She's going home, bye, bye....

 

I always feel a little sad when RQS goes home.  I love having her near me, but I also feel a little freer when I have the time to  take care of my own affairs without worrying about her feelings.  We have a good thing going, where our periodic absences from each other's lives makes the fondness grow stronger.

Today, RQS had to go home.  She had things to take care of at home, and I had things to do here as well. So, after relaxing all day (and having some of our leftover lobster), we got showered and dressed (me in a $5.00 dress I picked up at Burlington a few years ago) and prepared to go to the station. So, around 3:15, we left for the train station, me without my wallet in my handbag.  Well, after dropping RQS off, I found out that I left my wallet at home while I was on the drive thru lane at McDonald's.  AARGH!  You can guess how careful I drove home - I'm glad nothing happened on my way home.

Next, I was off to Walmart with my wallet in hand.  It was time for me to replace my car's cell phone charger.  When I brought the charger and cable up to the cash register, the credit card reader had problems with my card.  Why, I do not know.  But I ended up having to swipe the card instead of inserting the card to charge this to my account.  Later, I'd find out that my credit card company's fraud detection system had texted me about this transaction, and I okayed it.  Luckily, I had a second charge card for another transaction I'd make in the same store.

- - - - - -

When I got home, I found that RQS had a problem with her taxes. (I won't go into details here.)  When our tax lady looked into it, she found that Fran (who RQS used for her taxes 2 years ago) made a mistake, and RQS got flagged for a problem with her 2022 taxes.  OUCH!  This makes me glad that I had to do a last minute shuffle and find our current tax preparer.  I just wonder what tax year 2025 will look for me....

 

 

PS: The tax problem was with a previous tax preparer's mistake - The State/Local forms were not filled in correctly.  The person who did the taxes did this two years in a row.  I'm glad that both of us have someone good on the case these days - I almost got stuck using this person, and dodged a bullet with my taxes.

It was nice to take out my leather jacket again.

 

I'll always wish I could look like the female version of my face in the picture above.  She looks happy and secure in herself.  No matter how much I try, I can never snap my fingers and be the cisgender female version of who I could have been if I were born with two X chromosomes. At least, if I can improve my health by losing some weight, I could get some facial feminization surgery and make my face look more like an older version of the woman above.

- - - - - -

Today, I did nothing for most of the day, even though I got dressed early in the afternoon.  I originally thought that I might go into NYC and see an Off-Broadway play.  But I didn't want to get moving early enough to do so.  Instead, I decided to leave the house around dinner time and looked in my closet for something warm to wear - and found a leather jacket I haven't worn in years.  So, I put it on and went out the door.

My first stop was at Mickey D's for a couple of burgers, and then to BJ's to walk around.  $42 later, I was loading my car and driving home.  On the way home, I returned the call from our co-op's president, and we discussed some things that needed to be done. And all too soon, I was home, stripping off my stockings, my dress, my bra, and everything that a woman would find uncomfortable after a day at work. (This, even though I haven't had a job in years.)

Once comfortable, I signed some papers for the co-op, then put some ribs in the slow cooker for tomorrow's dinner.  (I may bring some cooked ribs to RQS's place this weekend if I'm in the mood to do so.)  And finally, I was able to rest for the night.

Carting off electronics for recycling, then figuring out what and where to eat.

 

One of the things RQS has been putting off was recycling her e-waste.  She had a printer not worth anything, 3 old cell phones which no longer work, and a broken all-in-one computer/monitor that had to be disposed of.  However, she would normally have to make a big effort to dispose of this stuff properly. This weekend, the stars aligned, and disposal would be easy for part of the day on Saturday.

- - - - - -

RQS and I woke up relatively early, but took forever to get moving.  Once out and about, we carted some e-waste out of her apartment and walked over to her storage locker.  She was having a hard time keeping up with me, as her leg was acting up again.  (I'm glad this didn't happen while on our recent cruise.)  But, we made it to the storage locker on time.  Once we put the dead computer in the cart, we walked a few blocks to dispose of everything.  Then if was off to lunch.

