CPP - August 4-14, 2023

 A "10-Day Vacation in CPP"

August 4 to 14, 2023

The drive back was a tad long but I did have a lunch and a fuel stop that broke it up. Weather was good, traffic so-so but pulling into CPP set my mind into relax mode. Some down time; well, eventually. But first, a ton of things to take care of:  At the apartment, laundry, shower, mail, shopping, and banking. Then Winnie must get inspected.

After neighbor, Diane, picked me up at CPP, she drove me to the lower parking lot in our complex. She noticed two pups laying on the hood of a covered vehicle; this was daytime and they're nocturnal predators. Probably malnourished coyote or fox pups with mange. I captured a photo of one while driving out. They were probably using the covered vehicle underneath as a den. Such sightings are common but in this case, residents are still waiting for something to be done about the potential danger.

Saturday night, I went to dinner with Marybeth and Carlo at Cosimo's in Poughkeepsie.

Paccheri Arrabiata: Oversized rigatoni, spicy San Marzano tomato sauce, charred onion, pancetta and ricotta salata, half of which went home. This was accompanied by...

...my go-to wine when dining here. This juicy red Montepulciano "displays notes of cherry, strawberry and sweet spice. Bright, mouthwatering acidity makes it especially food friendly." 

Sunday was special. I picked up sister, Judy in Fishkill and drove two hours, ten minutes to Guilford, CT, for a Rossi cousin's reunion. Cousin John scored well by picking Amarone Restaurant in Guilford. Cousins from Southington, CT, Katonah, NY, Medfield, MA, Pigeon Forge, TN, Fishkill and Peekskill met at noon.

L. to R: Cousin Kathy, Judy and hubby, Cousin Joe, Cousin Janice and hubby, John, sister Judy, Barbara and hubby, Cousin John, Cousin Charlie.

Cousins Bob and brother, Chuck, both deceased. Fun Fact: their mother and father (my aunt and uncle) are the sister and brother of my mother and father. That is, brother and sister married brother and sister. My mother's brother is my father's sister's husband. Hmm. How else can it go? My father's sister is the wife of my mother's brother. There, that should do it. 

Gnocchi Genovese:
House-made potato dumplings in a fresh pesto cream sauce.

Pistachio Layer Cake:
Pistachio cream, ricotta cheese and white cake dipped in chopped pistachio nuts

The restaurant, upscale; the meal delicious; and our server, Mark, terrific (not one item written down for our table of nine).

On Thursday, I had the pleasure of driving two of my neighbors, Stella and Diane, to dinner in Warwick, NY at the Landmark Inn. There, we met Stella's brother, Fred. The historic homestead goes back to the 1700's. "The restaurant had a bawdy reputation, during the 1950’s and 60’s, and was very popular with young people who would frequent the bar, often carving their names in the walls." Stella may have some insight into those goings on as this was one of her haunts. Check out the website for full historical details and menu. 

"In 1953 the house was purchased by Gordon and Cynthia Richardson who set about converting the house into a restaurant. At this time the kitchen and dining rooms were added. The unique ceiling, covered in doors, was Gordon’s idea. At the time the restaurant was being finished, the Red Swan Inn, a hotel in Warwick was being torn down to make way for a new country club and golf course. Gordon and his friends salvaged the doors and used them for the ceiling still in place in our dining room." ~~ From their website.

We checked the old bar area where 15-year old Stella frequented 'back in the day' and along with her then beau, carved their initials in one of the table. That table has been upgraded with a new table top. 

Stella and brother, Fred

Diane and Charlie

Wild Caught Cod
Spring pea purée, cucumber preserved lemon and jalapeno relish, roasted tricolor fingerling potatoes.

Tasting notes: Intense ruby red color. Scent of cherry, black cherry and white pepper, with mineral notes. Soft, fresh and elegant taste. (This outstanding red wine was ordered before I found out the pumpkin ravioli was no longer offered.)

Thank you, Cameo, our server, for taking our picture.

Meanwhile, back at CPP,

A heartbreaking story.

I witnessed this while in my RV composing my last blog about the 1000 Islands week. This lad is part of a family over on site 20 behind me. You can't see the Mr. Softee ice cream truck parked on the road off to the left. He and family had just purchased their ice cream and this little fella left them running back to his camper through gravel covered site 32 to enjoy the treat when all of a sudden the entire scoop or two fell out of his cone onto the gravel. He stopped dead in his tracks, turned and stood for at least a full five minutes in the pose you see above and just stared in disbelief at what just happened. Minutes passed. He didn't move a muscle, just stood motionless, left arm at his side, the right holding the practically empty cone. The stance was pure disbelief and dejection. He didn't take a closer look bending over at what was on the ground. Having just finished my share of ice cream last week in Alexandria Bay, my heart went out to him. I felt his pain. He remained motionless as if in a trance, in that pose until his parents and sister walked by after their purchases. He never said a word to them. He walked ahead of them taking tiny bites of whatever ice cream was left in the cone. His head hung low as he walked by my RV and back to his site; a heartbreaking sight. Never a word to the parents. The thought occurred to me that I should have gone out, let him know that it was an unfortunate bit of luck, gave him five bucks (Mr. Softees are expensive) and told him to get another. I may still do that if the opportunity presents itself.

One morning I had to rise and shine at 6 a.m., stow moveable objects, close the awning and slide, disconnect power and be at Pacific Automotive on Albany Post Road in Buchanan by 7 a.m. to have Winnie inspected. That ungodly hour was if I wanted to wait for it. Otherwise I'd have to leave it for the day. I had my coffee so, $60 and fifteen minutes later I was on my way back to CPP and good for another year. Inspection amounted to a check of my front tires and that was it. Yup, that was it.

Saturday afternoon a visit and a lunch with friend, Diane #1 in Katonah. Grandma now to Amora, William and Thomas, all is well and her plate remains full, her agenda bursting at the seams.

Saturday night, not having had sushi nor visited my Sakura since May, friend Lynn and I traveled down to Hastings for a late dinner.

Sarah was happy to see me.

An unexpected appetizer courtesy of Alex.

Our ordered appetizer: Rocky Shrimp Tempura

Lynn's sashimi assortment

Charlie Roll

Spicy shrimp & kani, avocado inside topped with lobster salad, mango and wasabi tobiko

Unfortunately, a torrential downpour and generally crappy sky watching conditions prevented us from viewing the annual Perseid meteor shower. I don't know who reads the blog or where you are located, but if you had that awesome experience, mention it in the comments below. We'll try again next August 12th at 10 pm when we'll have a repeat performance. What made it special this year was the waning moon was at 10% thus reducing the amount of light pollutions that would hinder the view.

And, finally, Sunday evening, a trip back to my apartment to drop off my Caddy. I enjoyed the company of neighbors for cake and coffee as they bid me farewell for the next two weeks. Thank you Diane #3 for hosting. Terrific, as usual.

So, once again a lot was packed into my ten days and before I knew, it was time to pack and travel to Fishermen's Memorial State Park in Narragansett, Rhode Island. It will be my third visit. Hope to see you there.