Busy, Busy Fall

I've been very busy this Fall, moving to another section of San Diego in late September, as well as keeping up with the election of Donald J. Trump as the next President of the United States.  In October, I flew to New York for the baptism of our first great-grandchild....a boy.  My visit to New York was a blur.... busy, busy, busy.  But there were memorable moments, as well.  My friend, Katie, and I were able to meet at MP Taverna Irvington for brunch.  My Metro North trip from Beacon to Irvington was interesting ro put it mildly.  Metro North connects Poughkeepsie NY and Grand Central Station in New York City with stops in smaller communities on the way.  When I got on the train, I discovered that that it was becoming an express to Grand Central at Peekskill.  So I disembarked at Peekskill, and waited for the next train.  A man approached me on the platform asking about the next train.  I don't recall his question, but we both shared that we had old cell phones that could not provide information on the train schedules.  So, I told him what I was advised by the conductor on the previous train, and that was, "a train was right behind that would take me to Irvington."  After a ten minute wait, I got on thinking it would take me to Irvington.  Alas, I had to get off at Croton-Harmon station.  The next train took me Tarrytown, as it didn't stop at Irvington.  As I walked through the train looking for the conductor, a man asked me if this was the train to New York.  As I looked at him, I realized he was the same person with whom I conversed on the Peekskill platform.  We both had a good laugh. I don't recall ever having to take three trains to reach what would have been a forty-five minute drive.  Oh well, bad planning on my part. 

However, the brunch at MP Taverna was great.  I enjoyed Scallops with cauliflower, dried cherry, brown butter.  It was delicious and the elongated train trip was worth it.  Of course, it's always great to visit with my friend, Katie.

The next weekend, I went with my daughter, her husband and my granddaughter to Boston.  First, we stopped in Worcester to pick up their eldest son who will graduate in June.  Then, off to the heart of Boston,  to visit his brother. 

 After touring the college, we walked the neighborhood before enjoying our lunch at Stephanie's On Newbury.  My selection was the Red Hat Corned Beef Hash.  The serving was very generous.  After the family completed their delicious meal, we walked along the Charles River to the Hatch Shell, where the Boston Pops gives a concert on July 4.

Hatch Shell

We returned to the "Public Garden" As we walked, we found Mother Goose and her ducklings.  It seemed to be a very popular spot.  We actually had to wait our turn just to take a photo.  As we crossed the park and entered the Boston Common, we came upon a huge group of people of all ages, with children dressed in their Halloween costumes, enjoying the Pumpkin Festival.  Boston seems to hold events of many kinds for their residents and visitors.

I had more travels following this, but I'll share about them in my next post.

Perhaps by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook) 

The Book of Micah by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook) 

New York Visit

This year's New York trip seemed to speed by.  The morning after I arrived, my daughter drove me a Healing Service held by Father Ralph DiOrio.  I didn't need healing but knew that God's blessing is always showered on people who attend these services, which are held once a month.  I am so grateful to have attended.  I recommend that you consider going. You will certainly be blessed.  Father DiOrio's website is http://www.rdohealingministry.org/

As the pictures show, we had a big storm on the day before Thanksgiving Day.  In LaGrangeville NY, we endured about 10 inches.  I could not believe I actually experienced feelings of  'Cabin Fever.'  I couldn't wait for the driveway to be plowed.  A nice apologetic young man came to the door about 12:30am and quickly cleared the snow from the sidewalk and driveway.  I was very grateful. Thanks to this young man, I was able to attend Thanksgiving Dinner with my daughter and her family in Wappingers Falls NY.  It was a very enjoyable afternoon.  The scenes shown above are of their back yard.

During my visit, I was able to attend The Beacon Players' presentation of "Footloose" at The Seeger Theatre at Beacon High School in Beacon, NY.  The actors and crew, all Beacon High School students, did a great job.  The sets and lighting were well designed.  Also, I liked the idea of having tickets with assigned seats.  On another evening, I attended my four year old granddaughter's first dance recital at Beacon High School.  She looked beautiful and did a great job.  Kudo's to the lighting crew for that show, as well.

