More sights and tastes of NYC

 Day #3--And we were off to Manhattan to attend the temple, which was a very enjoyable experience.  It's a small temple, but beautiful.  And I can't describe the joy of being in such a place with family.  It is also amazing how quiet it is inside.  You can truly leave the world behind.  

    Afterwards, we took advantage of a farmer's market in the square in front of the temple, picking up some cider donuts, rosemary bread and home-made cheese (called "frolic" because their cows can frolic in their grassy pasture!)

With our picnic in hand, we jumped on the subway and headed for upper Manhattan--for a park on the site of a Revolutionary War fort overlooking the Hudson River.

The large granite outcroppings were very interesting.  I kept wanting to grab my athletic shoes and go scrambling over them!

We also visited The Cloisters--a museum constructed around pieces of medieval architecture, like an arch taken from a castle in England, or windows from someplace in Italy or France.

 So it was fun to see.  It even had a medieval garden.  With a plant called rampion!  I always thought that was just made up for the story of Rapunzel.

 On the way back, we were intrigued by the black squirrels.  Here in Iowa, we have grayish ones with some chestnut brown.  And I didn't even bother taking out the red eyes, because it looks even more like it belongs on Halloween. 

On the way home, we got off the subway in downtown Brooklyn to find this bakery that is supposedly one of the best (as described by Tito--one of Deborah's neighbors).

With lots more walking, and the aid of the GPS on Kevin's phone, we finally found it, and I have to admit, it was worth it!

 These three pastries weighed a couple of pounds.  The lobster-looking one was filled with a delicious whipped cream.  The others had a nutmeg-flavored cream.  We split them four-ways and had dessert for two different meals.  Amazing!  (And probably tons of calories--good thing we were doing so much walking.)

Day #4 and we were off to church.  The Bensonhurst ward, which is a very diverse congregation.  Russian, Japanese, Puerto Rican, Liberian, and so on.  We were lucky in that the subway stop is right in front of the chapel.

In the afternoon, we took advantage of the wonderful weather and walked to the Greenwood Cemetery, only a couple of blocks from the apt. 

But first,their apt. is very identifiable.  Pink shingles on the outside.

 The fall colors were just coming into their height of color, and the cemetery was beautiful.  It was huge, and with such diversity of "residents", from the founder of Steinway piano, Pres. Grant, and Leonard Bernstein, to a regular people.  It was established in 1838, as an alternative to church graveyards.

 Some had such touching poems.  Others were touching because of the date.  Like the fireman who died on Sept. 11, 2001.

Some were simple.  Some were amazingly ornate.  One looked like it belonged to Sleeping Beauty.  But when we went to look, it was for a man.  I didn't recognize the name, but someone wanted to memorialize him!  With a carved man on a pedestal-bed, covered with the huge roof. 

Then we ended the day with a video chat with A & E.  They did very well in our absence. 

 Day #5, we were up early and off, back home to Iowa.  And it's good we traveled on the day we did, because the next day brought canceled flights at Chicago with severe winds. 

All along we felt we were blessed with the right help at the right time,

and the whole visit was wonderful.

I couldn't have asked for a better October trip!

So We Went to the Big Apple!

With our anniversary in October, (#33 this year!), we have a tradition of taking a trip or doing something special at this time of year.  Some years it is just an overnight trip to the temple.

Other years it has been more elaborate, like going to Hawaii, or while we lived in France, going to Switzerland or the French Alps.

This year, it seemed the perfect time to go see where Deborah and Adam are living and what they are experiencing.  And, in true Bailey family style, we really packed in the experiences--with miles of walking and lots of subway rides--it's good we bought the 7-day unlimited pass.  It was "paid" for in 2 days.

 

We arrived in NYC on noon, Day #1.  It took a couple of hours to get to Deborah's apt to shed our luggage, but then we were off to see the sights.  We grabbed a hot sandwich at a deli, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, dodging bicyclists and runners, and then walked all over lower Manhattan to see the World Trade Center site and Wall Street.

