"Midnight Sun" Ocean Cruise

“Into the Midnight Sun”

June/July 2018

          My brother Doug & sister-in-law Ann declined our invite to join us on a Fall trip to Croatia. But then made a counter-offer for me to join them and daughter Katie on a Viking Ocean Cruise. Doug had booked 2 cabins but there was no option for a single fare, so I would be the “fill-in” (actually the 2^nd choice, but their grandson Aiden was too young), Doug & I sharing one cabin, Ann & Katie the other. [They knew Marjorie would be busy then with the Colonie Art League summer Art Camp for 4^th-6^th graders she organizes (and is one of the instructors)  ̶  I suppose now she’ll want an equivalent trip with her sister.] Doug & I have enjoyed trips together, and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity for more time together . . . with Ann & Katie as a bonus! Marjorie & I have enjoyed several Viking river cruises, so it will be interesting to sample their ocean cruises. And the itinerary is very attractive: Shetland Islands and Edinburgh in Scotland, along the Norwegian coast including 3 ports above the Arctic Circle! (Marjorie thinks maybe I’ll see Santa!), finishing in Bergen, one of our favorite places from a Scandinavian tour in 2008. (Sadly, I will be unable to connect with one of our regular Albany Symphony guests, bassist Tristan, now with the Bergen Philharmonic. He did e-mail to say, as I suspected, that with the season over he is not in the city.) Norway is “home” to Viking for obvious reasons, including the Norwegian founder (in 1997) & Chairman Torstein Hagen. 

Bucks & Lancaster Counties PA

Pennsylvania Reprises

Bucks & Lancaster Counties & Longwood Gardens

May-June 2018 

          We’re returning to areas of Eastern Pennsylvania visited on previous trips: Pennsylvania Dutch country around Lancaster with Marjorie’s Mom Win and our then-little Matt in 1983, Bucks County (after stays in Cape May & Philadelphia) with M’s Uncle Bill in 1996, plus Longwood Gardens both times. And another reprise: friend Marlene, a fine trip companion to the Smokies in Fall 2016, is joining us again. We schedule after Marlene and my Spring choral schedules are completed. Looking for lodging on Airbnb we’re enticed by “River Retreat: a Piece of Heaven.” On the Delaware River near Stockton NJ (across from Bucks County), we’ll have the entire ground floor (hosts Patricia & hubbie live on the 2^nd floor) with 2 bedrooms, kitchen, and porch looking onto the river. Sounds like a lovely base of operations. This will be the 1^st of a busy schedule of Summer & Fall trips, plenty of journal & photo ops for my blog.

          Some busy time before we head out. Marjorie has a couple of days in NYC highlighted by a fascinating show by illusionist Derek DelGaudio, “In and of Itself,” with Matt playing an unexpected role, and “Boys in the Band” with M fav Jim Parsons. Then the weekend before our trip Marlene comes up for my Mendelssohn Club concert. She’s an accomplished singer, and I’m honored she pronounces the concert “excellent,” with special kudos for my basses in “Down in the Valley.” Marlene also gives me some tips on learning Britten’s “War Requiem,” a beastly challenging work I’ve been rehearsing as a “guest” singer with Albany ProMusica for a Fall concert with the Albany Symphony. She stays until Sunday for a Mass celebrating the 50^th anniversary of our Fr. Farano’s ordination; lots more music with the choir.

          But I digress. After a typical Memorial Day (5/28) of lawnmowing and other yard and garden work (we learn Marlene was doing the same), an early dinner and a lovely evening drive down to stay overnight with Marlene in Poughkeepsie.

Golf Venues in the Capital Region and Elsewhere

Golf Venues in the Capital Region

      This is another post that's not exactly "travel," but I thought I'd share some views of golf courses in the Albany "Capital Region" area, and a few beyond. I came back to golf when I retired after 30-some years away from the game and discovered that there are some beautiful public courses that offer diverse scenery, wildlife, and golfing challenges. Here's a selection. 

