Travel Destinations: the New or the Familiar?

Nantucket has been a vacation destination for our family for 21 years. Once, for our tenth anniversary, we lingered for a week in a bed-and-breakfast inn. We've gone to Nantucket for day trips, for overnights, and for longer stays. Julia and I just returned from three days there. From rounding the iconic Brant Point lighthouse to discovering new bakeries or new-to-us beaches, Nantucket never disappoints! There's something comforting...or rather wonderfully comfortable...about returning to one vacation destination over and over again. And I'm wondering how you feel about that? Do you prefer to always explore new travel destinations, or is your heart smitten with a traditional family vacation spot?

My immediate answer would be that I like exploring the new, seeing places I've always wanted to see, and making the unknown known and familiar to me. But Nantucket has me rethinking that. There is an endearing quality to renewing your acquaintance with a distant "friend", getting to know them better, and to part with a deepened love.

But even the familiar family vacation spot is enhanced and enlivened by new discoveries. So while I enjoyed my traditional dawn walks on the island, exploring its quiet streets and slumbering houses with my camera for a couple of hours before everything awakens, I also craved the thrill of new discoveries.

Bicycling to Steps Beach, a hidden gem accessed at the end of a quiet, residential street via a footpath and a staircase, was one such discovery on this trip to Nantucket. When we reached the beach, we almost felt like trespassers who had tread upon land too marvelous to be imagined...the roaring waves on one side, the windswept sand dune with waving beach grass within touch of our fingertips to the other, a generous sprinkling of seashells at our feet, and an ever changing cloudscape overhead. All those trips to the island and we never knew about this glorious site! I fell in love with Nantucket all over again!

How about you? I'd love to hear how you prefer to vacation! Please leave a comment to join the conversation. Do you seek the new or embrace the favorite?

Breakfast Picnic

A breakfast picnic is a novel idea. But a mountaintop breakfast picnic with a view that stretches for miles is even more enticing. Recently, I planned one for Dave and I, just the two of us, on the summit of Miller State Park, the oldest state park in New Hampshire and one whose summit can be reached via an auto road. I experimented with an easy frittata recipe, and we packed it (warm from the oven) and other tasty breakfast foods along to the top of the mountain. 

We took the narrow, winding road to the summit, where we parked the car and walked a very short distance (maybe .10-mile) down a shaded trail to an overlook with a picnic table and the most majestic view of the tree-carpeted countryside and Boston's skyscrapers at the furthest point on the horizon. The sun was warm, but the morning, mountain air was fresh and invigorating, and we were a bit thrilled to have the whole mountaintop area mostly to ourselves for our whole picnic.

In order to keep planning and packing for our breakfast picnic simple, I stuck with my plan (see previous post here) of a menu that was: foraged from the refrigerator, bought at a bakery, and one item that took a little effort.

strawberries and raspberries

assorted baked goods from a local bakery

Easy Breakfast Frittata

mimosas

Although I make quiche frequently, I had actually never made a frittata. It's an Italian egg dish which is really a crustless quiche. Eliminating the crust saves so much time and effort. This one, made in an 8-in. cast iron skillet, will serve 2-4 people and is the ideal, transportable, picnic breakfast food.

Easy Breakfast Frittata

6 eggs

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

1/2 t. salt

pepper

1 1/2 c. chopped vegetables (use a mix of anything you'd like: peppers, onions, mushrooms, leeks, asparagus, etc.)

1 T. butter

1 T. flour

1 c. shredded cheese (any type you like: cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper Jack, Gouda, Swiss, etc.)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt butter in an 8-in. cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add vegetables and saute a few minutes until softened. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir for one minute to blend.

While vegetables are sauteing, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together: eggs, whipping cream, salt, and pepper. Add shredded cheese and whisk to incorporate. Pour eggs over finished vegetables, give a very brief stir to mix the vegetables into the egg, and cook until just the edges begin to firm.

Remove skillet from stove top and transfer to oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until center is almost set. It will continue to cook after it's removed from the oven due to the lingering heat in the cast iron skillet.

Transport hot skillet in a towel-lined picnic basket.

Serves 2-4.

