We all know when Drake and I go to New York City, one of our favorite stops is the Metropolitan Art Museum. Well, this time in addition to the magnificent Christmas tree
Jalyss at Large
Thursday, January 18, 2024
2023 - Metropolitan Museum of Art - Manet and Degas
Saturday, December 9, 2023
Christmas Letter - 2023
Usually I write my Christmas letter on word processing, print out 40 of them, and include them in Christmas cards. Well, not this year. I'm doing the letter 'new style'.
We've finally made up our minds to move to the East Coast. We've been waffling and waffling thinking our kiddos would come to their senses and move west of the Mississippi. Our four month summer trip to western Virginia and pretty much all of North Carolina was to investigate other possible East Coast locations other than Richmond. Well, we loved Asheville. Apparently, who doesn't. It's a great climate, and it's incredibly beautiful with green everything. It's a two hour flight to NYC with five flights a day. On the negative side, the housing market is not only expensive, but also the tightest market I've ever seen. Plus, there's no train service.
One of my jobs is finding possible houses to buy. I've expanded my search to Fredericksburg, Virginia, a town of 28,000 that is 50 miles south of Washington D.C. and 50 miles north of Richmond. I know all the advantages of Richmond since I lived there for a few months. Fredericksburg is an hour from the Richmond airport; 1 1/4th hours from Dulles, and is on the Amtrak lines that run in the northeast corridor. It's a five hour train ride to Penn Station. It's also the home of James Monroe's presidential library. (I have to throw in these little tidbits. It's a knee jerk reaction.)
I've been following the Asheville, Richmond and Fredericksburg housing markets all summer and fall so I can get a feel for the various neighborhoods and understand the pricing. One of the Fredericksburg attractions is it is an area of 55+ communities including a mature one that Del Webb (founder of Sun City) built just west of Fredericksburg. The other center of condo communities is south of Richmond. We'd really like a condo (called 'townhouses' in the East) because the association would be doing the outdoor maintenance. Drake has done ALL the yardwork he ever wants to do after the Hurst house and the gigantic oak trees.
We just signed a listing agreement for the Sun City house, and it will go on the market 1/2/2024. In October we cleaned out this house. In November we packed up the CLUTTER. That's what Drake called all my stuff, and I have not let him forget it for an instant. December 1st we stored 1/3rd of the house - 50 tubs and some odds and ends of furniture. Our purpose is to stage the house. Now, we are doing a major clean of everything. The carpet cleaners come 12/19, so cleaning, painting, etc. has to be done by then. When we sell, we will store the rest of the Sun City stuff and head East. When we buy another house (our 9th), we'll send for all our stuff including the stored CLUTTER.
Within two weeks of our announcement we were moving, the kiddos made the announcement they were buying a house in Cobble Hill. (Suburb of Brooklyn which is one neighborhood south of the Manhattan battery.) We are thrilled for them. Our son-in-law has become a transplanted New Yorker. He loves everything about the city. Our daughter enjoys the city, but not the tight NY apartments with their tiny square footages. She grew up in Hurst, suburbia between Fort Worth and Dallas. The new house is a suburban house transplanted to the Big Apple. They say it's a 10 year house since it sits only 2 blocks from the good elementary school our grandson already attends. The new house is 2300 square feet with a laundry room and outdoor space. Ironically, it's in a remodeled church building. I haven't seen the house in person yet, but I think it was taken down to the outer walls and completely rebuilt inside. That means new plumbing, wiring, central air, and central heat as well as all new appliances. So much better than dealing with a brownstone built in 1889.
I've written about our trip to North Carolina this past summer, so if you missed those blogs, you can just circle back. We took time out of being busy house bees to take a Thanksgiving cruise. Here's something funny. We've taken three different cruises on Holland America, and we've only seen one ship - the Koningsdam. I teased the crew their company really only has one boat. Last Thanksgiving we left from San Diego and went south into Mexico. This year we left from San Diego and went north up the coast of California. Holland America arbitrarily cancelled two ports of call (Santa Barbara and Monterey) substituting a Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico (trashy border town).
