My last post, on the
19th of August, ended
If I do not manage to
come up for air over the next two weeks, please do not worry about me. Just
enjoy the rest of summer!
Other than
underestimating the length of the hiatus, I was right on the mark!
After having enjoyed
our weeks with Joshua and with Ella, we had a tremendously fulfilling and
enjoyable, even if somewhat exhausting, weeks with each of our other
granddaughters, Eliana and Maya, back to back during August. I have been busy
since we finally came back to New York trying to organize all the pictures and
put together photo books for each of them.
Before I begin on the
highlights, we came back just in time for my twice yearly visit to Dr.
DeAngelis at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. These visits are always on
Tuesdays because that is the day she does outpatient follow-up. I was glad we were able to squeeze this one
in before Rosh Hashana so that I could at least have one less thing to worry
about, and fortunately the news was good. In fact, she said that the strange “junk”
that used to appear in the MRI scans seems to have finally disappeared in this
one. Now all that is left is to figure out how to replace the actual part of my
brain that was lost during the process so that I could at least remember things
a bit more reliably. But I don’t want to sound too greedy or demanding. I think
all in all I can say quite definitively that I have indeed been blessed again
this year.
Speaking of blessings….our
grandchildren are right up at the top of the list. We brought Eliana with us
after a weekend in Sharon on August 24th. We were disappointed to
discover that the Haydn Planetarium, which we enjoyed so much with Ella, is currently
closed, presumably for renovations. But we had plenty else to keep us busy. Our
first point of interest was along the drive from Sharon to New York, Mystic
Aquarium. It was raining at first but then the skies cleared so it was a lovely
day to be there.
On Tuesday Eliana
visited her great grandmother (Barry’s mother, who lives close to us) and then
we played games and hung out around the house.
Wednesday we went to see “Aladdin”
on Broadway. The same actor has continued in the role of the genie, and he and
the show were every bit as fabulous as we had remembered. Eliana thoroughly
enjoyed it, and is now asking if we can see Matilda (the show that Ella saw) next
summer. We’re hoping there will be more shows for children because by time #3
these are going to get just a bit tired!
On Thursday Eliana
wanted to go to Legoland, so we spent a fun morning there before heading over
to the American Girl store. Eliana took Isabelle to have her hair done and we
had fun watching that.
The next thing we
knew it was Friday morning and we headed back to Sharon. Our other daughter and
family were away with her husband’s family, so we had a quiet Sabbath lunch
with Simmie and crew.
When we had bought
the tickets to take Maya to “The Lion King” we had discovered that there was no
Wednesday matinee the week she was coming, so we decided to go to the Sunday
matinee. That meant we had to get up and on the road bright and early. We
stopped at our house, which is on the way, refreshed, and then headed into the
City. Maya was completely mesmerized by the show.
On Monday, we went to
the Museum of Modern Art because that was the last day they were having some
special children’s programming that had been running during the summer. Maya is
quite interested in art, and we ended up spending over seven hours there! There
were some art projects but the main thing she enjoyed were the elementary
school level explanations that could be heard on our cell phones. Each one was
about 1 ½ to 2 minutes long, and focused on some of the better known work in
the collection, like the Monet Water Lilies and the Van Gogh Starry
Night.
We bought her a
lovely set of colored pencils like the one we had bought Ella, and when we got
home she drew a few pictures. We find it fascinating how well she captured the
essence of the two of us.
The next day we went
to the Bronx Zoo. Maya and Barry rode the elephants, and on the way out she
bought a large stuffed lion that she named, of course, Simba.
On Wednesday, after
visiting with Barry’s mother, we headed off for a third visit to American Girl.
Maya had Kit and Caroline’s hair done, and to even things with her sister and
cousin, she bought a third doll, Maryellen, who is supposed to be a girl from
the 1950s.
By Thursday I think
we had worn the poor girl out! We went over to the Botanical Gardens but it was
quite warm and our little bundle of enthusiasm and energy was fading a bit, so
we went home and relaxed, drew, and played games. Friday was another big day,
we left early to be able to stop at Mystic Aquarium on our way back to Sharon,
and had a great time there.
This is the second
year that we have run “Camp Nana/Sabba,” with each of the grandchildren coming
to spend time with us doing the things they most like to do, and eating the
foods they most like to eat. With another “all clear” signal this week, we hope
to be able to continue this tradition for many years to come. In a few years we
will add Julia into the mix. Will “The Lion King” still be on Broadway?
May your transitions
back to work and school go well and in good health.
Love,
Rebecca
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