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If you're like me, you are up at the crack of dawn and sipping that first cup of coffee. In the warmer months, I usually enjoy my coffee as I sit on my deck while listening to the birds greet the morning with their cheerful chirps.

Have you ever wondered which chirp goes with which bird? I know I have, that's why I'm planning to spend the Sunday morning at the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) between 9am and 11am as they are offering a short hike for adults only complete with an expert guide who will be teaching the basics of birding!

Make sure to dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. You may also want to bring a small back pack or fanny pack and don't forget to put your bug spray and sunscreen in it. I'm also going to pack a water bottle and my camera as I'm hoping to get a few photos for my nature album.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again; some of the best things in life are free! This magnificent educational morning hike is being offered at no cost. That's right, it's absolutely free and the great folks at PEEC will even provide binoculars for you to use in order to get a close up view of the birds!

As always, I'm looking forward to hearing from you and all about your weekend in the Pocono Mountains! I hope to see you at PEEC!

Last week's celebration, started out by the carrying of the Olympic torch by the Olympian Cross Country and Track team from the monument to Josiah White Park. The native dance theater performed traditional Native American dances throughout the day. Also, food and craft vendors were on-hand. I had the pleasure of meeting Justus K. Smith, who was a 1948 Olympic gold medalist with the American team in Coxed Eights competition. Buster the Clown was on-hand to entertain the kids with balloon animals and flowers. This year's Jim Thorpe birthday cake was made by Erica Herry. Henry is the cake boss of Blue Mountain!  

Once again, our summer season appears to be off to a good start. Rafting has started and I am seeing an increase in bikers already. Starting Memorial Day the attractions are staying open full time, and our train excursions will also begin. I plan on visiting the individual attractions this year and sharing their history and pictures with everyone. Our town also offers beautiful trails and hiking. So if you come to Jim Thorpe, stop at the train station and I will be glad to give you any information so that you can have a pleasant experience with us.

Team Building refers to a wide range of activities, presented to businesses, schools, sports teams, religious or nonprofit organizations designed for improving team performance.

The Pocono Mountains is largely considered to be a leisure destination with approximately 10% of its visitors coming as a result of a meeting or conference. However, with growing gas prices and the need for major companies to rebuild the fabric of their employees through teambuilding exercises, the Pocono Mountains is becoming more desirable to the corporate and association sector.

What did the planners see?

Inn at Pocono Manor 

Great Wolf Lodge

CBK Mountain Adventures

The French Manor Inn and Spa

Skytop Lodge

Mount Airy Casino Resort 

Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort

Pocono Raceway

Split Rock Resort and Golf Club 

Blakeslee Inn 

A few of the companies who toured the region included:

• General Motors Corporation
• Pennsylvania Medical Society
• Lockheed Martin
• Pennsylvania Library Association
• Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.

Upon arriving, we were happily welcomed by two staff members and were seated immediately in their first floor lounge. Our waitress was very attentive as she brought over a complimentary starter of fresh pickles to quench our appetites. Although the lounge was more than comfortable offering spacious tables and a rustic motif, if weather permits, the grill also offers seating on their outdoor deck. I am sure we will be back this summer to catch a table outside!

Starving, we opened our menus to find pages of temptations. A complete sushi menu, appetizers, soups and salads, sandwiches, pizzas, wraps and a burger list had me torn as each description sounded better than the last.

Before I could change my order for the fourth time, I decided to stick with what I knew, the Tex Mex Burger. Piled high with salsa, guacamole, cheddar cheese and red onion on a garlic butter brioche roll, the Tex Mex Burger hit the spot. As you can see in my profile photo, the burger did not disappoint. The combination of flavors kept me satisfied bite after bite. Finishing first at my table, I suspect Adam Richman would be proud! Although we were stuffed to the gills, we couldn't resist the slice of peanut butter cup pie we ordered to go. I had no objection!

Each week I will include the following categories to summarize my dining experience.

