Thank you for wishing us a Happy Anniversary yesterday!
It turned out to be a lovely, picture-perfect Autumn day and we decided to drive to Woodstock to celebrate with a meal at one of our favorite vegetarian restaurants.
Hop in the car and we’ll take you along with us. (All photos captured on my iPhone.)
Further down the road from us – fall colors on display.
The mountains we can see from our front porch. This, however, is the best view – so good that we stopped the car so I could take this picture.
We took the back roads all the way to Woodstock; a leisurely drive that brought more than a few gasps at the beauty surrounding us.
Those are the Catskill mountains in the distance.
A Little Free Library around the corner from the restaurant.
We love The Garden Café, but we hadn’t been there for a while. They’ve expanded into the adjoining space and the whole place has been redecorated and I fell in love with the new look.
There are vintage mirrors, almost all of them round in shape, on all the walls. I’m now inspired to start collecting small round mirrors for the bathroom walls. I also loved the hanging lights.
Can you imagine how thrilled I was to see this niche? Vintage pottery with dried flowers. Perfect.
I have to show you the bathroom.
The bathroom door, which made me swoon a little. I would like this in my house, please.
The coatrack right outside the bathroom door. Yes, of course, I’ll take it. (I wish.)
Love, love this sink. Reusing these vintage porcelain sinks is such a great idea. And then there’s the vintage looking faucet and handles.
Don went outside to take this picture.
I love this man.
Yours truly. My freckles are back.
Lunch was scrumptious. We met a couple visiting from England (Eleanor and Mike) and had a delightful conversation with them. They told us that after observing us at our table, they thought we were on a date. (Love that!) I guess we were on a date.
We exchanged email addresses and we’re going meet for tea when we go to London.
After lunch we took a walk and Don, who was carrying a mysterious bag, steered me toward one of our favorite places in Woodstock – this covered bridge:
He pulled out two long-stemmed white roses. Back story: the man who married us eighteen years ago included the exchange of two white roses in the ceremony, and he urged us to do the same thing on every anniversary. We haven’t always been able to do that – sometimes we just plain forget to – but Don snuck out yesterday morning and bought two roses. So we stood on the bridge and gave each other a white rose, taking a moment to share our feelings and renew our vow to love and support each other.
See? There they are.
We did a little window shopping (I actually bought a dress!)
Thought you’d get a kick out of this sign in a shop window.
And this addition to the stop sign made me happy.
It was a perfect day. Slow, meaningful, beautiful, and full of laughter.
The obligatory selfie, taken by the bridge.
Thank you again. We love being married to each other and we are blessed by your friendship.
Happy Thursday.
This post made me so happy and relaxed. What a lovely day, such beautiful scenery and locations. And of course the two of you sharing a special day.
Thank you so much, Jay!
Happy Anniversary! What a lovely way to celebrate. Thanks for including us!!
My pleasure, Sylvia!
That was the perfect spot for your ‘date’, wasn’t it? The remodel looks like it was done just for the occasion! Fall scenery makes me homesick for the lake, already…such a beautiful part of the world, upstate New York. Looks like your day was pretty perfect.
It was. This is such a gorgeous part of our country. We are so grateful to be living here, Shanna.
Absolutely beautiful post, Claudia and Don! I loved it!
Thank you so much, Patricia!
What a nice way to celebrate your special day, Claudia and Don!! Everything about this post was lovely!! I just loved the covered bridge and the white roses!! So glad you had a nice day to mark your anniversary!!
We did. Today it’s going to rain, so we were really lucky that yesterday was beautiful! Thanks, Francine!
Thank you for taking us along! Sounds like an absolutely loverly day! And how fun to meet that couple…I’m sure tea will with them will be memorable! ;)
They were fascinating and funny and, as you might imagine, aghast at the thought of Trump. Eleanor said they were very worried and I told her we were, too.
That’s to be expected…I know my son’s in-laws in Scotland have expressed the same. Forgot to comment on your dress…might we get a peek? ;)
Probably not for a while! I’m thinking it will be for an opening night party or two.
Happy Anniversary! What a perfect day!
Thank you so much, Vera!
What beautiful country!! I loved the fall colors, the shop, the bridge and especially the roses (how romantic!!). Thank you for sharing your wonderful day with us. I hope you have many more! Take care.
