Carol and I married on April 4th 1981, a sunny warm day, perfect for a small ceremony on our front lawn. Every year since we've managed to spend at least a couple of days away from home, sometimes very close when our three teens were in New Paltz rather than with their other parents, but always away — until this year. We made our reservation for a three-day weekend at the Emerson up on Route 28, one of our favorite places. By the week before our away time they had closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Every other possibility also closed. So we spent our anniversary at home. Our only excursion was to a tiny
Scenic Hudson Park around Coxsackie, far enough north of Pandemic Central (NYC) to have been occupied by only one other person on our anniversary.
Our anniversary trips were, with the exception of years ending in zero, no more than a day's drive from our home and located where we could park our car and leave it for the duration of the trip. For several years we were able to recall where we went by year, but that soon fell away, followed by whether we went a certain place on our anniversary or another time. Some universal truths about our trips: nothing is generally open tourist-wise in early April, April showers are real in most of the northeast, and libraries are a great place to spend a rainy day. Some of our more memorable trips have to do with an unusual location, event, or circumstance. Here are a few:
The Provincetown Inn - which may have been our first anniversary trip. I saw a NY Times ad offering rooms at the inn for $75. I immediately called to try and book a room for Friday thru Sunday. When I made the reservation and prepared to offer my credit card number I said, "That's $75 a night, right?" I was told the $75 was for the entire stay! Turns out they had to stay open because their indoor pool was used by Provincetown residents, so booking rooms was basically helping pay for the utilities.
A Honeymoon hotel in the Poconos. Our room had a round bed, mirrored ceiling, and a hot tub. We spent at least one afternoon in a paddleboat on the lake bordering the golf course, rescuing golfballs from the turtles.
A BandB in Saint Michaels, Maryland on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake. I bought Carol a pair of silver dolphin earrings from a craft shop and she bought me my first Tilley Hat. We attended a high school talent show where the emcee announced that a sophomore girl would sing her signature song "Me & Bobby McGee." No fifteen-year-old should ever try to imitate Joplin! We did enjoy the show, but when we were back at our digs, Carol realized she'd lost one of the earrings. Next day we left our address at the school office and bought a second pair, assuming the first was lost forever. A month later we got it back with a letter thanking us for attending the talent show!
Several more are popping up in my head as I reminisce, but I think that's enough for now.
Until next time,
Namaste
Scenic Hudson Park around Coxsackie, far enough north of Pandemic Central (NYC) to have been occupied by only one other person on our anniversary.
Our anniversary trips were, with the exception of years ending in zero, no more than a day's drive from our home and located where we could park our car and leave it for the duration of the trip. For several years we were able to recall where we went by year, but that soon fell away, followed by whether we went a certain place on our anniversary or another time. Some universal truths about our trips: nothing is generally open tourist-wise in early April, April showers are real in most of the northeast, and libraries are a great place to spend a rainy day. Some of our more memorable trips have to do with an unusual location, event, or circumstance. Here are a few:
The Provincetown Inn - which may have been our first anniversary trip. I saw a NY Times ad offering rooms at the inn for $75. I immediately called to try and book a room for Friday thru Sunday. When I made the reservation and prepared to offer my credit card number I said, "That's $75 a night, right?" I was told the $75 was for the entire stay! Turns out they had to stay open because their indoor pool was used by Provincetown residents, so booking rooms was basically helping pay for the utilities.
A Honeymoon hotel in the Poconos. Our room had a round bed, mirrored ceiling, and a hot tub. We spent at least one afternoon in a paddleboat on the lake bordering the golf course, rescuing golfballs from the turtles.
A BandB in Saint Michaels, Maryland on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake. I bought Carol a pair of silver dolphin earrings from a craft shop and she bought me my first Tilley Hat. We attended a high school talent show where the emcee announced that a sophomore girl would sing her signature song "Me & Bobby McGee." No fifteen-year-old should ever try to imitate Joplin! We did enjoy the show, but when we were back at our digs, Carol realized she'd lost one of the earrings. Next day we left our address at the school office and bought a second pair, assuming the first was lost forever. A month later we got it back with a letter thanking us for attending the talent show!
Several more are popping up in my head as I reminisce, but I think that's enough for now.
Until next time,
Namaste
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Comments are always from "anonymous". Often I can identify the author by the content of the comment, but that much cogitation makes my 80 year-old brain tired. Please help out an old man and identify yourself within the text of the comment. Thanks for the comments whether or not you ID yourself. Tom