A game of croquet with Ruth

Happy birthday Ruth (Doby).
The 200-year old oak trees in her backyard (she had 23 of them at one time) reminded me of the Begijnhof in Bruges. Peaceful it is, but unlike the abbey-like setting at the Begijnhof, Ruth's home is far from being secluded. It is rather very welcoming as sweet Ruth herself.

The view from her porch was awesome. She went all out and set up the rolling oak table so perfectly. The blue hydrangeas I cut from my garden were a perfect match for her lovely blue and green motif. The table setting was flawless one would be able to tell she has done this a few hundred times before. After all she was once a Public Relations Officer, who very much loved to entertain and has hosted numerous events for the corporate bigwigs. Byron, her late husband whom she always talks about would have been so happy to meet us four. "You would've been the favorite", were Ruth's kind words to me. I knew she was teasing me. It's as if we've known Byron all this time, Ruth always shares stories filled with fond and loving memories of him.

The sunlit living room, the entire house for that matter is full of memorabilia - the tile mosaic artwork she helped Mother Miller put together, keepsakes from their world travels and some commendations for her commitment and dedication to volunteer work with United Way. That's just a few of them. She also does a great job as a volunteer at the Old Westbury Gardens, a breathtaking English garden that is part of the magnificent Phipps Family estate on Long Island. She has invited us to many events held there including tours of the garden and mansion and star-lit evening Picnic Pops concerts in the grand OWG lawn. The Young Musicians' chamber music ensemble last Christmas season is something to talk about for years.

With the tall oak trees as the backdrop, her porch lent itself as a perfect setting for a great lunch. Reclining on one of the lounge chairs, Celine consented to posing for a picture as Goya's "The Nude Maja". Fully clothed of course, she wouldn't even let me post her picture online. That's Celine! Very proper.

Just as I was getting comfy sitting on the oak bench after lunch, the challenge came. It was time to play croquet. I had to convince myself that I could learn this game, even if, as we went along , Judy and Maria made up their own rules! Wickets, mallets and stakes, advancing your own or driving away your opponent's ball by hitting it with yours without smashing all your toes - sounds easy? Heck, no. How do you use the mallet? Like a baseball bat or a golf club? Neither worked for me. I ended last as usual. Judy played like a pro. Considering that Maria last played croquet when she was a kid (and how old is she now?), she placed second. Celine left before we finished the game. Ruth did great. The grass was a little rough and a bit long for a smooth game.

I don't know of anyone else who is as generous as Ruth. She always has gifts for all of us. This time, letter openers made of brass, in the shape of clubs for the avid golfers and one with a filigree design for me. I love it. I'd like to believe that I'm Ruth's favorite, ha ha ha.

We even had an award ceremony for Judy, the croquet champion - her prize was a small purple box adorned with a beautiful pale lavender paper rose. That's Ruth, she's the epitome of a perfect friend. We all became fast friends when Ruth introduced us to one another not too long ago. I was a latecomer in the picture but it didn't matter. We forged a friendship that'll last forever.

A nice touch to Ruth's celebration was a surprise visit from Nicholas, Celine's 15-month old great grandson. He warmed up to us effortlessly; very curious, full of energy, adorable and lovable kid. Watching from where he is now, I'm sure John is loving every minute of this especially with Nicholas running around. Thank you Celine for "sharing" Nicholas with us. I can see why you're always in a rush to get home.

Thanks for having us over Ruth. As someone once wrote, "good deeds get recycled"; you've given a great part of yourself to others you deserve all the happiness in the world. Happy birthday Doby, you're a beautiful person and we love you. Don't forget to keep the hydrangeas in warm water.

Mom & Pop undisturbed

Day 2: There they are - mom & pop keeping the nest safe and warm. Meanwhile a cardinal perched on a ledge nearby was chirping away madly as if asking me to leave. I got too close this time. It's protecting the nest; nature is really amazing!

The robin and Sting

The Robin Recycling
There's some serious recycling going on in this nest, look at the pictures closely.

At 6:00 pm tonight, camera in tow while scanning the grounds for interesting things to photograph, I walked into strands of plastic threads and strings hanging down from a cherry tree. They draped onto my eyeglasses and before I started pulling them away, I looked up and there it is... a mother robin nesting on the tree!

