2013-08-07 Thomas leaves on a mission

 Thomas left August 7th for the MTC in Provo to study Japanese prior to leaving for Japan on October 8th. He spoke in church on July 28th followed by a big party at his home with a hundred or so of his friends and family. We're impressed by Thomas's willingness to serve and his self confidence.

Thomas sent a photo of him at the MTC with his friend Sam Rasmussen who will be going to Taiwan.

We anxiously await news about his MTC experience.

2013-07-25 Last week in NYC

Sunday, July 21 - We rode the subway to 125th Street to attend the Harlem Spanish family ward at the invitation of Janet and Larry Peterson. President and Sister Seeley of the temple presidency spoke in Spanish. We ate dinner at Clark and Linda Davis's apartment and socialized with them. We will miss the Davises the most. We took a short walk in Central Park and rested on the grass. The weather was cooler and more pleasant. We socialized with Oren and Penny Parrott and Carolyn Hughes mostly talking about the mice Oren trapped (3) and the one we trapped. We will miss our association with the temple missionaries.

Monday, July 22 - Cleaned the temple with Parrotts, Davises, Carters, Roberts, Carolyn Hughes, Sister Battalik, Bike ride around Central Park, Dinner at the Standard Grill in Chelsea with Chris and Deb Sawch. They canceled the boat excursion in Westport because their boat was in the repair shop and the weather. It finally rained in the evening. Found out that Elsa  broke her foot - did FaceTime with her.

Tuesday, July 23 - Bike ride with Clark Davis around Central Park, Said 'Good-Bye' to the Davises, rode bikes to St John the Divine cathedral at 112th St and Amsterdam Ave, lunch with Charles Ryan at the University Club, Paula did laundry, Newsies tickets at TKTS, offered and accepted tickets to David Letterman show on Wednesday, booked ticket for Paula to visit Colorado Springs, Newsies

Wednesday, July 24 - Golf with Joe Jensen at Van Cortlandt Park, shot 90 with 1 birdie, brunch at Sylvia's Restaurant in Harlem, David Letterman Show, Dinner with Petersons, Hansons, and Tappens.

Thursday, July 25 - last day in NYC. Apartment clean up and packing. Laundry. Limo to JFK. Flight at 12:50 pm and lucky to have a free middle seat. Picked up at the airport by Melissa, Thomas, and Joshua.

Our Sixth Week in NYC

There were heat records set all week with poor, old folks suffering the most. We however had the benefit of air conditioning in our apartment and in the temple. One day the temp hit 100, but all week the news reported 'heat index' temps, which is the temp it 'feels like', of over 100.
I jumped as a mouse ran out of my closet, and we spotted this or other mice several times each night. Clark Davis gave us a sticky mouse trap, and we finally caught a mouse on Saturday night. Oren and Penny Parrott, our next door neighbors, have been plagued with mice for a couple of weeks, and they caught three mice, one by hand he claimed - no she didn't cut of their tails with a carving knife. Carolyn Hughes could hear a mouse struggling as it was stuck to the trap under her oven.
With the temple closing for two weeks, the Enkes left early because of their daughter's problem pregnancy, the Garffs left for SLC, and the Nelsons finished their mission and left for home on Friday. We had our last temple shift on Saturday. Our brief temple 'mission' is over.

Monday, July 15 - we took the subway to Coney Island with the Davises and on the way home we stopped at Brooklyn Battery Park at the area called Dumbo (for down under the Brooklyn Bridge). We ate an ice cream cone at the Brooklyn Ice Cream factory, Paula rode the carousel. We ate dinner at the Shake Shack with the Petersons on the way to the free NY Philharmonic concert in Central Park which along with 200,000 other couldn't hear or see very well so we left early. We were able to FaceTime with Will on his birthday.


Tuesday, July 16 - I waited around and took a consulting call from Orexigen regarding PTH. This was a waste of time. We had permission to leave the temple early to see Erin Palmer Morley perform with the Metropolitan Opera in Central Park. We called Dave Palmer during intermission to tell him Erin was doing wonderfully. Erin had a nice review in the NY Times the next day.

