Summer Fun Memories

Before we left for France, Guillaume and I were invited by Bill and Terry to their friend's house in Rhinebeck, NY. They invited a bunch of us to spend Labor Day weekend there. Tara, Ricky, Jeff, Andrew and others were all there. Everyone brought their dogs.

After work on Friday night, we hopped onto the Amtrak train at Penn Station and got to Rhinebeck around 8 PM. We took a taxi from the station and arrived while everyone else was cooking up a big feast of pasta and veggies. We ate outside on a big picnic table with candles and wildflower bouquets. Though it was early September, it was already getting chilly, so we all put our sweaters on.

After dinner, we did the dishes while listening to music and some of the guys built a bonfire in the backyard. That's when it began misting a little bit. None of us moved, though. We were having too much fun. Eventually, we brought the party inside of the historic house from the 1700s.

The house, called the Feather Farm, is named for the fact that it once had a barn full of birds on the property. The birds produced feathers for hats in New York City. The barn is still there, but the birds are long gone. It's located a little distance from the main house and looks dilapidated and creepy.

Part of the allure of the Feather Farm is that there is no television and no cell phone service. You are completely isolated from the world. Your job can't reach you. You can't check your email. No internet shopping. At first, this was weird for us. We spent most of the day hanging out and laying around and reading. It was very relaxing. One afternoon, we took a walk up the road to see the neighbor's houses.

When we weren't relaxing, we were cooking the next meal, eating a meal or cleaning up after one. Terry made some excellent dishes. We had an egg bake for breakfast that was delicious. There was a plum cobbler (with plums from the tree in the yard) that was excellent. We had ribs and grilled corn. Yum.

All in all it was a fantastic time. We are looking forward to visiting again!