A fun weekend away...

Last weekend, hubby and I made a quick trip to the Finger Lakes region of NY, about 5 1/2 hours from home. We went to attend a 70th birthday party for the mom of our good friends.

After we had driven about four hours it was time to stop for lunch. I happened to notice a sign that said "Angelica Village". I remembered it was a place we had stopped last October when we had made another trip to the area. I was so excited to find it again. We stopped and had a wonderful but too short time there.

Here's a shot from last October, when we drove my mom and my aunt to the region for my cousin's "destination" wedding in the Finger Lakes area. We had pulled off the highway for a break on the way home and stumbled into this darling little town, where we enjoyed a little antique shopping.

Angelica is the oldest town in the region. Main Street is said to have much the same layout as it did 150 years ago. We happened upon this restaurant, a beautiful Greek Revival structure, and a former Inn, now The Magnolia House. In addition to being a restaurant, they cater several weddings a year here. What a beautiful place for that kind of event!

Since we were the only patrons at the time, while our sandwiches were being prepared, the owner, Hazel, gave us a little tour of the downstairs rooms and told us about some of the history of the place and how she acquired some of the beautiful china and crystal.

What a special treat that was! Hazel's daughter, Carli, was our server but she was too shy to be photographed...She's a fellow blogger, though, so I hope we can get to know each other better!

View across the street from the Magnolia House. If you squint, you can see me mailing some bills at the charming old post office.

All too soon it was time to get back onto the highway, as we still had 1 1/2 hrs. to go to arrive at our party destination.

So I grabbed this good looking guy and off we went...and we finally arrived at the party...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LISA!

Here she is with her three great kids, Karen, Peter, and Ken, whom she raised alone. Lisa became a widow after only five years of marriage. I really admire her--I don't know that I could have done it! The party was held at Lisa's church, and we had a great time meeting her friends and relatives. Karen and Ken and their families now live back in my home town in Ohio, and since Lisa comes often to see them and the grandchildren, we've had the pleasure of getting to know her and spend some birthdays and holidays together. It's a small world afterall...

Well, in case you haven't guessed by now, we much prefer small towns, real people, and intimate friends over congested cities and crowded amusement places. We also have discovered we have a penchant for staying at Bed and Breakfast homes rather than hotels whenever possible.

For this trip, we found The Painted Lady located in Elmira, NY, just minutes from our party destination. Oh my, what a lovely Victorian home. It cost us only $25 more to stay here than at the local Holiday Inn Express, and we also enjoyed a quiet and delicious homemade breakfast in a lovely dining room with china, silver, and a tablecloth! To say nothing of the high touch personal service rendered by Marilyn and Butch Monroe, the owners.

We were so comfortable in this gorgeous room! It also had a jacuzzi tub which we took advantage of. I wish we could have stayed a second night just to unwind a bit more...maybe next time. People often tell us they are afraid to try a B&B because they feel strange staying in someone else's home, or the like the anonymity of a hotel. But we have had nothing but positive experiences. The owners and other guests always have respected our privacy, and we are free to come and go as we please. Every room has a key just like a hotel, except that there is the personal, homey touch that you could never get at a Holiday Inn. We have met wonderful people wherever we have stayed. Innkeepers are always a helpful source of local information, whether it be sites to see, directions, or good restaurants to try. For example, we had wanted to visit the nearby Corning glass museum, but our innkeeper advised us we should allow about 4 hours for that. We didn't have that kind of time on Sunday, so we'll do that on another trip.

We only had time to drive through the town of Corning, NY on this trip. We drove by the museum, and will make a point of coming back when we can spend a good part of a day there.

So that was it for our little get-away last weekend. I cherish every moment I get to spend with my hubby. Like he's fond of saying, "we're not 16 anymore" but we still love each other a whole lot! I agree.