Category: Grandparenting

Manhattan Moments: Music & Food

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A grand tree in Manhattan

SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES: LOOKING BACK AND FORWARD

Playing and Singing

One of the joys of being grandparents is hearing your granddaughters perform in school assemblies.  Last week, we attended the winter assemblies for both the lower school and middle school classes.  Our older granddaughter is the lone French horn in the middle school orchestra, and it was a pleasure to hear her in a complex piece called Christmas Troika (Sleigh Ride.) She and her classmates also sang carols and popular works such as “Masters in This Hall” and “Let It Snow.” 

The lower school assembly on the following day featured 3rd graders in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” a Hebrew song, and a hilarious rendition of “The Queen of the Night Gets a Cold.”  Adding to the fun is the participation of the Men’s Chorus, fathers of the Brearley girls, in both programs.  After one rehearsal on the day of the event, they join in on some pieces and produced a rollicking “When I’m 64.” 

After, as we awaited our family in the school lobby, we saw and heard Bill Clinton (his granddaughter is a student) getting ready to leave. I was a bit tempted to approach him, but he was already in conversation with someone else. His voice was a bit raspy, but otherwise he looked good.  (This was just before his short stay in the hospital with the flu.)

Girls and Women

The Chief Penguin and I continue to be impressed with the excellent education offered in this all-girls school.  I confess to being initially neutral to skeptical about single sex education in general.  In this environment, I see “our girls” being empowered to order their lives, challenge themselves, and lead with kindness. I almost want to return to school and wish that my school experience had been as stimulating as this one.

In reflecting on the professional roles women have carved out in the past 50 years, I keenly recall when the birth control pill became widely available and when abortion became legal.  And that day when I, well educated and working full time as an academic librarian, could finally get a credit card in my own name without my husband’s signature or financial backing.  Memorable! I promptly signed up for a Macy’s card that was just mine. 

I worry and am concerned that with the incoming administration, people like J.D. Vance and his cronies will try to send women back to the kitchen and the nursery.  I hope I’m proven wrong and that the current opportunities and progress made for women of all ages and interests will endure and be available to today’s girls as they become the women of tomorrow.

DINING AROUND

As usual, the Chief Penguin and I have dined at several of our favorite restaurants this visit including tasty upscale Italian fare at Barbaresco, Canyon Road with classic Margaritas and zippy guacamole, Wa Jeal for a bit of Sichuan cuisine, and consistently good, large portioned, red gravy plus at Tony’s Di Napoli.  We also tried two unfamiliar places and re-visited a lunch place for dinner.

Lungi (1st Avenue & 63rd St.)

The formerly named Imli, which we enjoyed in the past, has rebranded itself as Lungi, and the menu now focuses on South Indian and Sri Lankan dishes.  We and our son and family all had lunch here, and it was delicious.  We opted for a bunch of small plates which included paneer with peppers, tiger shrimp with black pepper, chunks of beef with coconut and spices, and crispy chicken with chili.  We followed those tasty dishes with some filled dosas and two kinds of biryani.  We had plenty to eat.  The Chief Penguin and I vowed to return to try the curries.

Monsieur Bistro (Lexington St., Upper East Side)

For many years, our first dinner upon arrival in New York was at Sel et Poivre.  It was cozy and welcoming, we knew some of the waitstaff, and we had favorites on the menu.  Unfortunately, the menu stagnated, and the restaurant began to feel tired. It closed earlier this year and, under new ownership and some spiffing up of the décor, is now Monsieur Bistro. 

We ate here twice this visit.  The first meal was mixed in terms of what we liked and what we did not care for.   A more recent dinner was particularly good; lamb parmentier for me which was comfort food for a chilly night and a Brussels sprouts salad with a side of smoked salmon for the CP.   We will dine here again on our next visit.

Serafina 79 (Madison Ave., Upper East Side)

Serafina is an extremely popular place and at lunch apt to be crowded with students and their families, especially on days off.  We had eaten here several times, but never for dinner.  The menu includes a wide selection of pizzas, salads, and pasta dishes.  We brought our granddaughters here one night when their parents went out. 

The girls shared a pepperoni pizza while I tried the chicken paillard with arugula, and the CP had porcini ravioli.  The ravioli are made there and were so wonderful he could not stop raving about them!  Serafina has multiple branches across Manhattan, and we’re sure to return for more ravioli.

The most unusual store facade I saw this year!

Note: Header photo of Rockefeller Center tree and other photos by JWFarrington.

Maine: Good Times with Granddaughters

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MEMORIES AND TRADITIONS

Colors of summer

After so many years (30+ for the Chief Penguin and me), Maine is a fixed point on our summer calendar and that of our son and family.  This past week, T and J and the girls, E and F, were here for their annual visit.  It’s a time to add to our collective memory bank and to honor our Maine traditions.  

