Father and son table tennis:
The farmhouse is truly amazing, with pool, table tennis, hot tub, trampolene and everything anyone could want. Lovely weekend with the Vaughans.
Saturday, 4 August 2012
Pennsylvania part 2
Even though Al burnt the kitchen table during our last visit, we were invited back to Maggie's mum's farmhouse in Pennsylvania. This time there was more swimming and less late night jacuzzi'ing. Al and Tom did manage to spend 3 hours preparing a roast chicken extravaganza - Al at his smuggest for quite some time.
Father and son table tennis:
The farmhouse is truly amazing, with pool, table tennis, hot tub, trampolene and everything anyone could want. Lovely weekend with the Vaughans.
Father and son table tennis:
The farmhouse is truly amazing, with pool, table tennis, hot tub, trampolene and everything anyone could want. Lovely weekend with the Vaughans.
Sunday, 27 May 2012
Athol & Mount Hermon
After bringing this up with Charlie about a year ago, we finally made it happen. I really wanted him to take me to Athol and show me where dad grew up, and also to Mount Hermon as I remember dad talking alot about it as a kid. So about a month and a half ago, Ethan, Charlie and I went on quite a long 4 hour trip to Athol, Massachussets.
Even the journey there was brilliant. Started off with a Lenny's coffee, smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel brekkie and Charlie reminiscing about various things, including the car trips they used to take when they were little. Apparently billboards were still relatively new and exciting and they'd take it in turns to read them from a distance. Grandma Bea had such awful eyesight that she'd keep getting it wrong which would send them into hysterics.
Our first stop wasn't actually anything to do with dad - but we had lunch with a friend of Roberta and Charlie's who is a glass artist and does amazing work. He took us on a tour of his workshop, showed us his work which is heavily influenced by space because his wife's an astronaut. He was a really nice and interesting guy. Here's Charlie, Ethan and I with Josh in front of one of the huge machines which is heated at something like 2000 degrees.
So Josh was in Massachussets, about 30 mins away from Athol - we headed there next. I'm annoyed with myself because I should have written this post as soon as I got back, but wanted to spend the proper time on it - so I put it off and wrote notes to myself - only now to have lost them. So I can't actually remember the name of the couple that live in the house now - but they were very very sweet.
Up we rolled to 415 Pleasant Street, Athol:
This isn't what the house looks like now - those are a few pics that the couple gave us of the house a long time ago, I think before the Wantmans lived there. This is what it looks like now:
It was actually beautiful - about 3000 square feet so quite big. And alot nicer than what I expected.Charlie did hasten to tell me it wasn't nearly as nice as that when they lived there and was actually quite decrepid...The couple that lived there now have done an extension which includes a terrace at the back...
And they showed us all around the house. Charlie showed me which one dad's room was. Mum asked me whether it was the smallest and actually it was :).
One thing I remembered dad talking about was the chickens they used to keep. The chicken house isn't there now - but this is where it was...
What really struck me when we were driving around Athol was just what a small sleepy town in the middle of nowhere it is... Compared to where the entire clan ended up and what they all ended up achieving, they came from very smalltown roots and I was imagining what it was like for them to grow up there.
Before we left Athol, we went to see a woman called Pauline Goldman (Jewish). She was apparently a good family friend of Grandma Bea's and Bernie's. Charlie indicated she wouldn't hear a bad word about Bernie (which is funny as Charlie's got plenty negative to say about him). Turns out Bernie was really generous with them. Pauline was quite old, sadly very sick and REALLY happy to have some visitors, and especially to meet me, knowing that I was dad's child. One of the things she remembered was helping Bea to cook for dad's barmitzvah lunch at the house in Athol. Another story she told us was when Charlie came to stay with them in his early teens, and snuck out to the fair when they'd expressly told him not to. When he got back and got caught, Pauline's late husband was so angry with him but thankfully didn't tell Bernie which Charlie remained forever grateful to him for.
After Pauline, we went to Mount Hermon for one of the Wantman State of the World talks which Charlie has endowed in dad and Joan's name. It was amazing to see Mount Hermon. We went into the cottage which dad stayed in.
Unfortunately I couldn't see his actual room as they've changed everything around. But I was told that he was in a single room (most people had a room mate) which may have contributed to dad feeling quite lonely during his time at Mount Hermon. I remember dad saying to me that he would never send his kids to boarding school. Funny thing about his cottage though is it's called London House..
