So, my first and closest Spanish friend, Jaime, called to tell me he'd be visiting me in NY. He and his boyfriend were planning to fly into NYC and then head north, so I rounded up some of the friends and we headed out to what we thought we be the best contrast to the city: Penn Yan. Before the boys showed up, Eric, Meg, Jen and I headed off to the Windmill in Eric's rental. As he said, this car truly is made for "two normal sized people and two really short ones".
That night Jaime and Joona finally arrived. The last time I had seen them was on the beach in Gijon, Spain, so this setting was a little strange. Joona and Meg (our two boyscouts) made us a fire so we could show the boys the deliciousness of S'mores.
Brunch the next morning with a group of so many of my favorites. We even tried some Amish-made apple dumplings. More than one person said "those amish sure know how to bake". Jaime and Joona couldn't stop talking about the Amish, and we were on the hunt for more the entire time they were in Penn Yan.
Here we stopped at an Amish farm to take pictures of the buggies and to pet some cows and a puppy. I have never seen two boys so easy to make happy.
We took a little drive out to Watkins Glen to see the gorge and play with some chipmunks. Joona stashed an acorn in his pocket to try and lure a chipmunk into being his friend, but sadly had no luck. Apparently there aren't any of those little guys in Spain or Finland.
Later that day, after many failed attempts, the boys were able to get cash out of the ATM. At 10pm they were riding with the top down yelling "American Dream!" and waving money around. It was the most excitement this town has seen in ages. We then went on to cause a little bit of a scene in the ice cream parlor.
Here's Jaime and me in Oviedo, Spain in 2009 eating ice cream annnnnd...
Here we are in Penn Yan, NY in 2011. We can't stay away from each other...or from ice cream.
The girl behind the counter had a mega crush on both Jaime and Joona. She literally giggled as Jaime tried to find which coin was worth 10 cents. Why is it that our coins (apart from the penny) don't have their values on them? Makes life difficult for our lovely foreigners.
We tried to figure out just what it was that made our Spanish and Finnish boys stick out as foreign. We decided as a group that it must be their fitted, fashionable clothes and fabric sneakers. American boys should take a hint. If you want girls to stare at you, dress like my boys here and fake an accent. It'll work every time.
I am so thankful that Jaime and Joona came so far to see where I spend my summers and to spend time with me. Some wonderful Buffalo friends were also able to come and help this a very "American" weekend. Honestly, it made me miss being in Europe but it was a good reminder of the people I met who will continue to be a part of my life no matter where we live.
