Then We Took a Boat

That was AFTER the train ride described in the previous post.
And, we had lots of company, several hundred in fact and most of then (including ourselves) got wet — VERY wet on the 30-minute Maid of the Mist tour of Niagara Falls. It's the most famous attraction other than the Falls, of course.

The Maid of the Mist operates from late spring to late October annually. The 80-feet long boats can hold over 500 passengers and have two 350-horsepower engines that carry the vessels against the powerful current. A recyclable souvenir raincoat is provided with the cost of admission as protection against the mist and spray.  But, if you want to experience the full enjoyment of this ride and stand along the outside railing, you will get wet anyway.

The tour boats are named Maid of the Mist, followed by a different Roman numeral (the most recent one is VII). The boat starts off at a calm part of the Niagara River, near the Rainbow Bridge. Its route takes it past the American and Bridal Veil Falls, then into the dense mist of spray inside the basin of the Horseshoe Falls or Canadian Falls. The tour is accessible from either the Canadian or American side of the river.

It's one of North America’s oldest tourist attraction. The first Maid of the Mist was launched in May 1846 as a ferry service between the Canadian and American sides, pre-dating by two years the construction of the first Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge at the site. The ferry service business declined when the bridge opened as people crossed the Niagara River using the bridge instead of the ferry. By 1854, it was a tourist sightseeing attraction.The original coal-fired, wooden boat was replaced by the steel, diesel-powered ships. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world take this tour each year.

And now Grenville and I can be included in that count (this was our first trip to Niagara Falls). Grenville was really much more excited than he looks !

Just wondering — have YOU ever visited Niagara Falls ?

We Took the Early Train

Yes, we DID take a (very) early train ride this week — one that started at 4:50 a.m. and ended at 4:35 p.m.

That was NOT a typo, folks — this ride lasted 11+ hours starting at Wilmington, Delaware, changing trains in NYC and arriving in Niagara Falls, NY.

And, there were not too many other folks at the station at that time, In fact, we got there BEFORE it even opened at 4 a.m.

Crazy, while maybe not so much as the ride we took BEFORE arriving at this Amtrak station — over 3 hours  which is the closest to our VA eastern shore home. 

This was the longest train ride either of us have been on — and what's more we get to REPEAT it on the return trip, but that comes later. In between, we are definitely on a(mother) road trip and unlike most of the ones we've taken this year, this one does not include any family visits for holidays, birthdays, graduations. THIS trip is a belated anniversary vacation to ourselves.

What's not to enjoy about a train ride when you can look out the window and see an early morning scene like these — fog rolling in over the Palisades Cliffs in our home state of NJ. IT sort of made us feel a bit sorry for all other folks, some of who were waiting at stations to get to jobs. Of course, others were traveling like ourselves.

Grenville and I were definitely on an adventure thanks to fellow blogger, Linda Gross (daysremembered.wordpress.com) who posted about several recent trips to Niagara Falls, a place we'd never visited. As for the train travels, in case you haven't been reading this blog, Grenville is a HUGE train fan. Once he found out we could ride the rails there, reservations were made.

Personally, I had a great time photographing so many sites along the way from rear window views of rail yards to trains and colorful freight cars . . .

Fall colors were already on display in some upstate NY areas we passed . . .

We passed farmlands  . . .

As well as so many old buildings and newer ones too . . .

The trip was long, but would have been an even longer drive. This trip was one in which we wanted to relax and enjoy ourselves — and we did. Over the next few days, we'll be seeing all the Niagara Falls sights, including a Maid of the Mist boat trip — of course, we'll be taking all of you along AND you won't get as wet.

And, there's even MORE travels to come after this part of our road trip is completed, eh (that was a hint) with apologies to some fellow bloggers who already know where we're going.

FYI — this post was created using MarsEdit (offline blog editor for Macs0 which doesn't allow photos to be enlarged when clicked, unlike posts created using Blogger or Live Writer (PCs only). Blogger is so erratic and quirky at times (an understatement) that any other editor is preferred when we're on the road.

These photos shown were taken with the pocket-sized Canon digital Elph, not the recently purchased Nikon P510. Photos with that camera will be highlighted in upcoming posts.

Shore It's a Bird

After volunteering for a beach cleanup at Assateague Island over the weekend, we went to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge to experiment with our recent camera purchases.

These images were taken with the new camera, a Nikon CoolPix P510.

The Snowy Egret is among the most elegant of the herons. Its immaculate white plumage is accented with black legs and brilliant yellow feet. Snowy Egrets wade in shallow water to spear fish and other small aquatic animals. Sometimes they adopt a sit-and-wait technique to capture their food, but usually are very much animated, running back and forth through the water chasing their prey.

 

The Lesser Yellowlegs is a slender, long-legged shorebird that readily shows off the brightly colored legs that give it its name. It is an active feeder, often running through the shallow water to chase its prey.

 

Dowitchers are termed short-billed and long-billed and are most often seen during migration. I'm not sure if this one was short or long-billed.

The Willet one of the most conspicuous large shorebirds.  In summer, Willets are mottled gray, brown, and black; in winter they are a more consistent plain gray. This large group was stationary the whole time we observed them.



Oystercatchers appeared in a large group and skimmed the water looking for a meal, preferably oysters. The American Oystercatcher is a flashy bird. Its size, striking plumage, and large red bill make it particularly recognizable, especially compared to the subtle, well-camouflaged plumages of most shorebirds.

 

We saw several more species during our visit — enough for another post.

Basil-Lemon Chicken

This is an easy dinner anytime of year, especially when the grill is still in use, which is just about all year at The Frog & PenguINN.

