Pumpkin pie isn't one of our family's favorites, but we do love pumpkin bread. While great to snack on or toast for breakfast (more on that in a future post), pumpkin bread isn't special enough to serve as a dessert for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
A few years ago, while looking for a special holiday dessert that used pumpkin, I combined a couple of different recipes and created this wonderfully light dessert. It's become a family favorite.
Pumpkin Mousse with Toffee/Nut Crumbles
Pumpkin Mousse
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon dark rum
1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Crumbles
1 cup nuts (can use pecans or walnuts - I usually use walnuts), broken into small pieces
2/3 cup toffee bits (you can find these in the same place you buy chocolate chips - I usually get Heath brand)
4 teaspoons light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon, unsalted butter, melted
Directions
To make the crumbles: preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line small baking sheet with foil and brush with vegetable oil. Toss the nuts, toffee bits, brown sugar and salt in a bowl. Place the mixture in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake about 12 minutes - make sure the toffee bits are soft, but still retain their shape. Remove from oven and cool completely. Break into small pieces.
To make the mousse: In a medium saucepan, whisk 3/4 cups of the whipping cream, sugar and the egg yolks until sugar melts. Stir over medium-low heat until thickened to the consistency of pudding - usually takes me about 10-15 minutes. Put the mixture in a large bowl, add the pumpkin, rum, vanilla and spices and refrigerate for about an hour.
While waiting for the pumpkin mixture to cool, beat the remaining 1 1/4 cups of whipping cream in a mixer until the cream holds soft peaks. Remove about 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into a medium bowl and store until serving. Take the remaining whipping cream and gently fold into the pumpkin mixture. Refrigerate at least 6 hours (but it'll last up to a day or so).
Assembly: I take beautiful water goblets (as you can see from the photo) - and layer the mousse, crumbles and whipping cream. It makes a beautiful presentation - but while light, the dessert is pretty rich. It makes about 6 servings - although you can make smaller servings and stretch it to 8 servings.
Call us brave. Call us inspiring. Call us crazy. Read along as we follow our dream after leaving Florida for the Northeast.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Thursday, October 29, 2015
A personal post on surviving breast cancer
As someone on the upper end age-wise of those active on
social media and who faced breast cancer two years ago, it’s interesting to me
how people with serious diseases handle their illnesses in widely divergent
ways online. Some literally give play-by-play of their illnesses on Facebook or
through a blog, putting forth very personal details, specifics of their good
days and bad, and highlighting the help of friends and family. Others – like me
– choose to keep their plights private, sharing the details through personal
messages to family and friends, but otherwise not posting anything online. It
was more than a year before I shared anything about my diagnosis and treatment
online.
Take it from me – the internet and social media are scary
places for those battling serious illnesses. Social media has changed the way
we comprehend and respond to the news - some feel pressured to share the details online. Information that in the past would
seldom be discussed publicly is front and center on many people’s social
footprint. At the first hint of something serious, we “Google” and read everything
we can find – from serious medical sites to Yelp ratings of doctors, hospitals
and more. We read about the pros and cons of treatments, medicines and tests – pouring
over posts from people that we’ll never meet and who as far as we know have no
serious credibility - but we read their words anyway in hopes they will share insights that matter.
I am two years out after being diagnosed with Stage 1A
breast cancer in late summer 2013. As Larry said after we finished treatments
later that fall, “After the initial devastating news of the diagnosis,
everything else was good news,” i.e., it’s wonderful to hear: “that’s the
results we were hoping to see” after we went through the surgeries, sophisticated
genetic tests and radiation.
I was fortunate to have an amazing team of doctors in
Gainesville - from Arlene Weinshelbaum who just had a feeling there was
something destructive there even after an initial biopsy was inconclusive and who kept pushing to get a final determination; from Tina Lam, whose delicate touch as
a surgeon left very little evidence of the necessary incisions; from radiation oncologist Cherylle
Hayes who suggested accelerated partial breast irradiation – which meant delivering
radiation internally directly to the spot of the cancer twice a day for five
days instead of the typical six weeks of radiation; and to Laura Dickerson, the
medical oncologist who has followed me since the initial treatments ended.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Thanks to the Head Ball Coach: our best memories with Steve and Jerri Spurrier
In 1990, Steve and Jerri Spurrier arrived in Gainesville and for those of us who were fortunate to spend time around them we will never forget those 12 glorious years.
College sports programs were different then. Practices were open; Larry could sit down with an assistant coach and talk about life, game strategy and players. Our families got to know the players, the assistant coaches and their wives (Jim Collins’ wife, Geri, was one of the best. May she rest in peace); it was more a family and less a business.
We became friends with the head coaches and their wives and were regularly invited to their homes – whether it was a dinner at Steve and Jerri Spurrier’s in August prior to the start of the season, or Thanksgiving dinner at Lon and Barbara Krueger’s with the entire basketball coaching staff and team (we still have paper dolls that Dana made of the entire 1994 Gator basketball team that included Dan Cross, Andrew DeClercq and others. Jenni – four years old at the time – would regularly hug Andrew’s knees – that was the highest she could reach).
Heck, Steve and Lon even knew my name. (No coach since would be able to connect me to Larry – let alone know my name). That era was over when the Kruegers left in 1996, and Jerri and Steve followed in 2002.
