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Archive for the ‘BY THE WAY’ Category

Fish and Guests Smell After 3 Days!

Posted in BY THE WAY, New York Speaks, Only in New York, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , on January 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I figured that headline would be a grabber! Alright, so your guests have showered and they don’t smell but you are tired of cooking, serving and cleaning up.  I happened to have received an email from Grub Street , daily food news from New York magazine and the article featured was Hosting Duties:Where To Take Out-Of-Towners Visiting New York.  So if your holiday guests are still visiting, you might want to consider dining out at some of these places.

If the house guests are his parents or yours and they are paying, consider trying to make a reservation at the hot new place in Midtown, Rotisserie Georgette.  I had the opportunity of dining there recently and the place was jumping.  The menu is not extensive by any means and most of the dishes seem  to center around chicken.  The food was delicious, the service was attentive and our waiter was more than eager to make suggestions.

Everyone knows that pizza is a New York staple and by the slice mind you!  Your out-of-town guest loves pizza and is dying to sample real New York pizza.  There a couple branches of Motorino in Manhattan and unlike most pizzerias, Motorino serves up appetizers and dessert.  There’s another nice little twist to getting a slice here, the pizza is cut upon request; nice touch!  Or Joe’s Pizza on Carmine St. where pizza rules;  No garlic knots, no heroes, no concoctions on pizza, just perfect pizza.  Traditionally thin crust, bold sauce and cheese that doesn’t taste like rubber.

If your sister is in town with her 3 little kids, you need to find a place that’s casual, fun and if the kids cause a riot, you won’t be embarrassed.  Try Mighty Quinn’s Barbecue or Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken, the names speak for themselves, the kids will be happy.

New York has its share of celebrity chefs and if your guests can’t wait to go home and brag about whose restaurant they ate at, then hop on downtown to Lupa Osteria Romana, Mario Batali’s trattoria.  The restaurant is extremely popular and is always crowded in the evening.  Take them out to lunch for some Ricotta Gnocchi.  If it’s famous that they want, Tom Colicchio’s Craft may be the place to go.  Chef Colicchio is a fanatic for fresh ingredients and has set the standard for the new wave of restaurants that are conceived, presented and eaten in this Green Market era.  

Grandma and Grandpa are still in town and want to take you out so pick a place that’s not too stuffy but is quiet and accommodating.  Maialino, which means Little Pig and is Danny Meyer’s version of a trattoria has a beautiful view of Gramercy Park.  Porter House New York is a well-heeled steakhouse overlooking Columbus Circle and would be a very nice choice.

The article on where to take who has many more recommendations;  I suggest you check it out at http://www.grubstreet.com/2013/12/guide-to-taking-out-of-towners-to-dinner.html – copy and paste.

Porter House New York

Porter House New York

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It Was A Herculean Effort

Posted in BY THE WAY, Ha-P 2 B in OG, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , on January 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »

We thought it was a good idea, well at least one of us did and the other went along with the plan.  He might say it was out of love, however I suspect he weighed the facts and fears and decided it better to acquiesce rather than risk 72 hours of harangue.

It had been weeks since we were at our cottage on the Jersey shore and I always get a little anxious about leaving my little La Vie En Rose to fend for itself against the winter elements.  Of course I am reminded by someone who shall not be named that I can’t protect it.  I, on the other hand see merit in checking on it and turning the heat up and of course putting out peanuts, corn and birdseed for our dependents.  I don’t know where or how they eat when we’re not around  but apparently they do.

So I had it in my mind to go this weekend because I wanted to grocery shop, pick up some prescriptions, check on the house and bring back the bins that the Christmas decorations go in.   All sounded extremely logical to me.  But then I had a real estate appointment that ran a little late AND I got the brilliant idea that we might pack up all the decorations into shopping bags and that way it would be a one way trip and not back and forth.  We would leave in the morning.

