This weekend’s magic discoveries included: a farmers’s market, a bookstore, and a state park.
I think I’ve been waiting for a trip to a farmers’ market since February. This is when I usually daydream about vegetable gardens and spring flowers. So it was lovely to wake up early and finally wander among the vendors at the Patriots’ Park Farmers’ Market in Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow. We found an excellent baker, who sold healthy, organic whole wheat bread and decadent, delicious strawberry rhubarb pie. Strawberry rhubarb pie! Our favorite summer treat! We were so happy. Next to the baker, there was an olive and pickle booth that offered a great selection. We chose a mix of Greek olives and our buttery, meaty favorite, Castelvetranos. Yum! Best of all, we met a nice couple of farmers who are willing to take our vegetable and fruit scraps every week! Yay! We can finally compost with a conscience.
After the market, we drove up to Pleasantville to check out The Village Bookstore, one of the last remaining independent books stores (selling new books) in the area. Such a nice place! This shop has a great variety of my favorites- fiction, poetry, children’s books, and cookbooks. The owners, Roy Solomon and Yvonne Van Cort, are charming and funny. I chatted with them for a bit about the literary salon series, Spoken Interludes, and I learned that they are the official book sellers for this event. They advised me on how to order rare and out of print books, and they even gifted me two free copies of a local literary magazine, The Westchester Review. I am officially a card carrying member for The Village Bookstore, and I will be returning to support this fine establishment.
Benjamin and I concluded our weekend adventures with a trip to Rockefeller State Park. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I love my country’s state and national parks. I always feel at home, most comfortable in my skin when I’m in a big ol’ park. And Rockefeller is huge—over 1400 acres! The trail possibilities are endless, and I look forward to discovering all of them. For our first stroll, we chose the walk around Swan Lake, as it was a relatively easy path for my cane. Slowly but surely, I am adjusting to walking in this new way. It’s painful at times, waking up all my muscles, but I’m getting stronger. And I’m pleased to report that I made it around that 1.8 mile loop! It was gorgeous—-sparkling lake, lush old growth and flowering trees, croaking bullfrogs, wading herons, and scattering chipmunks. It was worth every step, and we can’t wait to visit again!
Happy, happy weekend indeed!
