Montclair Art Museum [NJ]

The second part of our Wadsworth Athneum tour was a visit to the Montclair Art Museum in Montclair Center, NJ. The best part of the museum offerings that day was the Andy Warhol exhibit dealing with Cars. The docent was excellent and we learned a lot of new information on Warhol's work for the press. The rest of museum which specializes in Native North American Art was quite well done.

Edison Factory and Estate Tour [NJ]

Visited Thomas A. Edison's factory and Glenmont Estate in West Orange, New Jersey [shown here] today on a Wadsworth Atheneum tour. The house was quite large and Victorian. He lived here in splendor with his second much younger wife, Mina. When entertaining, he would leave the details to Mina while he snuck away to his laboratories. The factory and the laboratories were  down the hill and across the street.

bloginfo: We listened to music played on the original machines.

Chuuk [PI]

How's this for a 'bucket list' trip! Would like to return to Chuuk [Truk when we lived there for four years] for my 75th birthday in 2012. Could travel to Hawai'i and stay with friends, fly to Guam, then fly to Chuuk and maybe even Pohnpei [Ponape when we lived there for a year]. Just dreaming; will let you know!

bloginfo: Check Chuuk link above for tourist info.

blognote: We lived in Weno [called Möen Island then].

Cuba Invite!!!

Have been asked to join the Humanitarian Mission to Cuba again.

This will make my third time there [2009/2010 and now 2011]. 

Will be going in September. That sure changes my travel plans for this year!


blognote: This is the Hotel Ambos Mundos where Hemingway wrote 'The Old Man and the Sea.'

stay tuned...[update]

May to Paris for a week to roam around and see the things that I have missed like the Centre Pompidou and  the Père-Lachaise Cemetery

September to Cuba on my third Humanitarian Mission there. Will start in Santiago de Cuba and then fly to Havana.

December in Lima for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and January on a boat in the Amazon for New Year's Eve eating piranha for dinner

Season's Greetings

In the words of Mark Twain:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
bloginfo: Thomas at the Leaning Tower of Pisa

christmastime in miami

Just got my JetBlue tickets for Miami in December. They now fly non-stop from BDL to FLL. Got the 'more legroom' seats; will see how that works out.

Friday, December 10th

Left early for the airport but security lines a little long. Took Jetblue flight327 nonstop BDL/FLL.

Miami Shores

Well the flight worked out very well. The seats were great and worth the extra money. I was in seat 2D and was able to board first, find an overhead bin for my carryon [no luggage checked even though the first piece is free] and sit comfortably for the three hour flight. Even got a whole can of soda and two packets of cashews.

Arrived early and met at airport by my hosts. Dinner at home of veal chops and asparagus with bearnaise sauce.

Saturday, December 11th

'Christmas Tree' @Shuckers

Spent most of the day at the restaurant [the real reason for my trip] decorating and setting up rooms for the annual Holiday Party. Lots and lots of nutcrackers. Met two new employees; one from Puerto Rico and the other from Romania. Too much to eat [as usual]: ham/eggs for breakfast, huge tuna sandwich for lunch, beer and wings at Shuckers on the water after work at 4 and spaghetti at home. Tired! Tomorrow is the big day. Sixteen for lunch and 70 for the buffet at 6:00. Have to break down the luncheon between 2 and 4 and set up that room for the party.



 Sunday, December 12th

Wan, harpist, from Thailand

Let's just say it was party-prep all day! Lots of manual work which I managed to avoid mostly [the excuse being it wasn't my kitchen]. Set up, change and reset were the orders of the day. Anyway all went beautifully and the food was terrific: Carved turkey and tenderloin, nova, shrimp cocktail, passed hors d'oeuvre and a super dessert table. The guests were very impressed and the best thing is that it is over until next year!

Went to Norman's in Miami Beach on Collins after the party was over and had some perfect hamburgers with a sweet potato fries and a cold Presidente beer. See food blog for Shucker's and Norman's and Big Apple Deli meals.

Monday, December 13th

storm 'damage'

Cold spell in Miami; 60's and very windy.

Slept in. My legs will recover eventually. I fell up the stairs yesterday [on my umpteenth trek from basement to kitchen] with a 55 cup coffee urn. No damage to either the urn or this ancient body. We took back the linens and dessert table to the rental place and did some restaurant shopping a Costco.

Today a day of rest and food: sausage and egg breakfast, brisket on an onion roll [takeout from Big Apple Deli], roast leg of lamb for dinner. Home tomorrow; maybe it will be warmer in CT.

Tuesday, December 14th

What goes up must come down! So we spent the morning dismantling the decorations and setting up the dining room for dinner service tonight. I, fortunately, had a flight to catch so got to leave at 3. This was quite an early arrival at the airport for my return flight but with the help of my Kindle and iPhone, I managed to survive and rest my weary bones.

Good flight home; on time departure and a smooth ride to BDL. Sleep!


Back in CT it was colder than FL, so be careful what you wish for.