Hamilton! January 18

After another great breakfast, we walked to Bryant Park and watched the ice skaters. (Another cold day)

Mark in the sun at Bryant Park

Skaters at Bryant Park

Barbara in Bryant Park by frozen fountain 

Then, we got in touch with Weldon and arranged to meet for lunch at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We took the subway there. (An amazing building) We didn't see much art as we ate lunch with Weldon in the cafeteria and chatted for a long time as the three of us can do.

We knew that Weldon was giving us tickets for a show, but....when he came out with prime tickets to HAMILTON, we were stunned and speechless. An unbelievably generous gift for helping him edit his memoir of the 60s and 70s, something we enjoyed doing.

   So, after going back to the hotel for another free dinner, we walked to the Richard Rogers Theatre on 46th Street and sat in the FOURTH row, CENTER and saw Hamilton which lived up to all the expectations. Innovative, energetic, poetic, funny, thought-provoking, poignant. The set was, of course, amazing.

The choreography was unlike any we have ever seen. The use of both men and women in scenes was wonderful, regardless of gender, such as playing soldiers. The costumes added to the performance as well as to its sensuality. And, of course the singing and acting hit it out of the park. We did not see all of the original cast, but their replacements were absolutely stellar. It was truly a stunning experience and one we will remember for the rest of our lives. And, it was probably the most generous gift we have ever received from a friend which was humbling.

MoMA, Seth Meyers Show, January 17

After a hearty and delicious breakfast at the hotel, on the 17th, we did a lot of walking in the cold. (20 degrees or so before factoring in the wind. And, it turned out to be a wise decision to come a day early as New England got quite a bit of snow). We walked to NBC building where we got standby tickets to see the Late Night with Seth Meyers show.

   Then, we walked to MoMA which we have not visited in over 30 years. What an amazing collection.

They carefully labeled artists who are no longer allowed into the United States because they are from countries that Trump has banned.

   Then we walked back to the hotel, had their free brunch (!) instead of dinner, and walked back to be at NBC by 5:00 for the show. We were #5 and 6 in line, although one in front of us did not show up. We stood there for over an hour and then they let 14 of us in. Metal detectors, up the elevators into another waiting area where the non standbys were escorted into the studio first. We made friends in line with Joyce, a retired worker at the NY Supreme Court. She goes to a lot of shows and had seen the Megyn Kelly show that morning.
   At any rate, we were in the last row, but center and the seats were very good. It's a fun thing to do. A very good comedian "warmed" us up for about half an hour and then the band played. Seth Meyers's opening monologue was excellent, focusing a lot on Trumps "s...hole" comments. The first guest was Sean "Diddy" Combs who was very funny and in touch with the crowd. Then, a Welsh actor, Luke Evans, in a new series, "The Alienist" came on. He was also funny and personable. Finally, Nicole Sullivan, another SNL veteran came on. It was clear that she and Seth Meyers were friends for a long time. During one of the breaks, Meyers came into the audience and that was when it was clear how good he is - answered questions from the audience both sincerely and with humor. It was a very fun evening.

Westport to NYC, January 14, 15, 16

On the 14th, we went to Westport to visit Ted and Bev. On the 15th, we drove to Logan to have our interview for Global Access. Afterwards, we all went to an Irish pub in Bristol, R.I. for dinner.

Aidan's Pub in Bristol, R.I.

  On the 16th, we drove to New York City to stay in the Staybridge Suites where we have stayed before. It was an easy drive and the hotel let us check in early. We walked to Times Square and back and had our "dinner" at the brunch the hotel offers for free.

Concord with the Hutchesons, January 12, 13

We arrived in Concord one day after Otis's 15th birthday. He is a freshman at Middlesex and on the ski team. Otis has had one flying lesson in his quest for his flying license.

Otis at his first ski race 

Hank is in grade 7 and we took him to one of his basketball games because Jecca and Willy were teaching.

  On the 13th, we went with Willy, Hank and Otis into Boston to the Auto Show at the Convention Center. It was a lot more fun than we had anticipated. We focused on plug-in hybrids, but enjoyed the entire show.

