Showing posts with label Upstate New York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Upstate New York. Show all posts
Last week mom and I went Strawberry picking at what has become a beautiful tradition for us. Strawberry picking at Essex Farm started on a very tender day for us many years ago and is now a beloved tradition for mom and I each summer. Thank you Essex Farm for not only delicious strawberries and food but precious memories and special summer traditions that nourish our stomachs and hearts.
You can find the story on Instagram by clicking HERE!
I understand that in the world we live in and the constant reels and pictures it may not seem like a lot, but to me this means so much more than you realize. Every view, like, comment, and share on a reel truly matters more than most people realize. Instagram quietly uses those small signals to decide whether a post should be shown to more people. When you watch, tap the heart, or leave a thoughtful comment, you’re helping the story reach someone else who might need to hear it too. You are also helping support this business of mine- which is HUGE. For a small content creator like me, those simple moments of encouragement from this community make a real difference and help Caravan Sonnet continue to grow in the Instagram space and support me with no cost to you. So please take just a quick moment to click HERE to do this! .
Thank you.
Happy Thursday friends! I hope you have the most wonderful day!
Happy Friday friends! I hope your week is finishing well! On Wednesday I took my first southern crossing from Essex to Charlotte for the season, and for thirty quiet minutes the world felt slower again.
Blue water.
Lake air.
Wind in my hair.
A flowy skirt catching the breeze.
No rushing. Just ordinary beauty that restores you slowly.
Afterward, I drove through Vermont with the windows down, sipping my favorite drink — ice water — and marveling at the beauty surrounding all of us.
This is just one of the reasons I love the Lake Champlain region so deeply. As we slowly say goodbye to a very long winter, life here in new ways makes room for wonder, quiet rituals, and the kind of quiet moments of simple beauty and noticing the world around us.
.jpg)
.jpg "you know it is spring in upstate new york when you can do this")
Yesterday, something very exciting that happened for those of us who are ready for spring in Upstate New York over on Instagram!! Has Spring come to your area? Do you have a "driveway test" for Spring?
Sharing a reel where I explain a bit more- Please head on over to watch, comment, and like the reel HERE!
Happy Sunday and beginning signs of Spring!
Happy Tuesday friends! I hope that you are having a wonderful week so far! With the excitement of the Olympics these last days I thought it would be fun to share a bit about some Olympic sites in Like Placid!
Today I am excited to share with y'all a little bit about the Olympic Jumping Complex in Lake Placid, New York! This winter has provided several opportunities to be over in Lake Placid and a couple of weeks ago I was out at the Olympic Jumping Complex exploring it. It was a beautiful day and the views from the top were simply incredible. If you are ever in the upstate New York, Lake Placid region, I definitely recommend that you head to the top of the Olympic Jumping Complex and check this place out!
To get to the top and see what it is like to be up at the top of the ski jump simply drive on over to the Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex. Once you park you can then take the gondola up to the base of the ski jump (this is a very short ride). Once there at the base you simply take the 26 story elevator to the top of the observation deck.
When you get off the gondola you will see the two different jumps and seriously- it is amazing how huge they are! I love watching different winter events so I have seen them a lot on TV, but being there and standing below them truly gives you a whole new appreciation for the courage that these jumpers have!
So as I mentioned you can ride the 26 story elevator up to get a view from the top. When you get off the elevator you will go through a mini museum/ski jumpers preparation room which has several videos and items for display documenting history that has been made at Lake Placid.
Stepping outside you can literally see a panoramic view of the Adirondack High Peaks on a clear day. I was in awe of the beauty that surrounded us. It was simply gorgeous.
The cost of the Olympic Jumping Complex is $11 for adults ($16 on event days) and $8 for kids and seniors ($10 on event days). If you purchase an Olympic Passport (for $35 for adults/kiddos and $30 for seniors) this activity would allow you admission to ride the elevator to the top for free.
