“Teach your children well” was the last song Crosby, Stills, Nash played at their concert on Monday evening. A great show, they played many of their classic hits, and the rather geriatric audience was quite enthusiastic. Of course CSN themselves are rather geriatric. Stills seems to need (or have had) a hip replacement, and the white hair of Crosby and Nash seemed not to flow or move around all that much. And now, two days later, as ML and I sit in the interview session Wednesday morning, Nash is talking about being a grandfather for the 4th time. Several other comments had to do with their progeny, nostalgic reminiscences, and the changing ways of the world. But of course we must, as they opened their show, “Carry On!”

The programmes on the QM2, delivered every evening about the next day, are packed with events: lectures, demonstrations, exhibits, planetarium shows, workshops, symposia, and a hyper-caloric phantasmagoria of gastronomic excess. In addition to rock shows, there are jazz combos, reggae groups, pianists, guitarists, harpists, comedians, magicians, opera singers, dance shows, and several trivia/quiz events each day. Among the 14 decks are five pools (and at least six jacuzzis), five dining rooms, the largest library at sea, several bars, game rooms, a casino, a ball room, the concert hall, and (as mentioned) the planetarium that doubles as a lecture hall. It is no wonder that the decks are strewn with passengers like elephant seals at Año Nuevo, what with the onslaught of activities and culinary indulgence. Then of course there is a spa for massages and various therapies, golf, table tennis, shuffleboard, quoits, and three laps around deck 7 equals 1.1 miles. While writing and planning were high on my to do list, there is simply too much to do!

At noon each day (five of which immediately become 1:00 pm as we move forward in time & space), the captain comes on the PA system and tells us about our location, a variety of nautical details, and related historical events. Today in fact is one for the record books. Queen Elizabeth II just surpassed Queen Victoria as the longest reigning British monarch in history, and we were informed of her christenings of most of the ships in the Cunard fleet. Other notable events were not noted however. Today Apple will announce some new products that we may be soon using (if not the large iPad, iOS 9 perhaps); and on the other side of the world (where they’ve advanced so many hours that it’s now tomorrow, my dear brother Ronald is having his 52nd birthday! Cheers old chap, and we’ll be toasting you this evening at tonight’s formal dinner and masquerade ball. Hip, hip, hooray; hip, hip who, Ron?; hip, hip, hip replacement coming your way!

Here are some pix of dinner, our table mates from Devon, on deck, etc…

 

Some clips on the ship…

 

NYC, Day 3.

The next day, our last in the USA, we were able to take it kind of easy. Had a late breakfast, checked out but left bags, then walked to Battery Park for some street performers, a view of the harbor (and our ship looming on the other side of Governor’s Island) and a little snack. A taxi took us back over the Brooklyn Bridge to port terminal 12 and we embarked on the Queen Mary 2. After a festive departure through NY harbor past the Statue of Liberty and barely under the Verranzano bridge, we went to the first of series of fancy dinners in the Britannia restaurant.

QM2, NYC to Southampton, Day 3.

The preparations to leave town, the grueling flight, the crazy drive from Boston to NYC, and two jam packed days of sight seeing there have left me rather flogged. While we have enjoyed the amenities of the ship and I’ve attend attended a couple computer workshops and a lecture about the Magna Carta, I’ve spent more time sleeping than frolicking out on deck. We have attended some great shows each evening after dinner, and tonight is the Crosby, Stills, Nash concert. With that and the massive swells in the North Atlantic, Rock On!

First, NYC continued…

 

Next, some pix from the QM2: on deck, at our table, at a show…

Goodbye to NYC, the grandeur of the dining room and just outside, well dressed kids are usually well behaved kids, and our family in the lobby…

Now we just have to make sure our ends have means…

New York City! (Now that I have take to post.) September 3rd was a big day. We were up an at ‘em, breakfasting at 9:00 and walking to the One World for our 10:00 appointment on the observation deck. The building, the presentation, and the view were magnificent. Afterwards we walked through ground zero and some of the 9/11 memorial features of the area, all quite dramatic. However, we did not go to the actual museum, so I don’t know how the events of 9/11 were depicted. I don’t know if there was any reference to Building 7 and/or an explanation of how and why that structure was also brought down on that day. We did see construction going on where it had stood, but no obvious reference to what it was or what it will be.  Perhaps one must simply do more research…

We drove the rental back to the Budget place on East 9th St., then walked to Greenwich Village, hung out for a spell in Washington Square Park and grabbed some lunch, before taking the subway to the Empire State Building. Took in another grand view of the NYC from another observation deck, then went back to the hotel for a nap. After dinner we rode back up to Mid Town to take in the sites of Times Square, walked to the Rockefeller Center, the Library, and some other spots before finally going back and to bed.

Yes, September 3rd was a big day. Grammy Carol and cousin Steve were born this day, and before it was over we received the sad news that Uncle Herb had passed away.

Here we are in NYC…

Some clips in NYC…

…that we began yesterday certainly was not as the crow flies. It was as American Airlines flies when you are using frequent flyer miles at the last minute. In this case, it was from SFO to LAX, then a midnight red eye to MIA, then a much delayed flight to BOS. Booked it was, before we’d planned leaving from NYC two days later, but it seemed a good idea at the time…

So, even though a train was recommended and retrospectively might have been preferable given the traffic and considerable roadwork, I rented a car and drove from Boston to the tip of Manhattan (stopping briefly at Harvard for a less-than-meaningful college visit).

While Siri is kind and timely and GPS is an amazing tool, it doesn’t always consider the lack of signs corresponding to the verbal instructions. Thus did we accidentally take an extra trip across the Brooklyn Bridge. But we found our hotel, an equally expensive parking space, and the first 24 hours has been showered off before snoozing in an actual bed…

After months of preparation and mounting concerns, we have finally left town. Spent the night in Santa Cruz hanging out with Grandma, and today we shuttle to the airport for a coupla redeyes to Boston.

The process has been overwhelming.  There were flea market sales, thrift shop donations, runs to the dump, filled trash cans, lots of giveaways, and still we had boxes, crates, bags, and too much to store away. Reorganizing the garage, turning the barn into a storage shed, and squaring away the house was both hectic and gratifying. Cleaning the house, trimming the yard, and seeing three construction projects (fence, barn door, retaining wall) was both problematic and satisfying.

Then there are banks, bills, accounts, and large amounts of red tape.  Myriad arrangements were made, cars sold, and our dear Sugar Pie was kindly adopted for our trip by our neighbor Steve. All that is just to get away, then of course there are travel arrangements, lodging, transportation, reservations, visas, and a plethora of paperwork. I’m probably forgetting something, like I did on a daily basis.

Constantly there were goals to be met, to do lists check off, and yet, when it came down to there were one, two, thirty three more things to do. Of course, hours of packing and organizing were broken up by trips to pool, visits with friends, and making sure all our means had ends.

With Grandma/Mom the last day of August 2015…