Green Acres vs. Park Avenue

This past weekend, Brian and I visited my dear friend Rosa in New York City. The city's over 4 hours away, but that's a heck of a lot closer than UT, and she's worth the drive. For those of you who know my friend Rosa Gardner, you know I'm right. It was wonderful to see her.

I've only been to New York City a few times in my life. It's always an overwhelming experience. I'm a country girl, so I'm not city-savvy. Brian is more comfortable in big cities (he lived in downtown Denver for a while), so we manage ourselves pretty well. This time however, we hadn't planned things out, so we were pretty out of our element. The natives could tell, too. We rode a ferry to the island, and our relaxed, non-dressy clothes immediately gave us away. Then to top of it off, we said "thank you" to the ticket counter guy...when we got off the ferry he said, "are you guys gonna be ok?" I guess saying thank you is a rarity in NYC.

Whenever we go to NY, we bee-line for Central Park. It's the only place in that whole place I feel comfortable, and it is beautiful.

The buds were literally growing on the bark of some of the trees. We hid in there until Rosa found us and gave us the best NYC visit of my life.

We walked through the Met, which is super cool, and afterward we crossed a couple of things off of my bucket list.
Ever since I was a little girl, I've wanted to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, so when Rosa casually mentioned that possibility, I just about lost it with excitement. I didn't realize how easy and accessible the bridge is. It was awesome. I was so excited the entire time. Man is that bridge magnificent. And the view of the city really helps you realize how packed it is. It's amazing they fit roads between those tight buildings, and it's even more amazing that those taxi drivers navigate them so well.

We walked the Brooklyn Bridge because we were on our way to Brooklyn (duh), and some fantastic NY Pizza! I've always wanted to have real Italian Pizza. I'm not the biggest traveler, least of all across the globe, so going to Italy to eat pizza in Naples isn't an option, but there's a place that is just as good in Brooklyn, NY. It's called Grimaldi's Pizza, and man is it good...best pizza I have ever had, by far. We waited an hour and a half to get in (which was super annoying at the time), but once I took one bite of that delectable pizza pie, my tired feet didn't ache at all. I was living in the moment. I wish I'd taken a picture of it...it looked just like the pizza she's eating in that clip I mentioned in an earlier post from Eat, Pray, Love. And just like her, I was having a relationship with my pizza.

After our bellies were full, we headed back to the ferry, and said farewell to my dear friend. It was great to see her, and I am so excited that she will be moving a short 5ish ours away in the fall. (The same goes for you Steph, I hear you'll be in the area sometimes, so I am absolutely stoked for a reunion).

We were feeling pretty positive about the city at that point, but then we tried to navigate our way out of that concrete jungle, and one wrong turn put us in an irreversible line to enter the Lincoln Tunnel. We actually considered crossing that middle area between the entering and exiting lanes, but then we realized that paying an $8 fee to go through the tunnel was a better idea than paying a $200 fine for driving over cones and doing a U-ie in a very restricted area. So, we drove through the Lincoln Tunnel, dreading the traffic on the other side. The heavens were smiling on us that night though, because we flipped a quick U-ie and made it out fast, alive, and not entirely in tears.

It was good to get back to wide open spaces. We car-camped that night, and finishing the drive in the morning, I thanked my lucky stars that I grew up in such a beautiful place. It's fun to visit the city, especially for the culture you can experience there, but I am so happy to live out in the open, friendly, and unbridled nature of Upstate New York.

April Showers

I love this time of year. Spring may not be the prettiest season, but it is definitely the most welcome. After a long hard winter, there is nothing more exciting than a patch of bright green grass. The color is shocking after so much brown and white.

Brian and I don't have a spot of ground to plant in, so we are improvising. We built a cold frame, filled it with dirt and rocks, and we're planting in that, right on top of our cement patio.


Spring comes slow in Upstate NY. When I lived out west, Spring time was beautiful and sunny, with flowers popping out of the ground and trees laced with blossoms. Here, it really starts with rain...lots of rain. It gets a little warmer, but it's the rain that really gets rid of the snow. It's a wet season, and it's not until it's ending that the sun comes out and the flowers really show their colors. I don't mind the rain though...that's why it's so green here. I know that the rain means good crops, and running streams. I missed the sound of water so much when I lived in the desert, I don't mind it at all now. I especially love it when the spring storms happen. I like the sound of thunder, and the unexpected crash of lightning. There's something really comforting about sitting in your safe house while the wind and the rain are whirling outside.

We got a lot of rain this spring, so planting was a little difficult. We had to literally fit it in between storms. I was eager to put something into the ground, so we planted beets, lettuce, and a few tomatoes in the grow box halfway through April. They germinated slowly in the cool weather, but it was gratifying to see something peek it's green leaves through the soil.

Whenever I see that, I think, "I helped make that happen!" And I excitedly anticipate the steamed beet greens and the fresh garden salads from my very own garden...there is really nothing better.