Syracuse

The thing about vacations:  When you have the TIME -- you don't have the MONEY. And, of course -- when you have the MONEY -- you don't have the TIME... So it's pretty darned easy to wake up one morning and realize you haven't had a vacation in a year. Or a decade. Or maybe ever...

To make sure that doesn't happen to me -- I decided to turn everything into a vacation. In the spring, the planning meeting for Sew Expo was a great vacation...I enjoyed touristing around Tacoma/Seattle and had some truly wonderful visits with friends there....

Our annual visit to John's family in Pennsylvania was a vacation -- I always rent a car and plan day trips with friends. Last month -- my trip to Quilt Expo in Wisconsin turned into a vacation -- full of great conversations with friends and some exciting shopping adventures...

So -- you can see that my "vacations" always start with some other agenda...

BUT NOT THIS TIME.....
 
I went to Syracuse for a little road trip with my friend Marion around the Finger Lakes. The sole purpose of the trip was to RELAX and do a little one-on-one catching up.  I've never been to this part of upstate New York. And I could NOT BE HAPPIER...



We started off in the quaint little town of Skaneatales, New York. OH MY...such cute shops. There was a gift shop in a former bank...

Imagine how many yards of fabric it took to make these draperies? I wonder how you'd even sew seams in this much fabric??

Marion did ALL THE PLANNING AND WORK. Oh My Goodness. All I had to do was get myself on the plane. She charted our route, and organized our hotels, she knew where to go, which lakes we should visit...

I'm working on some blog posts -- it is a beautiful part of the world -- all new to me -- and there were lots of delightful surprises. But the BEST thing?? Of course -- that would be spending time with my thoughtful friend. I almost bought the cheesy plaque...the one that said, "A real friend asks how you are -- and then listens to the answer." It was heaven. We both asked....and we both listened.... Thanks for taking the time, Marion...