New York, New York

At the end of June, I went to Horseheads, NY to visit with my friends Sandi and Nikki and made a new Canadian friend named Rick. I bought the plane tickets three months ago and didn't know that my hip was going to be this bad. It was ok because there isn't much to do in Horseheads, NY. So it gave me time to catch up with my friends (even though Sandi was always working :( ) and relax before my surgery this week. It also helped that Sandi is a physical therapist and was equipped. We did get some sightseeing done in between all the resting and catching up.

We were close to Ithica, NY and we went to do some shopping and some eating. I found out what is the cutest way to serve coconut ice cream and that a coconut holds a lot of ice cream.

When I was applying for colleges in my past life as a teenager, I was accepted to Cornell University. I decided to go to UMASS instead and it has always been a regret of mine. Cornell is in Ithaca so I wanted to see what I missed.

It is a beautiful campus but after driving there for five minutes, I felt better about my decision 14 years ago. There are some huge hills. Driving there is like driving in San Francisco. I can only imagine having a class up the hill at 8am in January!

We also went to the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center (don't ask me to say it) in Auburn, NY to see an art quilt exhibit of one the best art quilter, Nancy Crow.

After a beautiful drive near the Finger Lakes, we had a late lunch at the Pumpkin Hill Bistro in Aurora, NY. We sat on the porch. The food was great and the service was wonderful. They even gave us blankets and pillows.

If you ever find yourself near this area of the world, you have to go to the Corning Museum of Glass. It is the only big tourist attraction in the area but it is worth the trip.

After the museum we walked around the town of Corning. NY.

And no trip with friends is complete without a little booze. Here is a fine cocktail recipe courtesy of famous bartender Nikki D. May.

Sparkling Redneck Sangria

a bottle of cheap ass red wine opened three days ago
1 apple from the bottom of Sandi's fridge
chop up some strawberries
1 little snack pack of peaches on lite syrup
splash some crappy lemon juice from a container
splash some week old Sunny D
a sprinkling of sugar
2 cans of Sprite

Enjoy!