Joan and the Lake

While visiting with his parents in Buffalo this past September, Jeff and I had the opportunity to go to the theatre in the postcard pretty town of Niagara on the Lake, Canada. It is about an hours drive from Buffalo. Felt funny having to bring your passport to get into Canada but these are different times. On a lovely September evening we attended The Shaw Festival production of Saint Joan. Light hearted fare it was not but very very well done. I really enjoyed it and what a great theatre!

Prior to curtain up we walked around NOTL a bit (Niagara On The Lake- to those in the know!) and then had an interesting do- it- yourself dinner at The Tetley. We each ordered a selection of meats to cook on individual hot polished stones. The raw meats were then brought to our table with a selection of dipping sauces which we cooked ourselves on our little stones, (with potatoes and veggies that we didn’t have to thankfully also cook). I am normally not a fan of meals where I have to do the work (I like my clams out of the shells on my pasta, thank you very much!) but this was fun and felt vaguely healthy. We skipped the fondue dessert. I guess we were exhausted by then! It was definitely a different type of meal. Still we didn't have to do the dishes! It was then onto the theatre.....

Saint Joan, was written in 1923, by George Bernard Shaw shortly after the Roman Catholic Church canonized Joan of Arc. The play is based on what is known of her life and is the personification of the tragic heroine. A very tough part to play and many have failed. Succeed with this one and you can call your self a real actress. Tara Rosling as Joan did a fine job with the role and I think Jeff managed to stay awake most of the time. Poor guy, he has to sleep when he can! I won't even mention the passport mix up story.....

Grounds for Sculpture

While visiting Staten Island, I went to lunch and had an art outing in NJ. Scoff as you may at the thought of there being culture in NJ - it does exist. The old NJ State Fairgrounds has done something very unique with its old buildings and landscaping.They made it into an art center. Opening in 1992, the Grounds for Sculpture occupies about thirty-five acres of land providing a beautiful setting for art. Who knew? After a very nice lunch in Rats restaurant with Aunt Fran, Uncle Joe, my cousin Linda and her energetic daughter Kate (whom I absolutely adore!) we strolled through the grounds on a very warm summer afternoon. What a fabulous place. If you are ever near Hamilton,NJ you must go. The grounds are immaculately manicured and the art varied. There is something for everyone.

Sweet Deanna

One of the main reasons for my trip to the US was to attend a Sweet 16 party for someone I am especially fond of; my cousin Denise’s daughter Deanna. Dee is one of the nicest kids you would ever want to meet. Not only is she sweet, beautiful, funny and very genuine: she is an excellent dancer and knows how to pose for a picture. When I am in NYC I never miss a chance to visit the A family. They always make me feel welcome and it is always great to be with them, (Thanks to Ebby who gives up her bed for me!)
Deanna, sister Ebby along with their mom visited my home in London this past summer and we went on to have a blast in Ireland (more on this later!). While in Ireland, Deanna taught us the Chicken Noodle Soup dance, a feat I got to repeat at the party ( I should have practiced more!)

A lovely hall in Brooklyn, my cousin Denise and her husband Donald put on an excellent party with a Mardi Gras theme. Deanna looked princess like in her dress and tiara. Jeff and I were honored when we were asked to light one of the candles on her birthday cake.The food and music was terrific but the best part was the in-gathering of family members. It was great to share memories and laugh again with cousins Bruce, Cindy and George. It was a night that went by much too quickly.

George, Bruce & Jeff

George and Terry

Brother & Sister: Uncle Austin & Aunt Rose

Uncle Austin, Bruce & Aunt Ro!

Back in the saddle again - well almost.

It has taken me a week to get back into my life in London and start writing this blog again. I have been in the USA with family and friends since the end of August. What a time it was! I traveled to NYC, Long Island, Buffalo, Florida, Canada and Texas.(I even spent the better part of a day in the Nashville Airport). I caught up with family and some very special friends. I had a great time partying, shopping and visiting. I celebrated my 28th wedding anniversary in St. Augustine, Florida and the birthdays of four people whom I hold very dear.

I managed to spend a lot of money shopping for a new floor for the Venice House, clothes and other shiny things! I should own stock in National Car rental and Jetblue airlines!

Life was not without it’s heartbreak though as I witnessed the complete collapse of the NY Mets, gained about 10 pounds, watched the Tottenham Hotspurs collapse into 17^th place in the tables and Lewis Hamilton lose the F1 championship. I am off sports for a while, this hasn't been my year! I also missed my daughter moving into her first house.

Life such as it is! I miss NYC but I am glad to be back in London where my daughters and cats reside!

Minnie Ears and Fast Cars

Casting about for something to do on Saturday, Jeff and I went to the Magic Kingdom. Yes, you heard me right, the Magic Kingdom. I swore I would never return to another Disney property. We were unable to go to Key West for the weekend and went to Epcot instead. I am not sure how we arrived at this decision but off we went!

After paying an outrageous charge to get in Epcot, we were very hungry. We headed to the World Showcase pavilion of Germany. Yes, it was just like being in Germany (sic!). It was bratwurst and sauerkraut for us! Epcot was surprisingly empty for a Saturday but it was September after all. The kids had gone back to school and the place was practically deserted. Lucky for us!

