The wishes at the end of my last blog came true, and our weekend of winter activities was a success!

We safely spent Valentine’s Day weekend in upstate New York with our godson and his parents. Although very cold, the roads were well-maintained, so whatever snow the area got prior to Friday morning didn’t affect our travels.

We left around 6 a.m. on Friday morning and were home by 6 p.m. Sunday — such a short but sweet getaway. As we usually do, we stayed at their house and made the most of it. I introduced one of my favorite childhood games to play with anyone, Guess Who, to my godson; we had so much fun with it, and it was also an opportunity to start having educational conversations about race and appropriate versus derogatory remarks and descriptions with an 8-year-old, Puerto Rican and Dominican, white-passing boy.

We also did some sensory activities to get the creative juices flowing with canvas painting, Lego building and making our meals together. We tried to find a good sledding hill at Seneca Lake State Park but didn’t have much luck. Instead, we made some snow angels and were captivated by the beauty of the winter pampas grass.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we made early reservations at Greystone Tubing and spent a super-active, fun morning racing, running and playing in the snow. It felt like we escaped to a little winter village for a second; the music selection was inclusive of all age groups and kept people singing and dancing even when there was a line — I mean, at least I was, ha! The staff was friendly and on top of things; masks were required at all times, so they made sure everyone complied. The ropes to go up the hill respected social-distancing guidelines, and the bathrooms were monitored to avoid crowding.

Sadly, the pub was closed, but we had the best brunch at a local family diner called Log Cabin. Our food didn’t make a picture as we were pretty hungry and in a bit of a rush; but if by any chance you find yourself on a road trip in the area and decide to stop, get the chicken and waffles. The place was super cozy and felt like a big, warm hug.

On the way up, we stopped at Taughannock Falls State Park and admired the beauty of the frozen waterfall until the cold became unbearable (someone forgot gloves). We were constantly taken aback by how breathtakingly beautiful and therapeutic a long drive in the winter is. I am happy and grateful we were able to celebrate love this way this year.

This short trip definitely awakened my travel bug again; I’m anticipating a trip to Costa Rica in May and honestly can’t wait!

— Yasser Ogando, production & advertising coordinator