What I did on my Autumn Vacation
I’m home from my trip to New York and Ohio, so now it’s time to catch you up and tell you all about it.
This is the view from the second leg of my red-eye. The first leg was a full flight, so I did not have a row to myself, but the others in my row were quiet and it was fine. The second leg was less crowded, and I had the row to myself. I went against all sense of decorum and took a picture of the snoring guy across the way, plus the woman with her red hoodie on backwards covering her face. Also on the flight, my phone decided that vacation was the best time for the camera to stop working properly. Probably bad karma for taking this photo.
The first part of my vacation was spent with my darling friends Marilee and Paul, who live in Lewiston, New York. They have a business, Spotlight Sojourns, where she writes about travel and he photographs their adventures. The link above is to their post about the historic town in which they live. As you can see from the map that Paul put together for the post, Lewiston is on the beautiful Niagara River.
When you look across the river, you get a view of Canada! What a beautiful border to our two countries! I don’t spend much time on the border of two countries, so I could not stop marveling that WOW, that’s Canada! Right there!
Longtime readers know that my absolute favorite historic figure and personal hero is Harriet Tubman, so I was especially interested in Lewiston’s history as the last stop on the Underground Railroad, commemorated by the Freedom Monument sculpture by artist Susan Geissler. I like this picture because you can see Canada across the river.
Here’s a better picture of the monument, though it lacks the view of Canada in the background. The monument depicts a family of three passengers, real-life stationmaster Josiah Tryon, and fictional heroine Laura Eastman from children’s book, Freedom Crossing.
The same artist created the Tuscarora Heroes Monument, created to thank the local Tuscarora people who helped save dozens of women and children during a British attack during the War of 1812.
I liked this little Peace Garden, commemorating the friendship between the US and Canada.
I didn’t sleep on the airplane, but I wasn’t too tired and enjoyed seeing the sights of Lewiston, including the famous Hibbard’s frozen custard. They have 4 standard flavors, plus two extra ‘flavors of the day’. I enjoyed the black raspberry and vanilla that I had that day, but even better was the cherry variety that we had a few days later.
Paul grew up in St. Catharines across the river, and still has family there, so after years of celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving for Ted (born in Ontario), I finally got to spend Canadian Thanksgiving in Canada! Paul’s sister, Voula, prepared a beautiful meal, and we enjoyed the company of her son, Aki, and his wife, Laura.
Monday we took a boat tour of the Erie Canal, which I had no idea I wanted to do until suddenly I very much did, and it was so, so cool to be raised and lowered in the locks.
Tuesday we went back over the border to Canada, this time to visit Nance’s favorite winery in Niagara on the Lake. We walked around their charming downtown, then moved on to see the magnificent Niagara Falls. As you can see, Marilee knows how to prepare for the mist and breeze in the hair department, and I do not.
Wednesday was time to move on from beautiful Western New York to Ohio, so I rented a car in Buffalo. I’ll admit that I was a little anxious about driving in a big city I am so unfamiliar with, but it was a breeze, and once I got onto Interstate 90, the drive was beautiful, with full fall foliage on display. It was an easy, beautiful drive.
Here I am at a rest stop, (or at least my creepy eye) in Pennsylvania for the first time since 2000, and look! There’s a Great Lake (Erie) behind me! Amazing! My only complaint about the drive was that I did not see a single horse. Not one. Also, no cows. I call BS on that. Once I got to my destination, I finally had a chance to stop and got a new phone. WHAT A RELIEF. My old one had trouble keeping a charge, and the camera issue was not getting any better. I was having to turn it around and use the selfie side to take pictures. It was incredibly annoying.
Does this beautiful Doggo give you any hint of who was next on my trip? That’s right, I got to spend some time hanging with Birchie! We toured her lovely town, had some good meals (and ice cream!), went to a national forest for a wonderful hike, and explored her neighborhood.
Who knew? Ohio has locks too, just like the Erie Canal! Everything was so beautiful, we had a great time.
After a few days with Birchie and Doggo, we drove to Nance’s lake house. Yes, that’s right, we went to Nance’s lake house! On the way, we saw 4 horse and buggies carrying Amish folks. I took this blurry photo as we passed one. Finally, horses! We had a lovely dinner of Nance’s excellent cooking, and then Birchie went home and I stayed to visit with Nance and Rick for a few days.
