~ Merry Christmas ~

Laura:
In the middle of studying for my very last med school test of the semester, we took a little break to decorate the apartment for Christmas! We went to the Public Market and purchased the tiniest, cutest Christmas tree there ever was! Introducing: Tiny Tim, the tiniest Tannenbaum. LOL!

Alex:
We weren't even planning on getting a tree at the market, but we came across a tiny tree and started talking with the guy selling trees.  He saw us looking at pretty much a twig that he had propped up against his sign and came over saying we should get it.  Laura laughed and called it a Charlie Brown tree.  The guy started bringing out other tiny trees he had and talking about how much spirit these little guys had.  We decided we liked Tiny Tim here, so when asked for an offer, Laura said $7.  So we took him home for $7, but he's worth so much more to us!

Laura:
Since we had a small tree, we had lots of other lights to use around the apartment.  So festive!!!

Please note our bear skin rug accompanying our many leather-bound books and rich mahogany mantle.
We're kind of a big deal......

Merry Christmas!

Chimney Bluffs

Laura:
Medical school is great, BUT every now and then you need a little time to decompress and remember that outside the hospital there is still a beautiful world waiting to be explored! During a particularly stressful weekend of studying in September, I decided it was time for an exploration break. My ability to cram one more tidbit about physiology or anatomy into my already over-stuffed head was diminishing quickly. Adventure destination for the day: Chimney Bluffs State Park.

It was an exceptionally nice Sunday, lots of sun and still warm temperatures, when we headed out to Chimney Bluffs. The park is located about an hour east of Rochester. The bluffs that give the park it's name are located right on Lake Ontario overlooking a very long stretch of beach that is covered in millions of smooth rocks. When we first arrived, we decided to check out the beach before hiking up the hill to the top of the bluffs.

Alex noticed the high-quality skipping rocks, so we spent 20-30 min skipping rocks into the lake. I've never really been able to skip rocks, so Alex gave me a few lessons - how to pick a good rock, how throw it, how to keep trying over and over.

Alex:
Foof had a really good one with 7 or 8 skips, but that was between videos.  I had a few good ones too.  It was beautiful out by the water.

Laura:
Once our arms were tuckered out from all the rock skipping, we headed up to the top of the bluffs.

The trek was short but very steep. Here we are at the top!

Alex:
A lot of the pictures up here have some weird coloring.  That's because we had to use high HDR settings on the camera because of the intense light and shadows.  It was super dark in some areas on the trail as we were hiking through a narrow trail in the forest.  Then along the edge of the bluffs it was very bright looking over the lake with the clear sky and afternoon sun coming off the light colored rock.  It was neat to look at, and hard to get good photos!  Guess you'll have to come visit and see them in person!

Laura:
We followed the trail that hugged the meandering edge of the bluffs for about a mile or so, taking lots of pictures. It's really an incredible sight to see, the pictures don't quite do justice to the odd angles of the eroding rocks.

Not messing around after our water shortage while hiking near Niagara Falls!
GO CAMEL BACK GO!

After our little hike, we headed back down to the beach to have a small picnic lunch. We sat under a gigantic tree that was leaning out over the lake and enjoyed the sunshine and gently lapping waves of the lake. So serene!

It was the perfect spot to unwind and remember the good things in life outside of school and the office.

Fall Fun

Not everything is big enough or awesome enough to warrant a full post on their own, so we lumped together some of our fall exploits.


Foodlink Festival at the Public Market
Alex:
Back in mid-September we grabbed up some Groupons for the Foodlink Festival being held at the Rochester Public Market.  It sounded similar to the Taste of St. Louis, which we've really enjoyed attending with friends and family in the past.  Dozens of local restaurants, wineries, caterers and food vendors turned out with all kinds of small samples.  There were some musicians playing on a small stage set up in the middle of the market as we made our way through with our little plates and wine glasses.

The biggest key difference is that here you buy a ticket and get whatever you want, whereas in the STL version you pay for the individual food items.  While it was nice to be able to sample all kinds of things without worrying about price, this did result in longer lines and smaller sample sizes.  There was a high proportion of desserts and wine stands vs regular food, so we got a little over-surgared. 

