Tag Archives: family

A Full London Day

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We had such a lovely day. I find it funny that two taxi drivers (one in Edinburgh and one in York) said they much preferred Edinburgh to London. Oh well. We did love Edinburgh, but find London wonderful.

We began, after our hotel breakfast…

by heading to the Borough Market. We were there before and looked forward to a revisit (or two … who knows but maybe we’ll head back again?!).



Then, after a brief stop at our hotel so one of us could change clothes, we took the tube to Green Park, so we could meet up with Brandon, who was waiting at a pub.

Yes, we had “toasties”.

More walking …

Next stop after walking a bit was a pub (surprise, surprise), but what a cool pub it was. Little spaces for smaller groups, so sound wasn’t an issue for someone with one deaf ear.

(In case you are now worried about my alcohol intake, I have half pints, and this last place had a 2.4% alcohol beer!)

From there we headed to Sir John Soane’s house. What an amazing place! It’s hard to fathom someone living in such a house, to be honest, but he did, and wandering through was pretty astounding.


At that point it was time to head to Duke’s for martinis because … well … we are with Brandon and he knows his martini spots. You can’t make reservations and if you aren’t staying at the hotel (way beyond our budget!) you get on a waiting list, but we managed to get in in maybe 30 minutes. The man who did our drinks talked about them and explained all that went in. He was charming! There are only two small rooms, and I think maybe only 14 maximum in our room … so I could hear every word spoken. Ah, how wonderful! (But I couldn’t finish the drink!)


Finally, we ended up at Rules restaurant. If only they had restaurants like this in our neck ‘o the woods: again I didn’t have to worry about hearing a thing, as the space we were in was sort of separate. And when desert came out … they brought Brandon an ice cream with a candle! I guess I might have mentioned we were celebrating his birthday! I found that really delightful.

(Oh … and we toasted my friends Imani and Stephen … she said he so loved this spot, and I loved conversing with him. He was a dear man, and loved Imani so much. I saved the messages I had with him after he passed away, just because I treasured them so much.)

Then it was just a short tube ride “home” and now we are happily in pjs and ready for a good night’s sleep … as soon as I get some photos added to this post! (Any typos may or may not be corrected later … I’m tired!)

Night-night!

A Brief Post … I’m Tired

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There isn’t a ton to report for today, but I’ll quickly write so I don’t forget.

We began slowly, since checkout wasn’t until 11 and our train was scheduled for 12:02. But eventually the cab arrived, and we headed to the lounge at the station. We were there rather early (typical of us), and just hung out, watching and listening to a D-Day memorial program.

From there it was to the train and into our comfortable seats. I confess I mostly slept this time. Just one shot from a moving train. Thrilling, I’m sure.



And then we arrived at Kings X station in London! I always enjoy coming back to London, and this time it’s special because Brandon is here. We easily figured out how to get from Kings X to our hotel across the Thames, and settled in for a bit.

We are at The Mad Hatter Hotel. Maybe you can see evidence of that?

When we finally went out we just randomly walked in what someone here thought was the direction of The Tate Modern. Um … wrong! We reached The Eye, and then turned around and headed the other way.


At that point Brandon texted to say we could meet up, so we went to our hotel and met with him there, eating dinner in the pub connected to this place. It’s so great to see him! Last year we met up with Meghan and Jameson. This year it’s Brandon (missing Lia, though). It’s fabulous when your kids travel and then even want to spend time with you!


Now we are back in our room and it’s definitely time for some rest.

Tomorrow we spend the day with Brandon — he will direct things so we don’t have to think. I like that. I think. (<— see what I did there? How funny can I be? Um. Maybe don’t answer that.)

G’night!

April 1 means Going Home

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We began our day (once we got out of our room) with a bit of breakfast right across the street. They had lots of healthy things, and great vegan options for Kelsey.

Speaking of Kelsey, it’s her birthday! Happy Birthday, dear daughter ‘o mine!

From there we went back to the hotel so Kelsey & Mel could get their luggage, check out, and head home. We said our goodbyes, and Dan and I, who asked for a late checkout, hung around the hotel for a time.

Lunch was across the street, at the same spot where we ate when we arrived on Saturday. Then it was time to catch a Lyft to the airport.