 As the day closed, we rode the Statten Island ferry by the Statue of Liberty.  On the return ride, we watched the sun set right behind the Statue.  Memorable!!  With a subway ride back to the apt, we arrived just before Deborah did (she had late parent-teacher conferences).  Adam cooked a delicious soup, we had a great time conversing, and Day #1 came to an end.

 Day #2, Friday, Kevin and I were still on our own for the morning, so we rode the subway to downtown and did the "Top of the Rock" experience--going on top of the Rockefeller Center.  We were blessed with a clear, brisk day and a great view.  We saw the buildings with TV studios (NBC, Fox News, ESPN), the ice skaters (even in the Fall!), and all the people.  There is such energy and life in the city.  So many people going so many places.  It was invigorating, probably because it was taken in such a small dose. 

 Walking along 5th Avenue, there were vendors with cashmere scarves.  I wanted one to help ward off the cold wind, and decided it was the perfect gift for A&E.  The hard part was picking out just three out of all the beautiful colors.  We met Deborah and Adam for a late lunch (her school day was finished early and Adam's work is very flexible),

and thoroughly enjoyed Lombardi's pizza. 

 Then, it was more walking, and more sights.  Chinatown.

 Central Park.

We rented a row boat and took turns rowing, with lots of laughter.

We even fit in an hour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  (Elley, doesn't Deborah look good in your scarf?  She was certainly glad to have the use of it for the day!) 

 After a quick "Subway" sandwich, we were off to Broadway to see "Mary Poppins".

For some background, I'm not usually thrilled with live productions, probably because most that I've seen are of the high school or ward variety.  I have never longed to see a Broadway show but that might be because most that are talked about are "edgy",  That's not me. 

The show was sold out, with some patrons in evening dress, and others, (us!) in street clothing.

The theatre was the first great experience--ornate and classical, with beautiful curtains, boxes, lobby, etc.  The second great experience was the show itself.  It followed the books more than the Disney movie did.  Mary Poppins wasn't quite the cheerful Julie Andrews version.  Some songs were familiar but with updated lyrics and accompaniements.  Some songs were new.  Some songs were left out.  The scenery was amazing!  The singing was superb.  It was so fun to hear live pit musicians.  Even the wonderful Nauvoo pageant uses recorded music but miked singers.

I would have to say that Mary Poppins was a highlight of our visit to NYC.

General Conference

I'm always a little sad when General Conference is over.  For the past month I've looked forward to this--to the messages from our prophet and the apostles, and for the time to just sit and relax in my own home.  We recently switched to a cable company bundle (phone, internet and TV), and the deciding factor was the inclusion of BYU TV.  

Sorry, no pictures to post today. 

I should have taken a picture of Elizabeth bent over a water color painting she worked on during the sessions.

Or of Alice as she embroidered a pillowcase.  (Working on a project for her future home also qualifies as a Personal Progress project).  I was proud of her for also taking notes.

I worked on cross-stitch and some other little projects that didn't take much thought--just something to keep my hands busy when I wasn't taking notes.  I find I'm able to listen better when I have some thing to do.

In talking with Catherine, she had a cross-stitch project,

and Deborah worked on a cross-stitch project she started years ago.

As Brigham Young was quoted as saying, "Never do something you don't want your children to do."  

My favorite talks?  Pres. Uchtdorf's talk on focusing on the most important things.

Elder Holland's talk about all the faithful people everywhere.  Made me wonder if I'm observant enough of the needs around me.

I appreciated Elder Scott's talk about building character.  I can see areas in my life where I have grown, and areas where I still need attention..

I enjoyed the validation of what Kevin and I are doing as parents in Elder Lawrence's talk. 

Pres. Monson's talk on gratitude was certainly on target.  There's a lot there that I need to remember.

Don't focus on what we lack, focus on what we have.

I've found Grandma Bailey to be a good example of this.  Instead of focusing on the trials of widow-hood, she gets busy.  She's indexed over 50,000 names since Christmas.

She plants a garden that feeds half the ward.

She focuses on the small miracles that were evident when her husband passed away.

She lives a life of gratitude.

Once again, she is my example.