A Desert Hike, with Sharp Things!

We found ourselves on I-10, tired and done with the bleak scenery.  Opting to not stay at rest stop along the highway, we pulled over at a state park.  Picacho Peak State Park, to be more specific.  Located between Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona.  We liked it so much that we stayed 2 nights.

It is a beautiful park, free from the light pollution of the 2 cities.  The stars were incredible!  So was the unpredictable weather; high winds and rain over night.

The park boasts of great views along its hiking trails.  So we ventured out on Sunday to climb the trail, to where you need ropes and gloves to climb higher.  About 6 miles of hiking in total.  The weather stayed clear and cool for the hike, just perfect.

Here are some photos of the hike.  We climbed about 2500 ft over the course of the 3 miles, towards the peak.

All things OUCH

One doesn't like heights, one doesn't mind the space

The Tata Cactus

Love Lost

http://azstateparks.com/Parks/PIPE/index.html

The Winter Wonderland of the Desert

I thought that I'd have to give up snow this winter, or at least seeing it on the ground, while we are in the south.  Christmas came and went, green with varying shades of dry grass.  We spent the holiday in Houston (a huge "Thank You" to Jackey for taking in our nomadic gypsy family!)  And although the weather gave us a storm, sadly there was no snow, tornados though were part of the day's festivities.  Dallas, 3.5 hours north of Houston received 3" of snow.  *sigh*

Frosted Desert Foliage

The changes of the seasons seems to me a very Canadian thing.  We change over our closets and tires to accommodate the snows arrival and departure.  The seasons help transition the year.  I couldn't imagine living in a set climate without the rise and fall of temperatures.  Dull, taupe/yellow, burnt out grass will never say, "Hello Winter", to me.  I like the cold; when there is snow.  But cold just on its own, I'm not a fan.

After Christmas we started our drive west, through the Texas desert.  And guess what?!?!?!?!

SNOW!!!!!

Texas Cowboy playing in the snow with his kids.

Windshield views.

The side of the highway had snowmen greeting us as the miles passed by, the rest stops had families playing in the snow for what looked like the first time, the branches of the trees were heavy with frost and I finally felt like winter had arrived.

New Mexico welcomes us!

We didn't stay long with the snow though, we are not winterized and know too well the expense of burst water line pipes.

Now that I've seen snow I feel ready for the spring.  But that could be because we are now in the sun and warmth of Tucson and within an 8 hour drive of the California coast.

Teaneck and the Coffee Shop

Teaneck, New Jersey; a little village just a half hour outside of New York City.

We arrived in Teaneck (I'm still trying to figure out what a "teaneck" is) on a beautiful sunny day.  The sky was blue, there was a light breeze and the birds were singing.  The only thing that would make this day, and town, better is if they had a little one of a kind coffee shop.  Just as I thought this we stumbled upon BLAST.

Across the front of the little shop the words ART, COFFEE, TEA & FOOD, caught our attention.  And once we looked inside, we had already fallen in love with BLAST...and then the coffee!
On one wall they had a local artist's work on consignment (which looked so cool!) and the other walls had their own quirky vibe with other pieces of art; paintings, drawings and nic-nacks to buy.

We bought our coffee and spent most of our time chatting with the very friendly and enthusiastic staff.  The coffee was AMAZING!!  All of their coffee is fresh ground and individual cup brewed.  All of their coffee is also organic and fair trade.

Once I sat down, I was happy to find sketchbooks on the table that anyone could draw in while drinking their coffee.

BLAST has a great environment and amazing coffee!  I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

BlastGallery.com

~M

**They also have Gluten Free cookies from a local NJ bakery, Get Fresh Bakehouse.  GF Hot Oatmeal and all of their sandwiches can be done on GF bread, for only $1 more!

http://www.blastgallery.com/

Something "New"...That is Jersey and York

Arriving in Jersey

Specifically, Highland, NJ.  Located on the banks of the ocean.  Set for a weekend visit with our relocated Louisiana friends.  We had time to fish, catch ocean crabs and sit out on the dock with a great night view of Manhattan and the Verrazano Bridge.  Zach caught and cooked dinner, 2 crabs.  We also had a day at Sandy Hook Park, sunning and playing in the ocean.  The walk out to the beach was brutal!  Hot sand, hot sun and a heavy picnic load, but once at the beach it turned into a perfect day.

