Today's Pink Boots

We are off to the Saratoga Race Course. This is the biggie. More important than attendance is the "handle," the amount of money bet. The first week's on-track handle totals more than $11 million, up 10 percent from last year. As a gauge of the economy, some folks have money to burn. I have $20 to burn and lots of gigabytes available to capture the action. 

No one here watches CNN. OTBTV is the viewer's choice. Numbers running under the screen look like the ticker on the NYSE. So much to learn.

Who wins today? CalmAfterTheStorm, Winter Memories, Little Miss Holly, More Than Real?

Racetrack tips advise dressing comfortably, though I know that clubhouse crew will  be outfitted to the nines - hats, sun dresses, strappy sandals - you get the picture, put together in a monied sort of way. What I lack in designer wear will be replaced by style points. Today's pink cowboy boots are flip flops. I had an epiphany after spending countless hours in the car - shoes don't make the woman, the woman makes the shoes!

What pink boots are you wearing today?

The Breakfast Club

Slept in a fluffy bed and now caffeinating with the someone behind the paper. Have not heard the news in about five days and not sure I've been harmed by the experience.

My knitting has improved considerably and I am plowing my way through a book. Where is my inner whirling dervish?

Oh, that is right - the WD is behind the newspaper.

At The Cross Road

One fatal car-bus-semi accident, several detours and some lazy meandering on some fine NY State background, we are here at the cross roads of Sweet Street and Route 117 high on the Tug Hill Plateau.

This is where the snow starts falling in September and ends in May. Barnes Corners sets records for snow drifts that reach the second story windows of weathered homes.

Dairy cows are the primary source of income.(Snow plowing may be a close second.) Imagine what it is like getting up for the 3 a.m. milking in February.

Wind turbines have brought new prosperity to the bleak economic landscape as well as much controversy. Each year the number of turbines seems to increase. We are lulled by their sleek beauty and gentle hiss. We stop to stare as only tourists can.

I don't know all the pros and cons of these power generators, but I do appreciate the wealth they bringing to the landowners making their way on this hard-scrabble terrain. I don't know if Sweet Street is a new addition, but it seems an appropriate addition.

Laundry To Go

Sad to say a few things fell off my mental packing list. Time will tell if those "necessities" were truly necessary. I am certain the extra sparkly, dangly earrings I packed will fill in nicely for anything left behind for this back-to-nature mountain vacation.

Mr501 was mildly put off when I clumped down the front steps with an armload of wet laundry and proceeded to set up a drying station in the hatchback. He flipped the wet clothing at the first rest stop. What would you do with a car filled with 100-degree heat?

Next concern: Where to set up the ironing board? Hmmmmm.

How Is Your Day?

I can't wipe the grin off my face! If you're smiling, give a thumb up.

Let the Frenzy Begin

Camp Box? Check.

That's it. The packing list is in my head. It changes constantly. Remind me why I won't put this list on paper when I cannot remember my phone number.

Then there is Mr501 who forgets to pack underwear, drops his cellphone in the ocean and doesn't care how many times we stop or where. No doubt we don't follow a tight travel plan and rarely have a map on hand when we leave the main road. We are a traveling lost and found. 

But we have some laughs, which takes the monotony out of a drive in a car without a sound system. What do you hear when you're on the road?

Packing for Camp

Mr501 started filling the camp box. I found the usual suspects - garlic, rice, pasta and Peeps. Yes, Peeps. No granola, Peeps. Green and yellow. S'mores anyone?

Packing is likely to get a little more franctic. But no way will we leave without a few necessities like knitting, books and a bag of electronics, which, of course, will not work high in the Adirondacks. That is the best part of taking them along. They live in the trunk and only get fired up when we return to civilization. Sweet silence and the lovely lilt of conversation and laughes with so many friends.

What do you pack?

Welcome to my world

I am a former journalist who has never lost her love of adventure and appetite for the quirky. I wear pink cowboy boots, red patent leather shoes and big hats with flowers. My favorite city is Paris, but I love my friend's cabin in upstate New York that has the most beautiful outhouse in the world.  Talk about quirky. I don't have to look far. I am married to Mr501 (more about him later).

 I love this picture because it captures all the wonderful footwear that needs to go on a trip. Join me and my pink cowboy boots. We're heading to the Adirondacks this week. Ciao!