Greetings from Ithaca, and beyond, and beyond!! :)

...back from the west coast tour..first stop was Manzanita Beach for some sand, wine, turkey and yes, a little bit of sun!! I was even inspired to take a photo for submission to runners world magazine, but I have yet to send it in..




Next, I was able to spend a little quality time with my dad in Ixtapa, a great time that I will never forget.







Back in the bay area, I was able to spend some good time with my family, eat some great food and finally decide on my wedding dress...which I cant post here or else the groom might see..
now, that I am back, I am nearing my final stretch here in Ithaca...27 days and counting..

last day...
so, today was my official last day of work..ah, it feels good to be finished, but I also feel a little sad to be leaving. I do love what I do, so I will definitely miss it for the next many months. Here is my last menu:

Dark Chocolate Chipotle Cake, Espresso Chili Gelato, Candied Jalapeno, Nutty Cinnamon Caramel..

Lemon Panna Cotta, Carameled Orange, Cornmeal Almond Biscotti, Raspberry Balsamic Granita..

Chai Spice Creme Brulee, Black Tea and Honey Poached Pears, Almond Brittle..

Pumpkin and Yogurt Spice Cake, Molasses Ginger Gelato, Candied Pecans, Pomegranate Honey Drizzle..

Lemon Custard Tart, Honey Sherbet, Fresh Berries, Cranberry Coulis..

Rich Hot Chocolate, Housemade Toasted Marshmallow Fluff, Assorted Cookies..

It is also getting quite chilly here...still no sign of snow! maybe tonight??

fall has fallen..

This will be my last picture from the fall foliage series, yes. I can hear you sighing as you read this. Yes, it is sad..but winter is soon upon us. Today happens to be beautiful, but on Wednesday, it looks like some snow..which, will be the start to a whole NEW picture series!! STAY TUNED!

here is a reminder and a preview of what may be to come...




So, going's on here include a close hockey game last night against the faculty, in which I was checked so hard that I hit heads(helmets) with the opponent then fell and landed on my wrist all funky. Not to worry, I am fine now! The evil-doer was thrown into the penalty box! And, even better, when I valiantly arose from the ice and shook my fist into the air, I received many cheers and applause from our arena of fans. It was pretty funny. Anyway, I fell again and kind of hurt my shoulder.. but dont worry, again. It is just sore. I really love the game though and look forward to picking it up again when we head back to the Emerald City.

and more foliage for your enjoyment..

Back from beautiful Cape Cod..

I am happy to say that I completed the Cape Cod Marathon with a personal best time!(7 minutes off of the Boston Marathon qualifying time) I was really nervous about the whole thing because the weather out there was awful and cold the first two days. It even decided to snow on Saturday night, which made me think that I was pretty much crazy for signing up for this. On Sunday, the clouds parted and gave way to a wonderfully sunny and pleasant day in the lower 60's. I really got lucky. It really made the run so much more enjoyable, that is, until mile 19 or so when my thighs and calves started to cramp up! I went out a little fast, but I felt good, so I wanted to roll with it! The course was quite pretty too. The race was centered in Falmouth, just at the start of the Cape. I had visions of the town being too built up and too crowded as we had seen the previous time we had been out there, during the Democratic National Convention, when everyone fled Boston and headed to Cape Cod. There are definitely built up and not-so-quaint areas, but once you get off the main drag and into the historical town area, it is really cute. The course started in the town square and went towards the water, then cut back through to the more residential Falmouth Heights area, around some cranberry bogs(sans cranberries) and back around a point near the water and a lighthouse. The last stretch was again along a beach. At this point with 2 miles left, I had a hard time enjoying the view, but it was breathtaking now that I think back on it. After having such an enjoyable weekend, T and I wonder what it might be like to live out there....

getting colder..

A definite nip to the air and a very blue and sunny sky prompted me to take some more fall foliage pictures. So, without further ado...



