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I had a Skype call with Gene Daniels today. Skype is amazing. I wanted some brainstorming help in trying to figure why my cameras decided to get goofy in New York. Gene was the perfect person to talk to about this. His experience with so many cameras over the years led to a fix for my Nikon. Who would have guessed that a little corrosion on the LENS turned out to be the culprit. I wasn’t the camera after all!

He also offered to trade me his G11 for my G9. Not only is he a camera genius, he is a generous camera genius and a friend.

Hand-crafted stairway leading down and out.

The front door done as a student project for Mary Chenoweth.

The exterior shows Archie's fascination with Frank Lloyd Wright.

Pat's bulletin board - a work of art in itself.

Archie's original plans done 3-dimensionally in tempera.

Today, Cathy and I met Pat Musick for a preview of the Archie Musick home which will be on the Historic Preservation Alliance tour program this summer. Pat, Archie’s daughter, is also an artist/teacher and just a lovely person. She welcomed us into the home in which she grew up and to which she has returned to restore. Archie built it between two huge boulders, parts of which pierce the walls to decorate the interior.

Archie, a major fixture at the Broadmoor Art Academy, arrived at a great time to make great art and hung out with all the local greats: Charles Bunnell, Randal Davey, Lew Tilley, Boardman Robinson, Larry Heller, Tabor Utley, Lloyd Moylan, et al.

Pat gave us a copy of Archie’s Memoir, Musick Medley as we left. It’s a great thing that Pat is willing to let Cathy plan this tour.

Cricket Daniel from Bend, Oregon is our playwright. Cathy suggested last year at the Six Women Playwright’s Festival that we do a homestay program to allow more of the winners to attend the festival, and the founders ran with the idea. This year it’s a reality. Cricket is a hot sketch and brought gifts of coffee and biscotti. We introduced her to Hatch Chili Wine.

The reception and the six plays were great http://www.sixwomenplayfestival.com/winners.html

I met this morning at Jonnie’s with the Wasson Committee. We decided to extend time for registration. Jan and I will send out postcards plus email a ‘nudge’ notice.

Any similarity between the treatment of this statue at the Met and the dental treatment I got today is purely coincidental.

Today was the volunteer luncheon at the Cheyenne Mountain Country Club. There was a great pork dish served this year that got rave reviews when compared to the rubber chicken fare of years past. Larry Siedel did well as a keynote speaker especially using the excerpts from the book soon to be published about the history of Penrose Hospital.

Margaret Sabin naturally delivered great and appropriate remarks outlining a hospital funded trip to Peru to bring medical service to very isolated people.

We left early for my dental appointment which involved pokes to the gums to measure ‘pockets’ (whatever that means). It basically resulted in the purchase of a $30 mouthwash which has been found effective in growing gum tissue which avoids surgery. Bring it on!

I also got a couple of free killer apps for the iPhone today. The first one is called “Over 40” which turns the camera into a great 10X magnifier and flashlight and the other called “Mail Stop” uses the camera to photograph the label of junk mailers, emails the image to the Mail Stop company who then gets our name on the “do not send” list.

Technology sure is great when it works!!

Several times during the year this Tutt statue gets decorated at CC.

Lisa Czelatdko was my lunch partner.

More than 400 people showed up for the luncheon.

Monday, Cath had a visit with Dr. Debbie (the acupuncturist) before meeting her retired Diva group for lunch.

I have spent a couple of days working on the Wasson Reunion and Mark Dykstra came over Tuesday to remeasure the stairs, and plan the wood needed for the floor section to be laid over the cement surface.

Today was the ABE luncheon and since Cathy was off somewhere with the car, Malcolm McCollum did the driving in his big, green Buick.  This year even the chicken was good!! People really liked program I designed. As always, it was a ‘last minute’ crisis production.

Lisa (long Polish name above) is on the City Council, so the talk was interesting about her endless rounds of rubber chicken lunches and stressful Council meetings. Man, am I glad I’m retired!
I did not get great news from Retina Consultants today. My right eye is still leaking, and my deteriorating vision has not so much to do with the cataract as I had hoped and thus probably can’t be reversed. We are switching to Lucentis, $2K a pop and delivered every month. My left eye still 20/20.

It brings up an Elvis lyric: “I’m like a one-eyed cat peeking in a seafood store.”

We visited Lumber Liquidators as per the instructions from Mark Dykstra, the guy Cath hired to convert our carpeted stairs to the basement to Red Oak like the up stairs. We got a quick lesson in Flooring 101 and now realize how many things have changed. This will be a mid-May project that she has been planning for a while.
I helped Keith try and get his printer working, but not much. I will send him video on how to clear air bubbles from his ink delivery lines.