The nest is elaborately woven from a collection of dried grass, some fine twigs and entangled are these plastic threads that look like the kind used for beading and the others are synthetic twine used to tie packages. Such ingenuity and concern for the environment; we could learn from this little bird about recycling and conservation of resources. And maybe the bird used these materials for decorative purpose too.

Doesn't it look like this bird is making some kind of political statement here? It's really fascinating, what treasures one could find just by strolling in the garden. By the way, I cut the overhanging twine to prevent the kids from tugging at them and disturbing the robin or even worse destroying the nest. I'll check on it everyday.

Sting and One World

I love Sting. PBS featured The Police last night, oh how young were they then! One song that stood out is "One World" and the message in the lyrics One world is enough for all of us. Truly a political statement.

He's absolutely right, there is enough room for all of us in this world. We can coexist with the robins and all other living creatures.

Rocking chair and friends

Every object in Joan’s cozy apartment has a fascinating story and history behind it. My favorite – the rocking chair and I almost took it home. Like a mockingbird marking its territory, I just perched on it and wouldn't let go!
It was a leisurely drive to East Meadow on Sunday for dinner at Joan’s. Entering the grounds of The Knolls, we were greeted by two friendly residents just coming out of the clubhouse, who offered us the parking spot they were vacating. Imagine these folks drive to the pool area and it’s only a few feet away from their pads – never heard of walking?

It’s a lovely complex and wait till you see Joan’s place – it’s so cozy, tidy and everything is in place. Favorite chair and in the company of favorite friends – Joan, Judy, Dorothy, Maria and Sheila, such blessing.

Over drinks and chips & dip, we chatted and relived some of our travel adventures and of course, they did their nurse-talk thing and Dorothy and I would just roll our eyes and say “Yeah right we know what DIC means”. Of course we talked about other less cerebral topics, are you kidding?

Joan’s lasagna was so delicious served with crusty bread and a bowl of healthy, colorful greens. Last course was mango mousse cake, fresh fruits and later some of Sheila’s macaroons. We strolled around the complex after dinner, were introduced to Rowena the Filipino caregiver who has been taking care of one of the residents for well over five years. A fine woman from Mindanao, she just loves Joan. Who wouldn’t?

We must have alarmed some of the residents as the five of us circled the grounds. You could see the curious ones peeping thru their window blinds (maybe even using binoculars) and a couple who suspected that Joan has sold them down the river. Poor neighbors looked so worried that we’re moving in the community. We want to, but we can’t – East Meadow residents have exclusive rights to purchase. Boohoo! It’s a lovely place Joan; keep up your good work on the Board.

After closely inspecting the antique art work on Joan's living room wall, then trying to put it back using her laser leveling gadget (Excuse me! She also did a demo of her Reynolds vacuum sealer. Gotta get one for myself now.) and fixing the frame in place with the "silly putty", we chatted some more. Rather, we tried to explain to Judy what the silly putty was for and of course Maria said it's an artist's eraser, not silly putty. Oy vey!

Then it was time to go, poor Joan left with a pile of dishes to do and it's after 9:00 pm so house rules dictate no more dishwasher. Besides, Joan will be going for some test in the morning so she must get some decent rest. You'll be fine, I just know it, but don't forget you're in our prayers.

Thanks for a lovely time. We all love you Joan.

From sea to shining sea

Poetic Justice
A huge American flag hung on one side of the GW Bridge.
Traffic was light until we approached the GW on the way to Ped & Carol’s in Cliffside Park. This time Nelsie got there before we did, Ped picked up George at the Mitsuwa market where the shuttle bus from NYC stops.
It’s another family feast, Inang’s pinakbet and grilled talong, Nelsie’s meatloaf and Ped’s grilled fish, daikon radish salad, inihaw na liempo and some special dish he prepared for Issa. Chong boiled some sweet corn. For dessert we had an assortment of three flavors of ice cream. Nelsie just had to have her pistachio. Siga talaga! As Ped would say, our gills turned a lively red color again (namula na naman ang mga hasang namin).

