Journey 8A: Big Apple 1...

ROUND TRIP DISTANCE -- 5,347 miles (more or less!)
Overall Journey Dates -- April 22-29, 2016

Cap' n Baldy here!

    New York City ... dubbed The Big Apple by sportswriter John Fitz Gerald back in the 1920's ... also the subject of unending bits of advice given to us by New York-loving friends ... "Ya gotta ride the Staten Island Ferry, ya gotta visit Zabar's Deli up on Broadway and West 80th, ya gotta visit Fat Black Pussycat down in The Village ... all right, already! We love all of you but our poor brains can't take any more suggestions about what to see and do in New York! We don't want to start our New York journey with fried brains!

The Skyline of Manhattan

     This is not our first trip to New York City. However, it has been 10 years since our last visit. I've visited this city a multitude of times while I was working as an engineer, quickly passing through from one place to another. Barbara and I have passed through here when traveling from one continent to another. Once, I endured the city noise while presenting a paper here at the Winter Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
     We plan for this New York visit to be different from any previous encounter. We began to savor the true treasures of this incredible city while visiting with our kids 27 years ago. Our enthusiasm grew when we visited with our daughter Sue 10 years ago ... but we only had one full day to see as much as we could! This time, we have seven days to experience as much New York life as we are able in this period of time!
     This journey is a series of present moments...so I'll be presenting my narrative in several posts in the present tense. Y'all must recognize a couple of important thangs at the outset. Firstly,  I am writing this narrative post-trip when we are both exhilarated and utterly wiped out ... no matter ... we shall still present our narrative in the present tense! Secondly, as this is a big journey for us,  this is a long narrative ... so y'all can read my words or not as y'all wish ... however, y'all MUST scan through Goldilocks' glorious pictures ... I say this this because I love y'all ... now, let's get going!

Thursday, April 21th -- IT'S UPON US! -- We have important "bidness" to do before our departure at 0630 hours tomorrow morning. We have to clean up our place a bit and say hi to our post-knee-surgery granddaughter Laurel. After that, we have to transport our raucous parakeets, Bella and Spike, to their "home away from home ". Barbara has a bit of packing to do as yet. I'm all ready and am impatient to leave! Patience is a virtue I must learn to ceaselessly cultivate!

    Bird Mommies and their Charges -- Bella and Spike with friends, Joey and Eddie ... Thanks to Irene Dunny for caring for our parakeets while we are away!

Friday, April 22nd -- TRANSIT EAST AND ARRIVAL!  --  We are not here to bitch about difficulties in current air travel. We are here to celebrate the courtesy and efficiency shown to us at our airport's Security Checkpoint, our sense of excitement before we depart, the views of our lovely home town from the air ... a procession of little things during our 5-hour journey across our country. Of course, I do have to relate that the Boeing 737 aircraft heating system is not operating correctly and it's damn cold up here at 37,000 feet! We get a blanket to keep us warm! There are things for me to celebrate up here ... cloud fields...starkly beautiful desert where a person would die very quickly if unprotected ... the sight of Goldilocks' lovely blue eyes in the sunlight ... decent coffee, hot and fresh ...

Always Awe-Inspiring!

    Our ride from JFK to our hotel in Manhattan takes TWO HOURS!  A fellow traveler on our shared shuttle bus has a wedding to attend in the Chelsea District ... she will not make it in time ... we now see that the City is alive ... exciting, maddening, exhausting...always edgy and interesting and never boring ...

    New York is a City of Jaywalkers...no one pays heed to Walk Signals ... of course, the locals have a Sixth Sense about when to cross without getting killed...we are more cautious!

 

    I don't wish to over-use the term "home away from home" ... nor do I wish to over-use superlatives... but our accommodations in New York are beyond those we could have ever dreamed of! The Phillips Club in Lincoln Square is an intimate members-only extended stay hotel across 66th Street from the Juilliard School, one block from Lincoln Center, three blocks from Central Park, and 100 yards from the Number 1 train subway station! Through the generosity of Joyce and Bob Blumberg, friends who are members here, we are able to have use of a completely furnished 750-square-foot 1 bedroom apartment in this wonderful hotel for our entire New York visit for next to nothing in cost!!