Thank you so much, Lorinda. I was happy to share it all with you!
As always, your photos have given me a happy smile to begin the day with!! The fall colors in your area are gorgeous. Belated anniversary wishes to you both–may you celebrate many many many more together.
p.s. LOVE the sign in the store window!!! Did you happen to catch the small news tidbit about the “dirty grandpa’s” remark a few years ago regarding a 10 year old child? If things were not bad enough already, he made the flippant remark he would be dating her in 10 years. To my ears, that sounds like a pedophile! He needs to SLITHER back under his rock and stay there forever.
Yes, I read that and it made me want to retch. So, so inappropriate!
Thanks so much for the anniversary wishes, Jeannine!
Beautiful pictures and sounds like a wonderful day for you both!
I
Thank you, Doris!
Oh! What a beautiful day you both had. And so romantic. Thank you for sharing with us.
You are very welcome, Trina!
Dear Claudia,
Talking about Don and you, Always reminds me there are good marriages,
as well as really good men.
The pictures are Gorgeous! Thank You for taking your time to prepare and post them for us!
I Sure enjoy your blog. -Judy A-
I’m so glad you do, Judy! Thank you!
Lovely day indeed! I enjoyed everything about it so I can imagine how much you two treasure it. The pic of you Don took through the window is so pretty. Thanks for sharing.
It is a nice picture! Thank you, Karen!
Happy Anniversary! I loved the sign. Thanks for the pictures, too.
You are so welcome, Sandy!
Happy Anniversary. How lucky you are to have found each other.
-Karen
Thank you very much, Karen!
I love to read your love story… it sounds just perfect!!
We think it is, Cathy. And we never take it for granted! Thank you.
We are lucky to have a very similar love story and we, too, never take it for granted! We will celebrate our 57th anniversary on the 24th of this month.
Enjoy your day!
xoxo
You two are so sweet together! May you have many more years of joy.
Thank you so much, Dottie!
Thank you for sharing your day, Claudia. I didn’t say special day because I suspect most of your days with Don are special.
Thank you, Wendy!
What a wonderful celebratory day! The restaurant looks like my kind of place. The autumn colors are gorgeous.
I bet you’d like it there, Carolyn Marie. Thank you!
Love the lights! Really pretty countryside – love the leaves changing color. I am a Fall/Autumn girl. You two look so cute together, I can see why the other couple thought you were on a date. So glad you had a nice day together and love the sentiment of the two white roses. (my favorite color rose) Again, best wishes for many more. Truly, all (good) things come to those who wait.
And boy did we wait! Thank you, Ranee!
I have a big, goofy smile on my face. Thank you for such a happy post.
P.S. Please tell Don that I love how he is displaying his wedding band front and center.
*sigh*
He did that in a photo taken the morning after we got married, as well!
You are very welcome, Nancy!
The Fall photos make me yearn for a leaf trip soon! I’m flying home today. What a perfect way to spend such a special day. I love that restaurant and the decor. You and Don do look so happy together. Big Hugs!
Have a safe flight, Linda! Thank you!
What a beautiful day! It warmed my heart to read about it. Thank you for sharing. And Claudia- I think you actually did the decorating in that restaurant!!!
I wish I could claim credit for it, Cindy! I asked the owner about it and she said she found a decorator, told her what she wanted, and said to keep it clean and simple.
I loved the white roses! when we were first dating, Noble had sent red roses to me at my mom’s house at Christmas in Sacramento. My grandmere blanched and whispered to my mother that in France that meant we had been intimate. The next year he sent 6 red and 6 white roses and said that the white ones were for me to show my grandmere and the 6 red was for me in private. When we married, I carried a single white rose. I love the comment that “we thought you were on a date.” By the way, Noble is doing Comedy of Errors, Aegeon, so I expect we will be seeing each other in Hartford.
Love, love that story, Tina!
Yay! I’m so glad Noble is in Comedy of Errors! I miss working with him. Wonderful news for you and Noble! Will he be doing Christmas Carol, too? If so, he’ll be living at the apartments for quite a while!
Christmas Carol, too. Petey’s with him now in Pittsburgh and I miss him. So when Noble’s in Hartford, Petey will be with me during Rehearsals and with him after opening. But the holidays we will all be together! I do a “Claudia” and decorate the actor housing.