Heading off Island, January 11

We left Nantucket one day early because of wind warnings.

sunrise in Nantucket Sound

We have had Maggie for about a month, dog sitting while the Hutchesons went to California for Christmas. She was happy to be back home. Boats have been running on a reduced schedule as ice in Hyannis harbor has moved the buoys. We were #3 on standby and were lucky to get aboard.

Ice in Hyannis Harbor

Ice Breaker in Hyannis

Week in Missoula, Part 2

   On Sunday, our last full day, we started off with a lovely walk with David and Maura to Kelly Island on the Clark Fork River. The dogs had a blast and we all got pretty wet! It was a lot of fun.

A week in Missoula, Sept 24-Oct 2

  We started our week by going on Monday to pick up our next car. It is a Subaru Crosstrek like David’s.  Monday was a quiet day. Maura had the day off, we had a lot of wash to do, too. Mark made a lovely chicken soup and salad for a light meal.
   The next day, Tuesday, we drove around town as the sun came out. We drove around and took some photos from one of the hills outside town. We bought David a new phone to replace his old and cracked one. We went to the Good Food Store, which we love and had a nice lunch and got the fixing for a nice fish dinner. We also hiked up 1.5 of the switchbacks behind David’s house with Deniro and Maeve - whew! Mark and David went back to TMobile to work out the kinks in the phone and to get it up and running.
    Wednesday was sunny and beautiful. We took the dogs on another walk up the Jumbo trail behind Maura and David’s house. It is quite the climb! Then, we drove to Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge outside of Stevensville in the Bitteroot Valley. It is about 25 miles south of Missoula. The refuge is alongside the Bitteroot River. The first spectacular bird that we saw was a soaring golden eagle. On the way in, we saw lots of dabbling ducks, the majority of which seemed to be coots, but there were lots that we did not identify. We saw lots of nuthatches, including the Pygmy nuthatch, a new bird for us. We took about a mile long walk through the forest and came across several white-tailed deer very close to us. We saw lots of woodpeckers, including downy woodpeckers and flickers. Mark heard a pileated but we did not see it. We came across a fly fisherman who had seen it, though. We saw quite a few birds across the river that we could not identify, but there was also a magnificent and very still bald eagle perched on a branch. We saw a striped bird that may have been a sage thrasher, but we are not sure. (Could have been a fox sparrow?)  We were pretty sure that we saw a Western Wood-Pewee, but again, without help, we could not be definite. And, we also were pretty sure that we saw mountain chickadees. And, on the way out, we saw an osprey perched. We see a lot of magpies which are also beautiful birds, but not much appreciated here. We stopped at the visitor center and Mark got t-shirt and we got a little bird guide for David and Maura. We stopped in Stevensville for a bit to eat at a cafe and then drove back and picked up a pie from Bernice’s Bakery, which  is rather famous.
      We were supposed to get 2 pies - a peach and a strawberry/rhubarb to take to Ken and Terry Olson’s but the bakery made a mistake and gave us a really large peach pie in a glass dish that has to be returned. So, we took just the strawberry/rhubarb one to the Olson’s and left the peach one home. That was a bit of a mistake because, it turns out that Ken doesn’t like rhubarb! But, we had a lovely evening. Terri made homemade chicken and dumplings and salad from their organic garden. Barbara got some beautiful cards made from Terri’s paintings. She had one (Trillium) recently accepted for an exhibition in Bigfork.
     On Thursday, we took another hike up Jumbo behind Maura and David’s house. It was a lovely sunny day. We take the dogs and work on Deniro’s leash training. Then, we took a bird walk A- to the Maclay Flats by the Bitterroot River just south of Missoula. We took a really nice 2 mile walk through the Ponderosa pines, grassland and along the river. Afterwards, we went shopping at Costco to leave Maura and David with a supply of things like paper products, olive oil, some meats. Mark made a very nice dinner of steak, baked potatoes and Brussels sprouts.
     On Friday, we started our day with our biggest hike up Jumbo yet - up to the third switchback. Mark went further than Barbara did. (We forgot the hiking poles and Barbara started to feel a little unsteady - it is steep and high and the trail is sometimes quite close to the edge. Anyhow, it was challenging and we feel quite accomplished. After that, we went into downtown Missoula to walk a bit. Again, the day was sunny and warm - our last, I am afraid, according to the forecast.
      Saturday turned out to be a nice day, just 20 degrees colder. We went with David and Maura to the wonderful outdoor farmers’ market in Missoula. It is so tempting to just buy, but.....as we are leaving.... Then, Maura and Barbara shopped for clothes at a lovely store. Maura got a beautiful blue silk dress for a family wedding as well as a gorgeous pair of dress boots. Meanwhile, Mark and David strolled and moved the car a bit closer. David and Barbara took the dogs up to the first switchback in the afternoon and in the evening we all went to Top Hat for dinner and then to the university campus for a performance of the Missoula Symphony. We had terrific seats and saw three pieces in the theme of Starstruck. The first piece was from the movie Vertigo, composed by Bernard Hermann. The second was a complication of violin concertos from Erich Korn who composed a lot for Hollywood. The soloist was Mayuko Kamio- excellent. The last piece was great - The Planets by Gustav Holst.