We loved Catalina. We rented a golf cart and tooled around for a couple of hours, bought some t-shirts and an excellent magnet. Catalina Island is an interesting place. There are several plants and animals which are only found on the island. Big controversy is the Conservation Commission wants to kill off the mule deer which were imported at the turn of the century. They are destroying native plants and overrunning the island. Naturally, there's a 'save Bambi' group opposed to the kill off. Here are the pictures of the island:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/hn3wDZMmoGvrVwzo6
San Francisco is a city we know very well. Not only have we visited several time, but we lived in Berkley (across the bay) for a summer. However, we have never sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. That was thrilling, and to me, the visual highlight of the cruise.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QGVF1nxHCg2Yw85u6
I was disappointed because the day we were there was the day of the week most of the museums (Asian, DeYoung, Legion of Honor, etc.) are closed. We really didn't care because we spent the day with one of our dearest young friends - we alternate between calling him our pseudo son and our Godson. He lives in downtown San Francisco. He rented a car and continually dropped us off at our next attraction while he parked. Like Drake, he's concerned about my mobility. We did go to the top of Russian Hill and to various neighborhoods tourists rarely visit. Drake is still rocking his Texas Rangers cap. See the pictures.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/WhBjmTSqD5NXss4M7
We did manage to go to a couple of museums - one of which was terrific. We saw the Cable Car Museum which was FREE! It is the actual place all the cables wind and unwind for the cable cars. There were examples of various cable cars. At one point there were several cable car companies especially prior to the 1906 earthquake. There was historical flotsam and jetsam. If you want to see the cable car pictures click the link:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JpQ1pYkt7WYPE3Su9
The grandkids are doing great. Fiona will be 18 months old at Christmas and Cedric will be five. He started kindergarten this year. Here are a couple of recent pix:
Thursday, December 7, 2023
World Series Champions
I think I will always remember the night the Texas Rangers won the World Series since Drake all but levitated at the last pitch. Most people don’t ‘get’ it. He’s been following baseball since he was 7 years old. His first team was the Cleveland, Indians. It was his Dad’s team, and he even got to go to some games. When he was a bit older, he used to call up the radio station and answer trivia questions to win tickets to an Indian’s game. That happened more than once. Of course, the Indians were never able to overtake the Yankees to win the pennant and go to the World Series.
When the family moved to Texas, he became a fan of the newly formed Houston Astros. He followed that team from 1963 until 1989. Playoffs a couple of times, but no World Series. When we moved to the DFW area in 1990, he became a Ranger fan. Then, he endured the heartbreak of 2010 and 2011 World Series losses. So, he’s waited from age 7 to age 73 for his team to win the World Series.
The other terrific thing that happened was so many of our friends called us, emailed us, and texted us with congratulations. He’s certainly looking forward to next season, and I think it’s more fun to watch a winning team. Drake doesn’t really care – baseball is baseball. Ironically, he went to a Fall League baseball game the day after the World Series finished. (Fall League is a league of the best lower A, upper A, AA and a few AAA players that the teams send to Arizona to play against one another from now until Thanksgiving.) I guess he needed to taper off.
I'm sure you've realized I started this blog months ago, but we've been incredibly busy. Now, the baseball world is in 'Winter Meetings' where deals are made. The Rangers have already signed another relief pitcher.... He's a bit of a rehab. No more deals yet.
The hot topic is: Can the Rangers repeat? We've got a precedent (2010/2011). I hope Michael Young and Adrian Beltre enjoyed the World Series win, but it must have been somewhat bittersweet.
Saturday, October 21, 2023
Hurrah for the Texas Rangers (and Baseball)!
We can't let the baseball season drift away this year without giving the Texas Rangers their due. No one except me and Drake saw the Rangers as doing anything this year. They lost 100 games in 2022 and they've won 90 this year. I'm not sure the team has enough juice to get to the World Series, but it really doesn't matter. The season has been more fun - 90 wins, duh, rather than 100 losses.
In our household it doesn't matter if you win 100 games or lose 100 games, Drake (and by default ME) watch all the games. If the Rangers are behind by more than five runs, and it's later than the 7th inning, sometimes Drake will abandon the game. He's a complete diehard.
