Wide awake

We moved apartments last night/today. We had seventeen hours to do it: midnight to 5pm today. Got everything done, but that means I've been awake since 8am yesterday. The others had a nap around 6 am but I kept schlepping and painting.

That means I've been awake for almost 33 hours. Never studied all night at university. Never worked a night shift. So I'm going for a record. Wait a minute, I've set the record, ages ago. I'm just breaking my own record.

I heard once from Ronnie Wood that he and Keith Richards did six straight days once. I'm not going to break their record.

Big cheese

He said third Indiana Jones film was released in 1990. I said no, 1987, maybe 1989. He was adamant and wanted to make a bet with me. I'm careful with my money, but mighty competitive, so I said, "Alright, I'll bet you a LARGE cheese sandwich." He said, "You're on".

And I was right. 24 May 1989. I just won a cheese sandwich! I don't care if I even get it. I just love that I won the bet.

That's two in a row.

Longer days

Today was the first day I left the office and it was still light outside. That's usually something I announce in the springtime when the days are getting longer, but it's autumn. So what does this mean? It means I've been working late every night for the past two weeks. So what it really means is my life is a bit crap right now.

Still, I always take some comfort in knowing it could be much worse. Like for this chap I heard about in a BBC new story who got himself arrested for having 86 wives. The Shariah court is all up in arms because under Islamic law he's allowed only four. But he doesn't believe Allah is unhappy with him. What evidence does he offer for this? He says, "Any man that did not have help from Allah in keeping 86 wives would surely drop dead!" I'm inclined to agree with him.

And I really like his hat.

Wish I could live in Kentucky

I've been working on a project that involved transcribing what felt like about a million addresses of mine workers in northeast Kentucky. Tedious job, but the street names were kinda fun:

Silk Stocking Road
Middle Greasy Creek
Big Ugly Road
Burning Tree Lane
Pigeon Roost Road
Fox Hunters Ridge
Bob & Joann Lane
Stumbo Hollow
Triple S Road
Raccoon Road
Little Lick Fork
Upper Blackberry
Pansy Lane
Sulfur Springs Road
Left Jockey Hollow

and my favourite...
Fex Creek

I know it's puerile but that one makes me laugh out loud every time.

I think Dad has a list of towns in Texas with silly names. If anyone can think of other such lists, let me know, we Bovees love this kind of thing.

C.E.R.N.tainly it'll be fine

So our physicist friends in Switzerland are pretty confident there won't be some kind of planet terminating event over there tomorrow when they switch on their giant bicycle pump. Still, I'm going out for a really good dinner tonight and enjoying a bit of my favourite telly. I don't want to have spent my last evening in this dimension eating cold pot noodle and doing the wash!

The long night is over

The ink on our new lease is dry and the ordeal is finally over. We have a place to live (for another year at least) and we don't have to worry about moving as it's just downstairs in our current building. My new address will be 45 Wall St #301.

It's a gorgeous little apartment with two large bedrooms, a living room nearly as big as the one we have now, and a large alcove where we can keep our sewing stuff and work on other projects. We have high ceilings - 11 ft - so an illusion of even more space. There will just be the four of us, so not quite as hectic as the last two years.

I can't tell you how relieved we all are! Things have worked out well.

BFI on youtube

I discovered that the British Film Institute, which has the largest film archive in the world, has a youtube channel. I couldn't sleep this morning so I've been watching clips from their collections.
There are wonderful historical films of Edwardian Britain, clips from a filmed tour of Britain in 1924, and several films of old London. They have "educational" films from the forties and fifties, including one called "Growing Girls" that's not for the faint-hearted. I loved the old football matches, the men in their suits, steam trains and omnibuses, and suffragettes on the march. Here's one that Mum will love Holidaying in 1957. There's the Mystery of Marriage and courtship explained. How to make the perfect Valentine. Hints on how young ladies can fight off thieves. And Rush hour in 1896 (a little quieter on the bridge than when I used to cross it).

Janice Lurine Bovee

One evening when Dad was visiting New York, we dined out in style at a Greek restaurant, Molyvos, and between courses I quizzed him about his family. We talked about his father's many brothers and sisters, most of them Dad never met, and I realised that though we assumed all had long since passed away, his youngest sister Janice, born in 1926, may still be living. I decided to make it my mission to find her for him and get us together if possible.

