A Welcome Festive December!

 I'm trying to change my attitude. December and the holidays are not my favorite, so I'm trying to flip the script and embrace this time in a way that's meaningful to me, rather than buying into the traditional expectations that have not brought me joy. Enjoying the company of friends is a great way to spend my time, so to start things off, I went to the Victorian Street Walk in Saratoga with a group of 10. We met up at Peggy's apartment for mulled cider and a quick catch up before walking downtown. It was quite a festive scene.

The foyer in Peggy's apartment building - it's a converted mansion.


We just missed the tree lighting ceremony, but the result was pretty.

The beautiful  and historic Adelphi Hotel

Live models in some of the store fronts were impressive.

Another shop window display.


Lots of musical performances.

We stopped in Frankin Square Marketplace to listen to live music with a glass of wine. It's a grocery store, a deli, and a bar all in one venue. What a great concept.

Back outside for traditional Christmas Carols in front of City Hall.


I loved the dancing witches. Witch Walk SOSA



Our last stop was listening to a great band and dancing in the street. That is not something I usually do, but they played great music and we were all enjoying ourselves, so why not dance?

On the way back to the car, the mansions were so pretty.

This morning dawned dark and dreary and I was wondering what to accomplish, when I glanced at the weather and saw it was 47 degrees. A bike ride of course! I have two rides to do in December and this was my chance to get one in. I drove over to The Helderberg trail and started in on a 20 miler. It was brisk to say the least. 

There was so much bittersweet along the trail. 

The last few miles were very chilly as I was heading into the wind. My feet were very cold by the time I finished. I got home, jumped in the shower, then ate a snack only to look outside and see it was very dark and raining at 3:30. The sun will set soon, so this day was very brief!

I'm cozied up in my fluffy clothes with a glass of hard cider in front of the fire.


2023 Biking Challenge (1000 miles and 2+ rides per month)

Jan: 1/8 - 18 miles; 1/29 -12 mi

Feb: 2/14/- 14 mi, 2/15 - 16 mi, 2/20 - 21 mi

March: 3/21 - 14 mi, 3/31 - 11.5 mi

April: 4/4 - 20 mi, 4/27 - 15 mi

May: 5/9 - 20 mi, 5/11 - 15.1 mi, 5/14 - 19 mi, 5/21 - 30.1 mi, 5/26 - 7 mi, 5/27 - 8 mi, 5/28 - 20 mi

June: 6/3 - 20.3 mi, 6/6 - 15 mi, 6/8 - 15 mi, 6/9 - 23 mi, 6/14 - 15 mi, 6/15 - 21 mi, 6/16 - 10 mi, 

6/22 - 10 mi

July: 7/8 - 30.25 mi,  7/17 - 11 mi, 7/20 - 20.25 mi, 7/22 - 30 mi, 7/26 - 18.1 mi, 7/28 - 10 mi

August: 8/2 - 16.5 mi, 8/5 - 33.8 mi, 8/9 - 7.7 mi, 8/12 - 6 mi, 8/13 - 13.7 mi, 

8/18 - 20.1 mi, 8/20 - 34 mi, 

September: 9/8 - 26 mi, 9/12 - 17.6 mi, 9/14 - 21 mi, 9/20 - 21.4 mi,  9/21 - 26.7 mi, 

9/22 - 14.5 mi, 9/25 - 30.4 mi, 9/28 - 24 mi

October : 10/1 - 20.1mi, 10/2 - 26 mi., 10/7 - 8.5 mi, 10/11 - 23.5 mi, 10/13 - 27.3 mi, 10/17 - 14.4 mi, 10/25 - 19.3 mi, 10/27 - 18.6 mi

November: 11/4 - 20.2 mi, 11/11 - 17 mi

December: 12/1 - 20.0 mi

Total Distance: 1038.9 miles














Comments

  1. MargaretDecember 1, 2023 at 9:41 PM

    What a lot of fantastic holiday activities! That foyer is so elegant. I love how you get out on the bike no matter what; I've never heard of bittersweet. It's pretty. You know that I agree 100% on customizing what you do for the holidays. Society can put pressure on us to decorate and be festive, but we have the right to do what suits us and feel how we do.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PamJanuary 12, 2024 at 6:19 PM

    I wonder what counts as a "historic" building in the US?

    ReplyDelete

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