Layered Spring Outfit for a Chilly Date Day

Yesterday, I shared my new Soft Surroundings Noelia Duster that I wore for our date night in Saratoga Springs a few weeks ago. As promised, now I am sharing the outfit I wore the following day in Lake George.

We didn’t get back to the hotel until after 11:00 p.m. which is hours past our regular bedtime. Jeff is able to put his head on a pillow and fall asleep immediately. I do not possess that same skill. It usually takes me about 2 hours to unwind after I have been out in public and interacted with a lot of people.

I have perfected the process of shaking off all the weird energies that I absorb but I can only effectively do it in the comfort of my home. It is much harder for me to decompress and unwind when I’m away from home. So I didn’t get to sleep until well after 1:00 a.m., which didn’t stop my internal clock from waking me promptly at 4:30 a.m. Thankfully, we had a suite so I took my laptop to the living room and puttered about for 4 hours before Jeff woke up at 8:30. He was thankful for the late sleep in as we rarely get opportunities to sleep past 6:00.

When Jeff woke up and started moving, he went out to procure some coffee for us because we never enjoy hotel coffee. Then we sat on the balcony for a bit while we drank our coffee and planned our day before getting dressed and checking out of the hotel.

We decided to visit the Fort William Henry Museum which was a short 60 second drive from our hotel. We are both history nerds so we really enjoyed this museum. Fort William Henry was built by the English in 1755 at the beginning of the French and Indian War, which was an extension of the Seven Years War between England and France. The fort was built near the Saint Lawrence River and Lake George as a staging ground for attacks against the French and also as means to protect the inland waterways between New York City and Montreal in Canada. The fort could house 400-500 men and their families.

In July 1757, the English received word that the French were about to attack the fort so regular infantrymen as well as militia started arriving in the area to build an army of 2,300 men. However, the French arrived on August 3, 1757, with nearly 8,000 men who bombarded the post for 6 straight days until the English surrendered on August 9. As the British were evacuating the fort, the French plundered the fort and killed the sick and wounded who were left behind. Historians estimate that approximately 200 people were killed in this final massacre. Before returning to their own fort, the French took anything of value and burned Fort William Henry to the ground.

The site remained untouched for nearly 200 years until it was purchased in the 1950s by a group of businessmen who wanted to protect the land from development. The site was excavated and the fort was reconstructed in its original footprint using the original plans from 1755. Many of the artifacts uncovered during excavation are housed in the museum and there are daily guided tours complete with reenactments. I didn’t take any photos inside the museum because I didn’t feel like it. I was just enjoying the experience and learning the fascinating history of this once war-torn place. If you ever travel to the Lake George area, the museum is definitely worth checking out.

Since we were starting the drive home after the museum and stopping somewhere for lunch along the way, I wanted to wear something comfortable for both walking, eating, and sitting in the car for hours. It was much chillier than I expected so I had to get creative with the layers that I had packed.

I wore my newly purchased light tan Festi Relaxed Balloon Pants with a pale pink long sleeved tee shirt topped first with an old long white cardigan then my new Cocoon Kimono in Fawna Floral Ivory (which is a mint green and pink floral print). I accessorized with a newly thrifted scarf in pale pink, layered necklaces in ivory and pink, and my ivory clay earrings. I had planned on putting my bare feet in my sandals, but it was just too cold so I added some socks with my olive green Furkenstocks and I have no shame in that. My feet were warm and I was comfortable.

This outfit is currently one of my favorites as I have worn some variation of it about 5 or 6 times already. It is really good for the cold spring temperatures and I just love the soft feminine colors, the lightweight textures, and the abundant flowiness of it all.

Are you also a history nerd? Have you visited any interesting places lately? Destination posts like this make me a little sad because it is the type of content that Patrick loved so much! I do miss his blog posts, his lovely comments and his wonderful friendship.

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee