The Birthday Weekend

Beef Stir-fry with Plum Sauce.

Anyone who knows me well knows that Don and I share the same birthday. Which happens to be today- Don hitting his big 5-0 and myself hitting a lowly 23. I had every intention of documenting this weekend from start to finish! Truth is, I was far too busy having the time of my life with the love of my life! From Ellicottville all the way to Pollywogg Holler there were just so many new and renewed experiences to share I simply don't know where to begin!

Immediately after work I left for Don's. It was a lovely 2 hour drive on a beautiful autumn day. When I arrived we went for dinner where I had the best damned stir-fry in the world at The Clubhouse Restaurant. Don had what he says is the best Parmesan Chicken in the world. They were both served to us on pans still sizzling from the stove. When we were full and very satisfied we went home and watched classic films with Christopher Lee on TCM.

The next morning we went out for breakfast. (If you haven't noticed, I have a thing for photographing food.) We stopped for a cup of Tim Hortons and then headed over to Perkins. After a huge breakfast we left for Ellicottville, NY. We walked the shops for a while before heading over to Bruce's Candles. Bruce's candles is a magnificent display of skill, scent, and art. This is the only place that Don could find Frangipani scented, well, anything. He bought the only 3 candles Bruce had in stock. After another cup of coffee we went on our way to Pumpkinville! Pumpkinville is located a few miles outside of Ellicottville. So far Don and I have gone for the last 2 years. Last year was far wetter and colder. However this year was buzzing with people, pumpkins, and apple cider!

Behind the Pilot.

The first place we ventured to was the far end of the farm to watch a helicopter take off. Never imagined we could actually go for a ride! $35 a person and a 20 minute wait, but we went up in the air and it was breath taking! (Literally, Don doesn't do well with heights.) I had never flown before and it wasn't anywhere near what I expected. It was smooth, much smoother than riding in a car. It felt as if I wasn't in the air at all in the first place. Absolutely amazing. I cannot wait to do it again!

And to think, that was only Saturday! Sunday we made a returned trip to Pollywogg Holler for lunch. More on that next post! If you'd like to see more pictures, place feel free to check out my Flickr.