Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great week! We spent a lovely weekend in Rhode Island visiting my parents and helping them celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. The kids start school in a little over a week and a half. With the hybrid model and the students split up by last name, my daughter is very upset that she won’t be with her besties. So this week, both kids have been all about hanging out with their friends and getting in some last social time before school starts. We are currently at Villa Roma Resort in the Catskills, enjoying some end of summer fun. Here are five from this week:
1.Beach Time – We are so fortunate my parents live so close to the beach. This view never gets old.
2. Reading – I am finishing up Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins. It’s a contemporary fiction book that I’m finding is an okay read. I haven’t had much reading time this week but hope to finish it this weekend.
3. Cooking- This week we haven’t cooked much, but we did enjoy these Corn and Zucchini Enchiladas from Two Peas and Their Pod. Since my son and I have transitioned from vegan to vegetarian (me) and meat eating (him), I have been finding recipes that I can adapt to please us all. This one was easy to do with leaving cheese out and on top of half of the enchiladas.
4. Playing – Over the weekend we introduced the kids to Liverpool Rummy. I grew up playing this card game with my grandparents and it was fun to start the tradition with my kids playing with their grandparents.
5. Eating – While visiting my parents, they picked the restaurant and made the reservations, but we treated them to dinner for their anniversary. We had a delicious dinner at the Chapel Grille in Cranston, Rhode Island. I enjoyed this Eggplant Napoleon alla norma
We also ordered takeout from a new Chinese restaurant, Chigo in Hawthorne. I have a blog post coming next week, but these were some tasty vegetable dumplings!
Hidden in the outskirts of the city of Beacon, you will find Madam Brett Park. This 12 acre park is one of the 45 parks created by Scenic Hudson. The park may be small, but it is here that you will find the impressive Tioronda Falls.
We visited this park mid-day on a recent Saturday afternoon. There is a small parking lot that can hold about 16 cars. There is also room along the gravel entrance road to park, although I’m not sure this is sanctioned parking.
There are two hiking trails that can be accessed at Madam Brett Park. The white trail runs 0.6 miles and the red trail is a 700 feet loop that is connected to the white trail. Our main reason for this visit was to see Tioronda Falls rather than getting in a hike. I love waterfalls and am on a quest to see as many as I can in New York! From the parking lot, it is a short walk to reach the falls.
There are a couple of different viewing spots of the falls, depending on how close you want to get. The closer you get though, the more adventurous you have to be. First there’s a short iron catwalk that must be traversed. Luckily, there’s a railing to hold on to.
Then, you will have to walk across the ledge of the Tioronda Dam. There happened to be a fallen tree lying across it, possibly from the recent Hurricane that passed through.
The end of the trail and the highest viewing spot of the falls is this observation deck. However, there were already people sitting up there and they didn’t look like they were leaving any time soon. Since we were practicing social distancing, we didn’t join them.
We ventured down off the trail to get to this closer view of the falls. We didn’t stay long, as there were other groups waiting to come down. However, it was so picturesque.
There was a lot of foliage overgrowth. But don’t be deceived. Although these flowers are pretty and were attracting lots of butterflies, they are actually an invasive species.
After you view the falls, walk past the parking lot to access the boardwalk that runs adjacent to Fishkill Creek. This will lead you to the rest of the white trail.
You will walk past the remnants of the Tioronda Hat Works. In January of 2017, a massive fire broke out here. Fortunately, fire fighters were able to prevent the fire from reaching the boardwalk. We turned around shortly after crossing the boardwalk. However, the white trail continues to the marsh.
The Details: Madam Brett Park – A Scenic Hudson Park 560 South Avenue Beacon, NY 12508
Parking: Free Open: Dusk to dawn, year-round Length: White trail – 0.6 miles Red trail – 700 feet loop You can access the Dennings Point Trail via the white trail
*There are no bathroom facilities here *Dogs are allowed on a leash *Fishing, X-country skiing and snowshoeing are permitted * Be careful making the turn into the park. You must drive through a narrow, one-lane underpass. Both entering and leaving, we had close calls with other cars.
