As the weather begins to cool, our hot news is we spent ten days visiting Dave in New York City. As reported in July he has taken a new farming gig with the delightful Italian restaurant Pisticci. He also produces produce for Pisticci's weekly farmers market. His apartment is above the restaurant, which is located on the north side of Columbia University. The greenhouses and farm are farther north of the Big Apple in Croton-on-Hudson, so he commutes to his farm by train.
Dave and Pisticci
News & Notes
We joined Dave one day to watch as he performed his agricultural magic. In his greenhouses we saw tidy rows of beautiful leafy veggies, some of which were almost salad-ready.
Seeds and Soil Busily Becoming Salad
Although he has several beds of cold-hardy plants behind the greenhouses, he raises his larger vegetables on a farm in Kitchawan NY; it's next to IBM Watson Research Center for you computer geeks. Obviously, it takes hard work to raise such beautiful (and flavorful) vegetables, but then for Dave the joy and fulfillment of gardening comes with a salary.
New York City is a spectacular place to visit. In addition to seeing Dave and Pisticci, we visited One World Trade Center, the 9/11 Memorial, the Cloisters, Cooper-Hewitt, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Met, the Met Breuer, and the American Museum of Natural History. At the Met Breuer we enjoyed an outstanding exhibit of paintings by Kerry James Marshall. At the newly refurbished Grand Central Station the gravhund Danish hot dog (beef sausage, beet remoulade, beets, red cabbage slaw, lingonberry horseradish preserve, crispy shallots and red onion) proved fast food can be refurbished, too.
One World Trade Center
Around the corner from Grand Central is the UN, where L worked 50 years ago. Like Dave, he lived in the Morningside Heights neighborhood. We found his former apartment building at 619 W 113th Street.
We took a couple of days to visit State College PA to see Megan. She showed her amazing photos of Nicaragua from this past summer. We toured the Penn State campus, checked out a new Columbian cafe, poked around the lake at Black Moshannon State Park, drove through the Amish country with the fall colors at their apex, strolled in Bellefonte, dined at the Elk Creek Cafe, and walked the arboretum. While in Bellefonte we stopped in at the Good Intent Cidery for a couple of rounds.
We are saddened to report that Jackson, Dan and Tomoko's lovable dog, died last month. They had adopted him in 2012 and he had been a warm and reliable companion. Always ready for a walk or a nap, he knew the good things in life. He will be missed.
Jackson
Happily, Tomoko and Dan have found another shelter dog to adopt named Cinder. We haven't met him yet, but early reports indicate he has promise in both the walking and napping categories.
Cinder
The US held an election yesterday. The country chose a president we do not want. Judging by conversations with our American friends, and the sympathy email we have received from friends around the world, we are not alone. The president-elect does not represent the America we know, nor does he present to the world the nation we want to be. What happened is extremely complicated, and will not be explained for a long time, if ever. Whatever the reasons, the two of us are very sorry. Going forward, it means we all begin a period of uncertainty.
