Brien visits Saratoga

I drove up to Saratoga to see Aunt Pat and had a great time. Her house is in Malta, just outside Saratoga and is a beautiful place. Aunt Pat and I met Mary Lorraine and her son Brennan and had lunch at the Olde Bryan Inn. Built in the 1870s, the inn has great food -- and a long-serving ghost, a woman in 18th century attire seen by many people over the years. She failed to show up when we were there though!

After a visit with Mary Lorraine's family at their BIG house and HUGE yard, Aunt Pat and I did some more sightseeing and headed back to her house. Here we chilled out with her cat, Finnegan.

The next day we went to the Auto Museum on the grounds of Saratoga Springs State Park, where an Auburn, Franklin, Pierce-Arrow, Model T, etc., can be seen as well as race cars, hot rods and classics from all eras.

After this we went to look at the Springs themselves, and walked alongside the water for a look at the waterfall.

We visited the Performing Arts Center as Aunt Pat told me of her days as a volunteer usher at shows by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Johnny Cash (who wore black) Mel Torme, etc.

The sheer size and number of buildings, recreational facilities, picnic areas, swimming pools, etc. is amazing; this park seems to be the size of Rhode Island!

After building up an appetite we went to a large Italian restaurant for dinner, which was excellent. Our waitress quickly noted that I was a city guy by my accent, guessing I was from Brooklyn! Afterwards we repaired to Aunt Pat's house to relax after a busy day.

The next day we got up early (Aunt Pat always gets up EARLY!) and after a great breakfast took our coffee out to the backyard to sit in the sun and read the paper and watch the birds landing on her three birdfeeders. After lunch it was time for me to go, but I had a lot of fun and it went by too fast!

Thanks Aunt Pat, Mary Lorraine and family for your hospitality! It was a pleasure being hospitalized by you! (Wait a minute....that didn't come out quite like I mean......)