So, in honor of Steve and Jerri – here are our top four Spurrier memories.
1. In 1990 when Steve and Jerri arrived, I was a freelance writer and also did some public relations consulting; one of the publications I regularly wrote for was “Gainesville Today.” I was assigned to write an article introducing Jerri to the Gainesville community. When I contacted Norm Carlson (who I had worked for in the early 1980s) to help schedule, he put me directly in touch with Jerri. Instead of some sterile interview held at the athletic offices, she invited me to join her in her kitchen in the house on Parker Road. We talked about sports, life and having husbands who lived and breathed sports. The article practically wrote itself.
2. In 1996, we all flocked to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl with the Gators slated to play top-ranked Florida State who had beaten Florida in Tallahassee in the last regular season game. Larry broadcast his talk show from the hotel all week and the atmosphere in the Big Easy was insane. In the Hilton Hotel bar prior to the start of the UF/FSU game, hundreds of Gator fans gathered to watch the Rose Bowl television broadcast of Ohio State/Arizona State. A Buckeye upset win over ASU would mean that Florida would have a chance to win the national championship with a win over FSU. The rest, as they say, is history. Ohio State came from behind, winning the game on the last play. The Hilton bar erupted in celebration.
After Florida won the game against Florida State – and Danny Wuerffel gained revenge against the Seminoles for the beating he got in Tallahassee, Larry waited outside the interview room for Steve to enter. When Spurrier arrived, he stopped and said to Larry in that wonderful Steve voice, “Well, Larry. We got one.”
3. In the mid-2000s, Larry decided to take a break from sport talk shows and focus on his television work for the Gators. Steve had already left Gainesville and spent his two years with the Redskins, and had been hired at South Carolina. Larry’s last show (his second to last “last show”) featured a number of special calls – but none more so than the one he received from Steve. Larry and Steve spent several minutes reminiscing about the time they spent together – it was the highlight of that final show.
4. And finally, in 2006, we were invited to Hilton Head for Steve and Jerri’s 40th wedding anniversary celebration. It was a great weekend – Jenni and Dana were able to go with us – and there were so many special people there. Norm and Sylvia Carlson, Jim and Geri Collins, dozens of former players and a handful of media guys. The weekend was vintage Spurrier – no fuss, nothing fancy, just plain fun. For Steve and Jerri, nothing was more important than family and friends – just relaxing and having fun.
College football won’t be the same without the Head Ball Coach roaming the sidelines, but from the Vettel family, we sincerely hope Steve and Jerri will enjoy these coming months and embrace the added time they’ll have with family and friends. College football, however, will be a lot less fun.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Short musings . . .
A sampling of short musings today . . . This weekend brought
the first taste of cool weather – by Thursday of this week we’re looking at a
high of 66 and a low of 54. Funny thing this
morning, I was walking the five blocks down to Citarella’s – my favorite little
gourmet market – in my shorts, tee and tennis shoes. It was probably around 64, but there was a
pretty brisk wind. Most of the people I passed were in pants, many had light
jackets. I laughed – I thought it was people in the South who needed jackets
and scarves as soon as it dropped below 70 degrees . . .
One of the cool things about living in the city is
everything is packaged for small spaces – and the groceries are definitely
stocked for the season. Butter is packaged
in four tablespoon servings instead of eight; you can’t find a large jar of
mayonnaise. Herbs are packaged in plastic containers half the size of ones you
find in Florida and you select your own vegetables from the bin – very few are
pre-packaged. I’ve been to five different groceries trying to find Pepperidge
Farm stuffing mix for a recipe I want to make – still haven’t found it (everyone
says come back closer to Thanksgiving).
:D
It’s been such a blessing to have our friends – Jon and
Monica Marshall – up in Connecticut. I’ve known Monica since my days at RTI
when she headed the Ketchum team we worked with in Washington, D.C. We stayed
friends after I left RTI and she moved to Rome to work for the UN World Food
Programme. A few years later, Dana ended up working for her as an intern in
Rome and again when Dana joined WFP in NYC after grad school. Jon is a lot like
Larry – they both love sports (although Jon likes the Red Sox – LOL). So far in
the nine weeks or so we’ve been here, we’ve already been able to see them three
times – once for dinner in the city, once for a cook-out at their house in
Connecticut – and last night, dinner at our apartment. It was cool enough outside for me to make
clam chowder (with fresh clams from the aforementioned Citarella’s - yum) and a
wonderful scallop salad with sautéed apples and potatoes. It was a great
evening.

Today I started pulling fall/winter clothes out of storage
(a large box in the closet) and putting lightweight summer items away. We’re in
pretty good shape with coats and sweaters (I bought a couple of coats and 6-7
sweaters at the end of last season, knowing we were moving sometime in the
summer). We still need to find snow
boots – and I’m looking now for another pair of boots to wear with leggings and
sweaters. It’s going to be so cool (literally and figuratively) to be able to
wear real winter clothes again.
