Sugar Babies
Hello World,
So here we are, more than halfway through June, as hard as that may seem to believe, and all sorts of eventful happenings in the local area and also on the wider stage. Of course, Tuesday was Flag Day, and the Flag Brigade leaped into action early in the morning, running up the colors upstairs and downstairs for all the world to oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light and all that. The day started out nice enough, but soon became changeable, and looked like it was on its way to getting even worse. The Flag Brigade was racing across town at the time, and almost made it all the way home before it started raining in earnest, and not looking forward to pulling in wet and bedraggled flags on two floors, besides finding a likely spot to dry them out. Not to worry! Bill, without any prompting, snatched both flags out of harm's way in plenty of time, and brought them safely inside and protected from the elements, long before the panting Flag Brigade pulled up screeching to a halt and ran up the steps. Personally, I would have to say that the ghost of the formidable Barbara Frietchie cannot be ruled out.
In the realm of eventful happenings, the sports scene has certainly been jumping lately, in more ways than one. Although the NBA playoffs started after their counterparts in the NHL, somehow it was the hoops that finished first, while the pucks were still flying. I'm thinking that it must have come as a big surprise in Miami, when the Dallas Mavericks walked off with the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 6 games, in spite of the Heat's highly publicized moves in the off-season to acquire LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, and their plan to trash-talk their way to the title. On the other hand, they don't bother with trash-talk in hockey, they just beat each other up instead, and the battle for Lord Stanley's Cup turned into a tough series that went seven games, all hard played with lots of fights, suspensions, fines and injuries. The Canucks led the league in scoring during the season, but couldn't figure out the Bruins goaltender in the playoffs, and were outscored 23-8 in the series, as Boston brought home their first trophy since the glory days of Bobby Orr in 1972. Meanwhile, Vancouver erupted in riots after losing the final game on home ice, and the disappointed fans took out their frustration in fires, altercations, and a hail of broken glass. Of course, it's early yet, but I can see they'll be in great shape in time for the Waitangi Day riots in February.
In other sports news, there was no joy in Mudville last week, when the Yankees were swept out of their own ballpark by the rival Red Sox, who managed to climb out of the cellar (you remember their woeful 0-6 start to the season) and take over first place, which the Bombers had rightfully considered their own. On a related topic, it seems that the Yank's beloved shortstop is closing in on 3,000 career hits, and the local newspaper has started what they refer to as their "Jeter Meter" to track his progress toward this milestone on a game-by-game basis. I thought that was pretty clever for our paper, where they often have trouble just making the subjects agree with their verbs in the same sentence, or as they might put it: "May king thee sub jetzag re-zither verbenzy say me scent tents."
Meanwhile, the other local franchise has continued to plod along like the .500 team it is, and even when they do a lot of things right, still somehow find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, which is how you get to be a .500 team in the first place. A recent heart-breaking loss prompted one fan to post this impassioned plea on the team's blog:
========================
Is it too much to ask for the bullpen to try and keep the
ERA for the 7th and 8th innings to 10.00 or less?
========================
Any discussion of sports wouldn't be complete without mentioning the recent Belmont Stakes, the last jewel in the Triple Crown, and the longest of the lot, which usually does the job of separating the men from the boys, as it were. Of course, the ghost of Affirmed had already eliminated any possibility of a Triple Crown winner once again, so the only question was whether Animal Kingdom or Shackleford would win two out of three, or whether there would be three separate horses, each winning only one of the races this year. It was the latter this time around, as Ruler On Ice, a 24-1 long shot, splashed home in first place, with two other unknowns behind him. Derby winner Animal Kingdom stumbled out of the gate, never could catch up, and finished 6th, while Preakness winner Shackleford was never a factor in the race and finished a disappointing 5th. No doubt the muddy conditions played a role in the outcome, as some horses have a decided aversion to slogging through the mud, while others seem to have a positive affinity for it. I admit that I'm no expert on the occult, but I think it's bad enough that the ghost of Affirmed can affect the outcome of horse races, without also being able to control the weather before the race even starts, for heaven's sake.
