Weekend plans

We're going to Pittsburgh this weekend.

Our nephew is graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and his parents roped the entire family into going to the graduation by reserving and paying our hotel room Sat & Sun nights.

We're leaving DE tomorrow morning, stopping in the DC area to pick up my aunt Mary, and then heading to PA.  I think it will take 7 hours, not including stops for food/gas/bathroom.

Sat night the family is going to Lidia Bastianich's restaurant called Lidia's Pittsburgh.  Spouse has been a big fan of hers for years because she's very upfront about her recipes being Italian-American rather than being snooty about her cooking.  Spouse's sister has eaten there on some of her previous visits to Pittsburgh and said its very good. 

The graduation is Sun at 2:30.  Unfortunately the weather forecast is for rain and possible thunderstorms so it won't be ideal for exploring the city.  (Spouse & I have never been there.)  Sun evening Spouse & I are meeting up with my cousin's 2 daughters who live in Pittsburgh and their guys.  Its been 2 years since I saw them here at the beach and we've never met Chelsea's husband or Micah's fiance.  I'm glad to work that into this visit.  I might even meet up with a fellow blogger.

We'll leave Pittsburgh Mon morning and get back to DE around dinnertime, I hope.

Wedding recap

We left Alexandria VA at 10:00 and arrived in Fayetteville NC at 5:00.  We stopped for an hour for lunch, and a temporary highway closure due to an accident added some extra time.  We checked into our hotel, freshened up, and went to the rehearsal dinner.

When we arrived nieces Lauren and Leslie (the bride) greeted us, as did my sister.  Just as a reminder, my sister and her husband are active Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) and their religion's policy is not to associate with disfellowshipped people, including relatives.  Both my nieces chose not to get baptized into the JW faith, so since they were never 'official' JWs their parents do not treat them like a disfellowshipped person.  The concept is you can't be disfellowshipped from something you didn't commit to.  I'm sure that if my sister and brother-in-law had it their way, I would not have been invited.  But my niece Leslie invited us and we were happy to be included.  Leslie is 27 years old.  The last time I saw her was 24 years ago.  It was great to see my 2 nieces and meet their guys.

So my sister gave me a hug, and once we were seated I ended up diagonally across from her, so we participated in most of the same conversations over dinner.  After dinner, some of the folks went to a bowling alley.  I'd been instant messaging with my cousin's son Andy who had just flown in an we decided to meet at the bowing alley.  Andy is 30 years old.  The last time I saw him was 24 years ago.  Andy's parents were both JWs when he was a boy, but his mom (my cousin) decided to leave the religion when he was a teenager so he and his brother were never baptized either.  It was really nice to catch up with Andy, hear about his wife and 8 month old baby, and some of the other relatives I haven't seen or heard about in a long time.

The next day Mary, Spouse & I had breakfast at the hotel, then drove into downtown Fayetteville for the Dogwood Festival, which we had heard started at 11:00.  The website showed no times for the events nor a specific location, which we thought was odd.  Once we parked and stopped into a couple shops we asked about the festival and were told its location.  When we arrived there we saw a banner indicating it started at 3:00!  We ducked into a couple other little shops on our way back to the car, then picked up Andy and the 4 of us went to lunch, then back to the hotel to get ready.

The wedding ceremony was short but sweet and was immediately followed by the reception.  The venue was great!  I really liked the rustic, industrial bones of the building, softened by fabric table clothes, flowers, candles, and photos in vintage frames.

The food was scrumptious, there was an open bar, and a DJ played music for dancing.  Andy was seated at the table with Mary, Spouse & me, as were my niece Lauren and her boyfriend Jimmy.  We had a lovely time.

Leslie & Brandon

Me with Leslie & Brandon

Jimmy & Lauren

Spouse & me with Andy

Lauren photobombing Mary, Spouse & me

Sun morning we had breakfast in the hotel again, checked out and headed north at 10:00.  Unfortunately we got caught in another traffic jam, so with that delay and the stop for lunch and gas, we got to aunt Mary's just before 5:00.  After letting her out we immediately headed home, arriving at 7:30.  It was a lot of time in the car, but well worth it.