Turns out the airport was quite close, AND it was nearly deserted when we arrived so there was no line for security and we got to the United club lounge in no time.

Question: why did we not just get lunch at the lounge and save money?
Answer: because we simply weren’t thinking!

Oh well.

We sat for a good long time, enjoying a few drinks and snacks, and then boarded the plane for a very non-eventful, direct with no issues

After the flight home we picked up the car from the long-term lot, and got home with no traffic. Realizing we had no food for dinner we went to Halal Amigos for dinner and of course, while “only” ordering a burrito, I ate too much!

I’m sorry, but I neglected to take any birthday photos of Kelsey. Rats! I guess my brain was on disconnect.

Nothing new, right?

My Last Day In NYC

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As usual, I started my morning with my cappuccino on the 27th floor. Okay, I had two. Call me crazy!

Then it was off on a random walk, heading south down Lexington. I had no agenda … I just walked and went right when the light was red and I couldn’t cross a street.

I finally wound up at Macy’s and tried on a few shoes. I sure with the shoe manufacturers realized that even those of us with large feet need half sizes! The 10s were too short and the 11s too loose. Go figure But at least I saved money!

I went back to my hotel (Club Quarters pictured above) and enjoyed (eek!) another cappuccino. Hey, they come with the horribly high hotel fees, so why not, right? Then Jameson wrote and we agreed to meet up toward to the top of Central Park at a diner there.

Silly me: I neglected to tell the map app I was walking so it gave me a car route and I ended up walking on 66th across (and under) the park. That was NOT a pleasant bit of walking but I managed and we met up at Old John’s Luncheonette.

After lunch we walked more, heading back down toward my hotel but mostly toward Keene’s. We had drinks there, and Brandon eventually joined us. It was getting crowded and noisy and with my ear that meant I couldn’t hear well. So off we went.

We ended up at The Shakespeare and had very UK sounding food like Welsh Rarebit and fish & chips. Best of all was that we were the only people in the room where we ate so I could hear perfectly. What a wonderful way to end my stay! And no they weren’t on their phones the whole time: these are just a few goofy shots! I’m really sorry I didn’t think to get a photo of the three of us.

From there the boys walked me back to my hotel, we hugged, said our goodbyes, and now here I am, missing them already.

PS 27,680 steps and 11.83 miles. Piece ‘o cake!

St. Patrick’s Day Sunday

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This morning began slowly, since we had all agreed we’d not get together in the morning: I know what it’s like to hang with parents, and I know breaks were needed!

I headed upstairs to get my cappuccino, posted photos on to the yesterday’s blog entry, and played my puzzles (got ‘em all but the easy level of “colorfle”).

Then I figured I’d walk to Russian Samovar to see how walkable the route was since it’s where we are having dinner tonight. As it turned out, there was a half marathon taking place and I couldn’t get to where I wanted to go!

Instead I kind of followed the marathon route, figuring I’d then go to Central Park. Well, they had most of that blocked off from the east side so I had quite a walk to find a way in.

I only went through a short bit of it, and then headed back out. I then thought I’d head back to Russian Samovar. I got there in a rather circuitous way: Manhattan and I don’t see to agree on North, South, East, and West. But I did find it.

From there I reset my watch so I could check the distance to the hotel. Only trouble is that after a bit of a walk I saw the Hudson. Um … that’s not on the east side! I had walked the opposite direction of what I should have done. I still have no clue how I got completely off like that! So back I went, and finally, after nearly 7.5 miles of walking, I was back at the hotel.

I put my feet up for a short time, but it was after 1:00 and I did think I should probably get a bit to eat so I went close by and ordered a burrito. “Mission style” is what it said, whatever that means. But it was tasty so no complaints here, other than I could only eat half of it. (And there is no fridge on my room.)

Then it was relaxation time again, and then Brandon wrote to say he was on his way here. I decided we could meet up at our destination before the restaurant since there is nothing special about this hotel, so I put on my dress (!) and out I went.

We met up for a drink before Samovar at the Monkey Bar … I wish I’d taken a quick photo. Rats! There were drawings (paintings?) of monkeys all over the walls.

