Road to Joy

BFFs. #kittylove #cat #cats #kitty #kitties #meow #purr...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:05:04 -0400

BFFs. #kittylove #cat #cats #kitty #kitties #meow #purr #Instagram #Normal #Lux (at Orvilton Park)

Day 2 in Acadia. (Popovers, please.) Chris and I awoke on...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 22:22:00 -0400

The Bubbles from the south shore of Jordan Pond.

Chris at Jordan Pound.

Jess outside the Jordan Pond House.

Chris dives into his lobster stew.

Jordan Pond House.

Strawberry lemonade, sweetened to taste.

A popover with butter and strawberry jam.

Tomato bisque.

Day 2 in Acadia. (Popovers, please.)

Chris and I awoke on Monday - at drastically different times, mind you, given his 3:30am alarm to catch Maine’s early sunrises - to overcast skies. We knew this was a strong possibility, so we had planned accordingly.

I started my day with some work early in the morning, than headed off in the mid-morning to a 90-minute massage at Massage Bar Harbor. The massage therapist, Nikki Look, was wonderful; I’m not surprised that she’s Bar Harbor’s top-rated therapist on TripAdvisor and Yelp. I left feeling thoroughly refreshed and with none of the tightness that had been plaguing my upper shoulders and back in recent weeks (if not months).

After I cleaned up, Chris and I headed to Jordan Pond for a late lunch. The Jordan Pond House Restaurant is a must-visit for anyone coming to Acadia. It was established in the 1870s to cater to the increasing number of tourists to Mount Desert Island. Around the time of Acadia’s entry into the national park system, Jordan Pond House was purchased by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., one of Acadia’s great preservationists, and donated to the National Park Service to ensure its continued operation. It has operated on a seasonal basis nearly continuously since its opening, save for a fire in 1979.

It’s easy to see the appeal of Jordan Pond House: the restaurant serves afternoon tea, lunch, and dinner in a scenic setting overlooking Jordan Pond and the Bubbles. Perhaps the most notable menu item is the popover: a light and fluffy baked treat, shaped like a tall muffin but hollow, all the better to hold plenty of butter and strawberry jam. Indeed, the popovers seem to be a focal point of the menu - afternoon tea with popovers, soup with popovers, popovers à la mode - although the remaining offerings are quite extensive.

Chris and I have visited Jordan Pond for lunch on each of our three trips to Acadia, and I think we’ve ordered the exact same thing every time. (Why mess with a good thing?) He gets the lobster stew and I opt for the tomato bisque; each is served with two piping-hot popovers. Since we were eating on the late side, we each ordered a bowl of soup rather than a cup, and our meals were just as delicious as we remembered. Although I had arrived at Jordan Pone intending to save room for dessert, I was far too stuffed to do so.

That blueberry crisp à la mode will have to wait until next time.

Massage Bar Harbor is located at 60 Cottage Street and onilne at massagebarharbor.com. Jordan Pond House Restaurant is situated on the western part of Acadia National Park’s Park Loop Road; read more about its history at thejordanpondhouse.com.

First three photos taken using a Nikon 1 J3. Fourth photo taken using an iPhone. Bottom four photos taken using Hipstamatic, Loftus lens, DC film, no flash.

Side Street Cafe. During our last trip to Acadia in October...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:15:36 -0400

Happy to return to Side Street Cafe!

Foursquare never lies.

Chris kicks back with a Switchback Ale.

Artwork at Side Street.

Cranberry and club soda in Side Street's signature wide-mouth Ball jars.

Simple Nachos.

Clam chowder.

Mini burger and salad.

Side Street Cafe.

During our last trip to Acadia in October 2010, Chris and I discovered Side Street Cafe, a cute café in downtown Bar Harbor. The decor was bright and cheery, the service very friendly, and it seemed to be a perfect place for a casual dinner. The only unfortunate thing about our meal is that it came on the last night of our trip, so we couldn’t bring home our ample leftovers. (Chris had ordered the lobster mac-and-cheese, a bowl full of cheesy lobstery goodness, and there was plenty left over.)

This year, we decided to visit Side Street at the start of our vacation. We found that the café had expanded considerably, adding additional tables within the dining room and a front porch for dining al fresco. The menu was larger, too, offering a broader array of appetizers, burgers and sandwiches, entreés, and an entire section of Maine lobster items. Luckily, the make-your-own mac-and-cheese menu was still present as well. One particularly nice addition was that several items came in more than one portion size.

