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Sunday, September 26, 2010
Susan and Paul's Yard Sale
Yesterday, Saturday, September 25, after Jerry got home from dialysis, he and I drove, top down on car, to Susan and Paul's yard sale. It was one of those made-to-order, perfect days for both the driving and the yard selling. Afterward, we packed all the left over items back into the garage for Susan to organize and record for donations later this week. Then the four of us went to Pie Kitchen for dessert. It was a low key but GOOD day.
Kable and Katie's Playground
The large white rocks behind the playground line the banks of the creek running through Sam and Russell's property, where Candace's baby shower was held. Russell did all the work himself! It looks great.
Frankie Stallard
Frankie ("Bugg") Stallar is Candace's mother, my niece, and the official photographer of the baby shower. The photographer is getting photographed!
Katie Eddington
Katie, who is not quite two yet, had to try out Tatum's sunglasses and the spinning, toy top. 
Baby Shower
Candace and Adam's baby Tatum (my side of the family) and Rachel and Steve's baby Dylan (Jerry's side of the family) are going to be born very close to the same time. Candace's shower was at her sister Sam's home in Georgetown on September 18. We had delicious food, good conversation, a fun time watching her open and make comments about the gifts (Candace has a wicked sense of humor and makes me laugh when she mutters her under-the-breath remarks.)
Bernheim Forest
Susan on the left and Nancy on the right, two oldest and dearest friends, and I went to the cafe at Bernheim Forest September 16. We ate lunch, fought bees away from our food, talked, laughed, and just caught up with each other's lives. Old friends are like worn blue jeans -- they always "fit" and are comfortable as soon as you put them on.Baby Bottle Contest
Here's mother against daughter -- Jackie in foreground, Brandy in background. It looks Jackie figured out the trick to winning; SQUEEZE THE BOTTLE!
Baby Bottle Contest
Jerry's sisters Jackie and Sandy competing with Zuela in the baby bottle contest. 
Baby Carriage
Clever baby carriage that Betty made out of a watermelon. Even the handle of the carriage is made from the watermelon rind. Note the happy "baby" surrounded by fruit.
Baby Shower
More babies are coming into the family!!! September 12th, Rachel's shower was held here at our club house party room. Rachel's mother, Betty, and mother-in-law, Jackie, transformed the place with the way they had decorated. One of the most clever decorations was a "baby carriage" made out of a hollowed out watermelon, orange slices for wheels, grapes for hubcaps, a lemon with face drawn on for the "baby". Cute. Rachel's sister Julie also prepared a contest where each of the participants competed to see which one could extract the most water from a filled baby bottle! ... And I'm actually posting a picture showing my involvement in it... ;-}
Elizabethtown Nursing Home
There was a girl who grew up on Little Leatherwood with our family; she lived up the creek from us. She was a friend of my older siblings but I'd heard of Margie (Adams) Whitaker all my life. Neal had a big crush on her when he was a little boy. :-) He and Toots recently found out that she is in a nursing home in Elizabethtown. When he e-mailed and asked if I'd like to go see her, I immediately agreed. So, on September 7, Donna drove Toots to Bardstown so we could all meet at Neal's house and drive together. Donna went back to Nicholasville; Toots, Neal, and I went to E-town. As we started back toward Margie's room at the home, we asked an aide where it was and told her who we were looking for. She pointed to the little woman in the wheelchair she was pushing and assured us that was indeed Margie since neither of them recognized her; they hadn't seen her in about 60 years! We sat out front and talked for quite a while. She remembered lots of things from their youth and seemed to enjoy the visit.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Trip to Northeast
:-( It was time to leave. Rob and Cassie had to work so Rob called a limo service to pick us up for the ride to the airport. We did some laundry, cleaned up our messes, packed, played with Harpo, and finished a marathon of "Pacific" before leaving. It was especially poignant departing without either of them being home. The flight home was uneventful -- THANK GOODNESS! Amanda and Shawn provided limo service here in Louisville.