After we had polished off half the frittata and more of the baked treats than we should have, we packed our picnic back up and returned everything to the car. Then we turned our attention to the fire tower. It is open to the public to climb, and the park ranger at the entrance had given us a map of the view. I'm always a bit thrilled with a summit map, because they're round, since you're standing at the top and everything you see is 360° around you. With it as our guide, we were able to identify several nearby peaks, as well as Mount Washington to the north, the mountains in Vermont, and Boston to the southeast.

Our breakfast picnic on the mountaintop was a refreshing break from our normal routines, and it was a good reminder to go on dates more often. We decided while we were there that we definitely need to bring friends and visiting house guests back here. I imagine the view in the autumn will be enchanting!

Useful Links and Info:

Miller State Park 

     - entrance fee per person

     - hiking trails

     - bathrooms at the summit

     - fire tower could be easily climbed by people of most ages, but stairs are steep and treads are narrow

Pack:

- tablecloth and napkins

- plates and glassware

- silverware, knife, and a pie server (for the frittata)

- bug spray

- sunscreen 

- binoculars

Summer Lake Fun with the Family

Some of summer's best memories are made on a lake. Canoeing, swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking, and rope swinging into the waters of a lake are the sort of fun-filled summer days remembered for a lifetime with a smile on one's face! Recently, while my California family was vacationing with us, we visited Pawtuckaway Lake, NH located in Pawtuckaway State Park. Nestled in acres of pine trees, the lake provides a day's worth of summer fun and adventure opportunities for the young and the young at heart. We packed along lunches and planned to make a day of it.

There's a rental office lakeside where we rented one canoe and two paddleboards for a half day. (Julia also brought her own paddleboard.) Dave and I paddled the canoe, loaded with camera gear, towels, and our lunch, hoping we didn't tip over and spill our precious cargo. Everyone else divided themselves among the paddleboards. We pushed off from the docks and headed for one of our favorite small islands.

It's a favorite, because it has that large rock protruding from the right side. Easily climbed from the island side, it provides a great place from which to jump into the lake. We slipped our canoes and paddleboards up to the shore and tied them to the tree roots that lace themselves around the earthen edges of the island. Scrambling up the rock, everyone took turns jumping into the "sweet spot" below -- just beyond the rocks. I thought the water would be chilly, but we were all surprised to find it amazingly warm -- cold enough to be refreshing, but warm enough that you wanted to spend the day in it.

The cousins all swam to some nearby rocks and took turns jumping, diving, and (cover my eyes) flipping into the lake. From our little island, I watched as each one went individually. But it was the trio of them jumping together that really made me smile. They're going to cherish these moments forever! Eventually, they swam back to the island and we all nibbled on some wild blueberries before paddling away for more lake fun on another island.

This island is the best for summer lake fun, because it has rope swings! Ahh...this was truly the day all my childhood summer dreams came true!

Dave and I stayed in the canoe, with him intermittently paddling to keep the canoe in position, and me taking photos. Everyone took their turns climbing the rungs nailed to the tree, swinging wildly out, and splashing into the cool lake water. Every swing was unique -- some high, some low, some twisting, some shrieking -- but all equally delightful to watch!

All of us having worked up an appetite, we tied up the canoe near the paddleboards, and pulled out our picnic lunch. Some people ate perched on rocks on the island. But the water felt so refreshing, I just stood in it, next to the canoe, and passed out sandwiches and handfuls of blueberries, and ate my own lunch.

Before we left, we all had to swing on the rope swing. This time, Dave and I went too! Being, quite naturally, a big chicken, I opted to swing out from a rock protruding out of the water. All the fun and none of the terror of jumping from that height was just perfect! So much fun! But Dave braved the rungs up the tree and made a big splash! Then I had to swing again. And everyone else went a couple times before we headed back to the docks to turn in our rentals. Another great day of family lake fun for the books. Can't wait to do it again!

Links and ideas:

location: Pawtuckaway State Park

pack: sunscreen, hats, towels, waterproof phone cases that float, water bottles

our lunch: ham and Fontina sandwiches on ciabatta rolls, Cape Cod chips, blueberries and brownies

see more: check out the mini-film I made of this trip (and our swim in the Quechee Gorge) on my Instagram feed (click here).

