It’s Canada Day And We Head For The USA

It may seem unpatriotic to head out of Canada on Canada Day, but my husband, Ted, and I had a mission.

We were relishing the prospect of lunch at Moosewood Restaurant. Having been vegetarians for 25 years, the idea of a vegetarian restaurant is a cause for much lip licking. We don’t require magnifying glasses to search the menu for dishes we can consume without gastrointestinal side effects.  Moosewood delivered, but did not reach the culinary heights of The Green Door, as far as our taste buds are concerned. To be fair, we haven’t tried all the dishes, and Moosewood does win in terms of ambiance, by a long shot, because The Green Door serves its food buffet style, and you have to clean up after yourself. Love the former, don’t mind the latter, but a lack of table wiping and uncomfortable chairs could prevent some wimpy diners from returning.

We visited Moosewood Restaurant. I do not know this woman and did not have the heart to ask someone who is studying a menu so closely to move.

Ithaca proved to be an absolute delight, on so many levels.

But the pièce de résistance was our visit to the home of Carrie and Michael Koplinka-Loehr. Their modus operandi is “You must become the change you seek” (M. K. Gandhi), and they are exemplary models of people who are doing just that. Moreover, their offspring have adopted the same approach to life. Intelligent, artistic, athletic, resourceful, and committed to bettering the lives of others, the Koplinka-Loehrs are the people to spend time with if you value exciting, meaningful conversation and an infectious joie de vivre. Oh, and lest you fear they might be stuffy, or overly scholarly, I wish you could have heard Sam’s spontaneous rap as he washed the dishes. It was a hoot. These people also know how to have fun!

Thank you Carrie, Mike, Anne, Irene, and Sam for your hospitality. Mike and Carrie, we will be keeping track of your progress on the new solar home you are moving into. Home and land renovations will ease your longing for your 3 already accomplished daughters, seeking ever greater challenges in far flung places across the globe (Danielle, whom we did not meet, is in Uganda at present). Luckily, Sam is more than capable of keeping your spirits up. I have a feeling that his academic work in Environmental Studies will not put the slightest damper on Sam’s boisterous antics.

Of course, we had to stay the night and visit the solar home the following day.

Carrie and Mike Koplinka-Loehr's Solar Home (Note: Reno in progress)

Solar array on the roof ~ very impressive, and more than they need.

Mike clipped this chair onto the metal scaffolding that holds up the solar array. There was a special foot rest attached. I felt like a spider, just hanging there and enjoying the view.

The next day, in order to make up time for our oh-so-worth-it unscheduled stop in Ithaca, we drove until 10 pm and stayed the night in a motel in Pittsville. I need say no more than that the name of the town described our accommodations perfectly.

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