Time spent with Nance and Rick is time well spent. The lake house is beautiful, Nance is an excellent cook, they have a little boat, and their quiet banter is utterly charming. Example:
Nance: Are you going to have tea this morning honey?
Rick: Probably
Nance: What the hell are you waiting for?
Rick: The mood to strike me.
End scene.
Saturday we went for a lovely walk, and then in the afternoon, we were joined by the fabulous Maya! She had an important deadline for work so couldn’t spend the night, but she took the long drive down and back in one day. It was so, so wonderful to have some time together.
Sunday we took the boat around the lake, which was relaxing and beautiful. Here’s a picture of sunrise that morning. It was in the low 30s in the morning, but thankfully warmed up enough for us to enjoy our boat ride.
Later we drove to Nance and Rick’s regular home (and I saw more horses!), and then we went to dinner at their favorite restaurant (which was wonderful!).
Monday we took a walk around the neighborhood and looked at Halloween decorations, and later went to see her son Jared and his family. That’s right people, not only did I spend time with Birchie, Nance, and Maya, I got to meet Nance’s grandson, Theo! OMG, worth the price of an airline ticket right there. I also got to meet Sam, Nance’s other son, when he came by later.
I took this photo on a walk near the lake house. There was some great ‘leaf peeping’ action on this trip. I came home to trees that are a few weeks behind, and gas prices that are about $2 per gallon higher.
Tuesday morning Nance and Rick got up way before the crack of dawn to get me to the airport by 5:30, in time for my 7am flight. Way too early. Clearly it was also too early for this woman, who decided to use her hat as an eye mask. Thankfully my flight home was uneventful, and due to time zone differences, I was on the ground by 11, home by 1. When I got home, Ted had started dinner for me, so later that day, all I had to do was boil some water for pasta and heat the tomatoes/garlic/shallots/parsley he had prepped.
I had so much fun on my vacation – time with Marilee and Paul (Marilee and I met in grad school, in Latin class, so I’ve known her for almost 35 years – she and Paul moved from SF to NY in 2018, and they love it there), time with Birchie, time with Nance and Maya and Rick. It was a wonderful trip, I’m so glad we were able to make it happen, and I’m so thankful to all of my gracious hosts! Highly recommended.
46 Comments
Michelle G.
This looks like such a wonderful vacation! I am QUITE jealous that you got to see so many cool bloggers on their home turfs! The conversation between Nance and Rick made me laugh so hard, as did the Halloween scene! Ahhhh, what a lovely time! I’m so happy you got to go, and happy that you shared all about it!
J
Thank you Michelle! I really did have a wonderful time, it was a good mixture of fun adventure and relaxation.
K @ TS
Wow, what a fun trip! The fall colors in that part of the world sure were popping! I love the yellows, and the reflection in the water (and the dog, of course)! I am so glad you had a good time, and what a bonus that you got to meet the extended Nance fam! Gas prices, gah! When Birchie and I did TBE, we saw prices of between $3.50 and $4.50 and I just filled up in the Bay Area and it was nearly $7 a gallon. Yuck. Welcome home; I hope your week is finishing strong!
J
Kyria, it’s always nice to be home again after a trip, though I will admit that I find myself thinking, ‘one week ago right now I was…’
Ernie
Wow- this looks like such an amazing trip. Your trip to New York is the perfect reminder that there are so many cool places to visit and things to see in all the corners of the States and beyond. Lucky you – scoring time with Nance and family at both her residences. I cracked up that meeting Theo was worth the price of a plane ticket. I don’t doubt that. So glad you were able to replace your phone so you could share pics of Doggo. I love how you incorporated blog friends old long time friends in your travels.
I am reading this as coach drives our rental car in Norfolk, VA to the hotel. He is teaching a class here this weekend. I took a pic on the plane while my neighbor was snoozing- to show that she and I were twinning. No faces are seen and I sure hope there’s no bad juju with a phone breakdown on the horizon.
J
Fingers crossed that your phone continues to behave! Mine was 6 years old, which doesn’t seem like a very long lifespan to me, considering how expensive they are.
