Saturday Night Slouch on the Couch

Figgy took Punchy into the city on the bus today.
Here they are at the bus stop on our corner.

Sometimes, I think I like to take photos of these girls together so they have snapshots, remembrances, records--so we all do. Other times, like when I look at this one, I see little Punch as a marvelous tonic for Figgy, a good luck charm, a fresh ticket to life. And I like to look into their faces.

Fig slept over here last night and was heading back to the city, work in Brooklyn at 5. H. was working at a party in Connecticut [with our car]. Punch, Fig and Florida Orange have been talking for a while about having Punch come over to the apartment to visit, but between school, her soccer season and her visits to Mimi, it was hard to find a date. This afternoon presented itself. Fig would take her in on the 11:42 a.m., and I would hop on the bus a few hours later to get her back.

They had fun, but unfortunately, Punchy acted out a bit in the apartment. I think she was a little tired from the week. But by the end of the evening, she was better. In the Port Authority, on the long line waiting for our delayed 5:30 bus back to Montclair, she drew pictures for many of the people. Whatever they wanted: Hearts, stars, a bus, a teddy bear. She walked up to each, asked the person's name and what drawing they would like. This reminded me of H. writing 60-Second Novels, starting on the sidewalk of Michigan Avenue in Chicago, 1983. Both bravely approaching perfect strangers and creating art for them. Confidently and capably.

Now, it's either keep writing or Saturday Night Slouch on the Couch. H. and I are watching "Bullitt," a Steve McQueen thriller from 1968.

Good night to you.

TCOY

1. Actually did my makeup.
2. Good dental care.
3. Support group!
4. Stayed calm.
5. Watched a Miss Marple movie this afternoon.
6. Walked a little.
7. Loved my NYC dose. Within minutes, I inhaled the scent of hot pretzels from a cart and warm cinnamon and sugar outside the beloved Little Pie Company on 43rd Street  [a block from Figgy's apt.]

Velcro Curlers & Crème Splendide in Bed

 

Here is the cream I love. Pricey, at $85, but I haven't bought a jar in years.
Generous 6.8 oz. size, but
I love the outside so much!!!!
The tiny brochure says roses have "powerful benefits for the skin"
and that
this cream contains wild rose extract,
vegetable oils and vegetable butters. Big beauty investment.

MAJORDOMO TCOY

1. Boot camp in park. Gorgeous day.
2. Walked really far with Punchy, like 40 min? To her appt and then to Nauna's, where we had dinner w Anne & Nikki.
3. Walked Sug around block.
4. The rollers and the Crème, a rich rose butter by Annick Goutal [Paris, via Bergdorf Goodman]. It's for the body but I asked the saleswoman if I could put some on my face, too. Yes, she said, and especially your neck. These two beauty treatments make me feel younger and fresher.

Lullaby & Good Night

I don't know if anyone ever sang to me when I was a baby or little girl, but I hope so. Right now, it's the rain that is singing gently. You are safe and dry, snug in your bed. And the rain outside won't hit your head.

The rainy-night singsong rhyme I remember from my childhood was not quite as comforting: It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring. He went to bed with a bottle on his head and he won't be up until morning.

Is that about a drinker or was it a hot water bottle?

Good night. 

TCOY

1. Had steamed broccoli with dinner.

A Walk in the Woods

H. and I crossed signals [or texts] this morning and he didn't get the car back in time for me to get to boot camp. So instead, I walked 1 hour+ with my faithful friend, Sug, who pranced happily along, timidly dipping her black nose at every chance in carpets of leaves and brushing it against fire hydrants.

The road above Presby Memorial Iris Gardens.

If you look closely, you can see the skyline of NYC straight ahead.
Sug and I tackled two steep hills to get this view.

Good night. Praying for peace, in more ways than one.

TCOY

1. Loving the book I bought in Vermont: Knitting Pearls, essays compiled by Ann Hood, alongside knitting patterns from shops around the country.
2. The walk with Sug. Hit 10,000 steps on Fitbit by evening,
3. Steamed zucchini.

Home Security

On the heels of the Paris tumult and tragedy, I saw heightened security on my Amtrak train ride home. When we had a 10-minute breather in New Haven to change from diesel to electric power, noticed young National Guardsman on platform and additional security guards. Saw the latter when I got off the train in Newark, NJ, too. Must rest. Prayers for Paris and the world.

TCOY

1. Worked 5 hrs on train on Anthony's book. Breakthrough.
2. H. made broccoli, salmon, sweet potatoes.
3. Pretty scenery on train ride.
4. Lots of ice water, and a Vermont apple.

A Colorful Sunday in Vermont

Was up late blogging last two nights, so resorting to snapshots this evening. Had another great day in Vermont! Head home on Amtrak train tomorrow morning. I hear that H. and Punchy had a nice weekend, too--and they saw Figgy and Florida Orange for sushi last night. [It's important to me, when I go away alone, that my family is doing well back home. I guess everyone feels that way when they travel.] But just as when I leave Cape Cod, I am sad to leave this natural beauty and carefree break. Still, in the end, I know that everyday life cannot be just play and no work, not now. I pray that I can write productively on train ride home.

Meg's husband, Greg Morrill, just showed us this entertaining movie he made in 1974
on a Super 8 movie camera. It documents a 2-week ski vacation he took out West
 with about 9 friends when they were in their late 20s.
Slope footage is cool, as is music by The Who. 

Meggy and I walked about an hour this afternoon on the Stowe Recreation Path.
Love it. 77 hearts for that!

Love these skirts from First Chair Alpine Co. store at Stowe Mountain Lodge.
The shop also has really cute & colorful stuff by Kari Traa.