Road trip

Today Spouse & I picked up my aunt Mary and we're driving to Fayetteville NC for my niece's wedding.  The idea of a road trip always reminds me of this:

Weekend recap

My work schedule happened to end up with me being off Sat & Sun, which is nice since that matches Spouse's work schedule.  

We started the day by meeting Steven & Thad for breakfast, then returned home to start undecorating the Christmas tree.  This is a pretty long endeavor since our tree typically has about 300 ornaments, and putting them all back in their respective boxes is challenging.  Spouse kindly sat in the living room and talked with me while I did it.  After getting the ornaments in their boxes we took a break and went to the theatre to see "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in 3D.

While neither of us are huge Star Wars fans, this just seemed like the epic kind of film one should see in 3D on the big screen with Dolby surround sound.  We both liked it, but felt it was very, very much like its predecessors in the 'special effects' realm.  But it was a fun diversion.  Afterward we met up with Steven & Thad again, this time for an easy/inexpensive dinner, then returned home to finish with the tree.  I removed the long string of silver beads and the lights, then Spouse began removing the branches so I could pack them nice and tight into the plastic storage tub.  Bye, bye Christmas.  I'm always sad to see it go.

The next morning we awoke to text messages from Steven & Thad asking if we wanted to go to Philly that day.  Late Sat night I saw photos on facebook of furniture that will be available for sale at the mid-century modern store and sent this one to Thad:

I knew he'd been interested in a mid-century triangular table, and sure enough this caught his eye.  They also suggested we could go to Ikea since Spouse & I are looking for an ottoman or bench, so we agreed to go.  Not only was Thad able to get the table, but he also brought 2 unwanted end tables with him which he sold to the dealer.  He bought the 2 tables (with makers marks) in need of refinishing for $20 at a thrift store and sold them to the dealer for $150!  I found a piece of furniture that would look absolutely fabulous in our Hollywood Regency bedroom:

I referred to it as Flintstones Regency, but it was super expensive and we really don't need it.  I thought it was super cool though.

The trip to Ikea was fun but we didn't find an ottoman or bench.  But we did eat dinner at the famous South Street Diner before leaving the city.  It was an unexpected but fun day.

Montreal road trip: part III

Sun morning Serge had school again so Tornwordo Spouse & I met for breakfast at Les Belles Soeurs (Pretty Sisters) because Tornwordo likes the bagels there.  I was amazed by the restroom which was cylindrical in shape and had an 'under the sea' theme.

Then the 3 of us hopped in the car and headed out of the city.  We drove about 1 1/2 hours to Mont Tremblant, an attractive ski resort.

Mont Tremblant

Just over Spouse's shoulder you can see the ski lift which we planned to ride to the top of the mountain.  Unfortunately it was not operating that day.

The ground floor is retail and commercial space and the upper floors are hotel rooms and timeshares

The ski resort kinda has a Disney World look to it, but I liked it anyway.  At least its better than big boxy hotels.

One of the vendors sold a delicious confection called a Beavertail.  Its a light crust with any variety of toppings to choose from.  We decided to share one.

Ours had Nutella, peanut butter sauce, and Reese's pieces - so good!

We continued exploring the area and saw these adorable ski chalets nestled into the side of the mountain...

and stopped briefly at a casino to use the restroom.  While inside I saw this cool glass-enclosed fireplace and made Spouse pose next to it.

Once back in Montreal we met up with Serge for happy hour at Le Stud and then had dinner at La Baracke where we had the cutest waiter, Kevin!

Group shot with Kevin

Spouse & Tornwordo

Serge & me

After dinner we returned to Tornwordo & Serge's house to visit for a while before returning to our little studio.

Mon morning Spouse & I visited the famous Tim Horton's, which reminded us of Dunkin Donuts.  The coffee was good and the maple-glazed donut was delicious!

Spouse & I set off on foot again to continue exploring.

Notice the rainbow flag and same-sex ads on this TD bank

One of the places I wish we had more time to explore was Parc La Fontaine.  Its large and beautiful with ponds and benches and trees.  It was designed by the same architect that designed Central Park in NYC.  Spouse & I enjoyed relaxing there and watching the people and wildlife.