Margaret
What a fabulous trip! I loved seeing the sights along with you and hearing about your visits; you got together with so many bloggers. Had you met any of them before? The only thing I miss about my OD living in New York were the fall trips back there; the weather was nice, the scenery beautiful and the historic towns charming. It was quite a flight though. Glad you got the phone issue resolved–electronics certainly pick their moments, don’t they? Welcome home!
J
Margaret, I have met Nance (in 2013) and Birchie (in 2025) before, and Birchie and Kyria met up with Nance earlier this year. So the only person I hadn’t met before was Maya, who is just as lovely in person as she is on her blog or via text.
nance
Wow! You took so many absolutely beautiful photos; good thing you got a new phone. Definitely worth it.
I’m so so glad you had such a good time on this trip. We were pleased to have you as our guest, and I’m happy that you enjoyed the lakehouse and the surrounding scenery. That photo of you and Maya is priceless. I’m incredibly grateful that she made the trip and stayed as long as she did.
It was far too long since we had gotten together, so let’s not let that happen again. I loved having my blogfriends over and hanging out. And Rick enjoyed it all, too. xoxo
J
13 years between meetups is a LONG time. Do I remember correctly that Rick really wants to see San Francisco? I wonder if there’s a way to make that happen. I SO wish we had an extra bedroom so we could host you!
DB Stewart
I’m so glad you had a great time! I’m bias but I think Canada (and the Niagara region) is pretty special too. Laughed out loud at the barfing skeleton, ha.
J
I really enjoyed my time in Canada, though BOO, I did not get a passport stamp. 🙁
Elisabeth
What an epic adventure, Julie! I love it (and Maya’s dress is STUNNING).
I have only been to Niagara Falls once, but I absolutely loved it. So visually beautiful, but the sheer power of the water is also uniquely beautiful.
Birchie!!! Gah. I had so much fun when she came to visit and I’m jealous you got to visit her “neck of the woods” as we would say in Nova Scotia.
Delightful. All of it.
J
Elisabeth, Maya paired that lovely dress with the most amazing tall red velvet boots. She looked much more stylish than I did, that’s for sure! (Though my sweater is from Paris…)
I had a lot of fun with Birchie too! I’m so glad she was available when I was in her neck of the woods!
coco
what a fun trip and you met with many bloggers! did you plan to meet them? that’s awesome!
J
Yes, it was all planned, and it was a lot of fun. 🙂
Anvilcloud
Glad you got to see that part of our country. My parents lived in ST Catherines for a few years, and I have been to The Falls a number of times. It is cool see see another ocuntry just across the water. We lived across the river from Michigan for 30+ years.
J
Cool to look across the river and see another country, right?
Anvilcloud
At a B&B in New Brunswick, the river between us was quite small. I think New Brunswich and Miane (I guess) is where the border runs through the library.
J
Ugh, the library where Trump insisted on a new entrance? Embarassing. I think that’s in Vermont/Quebec…unless there’s more than one? I saw something about it just the other day…
San
What a wonderful trip, Julie! Your cup must be so full right now (but I also understand why you’re exhausted! So much sightseeing and face-to-face time with people…. if you’re anything like me, you’d need a vacation from the vacation! Haha. But of course it was all worth it! I am so glad you were able to see Birchie and Doggo, too, on this trip!
J
It was such a fun trip, I had a really good time. <3
StephLove
What a trip! Nice scenery and so many blog friends. I like the stautary you saw at the border.
You can see Canada across the Detroit River from a little park about a block from the aparment where North lived this summer. It was cool. Every time we were there, I’d go have a peek at our neighbor.
J
Funny, right? I kept saying to myself, “That’s Canada!” Then when I was in Ohio, I thought, “I’m in Ohio!” (My first time to see Ohio beyond just driving through.) Then I would tell myself, “I’m with Birchie!” Or “I’m with Nance!” LOL.
Jenny
Omg what a trip. Everything looks beautiful AND you met so many cool bloggers!!! And Doggo! And it sounds like the travel went well (love the plane photos). I’m glad you had such a fun time!
J
I’ll tell you Jenny, I was dreading these flights. They were all fine, so it was worry unfounded! I had a great trip.
