Wintertime in the Catskill Mountains

A last minute family weekend getaway in New Paltz, New York.

Mohonk Mountain House

Multitasker master (Mohonk)

Snowshoe trail (Mohonk)

Aging whiskey at Hudson Whiskey

Milton!

Milton, affectionately (and against the wishes of his owners): "Milt", is perhaps the best dog on the planet. He's a sweet, loving, obedient and adorable French Bulldog and we will be very sad when our puppy sitting days are over.

Auld Lang Syne

We celebrated the New Year in Florida this year. Visits with friends and family plus some sunshine and beach time were the perfect way to ring in 2013.

Friends in Boca Raton

And their pets (that face!)

Looking through old photographs with Grandma

Driving an airboat through the Florida Everglades

Hermit Crab racing in Sanibel Island 

Sam's cousin's crab--named Pushkin--wins first place!

Sam (right) with his father and brother on New Years Eve

Home for the Holidays

Celebrating Christmas the old-fashioned way.

Always nice to see familiar faces (this is our family pet, Bowser, a Russian Tortoise)

A Christmas Goose (naturally) 

Jokes inside place setting favors

And crowns, too

A San Francisco Treat

As a New Yorker, Thanksgiving for me is synonymous with indoor food comas, taking in the last breaths of autumn, and the first fireside snuggle of the many that will come with the impending winter season. This year, however, we switched it up and headed to sunny California--Marin County, specifically, where Sam's stepsister lives with her husband. We then took a little road trip headed north to Calistoga (where we obviously did some wine tasting).

Fair trade coffee beans in Fairfax, CA

Obligatory In-N-Out pit stop

BBQ Oysters at Hog Island Oyster Co.

My NYC brain cannot quite grasp that this is winter

A perfect end to the trip: exquisite cuisine at Sushi Ran in Sausalito

Staten Island Time

Inspired by an exhibition that is currently on view at the Museum of the City of New York, I ventured off of the comfortable and familiar island of Manhattan on this foggy fall day and stepped into some personally-uncharted territory: Staten Island. Highlights included scenic Fort Wadsworth, Historic Richmond Town and Sailor's Snug Harbor.

Lady Liberty from the bow of the State Island Ferry

Bayonne Bridge (view from Fort Wadsworth)

"Goatscaping" in Fort Wadsworth

Drummer in the Oompah Band at Killmeyer's Old Bavaria Inn

Traditional German fare (Killmeyer's)

Local farming

View of lower Manhattan from the ferry

From Russia with Love

It's now been over a week since I've returned from Moscow. Despite the bitter cold--and yes, it was really cold--there was so much that we were eager to see and do. The reason for the trip was that my boyfriend's father lives in Moscow, and he this year decided to throw a milestone birthday celebration. Even though our days were action-packed and awesome, I can't shake the feeling that I have experienced only a fraction of what I ought to have. I'm hoping that what this means is that there will be  a sequel to this post in the very near future.

Photo op in Red Square

Inside the magnificent Bolshoi

The finale of a truly memorable Bolshoi performance of Swan Lake

A pre-revolution interior (now obviously a food market)

On a tour of the Kremlin-- trying hard not to look cold (obviously an impossible feat)

The band and the birthday boy 

Standing atop a frozen Moscow River in the countryside