DAY 223: SIXTH DAY: The Day After

I think we were all a little hung over this morning and not just from the wine, but the food too! We had a delicious feast, but Thanksgiving is a long day and the affects are felt the day after.

We had a leisurely morning and then rallied later in the day to go on an adventure to see some of the country. We loaded up the two cars and made the beautiful drive back to Great Barrington, Massachusetts to walk the quaint town and hit some of the gourmet food stores. Always an adventure with this crew.

Pictured here is the gang (minus hubby Brian who was always taking the photos!) on the charming streets in Great Barrington.

Earlier in the day Kevin, Zachary, Harrison and Brian had visited a local working farm that produces fresh cheeses .... you open a refrigerator and select your item and leave payment on the honor system! Can you imagine that in Los Angeles! Nothing like delicious, fresh and all natural yummy cheese!

Pictured here is chef Harrison examining his cheese selection.

It was a cold, cold day as we walked the streets of this beautiful city. But that didn't stop the tourists and locals from being out and about. The streets had a Holiday buzz about them as folks wandered into the gourmet cheese stores, the fabulous candy store (called ROBIN'S), the coffeehouses and all the hip restaurants. It was a great way to spend the day after Thanksgiving.... walking off some of our turkey.

Today is our last full day on the East Coast. Always sad to have a fabulous trip come to an end, but you know you had a wonderful time when you leave still wanting more!

We celebrated our last night once again with an amazing meal. We made the ride over to Hudson, another small pocket town in this beautiful countryside for a fresh-from-the-farm-to-table-meal. Local 111 is a charming little restaurant where the young woman chef has created quite a name for herself in the region. I ate one of the best beet salads I've ever had... everything fresh & yummy. We dined and laughed some more ... this our last meal together of the trip.

Once again I want to say how thankful the Simon's are for kid sis Jennifer & beau Kevin's hospitality. We are a lot with 5 of us and three large teenage sons... but they were gracious and inviting and really showered us with love & fun.

It was a wonderful day to end our week long vacation.

Day 221: FOURTH DAY: Turkey Shopping

Ahh, waking up in the country in upstate New York ...we are in a small (tiny!) country area called Austerlitz. Kid sister Jennifer and beau Kevin have a house up here and this is where we are spending our Thanksgiving Holiday.

Pictured here are Jennifer and I taking a walk on a blistery cold day in the country on the road outside her house. Isn't it gorgeous!?

So today Jennifer and I headed out to shop for the fixings for our special holiday meal. Brian stayed in Manhattan to greet the college boy Brandon who arrived early this morning from Oregon. Brandon took a red eye flight from Portland and arrived in New York at 6 a.m. this morning. I was of course worried all night while he was flying since a snow storm hit Portland the day he was leaving. Can you believe Oregon received snow before New York? Crazy.

There were a lot of logistics that went into making this trip happen... and getting Brandon here was one of them. I'm grateful he arrived safely. Brian and he headed to Carneige's for a real New York Deli experience first thing when he arrived. Then off they went to do some sightseeing before heading up to meet us at the house.

Pictured here is Brandon in Times Square the morning he arrived in the City.

Jennifer and I headed to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, just about 25 minutes from her home. What a beautiful quaint town! I loved it! We did a major grocery shop getting all the ingredients for our feast. Then off to Guido's market - picture Bristol Farms and Whole Foods combined, a beautiful specialty food market where Jen had ordered the turkey for us to pick up.

After all our shopping we stopped at a charming French bistro in Great Barrington for a delicious little nosh before heading back to prepare. Why is everyone so friendly when you are out of Los Angeles?

While we got things in order for Thanksgiving dinner, Kevin and his adorable 6 year old son Zachary and Brian and Brandon made their way up to meet us. What a joyous love fest it was when we all finally were together on the eve of Thanksgiving.

Are these the most gorgeous men or what? Pictured here are Harrison, Brian, Kevin and Spencer. Love these boys!!

After another yummy meal in a neighboring town called Chatham, we headed back to the house to chill. I breathed a sigh of relief that we had all made it. As I said above there were a lot of logistics... everyone with a different schedule, 8 bodies to move, two cars to load, lots of meals to prepare and flights to schedule so when we were finally all together on the eve of Thanksgiving in this beautiful, cozy and warm home it just all felt right. I knew we had made the best and right decision to change it up for our family this year.

Off to bed now to be fresh for the big feast tomorrow.