A Catch-Up Post: Our Anniversary Getaway

It's been a busy eight days since my last post. On Wednesday, I met a friend I haven't seen in about 10 years for coffee. It was great to catch up, and we promised not to wait another 10 years. I came home to do laundry, finish packing, and give Lola a bath.

Jeff had a doctor's appointment Thursday morning, but it's on the way to Interlaken. Lola and I walked around outside, and I played my Spelling Bee game on my phone as we waited.

We stopped in Kent for lunch and a little shopping. After we checked into our room, we headed to Harney & Sons in Millerton, New York. We were disappointed that the tea tasting bar wasn't open. We drove around Lakeside and Salisbury and checked out restaurant locations. (We were also disappointed with the Morgan's Restaurant menu at the hotel.) 

We decided to eat at The Woodland Restaurant; it was listed as dog-friendly and had outdoor seating. When we arrived, we learned that they weren't serving outside. We had a drink at the bar as we waited for takeout. Woodland had no utensils to go; we got them from Morgan's. We talked with another couple at the bar. They insisted we shouldn't eat in our room. Instead we should go to a park (without utensils apparently) or go to another restaurant with our Woodland food. I thought that was the height of rudeness. We were fine eating in our room (even though we had steaks, and I neglected to get steak knives.) Oh well, the steaks were delicious and large enough to provide Saturday night's dinner as well. 

The next day--Friday--we stopped at a local farm to buy meat. It's usually open Friday, but was closed that Friday. We also attempted a visit to a winery we hadn't been to in years. It's also usually open Fridays but closed that Friday. Bummer. 

We drove to Norfolk; I wanted to see the house where I had attended a writer's retreat, but wasn't sure which house it was. We walked around the small downtown, then headed home. 

We stopped at White Silo Winery for a wine tasting and a cheese plate for a late lunch. We really like the dry rhubarb wine (as weird as it sounds.)

We met a friend at the dog park and got a bit wet when it drizzled. Dinner became a bit of a problem. We wanted to eat outside with Lola, but we were worried about the rain. We had trouble getting reservations and a parking space, but ended up having a good dinner at Sedona Taphouse even though they screwed up my entree. 

Overall, a good anniversary despite some disappointments. 

Plan, Anticipate, Revise

In a recent post, I mentioned our plan to spend our anniversary at Interlaken Inn. I started packing yesterday and today unfolded our gift certificate: it's on 8.5 by 11 cardstock, was folded in thirds, and given to us in an envelope. 

Whoops, our certificate is only good Sunday through Thursday at this time of the year. I called Interlaken to see if they would honor the certificate on Friday night--no luck. Now, we're going up Thursday, will wake up there on our anniversary, and return home that day. 

I'm disappointed, but we originally planned to go on Thursday, thinking Friday prices would be higher. The person taking our reservation should have told us about the gift certificate limitation, but we should have read the complete certificate of course. I'm just glad I saw it before we drove up there on Friday.

It won't make a big difference in our plans, and if the weather cooperates, we may make Dog Park Friday. 

In this post so far, I've covered plan and revise. What about anticipate? Laura Vanderkam is big on planning things because she enjoys anticipating them. See an example here. 

I've been anticipating this mini-getaway. Luckily, I read the gift certificate, so the getaway wasn't doomed before it started. 

September

I can hardly believe that September is here; why is this year flying by? 

As I mentioned in my last post, we had a busy weekend. We also have three events next weekend (okay, things to do is more accurate than events.) 

The following Friday is our anniversary. We're returning to Interlaken Inn for probably the last time. We'll use our gift certificate from Christmas 2019. Unfortunately, I'm worried we might be sheltering-in-place again soon, so we better use it while we can. 

I'm disappointed that Interlaken is no longer offering its petaway package. Actually, there are no packages listed on the website. Morgan's Restaurant used to be a highlight of an Interlaken visit. It's gone downhill, and I don't know what to expect from the "light dinner menu" listed on its website. We will still enjoy our visit. 

30: Anniversary Getaway

Monday the 17th was our 30th wedding anniversary. Jeff and I didn't have a lot of time or money for an elaborate or exotic trip. We could return to Interlaken Inn. We've spent more getaway anniversaries at Interlaken than any other spot.This was our second visit with Lola; she loves it. 

We hit a few snags on Sunday and arrived much later than planned. We hit several rainstorms on our way home. We didn't get to hike. Our anniversary day itself was great. We started with a breakfast with made-to-order omelettes. In Millerton, NY, we took a long walk on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, then tasted tea at Harney's, and checked out the Antique Center.

We had lunch al fresco at Picante's South West Mexican Drill in Lakeville, then headed north on Route 7 for tastings at the Berkshire Mountain Distillers and then Berkshire Brewing Company. Back at Interlaken, we walked down to the lakeshore and around Sunnyside, before heading to dinner at Morgan's. 

A wonderful day.

Final Thoughts on our Interlaken Getaway

We went away last weekend for two main reasons.

The first was that Jeff and I hadn't been away together for three years. Even though we were gone for only three days, it was wonderful. As we drove up Route 7 and approached Merwinsville (really Gaylordsville) in New Milford, I realized that I was smiling. I love going to Lakeville, Millerton, Harney's tea tasting room, wineries, and hiking trails.

