1. Seeing an SUV completely engulfed in a fireball on the 400 on the way to the airport. No idea if the passengers survived, but I've never seen anything like it. The smoke was visible from miles away and the flames were 6-10 feet above the hood of the vehicle.
2. Flight delayed by several hours including abandoning one plane after we'd boarded. I couldn't have been happier, with my book to read and no screaming kids under my care. I'll never take another travel complaint seriously from anyone who doesn't have kids under the age of 4.
3. After arriving at our NYC hotel, near Times Square, at around 1am we went out for a bite to eat and a few refreshments. Headed back to the room at 4am and felt like we were letting the whole city down by turning in so early. It really is the city that never sleeps - not just a marketing cliche.
4. Drank Blue Moon beer for much of the weekend. Can't see doing that in Orillia - might get beat up for drinking a beer that gets served with a slice of orange. But Greg was feeling a little fruity so I went along.
5. Greg's proud facial expression after getting carded while trying to buy crappy lite beer at Yankee stadium. His face only fell slightly when we saw the sign stating that they card anyone who looks 40 or over. Way to still look 39 a few weeks after your 40th big guy. Mind you, I never got asked, so what does that say about my relative youth.
6. The fans at Yankee stadium were actually friendly and personable, despite us trying to get the "Let's go Blue Jays" chant started, and the presence of an obnoxious Canadian in our section (no, it wasn't Greg or me). I guess all the real New Yorkers were over at the US Open screaming during Djokovic's serve.
7. The subway home from the stadium. A huge crazy African American shouting about the demise of the Yankees playoff chances in biblical tones, conversing with an equally crazy, old Jewish guy about the starting rotation and what they need to do in the offseason. I half-expected Spike Lee to be directing the scene.
8. Greg demolished me in our ongoing Kensington game (points scored for running into people you know), when friends of his bumped into us at a restaurant in Soho. I'm still expecting to find out that it was a set up though, as Greg is a notorious cheat.
9. Amtrak from NY to Boston was beautiful. Who knew? I expected semi-urban wasteland but it was mostly quaint fishing villages.
10. Fenway Park is the 8th wonder. It's like stepping back in time. The seats near the infield are practically on top of the players. It feels as intimate as a minor league park and as awe-inspiring as any architectural marvel. The crowd was surprisingly subdued compared to Yankee stadium, and 80% of the crowd looked Irish-American, complete with red hair and sunburn. So at least I fit in.
11. We stumbled upon the Saint Anthony's Feast celebrations in the Italian part of Boston. Completely surreal. Marching bands led by old men leaping up and down, and the most beautiful cymbalist ever (leading to a drunken me trying to make Stephanie Zimbalist jokes - come on, do Remington Steele references ever get old?). Huge paper mache replicas of Saint Anthony and Sister Lucia carried through the streets, covered in dollar bills. I thought we were going to get run out of town when Greg asked an old lady whether they burn the saints at the end of the parade. When the parade stopped so the priest could make a speech, people on the roof bombarded the crowd with balls of confetti, most of which didn't unfurl properly so there were almost some head wounds. The catholics are some strange, strange cats.
12. Debating whether Greg's soon-to-be-born son should be named Gustav. I thought it would be historically weighty and significant. Greg was concerned that his first-born not be named after a storm that killed a hundred Caribbeans. It's not my choice, I realize, but I have gone through life as Hurricane Hazel and it hasn't hurt me.
Here's Jacob feeling the love for NYC
And Lois with the twins, after a weekend of standing in for me
One of my favourite videos yet. Molly practicing her standing, with personality in full force. Kate says that she sees more of Erin and my mom in Molly as she gets more cheeky.
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