We are now officially New Yorkers – we get the Times delivered to the doorstop every
morning. Larry is excited – he’s back to doing his crossword puzzle every day –
we even bought a small computer lap desk so he can work on the puzzles
comfortably . . . I still can’t quite get used to the NYC 9-5 schedule –
literally position descriptions list a 35-hour work week – it’s that way
because of commute times, but it’s still weird for me to not leave the house at
7:15 a.m. so I can find a place to park close to the J-School. We’ve been early
riser for years – and I literally get ready – and look up and it won’t even be
8 a.m. yet. Since it’s only a 12 minute
ride/walk to work, it gives me time to do a little around the apartment, fix
lunch without feeling rushed and bop around on the internet a little.
So we’re very pleased with the way the transition has gone;
haven’t driven a car in 73 days which feels a little weird, but definitely don’t
miss sitting in traffic. We’ve gotten into a routine and are feeling pretty
settled. Yes, it’s a very different lifestyle – but we’re loving it.
Friday, September 18, 2015
It's our two-month-iversary!!!
When we announced we were moving to New York City and
leaving a city we’d lived and worked in for 35+ years, our friends and
colleagues fell into three groups: the
first group said, “OMG, I want to go with you.” The second group was those who
said, “Wow, I’d love to have the courage to do that, but we never could. We’ll live vicariously through you.” The
third group was more succinct: “Are you crazy?”
Yes, we probably are a little bit crazy, but as we neared the
upper end of fiftysomething, we felt that if we were ever going to do this, now
was the time. We are still young enough
to enjoy all the things the city has to offer, to get meaningful jobs that we
will enjoy, and to have the time and resources to relish an urban lifestyle.

It’s real people living in real neighborhoods –
from the trendy Meatpacking District to the upscale, designer store-laden Upper
East Side. From Chinatown (which most visitors think is only about buying
knock-off handbags, but which really has a rich culture and fabulously authentic
dim sum restaurants.) And from DUMBO
(Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) to the Upper West Side, one of the
greenest areas of NYC – nestled between Riverside and Central Parks – and home
to small bistros, local bars and Museum Mile (where we live).
This fall once the weather cools, we can’t wait to start
exploring those neighborhoods that over the last 30+ years we never quite made
it to. Yes, because of the numerous trips we made to NYC over the years we had
discovered some of these neighborhoods, but we still have many areas that we’ve
never stepped foot into. That is, really, at the heart of our new life.
If you are interested in discovering that New York, I highly recommend “The New York Nobody Knows:
Walking 6,000 Miles in the City,” by William B. Helmreich. He literally walked
EVERY block in New York City – not just in Manhattan, but also every block in the
Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Happily settled at Barnard College
Two days before the movers were scheduled to arrive in
Gainesville in mid-July, I received a call from the Vice President of
Communications for Barnard College, offering me a position that would combine
my experience in communications, higher education and economic
development.
Barnard, an all-women’s college that partners with Columbia
University to provide an outstanding liberal arts education, is one of the
original Seven Sisters women’s colleges. In 1927, the name “Seven Sisters” was
given to Barnard, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, and
Radcliffe because of their parallel to the Ivy League men's colleges.
My new job is to work with the communications, campus
services and construction teams to provide up-to-date information on a new
teaching and learning center and to serve as a resource to students, faculty,
staff and neighbors who will be impacted during the two-year construction
project. I am working alongside engineers, construction professionals and
Barnard staff as we plan for the demolition of a 1950s-era library and the
construction of a new 128,000-square-feet building that will bring students and
faculty together, facilitating collaboration and fostering dialogue.
The jobs that combined communications and economic
development are the favorites of my career: the Council for Economic Outreach,
where we attracted Dollar General, the first large-scale distribution center to
Alachua County, Nordstrom’s Distribution Center, and expansions for RTI
Surgical and Exactech; the work I did to assist a group of developers including
Phil Hawley and Jim Shaw, who expanded Progress Park and built additional
commercial and business space in Alachua; and the years I spent working for
Wal-Mart Stores – as both a consultant and a full-time employee – to gain
approvals for new stores and redevelopment sites.

I started seeking positions in New York City back last fall –
and we are fortunate and excited that this position came up. It is truly a
perfect job for me. Now that we’ve
moved, Larry’s starting to look for his first job in the city. I keep urging him to be patient – it took me
more than nine months to find this great Barnard job – and he has to know that his
time will come.
We’ve been here almost two months – and we are incredibly
happy. We’ve settled in – are exploring new restaurants, walking the city and enjoying
the urban lifestyle. Stay tuned . . . more to come!
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
My 9/11 . . . and 9/10 story
The anniversary of these next two September days are
always difficult for me to get through. Even now – 14 years later – these dates
weigh on my mind, play with my emotions. Each year, I try to make sense of Sept.
10-11, to make clearer what is still a fuzzy, foreboding, overwhelming,
dreadful feeling. Everyone has a 9/11/2001 story. Mine starts the day before. And this year, my
9/11 story resides with me in New York City.

On the morning of 9/11, Larry, Dana and Jennifer were in the air, flying Delta back to Gainesville from the Nashville airport. There was no time for them to stay in Kentucky ; there was
school to attend for the girls and Gator games for Larry to work.
Thankfully, we didn’t have the television on in the family
room of my Mom’s house that Tuesday morning.
Instead, my brother and I were talking with my Mom, planning the day ahead.