As we began packing up the reindeer, the bows, the ornaments, penguins and angels, Peter thought we should listen to the weather report.  It was SCARY!  I knew as the minutes ticked by that there was no way that boy was leaving in the morning after a possible 6″ snowfall.  Bad enough we were parked in the ideal spot, right in front of the building.  So I convinced him that we should leave NOW – finish up the packing, grab the cats and go.  We did just that!!

Ever so quickly we threw the decorations into multiple shopping bags, took the milk/orange juice/cat food essentials we needed to make it through the night and possibly the next day and hustled into the car.  We’re just about to pull away when my phone rings and that reminds Peter that he does not have his phone!  Back upstairs.

We think we’re going to beat the storm but ha, ha, ha….hubris!  The storm gods were waiting for us just as we passed the Newark airport.  No nice big soft flakes coming down that usually herald the beginning of a heavy snowfall – NO we are hit square in the face with driving snow smacking the windshield and virtually creating a white-out! I’m a nervous passenger when Peter is driving so right about now, I’m on high alert!  While I’m watching the road and trying to keep track of the white lines which have disappeared, I’m also texting my sister-in-law, Juanita who is still in Florida and standing under a star-lit sky.  AND she’s now praying for our safe arrival!

As we cautiously proceeded and others flew past us recklessly, I had serious doubts about my insistence to go and was feeling guiltier by the minute.  Thankfully as we got closer to the shore, it actually lightened up a bit and the next hurdle would be parking the car.  Turns out that our side of Broadway is the legal side to park during a snow emergency, so I figured everybody on the north side of the road would already be parked on our side and I could envision trekking over snow banks to carry the cats into the cottage in the dark.  

Luck be the lady!  The spot in front of our house was empty so we pulled right in.  I rushed in to turn the heat up, the lights on and start the unpacking process.  It was good to be back in our little cottage, I turned the candles on (in the windows) and went to the shed to gather the shovels and move them close to the back door.  I also dug out the ice melt and wondered just how bad it was going to get.  The snow just kept falling and falling.  

I like being in my cottage during a snow storm, somehow it doesn’t hold the same charm for my city-born-and-bred-apartment-dwelling husband.  I’m sure he was thinking of the snow shoveling that would have to be done, me too!  Since we didn’t really have any food here, we called in an order to the local Italian restaurant and Pete went to pick it up. I called Juanita and told her we were safe and sound albeit a bit chilled.

Dinner and a movie and before we knew it, it was really late and we tucked ourselves in upstairs with an extra quilt (so country-like).  However, there was a movie on TV that caught our attention and it wasn’t lights out till 3:30am!  At about 2:00am I went downstairs to look at the backyard which now had drifts going this way and that!  Hello Hercules!

Hercules

Hercules

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2014 Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions!

Posted in BY THE WAY, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 2, 2014| 4 Comments »

English: Two New Year's Resolutions postcards

Two New Year’s Resolutions postcards (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Does everyone make New Year’s Resolutions? Do you announce them to the world? Do you write them down or post them to Facebook or your blog?  Do you keep them to yourself and hope you will be able to follow through?

WCTV ran a report on the Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions.  I’ll bet you can guess at least 7 of them.  If that’s the case and they are so obvious, doesn’t that mean that these resolutions are the ones most often broken and not kept?  Otherwise the list wouldn’t be so common and universal.  

Here they are and if your’s are among them you are probably just about the average American, whether that’s good or bad is for you to decide!

1. Lose Weight

2. Get Organized

3. Spend less, Save more

4. Enjoy life to the fullest

5. Stay fit and healthy

6. Learn something new

7. Quit smoking

8. Help others realize their dreams

9. Fall in love

10. Spend more time with my family

Please take a few moments and share one or more of your resolutions;  If you are not making them public, then just sign in as Anonymous.  Perhaps you’ll inspire someone else.

Happy New Year to all!!

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One Hundred Miles, One Hundred Miles And We Are Heading To Tampa!