The ingredients list includes items you might already have available in the pantry, fridge or garden (fresh basil).

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 C lemon juice or 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 1/2 C fresh basil
• 1 clove garlic, chopped or squeezed through garlic press
• ½ cup olive oil
• Kosher or sea salt 
• Ground black pepper

1. Combine lemon juice (and zest if using) in a bowl. Whisk in olive oil and add  of garlic. Stack, roll and slice thin ribbons of basil and add to the mixture. Season chicken breasts with 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp  black pepper.
2. Reserve a quarter cup of marinade before adding chicken breasts in; turn to coat. Refrigerate and marinate for up to 1 hour.
3. Remove chicken from fridge while grill heats up to medium-medium/high heat. Grill chicken for 4-6 minutes before turning and basting grilled side with reserved marinade. Continue to cook for 4-6 more minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

Remove the chicken and let it rest for 5 minutes, then serve with a side of your choice and enjoy. Our side dish was a tomato salad with peppers, onions, and fresh bail.



  Did I mention HOW easy this meal was to prepare ?

Beach Day

That’s what we had this past Saturday — but not just ANY beach day.

We volunteered for the annual Assateague Beach Cleanup held at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).

For nearly 3 hours, we enjoyed a beautiful day picking up things that shouldn’t be on the beach. Collected items included: balloons, plastic bottles, cans, rope, snack bags, straws, shoes, sandals, sunglasses, light bulb, and beach toys. Larger items like tires and wood were picked up separately by NWR personnel.

Volunteers were assigned an area and then driven to the area in a pickup truck.

The annual beach cleanup is part of the International Coastal Cleanup sponsored by The Ocean Conservancy and Virginia Clean Waterways.We were the only ones on this part of the beach, which normally doesn’t have many beachgoers as it’s somewhat remote from the nearest parking area.  This was a shell collectors paradise with assorted sizes and shapes.And these arranged in a heart shape with initials “TC” and “NC” . . .Other finds included numerous horseshoe crabs, turtle shell, flipper bone, dolphin skull and remains of a sea gull.All of these are not to be removed from the beach as they are considered natural occurrences. It’s always OK to collect shells and sea glass, which is harder to find sometimes.Even though the volunteer turnout was sparse, we had a great day — and seagulls were the only other beach walkers.As NJ natives, our thoughts were with those impacted by last week’s massive fire on the Seaside Park and Seaside Heights NJ boardwalk.

Friday Funnies

Some people travel with a hot tub . . .Others had a hot seat . . .You NEVER know what you’ll see when travelling.

Mom's 91st Celebration

That’s what this Sept 9 was for my mom; also the reason for our weekend road trip. We visited with daughter and son-in-law in PA before heading to Plainfield, NJ, my hometown. Mom still lives in her own house with daily assistance.

Some photos from her  90th party last year. My brother (shown in the center photo) visited before we arrived, and had to return to painting his house. Also shown are myself (Dorothy/Beatrice), Patrick (Grenville) and granddaughters (Julie and Jamie).

This year’s celebration was very low-key. A family friend visited and her nephew delivered a very edible arrangement. What’s NOT to like about fresh fruit — dipped in chocolate !

Rick and I share the same Feb birthday and may co-celebrate this year; we’re both reaching milestones.

Just remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed.
Charles Schultz

Remembering 12 Years After

Today is a special day in the minds and hearts of many in the U.S. and those in other countries who lost loved ones in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in NYC, PA and Washington, DC. 

As NJ natives, we vividly recall the terrorist attacks that toppled the Twin Towers claiming over 2,700 lives. Pat (Grenville) is a former NJ firefighter and mourns over 350 brother firefighters who also died.
Sept. 11, 2001 was the first day of my “retirement” after being down-sized (laid-off). I received a call from a friend who told me to turn on the TV’ It was on non-stop for over 48 hours.

Bad things do happen in the world, like war, natural disasters, disease. But out of those situations always arise stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Daryn Kagan, CNN broadcast journalist

Do you recall what you were doing that day ?

All's Faire

At the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire that is. This was an event we had long thought of attending, but the timing never worked out until this weekend on a road trip to visit family in PA and NJ.

This year (2013) marks the 33rd year for this themed event which occurs over 12 weekends from early August through late October on the grounds of the Mount Hope Estate and Winery in Manheim, PA. 

The Mount Hope estate was sold in 1980 and converted to a winery which then hosted a two-day jousting festival called the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire held in the winery parking lot. The event proved so popular that it was expanded in successive years. 

By 2009, the Faire became an annual event held on a 35-acre site with 90 shows performed daily on 12 stages, hundreds of costumed performers, and a recreation of a 16th century English village with authentic styled Tudor buildings.

Musical performances, Shakespearean plays and other acts are offered. Also, nearly two dozen "Royal Kitchens" serve food and drink and "Renaissance" merchants provide goods on site for a price of course. 

While the adult Faire admission is a bit steep at $29.95 (seniors get a $5 discount) there are numerous events to see throughout the grounds at no additional cost, featuring jesters, jousts, acrobats, magicians, musical performances, and a human chess match. In addition, discount days are offered through the run of the Faire.

 

Our favorite event was The Mud Show which featured three talented and very funny entertainers. Folks sitting in the front rows did get splattered.

There are dozens of costumed characters ranging from English noblemen and ladies to Queen Elizabeth the First and her royal court walking everywhere.

Everywhere you walk,you will see performers in period costumes. Also, many attendees go to the faire wearing their own creative (and unusual) costumes.

We spent a little over 6 hours here and could easily have stayed longer to catch more performances, but ran out of time before meeting family members for dinner.