Baltimore, Vermont, and Chapel Hill. This year our Boston and London contingency will be unable to attend due to exciting events, and will be missed dearly. We will arrive with cottage clothes (jeans, flip-flops, shorts, T Shirts, bathing suits, and sweatshirts.) We will sun, surf, read, laugh, cocktail, dine, play cards, watch Jeopardy, needlepoint, gab and gab and gab. We will share bathrooms and keep the laundry moving. We will go to the grocery store nine hundred and twenty five times, sometimes just for toilet paper and wine. We will cook in teams and sit down to eat dinner together every night. We will measure the heights of loved ones on the kitchen wall. We will celebrate marriages, babies, pregnancies, graduations, promotions, and birthdays. We will try not to get hit by darts walking between the porch and the kitchen. We will pass worn paperbacks around and download kindle suggestions from each other. The ladies will hit our favorite “up north”shops. We will go on candy runs, and coffee runs, and whitefish jerky runs. We will beg our new nephew to make his famous “fish butter”. The 20-something “kids” will collect washed up wood on the beach for fires, and we will try not to eat the s’more fixings when in the kitchen. We will watch the little children play with the circus toys on the living room floor and happily step over them to change the channel. Uncles will light off canons from the deck and beautiful firework displays on the beach. The mothers will gather and talk about raising children, hosting weddings, and how to welcome new in laws.

Oh the joy of midwestern summers!

Train Travel Pro Tip: Riding Along the Hudson River

Train Travel Pro Tip: Riding Along the Hudson River

Many of us in Southern Vermont love to take Amtrak to NYC. We drive to Albany and park our cars and ride the the train along the lovely Hudson River. I keep my eyes out for boats and buildings and the famous West Point school where we used to go to football games with my father. My husband and friend Amy always watch for and find Eagles. Pro tip: Ride on the right side on the way in and on the left side on the way out. Even in bad weather it is absolutely gorgeous.

Self confessed packing dork's best laid plans fall through

I confess to being a huge packing dork. I love photography and usually travel with a laptop and camera equipment, I also never leave home for the night without my pillow. Thus before I have started packing clothes, I have a weight and space I am already using. I am constantly trying to pack just the right amount things, I'm not into carting a lot of extra stuff around with me. I have also learned that hotel laundry can be the best traveling tip of all. Imagine carrying half the stuff, having someone wash and iron your clothes better than you do, and having clean laundry on the trip rather than carrying dirty laundry around. (Thank you Viking ships for convincing me this is the way to go.) My husband and I have also found that in many hotels laundry service is also not as expensive as you might guess.

I type this on a flight to Italy. I will be traveling throughout Tuscany and Switzerland for three weeks and I have spent a great deal of time preparing. I have prepared coverage for my business, my home, and my family (not in that order!) . I was very thoughtful about what I brought and what my strategy would be. Don't be fooled, I am only this thoughtful about things I really am interested in. My entire life is not this organized. At all! 

I decided that I didn't want to check a bag. I have now been on two European trips when other guests have had their luggage not arrive. I knew I was going to be out in the Tuscan countryside and a lost bag might never find me. 

I purchased the correct size International carry on from my go to favorite luggage shop Tumi. I am super lucky to live a short distance away from a Tumi outlet and always get good prices on their luggage. I was assured that this size was allowed on every International airline. (forshadowing....)

My number one strategy for not packing much is to pack in a different room than my bedroom. I packed in the guest room of Starlight Farm. By being a distance from my bedroom closest I am less tempted to throw "just in case" items into my bag.

My packing list was very small. I widdled and widdled it down and down and down until I got to the bare minimum. I also selected a wardrobe in 3 colors that all go together. Almost everything I packed is either white, a cream or taupe color, or blue. This way every single thing in my bag matches.

My minimalist packing wardrobe for 3 weeks in Europe in the summer (including hiking and a yoga retreat is as follows.)

2 dresses- one dressy/one casual

3 pairs of pants - white, funky wide leg khaki, and cream colored jeans

5 sleeveless nice blouses

2 lightweight cashmere cartigans in white and beige and 2 short sleeve sweaters

2 scarves

2 wraps- one a fabulous blue and one raspberry

underwear and 2 pairs of socks

a bathing suit

yoga/hiking attire = 2 yoga pants 4 T shirts

2 hats - one for the beach - one for hiking

pjs- one for the retreat, one for romantic getaway

a rain coat

3 pairs of shoes (This was the hardest part for me!) 1 hiking shoes, 1 Toms, 1 sneakers (I learned my lesson during a torrential downpour a few years ago in Sienna when I got caught in patten leather ballet flats. Always have a pair of crummy sneakers for crummy days.)