We still had legal issues to address and
final payments and arrangements to settle with the funeral home. So when Dana called to tell me they were
stuck in the Atlanta airport – which I immediately assumed was because of the
incompetence of ASA – I never envisioned that Atlanta was as far as they would
fly that day.

Suffice it to say that Larry and the girls finally made it
home that day, thanks to a UF student from Atlanta who was on their
Atlanta-to-Gainesville flight and after realizing no one was flying back to UF
that day, asked her Dad to drive her, her new friend and his daughters back to
Gainesville.
Me? I had a rental
car in Kentucky
(gold in those early days after 9/11) that was due in Nashville Thursday morning when I was
supposed to fly back to Gainesville . Instead, I drove it 11 ½ hours back to
Gainesville on Wednesday and upon delivering the sedan to the Budget Rent-a-Car
counter at the Gainesville Airport, said “You know that car you THINK is going
to be in Nashville tomorrow. Well,
instead, it’s in Gainesville
today.” Budget didn’t charge another
penny: no additional drop-off fee, no additional mileage – and to this day, if
Larry and I have a choice, we rent Budget.
The toughest thing of the entire 9/11 experience for
me? It was and still remains today: it
was difficult to mourn the loss of my father.
Instead, my loss is still wrapped in the loss the collective country
felt. Whether it was the families of
those people who died that day, or the citizens of the cities of New York and Washington , D.C. ,
where life will never be the same, or for those Americans whose sons and
daughters have died overseas in places most of us will never view, I can’t
separate my loss from the whole. My Dad
– who landed on Normandy on what we believe was D-Day+5, would have been
devastated to view 9/11. The first words
my Mom uttered after we turned on the television that Tuesday morning shortly
before the first tower fell was, “Thank God your father didn’t live to see
this day.”
This year will be especially poignant. Larry and I have
moved to our adopted city. Just yesterday, Larry sent in our membership to the
9/11 Memorial and Museum. What are the membership benefits? We get priority
tickets to view the plaza and museum. While we’ve been a couple of times to see
the monuments, we have yet to gain the courage to enter the museum. I hope this
fall, we’ll be able to.
So let’s all send our love to the courageous first
responders from 9/11, to those soldiers who have fought around the world for
the past 14 years, and to our nation’s police officers and firefighters who today are fighting a different, domestic battle.
Friday, September 4, 2015
The Kentucky I know and love

I’ve always been proud to say I grew up in Kentucky. It is a beautiful state. Its people are kind and industrious with strong values. Yes, religion is a significant part of its make-up, but most of the citizens I’ve known are tolerant of others.
Here are some points that might surprise you:
- Kentucky is not a red state – it’s actually purple. Contrary to what most Americans probably think, registered Democrats in Kentucky still outnumber registered Republicans. In Ohio County where I grew up, Democrats had 212 more registered voters than Republicans in 2014.
- Kentucky has fully implemented the Affordable Care Act, including Medicaid expansion – and has one of the best healthcare exchanges in the country.
- In 2010, Lexington elected its first openly gay mayor.
I believe in Kentucky’s people and its beauty, but I also
know that like any other state there are people who decide their personal
values are above the law. This week a woman from the eastern part of the state
has decided she knows more than our nation’s Supreme Court and her decision is
reflecting badly on all parts of our state.

I have no problem with her personal decision – it’s her
right as a citizen to determine what she does or does not believe in, but if
her personal, religious values get in the way of her doing the job to which she
was elected, she has to go. Quit, be impeached, fired – I don’t really care,
but she can’t stay and apply only those laws that fit within her religious beliefs.

Daniel Boone once said: “Soon after, I returned home to my family, with a determination to bring
them as soon as possible to live in Kentucky, which I esteemed a second
paradise, at the risk of my life and fortune.”
Please don’t let this woman cause you to place an unfair
label on a beautiful state and its people.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
So you're saying to yourself, "something must have gone wrong. It can't be that perfect."
Okay, so I’m sure you’re sitting there saying, okay, “Something
must not be to your liking or something must have gone wrong.” Well not much, actually, but here are the
five things that have gone wrong or or haven't worked out since the move.
- Our house in Gainesville hasn’t sold. Beautiful house, wonderful neighborhood in Ashton. Across the street from one of the top three elementary schools (Talbot) in Alachua County. We missed the early summer selling season (originally Larry was going to stay longer, but that changed) – and then we had to move, sell what we weren’t taking, etc. – so we got a late start. So if you or someone you know is looking for a great house, look on any realtor’s site for 4502 NW 58 Ave., Gainesville or call Craig Wilburn at 317-8216. Price just reduced!

- It’s been WAY too hot in New York City - 21 days above 86 since the beginning of August. These last few days we’ve been averaging 10-12 degrees higher than normal. Holding our breath for mid-September when it looks like we’ll get back to cooler temps. Still, it’s better than having to wait until sometime in late October or early November for a day that feels like fall. 2a – as a result of aforementioned high temps, the electric bill was higher than we’d hoped.