Gina, who works at First Chair, modeled this cute hat! Thanks, Gina [and Biff, too].

Meggy at the mountain.

Rug, $605, at Meggy's favorite Stowe Kitchen Bath & Linens store on Mountain Road.
Check the website! I know I will.

Stowe Community Church.

The beautiful view from Cady Hill Road.

TCOY

1. 10,941 steps on my fitbit today. The walk with Meggy and the shopping walks!
2. On the Stowe Path, we stopped for 5 minutes and leaned over a bridge to meditate, looking at rolling Little River. We're both trying to incorporate mediation into our lives. The 5 minutes went fast.
3. And: Meggy showed me a cool phone app called Relax Melodies. She downloaded it on my iPhone. Touch icons for sounds like rain, waves, etc. Thanks, Meggy!
4. She made a nice green salad with peppers and tomatoes to have with dinner.
5. About to brush teeth and get in bed and read Knitting Pearls, edited by Ann Hood. Writers write about knitting! Got at Bear Pond Books in Stowe yesterday.

Of Hot Chocolate & Retro Ski Sweaters

Elixir from the cacao goddesses. Meggy treated me to a cup
of Old World Hot Chocolate with whipped cream at
Lake Champlain Chocolates in Waterbury today. Unsurpassed.

Great surprise! Tonight at the event, I met Johannes von Trapp,
the 10th and youngest child of the singing von Trapp
family. He was with his pretty wife, Lynne, and handsome son, Sam.
All three were very nice.

I'm quite sure that is Johannes von Trapp on the pony. Here is photo LINK.

Outside Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury,
home of fresh apple cider donuts made before your eyes.

Nancy Twitty at tonight's 14th Annual Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum
Hall of Fame Induction. Many people, especially skiers, wore retro ski sweaters.

And here is Nancy in the sweater in 1958;
this picture was pinned to her sweater tonight. Thank you to Meggy
for thinking of taking an up-close picture of this picture.
[Actually, this is brown version of the sweater.]
Nancy was a charming dinner companion at table 13.
She attended Wellesley College.

Sorry these pictures are out of order, but I am too tired to fix them.
Here is the tote I won in the silent auction tonight.
I love it. Came with red fleece hat for Punch and something for Figgy inside.
The bag is made by Neve and I hear it's sold at the gift shop in the
Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum.

My dear friend Meggy. We met on the first night of college, when we were 18.
We both grew up in NJ. But she was recruited by IBM right out of
college and some years later, moved up to work for the company in Vermont!!! We
have seen each other through boyfriend breakups, career dreams, job firings,
promotions, one divorce, three weddings, the deaths of both of our mothers
and my dad, and much more!

Meg with her husband, Greg. He writes the RetroSki column 
for the Stowe Reporter, but had an IBM career 
in the past. This is his ski sweater from the 1970s;
Meggy wears one that her mother 
knitted in the late 1960s. Amazing.

Well, here I go, I really want to write a nice long post again but I also want to lie down and read, because I'm on a weekend getaway. But I can't resist telling you about tonight's event for the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum on Main Street in Stowe; Greg is on the board. The sold-out event was at the Stoweflake Resort.

It was just great, and so perfect. Meg and Greg have both been skiing since they were young; they are an ideal match in many ways. 

Anyway, my notes:

• The sweaters were incredible--on both the men and the women. Some had silvery "frog" closures, some zipped, some had hoods. I saw sky-blue Nordic wool patterns, bold reds, patriotic red, white and blues. Everyone seemed to layer them over a shirt or tank; I overheard some people say they were itchy. Trina B. Hosmer, inducted tonight, had on a 50-year-old sweater. She took it to the cleaners and they were worried, but it came out OK and she looked fit and beautiful. She blazed trails for women cross-country skiers and still does. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my husband. He taught me how to ski in 1966 when I came to the University of Vermont for my master's degree, and kept encouraging me over the years, she said. And that was back in the days when women were not allowed on the ski team; she rode in the back of the bus. Her husband, also wearing a retro ski sweater, beamed at her from the audience.
• We were seated with the descendants of inductee Charles "Charlie" Lord, who died in 1997. He has been called a "sculptor of mountains." A civil engineer, he designed and built ski trails throughout northern Vermont, including the Lord Trail, named in his honor, at Stowe Mountain Resort on Mount Mansfield. His son, two granddaughters and other family members were at our table.
• Edgar Holmes III, MD was there to accept his honor as an inductee. He is a highly regarded pioneer in ski medicine. 
• Tall Johannes von Trapp--with his easy smile--accepted on behalf of Craig O. Burt [1892-1965], a visionary and early proponent of skiing in Stowe. When we came in 1943, he did a great deal for my family. He was a wonderful, wonderful friend to us, said the youngest von Trapp singer. 
• Dr. Gretchen Rous Besser looked stunning in her sweater! She received the Paul Robbins Journalism Award for outstanding skiing and snowboard journalism. Among other achievements, she put in years and years on the National Ski Patrol and wrote the book The National Ski Patrol: Samaritans of the Snow. She was very pretty and again, very fit, and I heard she is 86 years old and still does the dawn patrol.
• What more can I tell you? The silent auction had lots of great items, from cuddly ski-themed pillows to new ski sweaters, Cabot Cheddar cheese, a wicked-good looking snowboard and a pair of antique wooden skis.

About to glide off to sleep now. For the record, I think I have been skiing once, when Meggy took me, Moey and Debbie in NY State. We were on the bunny hill and I kept crashing into the fence. But that doesn't mean I can't embrace cool ski style and admire these forward-thinking trailblazers! Wow! Zip, zip, swish, swish. Good night to you.