An 18-hole Hike

Catie and I took a trip this weekend with our new pup, Princess. We took the subway out to Swampscott, Ma, where her Uncle Charlie picked us up and drove us back to his house. Before arriving there, we stopped and had a walk along the beach front with Princess and Andy, Catie's uncle's dog.

Once at her uncle's house, we lounged about for a bit, taking in the country life and drinking cocoa, until we decided to pack up her uncle's car and drive out for a bit of hiking. We arrived at Lynn Reservation in Lynn, MA and hopped out of the car and onto a trail. I was amazed by the snow covering the ground and how it can change the appearance of a place so drastically.



The trail we were on soon opened onto these beautiful and open plains, trees on either side and ponds scattered about, and I said outloud that, "This almost looks like a golf course." Catie agreed but we both thought well that's probably not the case, until, that is, we stumbled upon a sand trap...it was then that we realized we were right in the middle of a giant golf course, beautifully covered in snow.









We had the whole place to ourselves and let Princess off the leash to enjoy the open expanses of land. Here is Catie and Princess dancing about on the snow.






I couldn't resist the urge to make a snow angel--the first real one of my life!
Or to walk on the ice...if only I had brought my skates. (:
At the end of the day, we made a little stop by Target, a time-old friend, dearly missed at times, and indulged in a few neccessties/unnecessities. The day was topped off with a pretzel and lemonade, that hit the spot for the ride home. Princess has slept all day today, a result of a long and satisfying trip.

Philadelphia, Shiladelphia

After my first day with Jossie ended (our Amish adventure, see below), we dedicated the next to Philadelphia itself, aka Center City. We greeted the day with some Swedish sugar waffles--scrumdidliumptious! And a walk along the river, which took us directly to the Philadelphia art museum aka the stage of Rocky Balboa's triumphant step run. This called for many photos, in attempts to capture a believable run along his same path. Once satisfied with what we got, we walked on through the rest of the city. I got to see the skyline up close, Love Park, Reading Terminal Market, as well as Independance Hall and the Liberty Bell. We finished the day with a great dinner at a diner, and a cozy night at Jossie's Apartment.










Doing the Rocky Balboa at the Philadelphia Art Museum.















Love Park, downtown Philadelphia.






















Liberty Bell in Old City.













Random statue in the middle of a dry fountain in Center City, Philadelphia.












Rittenhouse Square, where Jossie lives in Philadelphia. The lights at night were gorgeous, and I hope for Jossie's sake they stay up throughout the year!










Jossie in her cute little studio apartment! which looks just like an expanded version of her dorm room last year.

Amish Country!

This past weekend, I made a trip down to Philadelphia to visit my bestest of friends, Jossie, who is currently there, working for an architectural firm. We jump started the weekend with a little road trip out to Lancaster County, the area in which the Mennonite-derived religious group of the Amish reside.










We stopped at several places to experience the Amish life, the first being Dutch Haven (see above) where we tasted the famous Shoo-fly Pie recipe, and indulged in a few postcards and soft pretzels. While driving we also spotted many many many horse-and-buggies alongside the road, and the picture you see is my attempt at capturing this image. It was pretty uncanny seeing this alternative mode of transportation being so prolifically! We also witnessed a few antique scooters being utilized to get about town, one being driven by perhaps the oldest man with a beard I've ever seen...





Jossie and I pulled our rental car into the lot of "The Amish House," lured in by roadside signs, and toured a traditional Amish House (not sure that it was authentic, though, as it was set up by non-Amish people), learning about the Amish traditions, clothing, food, and culture. Probably the best part of the day, it gave us a better sense of what we were so casually seeing. This photo is of the Amish House.




Crystal dish display in Amish House.









Lastly, Jossie and I succumbed to our growling stomachs and stopped by the local indoors farmers market for some soup and chili, as well as a plethora of delicious samples. This covered wagon, which stood right outside the market, was a perfect photo opportunity.