Posted in BY THE WAY, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , , on January 2, 2014| Leave a Comment »

This is the last leg of our journey, the final chapter in Peterlori’s Great Adventure.  The trip down to Florida was a bit rough and it lasted 26 hours, and believe me that’s a long time to be on a train.  Guess I wouldn’t do so well on those romantic transatlantic crossing of the old days!  Well, the trip back to New York lasted 30 hours!  I couldn’t imagine why the way back was longer than the way down until I learned that we were going to Tampa to drop off some travelers and then head east again and north.

I’m not used to having breakfast so early in the morning and certainly not doing so sitting in a dining car opposite a stranger.  The stranger actually was a lovely young woman who was a waitress and lived on City Island.  That made for interesting conversation as neither of us had ever met someone who actually lived there.  I had the same issues with the waiter as before.  He rushes you to make your order and listens half-heartedly if at all before he races off to deal with another diner.  This time I got potatoes instead of the grits I ordered. The girl ordered a vegetable omelette BUT she didn’t know there were no vegetables otherwise they would have been in last night’s medley!  More roasted corn and tomato or red pepper.

I wish I had some real drama or humor to interject into this post but I think the rest of the day just seemed to drift by.  Even though we ate breakfast so early, when they came around asking us to make if we wanted to make lunch reservations we passed.  The day was bright and sunny and sitting in our little roomette and reading was a great pastime.  Peter was ensconced on the upper berth and loved sitting up there.  The only problem was that the lower berth was still in berth mode and needed to be put back into individual seats.   

Finally I caught a glimpse of Thomas going by and I snagged him and asked him to please put our room back in order.  He worked his way down the aisle and eventually got to us.  Peter asked him if we could leave the upper berth as it was because he really liked it up there.  Thomas said yes as long as we let him remake the bed sometime before we got back to NYC .  

There is no real dinner service on this last leg of the trip but there is what they call a simple dinner.  “The” waiter went to each roomette and took orders for this light repast.  Our choices were half of a roast chicken or a pasta dish made with spinach and a light garlic cream sauce.  As I said, the food so far had been good but you still have to remember where you are and under what circumstances.  Food and some dishes in particular are mass-produced and  I had a feeling that the cream sauce and pasta fell into the category.  So we ordered the chicken meals and were told it would be served around 4:30 or when we got to Baltimore.

When we went into the Dining Car, we were seated across from a couple who within moments went from polite hellos to those uncomfortable airplane conversations one might have with a total stranger.  What is about the fact that you don’t know this person and will never see them again that allows people to reveal their inner feelings, their secret fallacies and even air the dirty laundry about their family? It wasn’t long before I was nudging Peter under the table and trying to nod in agreement in hopes the discourse would wind down.  Way, way too much information!  It was interesting that he had been born in the Midwest but raised around the panhandle  and she was from south Florida and that they were celebrating their anniversary with a trip to New York City and then Niagra Falls and then Toronto.  We are always fascinated by what tourists think New York City is going to be like and what they are planning to see.  This couple  had bought those New York Passes that appeal to tourists.   She had no idea what was in the Metropolitan Museum but was definitely interested in seeing Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum….oh well.

Penn Station (New York City)

Penn Station (New York City) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It was dark and freezing cold when we pulled into Penn Station. Peter’s much-loved, much-worn over-the-shoulder bag had ripped around one of the zippers and so he was anxious and afraid something might fall out – I had to walk behind him.  All I was thinking about was that I was wearing sweat pants and a tee shirt with a shawl tightly wrapped around me and hoping we wouldn’t have to be outside too long.   We did luck out getting a cab and believe me it was luck as the area around Penn Station on a Saturday evening is a zoo!  

We were so happy to be in our own apartment after soooooo long on the train.  I surely thought the cats would be at the door to greet us but no.  Nicky never got out of the chair he was sitting on and I don’t know where Nora was  but the fact that we had returned apparently had no real effect on them.  And as much as I adore my fur babies, it would have been nice if they had at least pretended to be dogs and wag their tails and jump around when we came home.  And the thing is the cats know their owners are needy and just for spite they act indifferently lol lol.  That will teach us not to abandon them for a week and expect a warm welcome!

