I care not that the weather prophets are calling for snow and freezing temperatures for the weekend. Today, the sun was shining and the birds were tweeting, and the last dirty dregs of snow has melted! And it's only February!

Spring is a lovely time in Upstate New York. I'm really looking forward to it this year. My calendar of activities, from traveling to installing windows to fixing my rotting back porch, is filling up quickly. And add to that-- I just created another website!!

*dodges tomatoes*

No, seriously, this one will be amazing! I know I already have too many, but I got this terrific idea -- you know, the big, bright led lighting over the head kind of thing-- and I didn't see anyone else doing it, so I did it! It will be a resource website, a portal kind of place. I call it "things to do in Upstate New York," and I intend to fill it up with information and reviews of restaurants, attractions, hotels, etc. I hope it gets a lot of attention from local advertisers.

You see, when we travel, it is SO HARD to find anything. Oh, locating the big name tourist attraction is easy enough, but what about a nice little family restaurant?? Last time we traveled, I drove around and around, looking for a family restaurant that didn't have a honky tonk bar. Not even Yelp could help me. i think there's a big need for a website that has such information. It will take me a long time to build it, I know, but I think I can do it, with God's good help. :) I'll let you know more about it in the future.

I love spring! It's filled with new things! What are you doing this spring?

For many, many years, we have been traveling Central New York. I live in Central New York and CNY is very, well, central. It's been a terrific springboard from which to hop to the other places in New York State.

But I think we may be coming to the end of places to visit in Central New York. Can this possibly be?! I recently took inventory (I sifted through the travel blog archives) and I have been to every place in Oneida, Madison, and Herkimer counties that I have wanted to visit, except two (Erie Canal Boat Museum in Chittenango and take photos at the Nicholas Herkimer Home in Little Falls). This is a huge accomplishment, yet I still cannot believe we've been to everything. Can it really, truly be?!

If you know of anything we may have missed in one of these counties, do let us know. Leave a comment in the post.

So I am planning my itinerary for the 2012 travel season. We are going to be branching out a lot more into the further regions of New York. So far, I have a few trips to New York City planned, at least one trip to the Adirondack region again this year (it will be a big trip), and another visit to Fort Stanwix in Rome. I will also be doing more reviews on restaurants, hotels, and local businesses. I don't know how you do it when you travel, but finding a good restaurant or reputable hotel is difficult! I am very picky about the places I go, so I will write with the assumption that my readers are, as well.

Also good news: For the first time in many years, I won't have to search for a rental car, either. I got my own wheels! Of course, sometimes I do not drive to certain places (such as through Manhattan *shudder*) and in those cases I take the train. I greatly dislike rental vehicles and won't ever be using them again, if i can help it. I'd even rather get some good Car Transport Quotes and ship my car to a very far destination that use a rental vehicle. Ick.

So I have some changes in store. I have also purchased a new domain for a new website about Upstate New York travel. This will include the restaurant reviews and such. I see a need for a "NY travel portal" and I intend to meet it. I think finally, after 6 years of travel blogging, I am now getting serious about this little hobby. I can see how helpful it can be to folks. Stay tuned, I'll have lots more!

And thanks for reading. You've helped make this venture possible.

I spent some time over the weekend reading expat blogs. An "expat" is a person native to one country who packs everything up and moves to another country. These types of blogs are fascinating! While most expats love their new location, I notice a familiar thread amongst them all- all the expats miss certain foods or products from their native country, things that evoke a sense of comfort in their lives.

For many American expats, they miss particular foods. One expat from the American south lamented the lack of fried okra in England! I found that comical (I had fried okra once, and I will never miss it!). :) But I can understand the feeling. I have never traveled out of the country but I have been away from home (and New York State) for extended periods of time. I have missed certain things from home that make my home... well, home.

I would miss real, Italian-made pizza. I would miss spicy chicken wings. When we traveled to Virginia, we got pizza and wings from a "real," New York style pizzeria (so the sign said). When we got our order, the pizza was *ok* (not enough crust and too little cheese) but the wings were not Buffalo chicken wings-- they were tiny pieces of southern friend chicken! We giggled at the food, being the New York pizza and wings connoisseurs that we are, LOL. But if I ever had to live down south for any extended period of time, I knew I would be in trouble, lol!

What about you? What are some things that you associate with home that you could not do without if you traveled far away or lived in another country? Would it be your ipod touch 8 gb, your TV shows, your special cuisine?

I can't believe it. All the snow from the *big* snowstorm yesterday is GONE. All gone. Everything is green again!

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We saw the movie Courageous. GREAT movie! But it was a real tearjerker. I can't stand crying my eyes out when I watch a movie, especially when we watch a movie during dinner. I had no idea what to expect. So here's a tip: See Courageous but DON'T watch it during dinnertime.

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My sons have been playing guitars for four years now! Both are very good. One boy plays "regular" guitar (acoustic, electric) and the other plays bass guitar. It's SO easy to buy gifts for them, as guitars come with a zillion accessories. We recently got them some snazzy new guitar straps. One is embossed leather and the other is tweedy material with American flags on it. Very nice quality. And buying new straps every year is way cheaper than buying new guitars every year.

