Well, It Is About Time - Part 2

Part 2 begins with the view of the Schuylkill at sunset that we enjoyed from Dale's birthday table at Water Works Restaurant.

We now journey back in time to Sunday, August 7. We were home time to enjoy the street festival sponsored by the church just across the street from our house, Our Lady of All Who Sorrow Outside of Russia Russian Orthodox Church. Delicious fresh grilled Shish Kebabs, Insalata Russa, Rice Pilav and an interesting Green Salad accented with Pine Nuts were sold while an excellent singer and one man band provided the entertainment for dining and dancing. The smells, the heat and the sounds plus the number of people speaking Russian took me away from Brandywine Street to the memory of such festivals enjoyed in Europe many years ago. Many of our neighbors were out on their stoops and in the street just visiting with one another, and the event brought with it an excellent spirit of community.

Some of us enjoyed dinner on our stoops while others took advantage of the tables set up by Fr. Andrew and his congregation.

On Saturday, August 6, we drove up to Montclair to join Ashley and Claire and head out to Lake Hopatcong, NJ for the day on Beth and David H's boat, which also happened to be Claire's first ride on a boat! We were joined by nephews Devon and Austin, Dale's Mom, Bea, and Hal and Elissa for a very enjoyable outing on an overcast and pleasant day.

This chubby smiling little cutie loves being entertained by her BiBi in the back seat! Claire was in such a cheerful mood as we headed out to the lake.

Claire was not terribly fond of the lifejacket, but her smiles returned once we got underway.

She particularly enjoyed our stop for lunch in the middle of the lake. Here she is learning to wave "Ciao"

The two of us had so much fun laughing and playing together that day.

 

"That fresh lake air just makes a girl so relaxed", Claire was thinking while nestled in her mommy's arms as we slowly headed back to the marina after a light rain began to fall.

Sometimes it is fun to play tourist in your own city because there are always new things to be learned and new discoveries to be made. On August 4, I decided to do just that. I settled upon a big bus tour with the new Philadelphia Sightseeing Tours, and I had a great time. The 2 hour tour took me from Independence Visitor Center back to my own neighborhood, up to the Art Museum and all through town before returning to the starting point. Over 50 places of interest were pointed out by the spirited guide, and as far as I could tell, he was accurate about everything. I was joined by people from Seattle, Cincinnati, El Paso, Hartford and Norway!

Logan Circle with its Swann Fountain sculptures by Alexander Stirling Calder representing the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers and the Wissahickon Creek and

"Joanie on a Pony" the irreverant name for this beautiful statue of Joan of Arc by Emmanuel Fremiet were but a couple of the many sights we enjoyed on the tour.

The hot, hot weekend of 25-27 July when the temperatures hit the 100+ mark all 3 days found us in Mark and Janet's backyard pool on Saturday and on the beach in Atlantic City on Sunday However to beat the heat on Friday, I headed down to the cool, cool Philadelphia Museum of Art to take in some of the new exhibits. In fact, it was so cool in some of the galleries that I regreted I had not brought a sweater! My last stop of the afternoon was The Rodin Museum where I decided to take a tour. Just as my tour began, Dale phoned to say that Helen and Tom D. were in town and that we would be meeting them for drinks in just a few minutes! What a surprise that was! I had not seen Helen, my dear college friend, and Tom in over 24 years! Oh, we keep up with each others lives through Christmas letters but that had been about it. They were in town from Boston to visit their daughter, Jenne, a national champion rower who is training with Vesper Boat Club and hoping to make the 2012 US Olympic Rowing Team.

We met Helen and Tom at McCrossen's Tavern and had a delightful two hour visit with them before they had to pick up Jenne. It was just so great to see them, and we made a vow to not let another 24 years go by before we see each other again!

How fun it is to catch up with old friends!