Where in the World Were the Squid?

This starts a series of interrupted blog post where you get to follow the Squid on their summer travels outside, yes, I said outside, of New York City. Everyone gasp now!

For our first installment we have our annual trip to Pennsylvania Dutch Country where our intrepid Squid venture every year for a dose of the great outdoors and some quality time lost in a corn maze.

This year they wimped out and, instead of roughing it in tents, opted for a "Cozy Cabin." Let's hear it for the wimps making a good choice. It POURED and lightninged and thundered most of the second day so our Squid had a porch to play games on and a watertight, no worry roof over their head at night. And a bathroom.

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This years trip started out with a visit to the National Watch and Clock Museum where we learned all about Horology. (The study of timekeeping, get your minds out of the gutter!)

Many interesting clocks were viewed -- click here for more photos.This clock did just about everything except vacuum the floor!One of my favorites -- I like unusual clocks.

Lunch was at Hinkle's Pharmacy for some good, authentic regional food. Yum! This pharmacy with lunch counter has been around since 1893!
We explored Columbia, PA for a bit and then headed to our camp ground for a quick stop to unpack. The we were off to join members of the Lancaster Bike Club for an Ice Cream Ride to the Oregon Dairy where we feasted on locally made ice cream. (For more bike cam pictures, click here.) Definitely NOT New York! After 10 miles in the heat, with the sun rapidly setting we trouped back to the cabin for showers and bed. The cabin had two bunk beds so we each had our own, off the floor, accommodations, with the kids on top and the parents below. It also had air conditioning.

In the morning we dined al fresco, the last such meal of the trip.

A little reading,
a little goofing,a little crossword action and then we were off.

In the 90+ degree, 100% humidity, we headed in to the Maze and found ...a bike. How fitting.And, a bull. Which this story is not.And lots of corn.And, finally, our way out! After 2 hours of purposeful wandering we did it! This seemed to be the hardest of the mazes that we have done so far. We spent the first hour or so seemingly going in circles and then finally hit on some new sections of the maze and quickly got on the right track.

After finding our way out, the kids did some pedal carting and then we headed to Good and Plenty for lunch. Just as our meal was served, the skies opened up. It did not stop raining until ... well, um, I think it is still raining. (Actually, there was a break in the rain this morning so we were able to cook our breakfast on the camp stove and eat on the porch.)

Since outdoor activities were out, we went clock and pretzel shopping and then retreated back to the cabin for a couple of rousing games of Scrabble and Set.

Our adventures will take us further west this summer and should include bike rides in four other states and a visit to a midwest state fair. Stay tuned!

Dear Upstairs Neighbor,

I know you don't notice it, or if you do, it is only a minor annoyance, one you probably hear a dozen times a day and think, "I really should oil that door hinge." Then you go on with your business. I understand, I'd probably ignore that squeaky hinge too, except for the effect it has on my, um ... personal life.

During the day I don't notice it. Probably has something to do with the fact that both you and I are at work. At night however ... it seems that you go to bed about an hour after I do. And sometimes I am not yet asleep but am engaging in ... shall we say adult play.

When your door squeaks and my husband and I are ... enjoying each other's company ... we suddenly stop and yelp "who's there" at our door -- even though we know our own door does not squeak. It's a Pavlovian reaction.

Even when we are simply sleeping, your door squeak has the same effect -- we think one of our children has escaped from their beds. This is not as damaging to our psyches when we are sleeping as when we are ... snuggling. But doesn't every parent fear the day their children manage to catch them ... um being close? It does, however, tend to jerk me out of that happy, half-asleep place that I tend to be in at that time of night.

So I ask nicely, please, please, please, for the sake of my sanity ... OIL YOUR BEDROOM DOOR!

And send my best to your kids,

Mama Squid

Monday in Times Square

We started today by going to see The Simpsons Movie. Following established tradition, we saw the first showing of the day -- 10:45 a.m. Yeah, my kids don't know from crowded theaters and evening movies. Odd thing, that.

