Great Green North Chronicles: Foodie Friends From Our Home Away From Home…and the Fiddle Playing Queen

As you may have guessed I am back from our almost month long vacation and trying to re-establish my regular blogging routine and all that entails. So here we go, the first installment to the
Great Green North Chronicles. I am calling this series of articles about our trip to New England,
Great Green North, because we decided to focus much of our trip around as many Green opportunities as we could discover while on vacation. In some places is was easy, in others a little more challenging, but we did the best we could!
Although this event happened towards the end of our travels, it is one of great interest because it is about hanging out with food bloggers , which is always a favorite
Now, the interesting twist to this story is that Roberto and I met valleywriter and mr. valleywriter, not through food blogging, but while in Jamaica on our honeymoons. We met them during a honeymooners event at the resort where we were all staying and had the wonderful experience of dining with them at breakfast one morning.
We found that we had a lot of things in common. We used to be neighbors and didn’t know it. Living in the same town, blocks from one another. We all met our spouses in the exact same way, valleywriter and I are both writers (duh!), we both have black cats…with asthma… and I used to take my cat to the same vet…it was uncanny and seemed like we were just meant to meet each other. We thought that we would see them again after that breakfast, but it never happened and we were sad when we left to go back home that we didn’t exchange info.
Fast Forward….
Two weeks before we were about to leave for this trip, I get a surprise email from valleywriter. We had talked in Jamaica a lot about blogging and it turns out that she decided to start a blog, about food, joined Foodbuzz and found my profile! So we exchanged several emails and decided to meet up for breakfast while we were there!
We met at The Lone Wolf, in Amherst, MA. I had been there several times when I used to live in the area and had some really fond memories of the food, especially the Chili Rellenos and Huevos Rancheros. There is a Southwest theme to this restaurant, but you can also get the regular egg and pancake breakfasts as well. This place serves real and local maple syrup, organic and delicious coffee and a lot of their specials are using seasonal veggies. I wouldn’t say this establishment is totally green, but the food is certainly above average in terms of variety, amount on the plate and taste.
I got the Chili Rellenos
and Roberto had the Lox and Bagel platter
Both were really good.
But the best part about the breakfast was hanging out with valleywriter and mr. valleywriter (who is a budding photographer for their blog)!
It felt like spending time with old friends and although it was a short visit it sure was sweet! We look forward to spending more time with them next year! Check out VW’s post about our breakfast together here .
As a side note, after breakfast, Roberto and I decided to check out a violin store, Luthier’s Co-Op and Easthampton Violin Co. in Easthampton, MA that was going out of business. I have wanted to learn to play the violin (in fiddle style) for as long as I can remember. The owner of the store, Dameron Midgett, has been collecting and selling violins (with a focus on violins made in America and specifically New England from the 1890′s to the 1930′s) for the past 20 years. I learned so much about the history of violin playing in New England and America and it was wonderful to chat with him. I ended up purchasing a violin from him and getting my first lesson right there in the shop! I am happy to report that my first note and all those after have actually been musical!

I have also posted an article in the Great Green North Chronicles, on Travel Closeup about a wonderful hike we took in Vermont.