There is an operation called Wonder that is popping up all over the place. It is a ghost kitchen that imitates multiple restaurants, gearing its offerings for takeout and delivery.  Although one can eat inside many Wonder outlets, there is less service than at the average McDonald's - all orders are placed via an on-site computer screen, or on a mobile phone app. It is convenience in exchange for frugality. Although RQS was able to start placing my order (Chicken Parmigiana), she couldn't get her order (Eggplant Parmigiana) which was also on the menu.  So we walked out before finalizing our order and went to Wendy's.

Normally, we wouldn't be in for the day before 4 pm.  Yet, with RQS's leg acting up, we stayed inside for the rest of the day.  Dinner was Thai delivery, and then it was YouTube videos for the rest of the evening. 

A split weekend with RQS

 

(The Marxes made more sense than our current government.)

I spent the Labor Day weekend with RQS.  Half of the time at my apartment, and the other half at hers.  She needed to replace her printer, and I needed to spend as much time in Marian mode as I could.  Given that I would be the one driving her from the computer store to buy her new printer, and back home to install it, this made perfect sense.

As expected, RQS arrived on Friday afternoon, and we decided to go out to eat.  This time, we drove to an AYCE (all you can eat) sushi place in Yonkers, where we chowed down on some delightful grub.  And then, I suggested that we stop by Micro Center and pick up a new printer.  I knew that if RQS bought the same printer as I had in my place, that she'd likely be happy. So I steered her to buying the exact same printer as I owned, and she got it on sale - $20 less than I paid for mine. After buying the printer, we drove home to relax - and we did do through Saturday.  Neither of us wanted to go out.  This meant that a possible dinner with Vicki was out.  So, I cooked some chicken I had in the fridge, and stayed in until Sunday morning.

Oft times, I joke with RQS about going to church while she stays asleep on the bed.  Well, as much as I thought about going back to sleep when the alarm rang, I decided to wake up and make this weekend's service.  By the time things were over, I called RQS, and was bring home Mickey D's for us to eat around 12:30.  Within 90 minutes, we were off to her place, hitting almost no traffic on the way there.  If we had waited until the next day, we'd be stuck in traffic.

Labor day came, and I had to leave.  It was nice to spend another weekend as Marian, knowing that when we take our next cruise, I'll be stuck for two weeks as Mario. 

Alaska Cruise 2025 - Disembarkation Day / Flying Home (08/22/25)

I first thought it was going to be a relatively short post for me, as I'm finally home and getting used to being back in my own apartment.  Yeah, Right!   This was a great cruise, but we didn't see the wildlife that most of us expect from an Alaskan cruise.  Given a choice between this cruise and another cruise through the Norwegian Fjords, the fjords would win out.  But that's something I can write about later on. 

- - - - - -

I didn't get much sleep the night before disembarkation.  RQS asked me when we'd be going under the Golden Gate bridge, and I said that we wouldn't see it when it happened due to San Francisco's fog.  And I was right.  The fog didn't start lifting until we were ready to get off the ship.

Around 7 am, we left our cabin for the last time and went downstairs for breakfast.  We had 1¼ hours to kill before we could get off the ship, so we had one last breakfast in the main dining room.  Soon, our number was called, and we proceeded to the gangway to get off the ship for one last time.  Once in the terminal, quite a few cruise rookies got in the way of us retrieving our bags and exiting the terminal.  Yet, we were off the ship and out of the terminal in less than 45 minutes, and on our way to the airport by 9:30.

- - - - - -

Once at the airport, we had to get our bags checked and boarding passes issued at JetBlue's service desk.  Although we had seat assignments made the day before (many thanks to our TA on his vacation!), we still needed new seat assignments because the cane I was using couldn't fold up.  (We were booked into an emergency exit row, and the service agent knew we'd have a problem if they saw our canes.)  So, he reassigned us to seats 5 rows in back of where we were first seated and 5 rows in front of the seats we originally expected to sit in.  This man was extremely helpful, unlike the "Karen" protecting the service agent lanes at JFK - this gives us something more to write about when we send in our complaint letters to JetBlue's corporate offices.

