My sister Bonnie came up from Florida this past week and a we shared a Mother's Day brunch with our girls, Tara and Erica (my daughters) and Kelly (Bon's daughter) in New Hope. Tara our mom-to-be drove us and the drive was a pleasant one as we travelled to our favorite shopping town in PA. The traffic was being diverted from the restaurant that the girls chose, and we didn't realize why until we were sitting in the private room on the sunporch of our destination - it was the New Hope Gay Pride Parade and we had front row seats, an unexpected bonus. We all had brunch cocktails (except Tara) and luckily we had the whole porch to ourselves, as in our excitement of the get together we had a lot of loud laughter and catching up to do! The brunch was exquisite and the parade was surprisingly low-key (nothing compared to the Gay Pride Parade in New Orleans, which as you can imagine has lots of floats and costumes). We all ate way too much and Tara who did not have a cocktail ordered a chocolate cheesecake with mocha chip ice-cream and strawberries, to which we all looked on in envy. From there we walked along the main drag of new Hope and checked every little shop and boutique along the way. They have the most unusual gift items and clothes, and very pricey tags to boot. Everyone got a chance to exclaim their love for something that was was neither practical or affordable and yet the moms in their years of thrifty wisdom did mange to pull off a few purchases for the girls. I'm not much of a shopper, but I waited outside of the littlest of the shops (having a touch of claustrophobia) and the sun came out to a beautiful day in this quaint little town. Once the girls had their fill of all the shops on the strip, we headed for the car that was parked by the Raritan River. I felt a little guilty as I didn't quite share in the enthusiasm for all the trendy little items that were displayed in the shops, but when I passed one of the most expensive jewelry stores, I looked down on the side walk and saw my souvenir. It was just a piece of branch that sat under a tree. At first I thought it too must be for sale as I stared at it... the girls walked on... and then it dawned on me that this was my reward for all that shopping. I picked it up and took it to the car... my girls know I'm a nature nut and no one laughed. Once home, I found an old sake jar that stood neglected on our shelf and Viola, I have a one of a kind bonsai like decoration that thrills me every time I look at it. The cost? Nothing. The reminder of its presence? The wonderful day we had as mothers and daughters on a sunny New Hope outing. The meaning? Priceless.
Monday, May 18, 2009
A Trip to New Hope
My sister Bonnie came up from Florida this past week and a we shared a Mother's Day brunch with our girls, Tara and Erica (my daughters) and Kelly (Bon's daughter) in New Hope. Tara our mom-to-be drove us and the drive was a pleasant one as we travelled to our favorite shopping town in PA. The traffic was being diverted from the restaurant that the girls chose, and we didn't realize why until we were sitting in the private room on the sunporch of our destination - it was the New Hope Gay Pride Parade and we had front row seats, an unexpected bonus. We all had brunch cocktails (except Tara) and luckily we had the whole porch to ourselves, as in our excitement of the get together we had a lot of loud laughter and catching up to do! The brunch was exquisite and the parade was surprisingly low-key (nothing compared to the Gay Pride Parade in New Orleans, which as you can imagine has lots of floats and costumes). We all ate way too much and Tara who did not have a cocktail ordered a chocolate cheesecake with mocha chip ice-cream and strawberries, to which we all looked on in envy. From there we walked along the main drag of new Hope and checked every little shop and boutique along the way. They have the most unusual gift items and clothes, and very pricey tags to boot. Everyone got a chance to exclaim their love for something that was was neither practical or affordable and yet the moms in their years of thrifty wisdom did mange to pull off a few purchases for the girls. I'm not much of a shopper, but I waited outside of the littlest of the shops (having a touch of claustrophobia) and the sun came out to a beautiful day in this quaint little town. Once the girls had their fill of all the shops on the strip, we headed for the car that was parked by the Raritan River. I felt a little guilty as I didn't quite share in the enthusiasm for all the trendy little items that were displayed in the shops, but when I passed one of the most expensive jewelry stores, I looked down on the side walk and saw my souvenir. It was just a piece of branch that sat under a tree. At first I thought it too must be for sale as I stared at it... the girls walked on... and then it dawned on me that this was my reward for all that shopping. I picked it up and took it to the car... my girls know I'm a nature nut and no one laughed. Once home, I found an old sake jar that stood neglected on our shelf and Viola, I have a one of a kind bonsai like decoration that thrills me every time I look at it. The cost? Nothing. The reminder of its presence? The wonderful day we had as mothers and daughters on a sunny New Hope outing. The meaning? Priceless.