Now, for the next order of business..THIS oh so lovely keepsake was discovered in the trunk of Mom and Dads rental car while they were touring the east coast. We now have it prominently displayed in all its glory. Notice the personalized note in the lower right corner..If this were selling on Ebay, would you be the high bidder? name your price!

calm again..

it has been awhile since I have written last! most who read this know the outcome of the wedding cake story, so I will keep it brief..upon arrival in Helena for the wedding, I was greeted by no luggage and no hotel room (which became a smoking room...) I spent all day Thursday frosting the wedding cakes, which HAD made it in one piece, thank goodness. I had to be inventive with my frosting methods, since I had no tools with me to help with the task..BUT, all ended well and the wedding and the cakes were a success! I had a great time with my great friends and was sad to have to leave come Sunday. I realized in Helena, too, how much I miss being out west. I just love the landscape and actually thought Helena was quite pretty. Since I have been back in Ithaca, my parents have been here visiting. Unfortunately, so have 8 days of rain and drearyness. This makes me appreciate even more, the wonderful and sunny summer that we had here.

Big Day..

So, I had an eventful and very productive day so far. I made a few frostings for the wedding and was planning on shipping them with the large cake and smallest cake this morning. After viewing the FedEx website, I was under the impression that I could just zip on by FedEx and they would pack my box with dry ice and I would be set!..well, I ASS-U-MEd this, and of course, you know how THAT saying goes. SO, I arrived at FedEx to be told that they had no cool storage or dry ice, so I had to pack my things myself in a cooler that I had to buy (which will come in handy on the next roadtrip...) and, I also had to go to the Purity Ice Cream Parlor to buy a 6 pound block of dry ice. Of course, I had to take care of something more pressing before I could get to Tar-geh (my favorite store) to buy this cooler. I had to run my longest training run yet, a 20 miler! Of course, I spent the first hour of the run fretting over the frosting situation, but I think the run actually helped calm me down a little bit. And, having that under my belt, I was able to relax and focus on the larger task at hand. SO, as of just recently, I have handed off my HEAVY and quite chilly cooler and en-trusted FedEx to make sure that my cakes and frostings arrive on Wednesday all in one piece....on to the next project, baking the chocolate cakes....

Heidi's wedding part 1:

the wedding cake preparation that I have been thinking about for months has finally begun..Heidi's favorite coconut cake..all three of them are in the works..such sweet smells emitting from my oven! The next batch should give me some extra batter...

into fall..

I think that fall has officially started, so I am going to document the foliage as it changes..this should keep you glued to your seat! so far, not much color, but tonight temperatures are to fall into the upper 30's!

closing time...

As I think about running a business myself, I am constantly more and more aware of the small businesses around here and what makes them special, er, or not so special. As some of you may know, Ithaca isn't a hotbed for good coffee. They wont let Starbucks come to town, even though Walmart has managed to secure real-estate at the FAR south end of town. So, sometimes I end up going to Buzz Coffee, a drive through coffee place that some publication in town boasts is a "Seattle style coffee joint"..heh, if they only knew... anyway, they make a decent "frappaccino" substitute, which is usually what I end up ordering. So, today, at exactly 3:48, I pulled up to satisfy my coffee craving. Outside the cafe hangs a HUGE sign that says "Hours; 7-4pm M-F.." There is also an illuminated sign outside that says "OPEN" in bright neon. "Great, I think, they are still open!" I pull up to the ordering board and am sitting in my car for a couple minutes before I realize that no-one has taken my order through the intercom. I pull forward to ask what the heck is going on, and I notice now that the neon "OPEN" sign is now off, AND the blinds have literally just been pulled down inside the drive-by window. I look at my watch. 3:51. Still OPEN according to the LARGE sign out front, but some employee has decided to pull the plug a few minutes early. I can just picture him crouched behind the counter on the floor inhaling the nitrous from a whipping cream container, in hopes that I will not notice that he has robbed me of a coffee, 9 minutes before closing time.

Welcome to the very first post of whisk&wander! I thought that it would be fun to start a blog since we will be living abroad for a little while next year. We have a lot going on in the next year in general, so it will be a fun way to keep everyone posted on what we are seeing, doing and eating while we are here and afar and back again. I look forward to updating as the mood strikes. Thanks for stopping by!
Sara