- Missy left last week for her home in Atlanta. Yes, I’ve gotten attached to the pup. She’s lived with us for more than 11 months over the past year and a half – and I’m pretty smitten with her, but she belongs in Atlanta with Jenni and Amado. She’s the most adaptable dog I’ve ever seen – she’s lived in the Dominican Republic, Gainesville, Atlanta, NYC – spent vacations in hotels in the DR, NYC, Atlanta. Stayed 10 days in a puppy hotel when we were in NYC for Dana and Nate’s wedding (granted, she wouldn’t eat and lost a lot of weight) and stayed with Nate’s parents when we were in Kentucky for Mommy’s funeral. She just kinda goes, “Okay, whatever. I’ll deal with it.” Good news is – now I can spoil Siena and Alila. Once it cools down, I see walks in our future!
- Sometimes our desire to walk exceeds our ability, aka “getting old sucks.” Even with the heat, early morning walks along the Hudson River have been wonderful. We end up walking 3-4 miles on both Saturday and Sunday mornings; then my poor, old hips complain all day Monday and Tuesday. LOL.
- The Yankees haven’t been playing very well. After leading the AL East seven games earlier this summer, they now are a game and a half behind Toronto. Ugh, Toronto. The good news is we no longer have to pay for MLB Extra Innings and can watch the pre- and post-game shows on the YES network. The bad news is the Yankees are 5-6 for the last 11 games. Here’s hoping for a strong September.
Friday, August 28, 2015
So you’re probably wondering how that 572-square-feet apartment thing is working . . .
You might think that living in 572-square-feet would be
difficult. In reality, it’s refreshing.
For the past 25+ years, we lived in 2,200-square-feet, which
when the girls were at home, was ideal. But we’ve been paddling around in half
that space for the last eight years, and at the time, you don’t even think how inefficient
that is. The thing, though, is that you still have to clean that space, heat
that space, and – in Florida – cool that space.
A recent article from Bloomberg news reports that the next wave
of urban apartment dwellers will be Baby Boomers -- those born from 1946 to
1964 – and that they’ll/we’ll be competing with Millennials for the space,
pushing up rents and spurring construction of more multifamily housing. We can
attest to that fact – the bulk of the people in our apartment building are
Millennials, some with small children, others young professionals, most have
dogs. To add to the fun, they are also really friendly.
I sometimes stop and think when did it happen that we began
thinking more is good? As a child in Kentucky, our five-member family lived in less
than 1,500-square-feet, but I never really thought of our home as small. We all
had our own rooms; we had a good-sized kitchen with a nice dining room table,
and we had a family room with a fireplace (where everyone stayed), and a living
room (that no one used except to go from the aforementioned family room to the
bathroom and bedrooms). Our earlier house on Frederica Street was even smaller.
As a boy, Larry’s two-bedroom apartment in the Bronx also housed
five people – one bedroom for the three boys, the other for his Mom and sister.
Like my family, they didn’t know any other way, and felt they had plenty of
room to live their lives.
After this short time in New York, I’ve decided less is
definitely more. We hope to sometime get
to the point where we might have a second bedroom – and I’d certainly like a
little larger kitchen with more storage, but honestly, I’ve adjusted to the
small-“ish” kitchen – and the ease of keeping a 572-square-feet apartment clean
and tidy.
You learn how to make do. The bed becomes a place to dry
clothes that need to be laid flat. The shower curtain rod holds clothes that
need to hang dry. You take breaks to dry dishes so you can wash more. The desk and hutch hold the silverware, dish towels, wine
glasses, in addition to Larry’s computer and office supplies. In the kitchen, you do “a little dance” to maneuver around each
other: washing and drying dishes (while also pouring white wine from the
fridge), putting away ingredients from earlier cooking, and preparing coffee
for the morning.
I never – ever – thought about actually living in such a
small space, but honestly, after the past six weeks, I can’t imagine what I’d
do now with 2,000+-square-feet. Our 572-square-feet apartment is sweet, cozy, warm
and welcoming – and for now, I can’t imagine it any other way.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Have I told you lately that I love the subway . . .
New Yorkers love to hate the subway. I don’t get it. For $2.75
you can get anywhere within the entire NYC metropolitan area – 304 square
miles. Manhattan. Brooklyn. Queens. ‘da Bronx. Transfers from one line to
another are free. What’s not to like?
![]() |
West 72nd Street Station |
Is it crowded and hot in the summer and crowded and cold in
the winter? Absolutely – but when you
walk down those steps to your station, the next train is usually only 3-4
minutes away – rain, sleet or snow (well maybe not when it snowed 24 inches the
day after Christmas in 2010 or when Hurricane Sandy hit the city in 2012 – but
you get my point) and you DO see the most interesting people every day. The
subway also ushers in a bit of humanity to New York City – it’s common to see
people give up their seats to an elderly or disabled person, or a pregnant
woman.
![]() |
The "el" |
After the success of the els, New York City’s residents demanded
an enhanced rapid transit system and city authorities decided to build a subway that would meet two
objectives: it would quickly and efficiently move people about in crowded
Manhattan and also move them out of crowded Manhattan.
Subway lines would extend out even further into vast tracts of undeveloped
land, where new neighborhoods could be created, helping to turn a cramped
island city into a sprawling metropolitan area.