    Sanctuary! Mary, our room attendant, expertly makes up our room and places Travis and Peaches, our travelin' bears, on our pillow! And to make our life here even better, Gourmet Garage, a really cool grocery and prepared food store, is right next door to our hotel! 

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Saturday, April 23rd -- THE SOUTH END -- The Ritual of Morning Coffee is always the same...I go out and bring coffee back for Barbara and me ...the same daily rite is performed here as at home ... except that our coffee-of-choice here is not Starbuck's ... it is SoHo Blend, brewed fresh at Gourmet Garage! New Yorkers DO coffee and one cup of this luscious dark brew satisfies a person's caffeine requirements all morning!

 

                                                               Reality  by Goldilocks

 

    It is now early morning. The sky is cloudy and rain is probable. We are in Brooklyn at the pedestrian entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge...ready to start our trek across the Brooklyn Bridge to the Borough of Manhattan.

    Immediately, the need for recognition of an important difference between Goldilocks and me becomes very clear. It is to be accepted without question that I am the Navigator. The Way of the Navigator requires that I insure that our party expeditiously and safely cross the bridge ahead of the oncoming rainstorm  ... a steady pace is to be maintained with an alert eye ahead for potential obstacles or hazards... constant awareness of our current position is to be kept at all times ("DON'T step over that white line into the bike lane!") ... a coldly hostile outward gaze is to be aimed at clueless oncoming pedestrians who wander into our path ... are y'all now clear about these indispensable requirements? Good! Let us proceed ...

   It is perhaps no surprise to y'all that the Way of the Navigator is NOT the Way of the Artistic Photographer ... who is Goldilocks. Her Way is Step ... See a picture ... Take a picture ... Step ... See a picture ... Take a Picture! Usually she wins ( a good thing for both of us) unless we are so exhausted that we can't see straight ... then I win. That circumstance comes much later in the day.

     So...we begin our one-and-three-quarter mile hike across the Brooklyn Bridge. Our transit is best expressed in Goldilocks' pictures ...

Light rain starts to fall as we start to cross...



                                           Padlocks are placed on the bridge by love-struck couples ...

 

                                                                Herself by Himself ...

 



                                                               Himself by Herself ... 

 

    Sunshine starts to appear as we enter City Hall Park in Manhattan ... trees are in bloom ... gorgeous beds of tulips line the walkways ...

Blossoms shield a high-high-high-rise residential tower ...

The Flag of the City of New York is flying at City Hall today ... I have a fetish for flags ...

 

          We scuttle through narrow streets of Old New York at the bottom of Manhattan Island . In need of a coffee break, we eschew Starbucks in favor of a little local joint named R & R Coffee. Sipping hairy coffee and sharing a good oatmeal cookie, we survey the passing outside scene ... next to us, a pretty young girl converses in Russian over her cell phone ...

    Trudging onward, we finally reach our immediate goal ... South Street Seaport ... now resurrected into a thriving community of shops, museums, restaurants and recreational activities! 

                                                  I'm TIRED and I want FOOD!!!

    We have lunch at stainless-steel-modern Industry Kitchen along the main Seaport walkway, sitting outside and watching a procession of passersby ...

 

I Hate Running by Barbara Brislin

    Breakfast Pizza -- underneath all that fresh arugula sit three eggs ... I haven't eaten pizza in decades ... until today!

    Barbara's salad lunch looks all VIRTUOUS ... but...she DID take a big share of my pizza!

                                  South Street Seaport is a prime location for ball caps!!

    We make a jagged scurry across the great Financial District of Lower Manhattan ...