We then went through TSA security with only one minor hitch - even though I have a trusted traveler number, my belt had to come off due to its amount of metal.  AARGH!  I'll have to look for another belt just to go through airport security one day soon.  And then we were in the airport, waiting at the gate for 2 hours.  Luckily, we were in the first general boarding group, as people boarding behind us would have to gate check their bags.  (RQS gate checked her carry-on anyway, so that she could get on the plane with her remaining bags.)

Eventually, we got on the plane around 12:40, and it would be another 5½ hours before touch down at JFK.  We knew that we wouldn't have our bags until 10 pm, and I started to think: What places would be open for late night grub delivery in RQS's section of Queens by the time we got home?  That would be a question that could only be answered when our plane touched down and our luggage came off the carousel.  Hours later, we had our answer.  Our bags were off the carousel around 10 pm (even though the plane arrived at JFK 30 minutes early), and with a ½ mile walk from the terminal to the Airtrain coupled with another 30 minutes in an Uber, we wouldn't be home until after 11 pm.

Now we had a minor problem.  All of the late night joints in RQS's neighborhood were closed.  Luckily, DoorDash and McDonald's came to the rescue.  The clock said midnight in New York, but our bodies said it was 9 pm in San Francisco.  By the time we finished our burgers, we were ready to crash for the night, as we had no more energy to do anything.... 

 

 

 

 

Alaska Cruise 2025 - Embarkation Day (08/11/25)

Embarkation day.  It's one of the 2, 3 or 4 most stressful days of a cruise vacation, the others being Disembarkation day, and the days one flies to a cruise port or returns home from a cruise port.  Today, RQS boarded the Ruby Princess for our cruise through Alaska's Inside Passage.  And, as expected, we encountered a long line to drop our bags off with the porters and another long line to make it onto the ship.

 

Nob Hill is a ritzy neighborhood in San Francisco/ When one stays at a hotel on  Nob Hill, one has limited choices for breakfast, as there are no easily affordable places where one can find a bite to eat, or find snacks to munch on.  To sate one's hunger, one could choose the hotel's restaurant and pay through the nose for a nice breakfast.  Or, one could take the cable car to a district where affordable dining is possible.  Or, one could use a service such as GrubHub or DoorDash to have breakfast delivered to the hotel.  We chose the latter and saved ourselves some effort and maybe a few dollars in the process.  Mickey D's is usually predictable, but today it was terrible - we both got spicy (read: HOT) breakfast sandwiches by accident.  At least, this would calm any hunger pangs we might have until we were on the ship.

Around 11 am, the bellman picked up our bags, and we went to the lobby to wait for our cab to come. After loading our bags into the back of the taxi, we were off to the cruise terminal.  It took us a while to drop our bags off with the porters, and then to snake through the line to get on the ship.  Yet, we were in our cabin by 12:45 pm, and in the restaurant for lunch by 1 pm.  Although there were two disjointed lines for luggage drop and for boarding the ship,it felt much easier to board the ship here than in some ports I've cruised from.  Hopefully, this will be a sign that we'll have a pleasant cruise.

 

After a little bit of unpacking and resting, we went on the balcony to watch the view as we crossed under the Golden Gate Bridge.  And then, it was off to the lounge to have a drink or two. Given that I didn't want to hang out in the lounge and keep drinking, I suggested that we look at the buffet and see how appetizing it looks. So, we went to the Lido Deck, and sat down and had some tea.  

 

While killing time before dinner, I noticed some islands to the side of our ship.  We weren't sure of what islands these were until I remembered that the Farallon Islands were somewhere off the California coast, West of San Francisco.  Looking at the islands in the distance and photos taken by others, I figured that the Farallon Islands were what we were seeing in the hazy distance.  Although I can say that I've seen these islands, I can guarantee that I'll never visit them.