The school's quite posh, and very international. We had dinner with some of the students and then went to the talk - a holocaust survivor talking about her experience at one of the camps. That was quite unbelievable in itself - it's great that the endowment is supporting such a worthy initiative to expose kids to topics like this (another one of these talks I saw by video was on man's interpretation of nature. Seriously interesting).
I had a really really great day. Very special time with Ethan and Charlie and an opportunity to see some of the things that I remember dad talking about. Tragic that dad couldn't take us down memory lane himself but Charlie was definitely the next best thing and I'm very grateful he made time to do this and spend 12 hours in a car over the course of one day. xxx
Even the journey there was brilliant. Started off with a Lenny's coffee, smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel brekkie and Charlie reminiscing about various things, including the car trips they used to take when they were little. Apparently billboards were still relatively new and exciting and they'd take it in turns to read them from a distance. Grandma Bea had such awful eyesight that she'd keep getting it wrong which would send them into hysterics.
Our first stop wasn't actually anything to do with dad - but we had lunch with a friend of Roberta and Charlie's who is a glass artist and does amazing work. He took us on a tour of his workshop, showed us his work which is heavily influenced by space because his wife's an astronaut. He was a really nice and interesting guy. Here's Charlie, Ethan and I with Josh in front of one of the huge machines which is heated at something like 2000 degrees.
So Josh was in Massachussets, about 30 mins away from Athol - we headed there next. I'm annoyed with myself because I should have written this post as soon as I got back, but wanted to spend the proper time on it - so I put it off and wrote notes to myself - only now to have lost them. So I can't actually remember the name of the couple that live in the house now - but they were very very sweet.
Up we rolled to 415 Pleasant Street, Athol:
It was actually beautiful - about 3000 square feet so quite big. And alot nicer than what I expected.Charlie did hasten to tell me it wasn't nearly as nice as that when they lived there and was actually quite decrepid...The couple that lived there now have done an extension which includes a terrace at the back...
And they showed us all around the house. Charlie showed me which one dad's room was. Mum asked me whether it was the smallest and actually it was :).
One thing I remembered dad talking about was the chickens they used to keep. The chicken house isn't there now - but this is where it was...
What really struck me when we were driving around Athol was just what a small sleepy town in the middle of nowhere it is... Compared to where the entire clan ended up and what they all ended up achieving, they came from very smalltown roots and I was imagining what it was like for them to grow up there.
Before we left Athol, we went to see a woman called Pauline Goldman (Jewish). She was apparently a good family friend of Grandma Bea's and Bernie's. Charlie indicated she wouldn't hear a bad word about Bernie (which is funny as Charlie's got plenty negative to say about him). Turns out Bernie was really generous with them. Pauline was quite old, sadly very sick and REALLY happy to have some visitors, and especially to meet me, knowing that I was dad's child. One of the things she remembered was helping Bea to cook for dad's barmitzvah lunch at the house in Athol. Another story she told us was when Charlie came to stay with them in his early teens, and snuck out to the fair when they'd expressly told him not to. When he got back and got caught, Pauline's late husband was so angry with him but thankfully didn't tell Bernie which Charlie remained forever grateful to him for.
After Pauline, we went to Mount Hermon for one of the Wantman State of the World talks which Charlie has endowed in dad and Joan's name. It was amazing to see Mount Hermon. We went into the cottage which dad stayed in.
Unfortunately I couldn't see his actual room as they've changed everything around. But I was told that he was in a single room (most people had a room mate) which may have contributed to dad feeling quite lonely during his time at Mount Hermon. I remember dad saying to me that he would never send his kids to boarding school. Funny thing about his cottage though is it's called London House..
The school's quite posh, and very international. We had dinner with some of the students and then went to the talk - a holocaust survivor talking about her experience at one of the camps. That was quite unbelievable in itself - it's great that the endowment is supporting such a worthy initiative to expose kids to topics like this (another one of these talks I saw by video was on man's interpretation of nature. Seriously interesting).
I had a really really great day. Very special time with Ethan and Charlie and an opportunity to see some of the things that I remember dad talking about. Tragic that dad couldn't take us down memory lane himself but Charlie was definitely the next best thing and I'm very grateful he made time to do this and spend 12 hours in a car over the course of one day. xxx
Monday, 9 April 2012
Birthday Extravaganza
Al and I have been struggling with guilt. Ruby has never really had a proper birthday party. I think her 1st birthday was at mum's house with Lia and Lily and some family members - that was the closest we got. When she turned 2, we'd just moved to the U.S. so we took the day off work, went to Chelsea market and let her dive head first into an Elmo cupcake. That was probably the most fun she'd ever had. When she turned 3, we took the closest thing to cake that was permitted into the classroom - which were some horrific 'healthy' muffins from Wholefoods. Don't know about Ruby, but I'm certainly scarred from those. So - 4 years old - this was it. The big day!
