Big Apple '08 -The End of an Era

WOW! I finally got MaRea to walk me through the "how to blog" again.  Way too much has happened since last time I wrote a month ago.  Sid and I got on the POD Train the 18th of March - threatening snowstorm moved the date up a day (sound familiar)? We drove to St. Louis and left the SEI trailer at the convention center in Collinsville, Illinois and flew to NYC for our last hurrah in the Big Apple before Dave and Tara move to Palm Springs. 

David picked us up at the Islip, Long Island airport since we had companion tickets on Southwest (2 - at the last minute - for $350.00) and MacArthur is the only airport SWA flies into.  We loved spending time with Dave, Tara and Claire Bear or "CBT" as Grandpa Thatcher calls her. She especially liked  Grandpa Thatcher to read her a story in the morning. She is, everyone-on-the-block's baby doll - The very fat,  lovely, refined, intellectual lady on the stoop next door who writes Opera Revues all over the world - and  'Eddie,' the guy across the hall, who has a celebrity car service (New York Giants etc.) who spends his day stepping off, measuring and maneuvering  Dave's car and his cars into parking places in front of their Brownstone so he can take up two spaces instead of one without it looking like he's being a hog so he can squeeze in one more of his cars when he needs to. Parking is an experience in New York City that Dave and Tara need to write about as one of their NYC 10.  Eddie  listens for the Thatchers to  come up the second flight of stairs then he pops out of his apartment door and  Claire giggles and runs into his arms.  If she hears his voice in the hall she is out their apartment door and into his arms.  He buys her gifts and assures them they are only going to be in California for 6 months because they will miss NY too much.  Dave and Tara have made some amazing friends in NYC. That, I am sure, is one of the hardest parts about leaving.

Mostly, we just relaxed and enjoyed each other, which was our only priority.  I did press my luck not once but twice (which David kindly catered to) for a trip down to Canal street for a purse and  Pashmina run.  I got just about every color of scarf I thought I might someday use (I have to carry on the Maxine Reeder tradition of wearing a scarf to keep warm. Mother had one black scarf, I'm trying to add some color to the tradition.) 

My favorite activity was a trip to Stew Leonard's which if you haven't been there is worth a trip to NYC. It is built like a huge dairy, silo and all.  Laura says they have something like it in Atlanta and we've got to hit that one too.  Stew Leonard's is one of those places you go just for the experience.  It is a grocery store extraordinaire.  Pardon me, referring to it as a grocery store is somewhat ignominious. It is a rather like a huge 'NYC Deli' plus Trader Joe's in Palm Springs but at least 10 maybe 20 times bigger  - it's gigantic!  The owners have their own dairies and farms and grow most of the produce themselves. They have talking and singing cows, horses and other farm animals (Claire's favorite part of the store). Videos of the owner feeding his pet cows and being pushed around by them as he tells his story, play throughout the store.  Fresh herbs have their own stand with  bunches of basil - my favorite - so huge and fresh you can cradle them in your arm and bury your nose in pure fragrant refreshment. There is a specialty shrimp counter with every imaginable way to buy shrimp PLUS a girl who knows everything about shrimp you ever wanted to know. She can tell you what you want to buy and why depending on your particular need. We weren't quit sure we had enough! They also have a deli counter the size of many grocery stores where you can buy freshly prepared gourmet food you can  take home and heat. BUT they do NOT have flour or coconut!   AND talk about the grazing! - INCREDIBLE.  Sweet potato chips were my favorite this time.  Of course you know Sid and David hung out at the cheese and olive deli which had almost as much variety as France. Now Paul, MaRea and the Prier's may differ on that but they need to take a trip to Stew Leonard's and see for themselves.  To top it all off, if you spend $100 (and of course we obliged) you get a free soft ice cream cone - our choices were pistachio, coconut or vanilla - made of course with their famous milk. The amazing home made soup bar? We should have bought a quart - no a gallon - of each one of them - in my book one more good reason to live in the Big Apple. We slurped ours on the way back to the apartment and wished we had more. What a blow out for someone who isn't suppose to eat dairy, fat, or starch - Yea, that was me pigging out at Stew Leonard's.  Across from the check-out counter is a 30 foot bulletin board filled with photos of people all over the world having their pictures taken with their "Stew Leonard" shopping bags in front of the Eiffel Tower, Machu Pichu, Tibet, China Wall, etc. 

All that was just on the way home from the airport! 

