The Adirondacks are Calling

     I walked outside in bare feet to get the mail this morning. Upon looking in the mailbox, I saw that we had received Mountainman Times, a type of seasonal newspaper from a canoe and kayak rental place called Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company. I walked straight over to our south deck that was bathed in sunlight to sit down to read it.
     To provide some background information: we visited MOSC last summer on vacation in Old Forge and since then, I've fallen in love with kayaking. There's nothing like floating down a river in the middle of the Adirondacks. There's no city-noise, lots of fresh air and scenery that's simply stunning.
     Anyway, as I flipped through the pages, I read about the outpost on the Moose River and saw advertisements for all sorts of canoes and kayaks. Looking at all of those pictures of the river and the green mountains surrounding them made my heart kind of ache. I wanted to be up there so badly. I could almost smell the summery Adirondack pines and hear the water dripping off my paddle.
     Then reality hit me again. I was here, in a sweatshirt and pajamas on my deck surrounded by a bunch of trees with bare branches, half a state away. It wasn't that bad (who can complain about sixty-degree weather in the middle of March?!) but I can't wait for when the hillsides turn green again and I can leave the house without the need for long sleeves or a coat.
     It's coming, though, faster than I think. The trees are starting to get a pinkish hue about them, the sky's been clear for the past three or four days and the ground is even getting greener!

     Ah spring, you are only a day away!

Soakin' Up the Sun

What is it about spring that makes you feel like you just received a fresh breath of life?


Today, I think it's the sun that put me in a good mood. Yesterday was about the same otherwise, but today a bright, warm sun popped over the eastern horizon, and my mood went up along with it. I mean, what's better than walking right out of practice in shorts and not feeling a single goosebump!?

To put it simply, sunshine elates me. There are few things that make me smile more than those lovely warm rays. It's especially fantastic when the sky is a deep never-ending azure from horizon to horizon- the world feels so open!

It really is beautiful outside. My family and I walked down the road and back a few minutes ago and I could hear the red-winged blackbirds and smell the earthy fresh air. We heard a bubbly gurgling sound and saw that it was a run-off stream from the hill. The water was clear and cold. And then, there was that sunshine. I love being able to just stand towards the sun and let its warmth seep into me. It's one of the best feelings in the world!

I love love LOVE spring!

So, this is my advice: Take any day you're feeling down and go outside to enjoy the sun, you won't regret it!

Dragonfly

I came across this picture while searching for a picture for my last post. It's a picture of a dragonfly covered with dew- how cool!

It just caught my eye because it was so strange and colorful. I love how you can see its hundreds of eyes magnified in the droplets and how the drops ball up on its tiny hairs. It's so fascinating to look at!

I know this post isn't really that long, but I figured it would be interesting to share this picture with everyone. :)

Spring Is Edging Its Way Back!

This afternoon, coming out from track practice, I inhaled a heavenly scent: rain.
It was wafting through the air enveloping every lucky soul in the front yard of the school with its freshness. I think the smell that comes just before rain is one of the best in the world. Its earthy clean scent reminds me of warmer weather and longer days. It's the perfect mood-lifter for anyone sick of winter's dreary weight.

Another hint of spring came just moments later when a distant sound reached my ears. I snapped my head skyward and saw a whole flock of Canadian geese! Lately I've been seeing one or two flying together, but this was probably a group of around a hundred. As they flew closer, the honks got louder and more plentiful. I smiled.

On the ride home was the third encounter. Passing my grandparents' house, I looked on their lawn and saw robins! They were just walking around, pecking for worms, but it was an uplifting sight. My mom always says they are a sure sign of spring. Their flaming chests stood out against the drab brownish-green of the barely forzen ground.

Bursts of color like a robin's chest will only show up more and more. Soon, they'll appear in red-winged blackbirds and crocuses. Then the grass will turn green again, the gray hillsides will blush with leaf buds and flowers will flash their vibrant blossoms.


I can't wait for spring!

Hot Cocoa

One of my all-time favorite drinks is hot chocolate.

Maybe it's just because I love chocolate in itself, but really, when it's cold outside, whats better than sitting down and enjoying a nice warm mug of cocoa?

The inspiration for this post came from some of the flavors of cocoa I enjoyed last week (gourmet cocoa and swiss mocha), and from the fact that winter is coming to an end. I mean, now is the best time to enjoy hot chocolate before the days turn too hot again, right?  Anyway, to encourage this, I'm going to include a couple of my home-made recipes for hot chocolate:

Mocha Cocoa:

Ingredients:

Cocoa mix

Milk

Hot water

Instant coffee crystals

***

 Put the cocoa mix in the bottom of a mug and stir in just enough milk to make a muddy soup. Pour in the directed amount of water and mix it all together. Add coffee crystals to taste.

Minty Hot Chocolate:

Ingredients:

Cocoa mix + hot water

Mint extract

*** 

Make the hot chocolate like normal, but add in a couple drops of the mint extract to taste.

 The Best Hot Cocoa : )   :

Ingredients:

Cocoa mix + hot water

Milk

Individual Dove chocolate pieces

***

This one's basically made like the Mocha Cocoa, except instead of instant coffee crystals, use a knife to shave the dove chocolate into the cocoa at the end. I'm not sure why, but the melted chocolate makes it so much better!

And of course, marshmellows are optional :)  Enjoy!

Dream Vacations: North America Edition

A couple of posts back I made a list of places around the world that I'd love to visit. Well now, I've got a list of such places on our own home-continent of North America. These places will be much easier to get to, not to mention probably a bit cheaper. First and foremost:

 All of the United States' National Parks. I can't really decide which of the sixty-some I'd want to go to most, I mean, they all sound awesome to visit! However, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Denali, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks are on the top of my list.

Rocky Mountains. I love mountains. That's just simply it. I love how majestic and rugged they are and how they can turn the landscape into a masterpiece. Either the American or Canadian form will do for me, although the latter ties into the next destination.

Jasper and Banff National Parks, Alberta Canada. The pictures I've seen from these places are just amazing. Lake Louise in Banff and Maligne Lake in Jasper are also beautiful. It's always been a dream of mine to go camping up next to their turquoise blue waters. *see above picture

Alaska. Like I said before, Denali National Park is a favorite of mine. I think staying out in a cabin up there, or going to see the grizzlies on Kodiak Island would be really fascinating. Plus, polar bears live there too. Ok, so maybe I don't really want to be that close to the bears, but it would still be cool. Alaskan salmon sounds really good to me too...

Washington State. I know it's rainy but the landscape is stunning. I hear it's really green and the mountains are spectacular... oh that's definitely enough for me.

Great Plains. I've grown up surrounded by hills, so seeing a flat landscape in all directions is hard to fathom. The only downer is the threat of tornados. They're not fun.



I guess that's all I can think of for now. I really do want to travel all over, to experience the deserts of Arizona, the tropical-ness of the Florida Keys, and even the badlands of South Dakota. What I need is time and money. So, most will probably remain a dream, but a girl can hope, can't she?