What a beautiful Sunday morning in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn! So many different thin gs come into my head to blog about. And still.

JDT blogged about our visit to Queens and the Billie Jean King US Tennis Center. From prior experience we knew there was a real likelihood that this could be a late night. AND those that know me well, know that is not my favorite part of the day. After the usual standing in line, actually lines, we made our way into the complex. Our intent is much different in such situations. I want to find a place to settle in, watch some tennis, while JDT wants to be in as many different places at one time to not miss a thing. Neither is right, nor wrong, just different. It is our very different approaches to life. Understanding that makes the usual “dustups” that almost always ensue at least “understandable”. Finding the right balance almost always leads to wonderful experiences.

After wandering a bit, watching a set or so of Diego Schwartzman dispatching his Slovenian opponent we decided to make our way over to Louis Armstrong Stadium. We had spent a serious amount of time selecting the correct seats to buy through Stub Hub. And well, we hit a home run on that one. JDT had read a great deal about the best angle. For me it was about being low enough, and not too low. AND as I said, we absolutely got it right. We got some food and water and settled in for the match. The caliber of the tennis was good, not great. The level of competition was fabulous. It was a five setter. And it took 3:55 to play. The match had started at 7:20 PM, so that made it 11:15 PM when the match finally ended. For those of you that are Grand Slam tennis junkies like us (mostly JDT), you know there is an interview and “theatrics” that follow. That meant the second match of the evening session would very likely start at darn near midnight. JDT knows that me and that hour are not a great combination, so we started our journey (yes I mean journey) back “home”. (Postscript – I NEED TO BE BETTER, SURPRISE JOYCE ONE DAY AND STAY UNTIL THE BITTER END!)

We have been on nearly 100 subway trips since our arrival August 1st. Some have been close to midnight (return from Mets game; return from Theater in The Park). None had been into the early hours of the morning. Two hours and fifteen minutes after we left BJK we arrived back home. I’ve shared my incredible fondness of traveling via train in prior blog posts. I don’t need to repeat myself. I was reminded and provided with another reason. You see the world as it is, not how we hope it would be. In all its dirty AND beautiful glory.

A short tangent before I wrap up. A couple weeks back we visited the New York Transit Museum (A must visit for those hoping to understand the history and essence of NYC). The museum is in an old subway station in Brooklyn. It is wonderful. Being down in that old converted subway one really gets a feel for what it must have been like for those that built the NYC transit system. Its history is inspiring and a real touch of Americana. A real highlight of what we, as Americans can build when we decide to work together. In those days it was mostly the Irish in NYC that were the disfavored immigrants that the rest of us leveraged to prop up and create a more convenient world for those more fortunate. Right or wrong (I’m not here to debate that debatable topic), there is always the fortunate and the less fortunate. AND it is the less fortunate that our society and economy rely so heavily.

The night sessions at BJK start at 7 PM. We wanted to have the Full Monty Experience, knew the gates opened at 5ish, so decided to arrive at BJK a bit before 5. Our subway journey was the C line to the G line to the 7 line. To translate for those non-New Yorkers, this means we went from central BK to west BK north to west Queens and then finally east to central Queens. Picture this, early rush hour from Manhattan into Queens. Yep, you got it, the workforce that works relatively early, dominated by construction workers. Mostly minority, mostly latino all looking incredibly weary at the end of a long week (remember the remnants of IDA passed through earlier in the week). And it took me straight back to my impressions from the NY Transit Museum.

I’m incredibly proud (hopefully in a positive way) and grateful for all of my blessings in life. AND I am aware and acknowledge that I would not have any of it were it not for everyone in our wonderful society and culture and all that each contribute.

Happy Sunday!!

I don’t really like the term…and yet…here we are living one of my dreams!

Yesterday was a glorious Fall-ish day. Have I mentioned that I am truly grateful for this opportunity to explore New York City and all of its boroughs at such a relaxed pace?