After rearranging my suitcase from packing in pouches to rolling every item, I was able to add one more set of PJs and a bathrobe which I think I will be glad I have at the retreat. Note to self: having packed the same suitcase with the same clothes in both styles, it was evident to me that rolling really does give you a little more room.

On the plane I wore a linen button down, jeans, sandals, and matching belt that goes with all outfits and a bigger comfy cardigan. All of these items match what's packed in the suitcase. I do not travel with any good jewelry. I worry about it too much and I don’t want to call attention to myself. I have a few pieces of costume fun stuff from the J Crew outlet thrown in my bag for color.

My compromise was to have my husband bring my favorite phython Ferragamo's in his suitcase after the retreat. You know, in case George and Amal invite us over for cocktails when we are in Lake Como. :)

Cords, chargers, etc are with me and the beloved pillow in my carryon "personal item". :) My toiletry baggy has multiple sample sizes of my favorite products. The containers can be disposed of as we go. I have had to buy toiletries on too many trips and it's not as easy as you may think. I also find I don’t want to waste time away from beautiful sights in search of saline solution.

Fast forward.... today I arrived at JFK and turns out I was on an Alitalia flight run by Delta not the Delta flight I thought I was on........Anywho... the woman at the ticket counter flat out refused to let me take my little roller bag on the plane. AFTER ALL OF THAT!!! ALL OF THAT WORK AND BUYING THE SUITCASE. Turns out the damn thing was TOO HEAVY to be allowed on. Have you ever heard of this? I have not. I have never had anyone weigh my carryon! I'm doubtful that this is a real rule as most of my co-passengers have roller bags above their heads!! 

Here's to hoping my little minimalist natural wardrobe arrives in Florence!! 

The good news is when we are in Switzerland we are changing locations every two days and traveling by the train. I will still be thrilled to have that little bag. :) 

Island supply clerk - Where is Klinger when I need him?

Our little island has a hardware store, a small grocery store, and a few small nice clothing boutiques. You could easily buy a bathing suit, an outfit to wear to a wedding, or a bottle of wine. There is a LOT you can not get here and thus I have become the Chief Island Supply Clerk for our family.

Things I have learned and tell our guests:

1. Don't forget your underwear.  If you don't wear underwear, don't tell me but you are not borrowing mine.

2. Bring books you want to read or have a kindle app at the ready. There are no books to be had here. You may take and keep any of the books off of my "already read" shelf in the guest room. "Paws off" the others as my sister Puddy would say. They are mine!

3.  Don't bother trying to bring toiletries. Come with a carry-on. This family of nine has cabinets filled with extra shampoo, toothpaste, and sunblock. I've got you covered with a toothbrush. I have a box of all the over-the-counter medications I could think of. We have Star Wars, Ninja Turtle, and Frozen bandaids to last us for years. There is no pharmacy, so bring meds if you need them.

4. Arrive with a full tank of gas. There is none here. We will probably want you to leave at some point.

5.  There is no uber. There is no taxi. There are golf cars. The airport is an hour and a half away.  Happy to help with flight transportation but that means no 6 am flights for you. 

6. There are no starbucks, great coffee, or favorite teas on the island. Use that room you saved on toiletries to bring your favorite caffeine products.

7. Anyone who shows up on island with a People magazine wins a piece of coconut cream pie.

The "Traveling Stitcher"

The "Traveling Stitcher"

When daughter Brooke and I sat down to create my business cards I needed a title. That was easy, "traveling stitcher" summed up my dream job. I am totally an avid and dedicated Local Shop shopper.  I also often find myself hours from a local shop. I like small islands and lake cottages and any type of boat .... all which happen to be far from civilization.  I needed to create kits which have the same standards of quality I was used to, that could be fedexed anywhere in the world.

This photo was taken recently in the Philadelphia Airport on a layover. As you can see, daughter Brooke and I both travel with a LOT of needlepoint. A millennial daughter and a 52 year old mother do not always pick the same favorite canvases. I love that. I love that I can stitch a tropical monkey wearing an orange fez and daughter Brooke will stitch Tupac and Biggie Smalls. Although, I must confess, I am minutes away from choosing that Tupac canvas as well!

I carry all needlepoint with me in carry-on baggage. The black purse goes below the seat in front of me and contains my iPad, beloved Sony camera, wallet, two passports*, noise canceling headphones, and baggies of needlepoint. One of those baggies contains finished projects I wanted to have with me in Florida. I love to stitch on planes while listening to books on tape. For this flight I listened to The Knockoff. (Life hack. If you are a righty try to get a right side aisle seat or left side widow to avoid scaring your neighbor with your needle. Or sit next to your husband, he's used to that!)

