Vroom-vrooom

Today was an interesting day. I learned a whole new definition of the word “jerk", although I was actually using another name, and at the end of the day found a new community of friends.

This morning, Carl and I went on an outing with the Porsche Club of Vermont. [ed note: would that be the Green Mountain chapter?] He had been impressed because he’d been a member of the Northwest chapter for 20 years, and never did anything, and the minute he changed our address to Vermont, he was contacted. They were planning a drive from Shelburne Farms (on Lake Champlain south of Burlington, about 80 miles away) to the Morgan Horse Farm, and then on to lunch in the town of Brandon . [ed note: I quite like the town's motto: Unhurried, unspoiled, unforgettable]

This did not sound like fun to me because

1. Carl’s Porsche is really LOUD!!
2. He drives it way too fast, especially on curvy mountain roads
3. The radio is literally from, 1971
4. We had to leave at 7 AM
5. Most important, it has no cup holders

The membership chair of the group had called, and said he would meet us at a gas station near Woodstock, and then we could drive in a caravan to Shelburne Farms. When we arrived at that ungodly hour, we met the membership guy, and another member, who was driving a Maserati, who informed us that both of his Porsches were in the shop. He insisted that he had gone to Shelburne Farms many times, and we should follow him. After a 70 mile drive up I-89, we got off the freeway, and while we were following him, we had a map, so realized that he was going the wrong way. The other driver (Mr. Membership chair) also had a map, and also knew we were going the wrong way. However, Mr. Maserati was driving so fast, we could barely keep up, let alone signal him that he was wrong. Instead of winding up at Shelburne Farms, we wound up at a junction between the first two destinations, but 15 minutes late, with about 30 miles still to go to Shelburne. Turns out Mr. Masarati was using memory (it turned out he’d only been there once), with no GPS or a map.

So, we had to forego Shelburne Farms, and head straight to the Morgan Horse Farm. He insisted on leading us to the MHF, but I had put it into my iPhone GPS, and ignored him. We (and Membership guy) arrived in about 10 minutes, and Mr. Maserati took half an hour. Who knows how he went. He also told us that he really didn’t need to see the Horse Farm, since his daughter raised Morgan horses. As I said, what a jerk.

I should add that I felt we had stumbled into an episode of “Newhart.” All the people we met at the Porsche Club reminded me of Larry, Daryl & Daryl. Not what I’d call a real simpatico group.

We did take some photos, but it was raining, so we didn’t get the full value of the beautiful scenery.

This evening, we made our first foray to the Woodstock Area Jewish Community Center for Yom Kippur services. It is amazing how you can feel kind of lost, (coming to a new area), and going to a service can make you feel right at home. It was a very warm, welcoming group, and I think I will enjoy getting involved. It reminded me a lot of the temple in Tacoma.

Meanwhile, the house is a mess, still boxes everywhere, but we have made some headway. We still can’t find pots & pans, and are tired of going out, so we are resorting to TV dinners & bagged salad.

The good news is that we do finally have TV & internet. I can do this from home, not the library.

• Only 5 more days until the British contingent of the family arrives!
• Only 13 days until all kids & grandkids are here, which should be a real zoo! Can’t wait.

Our view

No real comment this time -- just a quick shot of the view of Mt Tom from the house

Thank goodness for free Wi-Fi

We have been in Vermont two days now, and so far we love it. I am getting very frustrated, however, dealing with Comcast. In a rural area like this, apparently, you can’t just call for an appointment, you ask for one, and they get back to you. I have been waiting now for over 26 hours for a return call, but meanwhile, we have no internet, no cable (actually no TV at all), and no home phone.. I have gotten as far as getting a phone # assigned (802-457-7116 if anyone wants to try), but that’s all. I am about to threaten to get satellite and see if that works. I am sitting in the library which has free wi-fi.

Of course, our house is a mess with boxes everywhere. We are living in the basement, with renovations going on upstairs. We don’t want to unpack too much, because we’ll just have to repack it to move it upstairs, hopefully in the next two weeks. [ed note: I hope so!]

Vermont is so beautiful. I can’t add any photos right now [ed note: library photo courtesy of library website], but I will try to soon, before the leaf-peeping season is over. We drove to the major city of Rutland to do some shopping, and passed Killington ski resort. Obviously not open yet for skiing, but the leaves have started to change dramatically, and it is spectacular. I was reminded how much my life has changed when I was excited to see a Bed Bath & Beyond. We were in the big time!!