We start on the 19th, so I’ll probably go home for Christmas Eve and Christmas and then come back to Hartford. But I know Noble has to perform in Christmas Carol. xo
Oh, that was such a fun afternoon drive with you!! Our color isn’t close to that at all, but with frost last night and tonight, I am sure it isn’t too far off. I also love the STOP sign! I could think of a few other things to add under STOP signs these days. And the store’s sign in the window is great. Glad you were able to spend the day together! A new collection sounds grand! I am thinking about the stories we have ahead about the latest round mirror you find as you start the quest!! Happy day after your Anniversary!!
We had a frost the other day that effectively killed the morning glory and moonflower vines. I’m so sad! Especially since in the next week, it will be warmer than it is now. I hate October frosts!
Thanks, Chris!
Terrific post! I smiled all the way through. Twas just beautiful in New York State yesterday, wasn’t it? These days [and especially being a bit of a news junkie] there hasn’t been a whole lot to smile about. So it was really good to see some really good things – for a change.
PS – absolutely LOVE the sign in that shop window! I think we as a nation NEED to start seeing things like that EVERYWHERE & IMMEDIATELY! I used to love political Falls, but this one gives me an all-day tummy ache now. EVERY day.
It was indeed beautiful! Today is damp and rainy, but yet again, not enough rain. If it’s going to rain, I wish it would really rain!
I was so taken by that sign. More please!
PS – Claudia, you should – as the kids say – TOTALLY TWEET the “Gropefree Zone” sign you photographed in the shop window. In my opinion, it’s terrific!
I didn’t tweet, but I posted earlier today on Instagram and Facebook (I have much larger audiences on those two platforms.)
Happy Anniversary to you and Don! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful day with us. October is such a special month for celebrating anniversaries (your’s) and birthdays (mine) :-)
You are very welcome! Happy Birthday, Susan!
What a beautiful journey you took me on today. Leaf peeping from afar! I needed this and needed to see that people from coast to coast are on the page as far as “The Donald” is nothing but a grotesque human. I am a 59 yr old mom of a beautiful 22 yr old daughter who will be returning to college soon. Though she’s a outspoken millennial, I now worry more than ever about harassment or worse rape in college. I had a major panic attack this AM, your beautiful pictures have such a calming effect on me.
Thank you,
Stacey
Oh, I’m so glad they calmed you for a bit, Stacey. This toxic environment is hard on all of us, and I understand your fear about your daughter. We must speak out and put an end to this behavior. Did you hear Michelle Obama’s speech today? Find it somewhere (YouTube) Hillary Clinton’s site and watch. It’s inspiring. She talks about this very subject. xo
I did, what an incredible woman she is.
I love your blog and am an avid follower. Thank you for such a beautiful thing.
Stacey
I’m so glad you mentioned this as I’ve missed the news about much of anything today. My husband thinks Michelle Obama should be a future President.
‘Because let’s be very clear, strong men, men who are truly role models, don’t need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful,’ she stated. ‘People who are truly strong, lift others up’…
More tears in my eyes. She articulated what so many of us women feel right now.
Michelle speaks with eloquence.
So true indeed!
I cried, too. It’s what we needed to hear. She is amazing.
I do, too!
Thank you for reading, Stacey!
Aaah…That post was like a Rosamund Pilger book….just so pleasant and peaceful. You were looking mighty nice on your date too! Happy Anniversary.
Gosh, we all need some peace right now, don’t we, Kaye? Thanks so much!
We do, and a bit of spell-checking as well. It is Rosamund Pilcher.
xo
What a lovely way to celebrate. Isn’t it lovely Claudia how you can be so much in love when you get married & then look back on that day years later and realize that your love then was so small compared to what it is after years of sharing joy and loss and millions of ordinary everyday small moments? I’ve heard it said that nothing’s worse than an unhappy marriage but for some of us there’s nothing better than a happy marriage. May your love continue to shine bright in the world!
Beautifully said, Janie. Thank you for your perfect description of a love that grows ever stronger. xo
What a lovely celebration! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful photos, even though they make me homesick for NY in the Autumn. Best wishes to you & Don!
Thank you so much, Debbie!
Thanks for the great road trip! The beautiful scenery color, covered bridge, restaurant tour, and I loved the lending library. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in person. Great that you had such a nice day in doing the small things that we should all embrace.
