A Trip to the Catskills

 

Three months after Christmas, we finally gave Dan and Alex their promised gift--dinner at a restaurant of their choice. Their choice was Garvan's in New Paltz where we had eaten with them three years ago.  That occasion was memorable in that we planned to eat outside because of Covid fears but it was so terribly windy that we reluctantly asked for a table inside.  

Jim and I drove 2 1/2 hours north and arrived at Aumick Road mid-afternoon. There was time before our dinner reservation so Dan and Alex showed us Huguenot Road, a short street of historic homes and churches in New Paltz.  The stone buildings dated from the late 17th century. The large Reformed church had been a place of worship for 300 years.  I need to read more about the immigration of these "patentees" as they called them and how they ended up in this Hudson Valley area. 

We had a very nice dinner in what turned out to be a very busy restaurant. Apparently it was "restaurant week" with a prix fixe menu.  However, we all ordered from the regular menu.  There was a group performing Irish music in another room. 

Dan and Alex have made so much progress in making their house a home with photos and paintings on many walls.  I think there is a view of a mountain ridge from virtually every room in the house with the exception of bathrooms!  Jim and I both were awake this morning to see the sun rise over the hills (and then go back to sleep.) 

It was a great visit and a chance to catch up on their lives since both of them have made big changes and left their previous jobs. Alex has found several part-time options some of which use her bilingual abilities. Dan is enjoying hiking various Catskill peaks as a part of a club challenge and revising his Typescript book and will probably do some consulting.  

Of our three children and their families, Dan and Alex live the farthest from our apartment but we made the trip easily even though traffic was heavy on the interstates in New Jersey and New York.  We hope to see them again for Easter dinner at the Conway's.

Newsies

 

We left our apartment around 4:30 knowing that traffic can be a problem and that the Black Rock Middle School show of Newsies started at 7 pm.  Our plan was to find the school and then find a fast food supper in the area. We followed our plan with ease and were in our seats in the large auditorium well before the curtain went up.

The show was amazing.  Middle school students put on quite the production with many participants singing and dancing--and even their own orchestra.  Of course, our "star" was Ruth who as a 5th grader was in the chorus. We had a hard time spotting her but happily when they danced out into the aisles, she ended up right next to us! She kept singing but we knew she spotted us too! Sam was working the sound  at a desk in the back of the auditorium.

Laura had asked if we could give them a ride home.  She was planning to go to one of the other performances.  We met up with Sam and Ruth in the crowded lobby.  It was pretty late so we decided it was not a good time for any treats afterwards.  

When we got to the car, I tried to put their address into my iphone Apple maps but there was no access available.  The kids really did not know how to get us to their house especially in the dark.  We drove along until we could get access and then I just put Gladwyne into my phone and we got to familiar streets.  We rely on our phone apps and then are helpless when they fail us! 

We briefly greeted Laura and Alex who gave us both big hugs and we left for the ride back to our apartment.  It was probably about 11:10 when we got home--pretty late for us to be out on the road.  

We are so glad that we can share in the lives of our grandchildren and still sleep in our own beds at night!

Vitamin D

Jim takes a vitamin D pill every other day.  I choose an alternative--to sit on our deck and face the sun and get my vitamin D in that way.  Of course, there are cloudy days and sometimes I forget until the sun is tucked behind the garage roof but it is a good and healthy habit in more than one way.  

I use those minutes to practice mindfulness using the breath prayers introduced by my pastor in South Bend.    I breathe in "healing" and I breathe out "fears."  I breathe in "courage" and breathe out "dread."  I breathe in "peace of mind" and breathe out "anxiety."  I breathe in "gratitude" and breathe out "worry."

Does it work?  I don't know.  I can't say that I am a calm, courageous person without fears and anxiety as a result.  But I do enjoy those few minutes of sunshine on my face.  I feel the sun on my skin.   I hear the wind and the rustling of leaves on the pavement.  Sometimes I hear the voices of children and the hum of far off traffic on Route One. I see two bare trees with their seed pods looking like ornaments.  I try to still my mind and be thankful.  

My Christmas Present

 

Yesterday I enjoyed the Christmas present that I received from Jeff and Susan.  It was December 23 at our family party when I opened a package to find a jigsaw puzzle of Sleeping Beauty.  Puzzles were a theme gift from Jeff and Susan to almost everyone.  But also inside were tickets--for the Philadelphia Ballet performance of Sleeping Beauty on March 5--tickets for a ladies afternoon at the ballet with a promise of transportation and dinner.

So yesterday at noon Susan was at our door with Katie in the car.  We drove to central Philadelphia where Susan parked at her favorite and familiar parking garage.  We walked to the Academy and found our seats when the doors opened.  Laura and Ruth arrived soon after.

The ballet was amazing.  It was so colorful--just a spectacle of design and dance.  I held my breath at times when the lead dancers spun around.  The dance was coordinated perfectly with the live orchestra.  The Academy itself was a place of beauty with its several balconies.  We had great seats close to the action on stage.

I was not the only appreciative person in the audience.  The dancers were called back to bow many times.  

 Afterwards we walked to McCormick Schmick where we had dinner reservations.  Ruth and I toasted with my glass of wine and her strawberry lemonade.  We had an easy ride home and I felt very grateful for the local ladies in my family.