We had tried for months and months to take this trip. It was soooo worth it when it finally happened.
We had tried for months and months to take this trip. It was soooo worth it when it finally happened.
Rob and Cassie's neighborhood
Are "walk ups" particular to the Northeast? This is the street we used when walking to lunch.Trip to Northeast
While Rob and Cassie were at work, Jerry and I watched the TV special "Pacific" which Rob had recorded on DVR; that is, we finally got to watch it after fumbling around and messing up the DVR a number of times. :-) For lunch, we took a stroll through their neighborhood and walked down a few blocks to Garbo and Pepe's. One wall of the restaurant was open to the outside so we watched people and traffic while eating. We had been "warned" to "stay on this side of Christopher Columbus" since the other side looks unsafe. On the way back to the condo, we never crossed to the "bad" side but did walk along Christopher Columbus. We misunderstood because Rob wanted us to stay completely away from that street, but we had no problems at all.
When we got back home, we watched more of "Pacific". Mid-afternoon, the dialysis center called to see if Jerry could come in early instead of 7:00 p.m. We really didn't know how to get there since Rob had driven the other time plus we didn't have keys to the car even if we'd been tempted to try the trip. So, he left to hail a cab with necessary phone numbers in hand in case he needed to get in touch with any of us. We found out you can't hail cabs in Jersey City! He stopped in a shop downstairs in their building to ask about taxis and was told there was a taxi stand close to the subway station. He walked the few blocks, got the taxi, went to dialysis, and successfully had the treatment before Rob had time to stop worrying about his Dad!
When Rob got home from work, he and I drove to the clinic to check on Jerry, making sure he got there okay. Later, the three of us picked up Cassie and went to a pizza place in their old Hoboken neighborhood, a place called Benny Tudino's. Their single slices of pizza are so large that they fill a whole plate and you have to fold them over in order to eat them.
This was a bittersweet evening since it was our last one with them before leaving.
When we got back home, we watched more of "Pacific". Mid-afternoon, the dialysis center called to see if Jerry could come in early instead of 7:00 p.m. We really didn't know how to get there since Rob had driven the other time plus we didn't have keys to the car even if we'd been tempted to try the trip. So, he left to hail a cab with necessary phone numbers in hand in case he needed to get in touch with any of us. We found out you can't hail cabs in Jersey City! He stopped in a shop downstairs in their building to ask about taxis and was told there was a taxi stand close to the subway station. He walked the few blocks, got the taxi, went to dialysis, and successfully had the treatment before Rob had time to stop worrying about his Dad!
When Rob got home from work, he and I drove to the clinic to check on Jerry, making sure he got there okay. Later, the three of us picked up Cassie and went to a pizza place in their old Hoboken neighborhood, a place called Benny Tudino's. Their single slices of pizza are so large that they fill a whole plate and you have to fold them over in order to eat them.
This was a bittersweet evening since it was our last one with them before leaving.
Trip to Northeast
August 23
After Cassie left for work, Rob drove Jerry and me into NYC to the art gallery where he works. His boss, Dom, wanted to take us to dinner so we stayed at the gallery for a while to view the art work and see Rob's work area where he builds frames and shipping crates. Various big name artists' works are sold through this gallery -- Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Helen Frankenthaler, ROB HAY! In fact, there is a large Rob Hay painting displayed right next to a wall of Andy Warhol works. What a thrill to see this plus 3 other of his paintings hanging in the gallery!!
While we waited for Dom to finish some gallery business, the three of us walked down to a little neighborhood bar. We had only two glasses of house wine and one beer and it cost $30.00. I only mention this because everything is so much more expensive in the northeast.