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“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.” 2014

Posted in BY THE WAY, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Last year’s blog of the same name see “Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one”  drew  a LOT of hits, so I thought I should write an updated version.  This is not my original quote, although I wish I had said it.  Brad Paisley, country song-writer and singer is the author of that wonderful phrase.  It says so much, implies so much and inspires much.

2013 brought the usual  delights, disappointments, thrills, chills and surprises that seem to come along every year,  It was a very good year in that we were blessed with a new grandson, Thomas Fletcher, known as Fletch.  Business was better than last year and that’s always good.  I do love to travel although we haven’t done much since we bought the cottage at the shore,  we did take a trip to Old Quebec with Stacey and Matt (Peter’s sister and hubby).  That was delightful, however we really didn’t expect snow in April!

The One about Stephen R. Covey

The One about Stephen R. Covey (Photo credit: kndynt2099)

With each New Year comes the resolution to lose weight, eat healthier,  and exercise more – they’re practically universal these days.  I’m going to try to learn some Italian, perhaps switch my blog to my own domain name, work smarter and not harder which may mean delving back into Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Effective People.  And on the other hand, I’d like to win more at Mah Jongg and Scrabble lol, lol.

I’m hoping all of above is not contingent on just luck because I don’t have any black eye peas in the house and if we don’t eat them tomorrow, well you never know….and I don’t like to tempt fate!

Your book starts tomorrow (even though it’s already today) and I wish you all plenty of ink to write long and happy chapters.  Happy New Year to all my readers and followers.  Thank you for sticking around and your comments are always welcome and so very appreciated.

 

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LOOK What Santa Brought! Oh Boy!!

Posted in BY THE WAY, Finley Ray, Frankie, tagged , , , , on December 31, 2013| 3 Comments »

Cruisin' in PJ's on Christmas morning

Cruisin’ in PJ’s on Christmas morning

Where's Frankie?

Where’s Frankie?

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Intimacy Is Mandatory – Why Are We Going To Tampa?

Posted in BY THE WAY, Friends, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , on December 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »

PART I

What a difference a roomette makes!  We left Florida on Friday afternoon at about 1:00pm, not exactly looking forward to the trip but hoping that with the guarantee of a berth in a roomette we would find the trip more pleasant than the one down.  As soon as we got on the train, the conductor informed us that lunch was being served.  Seemed like a good way to start the trip.  Sitting in the Dining Car is really cool.  The tables are large and the food is quite good.  We were in high spirits, ordered our food and watched the scenery go by.  It’s very pleasant sitting in a large open area with white-clothed tables, civilized in fact.  One of the waiters who might have been the head waiter was the one we got and he left much to be desired.  Who knows maybe they don’t make that much money but somehow I think with the steady work, health care, vacation and probably unionized, he could have been much better.  First of all he had this habit of starting to take your order and then either walking away while you were still talking or jumping across the aisle to take the newly-arrived guests.   I ordered tea with my meal and he never asked me what I wanted.  So of course he brought me tea – I said, “Did I tell you what kind of tea I wanted”?  I guess it did sound a little snotty but it wasn’t delivered in that manner.  He looked at me and said,”What do you want”? “Herbal”.  “What kind”? “What do you have”?  Finally I settled on Apple Spice only to be told upon his return that they were out of Apple Spice. “OK, orange”.  Tea was only the beginning of what they would be out of!

After lunch, we went to our tiny roomette and figured out how we and our luggage were going to live and sleep in this 5′ by 6′ cubicle.  Let’s see now, if I put this bag here and the suitcase there and Peter puts his suitcase over there…well honestly it was going to be really tight in here and I need to stretch out my legs a little.

