We did get one day of calm with intermittent tropical sunlight that turned the water a warm turquoise from time to time. Amy's dad, Gordy, said let's go. He took us to the "outback country" 6 or 7 miles into the Gulf of Mexico to a group of mangrove keys known as the East and West Content Keys, a great place to fish on white sand flats. The fish are very hard to see but on a sunny day one can see their shadows and figure where to cast. It's also a great place to see wildlife. We got few good photos due to the motion of the boat and the long zoom distances but we had a lot of fun trying.
Apr 1, 2009
Big Pine Key, Florida
Normally we'd fly fish every day, but this trip was different. There were howling winds out of the northeast at 25 - 30 knots and frequent rainstorms night and day. With the chance of lightning one doesn't want to be on the water anyway. We did lots of cooking, went to Key West one day to the Apple store, saw a movie and ate Chinese. Never once picked up a rod. The water temperature was a chilly 69 degrees so no fish were hanging about on the flats. They'd gone to warmer deeper water.
Mar 16, 2009
Mennonite Chickens
Stongs is our local grocery store, where we do most of our shopping. I could make a snarky remark about the sign, but the Kreider brothers are quite able to make their own such remark!
Feb 15, 2009
Cutchogue Weekend
This weekend is my first post to the blog (thanks to a patient tutoring session with Mark) and marks the fifth annual visit of Kara and me with Mark and Amy in February. These visits always fall on President's Day weekend at the beginning of Kara's winter term break. This is also the time of Mark's birthday! I went to the DeWitt Clinton high school with Kara on Friday in the Bronx, reconnecting with the teachers I've been seeing there each year in the English Department's faculty lounge. It was two weeks into the second semester at a time when Kara was adapting to all-new students, but she already had them well in hand (i.e., very disciplined and meeting her expectations of decorum and participation in the class room) and we had a great time discussing literary devices and themes with them before and after I read aloud a DeMaupassant short story. We were exhausted at the end of the day and took naps before I went with Kara to the local gym before we had late dinner with her boyfriend Nick Demopoulos.
The restaurant where we met Nick was located around the corner from the apartment building in the East Village where Kay and I had lived during 1969-1972 when I was in I-W alternative service and Kay taught elementary school at PS 188 on Houston Street--at the lower end of East Village. Nick, who has previously visited Mark and Amy in Cutchogue--a prerequisite for gaining necessary approval to meet me, has lived in the City for 12 years, and works with his own band as a musician. While I have not personally heard him play, I enjoyed meeting him for the first time and finding areas of common interest. For example, he plays Bach violin partitas on his guitar! I also enjoyed hearing of his six week trip to the Middle East last year where his group performed and conducted workshops in several countries (U.A.E., Dubai, Yemen) in a solidly booked schedule under sponsorship of the US State Department.
Saturday morning Kara and I caught the Long Island Railroad train at 8:19am at Penn Station and arrived at Bayside to be greeted by Amy. We thus began our wonderful weekend together with Mark and Amy, heading to Cutchogue via a Starbucks-fueled road trip in the Jeep. After a relaxing afternoon of some napping and bread making, we dined on two of Mark's home made soups (corned beef and cabbage, and tomato) accompanied by various cheeses, breads, fruits, and the wonderful Blackberry wine from the famed wine region of Kansas. Sunday breakfast began with espresso made from an ancient Italian manual machine that involves an inversion and drip through process which works amazingly well. It followed with sparkling cider, "eggs Florentine" (pictured here) which is a most wonderful combination of home made toasted bread topped with spinach greens, lox, poached eggs, and hollindaise sauce, and, sectioned citrus with pecans, apples, and dried cranberries. This has been a perfectly sunny weekend and we took advantage of that to get in some walks around the Laurel Lake Preserve near Mattituck as well as the Little Peconic Bay beach at the end of Pequash Ave. Mark and I both spoke with Grandpa Kreider afterwards and were delighted to find him bright and alert, so we had a very satisfying conversation with him.
I also have to mention that last night Mark showed me the process he uses to play internet poker games with various participants including Bruce, which was quite fascinating to watch. I understand Bruce is easily able to participate in and win two games, simultaneously, while instant messaging Mark and spending quality time with Kristin who I understand often sits at his side for the sessions. I am amazed at how rapidly his mind must be capable of working.
Tonight, Amy prepared a wonderful dinner of Peconic Bay Scallops and shrimp, accompanied by a fresh green salad, young red potatos, toasted bread topped with her special roasted garlic spread and a nice North Fork white wine. While having after-dinner coffee during a game of Super Scrabble Deluxe (which involves a much larger board than regular Scrabble) Amy brought out a Red Velvet birthday cake topped with cream cheese frosting and accompanied with ice creams. It was nice to see Mark win with a score of 468! Scoring can be quite high in that game format.
