Wooly bully...

Well, much like the song Wooly Bully, my sojourn in NY was fast-paced...but very enjoyable. I managed to get a lot done, but I could have used an extra week to do/see stuff that was not on the "to do list".

First. My friend Hayden moved back to New York after many years of living in Paris. She is now the co-owner of a boutique called Hayden & Alice at 385 Amsterdam Ave between 78th and 79th. I didn't get a chance to see her and when I had a day available, she was on a plane to Paris! Stop by her shop and say hi! Tell her QB sent you!

I just want to mention this... I came back from an afternoon at Macy's... yes... I know... one post was all about consumerism, etc. But, I don't normally shop like that, I had a list and at least I was boosting the US economy! Anyway, I came back to the hotel, collapsed on the couch and turned on the tube. For whatever reason, I landed on C-SPAN and stayed there. It was a recorded show from the NOW convention in Maryland. I happened to tune in just as they were honoring the recipient of the Woman of Courage Award. It went to Barbara Hillary. I was truly inspired by what she had to say, how she said it, and what she has accomplished in her life. Her one bit of advice was "have a goal". Very interesting woman.

On Tuesday of my second week I was picked up by a friend and we headed over to Lambertville, NJ to meet with an artist, Timothy Martin and his wife. Timothy is quite a talented and unique character, you will be hearing more about him here in the future. We had a wonderful afternoon with them and then headed over to a B&B called Woolverton Inn. On the way there, we passed by a glass studio and we both said, "Hmmmm!".

So, we checked in, dropped off the bags and headed back up the road to investigate. I'm glad we did. We met Geoff and Karen Caldwell, the owners of Sunflower Glass Studio. At first we weren't sure if anyone was there, but Topper (the English Springer Spaniel) greeted us at the door and Karen rushed about turning the lights and fan on for us. We got the tour of their studio, with works in progress. As if glass wasn't enough, Geoff is soon to hang his shingle as an astrologist AND you can catch him on YouTube singing the blues!

We asked about restaurants in the area and they recommended DeAnna's. Thank you for that tip! Great ambiance, fab food and tucked away so you really need to know where it is to enjoy it. If you are in the Stockton/Lambertville New Jersey area, stop by and say hi for us!

After NJ, it was time to head up to Boston for the Crosby, Stills and Nash concert. My friend Tobi and I rented a Prius... we paid for the extra tank of gas thinking it would be easier to just drop the car off than to try to find a station in NYC. We never once hit a gas station there and back and drove it in on fumes! What a car! Comfortable ride (once we figured out how to turn it on!) and we averaged 44.7 miles per gallon (according to the computer screen on the dashboard. Also liked the live view when you put it into reverse. Order yours now!

We met up with my aunt and uncle who were making their way back to North Carolina from Nova Scotia. We had dinner (get the lobster!) at Anthony's Pier 4... Anthony's has been around for years, the walls are lined with autographed photos going back decades.

The next night was the concert, great show, CSN did so many of the favorites, including a 'new' one called Lay Me Down written by James Raymond, David Crosby's son. Wonderful evening, the Bank of America Pavilion was 'outdoors' and the weather was perfect!

All too soon it was time to head back to NYC and get packed to go home to Paris. I really would have liked to stay one more week, if anyone would be interested in an apartment swap next year, let me know!

Let's not be L-7, come and learn to dance...