Wednesday, July 17 - We took the subway and ferry to Staten Island with the Tappens, church education missionaries who live in our apartment building. On Staten Island we visited the Snug Harbor botanical garden which was somewhat dilapidated and reportedly a former home for old sailors. There was a very nice Chinese garden donated by the Chinese government but also somewhat run down. The only other people in the park were school children on a youth camp of some sort.

Thursday, July 18 - bike ride around Central Park.
Friday, July 19 - we walked around Greenwich Village and ate lunch at the Lobster Place at Chelsea Market in the heat and humidity of the current heat wave.

Saturday, July 20 - we finished our temple service; FaceTime with the Egberts; went to 'Trip to Bountiful' on Broadway; bought groceries at Whole Foods on the way home

Sunday, July 21 - Finally caught a mouse in the sticky traps given us by Davises. Attended a ward in Harlem with the Petersons

2013-07-14 Fifth Week in NY

Monday, July 8 - Water taxi around Manhattan. 9-11 memorial, Fraunces Tavern, Its was the last day with Brian's New York passes. We got an early start and went to the 9/11 memorial. It was very touching and feels like solemn ground. Elsa thoroughly enjoyed hearing miraculous stories of the thousands of people who happened to be somewhere else that morning, who normally would have been right there in or under the World Trade Center. Then we walked down to Battery Park and got on a water taxi and went over to South St. Seaport. Tom and Elsa and Ava walked over to Fraunces' Tavern and enjoyed seeing George Washington's memorabilia. Paula shopped in South Street Seaport and bought some sandals for her hurting feet! We bought lunch and took it back on the water taxi. The water taxi ride on the water was fabulous. We went under the Brooklyn Bridge and out past the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson river, all the time seeing the beautiful New York skyline. We enjoyed touring the Intrepid and the World War 11 submarine, and then walked up to Times Square to catch a subway. Paula returned home to make a salad for home evening dinner, and Tom and Ava went to the natural history Museum. Brian and Elsa went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art which was high on Elsa's list. By now we are all exhausted and don't have very many steps left! Paula made a pasta dinner and took a salad to home evening dinner. We went out to try and find some ice cream and walked several blocks and ended up getting caught in a very amazing downpour of rain! We spent the rest of the evening putting together another Norman Rockwell puzzle and eating quesadillas and some cinnamon rolls that Janet Peterson brought up to us. Elsa slept on a blowup mattress and Ava slept on the pullout couch and enjoyed the snuggly blankets that were in the apartment. Brian slept in our 4-F apartment's Queen-size bed.
Tuesday, July 9 - Chinatown and Little Italy with Brian. They leave on the subway; On our last day together in New York, we took a subway to Canal Street. It was very warm 90+ degrees and humid. We shopped along Canal Street. Elsa and Ava Bought little New York shot glasses to but in the bathroom to drink out of and the little frog toy for Greta and Anders. Ava found a darling little Chinese umbrella to keep the sun off of her and a T-shirt for Anders. Ava also bought little bags for her two friends Charlie and Callie. Elsa bought a mini Statue of Liberty for Julia to put on her dresser. We ended up in  Chinatown and went into a Chinese bakery and sampled their pastries and had some orange juice among some Chinese people.
Then we walked through Little Italy and sampled a coconut gelato. We discovered we were very close to the Tenement Museum so we went and watched 15 minutes of the movie about the early immigrants and how they lived. Then it was time to rush home on the subway in the heat and have some lunch which was ham and cheese quesadillas, and head off to the subway to transfer to the airport for the airplane ride home.
It was a perfectly timed trip. Elsa and Ava were definitely finished with touring and ready to go home and be reunited with their mom and Anders and Greta whom they missed a lot. We were so very blessed to have them come and visit and spend those wonderful five days with us in New York City.Wednesday -pedestrian hit by a taxi, bike with Clark Davis around Manhattan

Thursday -  bike with Clark Davis,Chinatown and the Tenement museum
Friday - Biked to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Saturday - worked the day shift in the temple. walked in Central Park before the big baseball All Star charity concert. Lincoln Center to see

'Monkey: Journey to the West'

2013-07-07 Fourth Week in NYC

Our weekend was a difficult one. Paula was ailing from too much physical labor in the temple, and we had a difficult outing on Saturday to New Canaan with Janet and Larry Peterson. We weren't sure where to go in Westport following New Canaan, and everyone had an opinion on which road to travel even though there was no specific final destination. We barely made it back to Manhattan for our temple shift at 2 pm. We settled for lunch on the street in Southport with a quick drive by of the beach area, but we missed a visit to a grocery store.