Corning Glass

Waiting for Maddi and Zach in New Jersey were their glass pendants.  They made them at the Corning Museum of Glass.  It is a great place to tour and take in a class.  Located in picturesque Corning, New York; with convenient RV parking provided.  The cost of the museum is free to kids under 19 and $15 for adults (*for an additional $5 you can also tour the Rockwell Museum down the street).  CMoG offers glass workshops: kiln work, flame work, glassblowing, glass painting, enamel, engraving, etching and stain glass.  Workshops costs start at $19.  The kids opted for a flame work class, and they each made a tri-color pendant.  The workshop was first thing in the morning and we toured the museum in the afternoon.  Attending the workshop enhanced their perspective on the rest of the museum.

Set complete with circumcising Mohel

http://www.cmog.org/


6 miles: WTC to Central Park
~People~Places~Shops~

We stayed at the Liberty RV Park, Jersey City.  Lady Liberty, herself was in plain view.  It actually was a little uneventful seeing her like that.  So unexpected, and for the first time.  Maybe you feel something different standing at the base of her, or coming in from the water.
The location of the RV park is at the bottom of Marin Blvd, right beside the water.  This section of Jersey City is clean and feels relatively safe.  Park wise it was a squished gravel lot.  We were really careful putting the slide out out, so not to hit the neighbour.  It is a great location though; to be able to be in Manhattan within 15 minutes.  It's a close 5 blocks to the PATH train, that takes us to either the World Trade Center or 33rd Street.  The park is 15 blocks from my friend, Nathalie (and her beautiful family). Nathalie and I made the most of the close proximity by visiting every day.

~On our day in the city, the kids and I took the PATH train from Exchange Place, NJ to WTC, NY.  The new trade center is impressive in the sunlight, with its multi angled window surface and viewing it at night being lit from inside.  (*We had a beautiful view of the WTC and Manhattan from the 24th floor in Jersey City.)  We walked the 6 miles between the WTC to Central Park, stopping along the way for snacks and free facials at Lush.  We took our time really enjoying the city and the little villages within.

On two of our evenings while staying on the Jersey side we had a chance to catch up with old friends; Nathalie, David & Anneliese.  And Rich, Christine, Haley & Hunter.  For Zach's birthday (back in July) he asked for a Muppet.  The only place to get one made and designed by you is in New York City.  Mike took his time building Sid.  **I think Sid looks a little like Mike Knott** As it turns out, Haley and Hunter are Muppet fans also.  So the whole gang posed for a photo.

**I have gained a new understanding for navigating New York.  Know that everyone is vying for the same piece of sidewalk and just keep walking.  It's best experienced on foot in comfortable shoes.  And most important, always watch for the yellow devils.**

Art & A New York Style Birthday

In the afternoon, Maddi, Zach and I took the subway to Brooklyn.  We had to see Maddi's sketchbook at the Brooklyn Art Library.  The 3 of us received a library card and started checking out books; sketchbooks, sent in from all over the world.  The first book we checked out was Maddi's, of course.  We found out that Maddi's is not on the current tour because she is part of the Limited Edition, and will be in the published volume of 2012 Sketchbooks, printed this fall.

Maddi has started her 2013 sketchbook, although she is only allowing us to view the covers for now.  We'll keep you posted on the progress of the Limited Edition book and this years sketchbook submission.
You can check out her 2012 book with the following link, search under her full name.

http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject

Once we were back on the island of Manhattan we walked from Union Square in Gramercy to Quintessence, in the East Village.  My birthday dinner.  The restaurant had seating for only 18 people.  A really tiny place, good atmosphere though.  And of course the food...raw, organic and YUMMY!!  The best way to try out a new restaurant is to agree ahead of time that it's okay to grab a bite from someone else's plate.  We shared the appeitizer of spicy tomato-cilantro salsa & guacamole with raw corn chips & flax crackers, and we each ordered a different entree: raw pizza, sun dried tomato basil ravioli & squash pasta, and shared the dessert sampler of tiramisu, coconut creme pie, chocolate pudding cake & pecan pie.  Tasty food, but plan to go before the dinner rush or make a reservation.  **Sorry no photos...we were too busy enjoying the food!

www.raw-q.com

My birthday celebrations seemed to continue for the rest of the weekend as we found ourselves visiting the PEZ factory and in Mystic, Connecticut and in front of Mystic Pizza, the location of a movie from my childhood.