E and F arrived late in the day on Sunday, but in time to brave the cove water for a swim.  E has become a good swimmer and relished being the first one into the water each day.  F takes longer to get in and sometimes needs a bit of coaxing, but she is determined and likes to challenge herself.  Once in, she quickly dunks under and, like her sister, is capable of swimming over to a float.  

Enjoying Maine’s cold water

They were in the water every day despite cool gray skies.  Their last effort was collecting cove water in an empty salsa jar to take home.

The girls and I made blueberry pancakes one morning (they are becoming good pancake flippers), and we re-visited the Boothbay Railway Village, always a treat. Tim made us wonderful spaghetti and clams one night (thanks to Scully’s delicate Damariscotta River clams), and we dined at Cozy’s Dockside twice, ending each meal with ice cream and sprinkles. 

In addition, there were multiple trips to Sherman’s for new books, a round of mini golf at the Dolphin course (their dad came in first, but Grandma was on a roll and acquitted herself well), and finally, a visit to the botanical gardens.  

Bridge at the gardens

The little house and the water pumps are required stops, but the lure of the fairy village is greater with the opportunity (satisfied) to each make a fairy house.  In between all the activities, there were periods of quiet reading and many noisy games of Sorry, most of which I lost! 

 It was a fun week.  As F said, it went too fast, but we created a new cache of Maine memories to see us through until next summer.   

CASUAL FARE 

Cozy’s Dockside

Located on Cozy Harbor’s edge, Cozy’s is perfect for families and anyone in the mood for casual dining.  With picnic tables overlooking the dock as well as attractive inside seating, Cozy’s menu runs the gamut from hot dogs and burgers to a daily chowder, fried haddock, hearty salads, and several sandwiches including, of course, a lobster roll.  The Chief Penguin and I have dined here numerous times this season, and the food is consistently very good.  

On one visit, we sampled the excellent fried calamari appetizer with banana peppers.  We quickly devoured it.  A favorite of ours is the romaine salad which includes a generous handful of capers and thin sheets of Parmesan.  It can be topped with grilled chicken or shrimp grilled, blackened, or fried.  Also popular are the haddock tacos and for our granddaughters the selection of ice cream flavors and toppings.   It’s always a treat to eat here!

Cozy’s tacos

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Tidy Tidbits: Granddaughters, etc.

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A MARVELOUS WEEK

This was a week about as close to perfection as one could request.  Everyone seemed to have a grand time.  Tim and Jen had multiple opportunities for tennis and honing their game.  The girls, 7 and almost 11, spent hours in the pool, swimming, jumping, racing one another, and playing with several visiting girls.  In quieter moments, they could be found re-discovering the joys of a dollhouse and building blocks or curled up in a chair with a book.

Together we played a new card game, Taco vs. Burrito, laughing and scheming to see who would escape the Health Inspector card and have the most points.  Even for adults, this was a fun game! We also celebrated F’s 7th birthday.  Creative Grandpa came through with frosted yellow cupcakes (some with pink icing and some with whipped cream) on a lighted 3-tiered stand.  Quite some pizazz!  

Birthday cupcakes on stand
Close up of cupcake with strawberry

To round out the week, they checked out Coquina Beach, and we all headed to our perennial favorite, Tide Tables, for two dinners. We survived the challenge of parking and the wait (20 minutes, not the projected 30) for a table, with F holding tightly to the buzzer.  Scoops and cones at Tyler’s Ice Cream made for another treat.

Smiling sisters

No trip to Florida is complete without a stop in the bookstore, that’s Bookstore 1 in Sarasota.  Combine that with replenishing the cheese supply at Artisan Cheese Company, and you have a satisfying outing.  Food for brain and body.  

Our house is quiet, the foyer is bereft of shoes, sneakers, and sandals, and the crew is back home in New York.  But what good memories we made!

VIEWING UPDATE—CONTINUING SERIES

Call the Midwife (PBS)

Midwives Trixie, Phyllis, & Nancy (PBS)

It’s hard to believe that Call the Midwife is in its 12th season, but it is.  The year is 1968, and the folks in Poplar are still poor and in need of better living conditions and healthcare.  Visiting Sister Veronica brings a blunt manner and new ideas for helping the children.  Nurse Crane faces repercussions due to her age, and Trixie juggles preparing for her wedding to Matthew with caring for their patients.  Familiar faces are back from Dr. Turner and Sheila to Sister Julienne and Sister Monica Joan.  Babies are born, problems are solved, and there is always hope.  I find this series moving and emotional in a good way.  I’ve now watched four of the 8 episodes.