Happy Friday! We are currently in Rhode Island for a long weekend to help my parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. They were first supposed to have a huge party, which then got downgraded to a smaller backyard gathering. But with all the state restrictions still in place, they ultimately had to cancel the party. My brother and sister couldn’t come up and fortunately, RI recently came off the 14 day quarantine list for NY state, so we could come and celebrate with them! This, along with my brother-in-law’s wedding get added to the list of events that were canceled thanks to COVID. While we are her, I’m looking to enjoy some relaxing beach time and maybe a hike. Here are five from this week:
1.Waterfalls – I love waterfalls. Saturday we drove to Madam Brett Park where we got to enjoy seeing this beauty! I had no idea this was even in Beacon until I did a search for hikes and parks in the city.
2. Reading – I just finished Pretty Things by Janelle Brown. It was a pretty mystery thriller. I’ve brought a bunch of books with me to Rhode Island, since a long car ride and the beach = lots of reading time!
3. Cooking- This week we made “scallops” with King Oyster mushrooms. I made one of my first Instagram reels showing the process. They had such a similar texture to scallops, but not the taste.
4. Watching – I have just finished watching I’m Sorry on Netflix, although the sitcom airs on truTV (which we do not have). This is a funny show – but do NOT watch with kids in the room!
5. Eating – When we were in Beacon we stopped at Glazed Over donuts and I got my favorite s’mores donut.
One outdoor activity that both my tween and teen are always up for is playing a round of mini golf. While it’s often a vacation activity for us, there isn’t much vacationing currently happening. Since mini golf is a fun, social-distance-friendly family activity, we decided to check out the various courses in Westchester County. Read on for information, ratings and our reviews of each of the courses we visited.
Please remember to check with the locations directly for the most up-to-date information.
Course: 18-hole mini golf course Cost: $8/person (cash only!) Hours of Operation: July – August – 12 PM to 6:30 PM (daily) September – November – 12 PM – dusk (weekends) Parking: $5
Review: The Brookside Mini Golf course is located in Tibbetts Brook Park, a Westchester County Park and has been operating since 2002. It is a short walk from the parking lot, past the pool house, to get to the golf course. We visited on a Saturday and there was a constant flow of visitors.
The course was recently renovated and it shows. The putting greens were in good condition and most of the waterfalls and water features were running.
There were a couple of obstacles including the a loop (that we saw at every mini golf course!), a clown mouth and a bridge.
There was lots of plants and bushes planted throughout the course, giving the course a nice “curb appeal.” This is the only mini golf course that has a par for each hole printed on the score card. Unfortunately, the holes are not numbered here. However, following the cement path leads you to each hole.
To keep germs to a minimum, you can choose the color ball you want, but the attendant hands the ball and club to you. Once you are finished playing, everything is wiped down with sanitizing wipes.
There is a limited food menu including pretzels, pizza and nachos as well as various frozen ice cream novelties. However, we thought $5 for a Chipwich or a SpongeBob ice cream pop was a bit steep.
If you want to make a day of it, bring your suits and enjoy the pool and slides (Be sure to check first if they are open. During our recent visit, the pool was closed. There is a separate admission for the pool).
Charles J. Cook Park (Cortlandt Manor) 293 Furnace Dock Road Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567
Course: 9-hole mini golf course Cost: Free, but only open to Town of Cortlandt (and Village of Buchanan and Croton) residents Hours of Operation: Closed Mondays Tuesday – Friday: 2 PM – 7:30 PM Saturday & Sunday: 12 PM – 7:30 PM Parking: Free
Review coming soon!
Playland Park (Rye) 1 Playland Parkway Rye, NY 10580 (914) 813-7010
Course: 18-hole mini golf course Cost: $5/per person Hours of Operation: Tuesday – Sunday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Closed Mondays Parking: $10
Review: Playland Mini Golf wins hands down for best atmosphere. Nowhere else in Westchester County can you play miniature golf with views of the Long Island Sound. With the boardwalk and the beach right next to the course, it feels like you’re on a vacation.