Chris started with a half order of the Simple Nachos, featuring corn chips, melted cheese, and healthy dollops of homemade pico de gallo and sour cream on the side. I opted for a cup of the clam chowder. For our main courses, Chris ordered a half portion of the lobster mac-and-cheese while I selected the mini burger and salad combo, with a Southwest style burger (Cajun seasoning, cheddar cheese, guacamole, and [very potent] fresh jalapeños) and garden salad.

Our meal was delicious, but we were struck by more than the food at Side Street. The establishment is a gathering spot for locals - always a good sign if you’re a visitor. Additionally, the owners Jena and Jeff Young appear to be quite engaged within the Bar Harbor community, lending their time and talent to various philanthropic causes.

Now that’s a restaurant that I’ll gladly support.

Visit Side Street Cafe at 49 Rodick Street in Bar Harbor or online at sidestreetbarharbor.com.

Top photo taken using Instagram, Mayfair filter. Second row photos taken using iPhone. Bottom four photos taken using Hipstamatic, Loftus lens, DC film, no flash.

Day 1 in Acadia. After a long day of driving from Syracuse to...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 19:43:00 -0400

National Park Service emblem atop Hulls Cove Visitor Center entranceway.

A future Acadia Junior Ranger in the making?

Chris misunderstands Jess' direction to stand by the trailhead.

Life springs anew along the Jesup Trail.

Ferns along the Jesup Trail.

The Jesup Trail bouncer.

Green trees against blue sky.

Green meadow along Jesup Trail.

Day 1 in Acadia.

After a long day of driving from Syracuse to Bar Harbor on Saturday, Chris and I decided to stretch our legs during our first full day in Acadia National Park. Following a stop at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center to purchase our park pass for the week (and perhaps just a few souvenirs), we were off to the Jesup Trail and Sieur de Monts Spring.

Sieur de Monts Spring is widely considered to symbolize the heart of Acadia National Park. It honors George Dorr, a private industrialist instrumental in the protection and preservation of Mount Desert Island. In the early 1900s, concerned about the island’s rapid development, Dorr and others purchased large tracts of land for use by the public, and Dorr actively advocated for the creation of a national park. President Woodrow Wilson first established Sieur de Monts National Monument in 1916, and a few years later in 1919 Lafayette National Park became the first national park east of the Mississippi River. (It was later renamed to Acadia National Park in 1929.) George Dorr was appointed as the park’s first superintendent.

Dorr built an usual building at Sieur de Monts Spring, an octagonal springhouse, to honor the history of Mount Desert Island. (Do I have a photo of that? Of course not. [Hits head.]) Also nearby is the Sieur de Monts Nature Center with exhibits on the area’s history, flora, and fauna and a National Park Service ranger on duty to answer questions.

The Jesup Trail trailhead is located on Park Loop Road near the beginning of the one-way section of the road. Sieur de Monts Spring is reached via an easy 0.8 mile walk from the trailhead along a dirt path and wooden boardwalk. The Sieur De Monts Spring site is also easily accessible from a parking area on Acadia’s Park Loop Road.

All photos taken using a Nikon 1 J3.

This morning Chris and I made our first breakfast outing to...

Sun, 26 May 2013 12:56:00 -0400

Minty mocha.

Breakfast burrito, with lots of modifications.

Bella's, in May 2012.

The mayor is back in the house.

This morning Chris and I made our first breakfast outing to Bella’s of the summer 2013 season.

On the menu: a Minty Mocha followed by a Breakfast Burrito. I made several special requests while ordering the latter: 86 the potatoes, add ham, no sour cream, double salsa. (High maintenance much?) My burrito was delivered precisely as ordered and was delicious. Even without the potatoes, the burrito is very generously sized; half went home with me for lunch.

Alas, I discovered Bella’s no longer carries their popular cinnamon sticks. They were one of the few things not baked in-house and their supplier recently discontinued them. Bella’s bake staff will soon be trying to recreate the sweet treat, so stay tuned!

Visit Bella’s in Clayton at 602 Riverside Drive. You can find Bella’s on Twitter at @BellasClaytonNY.