I will try to keep up my blog, and I hope I can convey how exciting this all is!

Ed note

When my mom told me she was planning to keep an e-mail journal of her and my dad's cross-country travels, I immediately thought a blog was the only way to go -- how better to showcase both narrative and photos in an easily accessible way?

So I offered to set one up, pasted her first e-mail into Day 1 -- and VermontersToBe was born. Now, I fully expected my computer-savvy mom to pick up the reins within a day or two, but with all the actual trip-going, she didn't really have time to learn the Blogger basics.

I have to say I'm glad she didn't. For the past 3+ weeks, Mom/aka Sue has been sending me the copy and photos by e-mail, and I've done the production, with the odd editorial comment and web-link thrown in. And I've really enjoyed it -- quite happily I think it's made me read the journal that much more closely, and many times I've pictured myself on the ride along with them. And by searching for various links, I've actually learned a bit along the way. (as well as found a few random images online; apologies to the copyright holders if any, but as I don't think we're a commercial enterprise, I hope you don't mind!)

So though my parents' cross-country journey may be over, their Vermont journey is just beginning. So I hope this blog is too -- I'm sure we all can't wait to read all about their ongoing New England adventures -- may there be many more!

• Days until Ed, Ashley and Paige have a cross-Atlantic journey to join in the adventures: 9

Day 24 -- Vermonters-we-are

We are in New England! We left New York this morning and drove to Woodstock, to check out our house. Remakably, after a six month remodel from long distance, there was very little that we were unhappy with. We actually unloaded some of our stuff, so now we have belongings in our new home. Our furniture is arriving tomorrow, so then we will feel like homeowners. For now, we are in a motel in Hanover NH, home of Dartmouth University.

We did think about buying a new TV here, and could have discovered the joy of illegal no-tax shopping. Vermont residents are supposed to let the state know when they buy things from tax-free NH and as a new resident of Vermont, we always will. Just like everyone in Washington lets that state know when they buy things in sales-tax-free Oregon. [ed note: you may notice a few edits to this last paragraph; the way it was originally written implied you had indeed cheated your new home state. Which the editor is sure you didn't, and would never condone.]

After many tries, I finally reached Comcast, but they were very vague about when they could get there to set us up, so after today, until then, we will have no internet, although we can check our e-mail via iPhone. So, for now, this is my last entry. [ed note -- noooooooooooo! I'll have to work on my own blog now!]

We have traveled almost 5000 miles, and seen some amazing things in this wonderful country. We are both so grateful to have had this opportunity. We have seen every license plate except Mississippi and Hawaii and many Canadian provinces also. We already miss our friends in Washington, but are looking forward to seeing all of our kids on a more regular basis, and making new friends here.

Day 23 -- No more little town blues

We are in the home stretch now. Our last day in NY, and tomorrow we actually reach Vermont, although we can’t actually sleep in our house until Tuesday when our furniture is delivered.

We went to New York City this morning by train. It’s so convenient, and the train from White Plains goes right to Grand Central Station in half an hour. We arrived right before lunch time, and I felt that I had to have Jewish deli food, which was hard to find in the Northwest, and certainly won’t be available in Vermont. I had wanted to go to the 2nd Ave. Deli, but it was closed because of Rosh Hashanah,and so we walked up past Rockefeller Center
to the Carnegie Deli, which is really touristy and crowded, but the food is yummy. Even Adam Sandler sings about it in the Chanukah Song. New York is so walkable, and there is so much to see. I’m sure it was at least a mile, but it didn’t seem like it [ed note: according to Nike+ Map My Run (TM), it is 1.2m, so indeed at least a mile]. We gorged on matzoh ball soup and pastrami sandwiches. [ed note: and pickles, I see...]

We walked up to Central Park, then back down to 53rd St. to the Museum of Modern Art. Unfortunately, after buying our tickets and seeing one floor out of three, Carl got sick, and we had to leave. I don’t think there was enough time for it to be the deli food, so who knows what caused it. We decided that becoming members of MOMA was a smart and cost-effective thing to do. We can now go back for free, and it will pay for itself in three trips, and hopefully the next time, he’ll make it through the whole museum. (He’s fine now!)

We said a long goodbye to the Olsons, knowing we’ll see them again in only three weeks. We really do miss Seattle, and our friends, but those kids make it all worthwhile.