You won't regret purchasing this activity and experiencing it. The views are absolutely priceless.
The Olympic Jumping Complex opens at 9:00am and closes around 4pm. With your ticket you can stay up at the top for as long as you would like so there is no time frame of how long you want to stay. (There was a limit on how many people can be up at the top at one time so you may have to wait a few minutes if there are large groups ahead of you.)
Have y'all ever visited the Olympic Jumping Complex in Lake Placid? Weren't the views just incredible from the top? It was seriously so inspiring to get a glimpse of how high these skiiers are as they do their jumps!
Thanks for reading friends! If you are planning a trip to Lake Placid and are interested in reading more about the area you can find other posts about this area of New York on the blog by clicking HERE! I hope that you have a wonderful day!
crossing home at sunset on the lake champlain ferry // lake champlain, upstate new york and vermont
November 1, 2025
Happy Saturday friends! Today I thought it would be fun to share all about a beautiful crossing on the ferry at sunset from this past week.You can watch, comment, and like it HERE!
Thank you so much for all of the interest! It was fun to share a reel like this! I hope you have a wonderful Saturday and start to November friends!
May we be people who speak with a love so luminous and freely we can’t help but walk out of darkness into a world of light.
The top of Poke-O-Moonshine... before the fall on the way down. Thank you for all of the sweet messages, thoughts, and prayers. It was a pretty bad fall into rocks and I am still recovering... never taken a fall like that in hiking and grateful that it wasn't worse. Lots of questions if I am still going to France next week to speak and yes that is still the plan as I plan to be fully recovered (appreciate the prayers - specifically for my head)... although wearing heels to speak with my ankle is now looking like it might not happen and I hopefully will not scare away the crowd with all the bruises and scrapes. Haha.
Poke-O-Moonshine | Adirondack Mountains | Caravan Sonnet
Happy Tuesday friends! Today I am so excited to share that I shared an instagram reel over on IG early this morning all about a beautiful winter ferry ride on Lake Champlain!! You can watch it by clicking HERE!
On Saturday (before the snowstorm hit) we headed over to Burlington to do a bit of shopping and had the most delightful picnic lunch in our car. It was sweet and simple and the beauty of Lake Champlain and the lightly snow dusted mountains was simply stunning.
As the ferry cut through the ice I was reminded again how much beauty surrounds our area. What a beautiful gift that this is and one I do not take for granted. You can see a beautiful glimpse of this area of the world over on IG early by clicking HERE!
Happy Tuesday friends- I hope you enjoy the beauty of our area in our upstate New York world.
Check out my reel on instagram (click HERE)
Happy Monday friends! I hope you had a lovely weekend! We haven’t had a “snowstorm” in a couple of years and this weekend we were hit with one that delivered over 2 feet over 26 hours. This honestly is not overwhelming for our area but enough that it allows you to pause and rest in coziness during this time of year. As I was attempting to shovel out our driveway way in the morning after about a foot of snow had fallen I looked at the woods behind us and decided to go for a walk in the snow.
It was so beautiful and quiet and reminded me of the stillness and blizzards I would read about in the Little House on the Prairie books as a child.
I also got a good laugh when I saw my hair. Y'all I couldn't stop giggling... look at it. Haha!
A happy little adventure hiking through snow was just one gift for the day … as the beauty of our neighbor who used their snowblower to dig out our driveway late last night after my numerous attempts throughout the day were losing against the snow was the kindest gift to end the day.
I hope your weekend was filled with cozy adventures and joy.
Come along to see the beautiful Little House on the Prairie inspired snow adventure on instagram by clicking HERE! Would live to hear your thoughts and comments!
Happy Monday friends! I hope you have a beautiful day!
Happy Tuesday friends! Today I am so excited to share that I shared an instagram reel over on IG yesterday all about a beautiful fall ferry ride on Lake Champlain!! You can watch it by clicking HERE!
