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| Everyone has one. What's the big fuss? |
Ever since I arrived back in Newburyport, MA a few weeks
ago, life has been busy. With the Wirie business, with family and friends, with
some errands, with doctors’ visits and boat dealings. It is all part of an
engaged landlubber’s life, together with the hot, pressurized showers,
unlimited water and electricity supply and reliable internet. The modern US
stores are well-stocked and diverse as ever and the goods very affordable, but
I am not allowing myself to be seduced by the consumerism, commercialism and
climate control of the western world. Yet. I am still bravely fighting the
convenience and attraction of it all, whether it is a nice looking pair of
shoes, a dramatized news program on TV, a tempting and inexpensive bottle of
dark rum, a $2 bag of kettle chips, a running tap to brush my teeth, massively
wrapped products causing heaps of garbage, a cheap haircut or a fancy looking,
slick and slippery Smart Phone! To be totally honest, the bag of chips was
irresistible, and I
am enjoying my
comfortable daily showers… But, what is wrong with a normal (to me) phone these
days? They call them “dumb” phones, but at least they worked and I never messed
things up each time I touched one! And why do all the air conditioners have to turn
every room or store into a freezer?
All those adaptation problems aside, Mark and I went to Dana Farber Hospital in Boston a few
times for some cancer check-ups. So far, so good, which we are happy and
relieved about. There are a couple more to come over the summer, but by the
fall, we hope he will be declared healthy… until the next follow-up appointments.
The weekends have been packed with visits to friends, while
the weekdays are spent with Mark’s parents Carol and Stan, and our computers. We also managed
to hang out with our twin nieces, who have changed tremendously in the year we
have been back to the boat. “All of a sudden” they walk (or better: run) and
talk!!
The highlight of the past weeks, was our visit to New York
City. Mark and I rented a car for a week, to make our trip and subsequent
doctors’ visits more comfortable, easy and efficient. After a first night with
our dear brother-in-law Brian in Greenwich, CT, we managed to park the car for
free in the upper west side of Manhattan on a shady, wide road. From there, we
took the metro downtown (30’ ride, $2.75 a person), where we met our cruising
friends Sim and – my BFF - Rosie (SV Wandering Star, moored in Port Washington
on Long Island) and Mark from SV Sealife (moored in the 79
th Street
boat basin). Together we walked the streets of lower Manhattan and visited the
extensive, well-done and touching 9/11 Memorial Museum. The spectacular new One
World Trade Center had us in awe as well.
The five of us ate our grocery store bought lunch on a bench
with a nice view of the Statue of Liberty and the Jersey shore line, before
exploring Battery Park and Wall Street. The bull of Wall Street was very
popular with tourists, his balls and nostrils a shiny, less coppery color, and
Trinity Church exuded peace and quiet enlightened with a purple haze. Since we
were all pretty tired from walking around all day, and 5pm was approaching, we
rode uptown to find Jake’s Dilemma, a great little bar with an irresistible
happy hour: pitchers of beer were $8 ($9 for the guys’ preferred Samuel Adams
draft) and a glass of house wine sold for $3.50! Not bad for a Manhattan
evening out…
We said our goodbyes to Mark, who had been a helpful and fun
tour guide, and took our rental to Port Washington, where we spent two nights on
SV Wandering Star. Sim and Rosie prepared a delicious dinner and it did feel
nice to sleep on a boat again. On Saturday, we explored a bit of Long Island
and walked the circular trail of Hempstead Lake State Park. At night, our hosts
treated us to a wonderful Mediterranean meal in the center of town. Our last
day together was enjoyed in Brooklyn. The massive Greenwood Cemetery was more
impressive than the Brooklyn brewery, but we all had a great time nevertheless.
Mark and I hugged our beloved friends farewell in the Botanical Gardens, before
dropping them off at the train station, with a promise to meet again in a year
or so. If I get sailboat, warm weather or BFF withdrawal, I will be more than
happy to visit them in the Bahamas this winter!!!
Before we headed back to Newburyport, the two of us stayed
in Greenwich again for two nights. Brian took us to Woodstock on Monday, to
visit an alternative healer and see a bit of the famous town and cemetery. We
had a yummy Mexican lunch and finished the day with a swim in the delightful
pool on the grounds Brian maintains. I love how it stays light out until 8pm
during the summer in New England. Soon, I am off to Belgium for two months,
where the days last another two hours longer. Yay!