Lunch was served in the backyard. While the gang was tidying up the place after lunch, I went to work pulling those pesky weeds growing between the flower beds and Mother Mary’s rock garden. What do I get for this? Chong took a picture of my butt. Such disrespect! Now these kids can all kiss goodbye to their dreams of mamanahin, after all they were the ones who gave Chong the idea.

We all sat in the den, munched on kropek (balat babi) and watched There Will Be Blood – second time for Chong, Ped and me, but first for the rest. As usual, they had to keep shushing Carol for asking too many questions about Eli or Paul! Yet she kept telling us not to give away the ending. George loved it and for me the story gave the true meaning of poetic justice, the phrase of which I never knew before. A great movie I thought! The nature documentary, Planet Earth was magnificent, compliments of Marc. Of course, we’re only able to watch From Pole to Pole to Ocean Deep this time. Invite us for more eats and we'll have an excuse to finish the entire series!

9:20 pm by the Yankee Stadium area on the way home, we saw part of the spectacular Macy's fireworks on the river lit up the skies. 'hope yours was as good as ours, family and friends being part of it. Happy birthday America.

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Row for it!
Today, TASCA sailors had their July 4th cookout and like a mainstay I helped out Esther set up the food table. This organization is first rate when it comes to camaraderie and sportsmanship. I met some new friendly faces, took lots of pics again and enjoyed listening to some great sailing experiences.
Happening at the same time that the ladies Judy, Carol, Marcia, Chong and Jan were rigging their sailboats, were the teams training for the Dragon Boat race in August. You've got to see this! It's the coolest thing.
The pictures capture the true essence of teamwork and sportsmanship. Predominantly Asians, it was delightful to watch the teams row their colorful Dragon boats, in tandem to the beat of the drums. They even let me take pictures of them.

Not minding all the boats out on the lake, Nathan literally had a ball kayaking. I thought it was a riot he kept tossing me the ball.

Meanwhile, Judy and company just went for the "Dragons" head on! Thank you TASCAns for another wonderful weekend. It was a blast.

Waterfalls ... Run Forest Run

What possessed me to go to Manhattan yesterday in the 80-degree heat of the subways (I missed my stop and ended up near Mel's in Brooklyn. Ha ha ha..), only a full-blooded crazy New Yorker would know. Olafur Eliasson's NYC Waterfalls art exhibit was calling out to me. My view from the South St Seaport promenade was close enough but a cruise on the Circle Line will probably be a better experience.

NY has been the object of such ambitious art projects, including Christo's The Gates which "wrapped" Central Park with saffron-colored fabric and in the middle of the 2005 winter, awesome!

The Sky Mirror by Anish Kapoor stood tall at the Rockefeller Center in 2006. It prides itself with its impressive public art, that's New York! And all for free.

'Saw lots of European tourists shopping in the city ...their euros go a long way here - not fair! For the bookworm check this out - I discovered the largest and cheapest collection of used and new books at Strand on Fulton St. Around the corner, at St Margaret's House a book-filled bag cost only $3.00! Marilen would go nuts buying if she was here but will need a 4 x 4 to haul them out of there. Believe me, if she could, she'll buy Strand.

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Run Forest Run

Tito Ped is on his 2nd day of training for the Nike-Manhattan marathon and the Chicago full marathon. He did 15 miles each day and wrote "my knees took the rigorous pounding on the road. Last night! I hit the famous Washington Street in Hoboken, NJ - Yuppies live here. It was great running side by side with the young professional - oh well I must admit - young good looking women too". Ooops! Watch out Carol, from now on you must run along side him, before one of those ladies grab him.

We'll miss you Mel at the cookout to celebrate the 4th. Send those guests home - just kidding. Treat them nice and show them around. We miss your cooking! George and Rose may be joining us.

Sumo fighter

Hey Marc this is hysterical! Are you the one with the blue belt or whatever you call it?
I can't say you look good suited because I can hardly see your face. What are those two black dots on the suit for?
You'll be rewarded for all your good deeds, son. Big Brother and now Sumo wrestling for charity, what noble spirit!

Thanks for sharing.