No.22 Allaire State Park
On Friday night after work, Jaime and I hiked Allaire between Hospital Road and the Parkway and beyond to Brice Park and north to the bike path. It was a fun way to end the week! We may or may not have had a couple of adult beverages along the way…
Friday Night Hikes. Sounds like something I will have to start doing more often with my people. So, if you’re around and free, grab a backpack and throw a beverage in it and meet me in the Hospital Road parking lot at 5:30 on Friday evening.
No.23 Point Mountain Reservation
Point Mountain is located in Hunterdon County and the views of rural NJ are so pretty. I did an almost 5 mile loop with an elevation gain of 728ft. There is just one very steep and rocky ascent, after that it’s a pretty moderate journey. The Musconetcong River is one of the most scenic rivers I’ve encountered on my treks across the state. The day was crisp (it snowed in the am) and sunny and brought several trout fishermen out. I met a really nice member of Central Jersey Trout Unlimited who gave me info on their meetings. Fly-fishing may be my next adventure, a great addition to hiking 🙂 Signs of Spring were everywhere and the bright green was a welcome change of scenery. The view from the summit was so pretty and I ate my lunch (a triple-decker pbnutella&j sandwich) on a rock in the sunshine. Though, I cut my lunch break short when a cute young couple joined me, I could tell they were looking for a bit of romance!
On the trail, I kept thinking about all the items on my to-do-list. I’ve been really trying to make sure that my list doesn’t overwhelm me and that I don’t put anything on it that isn’t a priority. Miller and I still have to finish a few fun projects at the shop and I have to get artwork framed and back up on the walls, these are certainly priority and on the list. And then there is the yarn. The yarn has me stressed for several reasons. But beyond the stress of getting it back out for sale there are the other parts that go with it; tracking and maintaining inventory, display and advertising, promotions and helping customers. I’m really not looking forward to any of it. I think partly because I can’t do it the way the average yarn buyer expects. It hasn’t made it’s way onto the priority list. What has made it on the list, is planning and thinking about how to run the yarn end of the business that is sustainable for me. This planning process is taking me a lot of time, necessary time, and I thank all of my customers for their patience. In the next couple of weeks I will get the logo for Frame & Fiber finalized, my talented friend Leanne at Three Boys Design is designing it, and printed on vinyl for the front windows. Hopefully I can time that with the opening of the yarn department. I just have to keep reminding myself to stick with my plan and to not rush it, no matter how much outside pressure there is. The quote I put on the board in the shop was said by Peter Marshall, the US Senate chaplain right after WWII, “Teach us, O Lord, the disciplines of patience, for often to wait is harder than to work.”
Here are a couple of fun pieces I framed this week. The first is a shadowbox with a carved wood spoon. My customer’s niece brought it home from a trip to Wales. The second piece is a picture that was hanging in my customer’s grandmother’s house. The original frame is so pretty and we wanted to keep it as close to original as possible, so we framed the frame! I love the result.
Thanks for stopping by OldPlaidCamper earlier – I appreciate it! The second photo here, with the reflected sky, is beautiful! I drove through NJ many, many years ago with my brother one fall, and we were knocked out by how beautiful it was. Good going on 52 hikes!
Thanks so much!
What a beautiful spot to hike and your photos are wonderful. 🙂
Thanks so much!