Around 7 pm, we went to one of the main dining rooms for dinner where were served by a talented and experienced waiter named Marco.  It was a pleasure to have him serve us, as he kept us entertained from appetizers to dessert.  Dinner ended, and it was time to go back to the room to rest.  It was a long day, and we wanted to be fresh for the morning's activities. 

A meetup at a new fast food / ice cream shop.

This is the way I remember this corner of a local strip mall.  Subway never does well in most of its locations, and whatever was next to Subway was long gone before the Google Street View photo car came by.  Now, these two storefronts have been combined into a single outlet selling Nathan's hot dogs, Arthur Treacher's seafood (as part of Nathan's) and Mister Softee ice cream.  When I signed up for a meetup at this place, I knew not to expect anything of high quality - I'd have a slightly higher range of food offerings than the local Mickey D's to choose from, and forget just as fast.

- - - - - -

Today, I decided to get up late and then watch some TV for a while.  Around 4:00 pm, I decided to get showered and dressed to go to the meetup.  While getting ready to shave my face before applying makeup, my rotary shaver's head unit wouldn't lock in place making it useless.  Thankfully, I had another shaver in the carry-on I had on my recent cruise, so I shaved with that instead.  (I'll receive a replacement head unit from Amazon tomorrow, so the travel shaver can go back in the carry-on.)

Around 5:00 pm, I drove to Yorktown and found DS waiting.  We placed our orders as others attending the meetup came in.  One woman who I met at another meetup struck up a conversation and I can tell that she was focusing a lot on what I had to say, and not with the others at our table,  (If I were presenting as Mario, I'd assume she wanted me to ask her out due to the way she was touching me in animated conversation.)  After we finished what passed for dinner, DS left early while the rest of us had some ice cream.

At 7:30 pm, the rest of us left the place, and I went to Walmart to pick up some makeup tools (brushes, powder, etc.) so that I can leave a second, full makeup kit at RQS's place.  It'll be a while until I finish filling the kit.  But once it's ready, I'll start making regular trips to RQS's place in Marian mode.

An overly short weekend (and a short post)

 

Yes, I know that this is not 2016.  But I wanted to illustrate that this past weekend was way too short for me.  Only being able to be with RQS on Friday night and Saturday wasn't good enough for me.  At least, I was able to get back to her for dinner on Sunday before going home for the night.

But first....

I had agreed to help my brother with power washing the foundation walls again at the family homestead, as the concrete he used for patching the interior wall was faulty and didn't hold up.  So I told RQS that we'd have a short weekend.  Strangely enough, we didn't do much of anything other than rest.  That was good enough for me, as I'd be working much of the afternoon on Sunday.

Sunday eventually came, and I had to give up a good parking spot in RQS's neighborhood to meet my brother.  After an aborted visit to Mickey D's due to their order kiosks not working for me, we went to the local Burger King - where the touch pads worked.  (Note to me: Do not let one's anger out at the crappy Mickey D's order kiosk - they force their franchisees to buy shitty hardware which annoys both the customer and the franchisee.  Note to reader: If you want to know if a McD's soft serve is working at a particular site, use the mcbroken.com site.)

Once done with our burgers, it was off to the family homestead for 3 hours of work.  This time, the power washing and new concrete seem to do the job.  My brother will apply a skim coat during the week, and will hopefully apply paint after he comes back from a quick trip to the back woods of Appalachia.

Quitting time came, and my brother was off to his wife, and I was off to RQS.  Although I could find a parking spot or two, I could not find one that would let me sleep late in the morning.  So I found a space nearby the house, and went upstairs for dinner.  All too soon, I had to leave, and I had an easy drive home until I hit the draw bridge on the Hutchinson River Parkway.  I lost 30 minutes in that jam.  And yet, even with a shopping trip at Walmart and the Supermarket, I was home shortly after 10 pm.  

Unfortunately, I'll have to go back to Long Island in the morning for the plumber, and then finally go home.  At least, I can see the day where I can again go out as Marian....