NGS
You got to see so many cool things and people on your trip! If you ever get to see Maya’s house, you’ll see how a home can represent a person, too!
How were the airports? Did you have to take out your liquids? Did they make you take out your electronics? I need to know because it seems like every airport is different.
J
I have seen pictures of Maya’s house on her blog, and you are absolutely right, it is so clearly HER house. I love the bright colors and the warmth.
I checked my bag, so all of my liquids went there. I would like to be a carry on person, but I am not. I did take out my electronics, but I am not sure whether I needed to or not. I was VERY happy to not have to take off my shoes.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
What a great vacation. It sounds like you had a wonderful time and so much friend time too.
What a happy way to travel.
J
It WAS a happy way to travel! I love that framing.
Lisa’s Yarns
Wow! What an epic trip! How fun to see so many bloggers. It’s especially good to see Maya’s lovely face. I miss her posts! And the views at Nance’s lake place are gorgeous! Niagara Falls looked gorgeous, too. How fun to celebrate Canadians Thanksgiving!
Wow you really witnessed some creative strategies for sleeping on a plane! I have never seen those employed. The backwards sweatshirt is a good one!
J
I’m kind of amazed that you have not seen these methods used, Lisa, since you travel so much for work! Does the company fly you in Business Class? Maybe this is just how those of us in steerage fly? I was raised to kind of dress up for flying. Those days are clearly LONG PAST.
Lisa’s Yarns
I usually get to sit in comfort plus since I have a fairly high status with Delta. So maybe the seasoned travelers don’t do these sorts of things!! And yes, the clothing people wear on planes is really something….
J
That sounds likely to me, that comfort plus people don’t generally dress like that. It was amusing though!
Stephany
Aww, I love this! So many great bloggers and doggos. And great fall colors!
I always get super nervous about driving in a new city, and it always ends up okay! I felt the same about driving in Boston, but it wasn’t bad at all.
J
Oh, I would be really scared to drive in Boston, I’ve heard horrible things. I’m glad to hear that it’s not as bad as I thought, in case I ever have to do it!
Pat
What a great trip, fabulous post and beautiful pictures! As a Canadian reader I love that you shared the peace garden and symbol of friendship between Canada and US. We have been great neighbors for many years and I hope will continue to be for many more.
J
Me too, Pat, ME TOO. I feel like Canadians have a full right to be tired of our BS after we elected our current President TWICE. UGH.
Suzanne
What wonderful photos, Julie! I’m so glad you got a new phone, although what a huge pain to have to deal with while traveling. And you saw horses!!!
Love that photo of you and Maya — you are both beautiful. I miss her blog!
How fun to see Nance’s lake house and her “regular” house! For a moment, I thought the house with all the Halloween decorations in the yard was her “regular” house, and it surprised me, lol.
This sounds like a truly wonderful trip. It’s wonderful that you got to see so many bloggers, and that they got to see you! I hope you know how much light you bring into their lives.
J
LOL, I would be SHOCKED if Nance had a house like that, it’s not her bag. But she enjoyed showing me some of the crazier decorations in her neighborhood.
I loved seeing all of the bloggers that I saw this time too! Everyone is just how they seem on their blog, right? And I miss Maya’s blog too. I hope she comes back soon.
Mark T. Petruska
You want cows? Come to Wisconsin.
Looks like a great trip; I lived in Ohio for three years growing up, and it was seriously one of my favorite places. I think I’m most jealous that you get two Thanksgivings this year!
J
Mark, we get two Thanksgivings every year! My husband was born in Canada, so we usually have a small Thanksgiving dinner for him in October. This was my first time actually in Canada though, and as a bonus, I didn’t have to cook!
Allison McCaskill
I DID know that doggo! The pictures! Birchie and Maya and Nance and the lake house! All sounds perfect.
J
I’m at the phase of post vacation now where I’m thinking, ‘3 weeks ago my trip was tomorrow. 2 weeks ago I was with Birchie and Doggo. 1 week ago I was home.’ Do you do that after a trip?
PocoBrat
I’m in the same place as your last comment, as you know :)!
Still all ? and ? eyed. So grateful for your sisterhood always.
Loved the whole writeup and the middleschool nostalgia of the title :)!
J
All the heart eyes, Maya!