On the local scene, we took a trip with our friends last weekend, to enjoy the picturesque qualities of Sugarloaf, the artist's colony in the heart of scenic Warwick Valley, which is a world away in the rolling rural countryside, and yet only a little more than an hour from our house in the urban hubbub. Bill and I had been there once before, when a colleague was visiting the area from out of state, but mobility challenges prevented us from seeing everything we wanted, so we were eager to go back and take another shot at it. We started out Saturday morning by meeting up at the Chester Diner, and for the first time ever, all three couples arrived in different cars than the last time we had been together, so there was a great deal of "show-and-tell" going on in the parking lot. We had never been there before, so the diner staff had no reason to quail before the prospect of our materializing in front of them, and seemed more than equal to the task, serving a brunch that was a rousing success. From there, it was just a hop and a skip to Sugarloaf (they encourage visitors to use their address of 1371 Kings Highway, Chester, New York 10918 for the purposes of their GPS devices, if you want to give it a try) which was the reason that we picked that diner in the first place. Our friends found the little shops charming, and pronounced the wooden sidewalks quaint, and I don't mind saying, the President's economic advisers would certainly appreciate all the money we spent there - in fact, I'm expecting to receive a commendation from them in the mail any day now. We were surprised that much had changed in Sugarloaf since we had been there, but even still, there was no lack of jewelry and apparel, soap, candles, pottery, stained glass, artwork, furniture and fashion accessories, all uniquely hand-crafted and miles away from the ordinary. We traipsed around all of the shops, some of them more than once, and enjoyed seeing all the beautiful or unusual objects they had to offer. Finally we crammed ourselves and our newly acquired paraphernalia back into the cars, and hit the road.
Our next stop was the Comfort Inn at Goshen, of all places, and here again, we picked this hotel for its proximity to Sugarloaf, so it took us no time at all to get there. The staff could not have been nicer or more helpful, and they quickly put us in three rooms on the same floor, including one that came with its own hot tub. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to make use of it, and the weather was too inclement for the outdoor pool, so that was disappointing. The front desk recommended a nearby tavern for dinner, where hotel guests receive a discount, but we found it too crowded and noisy for our tastes, and instead elected to return to the Chester Diner, which we were already familiar with. For some reason, dinner was not the same rousing success as brunch, in spite of the fact that we are not picky eaters, and had worked up hearty appetites walking around outside all day. We went back to the hotel and settled in for some cinematic entertainment, only to find that was a hit-or-miss proposition, with the hotel's electronic options being inadequate for our purposes. I will say that we had no trouble sleeping, and it was remarkably quiet for a place hosting two weddings, a softball team, a golf association and another commercial client all at the same time. In the morning, we availed ourselves of the breakfast buffet, which was handily located in the lobby so that we didn't have to go out foraging for food on our own.
After that, it was off to Orange County Choppers, of the "American Choppers" TV show, which is a lot more fun than it sounds, and the custom motorcycles are a spectacular sight and not to be missed. We even took a side trip to see the new home of Paul Junior Designs, who has apparently struck off on his own, although the business is not open to the public. All of this sightseeing is hungry work, and of course, there is that Denny's right on the spot in Newburgh, so I guess that anyone could see what direction things were going in here, and they'd be right. We had a wonderful lunch, including their scrumptious new Hawaiian Tropical Smoothie, which is easily one of the most delectable things I've ever put a straw into. We bid a fond farewell to our friends, who had a long trip home in front of them, but since it was still early, we decided to go back to Sugarloaf one more time, and pick up a few more goodies that we hadn't gotten around to the day before. And may I say to the President's economic advisers, "You're welcome." We arrived home without incident, which is our favorite way to travel, and the cats greeted our return with their signature bored indifference, as expected. Heck, they'll never be ready for the Waitangi Day riots at this rate.