I think I prefer the setup and the turnout of the Taste of St Louis, but this was still fun to try out.  Someday we'll make it to the much larger and more well known Taste of Chicago, and we'll have to post about that!

Laura: Agreed! The food was all pretty decent, but there were way too many desserts (which is something I never thought I would say!!!). Favorite foods: PB&J cupcake, Savory/Roasted porkbelly, local beers, and Pumpkin Ice Cream. Yum! Also, this event was partially sponsored by Wegman's (the local mega grocery store), so we got a couple free totes and some coupons.

Oktoberfest in Irondequoit
Alex:
In late September we went to meet some of the other med students at Oktoberfest.  Yes, Oktoberfest is celebrated mostly in September, and ends in the first week of October.  In Irondequoit (the area of north of downtown, toward the lake) there was a good sized event that some of Laura's classmates wanted to visit, so we decided to check it out.

The tent was naturally very large, colorful, and filled with polkas and yodeling.  We promptly grabbed some Oktoberfest ales, a rouladen, and some wurst and chowed down.

We found a few friends at some tables and sat with them for a bit.

The food was delicious.  I went back to grab some potato pancakes and apple sauce, and had to get an extra side of their tasty red cabbage (like saurkraut, but also sweet like warm applesauce).

There were quite a few people dancing to the German band, so we jumped in for a little bit.  I grabbed a shot when the space cleared out some so we could get the band.

"Good times!!!!" - Foof

 
Apple Picking in Victor
Alex:
In early October, we went southeast a little bit closer to the Finger Lakes to the small, quaint town of Victor to meet some other med students out for apple picking at the Apple Farm.  After a short tractor ride out into the orchard, we wandered around having some fun and finding the best apples, figuring out what types of apples were ripe, and discussing what kinds of apples were good for what kind of cooking.

Victor, Marina and Brian watching Joe juggle, trying to get themselves coordinated.

Rows of apple trees....

 We even found a lone pear tree next to a barn. Brought one home.....it was delicious!!!

Laura: 
I believe we picked some Crispins (look like giant, more yellowy Granny Smiths), some Cortlands, and maybe a couple Macoun apples at the orchard. All of which contributed to multiple apple crisps and two apple pies (with crust from scratch)!

We also sampled some of the farm's homemade baked goods - apple cider donuts and apple turnovers. Very tasty. Even had a little bit of apple cider. Aside from getting to spend time with friends and pick some tasty apples, it was a GORGEOUS day! So nice to spend some time out in the sunshine and warmth (while it's still here!).

All in all we had a really great time at the Apple Orchard. We'll definitely have to go back. We might just have to go back to explore the town of Victor a little more. Like Alex mentioned, it is a very quaint little city with a lot of shops and local restaurants. Might even have to go there in the winter once the snow falls because the further south you go from
Rochester the hillier it gets, so I bet there is some beautiful scenery out there!

Hope you enjoyed reading about a few of our Fall adventures!
-The Lorax-

Feeeeeed Me!

Laura:
To combat a bothersome gnat infestation in some of our house plants, Alex purchased a couple carnivorous plants to gobble up the little pests. I know....I know.....when you hear the term "carnivorous plant" an image of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors may pop into your head.....

Luckily for us though, the carnivorous plants that we have recently acquired are much more demur:

Alex:
As you may already know, I like to grow various herbs for all the cookin' I do.  When we left St. Louis I went to great lengths to get rid of the gnats that moved in when I bought Laura some flowers and plants.  I bagged up my big plants and killed off and threw away all my herbs and smaller plants.  It was very sad.

So it was very annoying when I set up all the new plants here in Rochester and right away got gnats again!  In the heat of the summer we had to open windows to cool off, and in came the little pests.  Look at my poor basil plants...  they're living on the underside of the leaves!!