The second reason was to get Lola away. Our friend Annette had invited us to visit her in Baltimore with Lola. I was concerned about Lola's ability to handle a five-hour trip plus any time alone at Annette's house. So an overnight trip with a drive longer than a hour would be a good start.

Lola did well. She was a little skittish as we walked through Kent, better in Millerton which had less traffic. She loved the grounds of Interlaken. We knew she would, and that was one of the reasons we selected Interlaken. We also got a good package--Interlaken's Autumn Getaway.

Positives of the trip: getting away in general, Lola adapting well to new places and being mellow when entering rooms with many people, letting people pet her, hiking up Kent Falls, walking the Harlem Valley Railroad Trail, visiting DiGrazia, Sunset Meadows and Cascade Mountain Wineries, and Litchfield Distillery, tea tasting and shopping in Millerton

Downsides of the trip: getting away on one of the coldest days of the season, our disappointment with Morgan's. In the past, we found several delicious options on the menu. This season the selections were limited and pedestrian  (a boring selection of appetizers and salads--New England clam chowder--yawn) and no specials. My first entree of skirt steak was delicious, desserts were good, but the rest of our selections were just okay. What a disappointment for our favorite restaurant.

Regardless, a great getaway.

Interlaken Getaway--Day Three and Home Again

We made plans to visit Kent Falls Brewing Company on our way home today. Alas, it was closed. At least we found out before we hit the road. Instead we decided to go home via Routes 44/22 in New York State. First we returned to the Harlem Valley Rail Trail in Millerton and walked for about a half hour. Then to Harney and Sons tasting room.

We visited Cascade Mountain Winery and Restaurant for wine tasting. We had the tasting room to ourselves for most of our visit. Cascade offered the most generous tasting we've seen lately--seven complimentary tastings, and then a selection of five for $5.00.

We probably would have stayed for lunch, but we weren't hungry enough around 1. Also, a group of six or seven had just entered. We figured we should exit with Lola.

We played it by ear the rest of the way. I was worried that I made a mistake selecting a turn onto Route 39. Then we hit the intersection with Route 37. We took 37 and stopped at White Silo because of the trail Lola loved. It was a nice, half-hour hike: cool but pleasant. On our last visit, it had been humid and sticky. After that, we came straight home.

Lola wagged her tail as we unlocked the front door.

Interlaken Getaway--Day Two--Millerton, Goshen and Litchfield

After breakfast at Interlaken, we drove to Millerton, NY for a  long walk. The icicles show how cold it was.

Despite the cold, I enjoyed the trail. It's an easy walk along paved trails.But 70 minutes might have been a bit too long--my feet were numb.But Lola was still raring to go.

A visit to Harney & Son for tea tasting afterward was comforting. Jeff bought tea and I bought socks from a store down the street. We drove through Lakeville and Salisbury before we went south to Sunset Meadow Vineyard. Next we had lunch based on a Vineyard employee's recommendation. Our last tasting stop was in Litchfield.

After that we returned to Interlaken for a walk down to the lake before it got dark.

We had room service dinner again. Lola seemed a bit worn out and content to rest.

Interlaken Getaway--Day One

We choose this weekend for our getaway because Jeff is off today for Veterans Day (observed.) We didn't plan for record cold.The weather has definitely put a crimp in our hiking plans.

We left shortly after 10. Our first stop: Di Grazia Vineyards. We haven't been there in years, so we did a tasting. We left with a port and a dessert wine.

Our next stop was Kent. We walked around a field with Lola, stopped at my favorite store. and picked up sandwiches to go. Lola was skittish and uncomfortable walking in town.

A short ride up Route Seven, we arrived at Kent Falls State Park. As expected, Lola loved it; she bounded up the trail. But she did seem disappointed that she couldn't go down into the water.

We're settled now in Woodside House, after a walk. Lola also loved going down to the lakeside. Looking forward to a delicious dinner.

A Year-and-a-Half with Lola

Sunday was our anniversary with Lola. It's been great getting to know her, and watching her become more comfortable with us and sure of herself. Here's the story of her first few days here.

Several people have commented on how much friendlier and confident Lola is. As one said, she prances around the dog park with her head held high. This week she even walked for about a block on the sidewalk (twice.) Our parking lot spaces were re-striped and we had to park on the street.

We're still going to a park or trail everyday for daily walks. Lola would get more walking time if she were willing to walk around the neighborhood. We haven't pushed this hard because she gets for frightened. But it's a long range goal to walk locally.

In a few weeks, we'll be going away to the Interlaken Inn with Lola for the first time. She's only been to Jeff's sister's place overnight with us before and didn't adjust well to that.But I think she's ready for more and will do well at Interlaken. It has nice grounds, and is close to lots of hiking. We can all use a getaway.

Morgan's Tasting Menu

As I wrote yesterday, we went up to Interlaken Inn for our anniversary. We decided to splurge and upgrade our three course dinner to the seven course farm to table tasting menu.