After lunch we took a walk to the Times Square area. Heading uptown I finally got a good view of this building.
It is the new headquarters of The New York Times. To my eyes it looks very newspaperish. I think the architects did a good job on this one. I've always loved the fact that Times Square is named for my favorite newspaper, even if they did just reduce the size of the pages.

Then we headed down 42nd Street, that former den of iniquity and I tried to explain how seedy it was when we were kids. Since I was unwilling to explain what a peep-show was, the kids got only the vaguest of ideas as to what I was talking about. *blush*The New Victory theater was one of the early renovations during the mid 90's. It went from being the first XXX movie house to being the first theater geared towards children. When the Squidlings were younger we had subscriptions for a couple of seasons.

Below, 3 view of one of my favorite McGraw Hill buildings -- there are a few of them. McGraw Hill is kind of like MetLife in terms of property ownership in Manhattan. There are a few different buildings named after each company with very different styles of architecture. This one evokes a feeling of a ship going out to sea -- at least for me.


Our journey to Times Square was two-fold. We had to retrieve Squidette's clarinet from the repair shop and were were hoping to find the Kwik-E-Mart. Unfortunately the store had reverted back into a normal7-Eleven but there were still some vestiges of Simpson-mania around.
Simpsons Donuts


On the walk home we spotted some laundry on the line. Not a common site in the heart of the Big Apple.
And, we did a spot of grocery shopping. Can you figure out what we are planning to do?

All Quiet on the Squidly Front

Things have been relatively quiet the last few days, hence the lack of blogging. I met with my new Principal on Thursday and then watched Squidette perform in her camp orchestra. Brava!

Friday saw a bike ride with Little Squid while Squidette was getting pelted with water balloons in camp.
Yorkville and Ruppert Towers, a one time bastion of middle class living in Manhattan -- now condominiums. Commentary on that sad state of affairs will wait until another day.

We rode up and over to our favorite bike store
where they had special ordered a helmet mirror for me. We then rode back home, doing a loop of Central Park in the process. During our journey, Papa and Little Squid introduced me to a foot.I, in turn, introduced the foot to a sock.Then a dragon got the sock. Eek! These curiosities can be found on 81st Street if you want to check them out.We cycled 15 miles in the heat and then came home and crashed until it was time to retrieve Squidette.

Today saw us pedal uptown for a breakfast picnic along the Hudson River just south of the Little Red Lighthouse. No, we did not climb that hill. We did, however, discover this lovely little cove. Then, instead of just retracing our path along the river, we left the greenway for Riverside Drive at 125th Street and climbed a "memorable" hill which rises something like 4 stories in the span of two city blocks. The last time we tried this hill, Little Squid and I stalled quite near the bottom. Today ... we made it! And then had a lovely ride up and down Riverside Drive until rejoining the greenway at 72nd Street. Total mileage (including a side trip to the Green Market): 20 miles all before 11:30 a.m. and before the temperature went over 90.

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On the knitting front, am I the only person in the world who needs a spread sheet to knit a Baby Surprise?
I'm not kidding! I need to pay very careful attention for the first 30 rows or so until the increases begin. Once those are done I have a good time of it but there is a good reason why I do not knit too many of these. This one is for a colleague who is due to join the wonderful world of parenthood in October. The sweater is now done except for the seaming which will wait until said child appears.
Also in progress are two pair of socks to be gifted. Yes, that is monkey going on again in the bright (female) sock and just a plain k2p2 ribbed thing in the duller (male) sock.

A Tour of Morningside Heights

For the last 5 weeks I have found myself on Seminary Row almost every day in the course of my child delivery duties. The walk from Bank Street College, where Little Squid was in camp, to the Manhattan School of Music, aka Squidette's camp, brings us to many elaborate edifices. Over the last few days I finally got around to taking some pictures of these magnificent buildings.

First we have the Union Theological SeminaryThe biggest tower, toward the left, is actually part of Riverside Church which is a block further west and an architectural wonder all its own.

