Monthly Archives: November 2019

Thanksgiving in New York

Now that the kids all live on the east coast Thanksgiving has become a time of travel (albeit expensive travel). Since the kids generally come west for Christmas we head east to enjoy Turkey day. This year we traveled to New York where all the kids joined us to spend Thanksgiving with Hillary’s aunt Teresa in Ulster Park (slightly up state NY). We booked an AirBnB in Kingston (about 8 miles from Ulster Park) which was right on the Hudson River. The AirBnB was a third-floor apartment and plenty big for all six of us.

Hillary’s aunt Teresa loves to cook, and cuts no corners (I envy her her kitchen). This is the second time she has hosted us for Thanksgiving, and the Italian flavor of the meal was again evident. Both times dinner began with a traditional wedding soup that was absolutely delicious. Noodles were made from scratch (also true for the pasta we had the next night) and were amazing. Turkey was perfect….I could go on (I’ll show some photos instead). Not sure how anyone had room for pie at the end. All in all a delightful day.

After hanging out in Kingston and Ulster Park for a couple days Sean & Carlie headed back to Virgina and we took Ryan and Hillary back to NYC. Since our flight back to PDX did not leave until 9 pm we got to see Ryan & Hillary’s apartment in Queens and have dinner at a really good Mexican restaurant called Casa Enrique. All-in-all a wonderful trip.

Celebrating Theo’s Birthday in Hood River

It has become an annual event to celebrate Theo’s birthday with a trip to Hood River. We did not actually go on her birthday, which is October 4, but instead plan the trip around the club release event at Marchesi Vineyards. Marchesi is one of Theo’s favorite wineries, and a few years back I bought her a membership for her birthday. The Lord always smiles on this trip as we pretty much always get good weather in spite of the fact that the date is always late in the fall. So, once again we packed our lunch (there is just something fun about bringing your own food), the dog (Zoie), and headed up the Columbia Gorge for a day of relaxation and wine tasting!

Theo and I enjoying out time at Marchesi Vineyards for her birthday!

One of the funnest things about coming this time of year is that owner/winemaker Franco Marchesi, a real Italian fellow, is always out amongst the guests roasting chestnuts to share with everyone. This really gives the visit a holiday spirit.

Franco Marchesi roasting chestnuts at Marchesi Vineyards!

Zoie comes with us on this trip and seems to enjoy a day out of the house and excessive attention. Marchesi is a dog-friendly winery so there are always lots of wet noses to greet. And lets not forget that mom (Theo) always makes sure that Zoie gets a short walk in the vineyard before we leave.

Zoie relaxing by our table at Marchesi Vineyards!

While our visit to Hood River always starts at Marchesi the day is not end there. After Marchesi we always visit a couple of other wineries we enjoy including AniChe and Syncline over on the Washington side of the River. Enjoy a few photos below.