All images except bottom right taken using Hipstamatic (Loftus Lens, DC Film, No Flash).

First River mocha of the season. #DecaffeinateLocal #Clayton...

Sat, 25 May 2013 14:47:42 -0400

First River mocha of the season. #DecaffeinateLocal #Clayton #1000Islands #ThousandIslands (at Lyric Coffee House & Bistro)

#iQ = #iSleepy. @Starbucks #Via to the rescue. (at iSchool...

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:52:32 -0400

#iQ = #iSleepy. @Starbucks #Via to the rescue. (at iSchool (Hinds Hall))

Anything for a drink of water. #cat #kitty #meow #Tinker...

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:03:59 -0400

Anything for a drink of water. #cat #kitty #meow #Tinker #CatsOfInstagram (at Orvilton Park)

Spring cleaning and makeover.

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:28:00 -0400

Spring: that time of year when flowers bloom, birds chirp, and households are turned upside down with that annual ritual known as spring cleaning. One recent Saturday, I caught that bug while perusing the bathroom built-in shelving, a three-shelf storage area partially hidden behind the door.

In one quick moment I flashed back to four springs ago, when my husband Chris and I bought our home and I pledged to “do something” to the shelving area, with its chipping white paint revealing a coat of yellow underneath. Perhaps I could find some chic shelf liner paper, I had thought. Or, maybe I could line the shelves with scrapbook paper covered in clear contact paper. And, perhaps I could paint the interior walls with a tint of robin’s egg blue. However, the reality of move-in day swept away those fanciful notions.

At least for four years, that is. Figuring that no time was like the present, I decided to tackle the project.

In a move that would be considered logical for most - I’m often tempted by the fun at the expense of the necessary - I started by removing all of our toiletry and bathroom cleaning items from the built-in cabinets and thoroughly scrubbing down the shelves and walls. While the built-ins dried, I headed off to Home Depot, a place in which I truly like a fish out of water.

After locating the shelf, drawer, and cabinet lining options (hint: they’re in the cabinet department), I only found a few patterns and colors from which to choose. Needless to say, I was disappointed and was worried that my makeover might go bust before it had even begun. However, when retracing my steps back to the front of the store, I came across some nifty 12” square mesh-mounted sheets of blue-hued glass tiles that I thought would do the trick. I grabbed several sheets, along with some fresh paint brushes, and headed home. (Note that Home Depot carries a larger selection of drawer, shelf, and cabinet lining materials on their website. If you’re wedded to this option, I’d recommend you check out their online selection before heading to your local store.)

Once back at our house, I touched up the shelves as needed with white paint we already had on hand. This did wonders to freshen up the shelves, even in places where the yellow paint wasn’t showing through.

After the paint had had plenty of time to dry, I laid out the mesh and tile sheets on the shelves. Each shelf took about two and three-quarters sheets; depending on the individual shelf, an extra one-tile-wide strip was added to the shelf width or depth to cover the shelf as completely as possible. The small size of the tiles (approximately 1” square) allowed me to cut the mesh fairly precisely so that the square tiles accommodated the geometry of the built-in cabinets.

Finally, I made a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond to browse their storage and organization ideas. My dark brown wicker storage baskets were looking shabby after nearly 17 years (yes, I counted), and I was hoping to find another option that better suited the blue-and-white color palette of the tiles. In the kitchen storage department, I discovered a line of bamboo drawer organizers to keep similar items together and contain inevitable spillage and mess. (After all, I am known as the queen of drops and spills.) In the same area, I also found a silver wire two-tier sliding basket organizer that would allow for ready access to my hair products and cosmetic items. Even better, each drawer was large enough to hold several of the bamboo organizers.

Once home, I arranged Chris’ and my items in the bamboo organizers and sliding baskets, placed the sliding baskets in the cabinets, and stood back to admire my makeover. I love the facelift our built-ins have received, and the fact that I did it myself!

(Even better, my morning routine has become much more streamlined now that my items are organized so discretely - hair items in the top bin, and moisturizers, face, and eye items in three separate bamboo organizers in the bottom bin.)

Voilà! - here’s the after.

Total project cost, excluding tax: $120.40.