• We finally saw a Delaware plate!
• 12 days till we see Paige, Ashley & Stefanie

Day 22 -- Sleepless in Sleepy Hollow

Well, I thought our sightseeing was over, and we were just going to be hanging out with the kids.

However, they had plans for the afternoon, and it was too nice to stay inside, so we was went a few miles north to the bustling town of Sleepy Hollow (really), and took a tour of Kykuit, the mansion built by John D. Rockefeller in 1909. It has been lived in by four generations of Rockefellers.

It is magnificent, and really not too ostentatious compared to lots of “summer cottages” of the rich that we’ve seen before. It is a 40 room house on 4000 acres on the Hudson. When Nelson Rockefeller (generation #3) lived there, he spruced things up by bringing in his fabulous art & sculpture collection. No photos were allowed inside, but really the most impressive thing was the grounds, with the Hudson River as a backdrop. The tour started at (but did not include on our ticket) Philipsburg Manor, a restoration of a farm of the 18th century, complete with heirloom animals. We will have to go back there another time with the kids. I think they would love the animals.

The village of Sleepy Hollow was called “North Tarrytown” until 1996 when the city fathers figured out they could capitalize on being the home of the writer Washington Irving. Tarrytown & Sleepy Hollow are charming villages, with lovely shops & restaurants, and lots of beautiful (and expensive) homes.

We had a quiet (as quiet as possible) dinner with the Olsons, and now are back watching the Mariners play the Yankees in Seattle. Not too exciting, other than hearing the Yankee announcer say (in shock) that the Washington Huskies beat USC!! How great is that. Go Huskies!

Tomorrow, we are going to New York City for the day.

• 13 days till we see Paige, Ashley & Stefanie [ed note: aw, thanks, Mom]
  
• Still no Mississippi, Hawaii, or Delaware [ed note: I think Delaware is the most likely at this stage... but who knows -- keep your eyes peeled in NYC!]
  

Day 21 -- R&R

Quiet day today, which has been nice after 20 days on the road. Unfortunately, gentle readers, it doesn't provide much for the journal!

As promised in yesterday's post, we Toby-sat in our hotel much of the day. Note to self: six-year-olds get bored quickly in hotel exercise rooms! We also ran a few errands, including a visit to the Apple Store at the Westchester Mall to get my iPod looked at. [ed note: why are iPods soooo popular when they always seem to be breaking?! I know mine has to be restarted almost every day. And yet Apple retains this great image, and Microsoft / PCs are buggy... hmm... ok, ed rant over.]

Then back to Chez Olson (Beth Olson?) for a lovely Shabbat dinner to start the Rosh Hashanah holiday period. So L'Shanah Tovah everyone, whether you're celebrating at this time of year or not -- may the year ahead be full of family, fun, and new adventures!

• New out of state license plate seen: None, not even in the mall parking lot
  
• Days till we see Paige and Ashley: 14

Day 20 -- Colleges and Kiddies

If I could live my life over again, I think I would do whatever I had to do (like possibly study in High School) to go to Cornell University. We spent about an hour walking around the campus, and it is absolutely beautiful. On the shores of Lake Cayuga, the campus has rolling hills, beautiful eclectic architecture, creeks running through the grounds, and of course, an Ivy League education. I don’t think the photos do it justice.

The part of the town of Ithaca near the school seems, on quick review, to be quintessentially college. We went to breakfast, and seemed to be the only people over 30, and the only people not studying, or using the free wi-fi.

We then left Ithaca and drove to White Plains. We are here until next Monday the 21st when we finally will leave for Vermont, in anticipation of our furniture arriving Tuesday.

The big attraction in White Plains of course is of course the Olson family which includes our two oldest grandchildren, Toby & Beruria. We went out to dinner with Kara and the kids (Jess was at work), and got a refresher course in dining out with a 6 and a 2 1/2 year old. Toby is getting so big, and read to us to show what he’s learning in 1st grade. Beruria is a delight, and fascinated with princesses and ballerinas. Needless to say, these visits with grandchildren are, the highlight of our trip.
So tomorrow we are picking Toby up at 9 AM, and babysitting all day, since his school is closed. He says he wants to just hang out, because he likes hotels. Tomorrow night is Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), and it will be very strange for us. We can’t go to Kara’s temple, so we’ll just observe it privately.

