Fall has arrived…..So much change for me!

Crazy how much happens in 1 week. Helene and I had such a dreamy full day in Woodstock, walking the Ashokan Rail Trail to start our morning. The explosion of fall leaves, surrounded by nature’s beauty mesmerized this desert girl. Similar to people getting excited to see cacti or mountains….I could not stop my sounds of ooos and awes and the need to snap a million photos. The majestic colors of all shades of greens, gold, orange, red, yellow, and the water in the distance. The sounds of swaying trees in the wind, I mean you cant make up the fairy tale scene we walked through…..better yet I got to be the descriptive live audio for Helene. We would stop and I would describe what surrounded us for her to imagine in her minds eye. I always learn so much when hanging out with her and “seeing” the world from a visually impaired perspective. She is a true inspiration and a role model to me. Many friendly people passed us by with babies in strollers, kids on bikes, and dogs on leashes. We completed 3 miles in the forest along the reservoir. We then headed to Kingston to go by the Hudson Valley Mall for a few things. Back to woodstock to walk the main street shops, grab a bite to eat at my fav cafe and visit with her friends. On the walk to the car I saw a sign for a drum circle happening from 4-6pm. Not her thing, but provided a nice break from me and gave her time to rest before dinner. I walked back to town from her house, once again on a country road surrounded by natures beauty. I cannot get enough of these trees covered in colors from a big crayola crayon box.

The drum circle in the center of town was straight out of a movie. The eclectic group of people in this circle was a sight to see, and thankfully experience for me. OMG- I had a drum in between my legs, a nice guy to my left who I got to hear his life story. He was a retired NYC heavy machinery construction business owner who is now driving a school bus in the Catskills. Another guy was like the happy town drunk with his bottle of alcohol in his hand and his pants falling down, little kids, 20-somethings, and with so many older ladies dancing, arms in the air- BIG smiles on every face. The sounds and energy was seriously electric. In Woodstock, NY the crowd was so 1960/1970’s hippy, anything goes. People feeling free and getting your groove on does not describe it. The videos I was sending home were hysterical. It was such a happy, high energy fun 2 hours that flew by. I walked back home and we headed out for our nice outdoor dining experience at a restaurant called, Good Night. After we laughed at home reminiscing stories about life. I will miss my Helene until we both get back to AZ.

Early morning rise to get on the rd to start Chapter 4, not sure how 3 months has flown by so fast. Im heading to Cape Cod for 5 weeks. The drive took me North to Albany before cutting across to drive through the entire state of Massachusetts. Bye bye New York, until next time.

Okay, to get excited over the colors on my walking trail- now this drive took it to a whole new level. All the magazine articles you see about fall foliage in New England- it was true. I took my time on this rd trip as the sights and scenery had to be savored. This was The Berkshires! I saw the sign saying Lenox was 5 miles. I have always dreamed of going there, it is where the other Miraval & Canyon Ranch live on the East coast. I took a detour and made Miraval my bathroom break, I told the girls at the desk how much I love the Tucson, AZ location and what a treat to see this property. Back on the road after snapping more pics of sunflowers growing wild on the side of a street, water streaming down rocks, and the blue sky with perfect cloud formation. This drive was a dream, so much to take in and hold onto in my psyche. And a sign saying they sold Florsheim shoes……if you know my daddy- it’s the only shoes he wore……love the signs 💫

I finally arrived into my new hometown, Orleans- just in time for my work call to start. I found the cutest coffee shop/ice cream candy store, called The Hot Chocolate Sparrow. I had my important hour zoom meeting while saying hi to a few locals. I love how friendly people are everywhere I go. At 4pm I met my landlord and got checked in to my cute, quaint cottage, called Babes Bungalow(yes it has a name and instagram page).. I live behind the main st, in the best location. I cannot be happier with this spot. The craziness, is the serious shift from the non-stop hustle & bustle of NYC to the sleepiness of a cape cod town in October. The summer season of action has totally ended in these parts. It is mostly locals not at all touristy. A true time for reflection and slowing down for me, while being surrounded by the beauty of the sea.