I didn't originally plan to be at RQS's place today (a short post)

 

Normally, I might try to put more effort into a topic for a post.  Today is very different.  We have a washer/dryer set being delivered to the family homestead, and I have to be around the house tomorrow waiting for the delivery.  Given that I didn't want to risk being late for the delivery, I decided to drive RQS home and stay at her place for the night.

- - - - - -

I would usually drop RQS off at the station on Mondays, and I would have the rest of the week to myself.  Not this week.  I packed up minimal supplies (my CPAP machine, a change of clothes, and the computer I'm writing this post on) and drove to RQS's place.  We arrived around 2 pm, and I easily found a spot within eyesight of her building's front door.

Given the frigid weather outside, neither of us wanted to go out for dinner.  So, it was Chinese delivery.  What Chippies are to the UK, "Chinese" joints are to the US - ubiquitous in almost every town.  None of them serve the exact same food, as their offerings are not as standardized as a McDonald's.  But they will serve a typical set of food selections that will fill you up for at least 59 minutes.  (As the old canard goes: Eat Chinese food, and in 60 minutes, you'll be hungry again.)

For the most part, it was a nothing-burger of a day.  Tomorrow, on the other hand, will be a rush, followed up by a lot of waiting.

An unplanned dinner with RQS and Vicki

 

Food - Our lives revolve around its consumption, simply because we need to eat now and then. Today, I texted Vicki, and the end result was a nice meal for the 3 of us (and ice cream afterwards).

- - - - - -

RQS and I didn't want to deal with the hot weather.  But we had to go out to pick up some items for the bathroom at Walmart.  So I got dressed in the dress I bought at Universal Standard on Thursday and the two of us headed over to Mohegan Lake. where the two of us planned to get a quick snack, then shop before going to meet Vicki at Lefteris Gyro.  

Of course things didn't work out the way we expected.  We were very hungry when we reached Mickey D's, and were surprised to find the place was closed - the place had lost all power, and couldn't serve any customers.  This meant we had to get our snack elsewhere, and that meant driving over to Taco Bell.  Driving there, I realized that we wouldn't be shopping at Walmart, as we wouldn't have enough time to be sure to meet Vicki at 6:00 pm.  Instead, we drove straight to Mt. Kisco, where we spent our time shopping at Target for the things we planned to get elsewhere.  By doing this, we made it to the restaurant at 6:00 pm, and were on time for dinner.

Upon entering the restaurant, I missed Vicki, as she was in a corner on the left and I was focusing on the right.  After that minor snafu, we settled down to enjoy a good dinner. One of the things I noted was that Vicki was dressed much more casually than in the past. Post-exercise wear for some has a look like wearing PJ's.  Yet, she should be proud of all the weight she has lost to be able to look good in this clothing.  As for me, I'll stick with my dresses, as they hide parts of my body that I want to de-emphasize. Although I knew I was going to come home with leftovers, I didn't know how much I'd be bringing home!  Conversation flowed naturally, as Vicki, RQS and I were all relaxed with each of us having something to share and to take home from the conversation.  (This isn't always the case, given the occasional imbalances we have to talk about certain subjects.) 

All too soon, it was time to brave the weather and make it down to Ben & Jerry's for dessert - Ice Cream.  Although there are a few B&J's ice cream shops scattered over the country, this is the only one I know that's close to the New York City area.  Even more surprising, this would be the first time I've stopped here in over 40 years of living here.  So I knew that I was in for a treat.  One glitch - when moving a table out to seat the three of us, my sundae fell on the floor and had to be replaced.

As we left the ice cream shop, the heavens started to open up,  Even though we were avoiding the heat and rain during the day, we were able to make a good day out of something that could have been crappy.  In the end, this was the big advantage of being outside of NYC this weekend.  

 

RQS went home, and I got keys made - a quick post

 

One of the problems with going about as a female is that almost everything one carries around during a typical day is carried in a handbag.  My problem concerns the headache of carrying around a key fob for my car which weighs more than the key that it replaced, then pulling my keys out of my handbag when I wanted to open my front door.

