Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Buffalo...really?

Oh man, let me just say that if you ever want a great few days away, might I just suggest Buffalo, NY? Lindsay was invited to present a paper at a conference in this blessed city and Scout and I went along for the ride...the 11 hour ride. It could have taken 6, but thanks to a little invention called GPS we meandered up through the Catskills stopping in on whatever struck our fancy. Here are our highlights... it's kinda like we invited you in to our house and then set up the slide projector.


First up is 'Wings Castle'. Before they left, our friends Liz and Jared gave us a book of good little road trips to take in the New York area. This was one of the sights.


It was built by an artist couple from completely salvaged parts and was pretty sweet... and noble no doubt.



Before we got to Buffalo we stopped off here at the Phelps Hotel for dinner.


It was real good, and I got the Creamed Cod... 'cause I'm 80.


Buffalo was cold and close to Canada, neither of which I knew a week ago. This picture was taken at a park that me and Scout went while Lindsay presented her paper. We didn't go watch because she said she would present it to me for free. She hasn't.


Real cold but pretty pretty.

We did loads of cool stuff that I won't make you look at but it should be noted that we ate at real good places, saw two Frank Lloyd Wright homes that were in the area, and stayed in the greatest little Bed and Breakfast that could not have been nicer in both board and hospitality.

And then, for some reason, we went on this tour of Niagara Falls at night. It was a real dim idea. So very cold, a little rainy, misty, and you really can't see the falls so...? We did, however, learn that all this time we thought we were so cool living over here in America but you get to Niagara at night and you can tell right away--on our side: cold and wet, on the Canadian side: Rock Star Party Palace. You could practically hear the techno music thumping over the roar of the falls. I told Lindsay it was like Lehi's vision and we were stuck over here with the righteous.



That's Canada in the background.


On the way home we swung by Palmyra and boy-oh-boy did it show up to have its picture taken. The sky could not have been better if it had been pulled down as a back drop at Kiddie Kandids.

This is from the top of the Hill Cumorah.

A nice Mormon family took our picture in Jospeh's Bedroom of the Smiths little Log Cabin.


We look like a vision ourselves!


And this is the Sacred Grove as seen from the back of the Smith's house.



It really was beautiful, and what was going to be a two hour stop off turned into four with a planed trip back in 6 weeks.

All in all, a wonderful trip was made only more wonderful by the two sleeping passengers at my side as I drove back to Hoboken, grateful for monumental blessings...and small ones.


~P

9 comments:

S&F Seminario said...

"We look like a vision ourselves."
Oh man. Classic Patch.

Stacy said...

Yea, I'm glad you are back, I missed your blog musings. Sounds like you guys had a great trip. And after Sharon just repeated that line, I finally got that joke.
I wanted to tell you that the other day I found our old LDC CD from "Seven Days to Glory" and I swear it sounds like Patrick and the LDC Singers...and I'm not talking about your solo. All I can hear when I listen to it is you and about three to four sopranos who can't find the right pitch to save their lives! The boys really outshone the girls that year. Besides me of course :)...and Sharon. But I can't remember if she was in it that year or not.

Liz Stanley said...

sounds like a fun trip.

P and L said...

Sharon that was all for you. I like to imagine you doing your little "Oh!" and putting one hand to your mouth and laughing in spite of yourself.


Thanks.

Momma said...

You are wonderful, and so extra wonderful to see the beauty in the most lovely things, like Lindsay and Scout and sacred places, and just curiously lovely things like Canada. Congratulations Lindsay on being so very smart. Patch I'm so sorry I couldn't talk because of the work I had to do, you know, your tithing $$$ at work. Please call me soooooon. We missed you so much. (That is hard to understand, because you are always not here, but you are more not here when you aren’t where I think you are:)
Love forever, Momma

Natalie. said...

number 1. Lindsay's hair is brown. and i love it.

number 2. Buffalo is far cooler than one would imagine with a name like that.

number 3. what was said paper about.

number 4. yes, Niagra at night? dim idea. agreed. ew. yuck. brr.

Anonymous said...

Oh you two. You have quite the storytelling ability; it is a thrill to partake of your blessed blessed life events via this miracle of an internet.
Wings Castle sounds like a dream, and your picture of Palmyra is as unbelievably ideal as the one you captured of the rainbow in your backyard.

Anonymous said...

p.s. let's get together soon for senior citizen card games and cuisine, 'cause we're 80 as well.

Hailey said...

"stuck over here with the righteous"

I love it, all of it.