$39.92 for eight 12” square sheets of glass tiles ($4.99 each at Home Depot)
$13.97 for a set of three paintbrushes (Home Depot)
$33.11 for two two-tier sliding basket organizers (with coupons; regular price $19.99 each at Bed Bath & Beyond)
$33.40 for seven 6”x9” (1) and 6”x3” (6) bamboo organizers (with coupons; regular price $6.99 and $4.99 totaling $36.93 at Bed Bath & Beyond)

The selfishness of altruism.

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:08:00 -0400

This past Sunday, New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Nicholas Kristof delivered Syracuse University’s 2013 Commencement Address. I was lucky enough to hear him as the 2011 Junior League Annual Conference keynote speaker almost exactly two years ago. (Really. Nearly to the day.)

(I realize I’ve previously written about some of Mr. Kristof’s central messages - whether embedded in select Times columns or in other universities’ and colleges’ commencement addresses before, for both my own blog and that of the Junior League of Syracuse - so, please, forgive the repetition.)

After reading the transcript of the address, I was struck by the similarity to what I recalled hearing in Philadephia two years ago. Sure, the stories and vignettes were different, but the fundamental messages were the same. So what did Mr. Kristof relay to SU gradates?

“Talent is universal and opportunity is not.” Coincidentally, my husband Chris and I were talking about this very thing Sunday morning, just a few hours before Mr. Kristof gave his speech. Our country is the land of opportunity. In the words of Mr. Kristof, “…we have all benefited from opportunities that others extended to us.” We all have a responsibility to pay it forward, some way, somehow.

This could come in the form of making a financial contribution to a not-for-profit organization; volunteering at a local food pantry, shelter (human or animal, take your pick), or <insert your favorite social/educational/faith-based charity of choice here>; or helping a neighbor in need. The “what” and “how” aren’t as important as simply contributing to something larger than yourself.

See, here’s the thing. By helping others, you help yourself. Mr. Kristof calls this the “selfishness of altuism.” Yes, you read correctly: “selfishness,” not “selflessness.”

Because as Mr. Kristof says, “The blunt truth is that all our efforts to help other people have a pretty mixed record of success. But they have this almost perfect record of helping ourselves.“ There have even been studies supporting the linkages between generosity and social engagement with emotional and physical health.

Do something. Help others. Help yourself.

You can read the full transcript of Nicholas Kristof’s address to SU graduates here, and watch the video here.

“Help Wanted” image from Flickr user Thewmatt.

It’s springtime at @SyracuseU! #finally #nofinally (at...

Wed, 01 May 2013 08:30:23 -0400

It’s springtime at @SyracuseU! #finally #nofinally (at Syracuse University)

#GoOrange #BeatMarquette #Cuse (at Salon 100)

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 09:18:21 -0400

#GoOrange #BeatMarquette #Cuse (at Salon 100)

Tinker, basking in the winter sun. #cat #kitty #meow...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 15:07:44 -0400

Tinker, basking in the winter sun. #cat #kitty #meow #CatsOfInstagram #nofilter (at Orvilton Park)

May the luck o’ the Irish be with you. Happy St....

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 11:28:13 -0400

May the luck o’ the Irish be with you. Happy St. Patty’s Day! (at Kitty Hoynes)

Miles in slumber. #cat #kitty #MeowForAmy #CatsOfInstagram (at...

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:00:24 -0400

Miles in slumber. #cat #kitty #MeowForAmy #CatsOfInstagram (at Orvilton Park)

Plumb worn out. #cat #kitty (at Orvilton Park)

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 13:34:14 -0400

Plumb worn out. #cat #kitty (at Orvilton Park)

Almost home. #united #rising #IADtoSYR #nofilter (at Washington...

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:00:32 -0500

Almost home. #united #rising #IADtoSYR #nofilter (at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD))

Teal toes! #sun #sand #cruise #family #lifeisgood (at Playa Mia...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:29:02 -0500

Teal toes! #sun #sand #cruise #family #lifeisgood (at Playa Mia Grand Beach Park®)

Beach still life. #sun #sand #cruise #family #lifeisgood (at...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:49:54 -0500

Beach still life. #sun #sand #cruise #family #lifeisgood (at Playa Mia Grand Beach Park®)

Our bird from EWR to FLL. #united #rising #cruise #holla (at...

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:59:34 -0500

Our bird from EWR to FLL. #united #rising #cruise #holla (at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR))