We came out two days ago. It seemed a long journey and left us tired, but here were Debbie, Mike, Dawn, Robin Bobbie, and so we had a good visit.
Elizabeth skipped supper at the Antler's. Too bad. I think it was the best food we have had. I had a great prime rib, others had lobster rolls. Everyone liked everything. The green beans were said to be very good, and they were undercooked crisp, but I just can't get too excited about green beans, ever.
Elizabeth would come when we went to supper again.
We did not go to Moosewood Restaurant, although we had liked the recipes in their cookbooks. Robin and Bobbie reported it was crowded as was the Mall and the Cornell Campus.
I lost interest in Cornell when Robin told the story of his interview for entrance in which were forced on him courses in language he did not want, especially Latin. I suspect that had I been in an interview, I'd have not entered. Then, of course, all these dear friends would not have been known, and I would have not been at home with my Dad for the last three years of his life.
I slept straight through the first night, probably because I had no diuretics in my system.
In the morning we paid for a breakfast at the Hotel Marriott where we all stayed. It was good, but fairly simple and cost extra.
We went to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, enjoyed the displays and took a long hike (getting a bit lost) in the Sapsucker Woods (photos below) It is the farthest I have walked in a long, long while. I did take my little three legged folding chair and rest a couple times. Still, it was a good walk for me, and I'm delighted to have done it.
Then we ate at the Ithaca Bakery, and it was okay, but nothing special and had loud music. It took a long while to get a few panini sandwiches.
We went to see the Ithaca Falls and it is my favorite Falls now. I loved it. I even could walk to the base of it and have my photo taken by some very pretty Asian girls.
I just loved the Falls. It is my favorite now, even over Niagara Falls.
I brought home a rock to use as a card protector in poker.
At the foot of the Falls fish gather and I talked to a fly fisherman hoping for a trout or salmon. He had caught a perch and rock bass. If I go again, I'll bring my fishing gear.
We stayed in from the shopping trip Bobbie and Robin took. I did not get a nap, but a nice long swim in the pool. Just as I was getting out, Eliz joined me. It was a nice pool. Small. Needed a good vacuum for sand. Also the jacuzzi was broken, but I still liked swimming in it very well.
Before supper we did some more lounge chatting and Elizabeth offered cheese and crackers while Bobbie offered a maple syrup brand drink.
Later we ate at the Culinary Institute. Good food, but it made me have indigestion all night, and the next day I did not eat anything for 24 hours.
We talked a while in the lounge.
Neither Elizabeth or I slept well and were tired when we woke. We went to breakfast, but skipped eating, just talking to the gang.
I signed y published poems in past years edition of Robin's Bluff and Vine.
Then Eliz and I went to have the tire looked at, choosing not the Midas place, but a Goodyear dealer Trombley Tire & Auto Tire Store in Ithaca | Goodyear Tires
They gave us great service and took the screw out of one tire and patched that one and another that was leaking. Great place; all done in a couple hours.
Then we went back and visited with Robin and Bobbie until we could do an early check-in at the Embassy Motel. Instead of the over $300 Marriott would have charged us for this last night, we paid a total of $124 and the breakfast was free. It is a downscale motel, but comfortable for my tastes and needs if too downscale for Elizabeth.
It allowed us to spend all of Friday in Ithaca and get a good rest before driving back. What used to be fairly easy drives seem to exhaust us nowadays.
We took a nap and are went to the Antler's just down the street for supper. This time the special was BBQ and Elizabeth and I had a chicken. The BBQ sauce is vinegar based, my favorite.
We had fried green tomatoes. The best I ever had, all done with goat cheese and shrimp. I'm going to try the recipe.
We had a long talk with Robin and Bobbie at the restaurant, finishing outside. Good stuff. We had trouble remembering where I first really met Bobbie. It was when she joined us at Ristaurant Paradiso on Central and Robin in Albany (now a Mexican joint) with Janice and others a long, long time ago.
No more stomach issues, but I ate light to be sure, and I took half of the chicken home. Robin had the gumbo, but I was not impressed. Bobbie had glazed salmon, and it looked tasty, and she had chicken with me.
So that was the meetup. Good fun and fine old memories. We were especially delighted that Dawn could join us, as she was not sure she could.
We stopped at a large local produce and found the wonderful Concord Grapes as well as some gourds, tomatoes, corn and other tasty bits. The corn there was the kind my mother best liked, smaller kernels and a mild taste. It cooked well in the new Instapot, the first I have used that. I had the tomatoes in an open-faced tomato sandwich the first morning home, and they were tasty. As we were coming in the yard, Neighbor Jack was walking out, having brought us more tomatoes (some green for the next recipe) and assorted hot peppers.
We had come up my favorite I-88, but we went home 13 and then 20 and finally the Thruway. 13 was a fine route with fenced pasture full of cows and horses, even on full of long horns, quite a sight. On 20 I could not find the old cheese store I remembered, but Quack's Diner is still open. We did not stop to eat, just snacked and drove on.
We did not have much traffic and were home in good time even with the wandering in back country roads.
PHOTOS
Here are shots from the Antler's Restaurant, that ended up as our favorite spot to eat.
This is the Currier and Ives
MIKE AND DAWN
STOPPING ON THE WAY HOME FOR CONCORD GRAPES AND OTHER TASTY BITS
