Portland Part 1

When I asked the lobster for directions, he pointed to the ramp near the bridge and raised all of his arms...or are they claws?

Salem photos

Salem. Didn't see any witches. Wasn't sure what to expect, but it ended up being a really nice place. This bookstore was incredible. I think the owner has some kind of shelf dyslexia, but it makes for a much more interesting place. The museum had an origami exhibit where you could make your own. I failed miserably at making a ship. The new museum building was incredible too. The architect did a wonderful job of guiding visitors from one floor to the next with staircases in every section. We left a little after lunch on Saturday and headed right into the storm.

Catch up

It's been a busy few weeks. Rein and Christa are now in the US on their summer vacation. Last weekend (21-22nd) we took the Water Taxi to Governor's Island. It was really an incredible sight to see a quaint two story house with a yard against the manhattan skyline. I am glad we were able to visit this island before it's turned into a casino, or something worse...overpriced condos.

Today we flew back from a weekend trip to Portland, Maine and Salem, Ma. Such lovely placess. We were supposed to fly back at 6am this morning, but when we arrived at the airport they said our flight had been cancelled because of weather and crew rest times. Dependable JetBlue. We were able to get a flight at 4pm. Home now and feeling exhuausted... More pictures to come tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Simone! Hope you had a rockin' time at the Beer Garden. Wish we could have been there.

Around Town

Three Years Married

Yesterday Erik and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary! Time really flies. To continue our boating anniversary tradition, we took a ride on the Schooner Adirondack Boat Sunday evening. It was wonderful!

More Coney Island Pics

Last week and more

Busy week. Last weekend was a lot of fun. Saturday morning we took care of business, rented a U-Haul van and put our stuff into storage. We got a great spot right up front...it's easy to get to and will be both cooled and heated. That afternoon we met up with Henry and Matthew to check out the Brooklyn Cyclones game in Coney Island. The game was great. The stadium felt so intimate compared to the Mets or Yankees and much more relaxed. Afterwards, we explored the games and grit of Coney Island. We played skee ball and air hockey, drove bumper cars and rode the famous Wonder Wheel. So much fun! We even took home a few plastic prizes.

On Sunday we ventured out to Port Washington, Long Island to visit Margo and John and their adorable sons. They have a beautiful house near the train and showed us a great slice of suburb life. It felt so nice to sit in a backyard and walk on a sidewalk that's bordered by grass instead of a skyscraper.

Thursday was Olga's Going Away Party. Hard to believe she's really leaving the country. It's the end of an era at SMP and she will be very missed as a friend. Erik and I were lucky enough to inherit her TV and DVD player. Our old TV screen would jump like crazy every time the screen turned white or light colored. It's a huge relief to watch TV and not feel like you are having a seizure.

Tonight we went over for dinner at Isabelle and Nick's and helped make fresh pasta. It was so delicious. Afterwards, we watched Little Britain and introduced Isabelle to one of our very favorite comedy shows. Those guys are geniuses!

Max explores the hallway

Whenever we come home and open the door to our apartment, Max either screams for food or, lately, sneaks out the door to explore the hallway. Our downstairs neighbors also have a cat and Max has been trying to sniff him out. Erik shot this hilarious group of photos of Max on his latest adventure. Meisje dramatically greeted Max when he made it back inside.

Fourth of July!

Slept in on a Wednesday. What a treat. I did some freelance work during the day and Erik went to a Yankee's game with Nick and Belle. Headed over to LIC before dark. Henry threw a small dinner party and made delicious roasted veggies, burgers and kielbasa...all on an indoor grill! Little Sophie made it out to Queens too and her Momma rocked the Nintendo Wii guitar. We had the best view of the fireworks; we could see all three barges and we were protected from the rain. Even nicer was the fact that we were able to walk home afterwards.

Today felt like a second Monday, but thankfully tomorrow will already be Friday!