Sarah Street Grill

Atmosphere: Intimate and quiet including background mellow, alternative rock music  

Food:  Great variety, not to mention an extremely popular sushi menu.  The complimentary pickles are a unique added bonus!

Service:  Attentive and accommodating. I switched my fries to try the soup of the day, Chicken Tuscan...amazing!

Overall, Sarah Street Grill was a perfect first stop offering up the classic burger with a twist, along with a caring staff. Dine with me next week in the Pocono Mountains.

Memorial Day weekend is finally here! I have been waiting for this unofficial start of summer for what seems like forever and there is no better place to kick off the season of summer than the Pocono Mountains!

Typically, when I was growing up, my family always planned outdoor activities and adventures to celebrate the holiday and to welcome in the warmer weather. As a kid Memorial Day was one of my favorite holidays as it signaled that school was almost over for the year and the summer fun was about to begin!

If you share my passion for bright warm sunshine and fresh clean mountain air, as well as, clear cool lakes and rivers, and you are longing to spend the holiday weekend in the great outdoors, please allow me to make a few suggestions:

• Wallenpaupack Scenic Boat Tours 570-226-3293
• Pocono Whitewater 1-800-WHITEWATER
• Kittatinny Canoes 1-800-FLOAT-KC
• Happy Trails Stables 570-839-8340
• Bushkill Falls 1-888-BUSHKILL

Did you notice my photo? I snapped this shot last summer while John and I enjoyed an awesome afternoon on the lake with Wallenpaupack Scenic Boat Tours. If you happen to be in the mood for a relaxing and informative excursion on the water, I'm sure that you will enjoy this guided boat tour of the Lake Region.

Life's Greater in the Pocono Mountains and sometimes I find that that it's difficult to make my weekend plans as there are so many fantastic things to do! I'm sure you will agree that even with a long holiday weekend there just isn't enough time to get to do everything on your agenda. Keeping that thought in mind, you may want to plan ahead and make your reservations at one of the many fabulous lodging facilities.

As always, I want to know what you have in store for the upcoming holiday weekend. Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!  I hope to see you enjoying the great outdoors in the Pocono Mountains!

Before entering the laser tag room, I was equipped with a vest and laser gun along with detailed rules and directions of how to play the game. The laser tag room is a completely lit with black lights; it is composed of a maze where players can easily hide from their adversaries. Quickly and quietly, players move about the maze to "tag" a player but also to protect themselves from being tagged. After a five minute game, our time was up and we headed out front to collect our scores. Fortunately for my "enemies" I am not the best at laser tag; I can confidently say I had the lowest score out of my group.

Even though I didn't get the highest score, it was so much fun that I cannot wait to go again! I highly recommend having a family day at Costa's. Not only do they offer laser tag, but they have a waterpark, go-carts, batting cages, mini golf, kids play land, driving range, bumper boats, and a simulator ride. There is something there for the whole family! Until next time... Celebrate family, friends, and traditions.

Named after the Greco-Roman god of wine, Bacchus; bacchanalia were wild and mystic festivals held to honor Bacchus. Apparently, those festivals ended up getting out of hand and were later banned, thankfully however, rejoicing with wine lives on. In 2011, we celebrate both miniscule and grandiose occasions by opening a bottle of wine and toasting life with our family and friends... to be perfectly honest I can't imagine life without wine. Which brings me to ways you can indulge in what wine has to offer in the Pocono Mountains. 

Throughout the entire month of May you can find Sangria Sundays at Cherry Valley Vineyards in Saylorsburg. Grab your best girlfriends or boyfriends, if you are so inclined, and head to Cherry Valley this Sunday between 1-5pm to enjoy a pitcher of their freshly made Sangria, free live music, and a cheese plate all for $18. I don't see how you could pass this up, but...