           Study in Weirdness with Goldilocks Peeking by Bob Brislin ... taken at the home office of Chase Bank, our personal bank ....

    On to the National 9/11 Memorial and World Trade Center ... we shall spend five hours here on a Viator comprehensive tour of the Memorial, Museum and One World Trade Center ... That event is a major adventure unto itself and shall be covered in our next post ... Stay connected ...

Affectionately,

Baldy
  

 

 

 

  

 

Journey 7: The Crown City ...

ROUNDTRIP MILES -- 58 Miles
EVENT DATES -- April 15-16,2016

Cap' n Baldy here!

    Goldilocks and I have often mused about how very cool it would be to live in Coronado. Of course, the realization of this lovely dream would require a cataclysmic change in our financial status. In short, we'd have to win the Lottery! A 1000 sq. ft. 2 bedroom home will cost about 2 1/2 million dollars! After all, there's no need for us to move  here ... a 30-minute drive from home will bring to this truly charming resort city across the bay from San Diego!

         The city of Coronado as seen from above the San Diego - Coronado Bay Bridge!

The Flag of the City of Coronado

     The word "Coronado" in Spanish means "the crowned one". Hence, this inviting city of 25,000 received its nickname "The Crown City". It's also called "Emerald City" because of its long association with the color of green...as is evident, of course, in the city flag and high school colors!

    I had always thought of Coronado as being a peninsula separating San Diego Bay from the Pacific Ocean. I learned today, from my cyber-guru Wikipedia, that this ain't so! I'm here to tell all y'all that Coronado is, indeed, an island connected to the mainland by a "tombolo" ... a skinny mound of sand. In this case, the "tombolo" is known as the Silver Strand ... one of our favorite biking routes of years past!

      This city is the scene of more of our communal history than we can possibly relate in this blog! It has been the scene of our bike rides, boat rides, half-marathons,  anniversary meals and many excursions to one of the finest beaches in the world! We live with the distant memory of overnight stays at the quirky-majestic Hotel Del Coronado for about 50 bucks a night. I remember awesome fireworks displays, warm poppy-seed muffins and a memorable July 4th parade! We brought our "kids", now in their mid-40's, here as infants and small children!

The Hotel Del Coronado...affectionately known as "The Del"

    The Leow's Coronado Bay Hotel sits on the Silver Strand, about halfway between Coronado and the city of imperial Beach. This is one of our favorite places, one we discovered while on a  bike ride along the Silver Strand. We have chosen it now as the retreat where we shall spend the actual day and hour of our 50th wedding anniversary . This is the place of the present time and I shall therefore use the present tense in this blog post ...

Leow's Coronado Bay Resort Hotel

    It is Friday noon ... we arrive at our hotel ... a major convention of architects and real estate developers is in full fury here...the lobby is a swirl of suits, heels, omnipresent smart phones, edgy conversation ... everyone is striding the Power Walk of high ambition...

Cap' n Baldy doing what he does supremely well ...paying for lunch!

   Our upgraded room is a true sanctuary ... an enormous king-size bed, a man-eating chair, a clear view across San Diego Bay...Goldilocks watches an auto carrier ship unload cars across the bay in Chula Vista ...

   The Coronado Flower Show is a major happening now! We stroll by lovely old homes decorated with gorgeous flowers ...

 

   Goldilocks has told me of her concern that our blog may be too SWEET-sounding...that is, it doesn't portray the true gritty reality of two people living together for as long as we have! Don't y'all worry yer pretty heads about THAT, little darlin's! We'll give y'all the grit as it shows up from time to time! Stay tuned in! Next week, we'll be in New York City which is MUCH more stressful than Coronado...

 

   We stroll through downtown, stopping for a light dinner. It's an affable place. The Greenpeace folks are drumming up support on Orange Avenue...a bunch of old guys are discussing their golf game...teen-age girls chatter continuously at a table behind us ...

   Goldilocks takes a Grand Self-Portrait at poolside as poor ole Baldy struggles at taking our luggage to our room ...