Landing at Samovar Jameson, Meghan, and Timothy met up with us. (I missed Lia, but with so much stress and all she took a much needed break.) The food and drinks were tasty, and the live music fun. I’m so glad I finally got there, since Dan had been talking about it after his solo visit here.

Did we have fun? Maybe …

Brandon kindly walked me back to my hotel (passing through Grand Central Station) and now here I am, hoping for some sleep. I rarely sleep well on the first few nights of a trip. I’m guessing this short one means I will never get a great night’s sleep, but I don’t really fret over it — I’ll sleep when I get home!

Oh … and it looks like I walked 12 miles today. It’ll do!

Saturday in New York

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I’m going to write up what I did today and then add photos later: I’m just not sure how much longer I can stay awake!

I woke this morning, and had a relaxed bit of time, heading up to the 27th floor for a cappuccino. Okay, okay, I had two! It’s only “automatic machine cappuccino”, but it’s free and it’s here and there you go. I’m going to enjoy them.

After that I slowly headed out. It was a lovely day here: there were clouds, but just pretty fluffy things. There was sun. And there weren’t a ton of people out and about. I’m guessing they all headed to the St. Patrick’s Day parade. I opted to avoid that and just enjoy a random walk, heading up Lexington. When Brandon texted to say I could head up to the Bronx I went back to the hotel and then called a Lyft.

I began the Bronx visit by meeting up with Brandon and Lia at their current home … which happens to be a place they stayed in right before they purchased the Pelham Parkway place. We then walked to their very damaged home.

Oh. My. It really is sad to see. As I told them, I would be able to handle it much more (though it would still be sad) when all the rubble is cleared away. It’s just a disaster. There was also water sprinkling down from a broken pipe. I would have thought they’d have shut off the water! That can’t be doing ANY good at all.

From there we got a car and headed to Meghan and Jameson’s.

Jameson had mentioned a nice place to walk to a few weeks back, so we headed there. It’s called Wave Hill and I want to read up on it later. We had a light lunch and then wandered. There were flowers that were so lovely, and we went into a greenhouse with fabulous plants.

From there it was back to their place for a time, and then we headed to a Kingsbridge Social Club for dinner (pizza) where I ate far too much. As usual.

Now, after taking a Lyft back to the hotel, I’m comfy in bed and very tired. I might try to post the photos soon, but it’s more likely I’ll do them tomorrow morning. Do come back to this page to see them!

Update: It’s morning and yes, I have posted photos. I am using my iPad, and this is a great test-run for our long trips. I can certainly manage with this, although posting photos is extremely clunky at the moment. I’ll have to research and see if there’s a better way. I currently have to post one image at a time, and I don’t see a way to make them smaller and mosaic-like. Still, it’s nice to get them up here!

Safely Landed, Now Ready for Sleep!

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My plane flight was fairly non-eventful, although at one point they felt the need to point out where the barf bags were! Yes, a bit of turbulence. Nothing that bugged me, though.

In addition, for some reason we were never offered food. Perhaps because of turbulence again. It very well could be that they told us, but I can’t really understand much when the do the loudspeaker thing. It’s not loud, and it’s not clear. Go figure.

Boarding was a bit of a pain. When they say I’m in group two what that really means, as far as I’m concerned, is group six.

First they do people with disabilities, and then they add (not necessarily in this order), people of high standing (maybe platinum members?), groups with young children, and military folks. Finally group one went in and then we go to go. By the time I got to my seat in row eight there was NO room in the overhead bins close by and I had to hike back a bit to find an empty spot. I really wish they’d have a rule that said, “Use the bin above you,” but of course they can’t do that.

In any case, I got my luggage stowed, and went back to my middle (sigh) seat. The man to my right was an arm rest hog, but so be it. I sat quietly, got some rest, played my jigsaw puzzle and basically relaxed.

It was great to get in to Manhattan — it took nearly an hour from EWR.

I got to my room (VERY basic, but I don’t need anything fancy), relaxed, and waited for the boys to tell me what was up.



I met Jameson and Meghan in the hotel lobby and we ambled a bit, finally ending up at a place where we met Brandon and Lia. Foot and drinks were enjoyed, and it really was a great time. I’m SO happy to see them all. It’s good to see that Brandon and Lia are doing okay despite dealing with the fire at their apartment. Soon they will be able to move to the place right across from their uninhabitable place and I think that will be a good thing.