Saturday Tara and her Stake Young Women's counselors spent the whole day preparing food for about 50 Young Women and their mothers. In the morning I chopped basil and leeks really fine. That night they had a Mother/Daughter fashion show - a rather unusual one which featured literal fashions such as 'fish net stockings with fish hanging off of them,' A 'sun dress with huge suns on it,' a "T" shirt made of T's,  etc.  They created a runway with flood lights and the models pranced their wares like they were real models - loving every minute of it. Leolani is a producer for Anderson Cooper and she entertained us while we cooked with her stories of getting the first exclusive interview with Barak Obama which led some big news breaking story and her life with her Hawaiian family. Lisel, one of Tara's counselors is a food editorial writer and a gourmet cook so they made specialty sandwiches and strawberries dipped in chocolate - (all purchased at Stew Leonard's of course) which were served during the runway show just like uptown. They then watched the Young Women's general conference report. Dave and Tara have one of the few cars among members in New York so they of course spent most of the day hauling food, lights, etc. to and from the church. 

Dave made Sid's whole trip worthwhile Saturday afternoon when we went downtown to the "Apple Store."  I tended the car and Claire in a "no parking" zone while they went shopping to find Sid the best possible earphones for his IPhone.  They are remarkable - best sound ever and well worth the almost $100 price.  Can't you just see the smile on Sid's face - he is such a gadget guy - his father, ORT the original gadget guy -  would have been proud of him!

Sunday we "walked" 2 1/2 blocks to church, a beautiful new chapel  instead of clear across Central Park on the West Side where the temple and the other chapel are located and where they have attended church all these years - 9  1/2 to be exact.  It was testimony meeting and we got to tend Claire while Dave helped his Young Men pass the sacrament.  Claire got a little fussy so Dave took her out and didn't get to hear the last testimony which was a woman who is some enormous Wall Street guru.  She heard that Dave and Tara were moving and she said, "I've been sitting in the back of the cultural hall but I had to make the trip all the way up here because I couldn't let this meeting end or Brother Thatcher leave New York  without him and all of you knowing that he is the reason that our son is on a mission. I don't know what we would have done without him. Dave was there for our son when he needed someone the most. Brother Thatcher gave him the desire and the determination to serve a mission.  He is about 3/4 finished his mission now and will complete the last few months in the office helping the Mission President as AP.  I just had to let all of you and Brother Thatcher know that there are not words to express our appreciation and gratitude for his sensitivity to our son's needs, his genuine care and concern and the invaluable contribution he has made to the life of our son and to our lives as parents."

(I had to put that in there because Dave didn't hear it and Tara was in another ward at a  Stake Young Women's meeting.)

Sid and I took Claire home for a nap and started making my famous "Curry Chicken." I made one batch and when Dave got home I found out that more than Anita was coming for lunch and they were taking dinner to a family with a new baby so I made another batch and ended up with a pretty good pot of  "the best curry chicken I've ever made!" We love Anita! She is the national fashion sales manager for DK NYC, a convert from Switzerland and we would love to see her find some incredible LDS guy which she certainly deserves.  We are really going to miss seeing her when we don't get to go to NYC  and stay at 324E 89th Street 3W.

Sunday night we went to a going-away party for Maurice, one of Dave and Tara's friends.  It was at the home of a Reeder cousin, a common descendant of David Reeder who died on the plains near North Platte, Nebraska.  Mark Hammond is from David Reeder's son George Reeder  and we are from George's brother, Robert's family. Interesting side note - Mark Hammond's wife is from George's first wife's lineage and he is from George's second wife's lineage.  I am from Robert's first wife's lineage and Sid is from the second wife's lineage. Mark Hammond collects early church history artifacts before 1847 and has a remarkable photograph of George Reeder in a bishopric in Brigham City.

Every one will be excited to learn that the "Reeder Book" which was out of print and has been the source of many 'swappings' over the years has been updated and reprinted.  He is going to send me an e-mail of where we can get copies.  Mark Hammond was also able to go back to England and find the exact location of the Reeder home in the photos that are in the book.  It was pretty much a miracle that he was able to find it since you have to know the name of the people who have lived there over the last 100 years because there are no street addresses etc.

