Camping Trip-Father's Day

View from Cabin-Sunday Morning

It was chilly and raining when J and I got up on Sunday around 10am. I was not in a really good mood due to being extremely exhausted and I was trying to hide it but as J pointed out, I was not doing a good job at hiding it. I have to admit, I am addicted to coffee in the morning and I went without the day before and really needed that pick-me-up this particular morning. I would have to wait for that cup of coffee so I trudged through getting ready and packing to leave in a cloudy haze.

Today we were heading to J's parents to spend Father's Day with his dad but before we got there, J wanted to show me Plattsburgh ( where he went to school) and his family's cabin. The first stop, after we checked out, was Dunkin Donuts for some fresh coffee, of course. I felt normal after having a few sips and J turns to me jokingly and says " Man, we have to find out a way to get that right into your veins in the morning before you get out of bed" I just smiled and apologized for being edgy earlier. That is one of the great things about J, he doesn't get mad when I am being ridiculous, he just teases be about it later and we usually end up laughing about it. The drive to Plattsburgh was very green and smelled of pine, one of my favorite camping smells. The mountains and views were amazing and reminded why I love New York so much. We arrive at Plattsburgh a couple hours later, where J took me on a tour of all his apartments over the years and the places he hung out at. It is a really cute town, smaller than I imagined from the stories I have heard but J was from a tiny town and this place was big to him at that time. We had to stop at Zuke's Corner Store for J's favorite sub, the Zuke's special. It is made on warm homemade bread ( sort of like a french bread but softer) and piled high with turkey, ham, coleslaw, cheese and Russian dressing ( i think). I ordered a roast beef special and I have to admit, the subs there are the best I have ever had. J has tried to copy the Zuke's special at home and he comes close to the real thing but you can't beat the bread they use.

After our lunch, we left Plattsburgh and headed towards his family's cabin. His grandfather had built the cabin by hand when he bought the land many years ago. J's aunt and uncle now own the cabin and live there for the whole summer. As we pull into the driveway, J says "oh my grandma is here" and I get a little nervous. I was prepared to meet his aunt and uncle but not grandma, a cousin and another aunt and uncle. The first to greet us was Aunt Pam, she and her husband live next door, she said she recognized us because she reads Rel's blog ( J's dad) and he has a few pictures of us up. We come inside and I meet everyone else including the 2 dogs. Everyone is very friendly and excited to see J, it has been a while since he has visited. The cabin is gorgeous. His aunt and uncle has done some remodeling including adding an upstairs. The walls are pine ( I think) planks and the room off of the living room has big windows on all the walls, and a great view of the lake. We visited for about an hour, said our good byes and headed towards his parents cabin.

We arrived at the camp about 3 hours later and I am happy to be able to relax for the rest of the evening. J decided he wanted to take a dip in the river. I was going to join him but the water here was too chilly for me. I will have to wait until it warms up 5-10 degrees more before I go swimming. He stayed in just long enough to cool off. J's dad fired up the grill while J's mom prepared the chicken and vegetables for the grill. The chicken, veggies, potatoes and salad were delicious. I love the salad, greens, cranberries, almonds, cucumbers and crumbly cheese. Yummy yum. At dinner J's mom told me that grandma called her right after we left camp and that everyone liked me and said I was nice. Phew!! Usually families like me but you never know :) J started a fire in the fire pit after dinner and we made a few s'mores for everyone. The sunset was amazing, the view from the cabin is really beautiful, morning or night. We continued to relax by the fire and then retired to bed, we had another long day of driving in front of us.

Sunday Sunset

It was nice to be at camp with J's dad for father's day. I called my dad and he was at my sister's celebrating and enjoying his day with my siblings and his grand kids. I wanted to stay at camp and continue our vacation but all good things must come to an end. My weekend was prefect and really relaxing. I am very happy I got to meet more of J's family and to see the places he talks about. I may not get to spend a lot of time with J during the week but quality time together, just him and I, is worth it. I am glad that his early birthday gift ( this weekend) turned out as well as it did.