Banff to Fairmont Hot Springs, Kootenai National Park, Sept 22

  Today is the first day of fall, but we have had a lot of winter already!
   We drove from Banff to Fairmont Hot Springs to a large resort, quite unlike our usual stopping place, but we booked it to make our journey back to Montana a bit shorter and also because we like hot springs a lot.

    The ride down route 93 was spectacular. While it was not completely clear, it was clearer than any day we have had so far in the Canadian Rockies. We stopped an took a lot of photos of the jagged, snowy peaks as well as of the     River. The colors because of the "rock flour" were amazing and we hiked up Marble Canyon. We quickly rose in elevation and peered down at the river far below in the canyon
    When we drove into Radium Hot Springs, we came across a small herd of big horned sheep. None  huge horns. We got gas and the attendant told us that the herd was frequently in the midst of town. So, that was pretty cool as we had been scouring the hills for a glimpse of them for the past few days - and...there they were! The shots aren't pretty because they were right by a gas station.
     After arriving at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, we had a quick lunch and headed for the mineral hot pool. Lovely after driving. After a nice long soak, we went to the restaurant at the resort and had a nice meal. Then - we donned our white robes and went back for another soak in the hot springs. Ahhh! Heavenly even on a chilly evening.

Fairmont Hot Springs to Big Fork for a night, Sept 23, 24

 We drove from Fairmont Hot Springs down the valley and east back into the grasslands. We crossed the border at another small crossing and got right through, always a relief. Then, we continued back down route 93 and stopped in the cute touristy town of Whitefish where we ate lunch at a Mexican place - tacos/burritos. [Pesca Blanca]Then we detoured a little bit to see Kalispell on Maura’s advice. And, then we drove on to Big Fork. The three areas have a lot more population than we had expected.
   We stayed at a motel in Big Fork, Timbers. David and Maura met us there almost as soon as we arrived and we all went over to her dad’s place. He has a new place in a beautiful area on a big golf course. A lovely 2-bedroom home. The man who he bought it from was a golf fanatic and left Dennis lots of golf-related things, including comforters with golfing icons and even a coffee table that looks like a golf bag below.

    It was our first time meeting Maura’s brother, Jordan. We then all went out to Flathead Lake Brewing Company for a really nice dinner. Then, we drove back to Dennis’s for a little bit and back to the motel.
   The next day, we all met back at Dennis’s and went to Pocketstone Cafe for a huge breakfast. The weather was nice which was nice as the other time we were in Big Fork it was rainy and foggy. Mark and David went out to Echo where Maura grew up. David aligned his rifle.
    Afterwards we all went back to Missoula. We returned our car, a little Nissan Sentra and David picked us up. We get another car tomorrow.
   

Banff in the Canadian Rockies, Sept 20 - 22

We had an uneventful drive from Calgary to Banff, about 2 hours west. Unfortunately, it is not sunny so the views are limited.