The telephones have not worked since we returned home. The 28 messages on voice mail can be retrieved via cell phone, but Century Link couldn’t troubleshoot it from India, so they are sending a live repairman today. Guess what! The phone magically just started working again after a 3-day hiatus.

Yesterday we had our “Phase Wellness Exam” which used to be called an Annual Physical before the creativity of Medicare changed it. Everything seems the same except for the lab work. Maybe lab work isn’t necessary if there are no indicators and the money saved can be used for other things…like Alzheimer’s questions, etc. We sure love Dr. Huffman and all the good care she has given us through the years.

Since returning home, I bit the bullet and have jumped to iCloud and the Lion operating system for the Mac. It took a while to install, but I’ve adapted to most of the changes already. I had to buy Filemaker 12 and FM Go as well as a couple of other ones, but I was overdue for an upgrade anyway.

I also had coffee at Starbucks with Greg. He due for cataract surgery next week.I sure hope it improves his sight.

Homski today. Our doors were glued shut at USA Parking due to the variety of weather since we left. We had another slight delay coming home, but no big deal. We sure had a wonderful time. Richard and Meredith are great fun to be around.

We lament a few missed opportunities, but resolve to catch them another time: Frick Museum, City of New York Museum, Woorljip Korean Restaurant, New York Public Library Tour, Chinatown Confucius Plaza Blossom Festival, The Golden Unicorn, Conservatory Gardens in Central Park, The TicToc Diner, an unnamed Soul Food Restaurant in Harlem, and a long list of others. Meredith and Richard were afraid we’d run out of things to do on this trip. Yikes!

This is the beginning of the Hi Line.

This is what it looks like once you climb up to it.

Trendy eateries and great design everywhere.

This is a glass stairway in a "neighborhood" Apple store on 14th St.

Today we took the PATH to Christopher St up right through the west village, took a right on Greenwich to the High Line which is located on Manhattan’s West Side. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street and is built on the site of the old elevated train tracks that served the warehouses here. It is an amazing testament to cooperation and creativity. The walking surface rises up in spots to become benches or barriers. Huge chaise lounges roll on the old railroad tracks so you can get closer to friends. Amazing.

We ate lunch in the Chelsea Market – another ‘repurposed’ warehouse. Madhouse comes close to describing it at lunch hour.

There was LOTS of walking today.

Looking down one border of the monument to the South World Trade Center Tower.

The water cascades from the names of those lost which cover the perimeter to the first plateau then quietly moves to the void.

Outside the restrooms on the 2nd floor of the 'W' Hotel across from the WTC.

Meredith got us tickets to the World Trade Center Tour (weeks or months) ago. It is not something one just walks up to do. There is lots of security like at the airport but somehow faster with everyone “rowing the boat in the direction it’s going” instead of a lot of resistance and a feeling that all this is unnecessary. We were in line with hundreds, maybe thousands who all had timed reservations. I really expected nothing but a lot of construction having read of all the political and financial wrangling. I was amazed at all that’s been done. One skyscraper is more than 1/2 way up. The two ‘bathtubs’ (negative fountains) are so beautiful and appropriate. They reside on the exact footprint of the north and south towers and seem so small and easy to apprehend when compared to the enormity of what happened. I was a little worried about if Meredith was ready for this and very pleased to see she was. The mood was somber, respectful of the situation, but instead of being overwhelmed, we could all just take it in.

The WTC Museum a year away. We talked to John Byer, who works for the museum, last night and can only just imagine how spectacular it will be. Ah, another excuse to visit NYC.
We threaded through part of the Wall Street area, Zucotti Park where all the recent demonstrations about the 1% and tent cities were all over the news just a few weeks ago – now empty, clean and full of people enjoying the good weather. I love this city!

We walked across town to the Southstreet Seaport area where TKTS has an office for cheaper theater tickets. The operation is much smoother than the last time we waited in line. This time we had a cellphone link to Meredith as well as employees from TKTS walking the line answering our questions.  The big board had good prices, but the Internet via Meredith won reasonably-priced tickets to Jersey Boys on Broadway tonight!

Next, it was time for an authentic working man’s bar – Jeremy’s Alehouse. Some of the clam chowder in Manhattan complete with bras of all sizes, colors and styles hanging from the ceiling. It was all I could do to keep Cathy from making a donation!

Moments later after lunch we stepped into a trendy coffee emporium that made Starbucks look old fashioned.

We met Meredith at the Delta Grill on 9th Ave. for Cajun before heading to the theater. One MUST know cross street for directions in Manhattan. Knowing the address of the Delta Grill (700 9th Ave.) helps not at all when talking to a subway agent. “What’s the cross street??” Out comes the iPad and when I told him the cross street was West 48th St., we instantly got directions about the proper train, direction and stop, which way to turn when leaving the station and how far to walk!
Jersey Boys the best!!! That’s all I’m going to say about that.