Peter G - November 3, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Great to “see” you again Jenn…looks like you had a great time. I look forward to more of your Great Green North Chronicles.
lo - November 3, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Glad to have you back. Sounds like you had a great time… I’ll be excited to read about all of your adventures.
Teresa - November 3, 2008 at 8:21 pm
So do you actually play the fiddle? How cool is that! You must do a video with you playing so that we can all enjoy it. Glad you’re back and that you had such a wonderful time.
Esi - November 3, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Welcome back! Looking forward to reading more about your trip.
maybelles mom (feeding maybelle) - November 3, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Oh, I love that last picture of you; it just seems to show your personality (or what I perceive as your personality.) Welcome back.
The Leftover Queen - November 3, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Hi Peter! Thanks!
It is good to be back – although I must admit I am feeling totally out of the loop!
Thanks lo! I did have a great time…and there is much more to come!
Well I am learning Teresa! A little know fact about me, I am absolutely OBSESSED with traditional Scottish and Irish music and have always wanted to learn to play. I had scared myself into thinking I was too old to learn, but I decided recently to go for it! Not quite ready for a video yet – I can onlt play 5-6 notes so far…
Thanks Esi!
Thanks MM! That is so sweet. That is intriguing…I wonder what that picture says about me…
Bellini Valli - November 3, 2008 at 11:16 pm
We Food Bloggers are everywhere…so nice to meet up with them face to face. I have always been fascinated by the fiddlers in our Maritime music or Celtic. I could watch them for hours:D I have several friends who play the harp as well. They have me spellbound.
FoodJunkie - November 4, 2008 at 7:48 am
You look rested and happy! Welcome back Jen!
kittie - November 4, 2008 at 10:27 am
sounds like you had a fun trip – I look forward to hearing more!
Sounds like a fateful meeting with valleywriter – I’m off to check out her blog now!!
Judy - November 4, 2008 at 12:47 pm
How fun? Getting to meet bloggers on a vacation!!! Love it! Isn’t that funny about the similarities in you and valleywriter???
Can’t wait to here more about the trip and the violin lessons!
grace - November 4, 2008 at 1:46 pm
boy, what i wouldn’t give for a month-long vacation. good thing i can live vicariously through you.
by the way, those chile rellenos? fabulous.
The Leftover Queen - November 4, 2008 at 7:59 pm
I agree Valli! I love fiddlers and I have always wanted to be one, so I figured there’s no time like the present! One day I would love to go to Cape Breton to listen to some music!
Thanks FoodJunkie! It is good to be back!
Hi Kittie! Yes, it is a great story about valleywriter! Sometimes the world works in mysterious ways!
Hi Judy! I know, I love hangin with foodbloggers!
I know Grace, I feel really lucky! But we did do work while we were gone – it is just fortunate that we can both work from anywhere. Chili Rellenos RULE!
ValleyWriter - November 4, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Yay! I’m so glad to hear you ended up getting the violin – it was definitely meant to be! Again, I had a great time at breakfast – can’t wait to hang out again soon
mochachocolata-rita - November 4, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Adam - November 4, 2008 at 9:43 pm
I have much respect for anyone that can play the violin and fiddle. It has such a cool sound that can go with anything. We should jam sometime
Looking forward to hearing more about the great north. MA and the rest of the NE is beautiful this time of year.
Brittany - November 5, 2008 at 3:13 am
Welcome home!
…those chili rellenos are making me drool all over the place….
Núria - November 5, 2008 at 8:56 am
Welcome back darling!!!! I can’t wait to see pictures of the coloured forests… because you did take pictures there, didn’t you?
What a coincidence with Valleywriter! As we say here: el mundo es un pañuelo – life is a handkerchief, meaning that is so small ;D
Violin is not an easy instrument! Good luck Chica and have fun
joanna - November 5, 2008 at 11:05 am
it’s so cool that you guys got to meet! i would love to meet any blogger and just talk about food all day. haha and i’ve never actually seen a bagel and lox. my mom said she ate them when she was little, and i just didn’t even know what lox was.
Arlene - November 5, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Good to have you back, Jen. Kudos on living your dream (learning to play fiddle). Believe it or not, I’m currently negotiating piano lessons at the ripe old age of 59.
Ivy - November 5, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Nice to have you back Jenn. Shall be looking forward to your Great Green North Chronicles. It’s never late to do what you really like not to mention that you are still very young. Okay now you know 5 notes but next year this time we want a video
Jan - November 6, 2008 at 3:44 am
It’s great to meet another food blogger! Looks like you had a good time.
Dana Fallentine - November 6, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Boston, Mass has got to be the best place on earth to dine! The Italian restaurants near Paul Revere’s old home is my favorite dining district in the world!
The Leftover Queen - November 7, 2008 at 9:11 am
Hi Dana – you mean the North End of Boston? Oh yeah! I have a post about that coming up soon and we spent a bit of time there last year – I will link to those posts when I post the new one in the next week or so.
But if you want to read about it now, it is under “Foodie Travels”