Later, the three of us and Dom loaded into a cab to get to Wolfgang's where Cassie was meeting us for dinner. As soon as we walked in the front door, Dom was heartily greeted by the whole wait staff; it seemed everyone there knew him. He ordered for us starting with an appetizer...bacon. Bacon?? I didn't say it out loud but I could not imagine eating bacon as an appetizer so I turned it down. Jerry gave me a couple of bites from his plate then I totally regretted turning down the offer. This bacon was about 1/2 inch thick, 6 inches long, and about 1 1/2 inches wide and grilled over an open flame. It was delicious. He ordered only 2 steaks for the whole table but they were so impressively large that there was meat left over at the end of the meal. The chef grilled the meat then cut the large sections away from the T-bone. Then he cut those slabs into strips, an interesting way to serve it. The expression "melts in your mouth" fit this steak perfectly; it's the best I've ever eaten.
We laughed at Dom's and the waiter's jokes, talked, ate, drank a bottle of wine, and a enjoyed a perfectly wonderful evening.
After Cassie left for work, Rob drove Jerry and me into NYC to the art gallery where he works. His boss, Dom, wanted to take us to dinner so we stayed at the gallery for a while to view the art work and see Rob's work area where he builds frames and shipping crates. Various big name artists' works are sold through this gallery -- Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Helen Frankenthaler, ROB HAY! In fact, there is a large Rob Hay painting displayed right next to a wall of Andy Warhol works. What a thrill to see this plus 3 other of his paintings hanging in the gallery!!
While we waited for Dom to finish some gallery business, the three of us walked down to a little neighborhood bar. We had only two glasses of house wine and one beer and it cost $30.00. I only mention this because everything is so much more expensive in the northeast.
Later, the three of us and Dom loaded into a cab to get to Wolfgang's where Cassie was meeting us for dinner. As soon as we walked in the front door, Dom was heartily greeted by the whole wait staff; it seemed everyone there knew him. He ordered for us starting with an appetizer...bacon. Bacon?? I didn't say it out loud but I could not imagine eating bacon as an appetizer so I turned it down. Jerry gave me a couple of bites from his plate then I totally regretted turning down the offer. This bacon was about 1/2 inch thick, 6 inches long, and about 1 1/2 inches wide and grilled over an open flame. It was delicious. He ordered only 2 steaks for the whole table but they were so impressively large that there was meat left over at the end of the meal. The chef grilled the meat then cut the large sections away from the T-bone. Then he cut those slabs into strips, an interesting way to serve it. The expression "melts in your mouth" fit this steak perfectly; it's the best I've ever eaten.
We laughed at Dom's and the waiter's jokes, talked, ate, drank a bottle of wine, and a enjoyed a perfectly wonderful evening.
Lincoln? Holland?
If you live in New Jersey, you have to face these tunnels any time you drive into NYC. It's either that or take a ferry across the river.
The Cloisters
This is the arcade which runs all the way around the open courtyard in the center of the Cloisters.Trip to Northeast
August 22
Faced with an overcast, misty day, the four of us decided to do something indoors. We were zipping through maniacal traffic when, suddenly, Rob whipped the car into Fort Tyron Park. Looming over the tree tops was a Medieval monastery, the Cloisters, an outpost of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is made up of 5 French monasteries that were disassembled, transported to N.Y., then reconstructed from 1934 to 1938 on land donated by John D. Rockefeller. The whole museum is devoted to Medieval architecture and art.
It's always a thrill to me when I see works of art in person that I've only viewed in the past in art history books. In the museum is a HUGE tapestry titled Unicorn in Captivity; it is the last of a series of tapestries about unicorns. I'd seen this particular one many, many times but only as large as a book page or even smaller so that made seeing the real thing for the first time even more impressive. The museum also houses a small, carved wood crucifix scene that was amazing because of the intricacy of the details. The whole sculpture was probably no more than 18 inches tall but contained multiple figures in addition to Christ and the two crucified men. All the figures had unique, believable facial expressions; the figures were dynamic, some writing in agony.
Outside the museum are meticulously kept gardens of flowers, trees, shrubs, medicinal herbs. There were also benches where we sat to just enjoy the day (when it wasn't raining!). We had lunch under the arcade right beside one of the gardens.
