Mom and Derek's Visit

Hi Bloggy Friends,

I hope you're having a nice weekend. This is our first weekend alone in more than two weeks, so we've certainly enjoyed it. Sadly, I said goodbye to my mom and brother on Thursday night. We had a really nice time together. This was my mom's first time visiting the east coast, and I think she really liked it.

I took them to Old City one day where we had a chance to see some of Philadelphia's historical sites. We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and took an hour long historic carriage ride through Old City and Society Hill. I've never been big on guided tours, but my mom enjoyed the break from doing so much walking. Coming from a small town where she's used to driving everywhere, she's not much of a walker. This is something we had to take into account as the week moved along.

One of her favorite spots was the Reading Terminal. She loved browsing the shops, munching on local-made cookies and buying gifts for family members back home. I loved seeing how much she enjoyed being there. This was definitely her "cup of tea."

Later that day we drove out to the Wissahickon Valley to have brunch at the Valley Green Inn. It's a beautiful place with an old tavern that has been converted into a restaurant, surrounded by lush grounds that you can hike in for hours. I knew mom would love it here, since the restaurant specializes in country cooking, and it took her out of the bustling city for a few hours. I hit the jackpot again!

On Thursday Derek and I woke up early to catch a Chinatown bus to Manhattan, where we spent a full day trekking across the city. We spent some time in the Williamsburg and Park Slope neighborhoods in Brooklyn, then hit up the Village, Soho, Greenwich and Chelsea before hopping the bus back to Philly later that evening. Derek is moving to NYC in the fall, so it was good for him to get a sense of what's in store. Hauling our behinds around the city, however, left us both exhausted, so we were happy to get back home.

It's always so sad to see them go, but I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to spend time with them in Philadelphia. It's not often that I'm with my mom when she's outside of her comfort zone. This really helped to remind me about what an amazing, charismatic, funny person she is. I couldn't ask for better. She's my sunshine.

I hope you all have a great night. Click HERE for a gallery of photos I took during their visit. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Trip to Maine, Pt 1

Hey Bloggy Friends,

Now that my mom and brother have left town, I have time to work on videos from our trip to Maine. I've broken my series into different parts, the first of which is called "On the Road." Since we spent a total of 25 hours on the road getting there and back, I thought it would only be right to dedicate one whole video to our experience driving together. Besides some heavy traffic outside of Manhattan, the trip was relatively smooth. On the way up, because of a three hour standstill, we decided to break the trip into two days. We stopped for the night in Portland, Maine. On the way home, however, we mapped out a new route which avoided New York City all-together. The total mileage increased, but we gained up to three hours that we probably would have spent sitting still in a traffic jam. Because of this, we were able to make it home in one trip. We were thrilled.

I hope everyone is having a great night. Stay tuned for more videos of Maine, and photos from my mom and brother's visit. We had a wonderful time together. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Back from Maine and at it Again!

Hey Bloggy Friends,

We returned home from our trip to Maine on Friday night. This time around we found a more efficient route and were able to drive the entire way in one night. The drive was pretty painless, even though it took a little over ten hours.

We had such a wonderful time in Maine. I don't believe I've been on a more laid back, relaxing vacation in my life. We took it easy, did as we pleased and enjoyed ourselves immensely. I'm so thankful Bill came up with the suggestion. I'd love for you to check out some of the photos we took over the week by clicking HERE. I also plan to have a few videos soon, so check back for that!

Saturday we were invited to our friend Tim's for a Fourth of July barbecue. We had a nice time, but after a full days worth of driving the night before, we were pretty tired. On Sunday my mom and brother rolled in from Kentucky around 11:30 in the afternoon. It's so great to see them, but with all this activity going on, I'm starting to feel a little pulled at both ends. I plan to show them around the city this week, and maybe even make a few side trips outside of Philadelphia.

Have a great week. I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

Maine-ly Saying Hello.

Hello Bloggy Friends,

I hope this post finds you well. The clouds finally parted and we've had gorgeous, sunny weather over the past two days. It's been great. The three of us have certainly started to feel very much at home here in our little red cabin. We've been cooking in every night, and spending our days doing what we call "half days." We start out in the morning doing some sort of physical activity around the cabin, whether it be swimming, canoeing or taking a walk down the road. In the second part of the day we venture out to see what awaits us beyond our cozy home base. Yesterday we drove to Acadia National Park where we took a long walk along one of the Carriage Trails, and then drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain to witness the breathtaking views. When I say breathtaking, I mean it literally. We were so high up that it was hard for us to catch our breath at first!

Today we went to a lookout point called Schoodic Point, where we watched the angry waves of the Atlantic Ocean come crashing onto the rocky beach where we stood. It was a classic Maine experience. So neat.

Now we're about to grill veggie burgers and soy dogs. After all the walking we did today, I'm famished. Have a great night. I'll chat with you soon.

Love your Maine Bloggy Friend,

Josh

Taking in the scenery.

Alan stopping by a creek on the Carriage Trail.

Who wears short shorts? Bloggy Friend Bill!

Me on the way to falling flat on my face before a nice group shot.

Witch Hole Pond in Acadia National Park.

From A Forest In Maine.

Hey Bloggy Friends,

Can you believe we have Internet in the middle of the forest? We're having a great time so far. It really is so beautiful here. Our cabin, which is sitting right on Beech Hill Pond Lake, is quaint and lovely. We've taken paddle boat rides, walks around the grounds, been skinny dipping and took an excursion into the nearest town. The weather has been rather overcast everyday, but it adds to serenity of the nature that surrounds us. We're really enjoying ourselves. I hope you're having a great week too.

I don't want to spend too much time on the Internet, but I just wanted to stop by to say hello and clip on a few photographs. Take care and I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

A view of our cabin from the lake.

Having a cup of tea on the back porch.

Alan easing his way into the chilly lake.

Alan and I out on the paddle boat.

Bill holding his very first sparkler!