Big surprise that he's been living and dying for the Rangers during the post season. Again, no one picked them to beat the Tampa Bay Rays or the Baltimore Orioles, but they did. Now, though, the Astros are a mascot of a different color. We are currently behind the eight ball. We have to win two more games in HOUSTON to go to the World Series. Stay tuned.
Drake has been into baseball seemingly since before he was born. His Dad was a semi-pro left handed pitcher. The day Drake was born, Norm was supposed to pitch. The OB doctor sent him to the mound saying the baby wouldn't be born until long after the game ended. In those days, fathers were not allowed into the labor/delivery area, so it didn't really matter where he was. According to Merilyn (Drake's mom), his thoughts weren't on the game. I don't know if he won or lost, but Merilyn was in labor 27 hours and had a 'forceps' delivery - that's where they pull the baby out with salad tongs around the head. Norm had plenty of time to finish his game.
Drake played Little League and Babe Ruth. He was a short, wiry, fast, and smart about the game 2nd baseman. (He was 5' tall in the 9th grade.) Unfortunately, his last coach was a drunk. The coach got drunk, then upset, left the field, and drove off while his team was still on the field playing a game! Norm could have coached the team, but he couldn't get enough time off work to do it. Then, Drake's eyes went bad - he became nearsighted when he was 14. Those two things were enough to end his baseball career. I also think he figured out he just didn't have the body type to play baseball at much higher of a level. 5'11" tall with a 28" waistline when he graduated from high school, he was a geek in the making.
Basically, I've had to accept baseball season is just part of our life. The tradeoff is the ballet and any museum or attraction I want to see is cheerfully attended by Drake - as long as it doesn't interfere with an important baseball game. One of my fascinations from the very beginning of watching/attending baseball with Drake is his incredibly deep knowledge about the game. He can point out stuff happening that most people don't even realize is taking place during a game. We actually went to see the Ranger's low A and high A teams play this past summer in North Carolina: The Down East Wood Ducks and the Hickory Crawdads. These are the most minor of minor league games. They were fun, and I actually bought jewelry and a painting in Kinston, NC - home of the Down East Wood Ducks prior to the game in an art gallery, not the baseball field.
The other fun part of baseball as far as I'm concerned is all the baseball sayings Drake knows. He knows some which I'm POSITIVE he's made up. When I google them, they are always actual sayings. Here are some of my favs. You can figure out what they mean:
WORM BURNER
BASEBALL ISN'T OVER UNTIL IT'S OVER (Yogi Berra)
NEVER SAVE A PITCHER FOR TOMORROW; TOMORROW IT MAY RAIN (Leo Durocher)
CAN OF CORN
THROW STRIKES, BUT DON'T GIVE HIM ANYTHING TO HIT (said by every pitching coach)
THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL
NINETY PERCENT OF THIS GAME IS HALF MENTAL (Yogi Berra)
THERE ARE TWO THEORIES TO HITTING THE KNUCKLEBALL. UNFORTUNATELY, NEITHER ONE OF THEM WORKS.
GET SERIOUS; IT'S BASEBALL.
EVERY PITCH COUNTS
SWING LIKE NOBODY'S WATCHING
BRINGING THE THUNDER
SITTING IN THE CATBIRD SEAT
HIGH CHEESE
ELEVATE YOUR GAME
BATTER UP, BUTTERCUP
RALLY CAP
CROOKED NUMBER
RUNNING OUT OF OUTS
BARREL IT UP
A BLOOPER, A BLEEDER, A BOMB
A FROZEN ROPE
A LONG STRIKE
MENDOZA LINE
MEATBALLS
LIVE ON THE CORNERS
AROUND THE HORN
FLASHING THE LEATHER
A FIVE TOOL PLAYER
This list can go on and on and on. Baseball has been part of the culture since the early 1800's. Just watch "Baseball", a film in nine innings by Ken Burns if you don't believe me. This year the game has been revitalized or ruined depending on who you talk with. It's faster, snappier, with more runs, hits and steals because of three things: a pitch clock so the pitcher can't go into a Zen trance between every pitch; bigger bases; and the 'shift' being banned. This year most games were just slightly longer than most movies - even Spring Training games.