![]() |
A subway station in 1906 |
One of the early chief engineers for the new subway system was
William Barclay Parsons, an 1882 graduate of Columbia University’s School of
Mines (today’s engineering school – Jenni’s alma mater). Opened in 1904, the
subway's electric cars took passengers from City Hall to Brooklyn, the Bronx,
and the newly renamed and relocated Columbia University in Morningside Heights,
its present location on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Today, the New York City subway system is one of the busiest
and most extensive in the world, serving nearly five million passengers every
day with 26 train lines operating on over 800 miles of track.
Me? I’m loving it. I’m extremely happy to be one of those
five million passengers and you won’t hear me complaining. After 30+ years of daily
driving on Gainesville’s crazy roads, I’m just happy to let someone else take
the wheel!
Saturday, August 15, 2015
First month . . . and counting.
This time a month ago we were in the throes of final packing,
sweating through our tee shirts and dodging daily Gainesville thunderstorms.
I’d
just been offered – and accepted – the New York City job of my dreams from
Barnard College. Larry had made the decision to move at the same time after bidding
farewell to his Florida radio listeners for the final time – he was getting
daily invitations to meet friends and listeners for coffee, lunch or drinks (no
one seemed as concerned I was
leaving). Missy was roaming the house, confused as furniture was removed, boxes
were accumulating in the living room and her crate was shipped to the next door
neighbor’s garage.
It is hard to believe it’s only been a month since we left
Gainesville for the biggest adventure of our lives. So what are the six most
interesting observations from this first month?
1. First, we can leave the apartment and within four blocks
find:
- Fresh oysters (shucked on the spot at Citarella’s – tonight’s dinner, yes I got 18 - six of each) that included Bluepoint from Long Island, Wellfleet from Massachusetts and Malpeque from Prince Edward Island (the Bluepoint were the best);
- Chocolate-chocolate chip, and oatmeal raisin cookies from Levain Bakery, one of the best bakeries in the city;
- A farmer’s market where we can find tomatoes, squash, corn and strawberries that were literally picked the day before; six different types of micro-greens; honey and jams from the Berkshires; fresh duck from the Hudson Valley; and sorghum from Schoharie County, NY;
- The Beacon Theatre that this fall will host Cyndi Lauper, Steely Dan, Don Henley, John Lennon tribute show, Joe Walsh and Alabama (still debating how many of these we can afford);
- Three (!) wine shops; and
- Corner vegetable/fruit stands where I can snag five bananas for $1 or a red pepper for 50 cents.
2. We had dinner last weekend with Monica and Jon – our only NYC “couple”
friends - at ‘Cesca, a great, local Italian restaurant – and we're planning to visit
them this fall in Connecticut and get tickets together to see the
aforementioned Cyndi Lauper.
3. Earlier this week, I saw a snapshot of today’s America:
On my morning subway ride to
Barnard I saw the perfect trifecta of commuters on the 1-train (I wanted to
take a photo with my iPhone, but I’m not that brave yet so you’ll have to see
it through my eyes). Seated to the left was a mid-30-something man on his iPad,
crouched over the tablet with his elbows on his knees, likely scrolling through
the schedule of his upcoming day; in the middle, a young Asian woman – eyes closed,
earbuds in, probably listening to her favorite playlist on the trip north; and
on the right, an older woman, thinly built with attractive short, grey hair,
reading the New York Times’ Section A.
4. Interesting shopping at Fairway's:
- Butter that’s wrapped in four tablespoon segments instead of eight;
- Fruits packaged in ½ pints;
- Standing in line on a Sunday afternoon waiting to get deli meat while a young, professional man orders seven different prepared foods (poached salmon, pork tenderloin, beef stroganoff, etc.) – likely his meals for the week; and
- Searching high and low for such items as oven fried chicken coating mix and white wine vinegar; and finding my way through full-contact karate as I try to find a place in the check-out line.
5. Super impressed with my colleagues at Barnard:
Welcoming, so
interested in my thoughts and opinions on how to handle the construction
communications, funny and creative, and amazed at our crazy decision to move to
NYC at this point in our lives.
- The Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corps playing today on Pier 1;
- The tiny woman trying to handle a huge German Shepherd who is barking incessantly even though he was muzzled (not a good idea);
- All the folks – young and old – renting the free kayaks (want to try that at some point);
- All the people who stop to meet Missy and admire how pretty she is; and
- The woman jogging while pushing a baby stroller with her phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
Is it magical? Yes. Does it seem real? Sometime, yes.
Sometimes, no. Do we miss our friends? Yes, but we’re focused on making new memories.
Are we crazy? Perhaps, but it’s been our dream. Stay tuned.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
My Aunt Mary Jo and the Halbrooks boys
As a child, one of my favorite places was Christmas at Pop
and Honey’s house. As an adult, one of my father’s most hated places was
Christmas at Pop and Honey’s house. You see, my grandparents’ house at
Christmas was everything our house never was: loud, raucous, and noisy. And the
main source of that chaos was the Halbrooks boys.
My brothers were nine and ten years older than me and by the
time I have vivid memories of the holidays, they were mostly on their own. As a
result, our house was always quiet.
It was just me and my parents – and my Dad was averse to noise. He even had to
go outside to the barn when I practiced the piano. I often wondered if it was
because the coal mine where he worked was so loud – the mammoth shovel he
operated, the huge trucks that transported the coal. I never got upset with him
– it was just the way it was in our house.
