Haven’t posted much lately. I guess our project to fill time productively and happily is working a bit too well!
May saw us going on a Natural Habitat trip to Bryce Canyon, the north rim of the Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park. Bryce was magical. Go on my facebook page to see absolutely stunning photos of the red hoo-doos. The national park service, however, has a long way to go before they learn how to evaluate the food service to which they farm out contracts. The food, wine and service was pretty mediocre. The north rim was disappointing in that I thought that there would be something different that we hadn’t seen at the south rim. Alas, it is the same but with fewer people. Majestic but the same views. The lodge was better than that at Bryce though. Zion was absolutely stunning as well. One can say that Bryce is lacy and dainty, but Zion is massive and Baroque. The vistas were amazing and the National Park service is doing a great job of controlling the tourists. We stayed outside the park. The accommodations were pretty darn good and where we ate was excellent for being stuck out in the middle of nowhere in Utah! The people on the trip were interesting and intelligent. I like this about NH trips. The travelers are a real cut above and the ratio is 10 travelers to one guide. Perfect. We thoroughly enjoyed the folks, except for one quasi handicapped lady who had no business on a trip that clearly advertizes that one has to hike – up and down steep hills in high altitudes – 5 -10 miles a day. She complained at the end that she hadn’t gotten her money’s worth. HELLLLO – if you can’t walk well from here to the end of the block, you ain’t gonna be able to hike down Bryce and back up. Go on a bus tour.
All in all though a wonderful trip with Natural Habitat. We truly bonded with most of the group and the guides were fantastic, arranging campfires with marshmallows and ghost stories, as well as wine and cheese at the bank of a river in Zion.
It was a good time to get outta town because I finally got to testify in the suicide case. It’s only been 2006 since the suit was filed! We lost. Hopelessly out-lawyered. It was such a good plaintiff case, yet the solo practitioners were so in over their heads that they put on a poor case. The defense lawyers were not all that great either in my opinion, but they were sharper than the ones who hired me. That’s it. No more solo practitioners. They simply do not have the resources to put on a good case the way that big firms do.
Interesting about that case. The judge was a guy who I went to high school with. He was voted cutest, best looking and all that good stuff. He was. He is not now. Has not aged well at all and he had no earthly idea who I was. Ah time. The great equalizer.
We visited the twins and their parents for the twins second birthday. They got matching tricycles and we got very cute photos! It was beastly hot in North Carolina! Come to think of it, it is beastly hot here.
Came back to a deposition in a case that I have had since 2004. So much for quick justice. I had been deposed by this jerk before and he didn’t get the answers he wanted, I guess, so he petitioned the judge in Illinois to re-depose. He stupidly wasted his time going over stuff that he’d gone over before and didn’t seem to “get it” that I was not going to answer questions the way that he wanted me to. What a tiresome attorney. Either very arrogant or unwilling to change his tactics because they’d worked for him in the past, I guess. Everyone wound up screaming at each other. The court reporter told me it was the worst dep she had ever been in. Me too. Gosh I hope the darn thing settles. I really don’t want to go to court with this jerk cross examining me.
Since we’ve been back, I put the final touches on the Wiley book and that one is in production now. I also met with my Lippincott team and we are in the process of updating that text, which will be in its 8th edition. Last too. I have no more texts in me and with retirement looming there are so many more interesting things I want to do.
I joined a writers group in Philly. We meet 2 x a month to share ideas and to critique each other’s work. It is time for me to tell the story of my parents. I’ve been encouraged to do that by so many folks, I have finally decided to take the plunge. Trouble is that I am a great academic writer, but no experience in anything else but that. I am hoping that the writers will help me break some bad habits!
We were at the opera last week to see Orpheus and Eurydice. Very good performance. Trouble is that we had to change our tickets to accommodate another show and had to take evening instead of matinee. Not being evening/night owls it was hard to stay awake on the way home. BORING old coots that we are.
We also saw Avenue Q with Ashley. It was her Xmas present and we had a blast. It was a very, very cute show. Some great lines. We took her out to the Yardley Inn for dinner afterward. Always a consistently good place to eat in Bucks County.
Ted and Mary came over to celebrate his birthday and our 41st anniversary. The Tulmans and Simpsons came over to celebrate Lorraine and Allan’s second grandson. Sandy and Hank came over to barbeque and swim. Grace had a birthday party for “the girls” to celebrate her 60th. Needless to say, she put on a great luncheon -- champagne, great food and party favors.
We’ve been busy with our two book clubs and empty nester’s group. The book clubs have really made us stretch our brains. Both of them are so different. The Doylestown bunch is younger. I think we are the oldest – surprisingly they listen to our “wisdom” and feedback. Don’t know whether they are being polite or what. The New Hope library bunch are older. We pool our aged collective wisdom. They are truly a well read and exceedingly well informed group. We don’t agree on everything, but it is fun to debate in a civil way respecting others’ points of view and having them respect yours – with grace.
Empty nesters is a fluffy group. No intellectual stretching there, but we have fun doing things. We meet to do interesting activities a couple of times a month. Robin finds the most off-beat things to do. What I really like about this group of friends is that they are all so positive and they keep us UP! We laugh a lot and have resolved to stay happy and stimulate our endorphins. I have decided that life is way too short to be down and to deal with negative and sour people who drain your enthusiasm. This bunch feeds your enthusiasm. Robin has the coolest way of turning everything into a positive. I noticed that we did have some downers who thought that this was a support group and they didn’t last long. No one wanted to hear them kvetch about life. They’re gone.
Tara is visiting with Alina and a friend from prep school this weekend. I haven’t seen Mihee in 8 years. It will be great to see her again. She wants to see the tile works in Doylestown. So this will be my10 trip there. Every time someone new comes to visit, they have to see the tile works. Sigh. It’s only for a couple of hours.
Here’s to a great summer. Next week we have a museum of art class; July 4 weekend is full of barbeques and activities and Brian made reservations to see The Adams Family in Manhattan in late July. Between all of this AND keeping up with the extended family in Poland who knows where the time goes? But it is FILLED! Whew!
