Country Hikes

I'm a member of an American Women's club here. It's a great way to meet people and get involved. There are many subgroups in which you can participate. When I first signed up last year I had planned on joining the country hikes group. Sounded like a great way to get out into the beautiful English countryside, get a bit of exercise and get better acquainted with other moms at the school. Could kill a lot of birds with one stone! Hiking boots are required (this is a serious group!) and I hadn't owned proper hiking boots since I was a teenager. While out picking up things for the kids at the beginning of the school year last year I bought some. I was set! Well week after week I ran into conflicts, and by the time Christmas holidays rolled around I still hadn't made it to a single country hike! And the winter months to follow did not exactly inspire me to strap on the boots and brave the wet cold. By the time spring rolled around I felt like I was too late to the party to join in. So my hiking boots remained then a full year old and never used.

This year I find myself busier than ever (interesting as now all my kids are in full-time school). I'm more involved in school affairs than ever, on this committee and that. I'm also working more than I have in recent years. Life is busy! But I am determined to make use of the boots! I felt a bit deflated when I got the country hikes schedule and learned the first hike was square in the middle of my trip to New York. And the second one was the day after I returned (jet-lag going east = sluggish mornings). So finally this week I was able to go on my first hike with this group. Five miles in a glorious, crisp autumn day, which concluded in a lovely pub lunch before dashing back to the school for a meeting. The group hikes at a pretty brisk clip, so not so photography friendly. I managed to get a few, but not as many as I'd have liked.

Drops of Autumn

New York

A few days in NYC with a best friend.




Frozen hot chocolate


Brunch on the upper west side












One of the natives


The NY mother ship on 5th Ave




Didn't seem right to see this one in London




Times Square






Dodging road steam




Village skyline


Freedom Tower






Staten island ferry






A stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge






















Handheld night photography, Freedom Tower in red, white and blue


Brunch at the Boathouse in Central Park








Dreaming of moving to the village












Magnolia Bakery




Chess in the park


Shake Shack




Central Park









Thanks New York for bringing the 4782 miles between best friends down to 0.