We got a later than usual start to our day so ended up on the free Staten Island ferry around 2:00. We had no plans once we got to the island so per usual, GAT took the reins and we walked to Snug Harbor. Along the route we enjoyed incredible views of downtown NYC. Snug Harbor is an 83 acre plot of land that was purchased through the bequest of a Captain Randall, a shipbuilder (also a Revolutionary War soldier) without heirs. He wanted to create a place for “aged, decrepit, and worn-out seamen”. Upon his death his “country estate” in what is now Greenwich Village was sold and the land in Staten Island was purchased. Imagine that! A 24 acre “country estate” in Manhattan! The story of his trust (created only 4 days before his death) is quite a tale of “who’s who” in post Revolutionary War history and judicial courts intrigue. Randall was originally buried in Manhattan at St. Mark’s Church, but when Snug Harbor was built, his remains were brought there and he is interred under an obelisk. The story is told that his ghost walks the grounds of Snug Harbor because souls don’t travel over water so he is searching for his soul that was left in Manhattan. I love a good ghost story!

Upon our return to Brooklyn, we followed our noses to a pizza place that our friend, Joan wants to visit when she’s here next week. That in and of itself was an adventure! A whole new neighborhood vibe, great pizza and OLD subway stations.

When we eventually arrived home from our adventure, Mark, our landlord was still here cleaning up the flooded basement (Ida). He is on vacation and had to drive back (4 hours) to deal with the mess. We helped him finish it up and are continuing to swab the decks – so to speak – as the area rug is draining, but no real damage seems to have been done. Just another reminder why we’d rather be renting than owning a second home! No rushing home from a vacation to repair something!

And finally, may the photos from the ferry remind us that the 20 year anniversary of 9/11 is fast approaching. I am taking a deep breath, pausing, and thinking about this great city and all that is good in our country.

Yes. We survived the remnants of Ida. Rain came in buckets starting in the late afternoon. There was a bit of lightening and thunder, but mostly just buckets and buckets of rain.You’ve probably seen photos of flooded streets and stadiums. We went to bed late (watching the US Open) and all seemed fine in our neighborhood. I went to sleep wishing that I could ship the water to the fiery west.

Glen got up this morning and went to grab his computer from the basement and oops. The basement has about 1/2 inch of water throughout the space. Landlord is on his way back from vacation with a new shopvac. This is why you rent instead of own a vacation home!

We are off to Staten Island for the day. We have recently ventured to Coney Island and Rockaway Beach. Hitting all the summer hot spots! Maybe The Hamptons in early Fall?

We are going to the US Open (tennis) tomorrow! Look for us in the Louis Armstrong stadium during the night matches.

In California, it’s pretty simple, we have these three large, color-coded trash cans – blue for recycling, green for composting, and black for landfill. Our trash is picked up once a week. Easy and peasy – to quote one of my first grade English Learners.

In New York, there are no (or few) cans. You separate your landfill trash and put it in a black or clear trash bag. The plastic/glass/metal recycling materials goes into a blue trash bag. Paper recycling goes into a different blue bag. All of the bags are placed at the edge of the sidewalk the night before collection, as all types of trash are collected one day a week – for us, it’s Monday – so we put it out Sunday night. In addition to the “all trash” pick up day, there are two other days at which you can put out black/clear landfill bags – for us, it’s Tuesday and Thursday nights. I assume the frequency of pick up has to do with the tight living quarters in the city. If everyone had to hold on to all of their trash for a whole week…I don’t even want to think about the smells and visuals of that quantity of trash.

The system works though it has its drawbacks. First, it’s kinda unsightly as it can sit out on the curb for most of the day. Second, it attracts…critters – the ones I’ve written about before and lots of flies. Third, it makes walking Dug a bit challenging as it’s like walking him past a veritable smorgasborg. It’s hard to get up any speed on our walks!

Also, I haven’t figured out how this works, but if you look at the photos, people tend to think of the “big” trash day as an opportunity to put out EVERYTHING they want to get rid of AND at the end of the month, many people are moving to new apartments so there is a LOT of other trash…hoping to be picked up by someone…anyone!

Finally, the City places trash cans on just about every corner so there is no excuse for dropping your trash on the ground. Sadly, it seems that the message is not clear as in certain areas, there is a LOT of trash on the ground. AND the corner trash cans are also often full so they are well-utilized – there is just a LOT of trash in a city!

