Villaggio Resort Haines Falls

Hello:

We arrived home after a gratefully uneventful trip from Lake Como. We returned the rental car we used to drive from Newark back to Woodstock, shopped a bit, and returned home. It was a sensational trip, and we hope that those of you who read the blog enjoyed reading about our exploits. Lake Como is surely as close as we have ever come to paradise, and ...

... to Rome (via Aer Lingus which was the cheapest flight I could find). From Rome, train to Bagaia (Viterbo), then train to Spoleto to meet Philip Dickey and Bridget, who have a car. Thence to two different villages in Parco Monti Sibillini -- Castelluccio and Montefortino. After a week of day-hiking and a side trip to Asoli Picena, I bus ...

We leave next Friday, September 25, 2009 for Laura's 11th trip to Italy, my 18th (2 other trips to Europe which did not include Italy). We are flying to Venice via Paris and then spending 4 nights at our favorite hotel in Venice, Pensione Accademia. On Wed, Sept 30 we will rent a car in Venice and drive north through the Dolomites via, Belluno, Castello Pergine (staying overnight at a 13th century castle convereted into a B and B), Trento ...

... in Catskill State Park, nearby, where I joined him after completing an intense and rewarding 3-days at Zen Mountain Monastery. I hope to return in the not too distant future.

Upon re-entry into the world, I sampled the post-hippie offerings of the crowded, little town of Woodstock, and ended the New York jaunt in Kingston, the original capitol of New York (New Netherland, 1777), where we strolled through the old church cemetery.

... the bushes with raspberries. There were apples too, but the day belonged to the former.

Photo's from The Road Less Traveled http://www.artistrising.com/galleries/J oseph_Gillette

... the Civil War."








Next we drove another hour north to visit Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. Here we visited his home and four miles up the road we visited ...

... afternoon wandering around, enjoying the atmosphere and architecture. It has been called "a finest dictionary of American architecture in New York State."and its easy to see why. We took loads of loads of photos… yeh… I know, you’re surprised aren’t you? It was a lazy, sunny afternoon and bemused residents gave us the odd glance as we clicked away. One chap stopped to chat and we discovered that at one time the ...

It's a whirlwind trip ~ & now I know what holidays were like for Mike growing up. Judy's place is modern & homey, and I'm ashamed to say I crashed on the loveseat due to jetlag in the midst of the Burns family get-together : / Still, Judy's a helluva hostess and served up some righteous viddles.

... on Route 9, crossing the Hudson River via the Franklin D. Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge. By now the fog had lifted and the sun had come out but it was still bitterly cold. The KOA is situated just on the edge of Catskill Park, about 10 miles away from Woodstock. On the way there, we debated whether it was the Woodstock. (Neil didn’t reckon it was, but Mel was pretty certain it was and had to find it on Wikipedia later in the day to prove it!)

We arrived at the campsite ...

... the dining hall. I started to feel some fun and satisfaction, helping out too busy counsellors though. It was first session so I didn`t know everyone yet, however people started going out, finding a boyfriend or a gilfriend, or just making friends. I started to dislike Aaron, an Irish guy who nearly made me in tears on a certain day. I really needed to talk then to Simon, but I heard from aaron thatI was not allowed. It was around 9 p.m. and I didn`t know then yet ...