We joined with Emme (her friend who was going to turn 3) and hired out the New York kids club. 31 kids, at least as many adults - and it turned out to be a serious bash!
The invitation...
Which all had to be wrapped in tissue paper.
It was actually a really amazing day. Ruby as a purple fairy before we left the house.
And this gives you a taste of upper west side parties..
http://youtu.be/HqjFK9yV8ng
Here are a few snaps of Ruby on the trampoline, Ruby and Emme in the centre of it all, the kids etc.
Cupcakes were a hit.
Ruby had a blast.
On the way back from the party, nice example of wonderful New York.
Although Ruby fits in nicely with the eccentricity
The party was the week before her birthday. On her actual birthday, we opened all the presents from her party, went to Petco which is her favourite shop anyway and bought her a pet fish which she's named Susi (it's a boy fish), she had a bath filled up to the top of the tub with a pink bath bomb she'd got as one of the presents and finished off the night with a small piece of the Cadbury's buttons easter egg Al bought in London.
And here's the lil man and I in the park that day (very sunny and beautiful)
I can't believe she's 4 already. She's a ridiculous sweetie. Love you Ruby. xxx
We joined with Emme (her friend who was going to turn 3) and hired out the New York kids club. 31 kids, at least as many adults - and it turned out to be a serious bash!
The invitation...
There was some pre-work. The going home presents were super hero t-shirts for the boys - as sported by Eben and Hudson:
And wings for the girls..
Which all had to be wrapped in tissue paper.
It was actually a really amazing day. Ruby as a purple fairy before we left the house.
And this gives you a taste of upper west side parties..
Here are a few snaps of Ruby on the trampoline, Ruby and Emme in the centre of it all, the kids etc.
Cupcakes were a hit.
Ruby had a blast.
On the way back from the party, nice example of wonderful New York.
Although Ruby fits in nicely with the eccentricity
The party was the week before her birthday. On her actual birthday, we opened all the presents from her party, went to Petco which is her favourite shop anyway and bought her a pet fish which she's named Susi (it's a boy fish), she had a bath filled up to the top of the tub with a pink bath bomb she'd got as one of the presents and finished off the night with a small piece of the Cadbury's buttons easter egg Al bought in London.
And here's the lil man and I in the park that day (very sunny and beautiful)
I can't believe she's 4 already. She's a ridiculous sweetie. Love you Ruby. xxx
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Upstate New York. Mohonk and Woodstock
A few weeks ago we went on a 5 day trip to Upstate New York - one night at Mohonk Mountain House, one night at Kates Lazy Meadow in Woodstock, then two nights in Hudson. Unfortunately we never did the two nights in Hudson as Al's grandma, Nana, passed away so we came back early and Al flew back to London. Nana was an amazing woman - 99 when she died which is incredible in itself. She was such a wonderful character and will be so missed.
The beginning of the trip started out ok, the most exciting moment of any trip is when Al pulls up with the hire car. A real beauty this time, no 4x4 monster but a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria - one of the longest cars I've ever seen.
We set off for Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz. Not the first time we've been there but we liked it even more than last time. SO EASY with kids and they have a spa. Don't tend to need much else these days. Ruby and Eben had the childrens playground all to themselves.
Next stop - Woodstock. Which is a brilliant place, lots of gorgeous little shops, aging hippies everywhere and nice people. We stayed in Kates Lazy Meadow motel which is owned by one of the B52 singers and EVERYTHING is 50s. I thought it would be quite cool - and I suppose it was but it was wierdly authentic and creepy. Although finally a place where I fit in nicely in my headband. No bath for Eben either, but he loved the sink.
There was a lovely creek by the motel.
We went out for a nice dinner. Restaurants in the middle of the countryside at night are still too bright for Al
And the next morning we had a nice brekkie in Sweet Sue's diner and headed out for a stroll where we found this cafe Ruby and I liked.
The beginning of the trip started out ok, the most exciting moment of any trip is when Al pulls up with the hire car. A real beauty this time, no 4x4 monster but a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria - one of the longest cars I've ever seen.