Caddy corner to Union, and directly across the street from the Manhattan School of Music we have the Jewish Theological Seminary.A bit south of Seminary row finds the colleges of Columbia University including Teachers Collegeand Columbia itself.
Since we always pass Barnard on the near side of the street, I did not get any pictures of it. Next summer, perhaps. My mother-in-law met my father-in-law while they were doing graduate work, her at Teachers College and he at Columbia. Everybody say aww now.

And, because this blog is not all about higher education, some magnificent architecture on a more plebeian edifice, PS 165.

Last Week of Camp

Yup, this is it. "Vacation" officially starts on Saturday.

Mike and I enjoyed one of our last days together and got very little accomplished. Which is just fine.

After dropping the kids off we came home via Zabar's, at which point I realized that I have never shared this NYC gem with you all. When I first moved into Manhattan, perhaps even before, Mike introduced me to what was then the gourmet food store. Many concerts-in-the-park were provisioned with cheese and bread from Zabar's. Many a lox-and-bagel breakfast have been procured here. Today we grabbed some yummy gift stuff as well as some basic provisions for the apartment. I say "we" but I actually stood outside with the bikes, knitting, while Mike did the shopping. We know who wears the pants in this family. (Actually I was wearing bike shorts.)After a shower and a rest we took a walk up to Times Square and dropped off Squidette's clarinet to be overhauled. Along the way we saw the Naked Cowboy. This was the first time I have ever seen him. Must use a good sunblock because he just is not that tan. Dave, the buns are for you.




















Caught sight of this view on the way home. I don't know what any of the buildings are, but it was an interesting juxtaposition of old and new.

The Tour is Over!

Well the Tour de France ended this morning and what a tour it was. Scandal, intrigue, strategy, team work, solo accomplishment and excitement galore. By the end, three out of four Squid were totally wrapped up in it and at least one Squid picked up some cycling tips. I found the conclusion satisfying even if one of my favorites was kicked out after being caught blood doping. As to that, all I can say is "eww, gross!"

And now I present my completed Tour de France Knitalong project and bonus project.
(Mike was tired of the same old pose so I gave him something new and he in turn created a picture that is almost impossible to view.)
The Chevron Vest from Knitter's Magazine, Summer 2007. Yarn is my own handspun merino/silk/alpaca blend spun to a sportweight triple ply (navajo plyed). Not completely consistent in grist but mostly.
The vest still needs to be blocked and needs buttons. I do not like the buttons I had so this will wait until I can get to a trimmings store this week.
And matching socks. The cuff uses the stitch pattern from the vest. Socks were knit toe up with a sort row heel. The toe up was done because I was afraid I would run out of yarn. I probably have enough yarn left to make a matching pair of wristlets. In other words, I had enough to make an entire sweater. Figures. The rainbow batt was roughly 9 ounces. Oh, and these socks count for Summer of Socks, too!

See?

See!

Please send Little Squid some good glasses vibes as he gets used to them. Welcome to the fold, kid!

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I am still trying to upload the map of our ride. I managed to create it in a google map but despite following a few different sets of instructions I seem incapable of doing this. What I really need to do is learn how to code html and java or ... make nice to Papa Squid.

Fridays Around Manhattan (on Thursday)

Fridays, as in Bike Friday, as in Mike and I circumnavigated Manhattan yesterday. 50 miles of biking, including retrieving the kids from camp (11 miles alone). The exact route is detailed at the bottom of this post for anyone who cares to take out a map and figure it out. I am trying to get Mike to upload his GPS map and will link to it when and if he does it. (On the other hand, I am trying to figure out how to do it myself and have several reference tabs open. Watch for an edit to this post.)



Basically, we dropped the kids off at camp and then rode as close to the rivers as possible while still mostly keeping to marked bike routes. Upper Manhattan involved some serious hills and everything south of 40th Street was pretty flat. Since, except for our breakfast stop, we rode pretty continuously, there is little in the way of NYC lore here. If we repeat the trip with the kids there will be more history.