The plants should be two or three times bigger than this, but they're barely hanging on to life.  I have waged war against the gnats.  I have waged conventional war (clapping, sticky traps, smashing...  I just killed one as I wrote this sentence), chemical warfare (sprays), biological warfare (bacteria that infect their larvae), and most interestingly, our subject at hand, crazy space monster warfare!

Rooaaaar!

Be Warned!  Below are graphic images of bug carnage!

Proceed at your own risk

I currently have two types of CPs:  A purple pitcher plant and a cape sundew.

The pitcher forms leaves with wide open bellies filled with sweet liquid and deadly traps.  The purple pitcher doesn't have a lot of crazy mazes or a closing mouth like other CPs, but it has a very slippery and confusing gut.  Once the bug flies in, they have a hard time telling where the sweet nectar ends and the deadly digestive saliva begins.

A thousand tiny gnat screams echo through the chambers of the pitcher's unforgiving gullet

Purple pitcher plant is definitely more fun to say, but the sundew is the real killer.

Say you're a bug.  You get up in the morning and start doing your bug duties:  flying around people's faces, chewing on helpless plants, landing in Alex's yogurt, distracting the Foof while she studies...  Generally just being a pest.

Oops

After a long and obnoxious days work, you're hungry, or thirsty, or whatever the heck you get - who cares?  You're a filthy little bug.  You see sunlight glistening off a sweet orb of what appears to be delectable nectar.  YUM!  You buzz your nasty little thorax over to it and land in it, ready to gorge yourself.  BUT WAIT!  Something is wrong...  this food is a lot less tasty and a lot more sticky than usual...

And for everyone to see...  how embarrassing!

It's got you!  That little droplet of liquid is a very sticky, stringy goo that just never let's go.  Now you're fighting and pushing and flapping to get away, and as you struggle you notice that very slowly, more tentacles with droplets of goo are inching closer, leaning in toward you.  Eventually they pile on, covering you with digestive ooze, and pull you in toward the center of the leaf.  What a way to go!



I've got quite a few more pictures of these guys.  They're an entertaining way of killing off the gnats.  I'll probably pick up some more, including other types of sundew, maybe a venus flytrap, and eventually I'd like to get the ultimate: a tropical pitcher.  If I do, I'll be sure to put more pictures here.

The Lorax - hunter of the gnats

Darien Lake

Labor Day Weekend was a blast!!!! 

(Yes....We realize it's currently October and we're just getting around to this story....sorry for the delay)

Laura: 

As part of our Labor Day festivities, we decided to check out the Darien Lake Amusement Park about an hour west of Rochester. Alex and I had never been to an amusement park together, so we thought it would be a nice way to spend our weekend. Plus, we purchased BOGO tickets at Wegman's (a local grocery store) which made the outing much more affordable. 

Based on the website we expected Darien Lake to be similar to Six Flags - St. Louis, but I would say it's not as nice - there are fewer rides and the whole park seemed old and slightly in disrepair. Despite these cosmetic flaws, the park as a whole was pretty decent and we still had a great time. Here we are after taking a spin on "The Predator" - the tallest wooden roller coaster in New York State!

I was terrified!!!!!!!!! I can't even remember the last time I rode a roller coaster, so going on the tallest one in New York state (with the steepest hills I have EVER seen....looked like you were going straight down into the ground, no slope whatsoever!) was really scary. Also, sitting in the very last row sure added to the whip-lash factor commonly associated with wooden coasters. Oh my neck was so sore the next day!!!!

After riding The Predator, we moved onto another coaster - Boomerang.

Boomerang is the teal rollercoaster depicted here. This ride "begins with a steep incline backwards out of the station, and then propels guests forward through vertical loops and hills. Then, repeat the circuit in reverse". So...let me clarify in case you don't fully understand the terror this ride induces...after everyone is strapped in, the cars are pulled backwards (very slowly) up the steep incline on the left. Once the cars have reached the optimal height you are suspended waiting for the ride to release you and send you rocketing through the station where you originally boarded to ride the crazy spirals and loops of the coaster. New Yorkers must really love steep hills because once again the launch track is VERY steep, so once the ride has retracted you into the "READY TO GO" position you're staring straight into the ground and praying that your shoulder harness doesn't accidentally release, thus allowing your body to hurtle to the pavement below.....did I mention I get scared on rollercoasters? LOL. Despite my terror, the ride was still fun!