Thank you so much, Lyndia!
What a lovely celebration; so nice to be reminded of the true love and respect a man and woman can share.
And the restaurant looks so sweet!
Tisha
It is darling Tisha! Thank you.
You two are adorable. Thank you for sharing your special day with us. You made my heart happy. Bless you both.
Thank you so much, Cassandra!
I also thank you for taking me along on you beautiful anniversary celebration…It is what I needed after my surgery..a bit of fun on a beautiful Autumn day!
Good! I hope it helped!
You know, I have had one AWFUL day. I had a million errands to do after a troubling doctor appointment wherein I’ve learned she is now not ruling out that I have a blood clot (skull) after my fall on the head five weeks ago (a 35-day, nonstop headache that never goes away and is now disturbing my sleep, which had been the only respite), so I have to go get zapped with heavy, heavy radiation of a CT scan which is NOT a great idea for a cancer survivor. Anyway, risk vs. benefit at this point and I’ll get over it; I can’t continue with these headaches every second of my waking moments. BUT ANYWAY, dog-tired, I finally get home late this afternoon having been gone since 10am, when the only thing good is that we today did not reach 80 degree temps, so it was more pleasant getting in and out of the car too many times…TO READ THIS WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL POST OF YOURS, Claudia! It may be one of my very favorite posts on the blog EVER. It just filled me with good stuff, good for my soul, right when I needed it. So great to see your beautiful autumn in New York (one of my favorite Sinatra songs even though I’m sure he was actually singing of NYC), the quaint bridge, your happy faces, that so-cool restaurant and the even more-cool sign about groping (is there anything anybody is NOT talking about out there on the street anywhere right now except what he said in that tape…?… [not that I’m finding; you should have overheard the conversations in the doctor’s office waiting room with about 16 or 17 adults] HUGE fall-out on this tawdry development). Thank you so much for sharing your day with your readers…the usual glorious photos coming from you, seeing your locale which leaves me awe-struck; I don’t mean to sound effusive but at this moment, I feel more peaceful inside. Your blog today is a real treat; a gift. It actually brought me to little tears springing in my eyes! Very happy for the two of you; so romantic, so full of love…you both looked so relaxed. Hold on tight to what you’ve got because not everybody out there gets what you have in each other. You and Don were ‘meant to be’…forever.
Oh, heavens, Vicki! I’m praying it’s not a blood clot – you certainly don’t need more worries, my friend.
And thank you for your kind words and support. xo
How lovely! Such a wonderful day…you are a beautiful couple! Congratulations!
Thank you so much, Linda!
A perfect day in every way………Dianne
Thank you, Dianne!
Happy Anniversary, Claudia and Don! What a wonderful day – thank you for sharing it with us!
The Garden Cafe looks so different from when Amanda and I went a few years ago! It’s beautiful! I have a collection of 3 or four vintage/antique etched mirrors (both round and rectangular) that I have collected to hang in the bedroom. I love that look, too!
I know – it’s really changed and for the better! Maybe, maybe we can all meet up there one day soon???
What a beautiful day for you both! Happy anniversary!
Thank you, Valerie!
what a sweet touchie feely story about the roses and the covered bridge
You both make a wonderful couple for sure
congratulations
What a sweet, happy day. Thanks for taking us with you! The scenery was gorgeous, and I loved the way the restaurant was decorated. And the 2 white roses — how romantic is that husband of yours! I’m so very glad you had such a wonderful day. Both you and Don deserve it!
Thank you, Dottie!
Happy Anniversary Claudia and Don. So glad it was such a lovely day.
Thank you, Brenda!
Lovely story of your day. You both rock the gray hair. I wish I was that confident.
Well, I don’t like spending money on coloring my hair and dealing with roots! So, I’m embracing it!
Hi Claudia,
I have come to your blog from Meredith’s. Thank you for the travelogue from around your district. So beautiful at this time of the year. Congratulations on your anniversary – how sweet to have remembered the roses to honour that ritual.
Also, I too “got a kick” out of that sign on the shop door too. :-)
It is nice to see individuals taking action in their own way to make the world better for themselves and others.
Cheers from Australia
Jodie
Thank you so much, Jodie. And thank you for stopping by via my wonderful sister’s blog!
Really loved this post!
Thank you, Susan!