The restaurant where we met Nick was located around the corner from the apartment building in the East Village where Kay and I had lived during 1969-1972 when I was in I-W alternative service and Kay taught elementary school at PS 188 on Houston Street--at the lower end of East Village. Nick, who has previously visited Mark and Amy in Cutchogue--a prerequisite for gaining necessary approval to meet me, has lived in the City for 12 years, and works with his own band as a musician. While I have not personally heard him play, I enjoyed meeting him for the first time and finding areas of common interest. For example, he plays Bach violin partitas on his guitar! I also enjoyed hearing of his six week trip to the Middle East last year where his group performed and conducted workshops in several countries (U.A.E., Dubai, Yemen) in a solidly booked schedule under sponsorship of the US State Department.
Saturday morning Kara and I caught the Long Island Railroad train at 8:19am at Penn Station and arrived at Bayside to be greeted by Amy. We thus began our wonderful weekend together with Mark and Amy, heading to Cutchogue via a Starbucks-fueled road trip in the Jeep. After a relaxing afternoon of some napping and bread making, we dined on two of Mark's home made soups (corned beef and cabbage, and tomato) accompanied by various cheeses, breads, fruits, and the wonderful Blackberry wine from the famed wine region of Kansas. Sunday breakfast began with espresso made from an ancient Italian manual machine that involves an inversion and drip through process which works amazingly well. It followed with sparkling cider, "eggs Florentine" (pictured here) which is a most wonderful combination of home made toasted bread topped with spinach greens, lox, poached eggs, and hollindaise sauce, and, sectioned citrus with pecans, apples, and dried cranberries. This has been a perfectly sunny weekend and we took advantage of that to get in some walks around the Laurel Lake Preserve near Mattituck as well as the Little Peconic Bay beach at the end of Pequash Ave. Mark and I both spoke with Grandpa Kreider afterwards and were delighted to find him bright and alert, so we had a very satisfying conversation with him.
I also have to mention that last night Mark showed me the process he uses to play internet poker games with various participants including Bruce, which was quite fascinating to watch. I understand Bruce is easily able to participate in and win two games, simultaneously, while instant messaging Mark and spending quality time with Kristin who I understand often sits at his side for the sessions. I am amazed at how rapidly his mind must be capable of working.
Tonight, Amy prepared a wonderful dinner of Peconic Bay Scallops and shrimp, accompanied by a fresh green salad, young red potatos, toasted bread topped with her special roasted garlic spread and a nice North Fork white wine. While having after-dinner coffee during a game of Super Scrabble Deluxe (which involves a much larger board than regular Scrabble) Amy brought out a Red Velvet birthday cake topped with cream cheese frosting and accompanied with ice creams. It was nice to see Mark win with a score of 468! Scoring can be quite high in that game format.
Feb 13, 2009
Book on Hans
This is a view from Hans' picture window
Shoo-Shoo, my one and only nude model
Whenever Hans wants to read the newspaper, Shoo-Shoo jumps on it. This is breakfast.
I may crop this for the front cover of the eventual book. This is a winter sunrise reflected off the front picture window. Sheila designed the renovations and asked for this particularly wide window (wide in those days).
I always enter from the upper back (fewer steps to climb). I caught Hans heating milk for his coffee and cereal (the Austrian way).
It was snowing (again), the mountains are invisible.
This alley shot was taken from his front yard, but he cannot see this from his house.
Sheila collected cards and put them up in the basement. Since they collected teddy bears, people usually sent cards on that theme. When we first took our young children here for dinner, Sheila had them go downstairs to count the bears.
I took this this morning. I like its wistfulness. We already know the book is about preserving memories.
Time and again I get up, check the sky, and if it is promising, go to his place to take some pictures. We cannot see sunrises at our place because of the tall trees.
I have been working on a book for Hans which will help to preserve memories for him. He has become an enthusiastic partner in the project, encouraging me at every turn. He is eager to share copies with relatives in Austria who have never seen Vancouver or any part of his life here. Now another older friend is hoping that I will create a similar book for him . . . this could take care of 'free time' for quite a while.
Shoo-Shoo, my one and only nude model
Whenever Hans wants to read the newspaper, Shoo-Shoo jumps on it. This is breakfast.
I may crop this for the front cover of the eventual book. This is a winter sunrise reflected off the front picture window. Sheila designed the renovations and asked for this particularly wide window (wide in those days).
I always enter from the upper back (fewer steps to climb). I caught Hans heating milk for his coffee and cereal (the Austrian way).
It was snowing (again), the mountains are invisible.
This alley shot was taken from his front yard, but he cannot see this from his house.
Sheila collected cards and put them up in the basement. Since they collected teddy bears, people usually sent cards on that theme. When we first took our young children here for dinner, Sheila had them go downstairs to count the bears.
I took this this morning. I like its wistfulness. We already know the book is about preserving memories.
Time and again I get up, check the sky, and if it is promising, go to his place to take some pictures. We cannot see sunrises at our place because of the tall trees.
I have been working on a book for Hans which will help to preserve memories for him. He has become an enthusiastic partner in the project, encouraging me at every turn. He is eager to share copies with relatives in Austria who have never seen Vancouver or any part of his life here. Now another older friend is hoping that I will create a similar book for him . . . this could take care of 'free time' for quite a while.
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