You may wonder why I mention the instagram reels that I create and why it matters about watching, liking, saving, commenting, and sharing my reels. I wouldn't know about this either if social media wasn't part of my job, but each time that you watch one of my reels, like them, comment on them share them or save them I make a small commission which adds up to help me. It doesn't cost you anything, but it does help me. THANK YOU! Just watching a reel and liking it are huge helps!! Thank you again for everything friends!
Happy Fall- I hope you enjoy the beauty of our area in upstate New York world.
a visit to the ausable marsh wildlife management area and tender reflections from this area // peru, new york
October 23, 2024
This past weekend we headed out for a brief adventure outside. As some of you know, I haven't been able to do all of the fall hiking and adventuring that I love to do at this time of year, because I seriously hurt my back a couple of weeks ago. And while I was still in a lot of pain the day was absolutely beautiful and I was so thankful to see that beauty up close.
We headed back to a place that holds special significance for me as some of you who have been around the blog for a longtime will know. Our trip to the Ausabale Marsh Wildlife Management Area in 2013 was... tender. By this point in my health journey I was struggling to walk more than a few feet alone and my precious dad was holding me up. The pictures have some laughter in them, but behind the scenes there was a lot of fear as I had just been diagnosed with Advanced Late Stage Lyme Disease and we knew that something was seriously wrong. I had absolutely no idea the journey that was in front of me to walk but what I do remember that day most of all is that my precious father kept speaking words of life and truth and hope into my situation (which he did for my whole life and throughout the years of being sick in the darkest of moments).
As I held onto my dad tightly struggling to have the effort to walk even a few feet, but dad kept whispering words of encouragement saying things like, "The Lord is going to Heal You", "You are going to run and not faint", "You have good things in front of you"... and so much more.
Seven years later, when healing was in full force, in the Spring of 2020 and when the world was in lockdown, my mom and I headed back to this area to get outside nearly everyday. We would walk the sandy beaches and quietly breathe in the fresh air outside with no one around. It was during these visits that we prayerfully considered what we should do and knew that the Lord was leading to go back to Tennessee. On a very specific walk there my mom said, "You should apply for teaching jobs" which was of course a dream, but I felt an impossible one after so many years of being outside the classroom. I looked at her skeptically and she said, "Go for it"... and sure enough ... my beautiful mom was right and the Lord opened the door to the most incredible opportunity.
Announcing and going back into teaching was one of the most beautiful full circle moments here on Caravan Sonnet and I still have tears at the Lord's goodness. That year... still leaves me speechless.
So whenever we head back to this area... it is always a tender spot filled with lots of precious memories that are deep treasures in my heart. There are of course new things that we are praying about, and new adventures in front and being back in this area was a tender reminder of how the Lord has answered miraculously in the past and will answer again.
I hope that you are having a wonderful Wednesday friends! The beauty that surrounded us was peaceful and I hope that these pictures bring a sense of beauty to your day!
.jpg)
.jpg "point of view: all adirondack fall drives should end at lake champlain")
Happy Thursday friends! Today I am so excited to share that I shared an instagram reel over on IG yesterday all about beautiful fall drives in the adirondacks over to Lake Champlain!! You can watch it by clicking HERE!
I created a poll that takes two seconds to answer as a fun addition. I would love to hear your thoughts!
.jpg "point of view: all adirondack fall drives should end at lake champlain")
You may wonder why I mention the instagram reels that I create and why it matters about watching, liking, saving, commenting, and sharing my reels. I wouldn't know about this either if social media wasn't part of my job, but each time that you watch one of my reels, like them, comment on them share them or save them I make a small commission which adds up to help me. It doesn't cost you anything, but it does help me. THANK YOU! Just watching a reel and liking it are huge helps!! Thank you again for everything friends! Happy Fall- I hope you enjoy the small clips into our upstate new york world.