Elle
So here we are, more than halfway through June, as hard as that may seem to believe, and all sorts of eventful happenings in the local area and also on the wider stage. Of course, Tuesday was Flag Day, and the Flag Brigade leaped into action early in the morning, running up the colors upstairs and downstairs for all the world to oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light and all that. The day started out nice enough, but soon became changeable, and looked like it was on its way to getting even worse. The Flag Brigade was racing across town at the time, and almost made it all the way home before it started raining in earnest, and not looking forward to pulling in wet and bedraggled flags on two floors, besides finding a likely spot to dry them out. Not to worry! Bill, without any prompting, snatched both flags out of harm's way in plenty of time, and brought them safely inside and protected from the elements, long before the panting Flag Brigade pulled up screeching to a halt and ran up the steps. Personally, I would have to say that the ghost of the formidable Barbara Frietchie cannot be ruled out.
In the realm of eventful happenings, the sports scene has certainly been jumping lately, in more ways than one. Although the NBA playoffs started after their counterparts in the NHL, somehow it was the hoops that finished first, while the pucks were still flying. I'm thinking that it must have come as a big surprise in Miami, when the Dallas Mavericks walked off with the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 6 games, in spite of the Heat's highly publicized moves in the off-season to acquire LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, and their plan to trash-talk their way to the title. On the other hand, they don't bother with trash-talk in hockey, they just beat each other up instead, and the battle for Lord Stanley's Cup turned into a tough series that went seven games, all hard played with lots of fights, suspensions, fines and injuries. The Canucks led the league in scoring during the season, but couldn't figure out the Bruins goaltender in the playoffs, and were outscored 23-8 in the series, as Boston brought home their first trophy since the glory days of Bobby Orr in 1972. Meanwhile, Vancouver erupted in riots after losing the final game on home ice, and the disappointed fans took out their frustration in fires, altercations, and a hail of broken glass. Of course, it's early yet, but I can see they'll be in great shape in time for the Waitangi Day riots in February.
In other sports news, there was no joy in Mudville last week, when the Yankees were swept out of their own ballpark by the rival Red Sox, who managed to climb out of the cellar (you remember their woeful 0-6 start to the season) and take over first place, which the Bombers had rightfully considered their own. On a related topic, it seems that the Yank's beloved shortstop is closing in on 3,000 career hits, and the local newspaper has started what they refer to as their "Jeter Meter" to track his progress toward this milestone on a game-by-game basis. I thought that was pretty clever for our paper, where they often have trouble just making the subjects agree with their verbs in the same sentence, or as they might put it: "May king thee sub jetzag re-zither verbenzy say me scent tents."
Meanwhile, the other local franchise has continued to plod along like the .500 team it is, and even when they do a lot of things right, still somehow find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, which is how you get to be a .500 team in the first place. A recent heart-breaking loss prompted one fan to post this impassioned plea on the team's blog:
========================
Is it too much to ask for the bullpen to try and keep the
ERA for the 7th and 8th innings to 10.00 or less?
========================
Any discussion of sports wouldn't be complete without mentioning the recent Belmont Stakes, the last jewel in the Triple Crown, and the longest of the lot, which usually does the job of separating the men from the boys, as it were. Of course, the ghost of Affirmed had already eliminated any possibility of a Triple Crown winner once again, so the only question was whether Animal Kingdom or Shackleford would win two out of three, or whether there would be three separate horses, each winning only one of the races this year. It was the latter this time around, as Ruler On Ice, a 24-1 long shot, splashed home in first place, with two other unknowns behind him. Derby winner Animal Kingdom stumbled out of the gate, never could catch up, and finished 6th, while Preakness winner Shackleford was never a factor in the race and finished a disappointing 5th. No doubt the muddy conditions played a role in the outcome, as some horses have a decided aversion to slogging through the mud, while others seem to have a positive affinity for it. I admit that I'm no expert on the occult, but I think it's bad enough that the ghost of Affirmed can affect the outcome of horse races, without also being able to control the weather before the race even starts, for heaven's sake.