After this second roller coaster ride I was feeling pretty nauseous, so I requested we try something a little more relaxed to give my stomach a little time to settle. Solution: The Giant Wheel! We took a nice relaxing ride on the Ferris Wheel and got some nice views of the park and all the other rides it had to offer.

At the top of The Giant Wheel!

From the Giant Wheel, we moved onto the log flume (another slow-paced ride to give my stomach time to settle) and a couple more roller coasters.

Alex:
The next roller coaster we rode was a very small and fairly level one called Motocoaster.  Having said that, I should add that the coaster 1) propels you from 0 to 40 in 3 seconds, and 2) has you sit atop a dirt-bike frame with no supports/restraints above your waist.  Without any real side-supports the twists and turns feel a lot more aggressive.  Zoom in on the pic to see what it looks like.





By that point we were getting a little tired and wanted some non-theme-park food.  There were a lot of pools and water rides at the park that we will have to return and check out another time, maybe when we have some more delightful visitors!  So come on up to the ROC! Definitely a fun way to spend our day!

Stay tuned.....

Hello all!!!

Sorry for the huge lack in posts lately. A lot has been going on here in Rochester, so we haven't had much time to work on the blog. Just wanted to give a quick shout out to tell you to keep checking the blog. We've got 3-4 posts in the works and more to come as summer turns to fall. Then, sooner than I think any of us care to realize, it will be winter!!! Can't believe we've already been up here for over two months.

Stay tuned, folks! We'll be back to blogging soon!

THE LORAX

Wineries and Beach Parties

Laura:
August 27 was an excellent day! We began by touring two wineries near Seneca Lake with a bunch of my med school classmates. The wineries were about an hour southeast of Rochester in the Finger Lakes region of New York state.

We visited the Three Brothers and Zugibe wineries on the east side of Seneca Lake. Three Brothers was a neat because they have three different wine tasting venues, each with their own personality, and a beer tasting room. We purchased a tasting passport ($10/person) and were able to try 5 different wines/beers at each station (~20 samples total). A great buy! The wines in the dive bar and girly tasting rooms were INCREDIBLY sweet. Not really my cup of tea, but some people like that stuff. The ritzy wine  room had a broader variety of wines for tasting and were definitely the best on site. We bought a bottle of "Jazz Infusion" - a blend of Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Noir. Delish!

We also really enjoyed the wines at the Zugibe Winery. For the minimal fee of $3, we were able to taste any 5 wines off a large list. Excellent wines once again! After finishing the tastings we relaxed outside and chatted with my med school pals for quite a while. The weather was a little balmy, but the company and view were both perfect! Always nice to sit down with my classmates outside of school and just relax (while we still can).  

Good wine, good view, and great friends!

After a lovely afternoon at the wineries, we started to make our way back to Rochester for some more fun. One the way home we were in desperate need of lunch, so we stopped at a little road-side food stand in Geneva, NY to get some hots, mac salad, and cones (hot dogs, pasta salad, and soft serve ice cream).

Mmmm...Moosetracks!

Our final event for the evening was a birthday party for two of my classmates at Marge's, a little bar located on the shore of Lake Ontario. Marge's is the greatest little bar I've ever seen! You get your drinks at the bar inside and then walk out the back of small building for direct beach access to Lake Ontario. We arrived just in time to see the most glorious sunset!

Alex

This ended up being a real nice day.  I only want to add that at the second winery a cup game came up, involving a lot of rhythmically slapping the table, flipping cups, and passing them around in a circle.  Some people knew the cup game, and others were fascinated and wanted to learn.  Next thing I or anybody else knew there was a drumming circle of cup players going.  I was able to get my camera and shoot a quick video before the flash mob of cupsters finished.