Photos courtesy of the new and improved Bike Cam.The path leading to the Little Red Lighthouse and George Washington Bridge. (The person is me.)The George Washington Bridge.The hill leading up from the Little Red Lighthouse. Yes, I am walking my bike. If you look carefully, this gives a very good feel for the steepness of this hill. The incline actually starts well below the level of the roadway in this photo.Inspiration Point.Bridges leading to the Bronx.St. Nicholas Avenue.
Overpass leading from the Greenway to York Avenue about 60th Street.

The northern end of the island is very hilly and left me rather tired though I did manage to climb all of the hills except the Little Red Lighthouse hill (and I did more than half of that one, only giving up on the very last, steepest part of the incline). We saw some lovely homes and even passed the Dyckman Homestead.

After 22 miles of riding, we stopped for a picnic breakfast in Carl Shurz Park and relaxed on the grass in the shade of a tree. Revived, we continued on our way, cheered that the rest of the trip was relatively flat. Oops, forgot that nasty hill on York Avenue and then another one or two milder ones on Second Ave. No big deal, relatively.

Down and around the tip of the island, passing the "evil metal plates" and heading back up to Chambers Street to pick up sandwiches for dinner. The back to the Greenway and home for lunch. Yes, after a two hour rest we then headed back out, on the bikes, to retrieve the kids from camp. We left an hour early because I was concerned that I would be too tired to bike quickly. Turns out I had much more energy then I did in the morning and climbed the hill on Riverside Drive relatively easily. We were half an hour early to get Squidette so we rested in a nearby park for a while. By the time we got home the ride had finally set in and I was downing much liquid after finally getting clean.

I admit that I am the first to defend my city against those who would malign it but I have to admit that it is dirty! After 5 hours on a bike, mostly on or near traffic, I was covered in soot and debris that adhered to my sweat and sunblock sticky skin. For the time being, I am clean but, it is time to finish the painting ...

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Detailed route follows as interpreted from the GPS track. A street or two may be missing so use this at your own risk.


We started at home, rode up the Greenway adjacent to the West Side Highway, exiting the greenway at 95th Street. We then rode up Riverside Drive to 112th Street and deposited Little Squid at camp. Uptown on Broadway to 122nd Street to deposit Squidette and the over to Claremont. Right on Claremont to Broadway to Dr. Martian Luther King Jr. Blvd to 12th Avenue, across the Fairway's parking lot to Fairway to secure breakfast provisions. Then back to 12th Avenue and back on to the Greenway. North on the Greenway to the Little Red Light House. Up the hill (I did not make the last bit this time) continuing North to the stairs at the end of the Greenway. Following the signs we resumed riding on the streets at Staff Street turning east on Dykeman to Seaman Avenue. Seaman (north) to West 218th Street. East on 218th Street past Baker Field to Broadway. North on Broadway to the Broadway Bridge (but not over it) to 9th Avenue (no kidding!). 9th Avenue east and then south to West 215th Street. 215th to Broadway, Broadway southeast to 204th Street. 204th to Sherman Avenue to Academy to Nagle Avenue to Dyckman, east to the Greenway heading south along the Harlem River. South along the Greenway to the Harlem River Drive to St. Nicolas Place. South along St. Nicolas to 151st Street to St. Nicolas Avenue. South along St. Nicolas Avenue to West 120th Street to the East River Greenway and then south to Carl Shurz Park. Rest stop for breakfast and a "natural" break.

A brief detour to our favorite bike shop and then back to the Greenway heading south. Down the stairs at 79th Street (definitely easier to hike a roadbike onto a shoulder then schelping a Bike Friday down those stairs!) and south to the end of the Greenway at about 60th Street. Over the overpass to York Avenue. South on York to 55th Street. 55th West to 2nd Avenue and 2nd Ave South to 38th Street. At this point we followed the signs heading east on 38th to the Greenway only to find the gates locked. South along the service road of the FDR to 35th Street where we were able to reconnect to the Greenway and then stayed along the East River all the way to the southern tip of the island. We continued to follow the greenway around the tip and then headed north on the Hudson River side. A brief stop on Chambers Street to pick up sandwiches for dinner and then back to the greenway and home.