By Lake Louise hotel - flowers in the snow

  We got to our Blue Mountain Bed and Breakfast early (around 11:30) and it was too early to check in. It is on the corner of Caribou and Muskrat and has 5 parking spots. It is in a great location, just a block off the main streets, so we wandered to find food while waiting for the bed and breakfast to be ready. It is very very touristy here! Loads of shops and restaurants. Although it was only in the mid 40s and spitting rain, we ate outside (under an umbrella) at the open air market that is only held on Wednesdays, so that was fortunate. We wandered around it and then had some spicy Indian soup and Mark added a grilled cheese sandwich. After some more wandering, we went back to the bed and breakfast that let us in. A very modest room, but adequate. It feels like a hostel, but it is not cheap as it is still high season here.

   Despite the rain, we took a walk along the Bow River to the Bow River Falls and walked up the hill to the grand Banff hotel - palatial and expensive. In the 20s, rich people would spend the "season" there with its outdoor pool etc etc. We had a cup of tea and watched people, then walked back along the river to the bed and breakfast. We stayed in for the evening reading and eating sausage and a baguette.
     The next day we woke to snow and temperatures in the 30s. We had a surprisingly good breakfast (continental with well stocked) with several couples from England, as well as one couple from Virginia. One from Bournemouth, one from London and one from ? (Forgot). We expected most of our fellow guests would be younger, but these were all couples from middle age on up.
    We decided that, as we will probably never get back here, that we'd drive up to Lake Louise despite the weather. We knew that the visibility would not be great. We drove there and back mostly on the secondary road, the Bow River Trail. We stopped along the way and took photos, but they won't be stunning.

      Lake Louise is a huge tourist draw, so despite the weather, it was quite parked up. However, we were able to park by the lake and not at the satellite lot which would have required taking a shuttle. We did not walk far along the lake because it was just too wet. But, you could see that is must be stunning when the sun is out. The water is a beautiful and unusual color of blue from what is called "rock flour" which are small particulates from the glaciers that supply the lake. They add a blue reflective color.
     We walked into the big lodge there, but did not stay. We met a huge group of Chinese people and took their photo in a snow-covered garden...they took ours as well.
      Then we drove back "home" also along the back road. We rested for a bit and then went back out. We drove the Minnewanka loop which is not far out of town. The road goes by the bottom of the largest lake in the park, but it was so foggy and overcast that we did not see very much. Then we went up the road to the Norquay ski resort. Along the roadside we came across a small herd (9) of elk. The patriarch was huge - probably 10 points. Spotting them truly did make our day as we have not seen much wildlife.

Big elk - he was with about 7 others

      For dinner we walked to the Balkan restaurant, a recommended locally-owned Greek restaurant. We both had a lamb shank dish that was delicious, neither of which we expected we would have ordered, but the waiter talked us into it as the best dish in the house and it was truly delicious. But filling.
     The next morning, our last morning in Banff, it was still disappointingly overcast. But, we had a lively breakfast with a couple from Virginia. He is an airport architect and has been working in both Helena and Missoula.

Calgary, Canada, September 17-20

   At any rate, we finally got to a wonderful Bed and Breakfast called Westways. We are in a wonderful room with a little sitting room as well. It is gorgeous. We were too tired to do much and were delighted to find that there is a wealth of restaurants right around the corner. We ended up at Earl's Kitchen. Barbara had ahi tuna and Mark had Korean wings. It was all so good, especially the tuna, but we decided we'd to again tomorrow for happy hour and more tuna.

1 September 17 was a day of misturns. We had an uneventful drive up to the Canadian border and crossed at a very small border checkpoint.   We were supposed to stay on Canada's Route 2, but, somehow (I think we were chatting too much), we missed a tour at Fort Macleod  and ended up taking Route 3 west. We didn't realize it for an entire hour. We did notice

that we were getting into the mountains which we thought was strange, but we are not familiar enough with the geography to have it really stop us. We passed a huge mountain slide called Frank's Slide and just kept going. When we passed into British Columbia we knew that something was wrong. So, we stopped in Starwood found out that we had to backtrack over 60 miles. Sigh. It added over 2 hours to our trip. But, we had no choice and tried to be positive about it.  