We set off for Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz. Not the first time we've been there but we liked it even more than last time. SO EASY with kids and they have a spa. Don't tend to need much else these days. Ruby and Eben had the childrens playground all to themselves.
Next stop - Woodstock. Which is a brilliant place, lots of gorgeous little shops, aging hippies everywhere and nice people. We stayed in Kates Lazy Meadow motel which is owned by one of the B52 singers and EVERYTHING is 50s. I thought it would be quite cool - and I suppose it was but it was wierdly authentic and creepy. Although finally a place where I fit in nicely in my headband. No bath for Eben either, but he loved the sink.
There was a lovely creek by the motel.
We went out for a nice dinner. Restaurants in the middle of the countryside at night are still too bright for Al
And the next morning we had a nice brekkie in Sweet Sue's diner and headed out for a stroll where we found this cafe Ruby and I liked.
Nice trip but obviously cut short unfortunately for a really very sad reason. xxxx
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Love New York
Every day I discover something brilliant that would only be so in New York (or more specifically Manhattan). Yesterday's discovery was that it's possible to pay $9.87 for a packet of PG Tips in Zabars (that was our friend Tom's discovery actually). Today was a gorgeous spring day - so we went to our favourite upper west side cafe for a latte while Eben took a snooze.
And for good measure, more pics of the cuties.
Last week's trip to the Childrens Museum of Art, here they are in the ball pit..
As Eben insists on feeding himself, dinner times get messier. Mr Pasta Pesto.
I got chatting to a guy with a gorgeous dog who was telling me about the doggy daycare he puts his dog in. He was happy about it because it means the dog gets some social time with other dogs + lots of fresh air in the park etc. And a snip at only $500 a month, he continues, it's cheaper than parking your car in Manhattan. The next set of people who I got talking to at same cafe - a couple with a baby. They're the ones who took the photo above. They told me about a 'semi formal' toddler group that meets up regularly on the upper west side. Incase I forgot the details, they whipped out a business card for me take home with the deets. Brilliant.
And for good measure, more pics of the cuties.
Last week's trip to the Childrens Museum of Art, here they are in the ball pit..
Ruby at Lavi's party post face painting.
As Eben insists on feeding himself, dinner times get messier. Mr Pasta Pesto.
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Simon's visit
Was so great. I cried alot when he left. He did his own blog about the trip. Couldn't have said it better.
http://phatphucknyc.blogspot.com/2012/01/food-trip.html
http://phatphucknyc.blogspot.com/2012/01/food-trip.html
Winter
Its now officially spring according to my lovely seasons calendar I did for ruby, we got off ridiculously lightly with the weather this winter. Not only is it a crying shame that it was last winter (when I was 6 months pregnant) that we had endless snowstorms and freezing cold - but I also bought ruby the best shoes in the world just for the snow..
Luckily she wears them everyday regardless of the fact it hasn't snowed once. Here we are going out for a walk on a lovely sunny day. With the boots. This is our neighbours house - ours is much more delapidated.
Here's Ruby and Eben with some of their little friends - Nathan and Nina. They all look possessed apart from Eben who looks drugged.
Ruby's hair continues to be wild despite taking her to my hairdresser several times.
What else is new..New York jewish life rubbing off on Eben..
They are absolutely adorable, Ruby continues to be obsessed with him.
We've had some great visitors recently. Alice from Paris - after we took her to a japanese in the east village on day 1 - she insisted on carrying on a tradition by cooking a great meal for us day 2. We didn't argue - this was first course , watercress soup. Incredible.
And my brother!! Simon's visit was fantastic - next post...
Luckily she wears them everyday regardless of the fact it hasn't snowed once. Here we are going out for a walk on a lovely sunny day. With the boots. This is our neighbours house - ours is much more delapidated.
Here's Ruby and Eben with some of their little friends - Nathan and Nina. They all look possessed apart from Eben who looks drugged.
Ruby's hair continues to be wild despite taking her to my hairdresser several times.
What else is new..New York jewish life rubbing off on Eben..
They are absolutely adorable, Ruby continues to be obsessed with him.
We've had some great visitors recently. Alice from Paris - after we took her to a japanese in the east village on day 1 - she insisted on carrying on a tradition by cooking a great meal for us day 2. We didn't argue - this was first course , watercress soup. Incredible.
And my brother!! Simon's visit was fantastic - next post...
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