Home again, and vacation is over. I felt like cleaning up the house was an endless project -- how much stuff accumulates only after one week. I had to put down a $250 security deposit, and I would give myself an A- for how I left the house. I stopped short of sweeping and vacuuming. All the linens were piled on top of the washing machine. The refrigerator was empty. All the garbage was outside in the can. The counters were all wiped.
The drive home was fairly easy. I was incredibly lucky with traffic. Even coming over the George Washington Bridge was smooth -- and how beautiful is the view from that bridge?
Anyway, I wasn't on vacation during a hurricane, although that might have been interesting so tomorrow it's back to the grind of paying bills and work.
I saw a station wagon loaded to the gills with a family, looking like they were coming back from a long stay at a beach house, and there's something iconic about it. Can't believe it's September tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Mary's photos
Mary took the bottom one from the viewing tower (see below), and I have to say this place has such a calming power to it. It is very still, very quiet, so peaceful and really a timeless spot. Thje water is the Potomac and that's on two sides of the house, and on the third side is a tidal creek.
Sunday night
We had a nice day today, a long relaxed brunch of bagels, cereal, fruit, juice, coffee and lots of talk. Fran and Mary left around 3 and have made it home safe and sound. I had a lazy afternoon of reading, napping, and watching tv. Mary sent some photos, including this one which is the viewing tower right in the backyard of this house.
Vacation Feast
Fran, Mary and I had two great meals today. Fran arrived at lunch, and when Mary went to pick her up, they stopped at a farmer's market. For lunch, we had Amish potato salad (not quite sure what made it Amish, but it was good!) and BLT's made with the best tomatoes from the farmer's market. I commented that usually tomatoes are the weak link in the BLT but these were blood red, juicy, full of tomato taste... along with a glob of mayo, bacon and lettuce on toasted potato bread... it was delicious.
We relaxed, went outside, read, napped, did our own thing in the afternoon and then for dinner, we had grilled shrimp, Rice A Roni, tossed salad with Italian dressing and crumpled blue cheese and corn on the cob from the market. It really was delicious. All of it.
Then for dessert, we had bought an Angel Food cake, and Fran inserted a layer of fruit and then frosted it with Cool Whip and decorated it with peaches and rasberries. That, with a good cup of after dinner coffee... well, we were three happy girls.
More talk, more gabbing and now it's bedtime.
Tomorrow it's bagels and cereal and Fran and Mary are going to leave in early afternoon. We've had just a lovely, peaceful time.
We relaxed, went outside, read, napped, did our own thing in the afternoon and then for dinner, we had grilled shrimp, Rice A Roni, tossed salad with Italian dressing and crumpled blue cheese and corn on the cob from the market. It really was delicious. All of it.
Then for dessert, we had bought an Angel Food cake, and Fran inserted a layer of fruit and then frosted it with Cool Whip and decorated it with peaches and rasberries. That, with a good cup of after dinner coffee... well, we were three happy girls.
More talk, more gabbing and now it's bedtime.
Tomorrow it's bagels and cereal and Fran and Mary are going to leave in early afternoon. We've had just a lovely, peaceful time.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Blasted Technology
I had a good laugh at myself last night. Had stopped to put gas in my car, and I must have touched something coming in to the car because I could not get the hazard lights off. Was trying every button, every switch. At one point I had on the front and rear windshield wipers and the back one kept spritzing and washing the back window. It just made me laugh. Finally located the button and got the hazard lights off, only to realize the interior lights -- two little lights on the ceiling of the car by the rearview mirror wouldn't go off. Tried everything.
Finally I asked a man at the gas station to help me, and he couldn't find it initially either. He put on his glasses and then found the switch. Then I realized the "wiper fluid low" warning went on and I don't know how to turn that one off either.
Mary arrived and we had a pleasant afternoon, playing a game, talking, relaxing and then had Kentucky Fried Chicken (original recipe, of course) for dinner and it was great -- we then wanted to watch a Netflix movie she had brought but the two of us together couldn't figure out how to get the DVD to play. This place has a fancy satellite TV with three remotes, all these instruction books, and I said we need an 8-year old to help us. Finally we gave up.
Tomorrow, Mary's leaving to go pick up Fran who is taking a Metro (subway) to the end of the line and Fran and Mary will then return and stay through Sunday.
Saw deer, turtles, Canada geese, tons of butterflies, tons of birds, ducks, etc. It's really a beautiful, peaceful place.
Finally I asked a man at the gas station to help me, and he couldn't find it initially either. He put on his glasses and then found the switch. Then I realized the "wiper fluid low" warning went on and I don't know how to turn that one off either.
Mary arrived and we had a pleasant afternoon, playing a game, talking, relaxing and then had Kentucky Fried Chicken (original recipe, of course) for dinner and it was great -- we then wanted to watch a Netflix movie she had brought but the two of us together couldn't figure out how to get the DVD to play. This place has a fancy satellite TV with three remotes, all these instruction books, and I said we need an 8-year old to help us. Finally we gave up.
Tomorrow, Mary's leaving to go pick up Fran who is taking a Metro (subway) to the end of the line and Fran and Mary will then return and stay through Sunday.
Saw deer, turtles, Canada geese, tons of butterflies, tons of birds, ducks, etc. It's really a beautiful, peaceful place.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Vacation Report -- first full day
Greetings from Slugville, where I am enjoying a total unwind -- well, it's not total yet, but I can feel it happening.
Nothing of particular interest to report on the drive down. My Google map instructions were perfect to follow until the last three miles, and then it was wild. I spent an hour going back and forth looking for a road that didn't exist. I finally called the people I'm renting the house from -- I really was about five minutes away. And they guided me in.