Turquoise-socked footies

Turquoise-socked footies

For a while, we sat across from one another and tried putting our legs off to the side while we read.  I am SO HAPPY that I brought a John Grisham novel because it held my attention for hours during this trip.  There was the small tray table you could pull up and out of a slot by the window and opened up between the two of us.  Neat, it had a checkerboard stenciled on it.  I propped up my computer and although there was no Wi-Fi, I worked on writing a blog in the Word program so I could upload it when I got home.  And the afternoon slipped by.  However, at some point I had to pee (no surprise there) and I asked Peter if he had seen a restroom.  No, he hadn’t so I went out and down one aisle and into the next car and then back to the car behind us and saw nothing.  I can’t remember now if Peter left to go ask a conductor or whether someone informed him that the toilet was in the roomette!  Really?! Yes really!  The before picture is above and you see my TOWN bag sitting on a shelf.  Here is the after photo.

I'm a toilet, I'm a shelf

I’m a toilet, I’m a shelf

Now it should be clear as to what the first half of this blog title is all about! Intimacy is mandatory. Above the toilet is a sink with real running water and a mirror above it.  The sink pulls down from the wall, the faucets are there and there are drain holes in the back of the sink so when you pick it up to return it, the water runs out.  Just amazing design and use of space.

Wash up, brush your teeth and you're ON a train!

Wash up, brush your teeth and you’re ON a train!

Well once we discovered the facilities we had to work out some plans to use them.  Not going into a lot of detail here, truly it would be TMI!

To while away the late afternoon, we watched a movie on my computer and it was a great way to watch one of the old Preston Sturgess movies Peter had packed.  We made reservations for an 8:00 dinner leaving Peter enough time to make a martini in our little room first.  I had packed a very cute little plastic shaker and we had brought along some gin.  There was ice down the hall (just like a hotel) and so he enjoyed his pre-dinner cocktail just as if we were home.  We had already spent so much time on trains in the past few days that the train was beginning to feel like a getaway home to us.  Dinner was delicious;  We had steak and a baked potato and uh oh,  no vegetable medley.  They were out so they substituted roasted corn with tomato or roasted red peppers , couldn’t quite discern!  It was all good and by the way, meals are included in the fare for the roomette,

All afternoon as I sat in my seat reading, wrapped in a shawl, I kept complaining about how cold it was.  We thought we  could adjust the temp and although there was a thermostat I think it was only for heat because nothing changed.  I should have known this would be a problem at night.  As we were eating dinner, Thomas, our compartment attendant made up our beds and when we returned it looked mighty cosy.  Peter opted for the top bunk as he was agile and I had no intention of climbing down every time I had to pee.  We sat up reading for some time and then I realized just how cold I was going to be all night.  I slept in my sweat pants and a tee shirt, I had the shawl, I put socks on my feet and tried blocking the vents with a towel but that kept blowing off.  It was a very fitful night for me while Peter slept comfortably up above and about 5:30am I realized I should block the vents with one of the pillows.  Awake again by 6:30am, I finally gave up the idea of sleep.  We brushed our teeth, splashed water on our faces and headed to the Dining Car for breakfast.

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Boxing Day – A Cultural Difference

Posted in BY THE WAY, Friends, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 30, 2013| 2 Comments »

Many, many years ago I was invited to a neighbor’s house to celebrate Boxing Day.  I thought this was a bit odd since I wasn’t a servant and I didn’t have any servants.  I was soon introduced to an Americanized version of Boxing Day.  The premise here was to bring a gift all wrapped up that was actually something you had previously received as a gift and either a) you didn’t want it because b) it was ugly or useless.  Oh there were really some strange and odious gifts exchanged that day.  The gift-giving was done in the manner of a Yankee Swap;  You picked a gift and you kept it or traded it.  Well, anyway that’s how that Boxing day went down.

