Thursday Ramble - Last Wednesday

Last Wednesday, not yesterday, a week ago yesterday, we met up with Mitchell from Moving with Mitchell for a quick chat and lunch. We met up in his original home town, Brooklyn, New York.  Those who read his blog will know he was in town to see his brother Charles (Chuck.)  We were honored to have a little slice of his time, while Chuck was out bowling. 

We took the subway over from Manhattan, we used the trains quite a bit on this trip, a great way to get around.  The subway goes through a tunnel under the east river.  Possibly one my great grandfather worked on 110 years ago, when my grandmother was a child and they moved to Brooklyn (from London.) I have been to London, I had never been to Brooklyn. 

The weather was a tad inclement.  Temperature in the 40's (F) and raining. When we turned the corner by Brooklyn Borough Hall, WINDY, very windy. The plan to stroll down the waterfront was scuttled, then we discovered that the best taqueria in Brooklyn has closed.  Sadness, but not for long, because if you know where to look there is always great food nearby in that city.  We ended up at a great burger bar. Epic burgers, amazing onion rings and a decent margarita (I was on vacation - and not driving.) When we arrived,  the staff said, we aren't open yet, then noticed were were cold and wet and invited us to wait inside while they finished preparations.  

We talked.  We talked about life, about growing up, about family, about the loves of our lives, about moving, about happiness.  And we talked, and we talked, and the next thing we knew it was 4:00 pm. Siesta time.  

It was great.  We had met once before, three years ago.  And it was like picking up where we left off last week, except it was three years ago.  

Until next time, we will see you on the blog,    

The Way We Were Wednesday - Istachatta Florida

 Sometime in the early 1960's my grandparents started snowbirding, going south from Michigan (as Spo describes it the land of perpetual snow and ice) to Florida in the winters.  My grandfather worked for Ford for over 30 years, then left in the late 1950's to move to the farm and keep bees. Bees in Michigan are a seasonal farming operation.  There was no reason for them to stay in the snow in the winter (my parents started doing the same thing when I was in the 8th grade.). 

They bought a newly built one-bedroom house in a fishing village called Istachatta on the Withlacoochee River (Google it, it is a real place.) When I say a one-bedroom, the first year they were there they added on, adding a bathroom and eliminating the out-house that had been build with the house. (Before zoning and building codes.) It was an escape, a second home. They spent winters there together for about 15 years. It was there one winter that my grandmother came to the realization that my grandfather had dementia. After my grandfather died, my grandmother spent one or two winters there alone, then sold and moved across the state to where my parents had bought their retirement home. When she bought the house in Titusville, she remarked that it was the fourth house she had owned, and the first one that had an indoor bathroom when she bought it (two of them.) 

That little house was my first experience in Florida.   

Travel Tuesday: News from Mt Washington

A few years ago I was asked to speak at a conference at Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.  I went in a day early, so I had time to ride the cog-railway to the top of the mountain, went out of my way to book a coal fired steam train.  It was spectacular.  When we got to the top the mountain was in a heavy fog.  I loved it. 

I read recently that there is a proposal to build guest accommodations, a hotel of some type in the national park at the top.  I might need to go back.  
 

Music Monday: Bohemian Catsody

Okay, I need a laugh, I have no idea how I stumbled across this.  

The Sunday Five: Parking

Parking in the Washington DC area can be a challenge, there are more cars than parking spaces, so when you find one, dive for it.  Parking garages can be expensive, and can be tight.  My advice, DO NOT DRIVE IN Washington DC. I took this photo, because I had done such a perfect job of parallel parking, first try. 

1: Are you good at parallel parking? 

2: In a parking lot, do you pull in forward, or back in? 

3: Does you car have a back-up camera? 

4: Does your nearest grocery store, have an underground parking garage? 

5: What was the parking part of your driving test like? 

My Answers:

1: Are you good at parallel parking? Most of the time no, then I get it right from time to time. 

2: In a parking lot, do you pull in forward, or back in? Pull in forward. 

3: Does you car have a back-up camera? The VW no, Sweet Bear's car, yes. 

4: Does you nearest grocery store, have an underground parking garage? Yes. 

5: What was the parking part of your driving test like? The examiner pointed to a 100 car parking lot that was virtually empty and said, "get it in there and get it stopped without hitting anything and you passed."

Please share your answers in the comments.  

The Saturday Morning Post - Home

My father would have told you that "home is where I hang my hat, and I don't wear a hat anymore". 

Where am I from is a complicated answer.  I was born in Michigan, north of Detroit out in middle of nowhere.  I lived in Phoenix for a short time as a child.  Then back to Michigan.  I went to half of high school in Michigan, and half of it in Florida, changing schools 10 times in the last five years of my public school education.  I lived in central Florida for almost two decades after high school.  Moved to Lexington Kentucky, went to graduate school in Louisville, living in Kentucky 13 years. I have been in the Washington DC area nearly 14 years. See, that is complicated, and I left some of the details out.  For most people it is a simple question.  I have met people who lived and died within 100 mile radius.  My life has stretched across thousands of miles.   

I like to think that all of those moves when I was in school, prepared me for making home, wherever I am. It takes a little time to develop connections and a routine.  To learn the local values and customs.  To get over saying, "back home we do it differently." Nothing will make the locals hate you faster than telling them that things are better where you came from.  When I was in high school in Florida the mother of a friend of mine simply said, there are northbound lanes on I-95, if it is better there, GO!  She also said there are two kinds of Yankees, Yankees come here and spend money and we kind of like them, and damned Yankees, move here and try to tell us how to live and we hate them.  

Am I done moving? Most likely.  There are only a few places I think I would like to live, and despite being fully invested in an expensive housing market, a couple of them are out of our price range (San Francisco.) We have feathered the nest here.  We are comfortable.  We are Home.   

Fabulous Foodie Friday - New York

Back in March of 2019 we came to New York, I had a meeting to attend.  The weather was ugly, not quite snow, not really rain, just cold and wet, then it snowed.  I succeeded at finding the worst restaurants in town, the first couple of nights, then we turned the corner and found Juniors, New York cheesecake and deli classics. 

Last summer when we came, I found one hit after another, starting with a Kosher French restaurant, and lunch on the 110th floor.  This trip it has been one hit after another.  Back to Juniors for about the third time. then tried Ben's Kosher, and Thursday the Queensyard Grill at Hudson Yard.  These were the starters, a wedge salad and chicken-liver mouse  mousse.  

It ain't cheap, but there is a lot of great food in this town.