    So, instead of arriving around 2, we arrived around 4:30. To compound our mistake, we also went to the wrong address for the Bed and Breakfast. Turns out that there are FOUR 25th Streets in Calgary - one in each quadrant. We went to the Northeast and we should have been in the Southwest. We rang the doorbell at the wrong house and finally called the B and B. Jonathan said that he hadn't heard the doorbell. It took a little while before he realized we were in the wrong part of the city. Mark was tired from all the driving, but had no choice but to drive through the city to the correct one. (Barbara is not on the car as it cost $90 extra for a second driver.)
     On the first morning, we had a sumptuous breakfast with a wonderful man from France who gave us many tips on places to stay in Brittany. We exchanged emails and we will call him when we are in Paris next year. There was also a nice young couple from Switzerland. It is the aspect of Bed and Breakfast that we most like - chatting with people, especially from around the world.
     On our first full day in Calgary we drove to Market Mall to ask some questions about the use of the new IPad and to buy an adapter so we can download photos from the camera. We stayed for an hour lesson on use of the ICloud and it was very informative.
    In the afternoon we walked along the Elbow River and ate at Earl's Kitchen where we both had ahi tuna for an early dinner.

    On our second full day in Calgary, we had a lovely and international breakfast once again....this time with a couple from the Netherlands. We decided to walk to into town - just over 2 kilometers each way. Our destination was the Glenbow Museum where we stayed about two hours. We spent the most time in an exhibit about "mavericks" of Alberta - those who helped settle it, the railroad barons and a diverse group of people. It was very interesting. In each room, there was a placard from the First Peoples explaining their take on the various things, such as the disruption that the railroad caused them. The second exhibit we lingered in was an exhibit about the First Peoples, also very interesting. We also spent some time in an exhibit about West Africa.

   Afterwards, we went to a supermarket called Sunterra where we had a coffee, bought some coffee for David and Maura and got some sausage for our trip tomorrow.
    Then we walked back to the B &B, took a bit of a rest/read and then went to Original Joes on 4th street where we both had fish tacos and Mark also had two tiny hamburger sliders.
    On the last morning in Calgary, we had another lovely breakfast with some more international folk and then took off for Banff.

Glacier National Park, September 15-17

  We left Maura and David on Friday morning, although Maura and I took Deniro for another blood test at the vet's first.
   Then, we drove to Glacier National Park via the east side of Flathead Lake. Similarly to the last time we visited Flathead, it was rainy and overcast.

Flathead Lake

    We took Route 2 East (which is the way we go from NH to visit Maine, too) into Glacier National Park. En route, we saw a bald eagle. We stopped at the West Entrance and took a few photos. That side of the park is closed due to wildfires which we could see burning in the distance. Then we drove to the Isaak Walton Inn in Essex which is quite remote. The Inn was built before WWII to house railroad workers. The Great Northern still goes through daily including two passenger trains. It is tradition to wave to it when it goes by.
   The Inn is rustic - no tvs, phone in the rooms and internet (of sorts) in the lobby.
    We ate dinner there the first night. (There is no where else to eat nearby, so it's a good idea!)

     When we woke in the morning of the 16th, it was 28 degrees! And, it had snowed! We drove to the West entrance of Glacier which was about 60 miles. It was crystal clear with blue skies and white snow, very beautiful. Route 49 was circuitous and gave us wonderful views into the park. The entrance to the eastern side of the Going to the Sun Road starts in St. Mary. It was only open to Logan Pass, about 17 miles. We stopped a lot along the lake, took a few short hikes and lots of photos as it was a perfect day to do that. But, as we approached Logan Pass, elevation over 6,000 feet, it got increasingly smoky and when we got to the pass, there was no point in taking photos. Luckily, we'd had such a lovely morning.
      On the way back down, we did take some photos of the only glacier that can be seen from the road, Jackson Glacier, but it was definitely in the haze. Glacier has lost the bulk of its glaciers which is very sad. They may all be gone quite soon, so we felt grateful to be able to see what we could.
     We also stopped at another entrance, Two Medicine where we took a short hike to a water fall, Falling Eagle and to see one of the Two Medicine lakes.

      We ate at an inn in St. Mary - very good.
       When we got back to the Izaak Walton we went into the outdoor hot tub which was fun and not something we normally get to do in the cold.
       The next morning, we drove back on the eastern side of Glacier and up to the Canadian border.