This is how we began Boxing Day this year!  We were all tired from the late night of Christmas Eve and the long day of Christmas night so everyone slept just a little bit later on Thursday morning.  But right after breakfast without any formal plan set, it just began to unfold….The day after Christmas could only mean one thing!  We MUST CLEAN!  Perhaps it is some genetic pre-disposition or familial personality disorder, whatever it is, this is what happened.

Joel got the vacuum cleaner out and he began vacuuming  the rugs, I took out the swifter and did the kitchen floor and the hallways and the foyer.  I used about 6 swifter pads;  There has been a horde of people going inside and out, through the garage, in from the pool and all about.  The house was recently renovated and all the floors  are now a white-washed wood and the swifter did its thing over and over again.  I left piles for Joel to swoop up with the vacuum.   Meanwhile, Chiara packed up gifts and swept up pine needles.  I tackled the stairs next and was quite pleased to see the white of the treads re-appear.  Elsewhere, dishes were washed, clothes washed and folded and the dishwasher emptied.  It was a glorious morning, the house had been reclaimed and restored to its pristine beauty and we had taken on Boxing Day and given it an Italian twist.

There would be a Yankee Swap later that night after dinner.  But first we had to do some preparing for tonight’s party. Oh yes, there WOULD be a party tonight, albeit not quite so large as yesterday but this one would be here!  Only 15 adults and 6 kids.  Chiara decided to make several baking dishes of Eggplant Parmesan, we would serve the pork loin left over from Christmas Eve and make a big salad and a bowl of quinoa.

Susan and JR were coming for dinner with their 3 boys, the youngest is Hunter who is a classmate of Finley’s.  Susan brought a huge spiral cut ham and it’s a darn good thing she did since the pork loin did not cook through and we couldn’t serve it pink and cool.  This party spread itself out through the house!  We had kids (big and little) watching Elf and a couple other Christmas movies, adults out on the veranda, a couple of us in the dining room dishing on everything and everybody, Finley and a couple of the boys had a bow and arrows and were shooting at the front door and lots of wine drunk in all the rooms.

JR took the boys home, eventually both the girls went to bed and the die-hard game players gathered round in the living room to play some games.  Joel had gone out with Chiara in the afternoon to buy some new games.  Tonight we were going to play Quelf and Loaded Questions.  We are hardcore, laughing, yelling, arguing and all the time playing to win!  The wine kept flowing, there was some other mind-altering substances and as they say, “Let the games begin”!  Quelf was hysterical as we watched Joel stand and try not to bend his arms and legs, Dennis had to sit on his hands, Justin did the color for a basketball game in the voice of a parrot as well as mind-bending tasks, some which were subject to group analysis.  Overall one might observe it as familial blood-letting!

Loaded Questions is an adventure in delving into your fellow players psyche.  Since I’ve already portrayed our family as the crazy bunch they truly are, you can only imagine how this game was played!  I’d love to tell you about it but like the New York Times only all the news that’s fit to print.  And on that note I think it’s time to close the chapter on Boxing Day with the Bertis/Clarks/Presses and Pucci’s came to an end.

Except for the Yankee Swap which was wildly funny as the swapping, trading, stealing took place.  Those that participated seemed to have a grand time and I think perhaps the $50 bill was the prize of the evening!

English: Gift ideas for men - wrapping paper e...

English: Gift ideas for men – wrapping paper example. Please source http://www.giftideasformen.com (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Christmas Day – The Curse of the Car Seats and the Clown Car!

Posted in BY THE WAY, Friends, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 29, 2013| 2 Comments »

Christmas in the post-War United States

Christmas in the post-War United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Let me clear up something from Christmas Eve.  I thought Laura and Jim and their two girls were coming to dinner, however, I was wrong.  Last night’s open house also included Laura’s sister Sarah and Jeff, Laura’s friend Sarah and Jim’s parents, Jim and Jenny.  And then, as the evening wore on, a couple came bearing champagne and children but they stayed just long enough to say hello and good-bye. Then two more couples came and about that time, Peter and I had finished washing all the platters and were working through the glasses and so we beat a retreat upstairs where the silence was blessed.

