You Know You Are A Redneck When...

While out biking around the campgrounds at Keuka State Park, we found this little wonder hanging.



 

It's a wind chime.  Really, that's what the proud owners said, and it does make a lovely sound.  You can see it blowing in the wind a bit in the photo below.  It is my all time favorite bit of campsite decor.  I must have a little redneck blood somewhere back there.

 

 

I know you want one.  Come on, admit it.  I'd make one, but the boys have all been drinking their beer from bottles lately.  My diet ginger ale cans just don't seem right for this kind of project.  So here's a close-up and tutorial for those who need a beauty like this hanging in their yard or campsite.

 

You tie the first can on the string with a knot using the ring of the flip top, slide the others on the string through  their rings, and tie the last one on with a knot.  Be sure to use a long piece of string because you know you're gonna to want to continue to add to it.  If you look at the first photo above you can see that the string is dragging on the ground.  These people have definite plans for future partying. 

 

 







Pinned It and Did It!

Here is what I pinned:

When I pinned this quote, I wasn't planning on doing it or, at least, not quite this soon.  However, remember back on August 9th when I posted that I would finish the Arrested Development embroidery piece in two weeks?  Well that deadline whooshed by and this is how far I've gotten:

I had to chuckle.  My intentions were honorable, but life so very often has other plans. Embroidering on an over-sized pure white cloth while camping in a tent turned out to be a really bad idea as other tent campers will, no doubt, attest. What was I thinking?!?!  Then there was all the laundry and cleaning up of tenting stuff that took a couple of days, and the shopping to restock the kitchen.

I did get that one sentence of the embroidery done, though.  How fitting is it that it contains the word "buffoonery." Buffoonery, such a fun word, and so fitting to this pinning/embroidery experience!  I still remember learning it in elementary school.  I worked at finding every possible excuse to use it for months afterward. 

Nonetheless, I'm on a roll with this project now--two sentences are finished as I type this.  Should be done...well, soon.

A Year of Jogging--Care to Join me?

Day one complete!

Kiefer came home yesterday and said that a friend's mom had just successfully completed a year of jogging every single day.  Wow!  Sounds like a something that could make exercising a bit more fun.  I have a two and a half mile route around my neighborhood that I generally use for jogging.  However, I've been the queen of excuses for not getting out there on way too many days.

They say that publicly stating your goal makes it more likely you will complete it.  So here it is:  I'm gonna do it!  There is my countdown meter on the sidebar.  If I cannot make any given day, I will start the counter again.   

The only real rule is to get out there every day.  Preferably I will do it outside rain, shine, hot, or cold but not on icy days.  I've got a treadmill for the icy days.  I want to complete at least two and a half miles if not more every day. 

Only 364 more days to go!  Feel free to join me.  I'm using a counter from Countingdownto.com.  It was free--free is always good.  If you know of a better one, let me know. 

I'm really not just doing this as an excuse to get new running shoes, honestly!  But, they do look a bit worn, don't they?  Poor me, I'm gonna have to go shopping for shoes! I don't know why that exclamation point is there.  I meant to use a period. 

Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me About Ewan McGregor's "The Long Way Round"!

Am I the only one who missed this 2004 documentary?  I found it on Netflix while surfing around and love it!  Ewan and Charley Boorman going from London to New York City on BMWs by way of France, Germany, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Canada, and a few other places.  I claimed a headache so I could sit and watch the whole 9 episodes in two days. 

They've made UNICEF my new favorite charity after seeing some of the work the organization is trying to do in places like Mongolia.


I'm a motorcyclist at heart.  It was the first vehicle I wanted and the first one I bought.  However, I think anyone would love watching these guy and their crew on one funny, scary, magnificent adventure.  Now I've found they did another documentary called The Long Way Round.  How do I miss these things?  The British are hiding the good stuff from us.   I hope Netflix has it streaming. I may have to get another headache.

I've not had a motorcycle since I was in my twenties.  After watching this, I am seriously thinking about getting one again.  I won't be trekking through Mongolia, but would like to see some of the Alaskan wilderness and Montana and, well, if Mongolia gets actual roads, who knows.

Watkins Glen Gorge Trail

They say there are 800 steps built into the Watkins Glen Gorge like these:

When you have views like these to admire and photograph, it sure doesn't seem like that many.

I read that there are nineteen waterfalls.

The Conservation Corp workers did most of the bridges and steps in the 1930s.

Okay, maybe those last three flight up will get to you if your not in shape, but there were tiny kids and lots of older people easily making their way.  Besides, you can always take the shuttle up and walk down. 

It's well worth a visit. For all it's beauty, it is a relatively short hike. We walked up and down in a couple of hours despite my constant stops for photos.  If you are staying at a State campground anywhere, show them your paperwork and you don't have to pay to get in.   A nice little extra for campers.



Camping at Keuka Lake

Home again!  While we camp in a tent, we are definitely not die-hard, back-to-nature kinda people.  Our  campsites have electricity if at all possible.  I know, it's weird.  There we are in a tent with Ipods, Kindles, and phones all charging on the extension cord.  I would have brought along the Keurig, but Brian thought that was a bit much.  (I think he regrets his decision, but he won't admit it yet.) 

In the meantime this:



served nicely for a five-day trip to the Finger Lakes wine country. 

My favorite wine tasting place in the Keuka Lake area is definitely Bully Hill.

They have red grapes,

 and white grapes,

fields of grapes,



and shelves of wine!

That photo has my favorites--Sweet Walter in all its varieties.  I like my wine sweet and whoever Sweet Walter is or was, he nailed it with these.  We also stopped at a few other wineries and added another bottle here and there.  My cabinet is officially restocked! 

We didn't spend all our time wine tasting, however.  We managed a few other things--hiking and biking.  Brian did most of the biking cuz  there are more hills than I felt like conquering.  I'm more of a casual bicyclist.  I shall post about a couple of the hikes later.  There are some beautiful  trails in the area.

Must leave you with a few pics of a couple of the places we dined.  First, this beautiful upscale restaurant--Esperanza Mansion.  Great food and this beautiful view of the lake from the patio.



Then this:

 I swore I would not do it, but finally gave in.  I just couldn't leave without trying Big Doug's meaner wiener.  No bad, not bad at all.  Sweet potato fries were pretty good, too.

Pinned and Did It--Ribbon Necklace Holder

Such a simple solution. One of those, "Why didn't I think of that?" things. Two pieces of ribbon, four tacks and all my inexpensive necklaces (and a bracelet) are hanging neatly inside the doors of my armoire.

Pinterest ideas that I've seen either use tacks across the ribbon (the kind that stick out) for hanging the necklaces or tied knots across the ribbon to keep the necklaces separate.  I chose to close the necklaces around the ribbon so that they wouldn't fall when opening the doors.  Had the ribbon sagged causing the necklaces to slide together, I would have used a few more tacks. Didn't need to do that, though. 

One pin down, thousands more to try!