Real or Imaginary?

The Man writes...a morning of quick and sad goodbyes to friends and kind hosts. A slow busy drive to Boston. A few hours in a noisy and crowded departure lounge. A comfortable Norwegian flight, before being greeted and collected by Albaniana at Gatwick.

Did we dream it all?

Jumping around

The Man writes...I think in the UK if the Young Man's school decide to create a pond for educational reasons it would be about 10 feet across. His first school in the US had bigger ideas:

He and his buddy toured the wonderful grounds and then visited his buddy's new school.

We had dinner at a new Irish pub in Delmar where we enjoyed having to explain strange exotic terms like "Bangers and Mash".  Later in the evening the Young Man joined up with other friends for an extremely energetic evening at SkyZone, a huge warehouse full of trampolines, where even normal games like basketball and volleyball are done in extra bouncy style.

Pine and City Line

The Man writes...I went into my old work place for lunch. They had ordered in sandwiches especially, so we all sat together having lively and wide ranging discussions. In the end I lingered all afternoon and tried to help them out with some issues! I noted my old pot plants were being carefully nurtured.

There was just time to fit in a visit to the Pine Hollow Arboretum, which was as peacefully calming as ever.

By contrast we spent a fun evening in the raucous City Line Grill. Music blared and dozens of screens showed the opening ceremony from the Rio Olympics (on a one hour delay with ad breaks every five minutes of course), and the quinoa burger was great.

Small and Perfect

The Man writes...this is a small Americano from a favourite coffee shop. One day I shall have to order a large just for a dare.

A sociable day for us both: while the Young Man met up with his friends and I had tea with some former neighbours and then dinner with work colleagues in the Bonefish Grill on Wolf Road.

Day on the Lake

The Man writes...I know I post a lot of pictures of Mirror Lake, but one of its fascinations is the way it changes with time and weather. These photos are taken about an hour apart.

Although we have stayed at the Golden Arrow several times, we discovered for the first time a great gym, with a large window overlooking the lake, and even a squash/racketball court. The Young Men made very good use of all the machines. They were kind enough to give us a courtesy key to use all the facilities even after we had checked out, so we spent most of the day using the boats and the beach.

Before leaving the area, we drove out to a famous Ice Cream place known by the Young Man's buddy. Although it is tiny, in the middle of nowhere, and serves only one flavour of soft ice cream, there was a steady stream of customers.

A Placid Break

The Man writes...the Young Man and I picked up his buddy, and we headed north into the Adirondacks.

Our first stop was Cascade Lake:

Then we explored to the bobsleigh run at Mount Van Hoevenburg near Lake Placid:

And finally arrived at the Golden Arrow resort on Mirror Lake. We swam and canoed on the lake,which looked as perfect as ever.

The town is busy for a Lacrosse tournament, and I thought (wrongly) that what I consider an "early" dinner would beat the crowds. Whilst we queued long at 6pm, the restaurant was half empty at 7.30. However, we were extremely fortunate to get a table outdoors overlooking the lake, and to be treated to a free concert of New Orleans blues and jazz on the neighbouring green. 

Old haunts

The Man writes...in a small gap in his hectic social schedule, I took the Young Man around some fondly remembered places, including Empire State Plaza, The Beaver Trail at Five Rivers (very chestnutty), and some favourite cafes.

Thanks to a sign in the library, I also learned how to trap a bat. If you find a bat in your New York home, it must be captured and tested for rabies.