Bottom line – trash is an interesting issue in urban settings. Something new to ponder…

I think I wrote, or certainly have been thinking we’ve been coming to Brooklyn for 10 or 11 years. And my oh my, how things have changed. Back then, The Wythe was either the only, or one of the very few upscale hotels in Williamsburg, Broooklyn. Now? My oh MY!! Williamsburg is filled with em.

Back in 2010 we absolutely loved it, yet I struggled a bit with the hipster thing. I never really understood, until NOW!!

We have dear DEAR friends visiting us starting next Sunday. So we’re out exploring places to go for an adult beverage and a view. One of the best things of BK is the night view into Manhattan (It may be my favorite thing about The Wythe). So some 10 years or so later, we decide to go to the rooftop bar at The Wythe. And while we are there, some late 20s hipsters are having a surprise marriage proposal / celebration. And of course their friend who is a photographer is recording.

I struggle with the fine line of self awareness and self absorption.

So, now I understand.

For many years, I regularly posted three gratitudes on my Facebook page-not on a schedule, but as the spirit moved me. For some reason, I’ve fallen away from that practice and yet I have so much gratitude in my ❤️. So…

1. My heart ❤️ is so appreciative to have this opportunity to explore our world in such a unique way. As I said in an earlier post, I’m a suburban girl and this city-living is exciting and full of opportunities to learn and experience our world in such a new (to me) way.

2. Those of you who know both of us know that GAT is the master planner and I am the “seat of my pantser “. Both ways have their places in our world. AND I’m super grateful for the Planner who masterfully managed our financial life so that in our “golden” years we could live out our dreams.

3. You. I’m grateful for all of our family and friends who have shared our journey – the journey we are writing about here, but also the journey throughout the years. People come and go throughout our lives. Each person has an impact on us – whether you know it or not. Whether we’ve told you or not.

So as we sit in the backyard of Brown Butter enjoying our Sunday morning fried chicken and waffles – thank you life – from the bottom of my (pointed little 🤪) ❤️.

We were just talking today about today being the end of our fourth week and feeling like we are just getting started (and I guess we are). We’ve both always experienced this pull of home when we near the end of three weeks. We’ve both (in lives before we were together and since) made a point of taking long adventures. I went to Europe in 1984 for a full month and JDT was in Europe six months as a late teen. Anyway, it is strange that this feels different.

I think it is a good thing?!?

One of my goals for this time in Brooklyn was to build new habits. Frankly, my habits while at home in the Bay Area had become very tired and lazy.

I have an interesting relationship with lazy. One of my memories when I was about 10 was overhearing a conversation between my Mom and my Grandma (Mom’s mother in law). My lasting memory from that was my Grandma saying “Glen is lazy”. Maybe we all have an interesting relationship with lazy. All I know is that it has been both a positive and negative influence in my life. I’ve used it as fuel to accomplish most everything in my life. AND when I take time to decompress, relax, do nothing, it creates negative self images that effect me and those around me. I wish it weren’t true – it is!

The life I’m creating for myself contains much less work, and by definition more unstructured and idle time. (By the way, this is at least a distant cousin of JDT’s recent post.) I have a theory that this is part of why so many Baby Boomers struggle with the transition to “retirement”.

I was talking to one of my dearest friends Todd. Actually I was struggling with something, and I really needed Todd’s advice. You see, I love Todd. AND Todd and I are so different. He’s a scientist, I’m not. I’m an intuitive thinker, in Todd’s world all the best decisions are rational. Anyway, I had this thing. I was thinking about something in a very binary way. Black – white, on – off, yes – no. And this very clearly wasn’t working for me. Todd’s solution? Don’t. BRILLIANT!

So, I’m working hard at not seeing myself as either lazy, or not. Less yes – no. Less binary.

Each day I wake up with a new slate and the wonder of living in Brooklyn in front of me. And you know what, those habits driven by my former binary thinking are SLOWLY melting away and being replaced with incredible new experiences and even some wonderful new habits.