I later showed the woman the Google maps instructions and she said that they just don't make sense. That was really the first bad experience I've had, but it was frustrating.
So this place is a dump on the outside, but totally renovated on the inside with new kitchen, new bathroom. There is water on three sides -- the Potomac River on two and a tidal pool on the other. There was a full moon last night and it was beautiful. I always forget how many stars there are as we don't see them in Manhattan. I was also looking at this airplane and could see when it put on its landing lights... that's something you don't see either with all the urban ambient light.
There are birds and butterflies all around. I haven't seen a bald eagle yet, but I'm looking. It's all very peaceful. Was pouring when I left yesterday but got sunnier as I drove south. Today was a sunny, lovely day.
So tomorrow Mary comes.
My "duh" moment driving down here was I was looking at the panel and saw that the "average" was 35 mph. I thought that was impossible and it took me a long time to realize that is the gas mileage. I'm not used to these new-fangled cars. This is a Ford Edge, sort of like a hatchback, mini SUV.
The only thing I forgot (so far) is the cord that connects my camera to my computer so I'll take pictures but can't post them. My little memory card slot on this computer is broken but I will send some when I get home.
Vacation really is a wonderful thing.
Nothing of particular interest to report on the drive down. My Google map instructions were perfect to follow until the last three miles, and then it was wild. I spent an hour going back and forth looking for a road that didn't exist. I finally called the people I'm renting the house from -- I really was about five minutes away. And they guided me in.
I later showed the woman the Google maps instructions and she said that they just don't make sense. That was really the first bad experience I've had, but it was frustrating.
So this place is a dump on the outside, but totally renovated on the inside with new kitchen, new bathroom. There is water on three sides -- the Potomac River on two and a tidal pool on the other. There was a full moon last night and it was beautiful. I always forget how many stars there are as we don't see them in Manhattan. I was also looking at this airplane and could see when it put on its landing lights... that's something you don't see either with all the urban ambient light.
There are birds and butterflies all around. I haven't seen a bald eagle yet, but I'm looking. It's all very peaceful. Was pouring when I left yesterday but got sunnier as I drove south. Today was a sunny, lovely day.
So tomorrow Mary comes.
My "duh" moment driving down here was I was looking at the panel and saw that the "average" was 35 mph. I thought that was impossible and it took me a long time to realize that is the gas mileage. I'm not used to these new-fangled cars. This is a Ford Edge, sort of like a hatchback, mini SUV.
The only thing I forgot (so far) is the cord that connects my camera to my computer so I'll take pictures but can't post them. My little memory card slot on this computer is broken but I will send some when I get home.
Vacation really is a wonderful thing.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Societal Changes
My friend Barbara and I had our monthly meal together -- in July and August, we do dinner -- one Greek coffee shop diner/dinner and one nice dinner. Tonight was our nice dinner and it was a lovely evening.
We were talking about how major changes can take place over time, and talked specifically about smoking, about recycling -- I remember someone years ago scoffing, "What? Is everyone going to have three garbage cans?" And I always think of that when I see three garbage cans for recycling.
Neither of us enjoys cell phones and I pointed out to her the look on the face of a person when their dining partner is on the cell phone gabbing away. It's boredom with a pinch of impatience. I can't imagine why you'd want to chat when you're in a lovely restaurant trying to enjoy a dinner.
When I came home, I was sitting out on my steps for a while, and this woman whom I have come to know who lives on the block came by and pointed out to me that she was no longer on crutches and really was walking very well. I forgot how she had injured herself -- she is my age and a senior, senior flight attendant for American Airlines. She told me that now her only health challenge is solar keratosis which is a forerunner to skin cancer, but she was doing well with it.
She said to me it's all the time in the sun when she was young, and said that when she'd fly to Tucson, she and her fellow flight attendants would put on baby oil and fry themselves in the sun. It makes me cringe to think of that now, but that's what people did. I never did the baby oil since I always got dark so easily, and I remember when I first read that a tan is actually your skin defending itself from an injury and I was like HUH??
So that's something else that's changed -- tans are no longer cool. I remember what a status symbol it was to be tan in January in NY. It said you were well off enough to escape. Today you'd look foolish.
I wonder if the young girls frying themselves in tanning machines will think of themselves as foolish as they are nursing their own solar keratosis a few decades from now.
We were talking about how major changes can take place over time, and talked specifically about smoking, about recycling -- I remember someone years ago scoffing, "What? Is everyone going to have three garbage cans?" And I always think of that when I see three garbage cans for recycling.
Neither of us enjoys cell phones and I pointed out to her the look on the face of a person when their dining partner is on the cell phone gabbing away. It's boredom with a pinch of impatience. I can't imagine why you'd want to chat when you're in a lovely restaurant trying to enjoy a dinner.
When I came home, I was sitting out on my steps for a while, and this woman whom I have come to know who lives on the block came by and pointed out to me that she was no longer on crutches and really was walking very well. I forgot how she had injured herself -- she is my age and a senior, senior flight attendant for American Airlines. She told me that now her only health challenge is solar keratosis which is a forerunner to skin cancer, but she was doing well with it.
She said to me it's all the time in the sun when she was young, and said that when she'd fly to Tucson, she and her fellow flight attendants would put on baby oil and fry themselves in the sun. It makes me cringe to think of that now, but that's what people did. I never did the baby oil since I always got dark so easily, and I remember when I first read that a tan is actually your skin defending itself from an injury and I was like HUH??
So that's something else that's changed -- tans are no longer cool. I remember what a status symbol it was to be tan in January in NY. It said you were well off enough to escape. Today you'd look foolish.
I wonder if the young girls frying themselves in tanning machines will think of themselves as foolish as they are nursing their own solar keratosis a few decades from now.
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