Summer Motown Party

Verona, NY- Turning Stone Resort and Casino

June 25th-26th 2022

What a lovely evening we had at Turning Stone Resort. Mark was invited for a dinner and dancing celebrating summer and the theme was Motown!

The dining room was designed with old records and microphones. Dinner was yummy.

And the music was from the " good old days". I love listening to these old songs and sang along.

The desserts were insane and delicious. 

We definitely had a great evening and enjoyed the time together. We had a room at the Lodge for the evening too, it was an extra special date night.

 

Mark turns 50!

Camden, NY

June 18th, 2022

 I haven't, and still don't have a laptop or a computer to work on my blog. My daughter returned to school and is "borrowing" this. Until I get it back, I have been way behind on my blogging. ( like 6 months behind). I have been forced to update on my phone. So it has been slow moving.  Sorry.

On this date, we celebrated my husband's 50th Birthday at our camp. I had rented out the campground pavilion and prepared the food. It happened to be one of the coldest days of the spring/summer we had, and everyone was attempting to stay warm. Above my son clings to a blanket. My other son feeds his face. Very grateful for his help on decorating and moving picnic tables.

Both my parents and Mark's mother were there to help celebrate. 

Several friends also came. Brenda,

My daughter and her girlfriend Alicia

Marks friends. 

Camp friends, aimee Becky and Becky's daughter.

The theme was off to the races. We enjoyed the day into the evening. Great fun with friends and celebrating Mark!

 

Lake George/Glens Falls/Saratoga

Lake George/Glens Falls/Saratoga,  NY

April 2, 2022

Mark's horse was scheduled to race in Saratoga, NY so we decided to take a day trip to Lake George and then head to Saratoga to watch the race. We left home early that morning and took the 3 hour drive towards Mark's hometown. 1st stop was at the updated rest stop along the thruway. This rest stop just outside of the ADK's has grown into a cute little rest stop and Visitor Center. We had some fun posing on the ski lift. 

Of course, most of these updated rest stops have an I LOVE NY sign to pose by. This place also has a playground. Where were these areas when my kids were little?

We really didn't have any plan. Mark wanted to visit his old stomping grounds of Glen's Falls and his father's grave. So we took a drive by his old home and his school. He showed me the several stops he made as a child as he walked to and from school. He noted friends' homes and reminded me of the now playground that was once his Grandfathers scrap yard. We visited the graveyard where Mark's father is buried and the Jewish cemetery where his Grandfather and other elders are buried. We placed rocks on all of the headstones as traditional. (this is a sign of respect and remembrance). After taking a walk down memory lane, we made our way to the village of Lake George.  

We were visiting during the low tourist season, so much of the summer activities that lure the population to the area was closed, but we enjoyed the unseasonal warm weather and walked along the lake. 

Lake George was formed during the ice age, and is more then 32 mile long and at it's deepest point its 196 feet deep. lake George hasn't always been named as such. Its original name was Andia-ta-roc-te by the Mohawk Indians. Later it was named Lac Saint Sacrement by Isaac Jogues in the 1600s. During the French and Indian war, Commander William Johnson named it Lake George after the king.

The lake's shore is home to Fort William Henry. Once home to the British, it was overtaken by the French in 1757. It was during that time that the Massacre happened in the area. Although the French had allowed the British to leave and cared for, instead many were attacked by the French American allies. It is unclear as to how many people were killed; including women, children and innocents. Thoughts include a few dozen to thousands were killed there is no documentation. 

During the summer months, the lake offers several boat rides. I have never had the opportunity to take part in these steam boat experiences. I have had the chance to listen to the Minnie Ha Ha sing it's song through it's steam pipes.  

Lake George once had a Lake Monster named Georgie. 

Although the whole thing was a hoax in an attempt to win a bet over the catch of the biggest fish. This guy looks pretty convincing. 

It is defiantly a pretty lake. I have visited many times and even walked out on it during the winter for the winter festivals held here.  

We left Lake George and headed towards Queensbury where I insisted on stopping at Martha's. This is the absolute best ICE CREAM ever. I had a twist and smiled smiled smiled. 

Perhaps in reverse order, we went out to dinner next. We went to Talk of the Town, one of Mark's favorite restaurants growing up. He informed me that he had his one and only Birthday party's at this place. It was nice, and there signature is the pizza, so I had to go for it. It was INSANELY GOOD!!!

After dinner we headed to Saratoga. The track is attached to the casino, and since we had a little more time before Kisses From Above's race, we played a few slot games. I won a few bucks, but not much. Fun anyways. Then it was time for what we had come here for, the race.....

Kisses was in the lead for most of the race, but unfortunately he fell behind. Mark was sure something had happened to him. He ended up coming in 5th. This was a disappointing upset for both of us. We found out later from the trainer that there did not appear to be anything medically wrong. He simply just let the other horses go on by. This was where I started the joke that he's so sweet he even lets other horses pass him. Noone liked this.  It was a sad ride home that night. But I still had a great day, and we know he will run better next time.  Until next time. TTFN
 

Woodloch: Ladies Only

Woodloch:

April 27th-29th 2022

Tulip Travel had it's ladies only trip this weekend and we all took off for a weekend at this adorable resort nestled in the heart of the Pocono mountains. The resort has several options for rental including hotel rooms, cabins and in our case, houses. There were 7 chaperones on this trip and we had 5 houses for the 27 females we were taking on this trip. The houses were beautiful. Yep, I could live here. Complete with deer on the lawn. 

We spent most of the first day traveling and settling in to our new home for the next few days. At 6 it was time for dinner. We all boarded the resort bus and made our way to the main building. The meals they offered at this place had to be the best part of the stay. Yummy!!!!

Some pictures of the grounds. (Wish it had been warm enough to enjoy the outdoors.) The report has a beach area, a playground, trails and bikes, several on site shops, a pool, and ice-skating rink and several additional recreational activities as well as the evening's entertainment each night. 

 

After an amazing dinner we went into the theater and enjoyed an evening of show tunes, 70's music and sing along. 

The following day we enjoyed another amazing meal then headed to one of the recreation halls where we enjoyed trivia, and other games. I was so competitive. I wanted our team to WIN!!!! We didn't, but it was fun trying. After lunch we enjoyed more games and then had some time to do beauty activities with nails and hair. We also went shopping and I got a shirt that reads The Housewives of Woodloch. We had a party back at the house later that evening after some yummy dinner. 

There were other evening activities including a juggler and more music. 

The following day we had a big breakfast and then some more trivia fun before we were on our way back home. 

(Some of the foods)

Me and Becky. 

It was a nice relaxing time away from the real world. We all enjoyed the food and the entertainment. I just wish it had been warmer, I could definitely have taken in more of the activities offered at the resort.