After eating and talking a lot Brandon and Lia said their goodbyes and Jameson and Meghan walked me back to my place.

What a long day. But who cares?! It’s just so great to see everyone!

Tomorrow I will head to the Bronx, view the mess of Brandon and Lia’s, and then go to Jameson and Meghan’s area.

December 28, 2023

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YESTERDAY AT THE COAST

(This is a posted both here and at my photography site. Not that anyone really cares but I feel the need to point that out because … well … that’s just me!)

We went to the Coast yesterday with Greg (my brother) and Jan (his wife). It’s a favorite place for them, and we had heard that we were in for some pretty crazy surf. It was just a perfect day: not cold, not too windy, yet the waves … well … amazing! 

Happy People:

Coastal Scenes

November 19, 2023

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So, today is the day: all of the sudden I’m a year older. Funny how that goes. I had told Dan several weeks ago that I wasn’t going to bother with a birthday poem this year (I wrote one when I turned 50, and then started writing them every year beginning on my 55th birthday.) Well, he encouraged me … so here is the poem I decided not to write (kidding!):

Not This Time (67)

This year will be a first —
there’ll be no poetry.
My last year’s was the worst,
and the blame is all on me!

Besides, it’s rather nice

to pretend I’m not so old.
I’ll put this age on ice
and let it shiver in the cold. 

I also wrote this, but never shared it with anyone other than Dan until now:

Birthday Pride

I’m hesitantly proud
To join the sixty-seven crowd.

Yeah, I’m pretty darn funny, eh?

Dan and I went to Cafe Luxembourg for brunch. It appears that it’s quite popular later in the morning, but we were there at 10:30 and it was easy to get a reservation. They brought out our donut holes with a candle in a strawberry … cute!


From there we came back to our room: I was tired and after my shower I just had to close my eyes for a time.

Eventually Brandon texted to say they were in on the upper east side, so we headed out that way, walking rather than taking the subway since it was a lovely day. Brandon, Lia, Dan, and I went into Bergdorf Goodman and had cocktails and a bit of food. (We also saw some gorgeous men’s clothing at prices we could never afford!) When the server found out it was my birthday she gave us each a freshly baked Madeleine! It was pretty darn yummy.

I should have taken more photos, but unfortunately the one above is all I’ve got. Sorry!

From there it was a subway ride to the hotel to dress for dinner, and eventually we got a car to our restaurant, Mino Brasserie. It was quite the distance, but SO well worth it. Absolutely delicious food, great service, and a wonderful time with Brandon, Lia, Jameson, and Meghan. For dessert I was, once again, surprised by a dessert (profiteroles with chocolate sauce … YUM!) with candles and the gang sang to me. I’m feeling so very blessed! We spent a good amount of time there, and when we were finished Jameson, Meghan, Dan, and I shared a ride to get back to our hotel and their house, while Brandon and Lia took a train.

Tomorrow is back to reality. But also to Thanksgiving (SO much to be thankful for!), and Mel and Kelsey will join us for a few days, so still a lot to look forward to!

Driving Day

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Today was basically a driving day. We left Dubrovnik at about 9:30, and headed north. We drove up the coast, which was incredibly lovely. At one point we stopped to get coffee, and bought some local wines, along with olives, peppers, and other tasty treats. Later on we saw so many stands with the same things, and also watermelons with some sort of sprinkler system which poured water over them. And garlic … huge huge bunches of garlic!

The drive … many photos via the window of a car so not great!


Eventually we arrived at our final big destination. TROGIR! One we will share with Greg and Jan, Vanessa, Avni, Levin, Maya, and Hannah (all family members). We were with the same group in Kosovo, and of course Greg and Jan were in Dubrovnik with us as well. (Thank you, Greg, for all your driving!) Family is so wonderful, and I am so glad we get this special week with everyone. (I’m sorry to miss others, though … you know who you are!)



To have dinner with everyone, and to have such fabulous cooks … we are truly spoiled!

Now, though, I’m exhausted. Perhaps I’ll write more tomorrow. But who knows? Family first, and all that!

Cheers!