Hawk Mountain - Kempton, Pennylvania

South Lookout view

 October is migration time for us here in Pennsylvania, living next to Hawk Mountain we get amazing sightings this time of year.  If you have any interest in birding, hiking, or just enjoy being outside you need to make a visit.  Their website is filled with information, friend them on facebook and they will keep you up to date on bird counts, events, and wonderful seasonal pictures.  http://www.hawkmountain.org/  We are lucky enough to live close so visit often, it is a place for all ages as you can see in these pictures.  Check their sites for seasonal events & programs.  The Appalachian Trail cuts through these Mountains also, the photos below show the "Pinnacle" a famous land mark on the trail.  The views from there are also worth the hike be aware  that hike it is more of a workout and very rocky terrain.  You definitely need some fitness level and agility.

North Lookout

Nice view of the train tracks going North.

Philadelphia Phillies Baseball

It's always a good time at a live sporting event, but when your favorite team is playing like ours -----even better.  The Phillies this year are amazing, the players are fun, Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn would be loving this.   We try to get down a couple times a year and despite a ton of rain we got a game in during our rainy August.  I grew up in a house that always was playing, watching, or talking sports so despite being a girl I learned to follow most of it.  Sorry dad but never could follow the cars or boxing.

What a great evening we had the rain stopped as we got to the stadium and didn't start again till we were on the expressway headed home.

the grounds crew had quite a workout

We made the jumbo tron....back row.

They recognized older players.

----best mascot in sports

DC to Celebrate with Mallory & Nick!

Engaged  Mallory Brooke & Nicholas Robert!

After a quick stop back in Orwigsburg we headed down to DC to celebrate with Mallory & Nick who had gotten engaged in Paris, France while we were up in New Hampshire.  What a happy time for all of us and we look forward to a wedding sometime next year.
We celebrated at "ripple" in the Cleveland Park area of DC.  Our first time there, and what a great meal we had.  They feature local seasonal foods. We had a lot of small plates to share and an entree for each of us.  Sometimes these types of dinners don't flow well for me but this was done so well and each plate was delicious.  Although a small place they didn't rush us at all so were able to enjoy catching up on the trip to France, the engagement and our trip to New Hampshire.  We really enjoyed the celebration, the atmosphere and of course the company.  Congratulations Mallory & Nick!

Mallory with Pops

All the years of DC visits we had never been over to Alexandria & National Harbor area so we wandered around there the next morning before heading home.

Lake Winnipasaukee, New Hampshire

After the weekend in Boston we drove up to Lake Winnipasaukee, New Hampshire for a few days, staying at a delightful bed and breakfast.  Our oldest Alyson frequents Lake Winnipasaukee so that is how we first heard about it so were excited to get a look for ourselves.  We only had a couple days and ended up with a bit of rain so we did the sights and will have to go back for some water time.  The water is amazingly clear for a lake and being that far north although we had had a week of 100° temps the water was still refreshing.  We found the Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast run by Mike & Pat, who do a great job making you feel welcome, feeding you, and keeping a cozy place.

view of lake looking back from Weir Beach

Our guest room for the stay.

We had a great lunch overlooking the lake at one of The Common Man Restaurants "Town Docks".  Good Chowder, a Cesar Salad with Grilled Shrimp and a Blue Moon to drink-----that screams vacation.
































We had rain on and off for most of our time at the Lake so spent our time seeing the area. Enjoyed "Castle in the Clouds" which had trails, waterfalls, restaurant and the beautiful home that sits at the top of the mountain with an amazing view of the lake.

This must be an amazing view on a clear day.

The home had wonderful details, I especially enjoyed the painted glass
in the windows each with a different image.

What a great spot Austin and the Zimmerman's had on the lake!
This had to be a great spot on those cool evenings the rest
of the week.