Spouse in Parc La Fontaine

Selfie at Parc La Fontaine

After Tornwordo finished his class he met us for lunch at L'Oeufrier and then we went to the underground city.  Many of the government offices and hotels in the downtown area are connected by a network of underground shops, eateries and businesses.  Even the metro and train are connected there.

Underground city train station

Tornwordo returned home and Spouse & I returned to our little studio to rest up a bit and change clothes.  Then the 4 of us went to dinner at Pintxo for tapas.  Tornwordo had previewed the menu and noted several items we should try, so Spouse & I decided to let him order for the 4 of us.  We started with cocktails of course.

The food was unusual but really good.  I'd never tried liver patte, foie gras, carpaccio or black pudding before and asked them not to tell me what they were until after I'd sampled them!  It was a great meal and we had a really fun time.

Serge & Spouse at Pintxo

Tornwordo & me

Spouse & me take a selfie at Pintxo

And because it was our last night in Montreal, we went back to 1000 Grammes for the 3rd time to have cake!  Tornwordo & Serge came with us this time to experience what we'd been raving about.

Tornwordo & Serge were so generous with their time during our visit!  They gave us a map to help us navigate the city, accompanied us on most of our explorations, and shared their knowledge of Montreal.  We ate dinner together every night and had breakfast or lunch together nearly every day.  What great tour guides and wonderful friends they've become!

The next morning we packed up the car, set the GPS for home, and hit the road at 9am.  With a 15-minute wait to cross the border and 3 brief stops for food, gas, and bathroom, we got home at 7pm.  It was a really fun trip but we were happy to see Marvin & Walter when we got home.

Montreal road trip: part II

Sat morning we met up with Tornwordo (Serge had school) and walked to the Old Port.  It is easily recognizable as the oldest part of the city and distinctively different with its beautiful old architecture, narrow cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, and romantic feeling.

We had a late breakfast/early lunch at olive + gourmando, a cute and popular spot.  The menu is creative and I couldn't resist the Viva Las Vegan.

I normally don't eat tofu because of its texture, but this combination of ingredients made me go for it.  It was delicious!  Next we walked around Old Port and took in the sites, including the Notre-Dame basilica, St Lawrence riverfront, and the Jacque-Cartier bridge.

Notre-Dame basilica

Spouse in the Old Port

Time for a selfie!

St Lawrence riverfront with Jacque-Cartier bridge in the distance

I managed to pick up an adorable Chihuahua Christmas tree ornament as a souvenir of our trip.  I can't wait to hang it on our tree this year.

Next week took the transit bus to Marche Jean-Talon, a large indoor/outdoor farmers market.

Spouse at Marche Jean-Talon

Beautifully colored cauliflower

Then we took the subway to the Olympic Village, home of the 1976 Olympic games where Bruce Jenner and Greg Louganis both won gold medals.  We visited the stadium/pool, planetarium, and Biodome.

Olympic stadium

Another view of the stadium

Enormous pool

Then the 3 of us met Serge at Tornwordo & Serge's house to relax and visit a bit.  Then we went for happy hour at Le Lab, a 1920s-looking speakeasy.

Enjoying unusual cocktails at Le Lab

Next we were off to experience the best poutine in Montreal at La Banquise.  Traditional poutine is french fries with soft white cheddar cheese curd and gravy which I ordered.

Delicious traditional poutine

Spouse's poutine with a sliced corn dog on top!

There are many, many possible toppings for poutine and La Banquise had a dizzying menu of options.  I can understand why its so popular - its delicious!  Then we headed back to the gay village for a drink at Stock Bar and at L'Aigle Noir (Black Eagle).

Me & Spouse at the Black Eagle

One of the bartenders checking his phone on his break

We said goodnight to Tornwordo & Serge who headed home, but Spouse & I were in the mood for some delicious cake from 1000 Grammes so we picked up a slice to go.  We  walked back to our little studio and ate the cake while watching 'Grace & Frankie'.