I got settled in, unpacked, had to buy a lamp as I need more light in my little cottage. I have a full backyard with a deck, it has Xmas lights twinkling, nice furniture, and has become my afternoon office space with great wifi. My first morning, I walked the Cape Cod Rail Trail, literally steps from my location. It is a biking trail that I plan to ride on eventually. I have explored 3 coffee shops with wifi that I work from. Due to the timing of tourist season being over, many places close Tues/Wed as they are open all weekend. So far The Snowy Owl and The Sunbird Cafe are my spots to work for the first part of the day.

As for evening time……I went by my favorite iconic Chatham Bars Inn hotel for a cocktail at sunset and walked out to the beach after dusk to take in the quiet calm sea. Enjoyed another night sunset at Skaket beach with many locals. I have learned the sun rises over the Atlantic, but sets over the Bay. Skaket beach is by the bay. According to my UJ I need to go there when the tide is out so I can walk for miles, stay tuned for those pics. In the mean time enjoy this magical sunset below, and to think pictures don’t do it justice. The crowd clapped as the sun fell into the water. I was in awe by the colors and how it reflected off the water. Im in heaven here and getting a lot of rest, going to bed early and waking up early to walk on the beach.

If you have seen the movie, The Holiday with Cameron Diaz & Jude Law, Jackie and I think my cottage is from the movie….its so much like her english cottage. Its super tiny, but soooo cute. Rock Harbor is at the end of my street, another stroll in the morning. I feel like every day is a new adventure, Dora is in all her glory exploring. After a full work week I ventured to a new town on Friday night, Wellfleet. Had a progressive dining night checking out 2 restaurants with different vibes and views. Saturday was my Martha’s Vineyard day.

I woke up early for the 30 min drive to Hyannis, boarded the 9am ferry on a cloudy overcast day. Thankfully it only rained 30-40 minutes today, instead of all day as predicted. I was on a van with 10 others for a 3 hour tour of the Island. Bart our guide a true local to MV, shared so many stories, history lessons, and facts about all 6 towns. Martha’s Vineyard had been a destination on my bucket list all my life and I certainly feel like I covered all its grounds today. My UJ and Aunt Marlene had brought me to all the other New England Islands during my childhood, but this one was still on the list. I must say I did enjoy it. Im sure on a sunny day it would be better, but it was too big in my opinion. Im excited to go back to Nantucket next week, as smaller Islands are more my speed. I recall loving it with them years ago and am psyched to return with Rachel soon.

I did have a yummy lobster roll after the tour ended in Oaks Bluff, and will return one day to truly experience Edgartown, which looked the cutest of the 6 towns. I enjoyed hearing about all the rich & famous on the Island. The list of famous people owning homes here was impressive….Dan Aykroyd, Walter Cronkite, The Obamas, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Oprah, Denzel Washington…..the list goes on! Jim Belushi is buried here. In the winter months the population is 20K with summer time reaching 150k. We saw the oldest home on the island dating back to 1670, passed the 1854 lighthouse. Time is fascinating to me! There were wild turkeys wandering the roads, cows in a pasture, one sheep farm. All interesting on an Island. All fast food chains have been banned with the exception of 1 Dairy Queen, the story was interesting and the owner promised to have a tiny wooden shingle. I did not have my camera out fast enough to snap the tiny wooden DQ shingle blowing in the wind.

I drove home the long way in the rain to explore more little towns. A dinner at home on a Saturday night under blankets on my couch watching Netflix. The change from NYC to Cape Cod is the yin/yang of life. From bedtime at 1am to falling asleep on a couch at 9:30pm. Im loving it here too! Today is Sunday…..I’m snuggled under blankets with my windows open drinking coffee writing this to you all. Im so grateful for all the comments, calls, emails, and mostly the comments on here. Thank you! I miss you all.

PS……Big news, my tenant in AZ officially extended her lease through the end of January. I will see you all in February.

Love Laurie Sue XO

Aka Dora ❤️💕💫🧚🏻‍♀️🙏🏻🎉😉🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