I mean, look at how close to the water you are! At $5 per person, it is also the cheapest miniature golf course. However, you do have to pay $10 to park, so the overall cost is comparable to the other courses.
Each hole was easily identifiable by a number.
The course itself is a tad run down. Some of the holes had patchwork and mismatched putting green material. It was the easiest of the courses we visited though, with three of us getting holes in one.
There are some fun features, like this waterfall, a gazebo and a well.
Playland Mini Golf is the only course that enforces social distancing. They only allow two to three groups on the course at a time. A new group cannot start playing until the previous group has gotten to hole 9, the waterfall. It is likely you will have to wait for a little bit to play. They also wipe down and sanitize the balls and clubs before you play.
Overall: This was a fun golf course with beautiful views. Definitely worth a visit.
Saxon Woods Park (White Plains) 1800 Mamaroneck Avenue White Plains, NY 10605 (914) 924-4644
Course: 19-hole mini golf course Cost: $9/adult, $7/children under 10 (Cash or credit) Hours of Operation: June – September – 12 PM to 8 PM
Review: The Saxon Woods Park Mini Golf Course is located in Saxon Woods Park, a Westchester County Park. It’s part of the 700-acre property that includes the county’s largest swimming pool, ball fields, an 18-hole golf course, playground and hiking trails and is run by Powell Catering Service. We visited on a recent Saturday and there was a constant flow of visitors. There was even a birthday party that was being set up during our visit.
This was one of the few courses that we visited that had rules posted for play.
This mini golf course sits inside a natural forest and stream area and has the most shade of all the courses we visited. Unfortunately, it sits adjacent to Mamaroneck Avenue, so you see and hear all of the traffic going by.
Each hole was labeled with a number. This was the only course we visited that had flags in the holes to help identify the target.
There are frozen ice cream novelties for purchase at the admission booth and a food concessions stand next door.
Overall: This was one of the nicer mini golf courses that we visited with a not-too-difficult course.
Yorktown Golf & Baseball (Mohegan Lake) 2710 Lexington Avenue Mohegan Lake, NY 10547 (914) 526-8337
Course: 18-hole mini golf course Cost: $7/adults, $5.50/children under 12 Cash or credit (4% credit card fee) Hours of Operation: Spring & Summer – 10 AM – 8 PM
Review: Established in 1994, this miniature golf course is only one of the attractions at the Yorktown Golf & Baseball Center. The facility also houses a 2-tiered driving range and eight batting cages. Unfortunately, the miniature golf course does not appear to have been updated since it was built. During our visit, the waterfall and ponds were not filled, leaving empty cement structures. The putting green is separated from the cement. The score cards do not have a par printed, nor did we see a maximum number of strokes. However, we limited ourselves to a 5 stroke max on each hole. We found some of the holes (1 and 15) especially difficult.
Overall: This is a bare bones, miniature golf course that is in need of some major upkeep. The course lacks fun features and was our least favorite of the courses we visited.
Happy Friday. I have never looked more forward to the weekends than these past couple of weeks. Working in the HR department of a school district getting ready for back-to-school during this time has been crazy! Last week Hurricane Isaias hit New York. We fortunately didn’t lose power, but we did lose our cable and internet. My 12 and 14 year-old would tell you this was as bad as not having electricity since they couldn’t use any of their electronics. While I couldn’t get last Friday’s post up, I enjoyed the electronic break. I ended up reading three books in three days! Here are five from this week:
1.Reading – I am currently reading Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. This is a historical family saga that takes place in Korea and Japan throughout the 20th century.
2. Eating – Friday my parents were in town so they came over for dinner and brought pizza.
We tried the Vegan Espresso Chip Ice Cream sandwich from The Blue Pig in Croton on Hudson.
Sunday we ordered takeout from Asian restaurant Fatt Root. One of our faves was this Tofu Broccoli Satay Bowl.
