Give Me Liberty

After working an overnight shift from Thursday into Friday, I left work and headed up to the backwoods of Ulster County to meet up with my mom. We were going to spend the day going on an adventure to Liberty State Park, Liberty Science Center, Ellis Island, and of course, the Statue of Liberty. This was all going to be followed up by a slight detour to Ikea on the way back home so that I could get a down comforter for cheap.

It was a great trip, with beautiful weather the whole day. We went to Ellis Island first, where I spotted a "Barbies of the World" display. I have to admit that my inner kid kicked in before anything else. The architecture of the old building was beautiful. There were so many thing to see, including the old dormitories for the immigrants, photos, and all sorts of American propaganda.

Then we took the ferry over to the Statue of Liberty. Ok, I admit it, we didn't walk to the base of the statue. I was too physically exhausted and I think my mom probably would have had a heart attack. That being said, we didn't walk to her crown either, which was closed. We just toured the grounds and took a bunch of pictures like typical tourists.

The Liberty Science Center was very neat. I want to go back there with Joe. Since he like to touch things and play with things, I think he would have a blast. There's a whole section for skyscrapers, which had 2 beams from the World Trade Center. Not to get all melodramatic, but you really could feel the pain in those beams. One beam had what looked like a face and an outline of a body. It was the eeriest thing I think I have ever seen. I did try to get a picture of it, but it did not translate well.

Ikea was nice, I got my comforter and a spice rack for right over the stove. Then my mom noticed a sign for Christmas Tree Shoppes, which cost us another hour of our lives and some of my sanity. Tired and cranky, we went to KFC for dinner. Biscuts and mashy 'tatos rock!

Season What?

Each morning that I drive home I see more of the trees getting their Autumn hues. Not to mention deer with Fall coats and full antlers. It's a bit disconcerting considering it's still August! Although, I think for the deer it might be good because they'll be antler-less for hunting season and therefore less likely to be hunted.

This got me to thinking about an article I recently read by a local naturalist. The gist of the article is that for the past 10 years or so the seasons have been changing about 3 weeks early. That's not a shock to those of us that experienced the "Great Snows of October 09". The past 12 months have exemplified what the naturalist was writing about. To put it in a short term perspective, May had the nice weather normally associated with June. July had the typical August heat and August has already been hinting as Septembers trademarks.

But don't fret about global warming or end of the world crap, according to the naturalist this is all part of a greater cycle that happens every so many decades. Comforting thought as I dig out my snow shoes... just in case.

From the Little Red Truck That Could to the Silver Bullet

I guess I understand now how you can go to a car dealership, and end up getting a new vehicle......even when you don't plan it. Although I'll admit I did foresee this outcome. After getting some good years out of my '01 Toyota Tacoma, the little red truck was on its last legs. Lots of things needed to be fixed on her, she had racked up almost 180,000 miles, and unfortuanely I didn't have much need for a truck anymore. So, after finding out about the recall on my truck for some frame issues and scheduling an appointment to bring it in, I sort of knew it was time for a change.

Arriving at the dealership, I had known about 2 vehicles I was interested in. The Corolla and the Rav-4. I test drove the Corolla first, and was automatically impressed. Smooth riding, great gas mileage, and a lot of little touches I needed. Then I checked out the Rav-4. Not bad either, 4-wheel drive for the winters, a little more "umph" than my truck. So in the end, it came down to the numbers. The clear choice was the Corolla.

The salesman we dealt with at the dealership was a real help. He and the finance guy there got as much as we could get out of my old Tacoma as a trade-in, and got the number for the monthly payments down to something we could manage. In the end, I left with a silver '09 Corolla with less than 18,000 miles on it. This girl I've dubbed the "Silver Bullet" (no relation to Coors Light) should last me for a long while.

I admit I miss the Tacoma though. Garbage and recycling runs will be more often, I can't help my friends haul anything they need help with, and the winters will be a little rougher on me. But I'll live. I'm happy with the new vehicle, it was definitely needed.

It's Raining Mansions

This summer I've been on a quest to find local activities for us to do. Joe's school and work schedule has not allowed for us to take a vacation this summer. Oh and the fact that we're broke might have something to do with it as well.

At the start of the summer, I was asking him if he would be interested in going to Grey Towers. It took about 2 months before we actually got there, though. The skies were overcast and it was slated to rain that day, but we went for it. We walked around the grounds a little bit before we began a tour of the mansion. Of course, once inside the grand facade, the skies opened up and the rest of the outdoor tour was scrapped. We got to view the upper 2 levels of the mansion though, which were very pretty. We do plan on going back since we lost that day there. There is a halloween tour of the old cemetarty that we've already managed to get a few friends to agree to do with us. In September is the ice cream social, which Mom and Sean will probably go to with us. I wish I could report more about it, but I can't. Check back for the next trip there.

After that it was a brief lunch at the Tom Quick Inn. The food was great and the service was prompt. The biggest pitfall was the 200 person poker tournament going on over near the bar. That was incredibly loud and annoying becuase the restraunt portion was too close to the bar. Joe made the suggestion that if we go back there, it will have to be on a weekday. I agree.