But first....

It was time for RQS to go home today, so we hung out as long as we could before going out for a quick lunch.  As has been my habit all weekend, I put on a comfortable dress and drove to the nearest Mickey D's for some takeout.  By the time we got there, school had let out and we realized that we'd have to run back to the station before eating our food if she were to make her train on time.

We got to the station in time for RQS's train, and I stopped for a few minutes to finish my lunch.  And then, I decided to make a run to Walmart to get a key chain and to get some keys cut.  Well, I picked up the key chain in the above picture - it's certainly something no cisgender male would have for himself.  Yet, I still had another store to visit.  Walmart's key cutting machine claimed that one of my keys was an uncommon key which required cutting off site for $7.00 - so, I cancelled my order and decided to go to the Home Depot nearby.  Once in the store, I had to wait for service, as two other ladies were in front of me waiting to get their keys cut.  Fifteen minutes later, I had the four keys on the ring and I was ready to go home.  Arriving at home, I found that all four keys worked as expected.  I was able to more easily find these keys in my bag.  So, I hooked my car's key fob into my bag where I couldn't lose it (or the original keys attached to it).  Now, it'll be much easier for me to open up my front door when I get home.

My refrigerator door was open for an undetermined period yesterday, and I wouldn't trust the perishables inside the refrigerator compartment.  Given my upcoming trip, I won't replace these perishables until I return.  So, I decided to go out to eat.  It was nice to be addressed as a female again, as I entered the restaurant.  As much as I could have eaten a more inexpensive dinner if I cooked it myself, I enjoyed what I ate.  It was a nice way to end the day....

Getting things done at the last moment

 

One more day to go before my cruise, and I figure that I've left too much undone.  Last minute bill paying has yet to be done, and I have yet to visit a nail salon for a Mani-Pedi.  Tomorrow will be the last day that I'll have the chance to take care of these things, so I'd better have a game plan set up to make sure that all of my tasks are completed on time.

This afternoon, I had a couple of tasks to take care of, and only dealt with one of them.  And that was taking a duplicate Amazon delivery to the UPS store for a return credit.  (See previous post for more information.)  The other task, left undone was to go to the nail salon for a Mani-Pedi.  That, along with getting some cash for the cruise and doing some last minute packing must be done as early as possible, as I'll need to be fully rested before an early morning trip to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

Once done with UPS, I went home and took a nap.  I had forgotten about the chicken in the refrigerator, and ended up stopping at Mickey D's on my way to Game Night.  Although I was late, they made way for me to join in a game, and I did well for a change.  But I was there for one reason - to give two kids their Xmas presents.  And both loved what I bought.  The hostess then brought out a gift for me - a nice bracelet with phosphorescent beads.  Although a little small, I was able to wear it - and may do so on my upcoming cruise.

On the way home, I chatted with RQS.  We're still making our arrangements for next weekend, as we're going to a concert that Sunday night.  Then, the next weekend will be the holiday - and I can't wait to get dressed to the nines with her again....

Follow that cab! (to McDonald's?)

 

While RQS and I were out this weekend, we turned into a Mickey D's to eat.  And guess what we saw in the Drive-Thru lane: A Checker Cab!  If one looks carefully at the car from all angles, it's easy to tell that this car is not registered as a cab.  Instead, it was registered as a Historical Vehicle (25+ Years Old), and limited to 2,000 miles of driving each year.  They enjoyed seeing me take pictures of the car, and I enjoyed doing so.  May they have many more enjoyable miles to go in this retired cab.

Once I shot the above picture, we went inside for lunch.  Not only did they get the order wrong, but they did not bring the meals to the table as ordered at the kiosk.  (We picked up a table number, and we were called to pick up the bag with our food.)  Although RQS got what she ordered, I ordered a Big Mac meal and received a Quarter Pounder meal and a small order of nuggets.  And the nuggets had less than no flavor.  There was no ketchup in the pumps - we had to ask for packets.  The washroom had a funky smell. And we ended up with a list of 7 complaint items which I intended to forward to McDonald's headquarters.

