Rhinebeck!

Our lodgings in Albany (Colonie), NY last night were in a very good location - near Romano's Macaroni Grill (see my tally on the left - scroll down) and Barnes & Noble. However, the Super 8 was a haven for university students. I'm not sure why they were all there but at 11:30pm - after we had retired for the night - a bunch arrived and proceeded to imbibe right in front of our room. Once I realized they were settling in for the night, I had to let them know that they needed to go into their room(s) as all of us were hearing their conversations. They did move on but more groups of kids kept arriving. I finally fell asleep about 1/2 hour after I put in my earplugs.

This morning we got on the road to Rhinebeck by 8:30am and arrived about an hour later. We were able to park very close to the main gate. Once inside the gates we headed for the yarn merchants.














Here I am with the mascot of the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival:



















I bought some Lorna's Laces for sock yarn for me














and some other lovely green sock yarn to make a pair of socks for Mark.














I also bought a gauge for Skacel Addi Turbo needles because I have a hell of a time reading the sizes off the cords. I usually can estimate the size but sometimes I need confirmation.














For lunch, I had a simple hot dog but Skip splurged for BBQd lamb on a bun.

I enjoyed the sheep shearing demonstration. This very skilled shearer completed the task in about 4 minutes:














There were chocolate alpacas:














And of course, sheep:














By the time we left at 2pm, there were cars as far as one could see.














As we were approaching the bridge to get to the Interstate, I noticed this vehicle:














Here's a closeup of the licence plate:










Then we headed for our next destination, Syracuse, NY. We arrived at our lodgings at 5:15pm. Skip was excited that NCAA football was on and Missouri was beating Tennessee. We went for dinner at 6:15 to Pronto Joey's - an Italian restaurant we had eaten at 11 years ago on our first trip to Syracuse. It was right across the street from the hotel so we just walked. In our many years eating at Italian restaurants, we have learned that the portions are usually quadruple what a person needs to consume. Last night at Romano's we shared an entree and a salad and it was just the right amount of food. The price is correspondingly good as well.

This evening we again shared linguine with red (tomato) clam sauce, a Lebanese salad and a 1/2 carafe of Chianti. The warm Italian bread is served with a whipped garlic and chive butter. It was as good as we remembered after all these years.

One bonus about our stay tonight is that it is the free night redeemed from our Trip Rewards. The Days Inn is very nice and clean. Our room has a nice TV with clear reception and every channel one could want (at least 4 sports channels for Skip's enjoyment), a fridge, microwave and coffee maker (free coffee is available 24 hr. in the lobby). The lighting is good and there's a great desk for my laptop needs. We are happy campers, indeedy.

Tomorrow we'll head home. It's about a 4.5 hour drive and with a lunch stop will probably take over 5 hours. We should arrive home mid- to late-afternoon.

The scenery has been breathtaking.




I love the fall.