I have been meaning to sit down and write this post for too long now. I have been getting around quite a bit and will do my best to get caught up.

Back in August, Debi and I travelled to the Beautiful Berkshires, for our first ever, concert at Tanglewood. I had been looking to go for years, and after consulting with the Berkshire Ambassador, my cousin Tim Barrett, we settled on a Saturday Night celebration of John Williams’ 90th Birthday. The venue is gorgeous and the concert was great, too (many special guest performers were on hand, adding to the atmosphere). But, the best thing about the night was getting to hang out with Tim, his brother Joe and Joe’s wife, Gabrielle and her sister Ingrid, and my cousin Morgan Christie and his Fiancee, Virginia. The already great weekend was capped off with a good, old fashioned family barbecue at my Aunt Ronni’s, in nearby West Stockbridge. It was great to see Ronni and I was pleasantly surprised to see my Uncle Alex Christie (Morgan’s Dad) and his wife Amy. My cousin, Eddie Barrett also stopped in with his son, Edward IV! It was a wonderful weekend, in every way – though I regret not having taken more photos.

We spent Labor Day Weekend up at the Condo with Jon and Diana and Dorothy and Jay. Saturday, we had lunch at Beck’s Tavern and then enjoyed hanging out on the lawn, playing Cornhole and listening to live music. “A Great Vibe” is how Jon described it! Sunday we went Rail Biking, along the Hudson River just north of North Creek. It is a great way to see some beautiful scenery while getting a bit of exercise. We also visited the nearby Garnet Mine, which was very interesting. Back at the Condo, we feasted on Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, salads etc. Jon and Diana left Monday morning, so that Diana would be back in time for the first Fall Lacrosse Practice at Naz. Saying goodbye, is always tough – this time was no different.

Debi and Jay had planned to attend the World’s Largest RV Show in Hershey, PA, in mid-September. At the last minute, I decided to go with them. Jay is actually considering purchasing a vehicle, whereas for me and Debi, it is just an intriguing idea. It was quite the spectacle! We visited the show, two days in a row and it was fun. I had never been to anything like it. I think we all learned a lot. And Jay may even be closer to buying something. We also found time to eat at two separate breweries and to visit an Antique Car Museum. A pretty good way to spend a few days!

Our next sojourn was the long planned, road trip to the Shenandoah Valley, with our dear friends Janice and Clint Morano. It is a seven hour drive for us, so we left on Thursday and reached the northernmost entrance to Skyline Drive (Front Royal, VA) early enough in the afternoon to squeeze a short hike in. Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah National Park, are both magnificent. There are so many stunning views along the way. You could spend forever just taking it all in.

Friday morning we met the Morano’s at James Madison’s Montpelier, which was about an hour drive from our Condo in Massanutten. It was a beautiful day for a tour of the grounds and the house and surrounding buildings. We hiked several miles on the grounds after the tour, a great way to catch up with old friends. We went back to the Condo and ended up Grilling and eating in, while continuing to get caught up on each other’s families. Some of us may have stayed up a bit later than we should have, considering the five mile hike we had planned for Saturday.

Once again, the weather was great and we ended up hiking a bit longer than we had planned. Dark Hollow Falls was definitely worth the hike. Debi found us a great Barbecue place (Hank’s), close to our Condo, where we re-fueled. Before heading back to the Condo, we made a short drive to the Elkton Brewing Company, which is in a very cool, old building right next to the railroad. They had a delicious Oktoberfest Beer, which made the trip worthwhile.

As always, the weekend went by too quickly and saying goodbye to Janice and Clint was not easy. But we were happy to have had the time together and are already looking forward to our next trip.

Last Thursday, I drove up to the Condo in North Creek. I only spent one night and was greeted with 33 degrees on Friday morning! After a good breakfast, I headed south and west through the mountains toward Route 90. The Fall Foliage was not at its peak, but was popping with color, nonetheless. I have been talking about going to the International Boxing Hall of Fame for years. Well, Friday was the day. I am not the Boxing Fan I used to be, but this place was right up my alley. For me it was well worth the $15 price of admission.

From the Hall of Fame it should have been only about two hours, to Rochester. An accident on Interstate 90, added about a half hour, but I still got there in time to meet up with Jon and Diana. We had a nice dinner at Jeremiah’s and then I headed to the Hotel and they went home. Saturday morning I got a quick workout in and picked up breakfast before picking up Jon, for the 45 minute drive to William Smith College in Geneva. The ride went fast, as Jon and I chatted, and we were the first people to enter the Bubble (a very nice facility), where Naz would be playing William Smith and University of Rochester, in their Fall Play Day. William Smith is a top five DIII team and they looked very good. But I was pretty impressed with how Nazareth played against them and then how they played against U of R, which is a much more even match up. You could sense the nervousness of some of the players (the freshmen) and their parents’, it only added to the excitement. It was nice to see some live lacrosse action, and it is always fun for me to see Diana coaching.

When it was over, Jon and I went to the Hotel and waited for Diana to finish up her coaching duties and get back to the house. We sat around re-hashing the games (it’s what we do), before heading to the Pittsford Pub, for dinner – which was delicious! They came to the hotel and we hung out in the room, visiting and watching College Football, until they decided they needed to go. So, the saying goodbye part, was the same as always. But, I could not have had a better few days, and for that, I am very grateful!

So, I have really been getting around. I need to do a better job of posting in a timely fashion. If you have read this far, I applaud and thank you!