I‘m mentioning the number of people because I assumed that on Christmas Day we would be with Laura and Jim and their family, as we knew it.   Turns out we were going to a huge house and a lot of family and friends.   Supposed to be there at 3:15 and transporting everyone actually required 2 cars and 4 trips.  It does sound bizarre doesn’t it?  You know what the real problem is? CAR SEATS!  If you’re a follower of this blog, then you know about my misadventures in October with the black tractor-trailer they call their car.  The thing is enormous but in actuality only the driver and two adults can ride in the car!  3 kids = 3 car seats.

 Laura and Jim’s house should only be described in superlatives!  First we passed the Guest House and the gardener who was vacuuming up leaves. (I thought seeing the gardener on Christmas Day was unusual).  It was stunning with a wide-open floor plan and a chef’s dream kitchen.  Later I learned that the gardener comes every day and not only cleans up the yard, he also restocks the bar refrigerator and anything else that needs attention.

I met Steve and Amy who are the Captain and crew for Jim’s 106 ‘ boat.  Steve was saying how the boat would leave shortly for the Caribbean where it would remain for the winter months and the family would fly down for some long weekends.  At one point I thought he said something about the boat being out of water for several months and so I asked him who else did he captain for and his response was “No one, Amy and I only work for Jim”.  Welllllll ok then.

 I spotted two men dressed in black and sure enough they were servers and very efficient too.  Some day I’m going to throw a party where someone else serves the food and cleans up. My Trifle was a big hit but I think the pumpkin chocolate tiramisu needed more sugar.

 I walked to the edge of the property backing up to the Intercostal Water Way where yet another of Jim’s boats was stored out of the water.  Across the canal was an extremely wide stretch of property; If this was New York, you would only wonder when will they build a high rise?  This being Florida, chances are they won’t build a hi-rise apartment building but they could build a few houses.  Jim bought the property and has guaranteed his privacy and his view!

 It was getting dark and all of a sudden a parade of naked little girls streamed into the pool  (which is kind of an infinity pool).  They had a blast – who wouldn’t running naked in and out of a pool, shrieking and splashing.   Watching them enjoy themselves is proof you can take pleasure in another person’s fun.

Time to head home.  Try to visualize Ed carrying Fletcher in cradle seat, Chiara, Finley and Frankie in second seat with Juanita driving, Linda seating on the console and me in the passenger seat (which I ‘m supposed to share with Linda).  Our very own clown car la famiglia style!  Getting everybody in was a feat in itself but backing out of a narrow curving driveway that had trees and rock islands proved to be an exercise in misdirection and miscommunication!  Dennis was directing from the front, Joel was in the back guiding us past the rocks and when I looked out the window and saw we were headed towards the rocks, I screamed!  Poor Juanita, everyone was shouting directives…. Dennis, the I’ll take charge guy told Juanita to get out and he would back out.  Mind you the car does have the back up map displayed as well as a beeping system that warns you as you are backing up into an object.

 If you thought that was the end of the evening, you don’t know the Berti’s.  Led by my daughter Chiara, fueled by my nephew Justin and instructed by my son, Joel, we all settled into the living room to play a game.  Well, not everyone-the little girls were put to bed, some of the adults opted for TV and the rest of us (the competitors) delved into Cards Against Humanity.  A modern day board game that involves picking an answer to some really sick questions, which meant the answers were sometimes quite disgusting.  The game is self-described as:   Unlike most of the party games you’ve played before, Cards Against Humanity is as despicable and awkward as you and your friends. HO, HO HO, I remember when after Christmas dinner we would all sit down and play Monopoly.  I know what you’re thinking…how dull, times have changed.  HA HA HA, you never played Monopoly with the Berti’s!!

 

 

 

 

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Christmas Morning – Is The Light On The Owl Green?