Sanditon (PBS)

Charlotte & Alexander Colbourne (PBS)

Season 3 of Sandition, based on an unfinished novel by Jane Austen, is in its third and final season.  Georgiana is about to celebrate coming of age and into her inheritance.  Charlotte Heywood returns for the party with her farmer fiancé.  Tom Parker continues to tout the greatness of Sandition and petitions a wealthy man for his support for a hotel.  As expected, flirtations and expectations abound as single women angle to catch the eye of just the right gentleman.  

It’s fun, mostly light-hearted, and a welcome change from the dark crime series the Chief Penguin and I have been favoring.  There are six episodes in this finale.

Note: Unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.) Header photo of kids in pool from Dreamstime.com.

Christmas Notes

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THE MAGIC OF THIS SEASON

Outside Rockefeller Center

The Christmas holiday this year was especially magical and memorable.  It was our first in-person Christmas with Tim and Jen and our granddaughters in three years.  2020 was full blown Covid and we stayed home. Last year, 2021, we came to Manhattan, but Covid hit a family member and we retreated back to Florida.  We had been here a week, but weather and fear kept us from museums and even going to see the iconic Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.  This year, the weather has been challenging and cold, to say the least, but we have been soaking up time with our granddaughters, catching up with Tim and Jen, and did walk down to see that tree.

At 6 ¾ (the three-quarters is important) and 10 and a half, F and E are becoming their own persons in wonderful ways.  F is thriving in first grade, wiry and full of energy, with a well-developed sense of fun. She likes to build things (Magna-Tiles and Legos), invent scenes with Calico Critters, and is an avid reader and a budding writer.  We enjoyed reading several little booklets she wrote about a cat and a dog and were delighted to receive her book about a cat’s adventures in three chapters, illustrated by older sister E, and created just for us!  

Eleanor is a thinker, a lover of books and words, and is becoming more independent as she engages with the outside world and her circle of friends.  A voracious reader and aspiring writer, she signed up for the middle school newspaper, fencing, and creative writing as her after school activities.

We got to hear the girls play the pieces they are preparing for their upcoming piano recital.  Another evening, we stayed with them while their folks went out.  We didn’t need to do much except be present.  They are very self-sufficient. 

I brought a children’s novel about a Mars rover named Resilience (A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga)  that we’ve been discovering together.  This robot rover is unusual in that it seems to have some human feelings.  Sophia, daughter of one of the scientists working on the rover’s mission, writes to Res (rover’s nickname). These letters are counterpoint to Res’s ”thoughts” and provide some context for Sophie’s concerns and her mother Rania’s job.  I’ve been reading the book aloud with the girls flanking me, one on either side.  It’s a good story and has made for some very special time together. We didn’t get to the end, but I’m sure they will complete it one their own.

We had planned to take the girls out to lunch this past week to a nearby restaurant.  E was sick so it was just F with Grandpa and me.  We missed having E there, but we had a fine time with pizza for F and pasta for us. 

And then there’s the magic of Christmas Day itself. This year we and the extended family celebrated on Christmas Eve. It was a reunion with the other grandparents and Jen’s sister and family including baby H, the newest girl born in April. E and F are reveling in having a cousin nearby.

Bonding over Calvin & Hobbes

I always love watching our granddaughters open their gifts.  There are smiles of delight and an occasional whoop, along with big hugs and enthusiastic thanks.  Nothing beats seeing their joy over more books, personalized note cards and stationery, craft items, Legos and the like!  Tim and Jen are great hosts, and later we all dove into a delicious Middle Eastern/Mexican dinner.

This year, their tree came down early, they packed their bags, and now they are away.  The Chief Penguin and I had such a memorable time.  We are storing up the many hugs and looking forward to our next visit, but first, we anticipate a full recounting of their travel adventures!

RECENT VIEWING

Harry and Meghan (Netflix)

Despite the negative and mixed reviews, we watched all six episodes of Harry and Meghan.  I expected to feel that they, especially Meghan, were overdramatizing their situation.  So, it was a surprise to sympathize and empathize with the treatment they received in the tabloid press.  And to learn that the palace never pushed back nor did anything to defend Meghan publicly.  

Overall, the series is somewhat uneven, and I was a bit uncomfortable with the candor and intimate sharing in some of the early episodes.  It is indeed their love story.  Harry and Meghan come across as loving and also as involved parents with their two kids.  They are articulate about their experiences and readily share their feelings. And I was impressed by their intelligence. 

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It being the season, it seems appropriate to end with yet another tree photo. I hope that whatever holidays you celebrate, you’ve had a happy, healthy time!

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)