Spring Time in New York 🌼

Landing in New York is a kaleidoscope of tall, brick buildings, blue rivers and bare trees in April. 🏫 There are still patches of snow as we drive north through rolling hills. ☁️ The sky is a mass of grey clouds and I'm glad I brought my winter coat. The forests are covered with a cushion of buds on the branches giving a hint of Spring in the air.🌱 

Our oldest son Karl works at an idyllic boarding school nestled in the countryside north of the city. 🏫 We spent his birthday driving a few hours north to Woodstock complete with old hippies, young yuppies, funky shops and organic restaurants. 🕊️ 

 🌼 We ordered scrambled tofu for breakfast with only two bald headed hippies eating nearby. One of them told the waiter that he used to dine here years ago and still remembered Mary the cook. He wondered if she still worked there. The waiter nodded, went to the tiny kitchen and returned with the infamous grey haired Mary who looked him up and down and told him she didn't remember him at all. Wow! Mary could have told a white lie to make the customer happy. After all, this is still the historic site of peace and love. 💕 🕊️

🚗 Next we drove north to the Suits family farm land to find landmarks and graves in rolling, green cemeteries. The ancestors lived there 310 years ago! There was even a Suits Road with farms, brick homes and forests. What a beautiful part of New York State!

🏫 The next day, our son Karl drove us around Brooklyn where he used to live in a tiny apartment up 80 steps. ☀️ We went to a small theater beneath a music store to see our childhood friend Benjamin Miller perform a creative concert.🎵 It's a fascinating area with history, art, vintage shops and parks. I could live there in my next life. 😺 

Karl invited his friends over for a barbecue last night. We enjoyed sharing international school stories with teachers who have worked around the world. 🌎 Karl grilled hamburgers 🍔 and hot dogs 🐶 in his front yard surrounded by a forest. 🌲 It's a beautiful setting for a boarding school.

What a fun visit with a mixture of a big city, the countryside and a multitude of exciting, cultural events. I can understand why people come to New York and end up staying for a lifetime. 🗽

Karl drove us an hour into the city to explore the New York scene. We wandered, saw some plays, and ate Reuben sandwiches. It is full of tall buildings, quaint houses and parks. There are tiny shops and cafes hidden on side streets. Great people watching too!