Visiting New York

We drove to New York on May 24 to visit family. In keeping with our current practice and philosophy based on the belief that hours spent driving before noon do not “count”, we left at 6 am and arrived for lunch at Susan’s.

The big event of the day was the dress rehearsal for Clare’s dance class. Clare looked wonderful in both her tutu and her “jazz” outfit and performed with the charm for which she is justly famous. Mariann prepared a delicious dinner, attended by “Oopsie Do”—aka Mariann’s mother Helen.

On Thursday we went to the Queens Zoo with Joe, Mariann, Alison and Clare and, I believe, the entire 4th and 5th grade student body of Queens. Apparently this is the time of year—perhaps the very day—when a day at the zoo is just the tonic for wearying teachers and students alike. There must have been 100 buses in the parking lot. Gaggles of elementary-age students let by taller people were everywhere. They were marvelously well-behaved and orderly. As we moved from animal to animal, we inserted ourselves between groups to do our own viewing. The Queens is a nice, small zoo, suitable for younger children. It was hard to believe that the lush, treed setting is in the midst of New York, right next to the Grand Central Parkway.

After a pleasant lunch, we drove out to Montauk. In addition to Susan and us, old friends Bette and Maureen, the latter up for the weekend from Boca Raton, made up our party. We had nice visits, good meals and lively conversation. Jane had never seen the Montauk lighthouse, so we went out there and also explored Camp Hero, an old army installation that is now a park. The biking opportunities looked plentiful, so we pledged to take our bicycles on our next visit.

We drove back here to Maryland on Sunday, picking up our kayak in Annapolis on the way.

What a nice visit.

Back East

It took us longer to readjust to life in our Solomons’ home than we expected. The extended absence and the replacement of Maryland information with Arizona information caused us to lose our “automatic pilot” - we were struggling to find the silverware drawer! Our hope is that the mental gyrations required to adjust will keep our brain cells exercised as effectively as crossword puzzles.

In retrospect, we might have stayed in Arizona longer. Our building is being re-sided and painted, so we have had an army of workers literally hanging around our 3rd floor abode. We are starting to understand what it feels like to live in a zoo, never knowing when we will come face-to-face with a stranger on the other side of the glass. The pounding hasn’t been too bad, but the constant crowds are starting to wear on us. The good news is, they are almost finished and the building looks great.

On the pro side for our early return was experiencing one of the most beautiful seasons for flowering spring plants we have ever seen. The azalea blooms were abundant and the colors more vibrant than usual. And the roses have been more prolific than I could ever have imagined. Perhaps the mild winter left them with extra energy to blossom. Also, we were back in time to see the fabulous Cezanne exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in D.C. The exhibit included many of his paintings in styles that we had never seen before – lots of trees, and darker colors. It has also been fun to get back to our East coast family and friends.

We have dragged out our in-line skates (which miraculously survived the downsizing give-away) and are enjoying blading around Solomons Island. Jane's heel spur continues to prevent her from jogging, so we have resorted to alternate methods of exercise.