On the local scene, we took a trip with our friends last weekend, to enjoy the picturesque qualities of Sugarloaf, the artist's colony in the heart of scenic Warwick Valley, which is a world away in the rolling rural countryside, and yet only a little more than an hour from our house in the urban hubbub. Bill and I had been there once before, when a colleague was visiting the area from out of state, but mobility challenges prevented us from seeing everything we wanted, so we were eager to go back and take another shot at it. We started out Saturday morning by meeting up at the Chester Diner, and for the first time ever, all three couples arrived in different cars than the last time we had been together, so there was a great deal of "show-and-tell" going on in the parking lot. We had never been there before, so the diner staff had no reason to quail before the prospect of our materializing in front of them, and seemed more than equal to the task, serving a brunch that was a rousing success. From there, it was just a hop and a skip to Sugarloaf (they encourage visitors to use their address of 1371 Kings Highway, Chester, New York 10918 for the purposes of their GPS devices, if you want to give it a try) which was the reason that we picked that diner in the first place. Our friends found the little shops charming, and pronounced the wooden sidewalks quaint, and I don't mind saying, the President's economic advisers would certainly appreciate all the money we spent there - in fact, I'm expecting to receive a commendation from them in the mail any day now. We were surprised that much had changed in Sugarloaf since we had been there, but even still, there was no lack of jewelry and apparel, soap, candles, pottery, stained glass, artwork, furniture and fashion accessories, all uniquely hand-crafted and miles away from the ordinary. We traipsed around all of the shops, some of them more than once, and enjoyed seeing all the beautiful or unusual objects they had to offer. Finally we crammed ourselves and our newly acquired paraphernalia back into the cars, and hit the road.
Our next stop was the Comfort Inn at Goshen, of all places, and here again, we picked this hotel for its proximity to Sugarloaf, so it took us no time at all to get there. The staff could not have been nicer or more helpful, and they quickly put us in three rooms on the same floor, including one that came with its own hot tub. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to make use of it, and the weather was too inclement for the outdoor pool, so that was disappointing. The front desk recommended a nearby tavern for dinner, where hotel guests receive a discount, but we found it too crowded and noisy for our tastes, and instead elected to return to the Chester Diner, which we were already familiar with. For some reason, dinner was not the same rousing success as brunch, in spite of the fact that we are not picky eaters, and had worked up hearty appetites walking around outside all day. We went back to the hotel and settled in for some cinematic entertainment, only to find that was a hit-or-miss proposition, with the hotel's electronic options being inadequate for our purposes. I will say that we had no trouble sleeping, and it was remarkably quiet for a place hosting two weddings, a softball team, a golf association and another commercial client all at the same time. In the morning, we availed ourselves of the breakfast buffet, which was handily located in the lobby so that we didn't have to go out foraging for food on our own.
After that, it was off to Orange County Choppers, of the "American Choppers" TV show, which is a lot more fun than it sounds, and the custom motorcycles are a spectacular sight and not to be missed. We even took a side trip to see the new home of Paul Junior Designs, who has apparently struck off on his own, although the business is not open to the public. All of this sightseeing is hungry work, and of course, there is that Denny's right on the spot in Newburgh, so I guess that anyone could see what direction things were going in here, and they'd be right. We had a wonderful lunch, including their scrumptious new Hawaiian Tropical Smoothie, which is easily one of the most delectable things I've ever put a straw into. We bid a fond farewell to our friends, who had a long trip home in front of them, but since it was still early, we decided to go back to Sugarloaf one more time, and pick up a few more goodies that we hadn't gotten around to the day before. And may I say to the President's economic advisers, "You're welcome." We arrived home without incident, which is our favorite way to travel, and the cats greeted our return with their signature bored indifference, as expected. Heck, they'll never be ready for the Waitangi Day riots at this rate.
Elle
posted by El Tango Fandango @ 8:37 PM
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