There are three Halbrooks boys: Doug, a year older than me;
John, a couple of years younger; and Bobby, the baby as we called him. They grew
up in Montgomery, Ala. and still live in the state; all three are huge Auburn
fans, and as boys their favorite thing was trying to kill each other. After seeing WWE wrestling years later, I
finally had something to compare to Christmas with the oversized Halbrooks boys. I LOVED every minute of it.
My grandparents’ wood-frame house would literally shake at its foundations as Doug, John and Bobby tackled each other, placed neck holds, and threw each other to the floor. More often than not, their Dad – a Baptist preacher – would join in as well. I watched in fascination as they’d throw each other around the living room or on that rare occasion when they’d be in Kentucky for the annual Auburn/Alabama football game and they’d spend three hours yelling and throwing things at the television.
My grandparents’ wood-frame house would literally shake at its foundations as Doug, John and Bobby tackled each other, placed neck holds, and threw each other to the floor. More often than not, their Dad – a Baptist preacher – would join in as well. I watched in fascination as they’d throw each other around the living room or on that rare occasion when they’d be in Kentucky for the annual Auburn/Alabama football game and they’d spend three hours yelling and throwing things at the television.
The boys lost their Mom yesterday – my Aunt Mary Jo. She was
the baby of my Mom's family – born in 1933 during the heart of the depression,
toddling along after her siblings: George, Celia and my Mom. She went to nursing school in Louisville where
she met Ralph Halbrooks – and after marrying, they moved to Alabama where he
worked for the Alabama Baptist Convention.



I last saw Aunt Mary Jo last July when she made Doug, John
and Bobby drive her to Kentucky for Mommy’s funeral. Even though she wasn’t in
great health either, she wanted to be there for her big sister, Doooorrriss. It
was special to see her and the boys, share a breakfast at Cracker Barrel, and reminisce
about those Christmas vacations at Pop and Honey’s. Larry and the girls finally
got to meet them and remarked after the funeral how much they’d enjoyed talking
with them and how interested they were in the girls’ public service work.
It’s a sad day today. While I’ll remember in my mind how Aunt
Mary Jo looked last July as she gazed at my Mom’s picture on the alter in the
sanctuary of the Beaver Dam Baptist Church, I’ll mostly hear her wonderfully
old-South voice whispering in my ear . . .calling me “Quenta Aaaannn.”
Friday, July 31, 2015
Friday night at home . . and all is well!
Ahhhh. Friday night. Got home (12 minutes door-to-door –
YAY!) around 5:30 p.m. Dana came over to visit and drink a glass of wine. Then I
took leftover pork tenderloin from a meal we had earlier this week and whipped
up pork fried rice. Pork tenderloin is one of my favorite two-meal
opportunities! Now sitting down to watch the Yankees play the White Sox, eating
popcorn and sipping on a cool glass of white wine.

Larry has started reaching out to contacts to talk about opportunities
in New York City’s sports broadcast industry – if you know anyone up here, please
share. He is interested in taking some time and really looking for all kinds of
opportunities. He’s behind me in the job search because we didn’t expect him to
move this summer, but to come to NYC towards the end of the year. Things changed, of course, but it’s for the
better. Thankfully, he can take some time and really explore what’s out there!
The apartment has really come together and we are super pleased with the neighborhood. It is so convenient to walk a couple of minutes down the street and pick up anything you need. This weekend we hope to explore a few new places – including this bakery -http://www.levainbakery.com/ - which is literally supposed to have the best cookies in the city (and it’s only three blocks away)! Looking forward to another first next week: ordering Chinese take-out!
And finally, after a week “off-the-grid,” we heard from
Jenni yesterday. She climbed Mount Kilimanjaro this week – and made it all
the way to the summit! The percentage of
climbers who make it to the summit is around 50 percent – so we’re super proud
of her! Now, she’s off on a safari,
followed by rafting the Nile (don’t ask) – and then back to Atlanta in a few
weeks to finish her master’s degree.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Top 10 best things about our first week in New York City
2. Going to the corner fruit/veggie stand on the way home from
our walk to buy a red pepper for this morning’s breakfast burritos. It was the
only ingredient I didn’t have – and instead of having to go into a store, fight
crowds and wait in line for a cashier, we just stopped by the stand and paid 50
cents for a huge red pepper!
3. Being able to find fresh halibut at Citarella’s for our
first home-cooked meal in the apartment. Citarella’s is a specialty grocery store
– with seafood and meat counters, a great cheese shop, fresh pasta and a
diverse deli counter. Yes, I’m going to spend a LOT of money there!
4. Being able to see Dana and Nate. Nate was great in helping
put together the furniture we ordered and he and Dana worked extremely hard on
move-in day. Dana and I met one day
after (her) work for a quick glass of wine!
Elliott Hall on Barnard's campus |
5. Taking the subway up to Barnard College and showing Larry
where my new job will be! It is a beautiful urban campus – a mix of old and new
buildings, beautiful trees and small greenspaces.
6. Meeting several people who have stopped, chatted and
welcomed us to the area – especially when we’re walking Missy. People with dogs
are SO friendly (except for the one stupid woman who in a tiny enclosed park a
couple of doors down from our building let her dogs off leash and let one of
them attack Missy and didn’t even say sorry. I grabbed Missy and left).
