Nutcracker

Again this year we were able to see Bennett appear in the local version of the Nutcracker.  He has been doing it for several years with ever increasing parts, this year as the Prince.  He really did a great job in his part.  

 

We were privileged to see professional dancers from the Dance Theater of Harlem.  Needless to say, they were really good.

Bennett has been awarded a nutcracker for each year that he has participated in the show.  His collection of five is displayed above the fireplace at home.  This year he was given the one with the sword since he was the Prince.

We also took a family picture, including Lilly the dog, as our last shot of the trip.  It is snowing but we are heading home shortly.

Black Friday

 We have been in Saranac Lake for the better part of a week and generally confined to the house.  It has been really cold here and on Thanksgiving day we got about five inches of snow.   On Friday we finally ventured out to town to get some coffee and do a bit of shopping.  Both Jeff and Cheryl found some bargains in one of the outdoors stores and we were able to get a few steps in. 

 The town and river looked good with the snow.

 

Saranac Lake

On Wednesday we saw  the Roommate and then met Cheryl and Dave for Our Town.  Both plays were great.  We also went to MOMA for a brief shopping trip.   No pictures on this part of the trip although we did get one of our dinner.  

On Thursday we took the train to Albany then drove to Saranac Lake.  It was rain and snow all the way up.  

The first thing Anna Lee had to do was see if Bennett was taller than her.  He made it.    

On Friday it was Bennett’s school day and we joined in the program.  Bennett was working on animation for an art project and he chose a movie of a character jumping.  Really cute. 

Then it was into his play.  He played three segments in a play called “The Nine Worst Breakups of All Time”.  He did well but then we are prejudiced.

New York, NY

After several years we have returned to New York City for a visit.  We will be meeting Cheryl and Dave in a few days but first we have the opportunity to eat and see theater on our own.  We flew in on Monday night and, needing dinner, we walked a few blocks from the hotel.  We happened on a tiny restaurant featuring Uyghur cuisine.  Never having had the experience, we went in.  To say it was wonderful is an understatement.  That they served rice noodles which satisfied Anna Lee’s diet needs was all we needed to hear.  It would be our go to place if it was in Sacramento. 

 

Tuesday morning we went to walk the High Line.  It is an old railway track site that was used from the late 1800s to about 1950 to service the industrial area of the City.  When it fell into disuse, deteriorated, and was abandoned, the City acquired it and transformed it into a park and a two mile long walking area.

We did a short part of the walk which was only a few blocks from our hotel and it was well worth the effort.  Interesting art work.

 

 

 

 The path is planted with greenery which is not at its best in November but still full of attractions including art displays, restaurants and sights including the old rail yard.  There is even a view of the cruise ship terminal with a couple of liners currently in port.  

Tuesday night we met our friend’s daughter for dinner at Carmine’s.  It is an old and touristy dinner house near Time Square.  All of the dishes are served family style and huge.  The suggestion was that we simply order one salad and one dinner.  We decided to skip the salad and go with two dinners and still had a bag of leftovers.  

 After dinner we went to see Left on Tenth, a play about relationships and dealing with cancer.  It was great and the acting was out of this world. 

Even later in the evening walking the streets of NYC is noisy, busy and a treat for us.