Fall Get-Away Weekend

I haven't seen my sister since my dad passed away five months ago. So we planned a little get-away weekend with my mom, my sister, and I in northern Michigan at Boyne Mountain ski resort this weekend. None of us ski; the location was chosen by my mom because she saw a TV commercial of someone riding the chairlift at Boyne Mountain during the fall color season and thought it would be a fun thing to do - and it was! It was so nice to be together with the three of us again. 

Since the fall colors are arriving in Michigan a little later this year, we didn't see a lot of colors in the trees. But we had fun riding up the chairlift anyway - the scenery is still beautiful. It was their "Skitoberfest" weekend (Octoberfest for skiers), so they had a lot of activities set up on Saturday. We enjoyed the various food/drink booths and the street performers. We also did a zip line, which was pretty fun.

We drove to Boyne City in the morning and found their Harvest Festival going on as well. We sampled coffee and cookies, checked out the craft tables and farmers' market, and did a little shopping in the downtown stores.

A fun weekend together!

Sunset on the way up north - God's artistry!

The trees in the parking lot were colorful.

Going up the chairlift

Looking back at the resort from the chairlift

It's windy and cold up there!

A little bit of fall color in the distance!

SKI-toberfest - they brought in snow!

the zip line ending platform

Mom getting ready for her zip line adventure!

Melanie ready to zip line!

Mom and Amy on the zip line platform - almost ready to take off.

Amy (left) and Mom (right) zip lining across the pond.

Melanie and Amy on their second zip line ride.

We did it! FUN!

our hotel at Boyne Mountain

more fall color

Going up the chairlift one more time on Sunday morning; mom is behind us.

LOVE these people!

Toby also got a little vacation as he spent the weekend with my friend and her dog, Jack. Thanks, Jodi, for the text and picture updates!

New York City - Day 4 (Last Day)

It was exactly a week ago that my mom and I were spending our last day in the New York City area. We actually didn't go into the city on Sunday, but we could see it across the river as we spent the morning at Ellis Island and Liberty Island. 

It was especially interesting to visit Ellis Island after researching our family genealogy a few years ago. Some of our ancestors (on both sides of my family) came to Ellis Island when they arrived in the United States. I wonder how they felt as they were crowded in the lower deck steerage area of the steamship for the 8-11 day voyage from Amsterdam to the United States. What were their impressions as they docked at Ellis Island - waiting in the large baggage room while clutching all their belongings, moving to the registry room and undergoing medical and legal exams without speaking English. How many of them purchased a snack at the island's dining room? I know my great-grandfather purchased a banana here and ate it - peel and all - because he had never seen one before. Did any of them have relatives or friends that were waiting here for them? Were they afraid, excited, or both as they entered this country and their new life? 

This was originally the Baggage Room, the first stop for immigrants at Ellis Island.

A short ferry ride took us from Ellis Island to Liberty Island where we had an hour to walk around and see the Statue of Liberty as well as get lunch before the (very) long trip home. 

It was a whirlwind trip - we saw and experienced a lot and had a great time together. 

Thanks, Mom, for going with me to New York City.

New York City - Day 3

Saturday was a little more laid-back on our New York City trip. Our first stop was Central Park. We just saw a tiny section of the park; Strawberry Fields - the memorial for John Lennon. 

We also stopped for a few minutes at Lincoln Center before driving through Harlem, where we saw the Apollo Theater. We also passed Columbia University on our sightseeing trip; in fact, we drove right by the Teachers College where the new reading/writing curriculum I'm using at school was developed. I also finally got to taste my first (and last!) New York hot dog. (Not sure why they're supposed to be so good...it was just a little hot dog with ketchup and mustard on it that was very overpriced!)

Lincoln Center

Saturday afternoon was the primary reason I was in New York City: to see my first Broadway show ON Broadway - Amazing Grace! I had seen the show twice in Chicago when it was doing a trial run and was interested to see the changes in the show. It is still amazing; the changes I noticed enhanced the story and some of the songs still gave me goosebumps. This is a wonderful show; I'm so glad I was able to see it again and in New York! This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.

In New York, everyone lines up outside the theatre before the show. The Nederlander theatre is quite small and it was interesting to see that the wall on the side was actually made up of doors, so we walked right onto the sidewalk from our row after the show! The other difference from the Chicago, Toronto, and touring shows I've seen is that in New York the cast members come out after the show to greet fans and sign autographs - that was so cool! (Yes, I turned into a gushing teenager when I met the main cast members.)

Josh Young plays John Newton

Harriett D Foy plays Princess Peyai

Chuck Cooper plays Thomas

Erin Mackey plays Mary Catlett

We met the rest of our tour group for supper at Ben's Deli and then rode the Staten Island Ferry so we could get another view of the city at night. We got to see fireworks as the boat left Staten Island - a fun bonus!