Home » 2017

Yearly Archives: 2017

Thanksgiving dinner: the mother of all menus

Posted on by | 4 Comments

By Sandra Hutchinson

I’d bet that nearly everyone reading this can recite, item by item, every single dish served at their family’s Thanksgiving table while growing up. The Thanksgiving menu is pretty much inviolate. Even the slightest change is noticed by all. I think I still remember the year my mother started adding apples to her stuffing.

Getting the place cards ready—Pilgrims ready to be labeled, along with their flock! The turkey cards are from Caspari. (See my post from 8/16/16 about Caspari.)

Continue reading →

A weekend in Old Montreal

Posted on by | 8 Comments

By Sandra Hutchinson

During one of the unseasonably warm weekends we experienced this October, we headed north to Montreal with friends to enjoy some old world ambience and great food. Montreal is less than 180 miles north of our home in the Glens Falls/Lake George region of New York, and it’s an easy and scenic drive up the Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87).

IMG_9150

Continue reading →

Autumn day in and around Cold Spring, NY— Stonecrop Gardens; Buddhist monastery

Posted on by | 10 Comments

By Sandra Hutchinson

During Columbus Day weekend, I spent a pleasant day with a friend in the Hudson Valley, in and around the historic and lively village of Cold Spring. Located on the east side of the Hudson River, directly across the river from West Point in the area known as the Hudson Highlands, much of the village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The central business district contains many nicely preserved 19th century buildings that house antique shops, restaurants and specialty shops. Cold Spring is about 50 miles north of Manhattan, and easily accessible by Metro North Railroad, and many urbanites make their way here for weekend getaways.

On Saturday, the village was bustling with autumn leaf peepers, Hoping for a leisurely lunch, we managed to grab a small table on the porch of Le Bouchon, a cute French bistro at 76 Main Street. The basket of French bread was ample, and I enjoyed a generous portion of perfectly seared salmon with haricots verts and sautéed fingerling potatoes, paired with a nice house Pinot Grigio on this unusually balmy October afternoon. My friend had a croque monsieur, which she pronounced “très bon!”

IMG_8933

Continue reading →

North Creek, NY Mosaic Project

Posted on by | 2 Comments

By Sandra Hutchinson

If you happen to be driving (or hiking, skiing, biking or rafting) near the hamlet of North Creek, in New York’s Adirondack Park, make a point of stopping on Main Street to check out the mosaic panels.

 

A multi-year public art project is transforming a wall of concrete into an 180-foot long stretch of mosaic panels that depict life in and around this Adirondack community.

Continue reading →

Top ten essential camping tools

Posted on by | 3 Comments

By Sandra Hutchinson

Here in northern New York State, we are getting into prime summer camping time. School is out and the best sites have already been reserved, especially on our favorite place to pitch a tent — one of the Lake George camping islands.

After years of camping on the islands with my family, I’d like to offer my list of top ten camping essentials for tent camping. Don’t leave home without these!

Continue reading →

Community Day at Hildene, in Manchester Vermont

Posted on by | 2 Comments

Note from Sandra: I’m pleased to share with you a piece written by my husband, Mark Frost, which appeared in the June 1 issue of The Chronicle Newspaper. 

By Mark Frost; Photos by Sandra Hutchinson

Last year by chance, my wife Sandra and I happened on Community Day at Hildene in Manchester, Vermont. It was great, and it was free. The 2017 Hildene Community Day is Sunday, June 11, from 9:30 to 4:30.

The Hildene gardens are known for their spectacular display of peonies in June. They were in all their glory during last year’s Community Day.

Continue reading →

Inspiration: Charleston and Savannah window boxes

Posted on by | 2 Comments

By Sandra Hutchinson

It’s getting to be that time of year when we start visiting garden centers and choosing annuals to fill our outdoor containers. (I say “start,” since in our neck of the woods, a frost is still a distinct possibility.) When I drive by my favorite nurseries, my car practically turns itself into the driveways!

I’ve been lucky to make a number of visits to both Charleston, South Carolina (where one of my best friends lives, fortunately for me) and Savannah, Georgia. Both cities have large historic districts, gas-lit street lights and house lanterns, and lovely gardens. One of the things that has struck me, particularly in Charleston, is the extensive use of beautifully planted window boxes.

Here’s a sampling of some of the window boxes I have spotted in both cities:

Continue reading →

Santa Monica and Santa Barbara Farmers Market — feasts for the senses

Posted on by | Leave a comment

By Sandra Hutchinson

It’s a long winter here in northern New York State. Now that it’s warming up, we look forward to our local outdoors farmers markets that will spring to life in May.

We were lucky to get an early taste of some outstanding California farmers markets during a visit to Los Angeles (including Santa Monica) and Santa Barbara in March. No visit to southern California is complete, in my opinion, without a visit to one of the region’s fantastic farmers markets. (N.B. Per the AP Stylebook, I’m not using an apostrophe in “farmers markets” because it’s a descriptive, not possessive, phrase.)

I’m sharing some of my photos from two of those markets — one, in Santa Monica (said to be the largest farmers market in the state), and the other, in Santa Barbara.

 

Quintessential southern California— blue sky, palm trees and luscious produce available at the many farmers markets. Here, Santa Monica’s Wednesday downtown market.

Continue reading →

On to Rajasthan — Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodphur and Jaisalmer

Posted on by | Leave a comment

By Sandra Hutchinson

This is the fourth installment on my blog about the trip I took to northern India in January, 2017. Earlier posts focused on Delhi and visiting Agra (site of the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort). I also posted about the new United Airlines Polaris class for long-haul flights. Please see the end of this post for information on the heritage tourism agency we used to book our driver and hotels.

The northern Indian state of Rajasthan — literally, meaning “land of kings” — is the country’s largest state by area. The region is a popular tourist destination, known for its palaces and forts, wildlife preserves and religious sites. On its western border, the Thar desert borders Pakistan.

This blog post will just touch on some of the highlights of our trip. Rajasthan is large, complex and diverse. We spent a week in the region, visiting four major cities, as well as driving through some remote, rural areas.

Continue reading →

On to Agra: the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Chand Baori stepwell

Posted on by | 4 Comments

By Sandra Hutchinson

This is my third blog post on the trip my husband and I took in January, 2017 to northern India.

The Taj Mahal — termed one of the “wonders of the world,” and probably India’s most famous structure, is actually a marble mausoleum that was constructed by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan after the death of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Completed around 1653, it is perhaps the best example anywhere of Mughal architecture. After this “monument to love” was constructed, one of the emperor’s sons murdered his three elder brothers and overthrew his father to acquire the throne. Shah Jahan was imprisoned at Agra Fort, with a view of his beloved wife’s tomb, until he died. He is buried alongside his wife in the Taj Mahal.

img_6314

Continue reading →