On Sunday Paula was worn out from the emotions of the excursion and the temple. In the evening we waiting in line for standby tickets to see 'A Comedy of Errors' at Shakespeare in the Park only to get the last ticket - one between us. I attended the play and Paula walked home.
On Monday I played golf at the oldest public golf course in the US - Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx - at the invitation of Joe Jensen, a former Pfizer colleague and currently a sealer at the temple. The course was densely wooded with narrow fairways and some water. Rain was threatening but never came. We both shot 82 - remarkable for me since I was using a borrowed set of clubs. He invited me to play on Thursday as well, but I declined. Joe dropped me off at our apartment and I took the subway to 28th Street and met Paula and our fellow temple missionaries in heavy rain at the High-Line Park created on top of an elevated train line that is no longer in use. The trail was beautifully landscaped and an enjoyable walk from 30th Street to about 10th Street. We left the park near its southern terminus to visit Chelsey market and to eat lunch. The market is interesting and similar to Trolley Square. It was originally a factory where Oreo's were developed. We were all soaked from the rain.
In the afternoon we went to our first movie in NYC - Twenty Feet from Stardom - a documentary about the hopes and dreams of back-up singers who perform with the big stars. They are close to stars and stardom, and are essential to a star's singing performance, but don't get much recognition or chance to perform.

Despite reservations we drove the Public Affairs van to Clifton New Jersey for a visit to Costco. I drove, Ann Jones rode shotgun (to avoid motion sickness) and Janet Peterson and Paula rode in the back. I had studied the route carefully, so there was no indecision on the roads, tunnels and bridges. The only frustration was Ann Jones, being a low talker. We filled the car with food and made the entire round trip in about two hours. Remarkable!.

On July 4th Brian, Elsa and Ava arrived at 5 pm from LAX. They took the LIRR to Penn Station where we met them, had a bite to eat, went to our apartment to get settled and then out for fireworks on the Hudson River with the Davises. Earlier in the day we enjoyed a picnic in Central Park with the other temple missionary couples and took the subway with the Davies to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

Brian and I started Friday with a long bike ride through Central Park up to Colombia University and up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge. We all then walked across Central Park to 5th Ave, visited the Apple Store and FAO Schwartz, walked through St Patrick's Cathedral and walked around Grand Central Station where we ate lunch. We walked up to Times Square where Paula, ever resourceful, was able to get tickets for Brian, Elsa and Ava to see 'Annie'. We left them for our temple shift, and they saw the movie and went on a tall ship cruise.

Saturday - Bike ride to Battery Park with Brian/ Move to Apartment 6D/ Empire State building/ Madame Tousseau's while Paula stood in line for Broadway tickets/ Tall ship cruise/ 'Cinderella'

Sunday - church - interesting F&T meeting, bike ride around Central Park, visit to the Museum of Natural History, walk on the Hudson River, lost ring

2013-06-30 Third Week in NYC

 Monday we drove to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA with our fellow temple missionaries including Sue and Blair Garff, Linda and Clark Davis, Liz and Tom Hanson, Cheryl and Bob Nelson, Roberts, Parrotts, Hansens, and Tappens. I navigated the group to the museum and drove the van back to NYC. Sue Garff drove a group in their SUV. The museum is full of Norman Rockwell paintings, his artist studio that had been moved to the site from its original downtown location, and wonderful gardens. Following the museum tour we ate at an outdoor cafe in Stockbridge. The town, the subject of a famous painting featured at the museum, still looks like the original painting.