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Being self-employed has its pros and cons. The worst aspect always rears its ugly head at this time of the year-- tax time. *sigh* I cannot believe the mounds of paperwork that is required. And then, after all that work, I get to pay twice as much in taxes as the "company" employed worker does! Very, very unfair.

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No travel plans these days. I am too busy doing paperwork :( plus we usually don't do anything until March or April. I have a trip slated for NYC in a few months. It will be good to get away then.

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I hope to get to Lake Placid and Whiteface Mountain this spring! I am pretty excited about that. I love the high peaks and I hope to get in some great photos AND videos this time. The last time we were up there, I tried taking videos from the car with the iPhone. Uh, NOT. They came out awful. This time, I'm bringing my camcorder.

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If they ever decided to hold the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid again, I'd go.

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Well, enough chatter from me. I have paperwork to do. :(

I'm sure the numbers have changed since I last looked in early 2010. I had read a report that of all activities done online, 80 percent of expected travelers did some investigating and shopping online for their trips. Eighty percent! That was a phenomenal number to me. But then again, I do ALL my travel planning online. Oh, I may call a hotel directly or make a reservation through telephone, but I always do all my research online, and I always look for reviews. Most of all, i always check for any promotions.

Finding promotions, however, is a little more difficult than booking an accommodation reservation. Some companies seem to bury their promotions. I have no idea why they do this-- these businesses may save a few bucks by charging full price, but more people would flock to the business if they knew there was a sale. I know, because I am one of them. I often base my travel plans on discounts and sales.

Well, if you are like me and are always looking to save money, check out the travelocity.com specials at FrugalDad.com. Have you heard of this site? It's been mentioned by The New Yorker, BusinessWeek, The New York Times, Kiplingers and others. The site is touted as a great place for financial tips and other advice. I love it! But there's also a special part of the site set aside for coupons and deals. FrugalDad.com has a HUGE list of retailers where you can find discounts, deals, coupons, and more. It's definitely worth looking into BEFORE you make that big hotel reservation or airline ticket.

I have not yet tried Travelocity, though. They are one of the best "budget" travel planner sites I know. Travelocity is something akin to a travel search engine. You "input" exactly what you are looking for and Travelocity searches all the possible vendors and displays all the options, highlighting the best deals. Some of my pals say they have saved quite a bit of money, using Travelocity. I had no idea Travelocity offered coupons and deals from time to time. That must be a deal on top of a deal, right?!

So why pay more than you have to? Why not take a few extra minutes and look for discounts and deals online? It costs you absolutely nothing to use the services and you can very easily save a bundle of money. And, like me, you may decide to take an unexpected holiday simply because the prices are irresistible. :)

Upstate New York finally got some snow! It's beautiful! It covers all the dingy brown and gray we've had almost all winter. It's been one of the mildest winters that I can ever recall-- up to this point, the Mohawk Valley has had a whopping 6 or 7 inches of snow, total, this winter. We usually get 40 inches or so!

But one shocker-- the cold! Brrrrrr. I didn't realize how much I was enjoying the balmy 30 and 40 degree temperatures until the thermometer dipped into the single digits.

But the shock won't last long. We in Upstate New York know how to handle cold: Damart! Damart is a very, very popular apparel name brand here. We've had a few outlet factories in the area. Damart manufactures Thermolactyl apparel. Thermolactyl is a special manufactured fiber designed to absorb body heat and release moisture from the skin. Other fabrics collect the body's evaporation, making the cloth wet and, once frozen by the stiff winter winds, very uncomfortable or downright dangerous in extreme weather. I know a number of winter campers who wear ONLY Thermolactyl clothing. The fabric is lightweight, therefore hikers carry less weight. My kids love Damart long johns, polo neck inserts, undershirts. The clothing is so soft and it's not restrictive like other "winter" clothing. Perfect clothing for shoveling, too!

So know you know the secret to our success, how we endure such long and cold winters. It's not the snowplow nor the grossly thick, lined parkas-- it's Damart Thermolactyl! :)

We shall know soon enough. The beautiful little village of Hammondsport, NY, is in the race for America's Coolest Town, contending with other towns such as Damascus, VA, Jerome, AZ, Nashville, IN, and even Cape May, NJ.

:O Seriously, NEW JERSEY?! Cape May?! We can do better than that. If Cape May comes in before Hammondsport, I will be so ashamed as a New Yorker. ;) I am from the Finger Lakes area so of course I'm rooting for my roots. :)

Go vote for Hammondsport. Not only does the winner get loads of national kudos, the region will get a big economic boost from the honor.

Last I checked, Hammondsport was neck and neck with Beaufort in North Carolina. Go VOTE for Hammondsport! It doesn't cost you a dime and you don't have to submit your email or anything. Go to the Budget Travel America's Coolest Small Towns 2012 and vote.

Good luck, Hammondsport!