   Sunset ... that spectacular moment that eclipses the strident aggressive hum of conventioneers at the hotel bar ...



   A warm fire cuts the evening chill ... Goldilocks is happy ... across from us, a friendly pair of young doggy-mommies dote on their miniature charges ... little white something-or-others ... night affectionately settles in upon us ...

    It is dawn...the rising sun casts a sublime gold shimmer on the surface of the bay. Starbucks in hand, Baldy is attired in his Anniversary Day garment... his often-worn tee shirt from Saint Petersburg, Russia ... faded black-gray...rumpled...the Queen is not amused ...this is not good! Goldilocks casts a cold imperious eye on my clueless fashion sense ... a change is needed ... now! 



Granddaughter Laurel, Daughter Sue and Son Dan indulging

in a bit of  flagrant excess -- Molten Lava Cake at Peohe's after a spectacular bayside lunch...

Two of my favorite Beauties enjoying life...

A late morning stroll at Leow's Coronado Bay Resort ...

After lunch at Peohe's with the San Diego skyline behind us!

 

Here's a bit of family PERSPECTIVE for all of us to be AWARE of....

Susan, Bob, Barbara, Dan...THEN...

Susan, Bob, Barbara, Dan ...NOW ...

 

    Ya gotta have a sense of HUMOR as you grow old! We used to be in CHARGE! Now, look at us!

 

    Goldilocks and I will be in church tomorrow morning...we are singing in the choir and the word is out that the Flower Guild has created a stupendous floral arrangement in honor of our 50th anniversary...

Here 'tis!

And so ... 50 years ago today ... it all began ...

 

   Thus pass the hours and the day of our 50th wedding anniversary! The words that sum up this experience for me rest in this short line by e.e. cummings ... "i thank YOU GOD for this most Amazing Day!"

 

   In the words of "The Parting Glass", my favorite Irish Song ... Good Night and Joy be with you all!

 

POST-SCRIPTS--Dated April 17th, 2016 :

    Our 13-year-old fire-in-the-belly granddaughter Ella and daughter-in-law Teri could not join us for our Coronado celebration. They were up in Ventura, where Ella participated in Olympic Development Program soccer tryouts. On Tuesday, April 19th, Laurel will undergo knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament...good thoughts and prayers are most appreciated!

    Here are a pair of THEN and NOW  shots we have added because they are ... well ... cute...

Ella, Bob and Laurel THEN ...

Ella, Bob and Laurel NOW ...

 

Teri and Ella ...

   Goldilocks was OBSESSED about adding this cute picture of Ella and Frankie ... stressing to me that Frankie is also a part of our family!

 

    Until the next journey ... in New York City!  

 

   Stay well, beloveds, and know you are loved ....

 

   Affectionately,

 

   Baldy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journey 6: Be of Love ...

ROUND TRIP DISTANCE -- 53 MILES
Event Date -- April 7, 2016

Cap 'n Baldy here!

    In the Beginning was the PLAN...
    And the PLAN WAS ...that...
    ...while Goldilocks was taking her dance class at Liberty Station, I would be bopping around Point Loma, frenetically taking cool pictures of the Cabrillo Lighthouse and other San Diego points of interest. However, the Designer of All Processes had a conflicting idea! In short ... HE made it rain! We need rain and we are grateful for rain but it did screw up our carefully conceived plan! Instead, I lay back in my car in a steady downpour on Shelter Island, looking over the downtown skyline through a misty haze. The raisins and raw almonds in my snack pack tasted wonderful. All in all, it was a beautiful, restful experience.
     I'll show all y'all what I was SUPPOSED to be doing, had this day been bright and sunny. I was supposed to take a current wow-shot or two of the San Diego skyline from the Cabrillo National Monument at the end of Point Loma! Oh well ... as a consolation prize, all y'all will receive the shot Barbara took in January while our Atlanta friends were visiting...