On the way back home, Rob drove us around parts of the city while he and Cassie pointed out various sites to us. That evening, Jerry, Rob, and I watched more home movies while Cassie did homework. I also think that was the night she went to practice with the "Queens of Pain" Roller Derby team.
Faced with an overcast, misty day, the four of us decided to do something indoors. We were zipping through maniacal traffic when, suddenly, Rob whipped the car into Fort Tyron Park. Looming over the tree tops was a Medieval monastery, the Cloisters, an outpost of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is made up of 5 French monasteries that were disassembled, transported to N.Y., then reconstructed from 1934 to 1938 on land donated by John D. Rockefeller. The whole museum is devoted to Medieval architecture and art.
It's always a thrill to me when I see works of art in person that I've only viewed in the past in art history books. In the museum is a HUGE tapestry titled Unicorn in Captivity; it is the last of a series of tapestries about unicorns. I'd seen this particular one many, many times but only as large as a book page or even smaller so that made seeing the real thing for the first time even more impressive. The museum also houses a small, carved wood crucifix scene that was amazing because of the intricacy of the details. The whole sculpture was probably no more than 18 inches tall but contained multiple figures in addition to Christ and the two crucified men. All the figures had unique, believable facial expressions; the figures were dynamic, some writing in agony.
Outside the museum are meticulously kept gardens of flowers, trees, shrubs, medicinal herbs. There were also benches where we sat to just enjoy the day (when it wasn't raining!). We had lunch under the arcade right beside one of the gardens.
On the way back home, Rob drove us around parts of the city while he and Cassie pointed out various sites to us. That evening, Jerry, Rob, and I watched more home movies while Cassie did homework. I also think that was the night she went to practice with the "Queens of Pain" Roller Derby team.
Trip to Northeast
August 21 continued...
Later, after walking to a nearby small park and buying lunch at a Halal kiosk, we met Cassie so we could all go to an interesting place that sells "compost" cookies. Yep, that's right. COMPOST cookies! They are made with pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch chips, and chocolate chips and are delicious. Rob and Cassie also introduced us to a milk treat -- "cereal milk". That was sort of strange and not too appealing to me. It did taste just like the milk left over in the bottom of the bowl after all the cereal has been eaten. I noticed on the menu board other interesting milk flavors were sold, including "salty pistachio".
That evening Jerry nervously went to a nearby dialysis center. In fact, we were all a little nervous since he'd never had dialysis treatments any place outside Louisville; the unknown is always stressful. Rob, Cassie, and I sat in the waiting room and talked until we were sure he was successfully hooked up to the machine before we headed back to the condo. Everything went very well so now he's willing to try this again in other cities. The technicians were Filipino so things went even more smoothly when he told his tech that our daughter-in-law was part Filipino. He got a flutter of attention after that, especially after he also told them about visiting a local Filipino bakery!
Later, after walking to a nearby small park and buying lunch at a Halal kiosk, we met Cassie so we could all go to an interesting place that sells "compost" cookies. Yep, that's right. COMPOST cookies! They are made with pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch chips, and chocolate chips and are delicious. Rob and Cassie also introduced us to a milk treat -- "cereal milk". That was sort of strange and not too appealing to me. It did taste just like the milk left over in the bottom of the bowl after all the cereal has been eaten. I noticed on the menu board other interesting milk flavors were sold, including "salty pistachio".
That evening Jerry nervously went to a nearby dialysis center. In fact, we were all a little nervous since he'd never had dialysis treatments any place outside Louisville; the unknown is always stressful. Rob, Cassie, and I sat in the waiting room and talked until we were sure he was successfully hooked up to the machine before we headed back to the condo. Everything went very well so now he's willing to try this again in other cities. The technicians were Filipino so things went even more smoothly when he told his tech that our daughter-in-law was part Filipino. He got a flutter of attention after that, especially after he also told them about visiting a local Filipino bakery!
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