Happy Tuesday friends! I hope that you are having a wonderful week! I am so excited to share my Tuesday travel post today and highlight the incredible experience that we had on our winter sleigh ride at Lake Clear Lodge in December! If you missed it, check out the fun reel that I posted on Instagram HERE!
We have been talking about doing a sleigh ride for over a decade. Honestly, there were a lot of reasons that it just didn't happen, but this year we decided that we wanted to do this- and it held a lot of emotions as I know some of you can well understand.
As the day of the sleigh ride approached though we truly were looking forward to it and it brought such joy to anticipate this.
And to make it even more magical, the day before the sleigh ride occurred, we received our first full snowstorm of the year... it truly added to the beauty and the holiday spirit beyond anything we could have imagined.
The sleigh rides take place at Lake Clear Lodge in Lake Clear, New York. It is always amazing to me to discover a new spot of the Adirondacks that I am not familiar with. I love the reminder that there is so much adventure to be had right in our own backyards!
The sleigh rides are hosted at Lake Clear Lodge and are run by Lucky Clover Sleighs which hosts year round horse drawn rides.
It was a beautiful ride y'all. It was so quiet in the woods and the beauty was absolutely stunning.
The ride lasted for approximately 20 minutes and included beautiful views, delightful adventure, and even some galloping with the horses! It was so fun and we are still talking about it weeks later.
We technically did the lantern sleigh ride. The times available run from 3:15-9:00pm. We chose an available slot at 3:55 which turned out to be perfect. The sun was setting and we got to truly appreciate all of the beauty that surrounded us. With the first snowfall, this time was perfect but honestly I think the evening hours in the dark would be magical too. We will just have to check them all out!
We had such a great time! It was so full of joy! If you would like to see more pictures check out my reel that I mentioned earlier in this post! Have you gone on a sleigh ride? Any suggestions for your favorite place to go?
Happy Tuesday friends!
Apple trees with beautiful blossoms, white farm houses, and Lake Champlain in the background make for a beautiful drive to and from work.
Happy Tuesday y'all! Today I am excited to share a few suggestions for memorial day activities and things to do around the Lake Champlain area! Since this area is steeped in history, there are truly so many wonderful activities that can be experienced to celebrate the true meaning of this holiday weekend and also many exciting activities to "kick off" the early summer season! Enjoy y'all!
picture courtesy of Fort Ticonderoga
A Salute to the Service of the Armed Forces at Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga (steeped in History) has many events that take place throughout the entire weekend, but May 28th has an entire day dedicated to salute the service of the armed forces of the United States. Starting in the morning and continuing throughout the afternoon there are activities all throughout the day. You can read the entire schedule HERE. There is a cost for admission, but children under 4 are free.
Attend a Parade
There are numerous parades that are taking place in the many towns and cities of Lake Champlain. You can find a listing of all of the Vermont Memorial Day parades by clicking HERE! The largest parade in Vermont, which takes places in Vergennes, begins at 11am. You can find out more details on this specific parade by clicking HERE.
Take the Family to the Farmers Market
Numerous Farmers Markets open up this weekend and there is no shortage of the different types and places that you could attend. Type in "farmers market" and your town and find out the times and places. Interested in attending the Burlington Farmers Market? You can find out more information HERE!
Great Adirondack Garage Sale
Every day throughout the weekend there will be the Great Adirondack Garage Sale held along a 200-mile "trail". If you are looking for a great bargain you won't want to miss this exciting event! You can find out more on their website by clicking HERE!
photo courtesy of Vermont City Marathon
Run in, Volunteer, or Cheer on the Participants of the Vermont City Marathon & Relay
There are several runs that are taking place around Lake Champlain, but the Vermont City Marathon and Relay takes place in downtown Burlington this Sunday. Stop on by, participate, or volunteer in this exciting event! (Interested in finding out about other running events that take place in Vermont? Check out the "Run Vermont" website to find out about lots of other events coming up in the future!
There are so many different things to do on Lake Champlain on Memorial Day Weekend! What are your favorites?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