• New out of state license plate seen: Connecticut (three to go- Mississippi, Hawaii, Delaware)
• Days till we see Paige and Ashley: 15

Day 19 -- Falls Fever

Wow, did we have a great day. We went to visit Niagara Falls, and it is indeed spectacular. I know it is full of tourists, but sometimes that is for a good reason! Our hotel was walking distance to the a great overlook of the Falls, and then we took a funicular (steep train) down to the street right on the Falls. We took some photos (not that they can convey the beauty and force of the Falls), and then did a walk called “Journey Through the Falls” [ed note: according to the website, this appears to be called 'Journey BEHIND the Falls', but we'll let you off this time...] which actually went down to the base of Horseshoe Falls (the Canadian side), and then walked through tunnels that took us behind them. So there we were right BEHIND Horseshoe Falls [ed note: hence the name of the walk]. There was a tremendous spray, and we got a little damp, but fortunately the cost of the walk included a really cheesy yellow plastic poncho with a hood.

After we saw everything worthwhile on the Canadian side, we went back to the USA and went to Goat Island, which had a walk out to the TOP of the American Falls, almost to the edge. It was a wonderful morning, and showed us how great things are when you can do so many things on the spur of the moment. (So far, not working has its benefits, although not getting a paycheck is not so great.) I would recommend Niagara Falls to anyone who gets a chance to go. Just stay away from the tourist trap “towers” and ferris wheels that promise great views. The Falls can be seen just as well without those things.

We are staying in Ithaca, home of Cornell University, in the Finger Lakes region of New York. We picked a place called Best Western University, thinking it would be near the campus with a lot of ambience, maybe on the Lake, and it turned out to be in a strip-mall on the outskirts of the town. Oh well, it actually is quite nice. Tomorrow before we leave Ithaca, we’ll check out the campus, and maybe spy Lake Cayuga. [ed note: did you know there's a Cayuga Lake Wine Trail? Something for your next trip perhaps...]

We only have to drive a few more miles, and we’ll be in White Plains with the Olson kids! Apparently, Toby doesn’t have school on Friday, so Kara asked if we’d babysit. Can’t wait!

• New out of state license plate seen: VERMONT (finally!), Nova Scotia
• Days till we see Toby & Beruria: Tomorrow!!
• Days till we see Paige and Ashley: 16 (You may have noticed this jumped by a few days -- I had been counting the days wrong all along.)

Day 18 -- It's only Rock 'n' Roll

Well, we never made it to Progressive Field, even for a quick look. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was so incredibly interesting, it took longer than we had planned.

We had thought we could see it in three hours, and it was impossible. There was so much R & R history, that we could have easily spent the whole day. There were special exhibits about the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, and the 50th anniversary of Motown. I highly recommend it to music fans, and there is something for every age. Six floors! So much to see (including Janis Joplin's Porsche, below), and so little time. So, we will have to save the baseball field pilgrimage for another day, and come back to Cleveland and do that and spend more time at the R & R HoF.

One slight problem; Because there are so many baby-boomers, many museums have raised the senior age to 65. That is not the problem. The deal is, Carl goes to the ticket booth and asks for two senior tickets, and they look at us, and NEVER QUESTION IT!!! I have over two years to go!! What to do? It’s a question of $$ vs. ego, and since we’re now, officially, old retired folks on a fixed income, I guess the $$ win. If my grandchildren are reading this (and if they are, they really are geniuses), do what Nana says, not what Nana does.

We had a slight change in plans. We found out that our belonging are not arriving until the 22nd, so we decided to take an extra day and visit Niagara Falls. It turned out that a Raddison in Niagara Falls, Ontario, was having an incredible Expedia special, so here we are. We arrived too late to do any actual sight-seeing, but now our road-trip is officially international. We had decided to bring our passports because we didn’t want to trust them to movers, and it gave us the flexibility to go to Canada. The town of Niagara Falls, Ont, seems to be Las Vegas-like, with a strip of high rise hotels, a casino, and LOTS of tourists. The desk person at the Radisson thought we were nice looking, I guess, because she upgraded us to a falls-view room. From our room, what we can see is spectacular, and I can’t wait to do a little more walking around tomorrow.

Because we are in Canada, we can’t use our iPhones without incurring huge roaming charges. It’s amazing how dependent we’ve become on instant internet at any time! Well, we’ll be back in the USA tomorrow.