Australia, New Zealand, & Tahiti

Waltzing Down Under

November 2017

          It’s a long way to Australia & New Zealand! But surviving flights to Vietnam last Spring encouraged us to think about another long trip. Coincidentally during dinner at the home of Aussie colleague Peter, wife Ellen, and sons Conor & Quinn we learned Peter would have a Fall sabbatical at Australian Nat’l U in Canberra. Couldn’t pass up a chance to see some of Australia with a native. Then discovered a Qantas airfare sale  ̶  “dirt cheap” said Peter. Seemed like travel karma. So I did the fastest trip planning ever! Multiple flights across time zones & date lines, several destinations (Auckland NZ, Sydney AUS, Papeete Tahiti to decompress on the way home), plus hotel arrangements via booking.com. Then Qantas kept making changes, mostly in flight times. Whew!! I’m back to my “travel agent” persona, making all the trip arrangements myself. And had to arrange “Electronic Travel Authority” docs on-line for Australia. (And who knows, with the way Trump is going, can we get back into the US? Peter says if we ask for asylum they’ll welcome us right in.) As in some other trips, we’ll have to handle 3 different currencies: Australian & New Zealand dollars are similar (1 AUD = $.77, 1 NZD = $.69) but Tahiti’s Pacific Franc is more complicated (1 CFP = $.01).

          More recently, we’ve been busy since returning from a trip to KC and Branson on 10/25. Marjorie creating another Grandma Halloween costume requested by grandson Miles  ̶  he’ll be a Box of Popcorn! I wading thru 300+ pages of a dissertation  ̶  not quite done with academia. Friday up to Glens Falls for a reception at artist Tom Myott’s studio in “The Shirt Factory,” celebrating his segment on WMHT’s program “AHA” (A House for Arts). Tom’s paintings include beautiful images around the Saratoga track. Marjorie was instrumental in connecting him with WMHT, where she used to work; she also provided a cake for the reception. 

Tom very thoughtfully arranged a room for us at the classic Queensbury Hotel, and we enjoyed the late peak Fall colors in and around Glens Falls. Saturday afternoon off to a play at Curtain Call: “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” a comedy featuring an Elvis impersonator and drag queens. That night to a Halloween costume party hosted by the President of my Mendelssohn Club singing group. 

Sunday a rendezvous with son Matt & family at friend Marlene’s in Poughkeepsie to deliver Miles’ costume and see William’s last-minute decision to be a hot dog. And we fill out our 1^st absentee ballots for the 11/7 election. Whew! We need a vacation.

Kansas City & Branson

Branson Bound

October 2017

          Branson? Really? Not exactly on our bucket list, it morphed out of a generous invitation from Marjorie’s sister Mary & hubbie Jeff to join them for a getaway using their Marriot Vacation Club points. First choice Hilton Head unavailable, also Washington and NYC. Then Mary advised that everyone age 65+ should visit Branson MO. Hadn’t heard of that gerontological pilgrimage , but M & J have enjoyed a couple of stays there, so we’ll trust their judgment. The guys can play some golf, the ladies explore shopping, plus many shows and other tourist fun from which to choose. We can fly to their home in Kansas City using our frequent credit-card United miles, then drive south to Branson. Not much Fall color around Albany yet, maybe we’ll see some in Missouri.

Vermont Inn 2017

Vermont Inn

September 2017

          Another of our online voucher B & B getaways, taking us back to Vermont. Some end-of-summer relaxation after Marjorie’s 7^th year at the Stockade Art Show on Saturday 9/9, joined by artist friends Betty and George & Mary. A lovely day, and Marjorie sells a personal-best 12 pieces. 

That night we get to see the nice new digs for our nearby Curtain Call Theater. Producers Carol & Peter Max are so deservedly proud of the beautiful new space  ̶  theater, lounge, ample parking  ̶  and some of our favorite actors (Jack Fallon, Barbara Richards) are helping out for the evening reception.

Chihuly at NYBG

Chihuly Night at NYBG

August 2017

          A brief report of our “Chihuly Night” at New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx with friends Marlene & Lydia. Dale Chihuly “has led the avant-garde in the development of glass as a fine art.” He’s installed major exhibitions from Boston and Seattle to Venice and Jerusalem. 

We’ve been to NYBG a number of times, including the Spring Orchid Festivals and Fall Mum Festivals; see my "Gardens" post. 

And seen Chihuly glass there (2006) and at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (2004). So we were very interested to see promotions for “Chihuly Nights,” April to October on select nights 6:30-10:30.  More than 20 installations, many with multiple sculptures, thruout the gardens. Plus lighting at night. This reminds us of our visit to a Chinese lantern festival in the Montreal Botanical Garden (2010), when we enjoyed the colorful displays in both sunlight and night lighting. In addition to the flowers and glasswork, there are musicians in a few locations and panels of poetry about the sculptures written by elementary school children. But 2 disappointments: the tram around the gardens (a Marjorie favorite) isn’t running and the Children’s Adventure Garden is closed when we get to it (no sculptures).