                                                Aren't you appropriately impressed?!


    Corita Kent was an artist, social activist, and Catholic nun who was very active during the turmoil and creative ferment of the 1960's. She taught art for 30 years at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles. Strongly influenced by the art of Andy Warhol and poetry of e.e. cummings, she saw the artistic potential in everyday things and she shared a strong message of love. She died of cancer in 1986.

Painted in 1967 ... Text is by e.e. cummings ...

    Love Postage Stamp -- 1985 ... About 700 million of these stamps have been sold, making it one of the most popular stamps in U.S. Postal Service history!

 

    We had an interesting adventure today with Corita Kent's art work. An affectionate celebration of her art work is now being held in Founder's Hall on the campus of the Catholic-run University of San Diego (USD). I had not visited this gorgeous campus since the time I played here with an orchestra performing Tschaikovsky's 1812 Overture! That would have been well over 40 years ago!

   We joined old friends Larry and Rose Barlock on-campus to see Corita's art work, enhanced by an excellent, informative lecture by Jeffrey Burns, Director of the Harpst Center for Catholic Thought and Culture. Rose is our art guru and a passionate fan of Corita's work ...  

    "Read the Fine Print" on the Template for her 1985 Postage Stamp ... it says "Love ... is hard work"!

Two Messages in One ...

Power Up ... an altar display in the 1960's ...

      Sister Corita objected to solemn portrayals of the Virgin Mary in traditional church art. She saw Mary as a passionate, alive woman who "sings, runs, wears orange and does her shopping at the local supermarket". Her art REALLY pissed off Cardinal James McIntyre, the ultra-conservative Archbishop of Los Angeles. He declared the work a blasphemy and continued to wage an ongoing war against the art work of Corita and her progressive order of nuns.

 

     All in all, this has been one full day of activity for Barbara and me! Prior to the Corita Kent art show, I joined Barbara for lunch, along with Diana Griggs and Margaret McKerrow, two members of Barbara's modern dance group and friends of long standing. We ate at the  very cool San Diego Yacht Club, a place of history for us. Barbara and I have been most fortunate in having friends who are members of this club...friends who took us on numerous sailing adventures around San Diego Bay! Diana and Margaret are both published poets and engaging, literate women with a wide range of interests. The rain continued to steadily fall during our lunch ...

 

A Rainbow at the Yacht Club!

   After lunch, we drove to the nearby Westminster Hall, our past center for our theatrical activities. Barbara has been choreographing a modern dance to honor the 50th wedding anniversary of Dr. Mikel Taxer, her former teacher, and his wife, Carolyn. This dance is choreographed to "There is Love" by Noel Paul Stookey of the vocal group Peter, Paul and Mary. Eight members of her dance group, including Diana and Margaret, will be on hand to participate in  order to honor Mikel. My job was to video the dance for the group's critique and for posterity. I was - and am - in awe of the work of love these women have created together! Of course, my eyes are continually on Barbara as she dances! That's my joy and my job! I'm good at this job!

 

    On the USD campus, Barbara and I were impressed that many students were extraordinarily helpful in assisting us in finding our way to our destinations. After the art show, Barbara had arranged for us to have dinner with Larry and Rose at La Gran Terrazza, a very fine, upscale restaurant on campus. We had a window-side table where diners would enjoy sunsets on a clear day. A lingering dinner, well served, in the presence of good friends ... what a way to end a memorable day! Barbara and I each recommend the Seared Flat Iron Steak dinner ...

                                                  It's the Little Things that Count!



 

    Thanks for sticking with us on this journey, beloveds! Until next time, stay connected and stay well!

 

Affectionately,

 

Baldy

         Himself at USD Founders Hall ... Now I ask ye ...isn't this a fine-looking mature gentleman?

 

POST SCRIPT -- APRIL 10, 2016 ... Our next blog entry will be from Coronado, where we will spend April 16th, the actual day of our anniversary ... please stay connected!