birthdays and ice

After our track meet last weekend, I decided to go home to spend Montana's birthday with him. First we went out to dinner at Out of the Fire Café, our new favorite splurge-y dinner place. We only go there when we're really hungry so we can appreciate the food more. Unfortunately, thanks to some lack of foresight on my part, we didn't think to make a reservation. At 7:45, the place was packed. We had the option of going somewhere else (Brady's or some place called Gu's, which didn't sound promising). We had to wait 45 minutes just for a seat at the bar. By the time we ordered, we were both completely hypoglycemic. We couldn't even talk to each other (see: hangry).

But we finally got our food (which was excellent--they do a mean plate of sweet potato fries) and resumed enjoying our weekend. Snow was glittering down outside. In a fit of festivity, I decided to order dessert. Bananas Foster. It's supposed to be on fire, right? Like a birthday candle.

It was not. Turns out that their Bananas Foster was a bowl of hot bananas and some ice cream. Wht a ripoff. Still, we ended up lingering over it for half an hour before we went back into the cold.


Sunday brought a bluebird sky.

We took a walk over to Cucumber Falls to look at the ice (and I could try out my new lens). After last week's freeze, it was incredible.

 

Then we walked back so I could do my long run (oh, hey hills!) and Montana could ride his fat bike on the snowmobile trails. We had dinner at the pub (terrible service, mediocre food, cheap).

Overall, a successful weekend.

home

Sometimes, in the rush and tumble of the holiday season, it's easy to forget how much I love this little corner of Pennsylvania. 

Where else can I spin down the road to a read a book next to a rushing waterfall, or step out of the house and jog less than 400 meters to a 140-mile river trail?

How many other places are surrounded by acres and acres of silent forest waiting to be unicycled?

Where else would my cat be so happy hanging out next to a milk crate and a broken heater?

And how many other places are only a short hike away from the site of George Washington's most embarrassing battle?

But of course I can't forget to mention the most important blessing of home - the food (and the wonderful lady who prepares it).

Not created by my mother, there's also the Christmastime cookie fort... designed by Montana and baked gluten-free so I could nibble at the extra scraps.  

It's nice to be back.