Posted in BY THE WAY, Friends, Smooth or Crunchy, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 26, 2013| Leave a Comment »

God, I hope not!  It is still really dark outside and I hear the pitter patter of little feet approaching my room.  You know even without opening your eyes that there is someone in your presence;  Sure enough, Francesca is looking at me!  I say, “What are you doing up? Is the owl green?” She just looks at me…There is an owl light in the girl’s bedroom and all night the light is yellow but it’s set for 7am and the rule is you don’t get up until the owl is green!  (of course you can get up but you have to stay in your room till 7am) So I suggest that it’s quite possible that since it’s still dark,  Santa might be still putting presents downstairs under the tree.  Still no response just an adorable smile which is hard to see because it IS still dark.  I look at my phone and it’s 6:30. “Frankie, c’mon I’ll take you back to your room and then in a little while we can go downstairs”

I figured we had maybe another 15 minutes to rest before Christmas mayhem began.  I had been hoping to give the girls some of their presents on Christmas Eve so they wouldn’t be lost in the mound of treasures  left by Santa, but that didn’t work out.  Finley can read and we thought it would nice if she distributed gifts.  That lasted about 2 minutes and then the mad cap ripping began with me periodically shouting, “Check the name on the box first”.  That was followed with “How come she gets two books?  How come she has gel pens and I don’t ?”

Ruthie Wearing Her New Silk Pajamas

Ruthie Wearing Her New Silk Pajamas

Eventually all the Hello Kitty paraphernalia  was uncovered, the American Girl dolls now had a bed of their own along with new clothes.  Best of all Frankie and Rebecca had matching pj’s and Finley and Ruthie had matching dresses with leggings.  There were books, and more princess dresses  (Really! How many Disney princesses are there?) bean bag chairs with each girl’s name and a teepee.  Well if your tent is shaped like a teepee but it is made from pale pink striped cotton duck, is it still a teepee?  I gave Frankie a book which I thought she would enjoy and she took one look at it and said, ” I don’t like this book”.  I asked her why and her answer was, “I only like Princess books”. Francesca always speaks her mind;  Earlier, the girls emptied their stockings and discovered candy cane holders filled with M&M’s.  For days, there has been MUCH discussion about healthy eating, what’s nutritious, should we cook everything in coconut oil and on and on  So Frankie wants to open her candy and eat some before we open presents.  Justin is horrified and tells her “No, no we have to breakfast first” .  Frankie states the facts as she sees them, “I LOVE CANDY”.

At about this time, in rolled the rest of the gang.  Of course our whole entourage could not fit in one house so Chiara and Tom rented a house nearby for the overflow of guests.  We’re leaving tomorrow, some are leaving on Saturday, some are staying longer and the guest room sheets have been changed every couple of days.  First to arrive for the opening of the gifts were Dennis, Brad and Tom Sr. and Lisa.  Linda and Ed were expected shortly;  They were flying in from Long Island.  

More gifts…oh no roller blades.  And who thinks that the girls should put them on right now and try them out?  Well I’ll tell you it wasn’t any of the mothers.  It was the two bachelors and Tom!  Sometimes it’s hard to tell who the kids are and who the adults are.  We got everybody back into the house and just as I thought we might have breakfast, there was open more present to be had – the girls were ushered to the garage where they came upon not a midnight clear but rather a battery-operated  car! It seats 2 and with Finley at the wheel, the girls were tooling around the yard.  Everybody thought they were so cute until Finley stepped on the speed pedal and veered toward the pool! At least 3 of the grandparents screamed.  “BREAKFAST IS SERVED”

Egg casseroles, bagels, croissants, fruit salad, and muffins and by God we are in Florida because half the people are eating outside.  The mimosas are flowing and the adults are happy.  The kids are eating whatever they want  and sitting outside in the sunshine it surely doesn’t seem like Christmas.  We are going to take it easy for awhile before we have to be at Laura’s house for Christmas dinner.

Stay tuned for Part II.

 

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