Exploring the Pacific Northwest in the Springtime - Part II

Squishy sand, stunning flowers, and towering mountains were all part of the second half of our springtime trip to the PNW, but our son was not. Military duty called and he jetted out for some training, leaving our little foursome to explore on our own for the second half of our trip.

The first day dawned rainy, as is to be expected in this region, so it was raincoats all around and off into the wet world we went. We made a short foray to Lummi Island, and upon returning we headed to the shore on the mainland. Descending a steep flight of steps, we emerged onto the rocky beach at low tide. The rain had stopped and everything was damp and smelled of the sea. The decaying remnants of a dock were well-exposed now, and the sea could barely be glimpsed on the horizon, with nothing but squishy mud in between us and it. While Dave and I wobbled over the slippery rocks on the shore and unearthed small crabs, the girls ventured far out onto the normally water-hidden land. Julia says it was one of her favorite moments of the trip and described it as "like another planet" out there. A small waterfall burbled down to the shore and ran across the rocks and out into the sea. We all loved our time casually spent at this piece of shoreline, as it seemed a truly PNW experience.

Another day. Another raincoat (just in case). Another ferry. Canada, here we come! While there are many options for travelling by ferry to Vancouver Island, the scheduling gets tricky. We found it best to take the early morning ferry out of Anacortes, WA and then leave Vancouver Island from Sidney with a Canadian ferry to Vancouver on the mainland and then drive back to the U.S. (Just a bit of a PNW travel tip, if you're trying to figure this out too.) This ferry ride was just as beautiful, with a bonus of being of longer duration than the ferry on our first day. There were puzzles and dogs and snacks (and a nap for me). Along the route, we passed Spieden Island, a once private game preserve where exotic species still lives. Our captain called the deer that live there "spiedalopes", but that's unverified information. (Read more here.) We then docked on Vancouver Island, on a bright and sunny day.

Our destination was the stunning Butchart Gardens, acres of cultivated gardens in all their springtime splendor. We wandered the paths for hours admiring the flowers and the work, dedication, and vision involved in creating such beauty for people to enjoy for generations. The Sunken Garden is built in what was once a rocky quarry, and a placard told of how Mrs. Butchart would be lowered in a sling to fit plantings into the crevices of the rocks walls. We passed through the Rose Garden (not yet blooming in mid-April) and the serenity of the Japanese Garden before coming to my favorite, the Italian Garden. I definitely regret not making lunch reservations at the restaurant overlooking the manicured lawn. Outdoor dining with no traffic noise is absolutely bliss to me, and this would've been ideal. But we passed through the arbor, whimsically placed in an enormous hedge, and had gelato while resting in the sunshine instead. Before leaving, we simply had to detour into the staff parking lot to gawk at the enormity of this hedge, That's a hedge! I napped (again) on the return Canadian ferry, so have little to report from that other than to say it was less like a ferry and more like a tiny cruise ship (no puzzles provided).

Our last day in the Pacific Northwest found us driving into the mountains and "Sasquatch country". There was much tittering and laughing about the latter, as we kept our eyes open for "him". We even passed through a town which holds an annual festival in his honor. I asked the clerk at the general store if he'd seen him, and he stared hard at me through narrowed eyes (not unlike you might imagine Clint Eastwood) and replied, "Not lately." Hmm. Escaping Sasquatch's grasp (ahem), we went higher and higher into the mountains. The rivers were rushing with the spring thaw and the waters all looked ever so icy cold. The views were simply spectacular on the way to and at our top destination of Mount Shuksan. Simple astounding! We felt as though we must be in the Alps, the mountains rose to such heights and still had so much snow for mid-April. Parts of Mt. Shuksan looked like an avalanche waiting to happen, and I found myself wondering more than once how real a possibility that might be, how far it would flow, if it would cover the road and strand us, and why we hadn't brought food and more water. But all's well that ends well! We weren't attacked by Sasquatch or buried alive in an avalanche -- just another beautiful travel day in the Pacific Northwest!

Helpful travels links to the Pacific Northwest...

Washington DOT for ferry service out of Anacortes, click here.

BC Ferries for ferry service from Vancouver Island to Vancouver, click here.

Butchart Gardens, click here.