visiting home, part 1

This weekend went home to visit family in WV. It was hectic, but we had fun. One of the awesome things about where Banik grew up is that some of the wildlife has gotten used to having a few humans around (in an "oh it's just you" way rather than a "pet me" sort of way).

The first evening we got there Banik was tossing pieces of apple to a deer off the back deck, but I didn't get pictures of that. The next day I took some videos of one of the hummingbird feeders from about 12 inches away from the feeder. You wouldn't think those little birds could make so much noise.

Hillcrest Manor

I'm archiving photos, and I found the ones of the B&B. The master suite is on the second floor where you can see the curtains drawn back.

This is from the Corning, NY trip a few blog entries ago.

Corning, NY

About a year ago Banik and I visited Corning, NY, for "academic research" and had a pretty good time. The Corning Museum of Glass is something else, and for the record glassmaking was totally relevant to my thesis.

We stayed at the Hillcrest Manor, which was beautiful. (I found a photo and posted it here.) The hosts were great and served a tasty breakfast each morning. The master suite was lovely (though you do have to trade a shower for the double walled cast iron tub), and their glass collection is rather awesome.

Before we left the Finger Lakes Region we drove to a few vineyards before we left, and Bully Hill Vineyards was the favourite. The atmosphere was casual, the marketing was amusing, and the salesperson was knowledgable. He could talk about the differences between the wines Banik was tasting and answer all his questions, but he never acted superior. We left with a bottle of Ravat 51 and one of Sweet Walter Red (both are rather sweet wines)- and for a great price. Alas, they cannot send wine to CT.

We also stopped at a couple of less awesome wineries. Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Winery was pretentious, and I don't even remember the name of the wine that we bought for a gift. Heron Hill Winery showed promise, but apparently their visiting hours are something of a suggestion. We went all the way up there after they were supposed to have opened, and even though we walked around they pretended we weren't there. >.< CMoG, Hillcrest Manor, Bully Hill: all awesome.

The Middlesex Diner

The Middlesex Diner is a nice little place. Banik and I were coming home from Hershey Park a couple weeks ago and started looking for a 24-hour diner along I-81. A restaurants-at-this-exit sign for exit 52 listed this 24-hour diner, and we happily stopped. The sign proclaiming "Great homemade food and plenty of it" is not lying, and we left happily full (and with some leftovers, iirc) for $20+tip. It almost made up for the crappy food in Hershey Park.

Coming Soon!

We will get our respective acts together and post something.

We've been... busy. And we have a lot to talk about if only we can remember what it is that we should be posting about. Coming Attractions include:

Restaurants!
Shaharazade's in Shep
The Anvil in Harpers Ferry
Thai Hut in Martinsburg
Asian Garden in Martinsburg
The Three Birds in Corning
Wegmans in Corning
Empire China in Martinsburg (which is probably the wrong place, but I never remember the name >.>)
Viva Mexico in Inwood
Cyros in .... wherever it is

Actual Cooking!
Adventures with Wheat Bread
Fun with Pizza Stones
Milkshake Machines and Disappointment
Sweet Potato Fries, Mandolins (not the kind you play), and Learning Curves
Other Things We Frantically Try to Cook Before Returning to School

And Also!
The Corning Museum of Glass
The Hillcrest Manor
Dr. Frank's Vineyards
Bully Hill Vineyards