The day before returning to San Diego, we visited New York City.  My San Diego daughter and grandchildren had come to New York for the 8 year old grandson's birthday.  He wanted to go to the Lego store in New York City.  My Beacon daughter, granddaughter and I went along for the fun.  After taking Metro North to New York City, we headed out into the extremely cold, windy day and proceeded past the New York Public Library at my 11 year old granddaughter's request.  Then on to Toys R Us on Broadway.  There we were joined by my San Diego daughter's good friend and her 8 year old daughter who had already ventured in.  Toys R Us seemed like a massive store.  In the center of the store is what looks like a three story Ferris Wheel.  The seats are replicas of cars.  The store also had huge replicas of The Statue of Liberty, The Empire State Building and a ginormous Dragon, all made of Lego pieces.  The only thing the store could improve on, at least in my opinion, is to have a cafe lounge with specialty coffee for the adults who wait while the families roam through the store and do their shopping.  This cafe should be restricted to age 40 and over.  Since I hopped onto the elevator with a family that was going up one floor, I was present when the family tried to get off on level 3.  They were met by an employee who advised them that the area was not open to the public.  So, Toys R Us seems to have the room.  Everyone in our group enjoyed the store, especially Candy Land.  The younger ones liked the Lego structures. The granddaughters were pleasantly surprised with finding a Clare's tucked in a corner.  So, this store seemed to have something for every child.

For lunch or an early dinner, we went on to Carmine's Restaurant on 44th Street.  Going there is a tradition for my Beacon daughter.  The food was wonderful and served family style. We shared Spaghetti with Meatballs, Penne alla Vodka and Chicken Parmagiana as well as a mixed green salad that was absolutely delicious.

After dinner, we walked to Rockefeller Center, which is a very popular tourist destination, to see the Christmas Tree.  The tree is located adjacent to the skating rink, which is shown to the left.  The statue that overlooks the rink was festively lit (shown to the right).  The huge traditional Christmas Tree is shown below.  We wound our way through the crowds to the Lego store.  After selecting some individual tiny Lego bricks, we completed our New York City visit and returned to Grand Central Terminal to catch the Metro North train for home with a very happy Birthday boy.

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Perhaps by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook) 

The Book of Micah by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook) 

I'm Back in San Diego

This past winter has been quite eventful for me. I was a "Grandma/Nanny" for 10 weeks in New York City as my daughter settled on daycare for her baby. I watched my youngest granddaughter (3 months old) for four days a week, and then on Thursday nights (sometimes Friday morning) I became a commuter to Dutchess County on Metro North, returning to Queens on Sunday. I no sooner arrived in New York, when I found myself with a cold. Coupled with the nineteen (or so) winter storms, I think I bit off more than I could chew.

The baby, on the other hand, was an absolute joy. It was a privilege to watch her grow and emerge as a beautiful, alert little person. The weekends afforded me time with my other New York grandchildren also. Now that I'm back in San Diego, I do miss the New York family. They put up with me saying, "I'm not going outside." They raised their heat so I would be warm. They made sure that their sidewalks and driveways were properly salted so their grandma would not slip. Since all the children ski, it was most likely a stretch to understand their "hot-house" grandma.

As the weather improved toward Spring, I was able to see friends on the weekends. The ice and snow only served to remind me why I live in San Diego. It is my quest to be able to visit both coasts at will, just not New York in dead of the winter.

Weathering the New York Cold

Yesterday, I was in Beacon, NY. The weather was -11 degrees when I woke up. My grandchildren went off to school like hardy souls. I cowered under the covers in a warm family room.

Closer to noon, I braved this cold, cold air and went to the Yankee Clipper Diner in Beacon to prepare for my trip to New York City. After a hearty breakfast meal (even though it was now afternoon), I proceeded to the Metro North station long the Hudson River. Fortified by a good meal, I was beginning to adapt to the cold air and before long the warm train came. I spent the time doing a few crossword puzzles and about an hour and twenty minutes later, arrived at Grand Central Station in New York City. When I got off the train, I stopped by Starbucks for a tall Cafe Mocha to fortify myself against the cold air. Remember, I live in San Diego, CA, where the weather is much nicer.

Then, came the trek to Jackson Heights in Queens, just about a twenty-minute ride on the No. 7 subway (mostly above ground). It gave me a view of the neighborhoods and I was pleased to see that some of the high mounds of snow had lessened. Just in time for some snow showers which fell today, followed by another snow storm coming on Wednesday. Thankfully, I'll be gleefully staying indoors for a few days, playing with my granddaughter.

By the way, did I mention that the words "cold" and "snow" enough?