So root for the Rangers, the Diamondbacks, the Phillies, or the Astros (at this point in the season), but tune in because postseason baseball is really exciting. Oh, and just to point out one last thing: baseball players and fans are renowned for their superstitions. My baseball guy has been wearing a Texas Ranger shirt EVERY DAY during the post season.
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Western Mountain State Fair, North Carolina
Our visit to North Carolina wouldn't be complete without a fair visit. We were pleased to attend the Western Mountain Fair. This is a subset of the State Fair, so it wasn't gigantic, but it was choice. Every fair I've been to has something which sets it apart from any other fair - remember New Hampshire and maple cotton candy? Well, this is apple country, so I wasn't surprised to see this booth on the midway.
This is the tree forest ranger |
As usual, my favorite part of any fair is the crafts. There were some great ones at this fair, and I took pictures of about 10% of what we saw. Here's my favorite craft:
Yes, that feather is carved wood |
This is a lady slipper, a type of pitcher plant |
Saturday, September 2, 2023
Welcome to the North Carolina Vanderbilt Extravaganza - AKA "The Biltmore Estate"
Vanderbilt Estate - "The Biltmore" in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina is best known for the Biltmore Estate. This is one of the Vanderbilt houses. The setting is 8,000 acres upon which is the mansion, the formal and informal gardens, a conservatory, complete with as many orchids as I've seen since Hawaii, a farmyard, a deer estate, [this must be a holdover from when Vanderbilt thought he was the King of Asheville], and a winery. There are also several restaurants and shops. The whole shebang is still privately held by the Vanderbilts and several family members live on the property in cottages/houses, rather than the mansion, and run it all. For the privilege of seeing all of this, they charge the lordly fee of $85 per person. To be fair, it is a two day ticket for everything EXCEPT the mansion. I had it in my mind this place was on top of a mountain out of town. Instead, it's right inside the Asheville city limits.
Today, the building of this monstrosity would be filmed as a documentary. They started the building in 1889 and finished in time for the house to open for Christmas, 1895. Landscaping was still being completed. The mansion cost $5 million in Gilded Age dollars. That's approximately $168 million in Electroic Age dollars. Since still photography was available, Vanderbilt's architect documented the construction process. The photos and explanations are part of the house tour. If you are interested, you can read about the construction and see the 19th century photos. The Vanderbilt historical staff has tried to find the names with photos of the people of color who helped built the mansion and landscape the grounds. In keeping with 19th century thinking, the 'colored' were not paid equally, nor offered the same benefits as the white workers. At least there are some pictures, and jobs were offered.
Honestly, the most interesting aspect of this house was the art. There are Singer Sargent paintings, Renoirs, Manets, and other locally/internationally famous artists. There is Serves' porcelain, but the jewel of the art collection is a 17th century tapestry. There are three tapestry panels - one extremely rare, and the other two are just 'rare'. The tapestries at the Biltmore are three of the seven virtues. They are 'Faith' (only one in existence); 'Prudence', and 'Charity'. Thanks to the centuries and the French Revolution, fine wall sized tapestries tend to be priceless.
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
65th Mount Mitchell Craft Fair, Burnsville, North Carolina
Last post I mentioned Mount Mitchell which is the 6,684 foot mountain in the Blue Ridge. It's the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River. Well, we still haven't seen it, but we have certainly tried to this weekend. We headed north from Asheville to attend the 65th Mount Mitchell Arts and Crafts Show at Burnsville, North Carolina. It's about an hour north of our Asheville house, and about 2000 feet higher. Thus, it was a few degrees cooler.
Now, everyone knows we've attended a ton of craft shows all over the USA. I tend to find a LOT of jewelry, some pottery, and occasionally a painting. The Mount Mitchell show was huge, and the quality was extremely high. We discovered another coven of potters located in this area of NC, and their skills are outstanding. We also found two people crafting things which were unusual.
Challenge quilt choice |
"Small Quilt" |
Medium Quilt Large Quit |