3. Mini-Golf – The past couple of weekends we have been visiting the different outdoor mini golf courses throughout Westchester County. I’ll be reviewing them in an upcoming post, but it’s been a fun family activity.
4. Cooking – One of this week’s favorite meals was Vegan Udon Noodle Cabbage Stir Fry from The Savory Vegan. My daughter cooked, so that made it even better, since I didn’t have to!
5. Boy Scout Court of Honor – This week my son’s Boy Scout troop held their Court of Honor at the local park and my son was the Master of Ceremony (MC) for the event.
ICYMI this week on the blog I shared my July Reads.
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And just like that July is over. It was a great reading month for me with a lot of 4 and 5 star reads! As always, I’m sharing my July reads with Steph and Jana’s monthly Show Us Your Books linkup. Here’s to continued great reading in August!
3 stars
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell – (Mystery/Thriller) On her 25th birthday, an adopted girl inherits her birth family’s home. We learn about the house’s past and the family that used to live there. This was my fourth Jewell read and my least favorite so far. Definitely a creepier and more bizarre read than I was expecting.
Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey – (romance) Girl: isn’t taken seriously by her family and works as a clown for kid’s parties. Boy: Best friends with girl’s brother, known as a “player” and is back home nursing an athletic injury and his ego. Both want to be taken more seriously and come up with an agreement that will hopefully benefit them both. This book has some steamy sex scenes but some of the sexual references were eye roll inducing.
I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman – (Contemporary Fiction/Chick Lit) A workaholic mom and her teen daughter embark on an organized East Coast college bus tour. The two get to know each other and test their relationship amidst some drama. As a mother of a teen daughter, I could relate well to their relationship. A light, entertaining read. I didn’t enjoy this as much as The Garden of Small Beginnings.
4 stars
The Bright Side of Going Dark by Kelly Harms – (contemporary fiction/chick-lit) A social media influencer gets dumped by her fiance right before their wedding. She eventually realizes that she needs to try living life offline. However, while she thinks she has “gone dark” on social media, her account is hacked and impersonated by a very tech savvy individual. This book was more deep than I expected. Harms also wrote The Overdue Life of Amy Byler which I had enjoyed.
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle – (contemporary fiction/romance) The night of her proposal, a young woman gets a short glimpse five years into her future. She then tries to change the future that she saw. This emotional read was a love story that also touched on the power of friendship. It was a little heavier than what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it.
The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal – (fiction) A family saga that follows two estranged sisters who take different life paths but both end up in the beer-making world. This was a fun, heart-warming read that gave me a lot more insight into the craft brewery world.
The Vanishing Halfby Britt Bennett – (historical fiction/literary fiction) Twin African American sisters run away from home at 16 years of age. One twin passes for white and ends up keeping her past a secret. The other moves back home with her black daughter. This story follows their life paths and how the choices they’ve made affect those around them. The book is being made into a limited HBO series. It took me a little bit to get into this book but once I got invested in the characters it had me hooked. Unfortunately, I felt the ending was a bit abrupt and wanted more.
5 stars
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas – (YA Fantasy) Girl hunting to keep her poor family alive mistakenly kills a Fae. As a consequence she must live her life with her captor in a magical kingdom. She is then tasked with having to break an ancient curse if she wishes to save him. This book is a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I don’t know why I waited so long to read this book, but I’m glad I finally did. This is not my usual reading genre, but it was a very engaging story.
A Good Neighborhoodby Therese Ann Fowler – (contemporary fiction) Oak Knoll is a “good neighborhood” filled with close knit neighbors. The book focuses on two neighboring families that differ in race and wealth and how their lives intertwine. This is a tragic story but very relevant.
Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain – (historical fiction) Set in a rural North Carolina town, this book tells the story of the Eugenics program and its impact on one particular family and the young social worker assigned to help them. I didn’t realize before reading this book that the Eugenics Program was a real thing. This was an enlightening read.