Our first stop was the Test Track. What a better ride for a F1 fan? The ride was closed for some reason so we opted for a Fastpass timed ticket for later and headed onto to other things. This fastpass thing is good I guess, You insert your park ticket into a machine and it gives you a return time so you don’t have to wait on the longer lines with the people who didn’t get a fastpass ticket!

We then visited the Universe of Energy. We took a ride with Ellen DeGeneres and went back into the dinosaur era to you guessed it, talk about Energy. It was very well done. We particularly enjoyed the robot copy of Ellen fighting with a dinosaur.

We checked back at the Test Track to find it operating again and got on the queue. Ok, I am not your average roller coaster fan but this was fun. We got in little cars and took a ride that simulated a car being tested. Cute. The last part was a car fan’s heaven, going very fast around a twisted track. Your picture is taken at the end as you sit there looking tired and disheveled. We went back later with our fastpass to do it again.

Our next adventure was Mission: Space. A mission to Mars. It was pretty silly; we opted for the milder version as it was the shorter line! We were jolted around through lift off, a meteor belt and a crash landing. Yipee! Jeff got to play the pilot and had to push some button. I missed my cue as the navigator all together.

We then shopped because you are required and compelled before you leave the park to buy something. I bought a cute head piece of Minnie ears. You will see me on Halloween wearing this.

Our last attraction would be the Seas with Nemo and Friends. I think this was my favourite attraction of the day. The ride itself was pretty lame on seashell clamobiles but the aquariums were really cool. At the end of the ride you walked around two story aquariums. There was actually a group diving in the tanks while we watched.

By this time we had spent about 7 hours in the park and it was time to get out. I had had enough of little kids. I had forgotten what it was like to be around them. There were some really cute little girls walking around in princess costumes though. Enough was enough though. We took a little ride on the monorail and headed out and back to Venice. I think it will be quite a while before we do that again!

Caiprinhas and Dominoes

On Tuesday, I drove 3 hours across Florida to visit and spend the night at Lynn’s on the Atlantic coast. Holly would be driving up from her Florida house to meet us. It was an easy but boring drive and I had something to look forward to. Lynn’s house is really lovely and she is the epitome of southern hospitality.
The three of us had a really nice lunch in the historic district of Melbourne and then did a little browsing in the shops. After lunch and dodging raindrops we paid a visit to Lynn’s condo to see the mosaic piece she had worked on for a year in London before she returned to the US. I was really looking forward to seeing it installed and it was as spectacular as I thought it would be. What a masterpiece! Lynn and Holly turned me on to a store called Tuesday Morning where we spent quite a bit of time entertaining ourselves and then had coffee at a nearby Barnes and Noble. I had a great evening meal of crab cakes at a local fish restaurant and we then headed back to Lynn’s for an evening of dominoes and Caiprinhas. Lynn has become quite proficient at making them but 2 is my limit. I could hardly see the numbers on the dominoes by glass 2! After breakfast the next morning, I bid a fond farewell to my friends and headed back to Venice. Oh yes, I did buy a thing or two while I was there and lost big time at Mexican dominoes!

Connetquot River - Saturday Night

Jeff arrived in the US on Saturday afternoon and we drove out to Long Island to have dinner with Steve and Donna. They are always fun to be with. We had originally planned to drive out to the Hamptons but changed our minds and settled on the lovely waterfront Snapper Inn in Oakdale. Located on the Connetquot River it was a relaxing place to have cocktails on a summer evening. Thank God Steve changed his shirt from that Nascar thing!

The Brooklyn Cyclones

On Friday September 7th I attended a Brooklyn Cyclones game at KeySpan Park just off the boardwalk on Coney Island with my cousins Denise and Donald. What a great night under the parachute drop. Talk about your field of dreams experience. It was one of those perfect nights to be at a baseball game – relaxed and warm under clear skies. The stadium was filled with families; there was no violence, no drunks – just people out for a good time in an all-American setting with their kids. Hotdogs and beer. It was all there. The Cyclones are a minor league baseball team in the single "A" New York - Penn League, affiliated with the New York Mets. It was the final regular season game (a 5-4 victory over the Lowell Spinners), and the Cyclones set an all time single game attendance record of 10,073. Nothing miraculous happened – not great baseball but it made me very homesick for America.


It was also Brooklyn Bridge bobble head night. Quite a thing and Donald was kind enough to make sure I went home with one! A descendant of Charlie Ebbet threw out the ceremonial first ball. How poetic.

Brooklyn and baseball go a long way back and unfortunately there has been no professional baseball in the borough since the Dodgers (National League) had left Ebbets Field for California in the 1950’s. The story of this desertion has been written about at length, you can find many articles on the internet and websites dedicated to Ebbets field. Brooklyn mourned the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn. The nostalgia is unbelievable. They are still mourning! The Dodgers won pennants 1953, 1955 and 1956. I was born the year the Dodgers won the 1955 World Series (the first and only world title in Brooklyn Dodger history) and I know there are members of my family who remember my age by it. Jackie Robinson became the first black man in the 20th century to play in Major League Baseball in Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947. Brooklyn is very proud of that but the Dodgers left for California and Ebbets Field was demolished in 1960. In 1964 the Mets become a new baseball franchise, not in Brooklyn but in Queens. I went to my first professional baseball game at Shea Stadium that opening week (thanks to Denise’s father George) and have been a Mets fan ( I know….!) ever since.