ONE FREAKING WEEK LATER

Well now, why on earth did I quit my job, travel 1100 miles just to be in the Hamptons for one week?
Because...I did not really like it, honestly. It seemed like an enclave of the very rich and I just didn't jibe with that vibe. The people, Naomi and Irving were really sweet folks. I wish I could have felt more comfortable there...but alas, I am not one to stay where I don't feel good.

So, I am now in the town of Breezewood, PA staying in the same lovely little motel in the same horrendous town where I stayed on the way out to Long Island. Aye carumba!!

I am on my way back to my home in St. Lou. I look forward to working on my garden and just enjoying being home...no more travel for at least a year...this has kinda burned me.

Alas, no job...but if I can just get 2 days a week somewhere, I'll pretty much be OK. Any suggestions from my good buds out there?

Sometimes I think I am just too weird for words. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. So, homeward and on to the next adventure....this time, it's gonna be in St. Louis...at least for the next year.

Live and, hopefully, learn : )

By the way, I am AGAIN passing right by FL Wright's Falling Water but cannot wait until ten when it opens. Maybe I am not supposed to see it...maybe I'll take a trip here to see it with an exciting new boyfriend....r-i-g-h-t!

SAGAPONACK, NEW YORK.... PARADISE?

OK, so here I am and I am not so sure that this is the paradise that many claim. I have to admit that I loved the drive here...all the states I've passed through. Illinois went by in a flash. Indiana is nearly forgotten. Pennsylvania was beautifully rural. The snippet of West Virginia was the same. New York was rural as well but I could not concentrate on it because I was transfixed on finding the correct road to make it out to Long Island.
After driving through the bowels of Brooklyn I was happy to find a Long Island Visitors Bureau. They set me on the path to Sagaponack and now here I am. I've been here for 4 and a half days and what I've seen is lots of symbols of wealth...so many BMW's, Mercedes and even a Lamborghini...hmmm...is this my kinda place??

I've also seen cute little bakeries, shops, high end clothing boutiques, and many expensive restaurants. I've seen gas at 3.39 per gallon. I've seen farm stands being overwhelmed by the most horrendous McMansions you've ever laid eyes on. I've seen old, old trees...maples of some sort and elms. I've seen 15 ft tall privet hedges surrounding many, many of the houses. There has been a lot to see.

Honestly, I think I would have loved Eastern Long Island about 50 years ago but today it's almost more than I can take in.

I look forward to actually driving around to many of the villages and sea side attractions in the days to come.

Mostly, I am going to decide in the next couple of weeks if this is a place I can feel comfortable in. Natural beauty abounds...and traffic jams abound with bumper to bumper high dollar cars crowding each other for the next parking spot closest to the next cool boutique. Hmmmm....we'll see.

QUICK POST FROM THE ROAD

I am sitting in front of a Best Western motel to do this post because my cheapy (but very clean and nice) motel does not have access...so I am stealing ie: borrowing the bigger hotels access. Thanks!

So I drove hours today and have ended up in a sweet little motel in a horrific little town filled with fast food, junky souvenirs and bigh trucks. It is right on the Pennsylvania Turnpike which I have managed to avoid by taking routes 30 and 31...I passed right by Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water...it was a mere 17 miles down a country road but it was 3:30 and they closed at 4:00 pm. Big bummer. I really wanted to go see it...oh well, maybe another time.

This morning had me awakening in the town of Richmond, IN and going to a lovely little coffee shop called Sacred Grounds. Just what I wanted. Nice coffee. I even ate there last evening; very good salad, soup and glass of good wine. What else could one ask for.

I stopped for lunch in Wheeling, WV. Highway 70 is blocked there and it routes through town. I had a typical Pennsylvania Dutch dish, Pierogi, those little potato, cheese filled pillows drenched in an olive oil, green pepper, onion-y broth. Pretty good. Lots of lovely buildings in Wheeling

Tonight for dinner: the remainder of the pierogis, a bottle of Blue Moon Brewery White ale, a haphazard salad purchased (to the consternation and much head shaking by staff) at Subway. That is a new one for me. I had the Veggie Delight Sandwich, bread on the side with lots of additional veggies. They didn't know what to make of me and just wanted me out of the place I think, so they gave me what I wanted.
Since it is still light, I came to write this missive. Now home to my little motel, The Wiltshire, for a little HGTV and some shut eye.

By the way, though, I have noticed wonderful purple/lilac/mauve wildflowers on the side of the road...tall and stately with the flowers in a bunch at the top...I guess thats kinda the way flowers are. Oh well, you might guess that I am tired, no, not tired, bushed after my long drive but I look forward to tomorrow's third leg of the journey. I am hopeful that I can get into New York tomorrow and out to Sagaponack in The Hamptons by late afternoon. Anyone know what those flowers are?

Have been listening to books on tape. Being absorbed in a story just makes the miles fly by.

WELL, WELL IT'S OFF TO NEW YORK I GO

Looks like I will be experiencing life in "The Hamptons" pretty soon. I've landed a swell-sounding job in the Hamptons working for a couple caring for their home and doing a little cookin'. It just sounds like a lot of fun to me. I'll be interested in visiting the city of New York while I am in the Hamptons...you know, museums, art exhibits, coffee shops, studios, etc. I'm looking forward to visiting all that the city has to offer AND helping my employers have a great summer by being of service to them in their home. I love cooking for people who enjoy it, so that'll be nice.
I also have a couple of friends who are around those parts and if I get the chance, I'll visit them while there...I may just actually get a job there and stay a bit...who knows.

I plan on leaving on Monday, noonish. I'll miss my son and daughter in law and various grand kids, Paul and his kids, my friend Steve and my work friends at Bowood Farms. However, since my face points forward I tend to look toward what's happening in the future rather than what has happened in the past.

So onward then.

Here comes another chapter...and the interesting experience of meeting new people, cooking for others, exploring new places and opening to new possibilities. Or not...who knows?