Newburyport:
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| Niece Jo, niece Chelsea and me, 10+ years older - I fit right in! :-) |
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| Carol's garden and one floor up, our balcony |
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| We gave the twins backpacks from New Zealand; they wore them the whole afternoon while playing |
Uxbridge:
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| Our friends Denise and Ryan hosted a fantastic BBQ again for us and Mark's group of college friends (+ family) - fun for young and old |
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| Mark being cooled off by Elaina |
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| Water pistol fight - Mark was attacked from all sides! |
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| Water fight with the kids |
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| Pool games to escape the heat |
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| The girls: Elsa, Denise, Jen, Holly and me |
Manhattan:
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| The new and spectacular One World Trade Center in NYC, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere |
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| Left over underground wall and foundation of the Twin Towers - 9/11 Museum |
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| Steel beam where one of the planes hit the Twin Towers - 9/11 Museum |
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| One of the firetrucks that was demolished during the horrible terrorist attack - 9/11 Museum |
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| Having a snack with Sim and Rosie after hours of indoor walking |
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| Two impressive fountains/monuments have been built in the exact location where the Twin Towers once stood - Ground Zero |
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| One of the two fountain monuments near the 9/11 Museum |
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| Mark, Rosie, Sim and Mark, ready to make lower Manhattan unsafe |
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| Statue of Liberty seen from our lunch spot |
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| Having lunch in front of the Hudson River and the New Jersey shoreline |
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| Skyline of Manhattan near Battery Park |
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| Castle Clinton in Battery Park |
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| Manhattan, seen from the castle |
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| The Wall Street Bull, popular with tourists, in the front... |
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| ... and in the back |
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| Historic Trinity Church, surrounded by skyscrapers |
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| Fun times with great friends at Jake's Dilemma, near 79th Street |
Long Island:
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| Yummy shrimp fajitas for dinner on SV Wandering Star |
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| Hempstead Lake in the State Park of the same name |
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| Rule #1 on Wandering Star: Do not enter with dirty feet! (Baby wipes are provided.) |
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| Rosie's beautiful collection of Caribbean found sea glass |
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| Dinner out in a nice Mediterranean restaurant (Port Washington) - Watch your food, Rosie! |
Brooklyn:
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| Impressive graves and mausoleums in Greenwood Cemetery |
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| A very peaceful setting for a picnic lunch |
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| Greenwood Cemetery is so big that you need a car to drive around and two people to navigate! |
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| Rosie on a hill in Greenwood Cemetery |
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| Big and modern mausoleum |
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| The inside of the mausoleum is very modern, comfortable and airy - it feels like a hotel for deceased people and is quite a place |
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| Extensive Greenwood Cemetery |
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| Manhattan's skyline, with the new Trade Center, seen from the cemetery |
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| Typical Brooklyn scene: children playing in the fire hydrant on a hot day |
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| Crowded tour of the Brooklyn Brewery |
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| Rosie and Liesbet in the Botanical Gardens of Brooklyn |
Greenwich:
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| Eggs and Brian's magical and healthy shake for breakfast |
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| Happy Sophie, a joy to be around! |
Woodstock:
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| Church in the town of Woodstock, NY |
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| Main Street is lined with guitars |
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| Looking for a place to have lunch in the cute town center |
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| Tourist information center and a "child of Woodstock" in the frame |
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Woodstock Cemetery
|
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| The grave of Levon Helm, the drummer of The Band and one of Brian's heroes. Brian cleaned the grave site and painted the fence out of appreciation and respect for the musician |
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| Zen Buddhist Temple in Woodstock |
Boston:
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| Driving into Boston for cancer check-ups for Mark |
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| Harvard Medical School in the hospital area |
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| "Water park" in the Greenway - the twins love it! |
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| Lily and Cera enjoy playing in and along the water fountains |
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| Cera playing in the fountain on a warm summer day |
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| Kristen and Mark's brother Tim (and Suzy, Mick, and the twins) had us over for a scrumptious dinner |
All those adaptation problems aside, Mark and I went to Dana Farber Hospital in Boston a few
times for some cancer check-ups. So far, so good, which we are happy and
relieved about. There are a couple more to come over the summer, but by the
fall, we hope he will be declared healthy… until the next follow-up appointments.
The highlight of the past weeks, was our visit to New York
City. Mark and I rented a car for a week, to make our trip and subsequent
doctors’ visits more comfortable, easy and efficient. After a first night with
our dear brother-in-law Brian in Greenwich, CT, we managed to park the car for
free in the upper west side of Manhattan on a shady, wide road. From there, we
took the metro downtown (30’ ride, $2.75 a person), where we met our cruising
friends Sim and – my BFF - Rosie (SV Wandering Star, moored in Port Washington
on Long Island) and Mark from SV Sealife (moored in the 79th Street
boat basin). Together we walked the streets of lower Manhattan and visited the
extensive, well-done and touching 9/11 Memorial Museum. The spectacular new One
World Trade Center had us in awe as well.
The five of us ate our grocery store bought lunch on a bench
with a nice view of the Statue of Liberty and the Jersey shore line, before
exploring Battery Park and Wall Street. The bull of Wall Street was very
popular with tourists, his balls and nostrils a shiny, less coppery color, and
Trinity Church exuded peace and quiet enlightened with a purple haze. Since we
were all pretty tired from walking around all day, and 5pm was approaching, we
rode uptown to find Jake’s Dilemma, a great little bar with an irresistible
happy hour: pitchers of beer were $8 ($9 for the guys’ preferred Samuel Adams
draft) and a glass of house wine sold for $3.50! Not bad for a Manhattan
evening out…
We said our goodbyes to Mark, who had been a helpful and fun
tour guide, and took our rental to Port Washington, where we spent two nights on
SV Wandering Star. Sim and Rosie prepared a delicious dinner and it did feel
nice to sleep on a boat again. On Saturday, we explored a bit of Long Island
and walked the circular trail of Hempstead Lake State Park. At night, our hosts
treated us to a wonderful Mediterranean meal in the center of town. Our last
day together was enjoyed in Brooklyn. The massive Greenwood Cemetery was more
impressive than the Brooklyn brewery, but we all had a great time nevertheless.
Mark and I hugged our beloved friends farewell in the Botanical Gardens, before
dropping them off at the train station, with a promise to meet again in a year
or so. If I get sailboat, warm weather or BFF withdrawal, I will be more than
happy to visit them in the Bahamas this winter!!!
Before we headed back to Newburyport, the two of us stayed
in Greenwich again for two nights. Brian took us to Woodstock on Monday, to
visit an alternative healer and see a bit of the famous town and cemetery. We
had a yummy Mexican lunch and finished the day with a swim in the delightful
pool on the grounds Brian maintains. I love how it stays light out until 8pm
during the summer in New England. Soon, I am off to Belgium for two months,
where the days last another two hours longer. Yay!
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