The orange camo bag contains more projects for the trip. The other bags are Brooke's projects.

* about the passports....I travel with my passport and my husband's. Sadly, not for quick romantic get aways. Three years ago we were at the family cottage on Lake Michigan when we got a call our youngest son was being evacuated from Machu Picchu to have an emergency appendectomy in Cusco. He was 17 at the time. Our passports were safely locked up in Vermont, and thus we had no way to get to him. We currently have two children in Europe. One is studying and working there and the other is traveling. In fact, at this moment they are in a bar in Munich together! If any of our children are out of the country, you can be assured, I'm carrying my mother sanity device! :)

This one was stitched in an airport while waiting to hear whether our son Colin got his dream job in London. He did!!

PRO TIPS:

1. Bring extra needles. Put them in several spots incase you change out your bag and forget. My change part of my wallet has several. Purse pockets have needles and so does my cosmetic bag. Nothing worse than arriving at the perfect place to stitch with no needle!

2. You can bring scissors on the plane. Read the TSA guidelines. I travel with smaller blades and have never had them taken away in the United States. I did have to throw away a pair in the Nairobi airport.

3. Precut fibers before flying. You can accomplish a lot more when you aren't fussing with your skein on the plane!

4. Ornaments and belts are great in flight projects.

5. Audible is a travelers best friend. Download the app. Buy your favorite books and have a great pair of noise canceling headphones. Listen to wonderful books while stitching for a dreamy flight.

River Cruising: What to Pack

River Cruising: What to pack

Here are a few lessons learned by someone who is a complete and proud packing geek:

1. Weigh your bag. You are allowed to bring 50 pounds in a checked bag. Do not leave for a great trip with 47 pounds of stuff. You are going to want to shop. Even if you think you are not a shopper. You will want to put more than 3 pounds of purchases into your suitcase. Get that weight down. Aim low people!! Don't shlep lots of stuff you don't need. We take advantage of laundry services on the boat and in hotels. It's worth the cost for us to have favorite clothes professional done and carry less. Pinterest has great packing lists for any of you other packing geeks out there.

2. Three or four pairs of shoes. That's it. No more. (They weigh too much!) Bring the most comfortable pair of walking shoes you have. Shoes you can walk for miles in! And yes, they can be sneakers. That story that Europeans don't wear sneakers is not true anymore. Sneakers are everywhere. Bring the most comfortable ones you have. Also bring shoes for bad weather. (Learn from me, on one trip to Italy, I was running through massive puddles in Siena in patent leather ballet flats.) Bring something dressy, loafers for men, ballet flats or strappy sandals for women. The joy of being on a river cruise is that you can wear dressy shoes to dinner and not have to walk far in them! If you leave the ship for a night to go to a nice restaurant, you are going to be thrilled to have them. Author and social media guru Amanda Brooks suggests "Always bring a party dress", I also suggest that men always bring a blazer.

3. Do not bring books. None. You don't want to carry them. Bring your kindle or as I prefer, an iPad with the kindle app. I'm a needlepointer so I also love having audible books and noise canceling headphones. I can stitch away in listening to fabulous books in peace on a noisy plane.

4. Leave big purses at home. A medium cross body bag is what you want. Big enough to hold essentials and a few small purchases. Hands free and pick pocket proof is the way to go.

5. Rain Gear

6. If you use apple products and a camera, bring the little white apple card reader. It's so fun to be able to upload your photos in the evenings. It will inspire you to bring your camera with you the next day.

7. Bring a sampling of the over the counter medications you prefer when you are sick. If you get sick on a trip, you do not want to have to navigate pharmacies with language barriers to purchase medications you have never heard of.

8. Sleeping favorites. I actually travel with my favorite pillow from childhood everywhere I go. It's worth it to me to ensure I have a fabulous night sleep. My husband and I travel with two sleep masks and two small reading lights. This way we can both read or sleep anywhere.

9. Sunglasses, hat, extra camera charger, extra glasses and contacts, headphones. Colorful scarves are a great way to dress up or change outfits you are repeating throughout the trip. A warm wrap is fabulous on a cold plane or for a spontaneous dinner al fresco. I have a favorite black cashmere wrap given to me by a dear childhood friend. I always fly with it and it doubles as a wrap to dress up any outfit.

10. Be prepared for a luggage disaster. Twice while traveling we have known people who have lost their luggage on the way TO the trip. What could be worse than arriving for a dream trip after 12 hours of traveling without any clean clothes?! We carry at least one great outfit in our carry ons (I prefer 2). The other trick some couples do is to pack half of each person's clothes in each of the two suitcases. This way if you loose one suitcase on the way, you each have half your clothes. We have not yet tried this, but have been tempted!

