New York!

Well, Charlotte and I have enjoyed exploring the West, for sure.  But we'd be lying if we didn't say that, often, our vagabond shoes are longing to stray right to the very heart of (Upstate & Downstate) New York, where we're from!  For the first 11 days of August, our wish was granted!  We began our journey by returning to Oneonta, NY (and Hartwick College), for a wedding.  If you didn't already know, Charlotte and I both attended college there, and so it was a great chance to see some places we haven't visited for over four years!

After a wonderful time in Oneonta, we headed to Latham to visit Mike's family and hometown.  The yard was looking lush, so we spent lots of time playing lawn games with the family and enjoying the outdoors!

In between games of ladderball, croquet, bocce, and playing with the neighbor's cat, we found time to visit some of Mike's old stomping grounds, including: the Mohawk-Hudson Bike Trail (which passes just down the hill from La Casa Angstadt)...

...Lock 7 on the Erie Canal (a little further down the same bike path)...

...Siena College, where we visited some parents during their workday...

...and even Hoffman's Playland, Mike's childhood amusement park!

After our tickets for rides at Hoffman's ran out, we headed to Otisville, where we kept ourselves similarly occupied with fun things.  As we began some of the prep work for our wedding next summer (at least the fun parts), everyone was busy helping!

Almost everyone, that is...

Fortunately, despite the "hard work," we found time to head out and enjoy the surroundings, including a wonderful hike at the "Basha Kill," a large wetland preserve near Charlotte's house!

After such a great time, it was hard to say farewell to the places and people we love.

We'll be back before long, though!  In the meantime, stay tuned, because in our next installment, we're going for a hike!

Breaking news

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog-gramming to inform you that our garden produced a monster zucchini while we were on vacation.

We cooked an entire meal for two of zucchini pancakes, as well as two loaves of zucchini bread, and still have this much remaining.

If you're in the Laramie area, be on the lookout for large amounts of fiber.  And molybdenum!  According to the Internet, just one cup of zucchini has 18% of your daily molybdenum requirement.  I've never felt so good in the molybdenum department.  

We Made It!

Well, if you thought we were still catching our breath from hiking up at 12,000'-worry no more!  We are just fine, and just got a little preoccupied with other things.  That said, the view from the top of Medicine Bow Peak in Wyoming's Snowy Range is incredible and worth sharing, so here we go!  Our late July excursion began with a familiar hike; this time, columbine, Indian paintbrush, and other wildflowers added to the already gorgeous scenery.

As we reached our normal hiking destination, we were treated to views of a beautiful storm (thankfully heading away from us) and an adorable pika!  It truly does feel like another world altogether in the Snowies.

However, we had heard that the view from the summit of Medicine Bow Peak was even more incredible, so we decided to press onward (and upward).  As we neared the 12,000 foot mark, we realized that even in late July, you can never fully escape snow in Wyoming!

After a brief, steep, and incredibly beautiful hike, we reached the summit.  Here are a few photos we snapped of ourselves and the scenery while perched on the boulders!

Anyway, we can't do the scenery justice on here, so come visit sometime and we'll show you in person!  Until then, enjoy August, and in our next installment, we'll bring you with us on our late summer vacation to New York!