• New out of state license plate seen: New Hampshire
• Days till we see Toby & Beruria: 3 (The only bad thing is that this number didn’t go down!)
• Days till we see Paige and Ashley: 18

Day 17 -- On the Road Again

A day late, I want to send a Happy Anniversary (11 years!) to Kara and Jess, and a big Happy 35th Birthday to my delightful son-in-law Jess!

We left Chicago, and Lucy and her parents, this morning and began the drive to Cleveland. It was hard to say good-bye to her. She is such a happy baby, and so full of smiles.

There was so much food left over from yesterday’s lunch that we were able to make sandwiches and take some salads and fruit for a picnic. I know I said that I would never eat again, but it turned out to be possible.

We stopped in South Bend, Indiana so that we could see Notre Dame University. [ed note: interestingly, the University is the 3rd to come up when Googling simply 'Notre Dame', after the Cathedral, and a 6th Form College in Leeds. Wonder if that's only because I'm Googling in the UK.] Classes were in session, so at one point, we were trapped at an intersection by what seemed like thousands of walking students. I had heard that the football stadium was called “The Golden Dome,” and I thought I had found it, but it turned out to be just a church on campus. We did see the legendary football stadium, and, surprise, it looked just like a, well, football stadium.



We didn’t pass many parks on the interstate, so our picnic lunch turned out to be at a rest stop somewhere in Indiana. It was just as good as if it had been in a park. Thanks, Amy & Brian for the great left-overs.

So, now we are in Cleveland. There does not seem to be much life downtown after dark, except that we found a kind of “restaurant row” on 4th St., and found a nice pub to have dinner and watch Monday Night Football. I keep forgetting that we are now in the Eastern Time Zone, and that all these sporting events don’t start until 8 PM. I am going to have a real problem being a sports fan in Vermont, since I seem to root against all the New England Teams. I have been in Seattle so long that I really tend to root for underdogs.

Tomorrow, it is off to Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians for a quick look, (unfortunately the Indians are not on a home stand) and then the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

• New out of state license plate seen: Louisiana (thanks to a quick drive through a Notre Dame parking lot).
• Days till we see Toby & Beruria: 3
• Days till we see Paige and Ashley: 19

Day 16 -- BFF

This morning was Lucy’s Baptism. It was the first one I had ever attended. We then had a very nice lunch at Brian and Amy’s condo, and met a lot of their friends. Once again, there was a LOT of food. In fact, there was so much food at this lunch today, that I don’t even know if I’ll ever eat again, but I have a suspicion that somehow I will.



Parking near the church, and near their condo is an adventure. Basically, street parking is the only option, and there is very little. The church is relatively close to Wrigley Field, so we could have paid $25 for a spot, but luckily we saw someone pulling out, and only had to walk about half a mile (literally), and I was in heels!

I want to take this opportunity to really, and publicly thank my dear friend Gail. We first met way back in the mid-sixties, when we were both still teenagers, and then shared an apartment our last year at Berkeley (she graduated, it took me two more years), She was in my wedding, but we lost touch with each other during the 70s when we were both busy having kids, and moving around the country. Gail moved to Chicago with her family many years ago, and we reconnected through the internet (what an invention). She has opened her apartment to us, and let us use her bedroom, indeed make a mess of it. She has insisted on buying us dinner, and has even done laundry. This trip to Chicago would have been much more stressful without her help. Carl went to bed early last night and the two of us stayed up talking, and, at least to me, the years melted away, We both have grandchildren now, and if you look really closely (really really closely), you will see wrinkles, but I think the forever friendship will always be there. Thank you, Gail!

Tomorrow, we leave Chicago, and head on to Cleveland, and then we will be off to see the second set of grandkids.

• Days till we see Toby & Beruria: 4
• Days till we see Paige and Ashley: 20

Day 15 -- Wildcat, Bruin, Husky Fever

Did I mention that Gail lives right next to the Northwestern University football stadium? With a view of the practice field from the bedroom? We were awakened at 7 AM by about 15 area high school bands practicing loudly for the half-time show. It really was fun for a while. Apparently they had all practiced separately for a medley of Michael Jackson songs, and now it was time for them to put it all together. It took a while until they were all able to start & finish at the same time.

Later, we went to “Wildcat Alley” on the practice field which is a pre-game party, complete with Beer Garden, and open to the public. In spite of the Beer Garden, there were lots of young families, and I was told that Northwestern Games are a family affair. This seems to be quite a departure from UW Games. Also surprising was the lack of traffic as we were driving away right before game time. I was trying to imagine what the roads near Husky Stadium would be like on a Game-Day!