If Sangria isn't tempting your taste buds this month no need to fret. Join Leslie Chappell-Britt, sommelier and wine lover, at The Settlers Inn at Bingham Park on Friday evenings from 5-6pm. Leslie will be sharing her insights, knowledge, and passion during her Wine Chat, where she will guide you through an unassuming and entertaining hour of tastings and discussions on the world of wine. The cost is $12 per person. Prepare to be dazzled, I guarantee you will fall in love with the Settlers Inn and hope you will make it a regular stop in the journey we all call life.

Wow, it's wonderful to be back! Please be sure to let me know how you enjoyed the events I've shared and let me know if you have requests for future blogs. I missed you!

Ciao for now my friends...

So you say you like the outdoors? How many hours in a week would you say you actually get to spend outdoors? I don't have children, am not married, don't have a house to maintain and live in the backyard of an outdoor mecca, and I would say I probably only get outdoors three hours a week, if I'm lucky. What's that all about? It's because we're suffering from INDOOR-DOM!

Yes, the gloomy disorder that starts to consume you when you spend too much time in the office and not enough time sharpening the saw (little shout-out for all you Stephen Covey fans). Luckily, the Pocono Mountains has come up with a cure for you, which all starts with some self-reflection.

Yes, that's right, snap a picture of you right now at work! Now head to our Greater Outdoors Giveaway Facebook application and upload it. If you really want, you can take another and get creative with it because in order to win the remedy to this nasty disorder, you need votes. The cleverer the photos, the more votes you receive. Everyone knows that is pure physics, or scientific method or something like that! Can you tell I have a BA?

Now, we get to the second step, voting. Once you've uploaded your photo, our snazzy application allows you to root through your friend list and see who you want to notify in order to get more votes, as well as instant share options on Facebook and Twitter and automatic pre-shortened URLs. Come on, people! We couldn't make this cure any easier.

The image with the most votes by August 18 at 12:30 p.m. will win the Ultimate Outdoor Adventure Package, including a kayak, mountain bike, tent and camping gear, fishing pole, backpack and Pocono Mountains getaway! Essentially, all you need to get out in Mother Nature for more than a couple hours each week. Plus, we will be giving out a weekly prize of outdoor gear to some lucky participants.

So what are you waiting for? The earlier submit, the longer you have to get more votes. So snap away my friends and when your boss asks you what you're doing, tell him there might be a kayak in the deal for him or her!

If you have read some of my other blogs, you already know that I am all about warm weather, outdoor festivals and awesome weekend activities! This weekend you will find me in Jim Thorpe, which in 2009 was voted one of the top 10 coolest small towns in America. It's the 15^th Annual Jim Thorpe Birthday Celebration.

If you are familiar with the picturesque town of Jim Thorpe and or the greatest athlete of the 20^th century, you won't want to miss this weekend long birthday celebration! Never been to the town or heard of the famous athlete, I'm sure that you too will enjoy being part of the festivities as they begin at 10am on Saturday, with a Native American Tribute at the Jim Thorpe Mausoleum. I'm looking forward to the dedication of the second bronze statue of Olympian Jim Thorpe! 

There will be lots of awesome activities taking place such as the Chinese Auction being held in Josiah White Park, lots of crafty items (I'm planning to get an early start on my holiday shopping) and food vendors. I can already smell the aroma of the many different, delicious foods floating through the air! There is no doubt in my mind that your taste buds will be more than tempted! As part of the festivities, there will be an extremely large birthday cake. So, make sure that you save room for dessert!

After a full Saturday of shopping, celebrating and just having fun, I'm planning to spend the night, as I intend to do it all over again on Sunday! After a full day, you too may want to plan on enjoying an evening in one of the lovely accommodations in the beautiful town of Jim Thorpe.

As always, I can't to wait to find out how you are spending the weekend in the Pocono Mountains! I hope to see you at the Jim Thorpe Birthday Celebration!

Recently, my family and I hiked Dingmans Falls and Raymondskill Falls after a night of heavy rain. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so instead of writing a blog, I am posting a slideshow of the beauty that you can find after the rain.