On the return trip we stopped at Kent Falls to enjoy the waterfall and the covered bridge
During the week we also rode our bikes through Central Park where we saw a raccoon foraging in a garbage can. We rode up and over the George Washington Bridge, and back. We rode to Grant's tomb, Riverside church, and Columbia University campus. All very enjoyable bike rides, but I think Paula over did it. After we rode through Columbia we were close to Costco, but it required a ride in traffic on 116th Street so we opted to come home.

Wednesday with took the subway to 155th Street in the Bronx to deliver two packages to Elder World from his mom. We saw the ward building, visited the missionaries' apartment, and walked with them to the NY Botanical Garden which we toured after the missionaries left us.


On Saturday we drove Larry and Janet Peterson
 to New Canaan for a tour of the area. We got stuck in traffic and barely made it back for our temple assignment.
Friday evening we ate dinner following our temple assignment with the Blatters from Danville, CA who are leaving in a week after serving 3 months here. We have much in common with them and enjoyed our visit. Following dinner we walked to Whole Foods to buy some peanut butter chocolate cookies.

2013-06-23 Second Week in NYC

Mindy, Jonathan and Abby visited for the week. We picked them up at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday afternoon using the Garff's car and returned them on Saturday afternoon. During the week we spent Monday driving to New Canaan where we visited our home, the church, Waveny, downtown NC, the high school, Saxe and South schools, the Veggie Barn, Kiwanis Park, God's Acre. We drove to Norwalk for a visit to Stew Leonards. On Tuesday evening we invited Craig Smith, our former bishop in New Canaan, and now the stake patriarch and a temple sealer, over to see Mindy after our temple service. We had an enjoyable discussion with him about his family and his service.

They came to temple and performed baptisms for family file names given us by a Family History Center missionary, Tom Hanson.

On the drive home from New Canaan we found Recker Park in the Bronx. This is a famous basketball outdoor court, and a place Jonathan wanted to see because of its storied history of NBA players. Jonathan was always on the lookout for basketball courts. Mindy took him on Thursday to a court on the Hudson River where he played in a pick up game and thoroughly enjoyed himself. On Wednesday we had a private tour of the Barclay Center in Brooklyn where the Nets play. This tour was arranged by Coray's brother, Cam. We saw the courts, the locker room facilities, the private boxes and restaurants. The center has only been open for a few months, and the facilities manager was proud of the building and its contribution to Brooklyn. On Thursday evening Jonathan and I watched the NBA final game where the Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs.

A highlight of the week was a visit to the World Trade Center memorial. Mindy was clever enough to prearrange tickets. The site is beautiful, thoughtfully done, and reverent. In the visitor's center there is a video clip of a retired fireman who lost two sons in the attack. He told his fireman son 'I love you' as his son left to go to assist at the World Trade Center. Very moving.

We biked all over. With our NY Pass we had 4 hours riding around the southern end of Manhattan including a trip over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Jonathan and I rode the Garff's bikes around Central Park and 20 streets into Harlem, around the southern tip of Manhattan from the west side to the east side and across the Park to get home, over the George Washington bridge and back. Jonathan was a good sport, and he seemed to enjoy himself. He liked riding in traffic.

While we were riding, Mindy, Abby and Paula went to see Spiderman, the Broadway play. They had seats on the 5th row and had a wonderful experience.

Other things we saw - the Empire State building observatory, the Skyride at the Empire State building (not so hot), the wax museum, Times Square with a movie premier going on, the American Girl Doll store, Tiffany, Grand Central station, the subway system, FAO Swartz, the Rockefeller Center including the top and the NBC studio, St Patrick's cathedral, dinners at Hard Rock Cafe and Route 66 Cafe, dessert at the Plaza Hotel, the Body World exhibit (not so hot), Central Park, the Museum of Natural History, Canal Street, South Street Seaport, a cruise around the southern tip of Manhattan to see the Statue of Liberty which as been off limits since Hurricane Sandy, hotdogs at the Gray Papaya, burgers at the Shake Shack, and I'm sure I've forgotten a few things. They went home tired with a busy weeks of Summer activities ahead of them.