We went to Brian & Amy’s for the rest of the day. Carl went with everyone else (including Lucy) to the German Fest down the street from their condo, and I had some time to myself for the first time since we left. As part of the Fest, there was a parade down Lincoln Avenue with yet more bands.

We had a very quiet Saturday night, having dinner at a Mexican restaurant, and then watching college football. We were delighted that our alma mater, UCLA managed to hold off Tennessee, but then watched the USC-Ohio State game, and were sick at the outcome. We saw that the good old UW finally won a game for the first time since 2007. Go, Huskies.

• Days till we see Toby & Beruria: 5
• Days till we see Paige and Ashley: 21

Day 14 -- Relaxing in the Windy City

We had such a relaxing day. We slept in, and it was really nice to have nothing to do. And NO WHERE TO DRIVE!! We went for a long walk along Lake Michigan, with Gail, and walked by the Baha’i Center, which is an incredible edifice! Then we went for a drive with Gail & her significant other, Jim Gordon. We drove north up to the town of Lake Forest, and saw some gorgeous homes right on the lake. Unfortunately, we didn’t have our camera to give evidence of the spectacular 10 million $$ homes.

In the evening, it was yet another dining splurge. We went to a tapas restaurant in a Strip Mall near Gail’s condo, and between the three of us, ate about 10 different things, including dessert.

I’m pretty sure that we are not going to get to Downtown Chicago on this trip, but there is so much pleasure in being with my old friend, and with seeing my granddaughter, that I don’t care.

• No sightings of license plates. I am dropping this stat until further notice.
• Days till we see Toby & Beruria: 6
• Days till we see Paige and Ashley: 22

[ed note --I know I said Days 14 & 15, aka Sept 11 & 12, would be combined, but hey -- an editor's perogative is to edit, aka change.]

Day 13 -- Lincoln, diners, and babies (well, one baby)

We are in Chicago! We arrived about 5:00 after driving from Springfield. Springfield was the home of Abraham Lincoln, and there is a wonderful Lincoln museum in the city. Very informative exhibits, and a realistic depiction of the devastation of the Civil War. It was interesting that Lincoln was apparently loved or hated. The political cartoons of the day were scathing. We also went to Lincoln’s tomb, a great big obelisk in the middle of an ordinary Springfield cemetery. There was a funeral going on, and it struck me that it would be really cool to be buried in the same place as Lincoln. [ed note: I'm sure that can be arranged...]

Also of note, as usual, was the food we ate. That book of “500 Things to Eat” has really come in handy. Springfield is the home of something called the “Horseshoe", which is bread topped with scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, cheese and a huge mound of hash-browns. A sort of “cholesterol on a plate." [ed note: perhaps what really killed Lincoln?] We had read about it, and had to have it, so went to a diner listed in the book. It was great. We could have had gravy, but decided to forego that! One order was enough for both of us.

Now, here we are in Chicago with Brian & Amy and baby Lucy. What a joy she is, and very active. She is only 4 months old, and doesn’t like to “sit” on your lap, she likes to try to stand! She is a happy baby, and her smiles are delightful!

We are staying with a very dear friend from my college days, Gail Weisberg, who lives in Evanston. Gail stayed with us for a week in Seattle last year, and I’m glad for the chance to see her again.

We will be in Chicago until Monday the 14th, and it’s nice to be able to stay somewhere for a while.

• No new license plates seen.
• Days till we see Toby & Beruria: 7
• Days till we see Paige and Ashley: 23

Intermission, continued

Good ol' Ed here again. Looks like I was a bit overly ambitious with my timing - and the update for Thursday September 10 will be done Saturday morning GMT, so available for your reading pleasure Saturday 12th. But to keep things in order, I'll date it 10 September anyway -- the magic of blogging revisionist history. And then updates for the 11th and 12th will be up on the 13th. And if 1 train leaves Chicago at 50mph, and the other leaves White Plains at 55mph, when will they cross paths?

Still following?

Good. See you tomorrow...

Intermission

Unfortunately due a computer saga far too complicated to recount, the publication of "Day 13 -- My Kinda Town" will be delayed. We hope to have it up by the end of Friday, London time, and then be back on schedule (that's pronounced shed-yoooool, doncha know) from tomorrow.

Thanks for your patience...