Monday Dave and I went for a run in Central Park.  It was an overcast day, rained over night, puddles here and there, not crowded.  Dave took the longer 4 mile run while I walked the Reservoir 1.7 miles. I wondered why everyone was going in the opposite direction until I noticed a sign showing that I should have been going in the OTHER direction too - but I was already about 1/2 way around and I was not about to change directions at that point. Besides I felt it was somewhat representative of my life since it seems that I have chosen 'to walk in the opposite direction' a good portion of my life.  It is amazing that someone 100 years ago had enough wisdom to create this little piece of paradise in the middle of chaos. "A Walk In The Park" must surely refer to Central Park where you can rediscover who, why, what, and where you are in life in just a few minutes. Dave said it would take me about 30 minutes which is about how long it takes me to walk that far on my treadmill at home.  I kept looking for a particular building as a homing spot and when I looked at my watch  it had been 40 minutes - I was LOST.  David finished his run, saw police cars, ambulances and heard sirens, wondering if I was the victim.  How can one get lost on a circular track around the reservoir?  Well I had been so deep in something that I passed up the starting point and made it part way around again when I recognized a guy who was standing still and talking on his cell phone. The first time I passed  him I heard him say something to 'Doug' on the phone so when I passed him the second time in the same spot and hear him say 'Doug' again I knew something was wrong.  So I turned around and walked back.  David was pretty relieved to see me not smashed up in traffic. 

It was a very nostalgic experience remembering the many times we had driven through the Park in Taxis to and from the airport, walked through the park from Dave and Tara's to the church, spent an evening at the Concert in the Park with a gourmet bread/cheese and hors d'oeuvre picnic and the time Sid and I stayed in the Ritz across from the park.  I thought about the many times that Dave, Tara and Claire have loved the Park and how hard it is going to be for them to leave it since my heart is hanging on to the few sweet memories I have.

New York is WONDERFUL.  WE LOVE IT, HAVE LOVED IT AND WILL ALWAYS LOVE IT! New York is a significant part of our family DNA having come here often since 1982 when we started buying semi loads of fabric from HealthTex. Some of our children were surely destined to spend some time here since both Sid and I have always loved  New York.  There is an electricity in the air of this town that can be found no where else in the world. The changes and improvements made in New York by Rudi Julianni have not only made it a magical city but a safe, warm, and friendly city. We thrilled with the Broadway plays and learned remarkable lessons through our experiences and associations in the City. 

Kim, Karen and Tammy came to New York with us as a graduation outing about 1987. Last year, Kim and I came to buy art work and had our first 'Pink Berry' experience. Just before she left on her mission, MaRea was with us in New York at Dave's apartment on Roosevelt Island on 9-11 when we watched the Towers come down. Paul had a terrifying experience driving a semi under the intentional low brides on the Long Island turnpike. Dave and Tara met, fell in love, lived and worked in New York City. Our precious little Claire Bear was born under the Big Lights. She has a double Big Apple imprint on her DNA. Tara and Melissa attended graduate school here. Brent and Melissa, met, fell in love, lived and worked in New York City. Angie celebrated her 16th birthday here plus several other visits during and between shows. Laura has been to the Big Apple two or three times but never for the full NY experience except for a run in Central Park and lunch at Cafe Lalo from her favorite movie, "You've Got Mail." Mark has come on business. Lindsey?  Have you ever been to New York?  I don't think so.  New York has left it's mark on (almost) all of us. 

Well that is way more than I ever intended to write and way more than most of you will read. However, I talked to my brother Bill the other day. (By the way Branding is the end of May for anyone interested in a trip to Canada then.)  He was reading my mother's diaries.  She kept one almost every year of her life since she got married in 1941. She died in 2007 - 66 years of diaries!  So I decided that I am going to print my journals.  Perhaps some day one of you will read them. Bill said mother's journals were mostly informational i.e. "L. (Lynn) went to town. Rained today. Cut and raked hay. Mad at L. Still mad at L. Neighbors came to dinner. Not mad at L." Bill said she was pretty short on emotions and feelings. 

Monday night we went to dinner with Dave's old bishop who is now the Patriarch and his brother and sister-in-law.  We went to Peter Lugars Steak House - 1887 original building in Queens.  Remarkable experience - totally unique, price too  - $420 for 6 people. Sid claims that Outback Steakhouse still beats them all the way around for 20 bucks a person instead of Peter Lugars advertised $66 per person.

Yes, Kim, in memory of you and only because of you, - we went to "Pink Berry." Sid was a bit skeptical and only wanted a little one since he knew he wasn't going to like it but when David popped into an office building on business while we babysat the car (a typical New York experience) he and Claire helped themselves to several bites of Dave's "Pink Berry." "Pink Berry" is another legitimate reason for a New York Trip.

Tuesday afternoon we flew back to St. Louis, did the show, missed every word of conference, and got home Monday night, April 7th about 7:00. Angie, Ann, Matt and Taren came out and we had  Chinese food from Mandarin Garden. 

The End! 

The End of an Era, a Wonderful New York Era. Brent and Melissa moved back to Salt Lake City almost a year ago and Dave and Tara will be leaving for Palm Springs about the 20th of April. We will always cherish the past 20 plus years of Big Apple memories, experiences, heartaches and joys. Good Bye New York! Good Bye! We will always love you!