* Do not bring ANY good jewelry. It's so not worth it. Every one of us has heard a story or two about someone we know who was robbed while traveling. Leave it all at home.  A wedding band if you are married and a simple pair of earrings are all you need. Simple inexpensive jewelry is fine.  Knock off costume jewelry is not the solution. Someone who is going to rob you is not wondering whether or not your sparklers are cubic zirconia. Don't call attention to yourself.

For luggage... We are loyal Tumi users. Love the 4 rotating wheels.  Great quality, no flash. We opt for grey because it hides the dirt but still stands out amongst all the black luggage. In addition we have added colorful markers to help identify our bags. We each also use a Tumi carry-on bag. My husband prefers a tote bag and I prefer a small, soft wheelie bag that fits under the seat in front of me. Both of our carry-ons attach on top of our larger bags.

Photos taken on our second day of the trip in Vienna, Austria. A grey, rainy yet beautiful day.

Viking River Cruise 101

Viking River Cruise 101

Viking ships in Budapest await the arrival of their passengers. Excited guests arrive from around the world on this beautiful sunny day.

My husband and I have had the great pleasure of traveling twice with Viking River Cruises. Two years ago we traveled through France from Marseille to Burgundy and then went on to Paris as a Viking add-on trip. We recently returned from our second river cruise on the Danube, starting in Budapest and traveling through Austria and Germany to Nuremberg. From Nuremberg, we again, traveled on to Prague with some of the other guests for another add-on experience. Both times we have been on river cruises we have traveled with additional adult family members. This is a great way for us to spend quality time and share fun adventures with loved ones that live in other parts of the country.

This trip, for us, was a celebration of our brand new empty nest. The Empty Nest Victory Lap, I jokingly call it. A time to celebrate that our children are right where they should be, and that we have reached a new phase in our lives.

Gorgeous buildings line the rivers in Europe giving passengers of the boats a glorious view

Traveling can be facilitated a variety of ways, as a child I traveled abroad with my parents on lovely business trips. As a young woman I traveled twice on a dime, through Europe with a backpack and a train pass. I believe our Bible was called "Europe on ten dollars a day". As adults we have traveled by our own design or on private tours, from city to city staying in a different hotel every few nights, packing and repacking as we go. Each one of these modes is fun and exhilarating and provides amazing life changing experiences. High Tea at the Dorchester as a child was equally as fascinating as spaghetti dinners with other 20-something travelers in a Salzburg youth hostel in the early 80s. In recent years we have had International travel experiences with our young adult children, and that is perhaps the most wonderful of all. Taking your child to a favorite city is a dream come true. Having your child show you around the European city they live in, is just even more magical.

A look down to the Danube from the castle on the Pest side of the river.

River cruise travel is a lovely luxury that provides many perks in itself. Each boat has less than 200 guests. Spending a week touring and sharing cocktails and meals with other travelers is both entertaining and a great way to meet other travelers and hear about their adventures. On this past trip I was fascinated to hear that some travelers were going from river cruise to river cruise. One lucky group we met were on the go for four months!

Extraordinary church roof

When you travel on a river boat, your state room, your closet and your belongings go with you as you travel from village to village in the same country or from country to country.. Unpack once and you are ready for adventure. Sleeping in the same bed every night after a days full of visual feasts is a great way to feel relaxed and well rested on your trip! On most days you come back to the boat for a lovely lunch. This gives you a chance to change shoes, grab a sweater, pick up your camera, before your next tour.

Early Sunday morning, cafe workers begin to set up for patrons who will be quick to arrive.

Some mornings or afternoons are spent cruising on the river passing beautiful sites you would never see from the road. Some days you will have both a morning and an afternoon tour. Everything is done for you. The ship's crew sees you off with water bottles, umbrellas, and tour information. Tour guides are awaiting on shore to take each group (on very clean, comfortable buses) to see the sights and hear first hand from a local about historical significances, artists' talents, and local customs. Different times during the trip there will be opportunities for shopping, coffee at a local cafe, or independent exploration.

Evenings are spent aboard ship. Cocktail hour is held in the lovely large living room area. Exceptionally professional and gracious staff make sure you have the cocktails you desire as you await the briefing from the Activity Director about the next day's adventures.  Meals are served in two different fashions, either a more informal buffet on the top deck or a sit down meal in the formal dining room.  Complimentary regional wine and beer are served at meals. After dinner, the living room is the hot spot for cocktails, live piano music, chatty travelers, and dancing. On some evenings there are performances or events. Late night fun on the top deck as the ship travels to the next destination or goes through the locks is particularly entertaining. Our family was fond of late night putting contests on the three small putting areas. 

Photos from our first day in Budapest.