When we got back home, I sent off my complaints to McDonald's - and received a call back a couple of hours later.  I guess the parent organization actually cares that customers have an enjoyable experience at their stores.

RQS and I will be missing each other

 

Normally, I feel good for a while after RQS leaves at the end of the weekend.  However, this would be the last time we will see each other for about 3 weeks.  I'll be flying out to Hawaii for 11 days, while she will be visiting family in the South for a long weekend.   

- - - - - -

As I write this post, I will likely have returned from my Hawaii trip.  So we will be in the run up to Xmas, where we will be seeing family and friends.  I still have to find another gift to buy her, and she appreciates my frugality in finding a gift that will both bring her happiness whenever she sees/uses it and is something she'd consider good value.

Today, we ended up doing a simple shopping trip to Walmart, followed by a visit to a home furnishings store to get small gifts for my niece & husband, and for my nephew.  All 3 got mugs, as they will be easy to pack for their return trips back home.  Then, it was off to the nearby T-Mobile store to check on whether my plan is the Magenta Max plan.  It wasn't, so the store employee graciously changed my plan to give me greater value for the same price. (I'll now get free Wi-Fi on airplanes due to a new T-Mobile promotion.)  

Once we were finally done with stores, it was off to get a bite to eat.  As much as I prefer Burger King to McDonald's, I might have chosen the latter because of the woman manning the counter.  She could not operate the cash register, nor could she count how much money to give me in change from a $20 bill.  I was a little annoyed, but realized that fast food joints are now scraping the bottom of the employment pool and this woman was typical of the prospective employees left in the employment pool.

After finishing our burgers, I dropped her off at the train station.  Neither of us wanted to separate from each other, and the shortness of this week's visit made our parting a little sadder than usual.  Hopefully, we will feel equally as uplifted when we are together again....

White Post Farms

Aren't these the cutest looking critters?  If they could be domesticated as house pets, they'd be a rival to cats and dogs.  But I digress.  Today, I'm writing about a weekend I had with the lady from Forest Hills and her daughter.

- - - - - -

I was supposed to order the tickets for this weekend event Thursday evening.  Due to a personal screw-up (which I'll blame on my own ambivalence about going further with this relationship), I couldn't get the 1:30 pm tickets for Sunday afternoon that I planned to buy.  Instead, I ended up buying tickets for 3:00 pm, and doing a big Mea Culpa for my screw-up.

Sunday came, and I drove to FH's place, picking up her and her daughter.  FH is a middle aged lady, while her daughter is a young adult whose voice makes her sound like a teenager.  (The daughter still has a lot of growing up to do, and I'm confident in her ability to make young adult mistakes and recover from them.)  So we drove to the McDonald's in New Hyde Park, where they saw one of the fanciest looking fast food joints they will ever visit.

Wouldn't you agree with me about this McDonald's?  When the town had its dispute with McDonald's regarding the potential tear down of the building, both sides came to an agreement to preserve it.  (Note: My mom was interviewed by a local TV station about this building and McDonald's.)  As much as I'd have like to have seen a full historic restoration of the building, I am happy to see it returned to life - even if it is a McDonald's.

We reached White Post Farms around 3 pm, and proceeded to go inside.  This is an experience best enjoyed by a (Grand)parent and younger children.  But we had fun there, in spite of the 80+ degree weather.  (Who'd have thought it'd be this warm at the end of September?) 

As you can see, this place has animals that the average suburban child will not see outside a traditional zoo.  And they can get up close to many, as a good number of these animals would be perfect in a typical petting zoo. 

It was really nice to see FH's daughter enjoying herself at the farm.  Hopefully, if we were to go there again, the weather will be a little bit more comfortable - I felt way too warm, even in a short sleeve shirt.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, I go back to Marian mode.  It'll be nice to get back into a comfortable dress again!