**A special thank you to all my friends & family who have inspiried, encouraged, challenged and guided me through the last 35 years.  If I've done what you wanted, pat yourself on the back.  If I've done something you didn't agree with, know that I heard you, I just choose my own path.  And if there is something that you would like to change about me, know that I might be this way because of you...and it's all your fault! Haha**

Goodbye 34

The PEZ factory

Mystic Pizza

Gettysburg & The Capital

The Washington, DC area is a good place to take in a huge amount history, culture and walking.  With almost every museum and monument in 'The Mall' having no fee entry and free wifi, it can be done with very little cash out of pocket.  Bring your water bottle, pack a lunch (the cafeterias will gouge you big time for food and drinks) and if you park in one of the 3 Hour Free spots; making sure to return to your car/rv before the time expires!  Yes...the most expensive part of being in Washington was the $40 parking ticket.  Not even our overnight parking expenses came close to that!  For overnight we stayed at the Greenbelt Metro and paid a total of $4.50 for three nights (the gates were up and there was no attendant 2 of the mornings).

Here are some highlights in photos of our time there.

Receiving their Junior Ranger Badge 

Epic Battlefield Photo

I climbed this tower on my grade 8 class trip (19 years ago?!)

This looks like the stairwell at the ROM.

 

The sun shines only on the Capitol?

The Capital and the French

Our tester 2 weeks of life back in the RV took us to Ottawa and Montreal.

Ottawa...

Maddi, Zac and I walked down rue Bank from Gladstone Ave and immediately found a used book store.  **This told us, it would be a good day.  Books Bizarre had a number of titles on our lists.  From there we followed rue Bank in search of coffee.  The Bridgehead stopped us.  Not only did they serve a decent cup of coffee but they also had fresh gluten free baked goods.  I had the almond pecan biscotti and Mad had the spice loaf.  With coffee and treats in our bellies we had the energy to visit Capital Hill.
It was a beautiful, clear day and we took a self guided tour around the outside of the parliament buildings.  A number of the outdoor displays have a smart phone scan features making the walk a little more interactive.  We also toured a free exhibit about the Chancellory of Honours.
On day two in Ottawa we met with a childhood friend of mine, Margaret.  The wonders of Facebook and reconnecting people!  Margaret and I had almost 25 years to catch up on.

Zac, Norbert and Maddi watching the fire.

That night we stayed at Ottawa Municipal Campground.  Norbert had his first campfire experience.

A must, when in the Ottawa area, is a visit with Uncle Peter and Aunt Nancy.  We met them at Colonnade Pizza.  Colonnade has been serving pizza since 1967.  They offer a gluten free pizza.  It's a good pizza, but not worth the $10 extra per pizza for the gluten free crust.  However, the time with Uncle Peter and Aunt Nancy is always worth the drive to Ottawa.

Montreal...
The long weekend in July took us to the Montreal Guitar Show.  It is a weekend with some of the best luthiers in the world.  During the show two of the builders needed their booths covered while they were at press meetings.  Zac was asked.  As it turns out, being around these builders for the last 10 years he knows quite a bit about them.  He was able to walk prospecting customers through the details of the guitars and lines.  He even made a little cash for his time.
With Jamie and Zac busy at the show, Maddi and I made our way to Adrenaline.  Adrenaline is a great shop on Sherbrooke, in the heart of Montreal.  A new piercing and tattoo were calling our names.   Maddi was getting her second piercing, her nose.  I was returning for a second tattoo with artist Tanya Lowery.   The walk to and from Adrenaline took us from the edge of old Montreal through the gallery district along Sherbrooke.  Montreal is a city best experienced on foot.

Most evenings in Montreal were spent at dinner with old and new friends.  Our favourite spot is a sushi bar in old Montreal, Tokyo on rue St. Paul Ouest.  Maddi found a way to pass the time at dinner.

Table art at Tokyo

From Ottawa and Montreal we traveled to the Guelph area and stayed a month...but most of you know this as we had the opportunity to visit and say goodbye.