Awhile back, I wrote a blog post about the area of my hometown in which many of my family lived back in the 50s and 60s. I informally called it Micekville. What I didn’t mention is that my sister Bec had three other cousins who lived in that area and who not only were her same age, but also attended St. Bonaventure Catholic Elementary School. All four cousins were among those who attended my cousin Bill’s funeral. Here is a photo one of them produced last week that was taken on their first communion day. Compare it to the four of them today…..
Bob, Rhonda, Bec, and Tom haven’t changed all that much.
A few days later, this photo was produced of the same four, slightly different order. It was taken on the day they graduated from kindergarten….
Those photos certainly made me smile. And I smile every time I look at them.
Have a great weekend.
Someone, by Alice McDermott, is a novel I probably wouldn’t have read if it hadn’t been for a book club. Though the author is quite prolific, I haven’t read a single one of her novels. The cover is unremarkable, so that wouldn’t have grabbed my attention. That’s one of the good things about a book club. You read things you might otherwise not even consider. I’m very glad to have read Someone.
Monkey Business
I must admit, they are adorable. Awesome what you can make with a cake mix and a few vanilla wafers.
I have dusted off the Sudoku app on my iPad and plan on defaulting to that game as opposed to Solitaire (a game that requires little use of my brain because I cheat and look at the answers). Silver Sneakers even made suggestions on anaerobic exercises that strengthen your brain as well as your muscles. There’s a lot of complicated hopping that you have to remember. I’ll give it a try, though, if you’ll recall a recent blog post, I have trouble remembering my grandkids’ names.
Then it was back in the car where we drove seven-and-a-half hours back to Denver so that we could arrive in time for Megan’s memorial gathering. Later that evening, we enjoyed the concert…..
…..and some drinks at a very hip and urban restaurant…..
And for the record, Bec and I did the zipline. Thank the good Lord there are no photos. As for Bill, who seems unaware that he has Parkinson’s disease, he kept up with the kids on all the activities without breaking a single bone.
Former New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Braggs grew up in the Deep South. His family members weren’t aristocratic Charlestonians. He didn’t cut his teeth in fancy restaurants in Atlanta, GA. He grew up poor, with oil under his fingernails from fixing his own broken-down cars. His father was a ne’er do well who had almost no role in Braggs’ life except to give him his last name. But he was reared by a loving mother and her poor but kind family, who knew how to love and how to cook, perhaps in that order.
We waited impatiently to learn which track our train would be on, and when the info popped up on the sign we, like everyone else, made a dash for the gate, with Carter in the lead. Five of us dragging suitcases and other bags were quite a spectacle, I imagine. When we got to the gate, an Amtrak employee noticed me and said: “Senior citizens have early boarding. All of you, come this way.” Sometimes it pays to be old. We enjoyed our train ride immensely, and the kids were very excited when we could see the NYC skyline. Before long we were in the Big Apple.
And from there it was a short walk down to Battery Park, where we could see the Statue of Liberty. We decided that, while we would love to visit the Statue and Ellis Island, that was for another trip. Mackenzie and Carter were satisfied to see The Lady from a distance.
We enjoyed seeing the flashy neon signs, but 30 minutes was all we needed. It had been another active, successful day. My phone app said 7 miles and 19! flights of stairs.
Mackenzie and Carter weren’t so sure about it, but after only a few minutes they got why it was so special. It’s only a mile, and the walk seemed easy to all of us, even though the walkway was crowded. The bridge itself is beautiful, of course, and so is the view of the skyline across the bridge. Before we knew it, we were on the other side, with lots of day left. Carter was hoping for an authentic New York slice, and that seemed like a good idea for our lunch. Google research pointed us to Scarro’s, so off we went. The subway dropped us off on the edge of Chinatown and we wound our way through the streets to find lunch. Scarro’s was everything it promised. We all loved our pizza in this tiny shop tucked in between Chinatown and Little Italy. And since we were so close to Little Italy, it seemed a no-brainer to walk there for what ended up being the best gelato ever. And, to my surprise, we were only an 8-minute walk from our apartment!…..
On our last evening we had dinner in the neighborhood, at Katz Deli, a New York institution. Speaking for myself, it’s the best pastrami I’ve ever tasted, and Josey particularly enjoyed her potato latkes and matzo ball soup. Good pick! After dinner Josey and Erik set off to find a bar listed as one of the top 25 in the country, and Mackenzie, Carter and I went to eat what Food and Wine magazine called the best cupcakes in the world.
I never actually lived in Washington, D.C., but I lived in a Virginia suburb for more than twenty-five years. And, as often as I could, especially in the summer, I would make my way into the city. I enjoyed the theaters, the museums, the Mall and monuments, and the neighborhoods. For some reason, I gravitated to the Dupont Circle area. So, for my trip this year I decided that instead of renting a room in a hotel, I would try out the concept of a VRBO in that neighborhood.
I had a few things I wanted to do while I was in the city, but I didn’t really have a schedule. So, the first morning I wandered around the area, identifying a near-by Safeway, a great little coffee shop, and several promising restaurants. I also verified that it was an easy walk to the Dupont Circle Metro Station. Yes, this is what I had wanted…to have the feel of being a resident, if only for a few days.
On my morning walk, I’d noticed a sign advertising an exhibition on “The Queens of Egypt” at the National Geographic Museum, so I spent several hours there another day. It was fantastic! There’s so much to choose from in this city of museums and historical sites.
And what tied it all together was my pleasure in staying on a quiet street, where I watched people going to and from work, walking their dogs, or carrying bags of groceries from the Safeway down the block. For just a few days I could start my day like a local, in a coffee shop observing neighbors sharing their news and opinions. One night I walked a mile to what is known as the U Street Corridor and had a chili dog at the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl. And, when I wanted, I did as city people do and rode the subway to pretty much anywhere in the city.
Nana's Whimsies 