The Chef came out to meet us and ask about food allergies, favorites and things we didn't eat. Then he surprised us. We started with salmon and radishes and faro. The second course was heirloom tomatoes and cheese (I had specifically requested tomatoes.) Next we had octopus and prosciutto with a spicy pepper sauce. Jeff predicted octopus, which was funny. I've had octopus once and didn't like it, but this dish was delicious. It was cooked for five hours so it was tender. The fourth course was lobster (both tail and claw.)

Next up was pork belly with faro, mushrooms and arugula, followed by duck breast. Our dessert was a sponge cake with zabaione and berries, which we took back to our room.

It was delicious and fun--we'd never done something like that before.

26

Happy Anniversary Jeff!

Today we continuing our tradition of heading to Interlaken Inn for our anniversary, courtesy of Christmas and anniversary gifts.

We're leaving around noon as soon as I have finished a WPA docent meeting. We'll stop for lunch somewhere on Route 7--we'll play it by ear depending on what's open and how hungry we are at the time.

As usual, we booked the pet-away-package. One of the benefits of staying at Interlaken is going to Morgan's Restaurant. We're especially intrigued by the six course farm to table tasting menu.

Here's to a great getaway.

Anniversary Getaway

Yesterday was our 25th wedding anniversary. We had hoped to celebrate it with a special trip, but realized earlier this year that it wasn't a good possibility. Jeff is in the final weeks of a project with Diageo and I'm in a busy SAT/ACT teaching and tutoring season.

We still managed a mini-getaway: one night at Interlaken Inn on the pet-away-package. Our original plan was to leave around 9 am--to get the most out of our two days. Well, we were up too late Wednesday, left most of the packing to the last minute, and didn't want to rush. We left around 11, instead. As usual, we stopped in Kent for a little shopping (didn't buy anything) and grabbed some lunch.

When we checked in at Interlaken, the clerk Winston recognized Spike, but had to ask our name. Spike is clearly memorable in a way that we aren't.

We sat outside our room, the only pet-friendly one in Sunnyside, sipping champagne. Then we crossed the street and went down to the lakefront, throwing the ball for Spike to chase before we sat down and and enjoyed the view across the lake. It was a gorgeous day.

We had a great dinner at Morgan's--our favorite restaurant--too bad it isn't closer to home.

This morning after a continental breakfast, we headed over to Pet Pourri with our 20 percent off coupon, and then went to Millerton, New York. We discovered the tasting room at Harney & Sons during our first trip to Interlaken. Today we had lunch in the cafe. We also did a little shopping at Millerton Antiques Center and The Village Herbalist.  

We picked up some veggies at a roadside farm stand and made our final stop at Millbrook Winery. We sampled several wines and one olive oil, and bought six bottles of wine before we headed home.

We didn't get to a glamorous destination. We didn't get a long time away. But, we did get an opportunity to celebrate together in a place we love. That's what matters most.

Birthday Getaway Part Two

We were gone only a day and a half, but it felt much longer--a relaxing and mellow getaway.

We left around 10:15, much later than our soft goal of 9 am. But by leaving later, we could go to White Silo Farm & Winery http://www.whitesilowinery.com/ on our way to Interlaken. White Silo specializes in both dry and sweet fruit wines. We tasted a few and checked out the current art show with furniture. We were especially impressed with a piece that looked like a wardrobe but opened into a workstation/desk. It was beautiful but cost $3700.

Our next stop was the Merwinsville Hotel. I suggested we drive down the South Kent Road to see if the old White Peach restaurant had reopened. Apparently a burger place will replace the Peach. We continued down to the hotel http://www.merwinsvillehotel.org/. I checked the calendar on the bulletin board but there wasn't any information that I hadn't seen before (I'm on the Merwinsville Hotel email list.)

On to Kent, where we had brunch and shopped at my favorite store, Foreign Cargo http://www.foreigncargogallery.com/.  Next stop: Kent Falls http://www.stateparks.com/kent_falls.html where we hiked the short but steep trail.

We had been listening to the Mets in the car. By the time we checked in, they had blown their lead against the Yankees. But we didn't let that drag us down. We walked down to the lake and threw the ball for Spike, had wine and cheese and watched the third season finale of Jersey Shore. (To be accurate, I watched Jersey Shore while Jeff took a nap.) Dinner at Morgans was excellent as always http://www.interlakeninn.com/morgans.html.

Monday morning we headed over to Millerton, New York. We did a little antiquing but spent most of our time in the tea tasting room at Harney's http://www.harney.com/visitus.asp

A great mini getaway--I got to go to my favorite restaurant and store and combine many of the things I love to do.

Birthday Getaway

In minutes, we'll be leaving for Interlaken Inn on a petaway package http://www.interlakeninn.com/a-pet-away-package.html. I'm looking forward to a delicious birthday dinner at Morgan's. We'll also go to Harney's Tea and antique stores in Millerton, a winery or two and do a little hiking. Unfortunately, it's misty outside now and my brother told me it's raining in Danbury, but I'm hopeful it will clear up.

Interlaken has become our go-to getaway spot. It's less than a two hour drive, pet friendly, in a beautiful setting with lots to do. And there's Morgan's; my favorite restaurant.

Time to go.