Celebrating in Canada

Here they are, Katy and Cyril, 41 years ago, and today! All best wishes from your Canadian family!

And They're Done!

Grandma was there to see the last of nine grandchildren graduate from high school, in spite of having just had hip surgery! We were all proud of this young man. The oldest great grandchild is just entering Grade One this year. 2022 seems a long way off, but will probably be here before we know it.

The Nicest Day of the Year - so far!

We headed off with relatives in tow to visit the countryside. Along the way, we saw this car. Apparently there is one just like it in Jolly Old England - right Neil?
The sun shone down on us as we explored places all had seen before, but not for some time. Here we are , cleaning off the family name on a wall of contributors to the historic village.
Posed in front of the octagonal building, which has been brought to the village and renovated since the last visit.
Of course, we visited the Old Church pottery, site of a memorable wedding 63 years ago. And of course, some purchases were made.
Then it was off to glorious Clear Lake. The water was calm, but no warmer than it ever was. No one went swimming!
The Canadian guide explains the intricacies of a disposable camera. Point, shoot, wind.
Relaxing at the golf course. They are smiling, but the mosquitoes are tormenting them. We didn't stay long.
On the way home, we stopped to visit the newest member of the family. Look at how well he sits up! He was full of smiles for everyone.
All in all it was a successful, but short, trip out west. We had fun in spite of not having air conditioning in the rented van! And to all in England, they are all safe and well and will be home soon!

New York, New York!

One of our favourite stops, one we hadn't thought about, was the United Nations Building. We ended up spending about three hours there, and had a tour given by a most knowledgeable young man. The General Assembly was in session, which meant that all the flags were flying and that we saw some delegates entering.
The teachers in us enjoyed seeing this group of children touring and finding answers to their quiz sheets in this hall, which displayed all the former dignitaries.
Children's art on display.
This most beautiful stained glass window is hidden in the foyer, right by the reflection room.
Grandchildren, take note of this piece of sculpture! Here one of the delegates poses for a picture.
This is the meeting area for the General Assembly. "The Interpreter" with Nicole Kidman was filmed here. She worked in box #6 (top right).
Rather than go to the top of the Empire State Building (we already knew Tom Hanks wouldn't be there), we went to the top of the Rockefeller Building. We were advised that the lines were shorter, there was a better view, and we would see the Empire State building from there. And we did.
Central Park as viewed from the top of the building. The address for Rockefeller Centre is 30 Rockefeller Centre (30 Rock - get it?)
Another most impressive and moving sight was Ground Zero. We entered the building above and could view the site from huge windows. It is amazing that nothing else came down. The buildings are very close together, and the streets are former cart paths and are very narrow. I couldn't help but remember the image of all the people running up those narrow streets to try to escape the Twin Towers.
The actual site of the twin towers is being made into cascading waterfalls, with the names of those who died inscribed on the wall surrounding. New buildings are underway beside the original site. It has taken 10 years to get this far, because the structure below the ground was massive, and had to be excavated carefully.

Some of the many plant displays we saw. This one was in the Flower District, a wholesale flower area.
Trump Tower. We went in briefly, but didn't see the comb over.
Wonder if this is connected to the Delucca's we all know and love?
Rockefeller Plaza, the site of the famous skating rink in winter. In summer, it houses seating for surrounding restaurants.
As I said in the last entry, this was a wonderful trip, one I would like to do again. New York is everything the songs say it is - What a wonderful town!

Start Spreadin' the News!

Yes, we made it! We were off to the Big Apple for belated 60th birthday celebrations. This is the first of a couple of entries. Sorry for the delay - life intervened. "The girls" are enjoying a cob of corn in the middle of a 15 block market on Lexington Avenue. No big purchases, but our feet were tired after going from one end to the other.
The view from our 35th floor window at the Helmsley (yes, of Leona Helmsley fame) was of the Empire State Building. It was Fleet Week (lots of sailors in starchy white uniforms wandering about) so this building was red, white, and blue at night.
On our next trip, we will go to a different play or musical every night! This time we settled for one - Wicked - which was wicked! It has been running at the Gershwin Theatre since 2003.
The whole theatre reflects the theme of the musical.
Are these good witches or bad witches?
Another small film was opening while we were there!
In Toys 'R Us in Times Square, there is a five story ferris wheel inside the building. This car has a Toy Story theme. Can you see Woody and Buzz Lightyear?
Times Square is an experience not to be missed. Full of people all the time, especially when the shows all let out at 11. The police presence is huge. We walked home from our play down 42nd street, and didn't feel uneasy at all. Next time as I said - more plays!


A guide told us that only recently have these tables and chairs been set up down the middle of Times Square. Definitely people friendly. Look for future entries on the UN building, the 9/11 site, and just generally more pictures of New York City.