Today is Uncle Joe’s funeral. He was a few months short of his hundredth birthday.Flo’s Uncle Joe was the superhero of the family. As Flo’s brother, Jeff, reminded his siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews, without Joe, there would be no family — or none as we know it. Here’s the story:After the War and liberation from concentration camp, Joe met V …
With Labor Day behind us and summer over (although, technically, we have a few weeks left), we struggle with the annual question of the moment:Did the summer go by quickly or slowly?
We were on vacation last week and when we returned I was confronted with the familiar aftermath of vacation.No, not getting back to work and the old routines. Rather, it was the challenge of holding on to the good karma of vacation.I thought of the familiar places we just left. They are still there. However, we’re not. With a little psychic energy, …
We were sitting on the back deck of the ferry from Orient Point to New London. As we approached New London, a man came over and extended two leashes to me.“Will you hold these for me?”As I reflexively extended my hand, I realized that there was a dog at the end of each leash.“Only if you promise to come back!” I said.The leather Louis Vuitton leash …
The booth was where it has been for years. The company sold journals and was at the trade show every year.And, as in years past, they were offering free embossed journals as a promotion.As we have in the past, we picked a journal and waited on line thinking about the clever words, or variation of a name, we would ask to be embossed on the cover.But …
Have you ever listened to the soundtrack to a movie without the movie?We had the privilege of being at Tanglewood last Saturday for John Williams’ Film Night with the Boston Pops.As I listened to the music, my daughter’s words of so many years ago resonated. She was about five years old when she said “You know Dad, Music goes right to your heart.”S …
Since when did “No Problem” become a synonym for “You’re Welcome” ?Increasingly we’re hearing “No Problem” in response to “Thank You”. Often in restaurants from younger wait staffers.I’m not a language expert, and, perhaps, I'm old-fashioned, but I think there’s a difference in meaning between“No Problem” and “You’re Welcome”.....
I hadn’t been on a subway in over three years.Last Sunday, we were on a walking tour in Manhattan and had to take a short subway ride at the end of the tour. Forewarned and equipped with our MetroCards, we ventured forth with the others on the tour.The MetroCard worked.Shortly after I went through the turnstile, another rider straddled over without …
Last Sunday, we were at an upscale art fair in Southampton. Very upscale.Big tents set on an open field. Hundreds of galleries.All of a sudden, we heard what sounded like a train roaring by. There had been the forecast of possible thunderstorms and we quickly realized that the forecasts were, in fact, materializing. But we never expected what was t …
Years ago, Fred and I would routinely meet at lunchtime for a run in Central Park. With its circular road and crossroads, the park offers the potential for runs of many varied distances. We would plan to run a long run one or two days a week and shorter runs on alternate days.On those long runs, we would approach the cutoff that would take us on a …
