Monday, September 24, 2012

Another Pleasant Valley 'Monday'

I was sitting here drinking my coffee wondering how to make sense of all my weekend words when hubs yelled from the kitchen that a bear was having breakfast in our rubbish bin.


Let me tell you, nothing focuses a person quite like a bear in the driveway.  

Actually, hubs would say in my case the opposite is true and I lose all focus when a bear is nearby.   Whatever. Normally he leaves for work at o'dark thirty and I'm the one wheeling the bin all the way down our very long driveway and I'm the one making the long walk all the way back up the driveway.

Thankfully hubs had an out of the office event today so he was still at home when the excitement happened. You might laugh,  but we drove the car to the end of the driveway to repack the bin.  After Smokey mozied on up into the next door neighbor's yard (yes, they often mozy) we lost sight of him.  Having the means to make a quick getaway seemed wise...what if he comes back for that  steak bone he dropped?

So anyway, the weekend...it was nice.  Autumn officially made her grand entrance on Saturday but it wasn't until Sunday the weather got with the program.  It was gray and humid on Saturday so we lounged in our pjs and then went out to lunch.  Hubs had a gift card to spend at Dick's Sporting Goods so we popped in there too.  Does anyone else feel motivated to work out harder and more often when they see all the cute work out clothes available now?

After we ate and shopped we went to the movies and saw The Words with Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid and Jeremy Irons.  Here' my .02-

the ending-huh?
Bradley Cooper's People magazine title is well deserved.

That's all.

Sunday afternoon we headed to a nearby Oktoberfest celebration.  What a gorgeous day...blue skies and the perfect temperature!


I'm not a beer drinker but I do love the music and the atmosphere and pretending we're in Munich instead of North Jersey.

And latkes with applesauce, let's not forget that.

Hubs wore his authentic German hat and brought his authentic German stein and we planted ourselves at a table in the sun and enjoyed the day.  Various people came and went from this table and we made friends with all of them.


The first couple who sat down beside us were world travelers and have already emailed me their write up of a trip across France from north to south and another from south to north. I never turn down a good travel tip. Another couple joined us and I was dying to ask the man if people told him he looked like Steven Tyler, but wasn't sure if he'd take that as a compliment or not. Would you take that as a compliment?  I intended it that way-he had the boyish good looks but I don't think he had the crazy or probably the vocal chords either.

These folks were at the table behind us and I needed a picture of this gentleman's hat. He told us the fur piece on top cost $6000.


Hmmm...is that true or is that the Spaten talking?  Either way, it was fabulous!   I think this one is badger, but I'm pretty sure if I could catch one of the groundhogs in our yard hubs could have something similar for free.   

Later in the afternoon another couple joined our table along with their adorable little girl.  My hubs and the other hubs hit it off like long lost friends and guess what?  We're going to their daughter's 1st birthday party next weekend.  

It sounds a little crazy, but as it turns out they live not too far from us.   Maybe it was the magical fall feeling in the air, but when you're friendly people are usually friendly back.  
Our Oktoberfest was held on the grounds of a local ski resort so at the end of the day we all took advantage of the free gondola ride and rode to the top of the mountain together. I was going to take pictures but I forgot this gondola was for skiers and had no seats.


Why is it always so windy on these things?

It's been well established on my blog here, hereand here how I feel about this sort of thing, and no way was I taking my hand off the rail. Hubs kept trying to use logic on me, saying things like in France I was thousands of feet higher, but you know what? When you're up in the air, you're up in the air and it doesn't matter if you're 1500 feet or 15,000 feet, you're still not on the ground. Right?

He finally wrestled the camera from around my clenched fist and snapped some photos.


It's not the Alps, but still beautiful in its own way.  

20 comments:

  1. that's so funny your going to their daughters 1st birthday party. I am trying to figure out exactly where this was. Great Gorge? or somewhere in NY?

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  2. I laughed out loud at "why is it so windy on these things>" Hahaha . . . um maybe cuz there IN THE AIR?! Tee hee.

    And yes, I too find it motivating when I see all those cute athletic clothes. Never goes much further though. Ha.

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  3. wow a bear!! looks like a great weekend :)

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  4. Sounds like a perfectly wonderful weekend. Loving the pictures.

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  5. You and your husband are so much fun! I would have loved to be sitting at your table :)

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  6. I don't blame you for taking to car to get the trash can. Once, at Evergreen, after a bear sighting in the driveway (mama & 2 cubs), I sat in the minivan, honking the horn & flashing the lights, while hubby walked the dog in the dead of night. Can't be too careful with bears around!

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  7. Oh I should make some potato pancakes....wait....not for a while....until I drop some weight.
    I do love German food and beer! If I lived there, I would weigh a ton!

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  8. Bears have been coming into town a lot around here this year....fortunately I have not run into one.
    I cool that you made so many new friends on your fun day out.

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  9. Your live bear story puts my dead mouse story to shame.

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  10. I think I need to come hang out with you guys and learn how to be an extrovert. Not an easy thing for this introvert, but I like meeting new people. Sigh. That makes my life complicated. :)

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  11. What are latkes? I am German, but never heard of those.
    Sounds like a wonderful weekend you had!

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  12. Beautiful! The Octoberfest looks like it was fun and how exciting to meet some new friends.
    I would have used the car too to go down the driveway. Bears really do scare me! I love to stare at Brandly Coopers face and his eyes are so dreamy.

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  13. Oh, that bear would make me so uneasy. Yikes! I'm so glad Hubby was home.

    I think you and Hubby attract folks like a magnet. What fun and it can be such fun meeting new folks and making new friends. Looks like you had a great time.

    Happy week!

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  14. A bear? Yikes!!!!

    Not sure I could muster enough nerve to take the gondola ride, free or not.

    Like Judy, I'm an introvert ... and I want to meet new people, but the introvert always wins out.

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  15. I love that you named the Bear haha! Sounds like a great weekend you had!

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  16. I would be WAY more afraid of the bear than the heights!!!
    Mrs. Schmenkman has bears in her yard all the time, with the proof being seen in their broken bird feeders and on their bear-cam!
    I think God appreciates friendly people, keep it up!

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  17. I wouldn't have let go of those rails to take pictures either!

    Your weekend sounds fun and exciting, especially the Monday morning after--with the bear! LOL

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  18. I enjoy your use of the word "rubbish."

    I think it is funny that you are going to the bday party :) How fun!

    I have no idea what you are talking about with Bradley Cooper and a magazine. Please advise.

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  19. Yowza! I've seen a red fox, a silver fox and a woodchuck in the back yard this summer and I've been scared awake on two occasions in the last two weeks by coyotes howling in the back yard and we live in town...but I've yet to see a bear. Thankfully. I'm on constant lookout for a moose though. I would love to see one of those sometime. The festival looks like a blast! Thanks for sharing your weekend!

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  20. Awsome post! I'm a big fan of finding the beauty and joy around us. The smallest things can be so much fun. And I totally agree with you about heights - 50 ft. or 5000 - if my feet aren't firmly planted, I'm wobbly.

    Thanks for sharing your pictures.

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