A few days in Missoula, Sept 13 and 14

  The big drama of these two days was Deniro consuming about a pound of grapes during the night. They can be highly toxic and deadly to dogs and he is puppy. David took him to the vets where they gave him a detox. The scary thing about grape poisoning is that it can take days to manifest itself, so even though he was active and normal, it did not mean that he was "out of the woods." So - there has been a lot of careful watching of him and he's had 2 blood tests. So far, so good, but very nerve-wracking.

Dinner on Discovery Way

   Maura's back is giving her issues after her fall last year, so she took some days of recuperating.
   We drove around Missoula, did some shopping and Mark made two wonderful dinners.
    Montana has had intense wildfires and the air has been very smoky.
    When we arrived, it was shorts weather, but the next two days were chilly and....on the 13th, there was actually rain which caused comments wherever we went as people are so happy to get rain after a very dry summer.

Mount Jumbo in Maura and David’s back yard. Steeper than it looks!

 The view from Jumbo toward their house which is in the distance.

Deniro, the grape eater

On the Way to Missoula, Montana Sept 10-12

    We started our next adventure by attending the wedding of Katie Sulzer, a lovely garden wedding. It was lovely with a wonderfully diverse crowd. Davide is Italian, so there was a contingent from Italy. Amita, Will's wife, is Indian, so there was a contingent born in India. Zarah, who married them, is Eritrean. Then, there were Katie's high school friends, her Wellesley friends and friends like us from the island. Both Jim and Barbara gave Katie away. Katie and Davide dispensed with some of the traditions such as maid of honor and best man as well as some of the traditional practices. Their vows included to "argue fairly" which we thought was a nice touch. Dinner was catered by Dylan and Claudia and served family style (also very nice). And, music was supplied by Miss Fairchild, a six-piece band led by Travis Richard. They were fabulous. (We went to hear them again at the Brewery the next day.)

Katie and Davide

      On the Monday Mark and I took the early boat off island. We stopped in Bridgewater to see Cal and Alice and went to Good Days Restaurant, one of their favorites. Then we stopped in Dedham at the Apple Store where Mark replaced his very old IPad. Then we drove to the Rodeway Inn outside of Logan Airport.
     We met Jecca, Willy, Otis and Hank at Redbones Barbecue in Davis Square which was a lot of fun. Otis just began as a student at Middlesex and Hank got a part in the next Concord Youth Theater Play - all good things.

     
We had a little glitch in checking our Delta flights as we got a notification that our flight out of Minneapolis was cancelled because our Boston flight was delayed. So, we got on the OLD Rodeway Inn computer in a hallway and managed to book a 5:40 am flight and rebook the Minneapolis flight. So, that meant a 3 am wake up call and a shuttle to the airport. It was a beautiful day and the flights went smoothly. We paid for extra leg room which was nice. We had a layover in Minneapolis and had a great breakfast.
    Flying into Montana we could see forest fires burning on several steep ridges. Missoula's air quality has been awful due to smoke and haze. It was interesting and awful to see the fires from the air.
     We arrived in Missoula and picked up a Nissan Sentra and drove to David and Maura's new house in East Missoula where we got to meet their new pup, Deniro. Mark made a wonderful meal for David and Maura to come home to.

Visit to Norman and Jane in Newport Center, August

We went overnight to see Norman and Jane in Newport Center. (Jane retired this year, so...reason to celebrate!)

We drove to Brownington, Vermont to the Old Stone House, a very early grammar school where students boarded in an amazing stone building built by hand by their teacher, Alexander Twilight, the first person of African-American descent to graduate from college (Middlebury) and a very early African-American teacher. It was very interesting and including a hill and observation point overlooking the area.

Lake Memphremagog in the distance

Brownington

Later we had a lovely meal and a campfire in their backyard.

The next day, we drove over the border crossing at Derby Line to Stanstead to have croissants, pastries and baguettes! We tested to see if Mark's passport has finally been fixed and...yay! it has. So, hopefully, we won't have to stop and be questioned every time we come back to the States. (Mark's passport was lost years ago)

Norman and Jane

And, the next day, we picked Hank up from Camp Billings at Lake Fairlee and drove to Bethel, Maine, where we met Jecca and Willy.

Hank and Charlie, a friend from Cabin 9