Herkimer County Fair - The Bomb

In some ways, all county fairs are the same. We went to the Herkimer Fair today. Yup, the carnies were there, the tilt-a-wheel. the stale cotton candy. The livestock competitions featuring reluctant farm animals and exuberant farm children.  We had fun in spite of ourselves.

Last year we had a great day at the Prince Edward Island Fair - which was about 3 times the size of Herkimer.

Today was about 85 degrees and even the carnies were having trouble toughing it out.  Still a blast, even though the kids left yelling that they hadn't had enough fun.

It's A Snap - Take a Picture, Preserve a Memory

Or course, when we pack our bags for the trip to Niagra, we'll grab our cameras. We all like taking pictures. Last fall when we were in Washington DC for Thanksgiving, Lola (our 7 year old) must have taken hundreds of snaps from her car seat. Shots of scenery flashing past. 

I recently ran across this great ad for a Polaroid camera. I loved my Polaroid, back in the day. The immediacy, the smell, the slowly emerging image.  I don't have a Polaroid anymore, but my digital camera swings it for immediacy.

Destination Niagra Falls

 I think we've settled on a vacation destination: the world famous Niagra Falls. I've been charting our course this weekend on Mapquest. From our home in Somerville, Mass, we are approximately 7 hours and 44 minutes of driving time - straight west. That seems doable. Afterall, last summer we drove about 11 hours to get to Prince Edward Island (which was worth every minute of the drive, I must say).






The kids are excited about seeing the Great Falls. Lola, the rising second grader, her response was: "This will be the first falls I've seen as a second grader". Yup, that's true enough.

So I must admit I'm a little daunted by the drive. So I've been researching what is there between here and there. And if anyone has any suggestions, please send them along. Please. And actually if you have suggestions for must do things in Niagra, share with me.

In the meantime, one consolation I have found in my treasure trove of vintage ads, gives me hope that we'll find everyone something to do. It is an ad for New York wines. No problemo.

Hawaii, Here I Come. A Fantasy Vacation Destination

Have you been to Hawaii? Well, come along with me. Its the next destination on my Summer 2011 Fantasy Vacation Itinerary. Take one look at these island ads from the 1960s and you will know why I'm heading off to the beach. I want to be tanned, rested and relaxed.

After all the rain and cold weather we've had of late, I need a total change of pace.  I don't think Pan Am is still flying but I'll get there somehow.  Buy me a ticket to ride.

What to Come on My Fan-vacation?

It's so much more fun to go somewhere. I've decided on a road trip.  You get to see lots of scenery. You can make unscheduled stops. You can pack in foods you like to eat. And if you are having a bad time you can just pick up and go.

So I'm going to travel in style and take my brand new Rambler.  I fell for the sales pitch in the ad, "More go, less dough." What's wrong with that? Rambler Ad

And don't you think traveling down the open road with the top down will be fun.  Now all I have to do is pull out the maps and figure out where to go.  Any suggestions? I'm thinking a trip to Niagara Falls might be nice.  I'll let you know as I start to firm up my plans.

Vacation Thoughts Are Top of Mind

Two years ago I was fixated by planning our family Fan-cation, aka Fantasy Vacation.  After careful planning, we went to a great variety of places - some near, some far: Paris, Monaco, Bali, Wyoming, Colorado, Rhode Island and Maine.

I recommend this type of holiday; its low cost, but exciting.  We didn't really sample any new cuisine. We didn't find any good souvenirs we wanted to bring home.  But that's okay, they would just have cluttered up the house anyway.

I found this great map in an old Greyhound Bus ad, which reminds me that there are still many places to see and reminds me of all the places we still need to visit: Golden Gate Bridge, Liberty Bell.

Where would you go on your Fan-vacation?

Baltimore - Go See the Trains

Last week, we spent a night in Baltimore on our way to Thanksgiving. We hopped on one of the free tour buses and had a nice ride through downtown. But the highlight of our trip was the wonderful B&O Train Museum. The birthplace of American Railroading, they call themselves. And I must say, they have an impressive collection of beautiful railway cars, locomotives, and some surprising vehicles that ride on the rails. We were charmed and impressed.

Life takes a Holiday - Just back from PEI

So, is wan't all fantasy vacation for me this year. We did manage to eke out 10 days away.  And oh what a wonderful 10 days it was. We headed north by car from Boston to Prince Edward Island. For those who've never been there, it is worth the trip. That is especially true if you like things nice and peaceful.  The island takes you back in time and takes your blood pressure down a few notches - actually quite a few notches.

The beaches we visited had lovely red sand. We spent many hours collecting things along the beach: shells, sea glass, rocks.  I think that the sea detritus was the best souvenir we brought back, if truth be told.

So summer is over, and now we get back to the day-to-day grind that is life. Ah, at least we had PEI this summer.

Summer Smiles

Just returned from a glorious rest on the North Shore of Boston. The kids really loved being near the ocean. We swam, climbed on the rocks at Hallibut Point and collected shells along the beach (some shells were designated for personal collections and some for family collections.)

I love the tide pools at Hallibut Point. I took some cool photos. One photo reminded me of a print I recently purchased from a lovely artist on etsy: kipi.etsy.com.