Peony windows at the Met

Nick and Sarah took us to the finest Mexican restaurant we have supped at: Mama Mexico in NYC's upper east side. This is the guacamole guy who came around to each table personally making guacamole to the taste of the diners at the table.

six margharitas later . . .

Around and about with the Lews

While inthe States in September, we hung about with my cousins' David and Leslie house and with their kids, Samntha, Ian and Dylan.

posted by Becky in Agra

We went up a hillside near Bethel, Ct where Ian, dylan and Smantha's hebrew school had its annual hike to kick off the year (pre high holy days).

Dylan blew and blew

The kids listening

Leslie on (but not over) the hill

We were told about the shofur and shown how to use it correctly

Dylan was sceptical that Ian could make any sound at all

Dylan, Ian and mate as rock trolls

a leaf on the road

Samantha, Ian, Dylan and Becky in our booth at the diner where David and Leslie took us for our first real American breakfast

It was hard getting up in the mornings

Ian and Samantha waiting for their hot chocolates

David helps Tom to load up into his Porsche while Dylan is waiting for the wind to change.

Tom and the Porsche-- this photo was taken at the request of Tom to show a few you, dear readers, that he had driven one too.

The Iron Chef-- Duck: John Reingold (Leslie's brother) brought around two uncooked ducks for dinner at the Lew's: both he and tom wanted to cook one their own way and thus the competition began. Leslie, David, John and Tom at the table doing the testing.

The two competitors: in the foreground, Tom's medieval recipe for roast duck with citrus and in the blue dish, John's superb teryaki BBQ duck. A draw was wisely declared-- both were sublime.

But some were less interested in ducks and were engrossed in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: me reading to Ian and Dylan.

A drive down the CT, RI Coast

Tom and I took our hire car down the Connecticut and Rhode Island Coast one day

Tom and the raised bridge at Mystic Connecticut

Loitering on the sidewalk prohibited: Mystic, CT

Tom at the Lido Raw Bar in Rhode Island. We love raw bars, with oysters, clams, fish and other shell fish served on the New England coastline fresh and raw.

View from the Raw Bar

A spot of 500 (Wapengo rules, of course) in Hamden

An exhibtion of a popular Clark pastime

posted by becky in Agra

500 to occupy us on a summer's evening on Katerina's porch in in Hamden, CT

Katerina is ready to go 8 Hearts while Sebastian is looking forward to the next hand

Red Star Comrade Tom is looking pretty pleased with his hand

Tom stop winning!

All set up for 500

Maree and Simon in Boston

We spent a few days in the care of good friends Maree and Simon in Boston. We also saw Brett and Saffron there (they had just arrived).

posted by Becky in Agra

Frog pond in Boston Common

Part of the monument for the 54th Massachusetts regiment-- the only black regiment of volunteers to fight in the US civil war. If caught, they faced death from Confederate troops.

Maree and Simon took us out to Crane beach just north of Boston for a day of fun in the sun over the Labour Day weekend, the last official weekend of summer in the US

Coiffured grass at Crane Beach-- kind of faux-hawky don't you think?

We went for a barefoot hike across the pensinsula form Crane Beach

Maree and Simon

Tom and lots of sand

Time for a break

Is that a bug I see before me?

Simon Iron Man still had to do a few laps up and down the dunes to get rid of excess energy not used when walking with the rest of us

Maree in apple-induced contemplation

Waiter, there's a lobster in my oysters! At long timer Democrat hangout the Union Oyster bar in Boston

A Trip to Concord with Katy

Tom's aunt Katerina drove us up to Concord (just ourside Boston in Massacheusetts) for the day to visit the Alcott house, various civil war sites and the Gropuis house in Lincoln.

posted by Becky in Agra

The Alcott home (Orchard House) Concord, Massachusetts-- the family home of Louisa May Alcott where she wrote Little Women and its sequels.

Katy and Tom outside Bronson Alcott's (Louisa May's father) Concord School of Philosophy that he established in their backyard

Katerina and Tom outside the Alcott house

The site of the first civil war battle in Concord, Mass.

The monument at Concord marking the beginning of the american Civil War. Here the ?shot heard around the world? was fired (no one knows who actually fired it) was met by several British volleys.

And now we have Katy and Tom modeling our relaxed adventurer range of clothing

A Day in the Bronx

We joined the Lew-Reingold Clan for a school holiday jaunt to the Bronx to visit the New York Botanical Gardens and to eat amazing Italian at Arthur Ave-- New York's real Little Italy (forget the touristy Manhattan version).

posted by Becky in Agra

The pond in the greenhouse

David and Samantha

Leslie and bro John

A decorative rather than functional jungle headwear display from Leslie's brother John