When A Trip for Ice Cream Involves Monks and Hot Air Balloons

I don't know where I'm going, 

but I'm on my way.

That pretty much sums up most of our road trips, and surely describes our last one....a ride to get ice cream that lasted many hours and multiple adventures. Wow....it's been a long time since my last post.   What is it they say, 'life happens while you're busy making plans'?  Life has definitely been happening around here in the past month.  Aside from the normal annual preparation for summer....gardening, yard clean up, etc....my mom who will turn 87 in a week took a fall while trying to avoid a parked car that backed up without warning.  Luckily the driver saw her fall (right behind her car) and managed to stop in time.  Also lucky that the only thing broken was mom's humerus of her right arm.  Naturally as these things go, mom is right handed and lives alone.  Suffice to say, we've been seeing a lot of each other this month.  To be clear....despite her handicap, mom is only a fraction less independent than normal because, well, because that's how she rolls.

  Anyway, it's been a busy few weeks but last Saturday we decided to take advantage of the glorious weather and headed out for our weekly ice cream cone from the Ice Cream Man in Greenwich, NY.  There's many things we love about Washington County and the custard at the Ice Cream Man is high on our list.    There are a number of routes we could take to Greenwich, but knowing me as you do, it should come as no surprise that the route we chose took us through Easton.

Already I had all I needed to make our excursions complete....Easton landscape, blue skies, farms, farm animals.  What more could I want?  While we were enjoying our cone, I remembered it was the weekend of the Cambridge Balloon Festival.  How convenient!  Each year to coincide with the Balloon Festival, the village of Cambridge has a variety of activities around town and the New Skete Monastery also welcomes visitors for tours.  It was a couple hours still before the balloons would launch, so we began our spontaneous new agenda at the monastery.

If you've been following the blog for a while, you may remember we visited the monastery a few years ago.  It's really a special place.  I didn't take too many photos this time, so I'll include the link to my previous post which will give you more information about it and many more photos.

https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2017/04/new-skete-monastery-where-peace-and.html

We lingered with the quiet of nature and musical chants from within the chapel just until it was time to make our way to the school where the balloons would be preparing soon for launch.  Unlike other local balloon festivals, the Cambridge event has a little more 'hometown' feel and considerably less crowd. It's also free.  Some might be disappointed in the fact that there are also quite a few less balloons, but for us 9 or 10 was plenty.  The moderate breeze conveniently calmed around 7:00pm, which allowed every balloon to lift off the ground and ascend into the perfectly gorgeous evening sky.  

Sometimes the best of times are when we relinquish our plans to embrace a spontaneous adventure that presents itself.  We were lucky to have no other plans this day and no reason to hurry home.  We were able to just roll with the punches and soak up as much sunshine and fun as the day provided and as elusive as the sun has been lately, it's a good thing we did.  If you haven't already, you must check out the Ice Cream Man on Route 29 in Greenwich.  https://www.facebook.com/The-Ice-Cream-Man-254240431263433/   If you're a big balloon fan, the Saratoga Balloonfest is next weekend, June 21-23 in Ballston Spa, NY.  https://www.facebook.com/saratogaballoonandbbq/  For information about the New Skete Monastery, use the link provided above.  And finally to see more photos of the balloons, check out my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GAWelter/

Thanks for your patience during the gaps in my posts.  I promise I have a bunch of great things coming your way soon.  In the meantime....get out there and enjoy all the adventures life has to offer...even if they aren't as you planned.  Those are the best ones!