ballet observation day

combré back . . 

tendus . .

jumps and sissonnes . .

adagio . .

bourées in parallel . .

adagio . . 

pointe work . . 

jeté en pointe . .

échappés . .

practicing glissade onto pointe . . 

chanda and francesca . . heading home to dinner!

eataly with korrina

korrina and i stopped at eataly today for a foccaccia and an espresso. we had gone to see our doctor, ben kligler, about a rash she's had along her neck and shoulders. he feels sure it should go away on it's own.

we found this sumptious honey that we had read about in the magazine la cucina italiana (you can read about andrea paternoster here). she chose acacia honey, and i chose the chestnut. it looks good!

the travelers return

greg and chanda returned home today! they took the a train from jfk airport and called me when they got to 14th street and 8th avenue. i met them on bank street. they had a great time and chanda got to meet lots of family members she had never seen before. they also got to visit myakka state park and see alligators up close, and also viewed a gorgeous sunset over the gulf of mexico. after visiting sarasota, they drove across to grandma and grandpa's home in new smyrna beach, where they also went swimming in the ocean. it was a special trip and i know grandma will miss them.

around town with korrina

 korrina and i went looking for sneakers for her today at union square.

 chanda and i were texting each other at the same time. she kept me posted on their travels to the airiport (they're on their way home) and i texted her pics of korrina looking for shoes.

 the chosen pair . . 

 she took me to dumplin's after . .

and then puddin' which was right next door

 we had coconut and vanilla.

the view of the bookstore across the street from puddin'.

ahhh . . wallsé!

morgana and i have been wanting to treat ourselves to a meal at our local neighborhood fancy restaurant, wallsé. it was opened by austrian chef kurt gutenbrunner in 2000. it's quite expensive! we both said we would deserve to go if we quit our bad habits. mine was playing with the ends of my hair, which i had been doing ever since i was five when i stopped sucking my thumb (i just switched habits). her's was to stop running her tongue between her teeth when concentrating on ballet steps in dance class. these may seem like silly habits to focus on, but they were extremely annoying and . . . bad! they were good things to stop! and it wasn't easy. wallsé was a good reward!!! we had a wonderful time. the food was delicious and the service was impeccable. morgana has passed by in recent days and she says the hostess remembers her and has said hello.

i remember reading somewhere that kurt named wallsé after his hometown on the danube. you can read a little bit about him in this new york times article here. he's also an art collector, i believe. he has several restaurants. i'm always amazed how people can run so many places at once (like erik kayser with all his bakeries). he must have good managers.

salzberger nockerl . . (huckleberries and meringue and cream and powdered sugar)

apple strudel with raspberry syrup and vanilla ice cream

there's actually scaffolding over the restaurant these days. but they've decorated it with festive lights.

we stopped to check out the new citibikes that finally arrived today. i think they're a bit pricey for a family of five ($100 a year per person), but they're nice if you're single and don't have all the expenses a family brings. i wish the city had put in more bike racks for the people (like us) that have their own bikes . . just another battle to keep up with in this capitalist place . . 

greg says he will try it one day. maybe we'll get one subscription that each of us can share . . then chanda can walk up the block and pick a bike to ride to her ballet class . . and greg can still ride to work if he wants.

they are nice bikes, with a rack and bungee cords for a bag on the handlebars.

memorial day and heading home

we woke to a beautiful day on montauk.

after tea and pound cake, morgana and i said good-bye to everyone and headed home.

we stopped at the beach overlook on the old montauk highway.

everyone was out sunning themselves . . on memorial day.

to montauk

morgana and i were up early to drive out to montauk to celebrate nana's birthday with my sister. first we said good-bye to korrina who was starting her day by making a pot of coffee.

then we were on the road . . but we hit an enormous amount of traffic. it took us an extra three hours to get there.


 we did arrive in time for a delicious dinner of grilled organic turkey burgers and organic beef hot dogs . . corn on the cob and salad.


there was a craft fair going on in town . .

my sister wanted us to visit a woman who was selling prints she made from plants. they were very beautiful and we ended up buying several. these are the ones i picked out.

and my sister chose these cards.

back at the house we set the table for dessert. this is the doily morgana made for nana that we gave her on may 5th . . 

it's a mix of sugar and cream cotton yarn, and tahki mercerized cotton.

the sun came out late in the evening and shone on the trees and houses.

the clouds cleared briefly . . it was a beautiful sunset.

there were three birthdays to celebrate: uncle warren's (may 13th), morgana's (may 21st) and nana's (may 6th).

showing off her cards . . 

and the made-to-order earrings and necklace she received.

nana and nonno had made apple pie.

off to florida

chanda and greg left today for a visit to florida! greg's family is having a reunion in sarasota in memory of his aunt joanne who passed away last fall. i drove them to 42nd street to catch a bus to newark airport in new jersey.

morgana came along.

eating bagels and cream cheese in the car . . along with rosa and a chocolate bar.

back at home . . jack slept in the chair and i ironed linens. oh!! yes! how do you like the ironing board on the wall? greg finally put it up for me. my dad gave the board to me many years ago, but it took ages for me to decide what wall it should go on, and if the wall was sturdy enough. we have cement block walls, brick walls, plaster walls, and wallboard walls.

in the evening, morgana and i went to the new york state theatre to see the new york city ballet perform serenade. she's been anxious to see this, as she has been learning it with her teacher deborah wingert, who used to dance the piece with nycb.

we found the perfect seats in the back of the orchestra. 

we also were able to see ashley bouder perform firebird again. we saw her many years ago when korrina used to take class at the school of american ballet. she has the most beautiful arms. chagall's opening curtain is exquisite, and everyone always claps to see it. i had warm memories of watching this show when korrina performed in it as a little flowerpot.

korrina is on the right. these pics are from 2006.

korrina's good friend at the time is emma sameroynina, who is in the middle. i remember korrina making her a dress for her birthday; driving to the birthday celebration in queens in the car, and morgana getting carsick in the birthday gift bag!!! (luckily, the gift was taken out in time!)

 dancing "ballet" backstage!

playing little grey rabbit . . one of my favorite card games to play with the girls when they were little.

 the sign-in sheet . . 

i've forgotten the young lady's name in the middle. i'm sure korrina will remember. she and emma were enchanted with her.

well, that was a nice trip down memory lane! back to the present:

out on the balcony . .

observing the fountain show . .

our last glimpse before hopping in a cab home . . it was a fun night.