8. Going to a day game at Yankee Stadium – sitting in the
shade, eating a hot dog and watching a big Yankee win over the Orioles.
9. The beautiful flowers Phil and Paula Vettel sent and several
cards and messages we received from Gainesville friends.
10. Walking an average of 4.55 miles each day – Larry’s average is
higher because he did some errands yesterday while I stayed at the apartment while
the maintenance guys hung the pot rack. It is so invigorating to look at your
phone app and realize how many steps you take in your everyday life if you’re
living in an urban environment. Added bonus: I’m sleeping better. Physical
exhaustion helps.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
My grandmother, heirloom popcorn and gas stoves
As I mentioned in the “About me” section of this blog, I
grew up in Hartford, Ky., a town of 2,000 people in the western part of the
state. Hartford and its sister town Beaver Dam, a similar-sized town just a
couple of miles to the south, were home to the majority of people who lived in the
county.

The downtown consisted of the
courthouse, a few retail stores, two pharmacies, a movie theater and a couple
of banks – but no traffic lights. Interestingly enough, though, Hartford did
have two newspapers – the Times and the News. On Thursdays during the summer,
all the kids in town would head to the movie theater to watch the latest
G-rated movie – admission was six RC bottle caps.
![]() |
Our tiny house on the left; Pop and Honey's house on the right |
My Dad was a coal miner (thankfully he worked in a strip
mine and never went underground) and my Mom stayed at home. They’d married when
my Mom was only 17 – and while she had me at 28, she was always young and
vibrant. My Dad worked the 3-11 p.m. shift so I spent mornings with him and
then afternoons either at home or at Pop and Honey’s house.
My brothers and I were the only grandchildren who lived in
the same town as Pop and Honey, and as the youngest child – and the only girl –
I was particularly close to my grandmother. I spent a lot of days at their
house – especially when I wanted to watch something on television that was of
no interest to my brothers. Honey and I would hang out all day; I’d watch her
cook, we’d go out and collect the eggs from the chicken coop, pick grapes from
the vines behind the house and play Chinese checkers.
My first memory of anyone cooking was Honey hovering over
her gas stove. I was fascinated watching the blue flames lick up the sides of
the pans. As a little girl, I didn’t
realize how hot it was to cook on that stove – particularly in the summer – but
I now understand the moisture I saw pouring from her face was
sweat.
Now, for the first time as an adult, I am cooking on a gas
stove in our new apartment. After the first few days it’s clear gas cooks a lot
faster than an electric stove (both on the burner and in the oven) and handles
of pans get hotter than they did with electric.
For me, the best thing Honey made on her gas stove was “sugared
popcorn” and I was often the recipient of that amazing treat – especially in
the fall and winter when the temperatures dropped. She’d make a huge batch –
drop off a bowl for Pop as he sat in his recliner – and then together, she and
I would sit on the couch, watch the Andy Griffith Show, eat every morsel of
that popcorn and drink our Frescas. There are very few memories from my
childhood as special as these.
There is a specific process to making sugared popcorn just
right – you have to heat up the popcorn for a little while, then add the sugar early enough so it melts, but doesn’t caramelize and burn (maybe that’s what Cracker Jack does),
while the corn pops. The result is popcorn with a light, golden brown sugar
coating – and when you add salt, it is absolutely irresistible.
The other thing that made Honey’s treat so wonderful was she
grew the popcorn she so lovingly popped. It had a wonderful taste – small,
tender puffs of air so unlike today’s popcorn that while it pops into a huge morsel,
typically tastes like cardboard. After years
of trying to replicate her sugared popcorn using store-bought kernels, I have finally
found a brand of heirloom popcorn that is great. It cooks into small, tender
morsels lighter than air. Now, I can add
a gas stove to the equation.
So when fall rolls around in New York City and temperatures start
to plunge, I’ll stand at my gas stove, work on mastering the proper cooking
time for my sugared popcorn and remember Honey.
Monday, July 20, 2015
We're on our way . . .
Whew! After two crazy days, today we were able to stop and
catch our breaths. Everything went well with the move – although the schedule
was a little off.
The only other issue with the last few days is it has been Florida-hot.
The heat is supposed to break on Wednesday – and get closer to the mid-80s/mid-60s
NYC usually sees this time of the year.
This morning we got up (well, Larry got up at 6:15 a.m. and
I managed to pull my lazy butt out of bed around 8 a.m.) and took a walk along
the Hudson River. We are only about a six-minute walk to Riverside Park – and other
than being a little warm, it was a beautiful morning. We managed to get Missy
to agree to go along – she’s still struggling a little with the transition. She
hates the big, loud trucks – and don’t even get her started on the buses.
We
explored the neighborhood around lunchtime – and then this afternoon, I left
Larry behind to watch the end of the British Open while I popped into Williams-Sonoma
and Bed, Bath and Beyond to buy the last few things we needed for the
apartment.
We're going to continue
organizing the apartment for the rest of the week (and I’ll continue figuring
out where to hide all the stuff Larry thinks I shouldn’t have brought)! LOL.
Thanks to all for your warm wishes. We’re on our way!
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