Saturday, October 30, 2010

west coast fav

if portland wasn't on the other side of the country from everyone that i love, i would move there tomorrow.
a few reasons to love portland, oregon (i haven't discovered all the other ones yet!):
1. it's the #1 Greenest City in America! Half its power comes form renewable sources, a quarter of the workforce commutes by bike, carpool or public transportation, and it has 35 buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
2. water
3. mountains
4. Old Town
5. Stumptown Coffee


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

blowing rock

little man and I just came back from a mountain getaway with my brother, his wife and my niece (who is my son's age)...filled with apple picking, crisp fall air, and night-time chats by the wood-burning fireplace. we had been talking about a fall mountain weekend ever since they moved back south and my sister knew that she would be mourning the loss of a New England Autumn. so we were a bit bummed that the leaves hadn't started changing AT ALL, but that was the only thing that wasn't perfect about the trip, so we decided it didn't matter too much. and plus, my niece turned 2 (!!!) on Saturday, which was so fun to celebrate.
we rented the cutest cabin in Blowing Rcok, NC. the views from the backyard were breathtaking, the cabin was cozy and quaint with everything we needed, and the backyard even had a fire pit where we roasted marshmallows and sang songs with the kids (while they held on to us for dear life, scared of the "real, real hot" fire) most importantly, little man fell in love with his cousin. they are the best of friends!

Blowing Rock is known to be and has been voted "Prettiest town in North Carolina" and it really is. And only 13 minutes down the road is Boone, NC where Appalachian State University and everything young and hippie is (great shops, great food).