Well thanks to my friend Charles who is a professional genealogist, we located her this week. Charles found an obituary in a Wisconsin newspaper and I nearly fell off my chair when I noted the date. She died just six weeks ago on July 29th... the day we had dined at Molyvos.

She was the last of her generation on both sides of Dad's family and it's ever so disappointing to think if we'd looked just a few months ago we might have been able to meet her. Though sadly the irony is without her obituary we probably wouldn't have found her. However, all is not lost. As you will read below, she had eight children (eight cousins for my Dad!), grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and I shall track them down and make friends with them.


Janice Lurine Lawton, Orfordville (1926 - 2008)
February 15, 1926 - July 29, 2008Janice Lurine Lawton, 82, passed away Tuesday, July 29, 2008, in Collinwood Elder Care, Orfordville. She was born on Feb. 15, 1926, in Medford, WI, daughter of George and Lillian (Brown) Bovee. She married Leonard Revels on June 20, 1944. Leonard was the father of her children. She married Floyd Johnson in 1957; he passed away on July 20, 1980. She married Bernard Lawton on Feb. 9, 1985; he passed away on July 21, 2000. Janice was a nurse and caregiver. As a resident at the Garden Court Apartments, she was very active setting up activities and music for all residents. She enjoyed crocheting, reading, talking on the phone, playing cards and other games, and spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.She is survived by her sons: Paul "Bud" (Caroline) Revels of Footville, Ronald (Christine) Revels of Twin Falls, ID, Larry (Darlene) Revels of Mauston, and Jim (Penny) Nielsen of Sioux City, SD; daughters: Roberta (Mike) Kemper of Beaverton, OR, Cynthia (Roger) Williams of Byram, MS, Barb Augustin of La Place, LA, and Sandy (Fred) McKillips of lola, WI; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; and great-great-grandchildren.She was preceded in death by her parents; husbands; and a grandson, Ryan McKillips.

Silbo Gomero

Anyone ever heard or heard of Silbo Gomero, the whistling language of the Canary Islands? I thought I knew a thing or two about obscure languages but was fascinated to discover this on a BBC radio programme. Apparently a shouting voice doesn't carry across the valleys of the volcanic island of La Gomera, but whistling travels over 2 miles. So to avoid schlepping up and down the mountains to get a message to their neighbours, the Gomeros just whistled. Have a listen.

Team GB

Lucy was telling me yesterday about how Jonathan has been glued to the Olympics coverage non-stop since the games began last Saturday. And she says, "You know Great Britain is no.3 in the medals table" and I quite simply didn't believe her. I insisted that was nonsense until I checked BBC news online and we were indeed number 3 with totally unprecendented haul of 13 gold medals. I was delighted (everyone in the office was informed) but I figured it couldn't last, not now that the athletics competitions have begun.

So imagine my surprise when I checked this morning to see how far we'd slipped, only to discover we'd won TWO MORE !

Look at that. We're only 10 behind the USA. If it won't for that Phelps kid, we'd almost be tied!

My great grandmother Moina Ducie O'Brien was an heiress. She was the genuine article, wealthy, cultured, genteel, and, as grandma Rosalba put it, "had expensive tastes". Following a decline in fortunes, Moina and husband Alfred moved with their three daughters from Montana - where the family fortune in copper had been made - to Connecticut in the mid-1920's. In searching for a new home, Moina found a beautiful and historic 18th century house that she wanted "in the worst way". Unfortunately because of its age, the doorways were only 5'8". Grandpa Al, who Dad and Stephen have to thank for being tall, put his put his foot down declaring "I'm not living in that house". So Moina had to settle for something a little more modern in the town of Ansonia, CT until they moved to the leafy Queens suburb of Jackson Heights in 1932.

More family ties to New York

Great uncle Elmer Pehrson and Aunt Evelyn Ducie Pehrson lived briefly in Manhattan in the 1950's. Elmer, an expert in mining economics (google him and find some really interesting publications), after years of traveling the world for the US government assessing mineral deposits, had taken a teaching position at Columbia University. The politics of academia soon drove him away, but for two years they lived at the rather ritzy address of Sixth Avenue and 57th St, in the same building as none other than Louis Armstrong. Grandma and Aunt Debbie came to visit one year and met Mr Armstrong in the elevator, where he presented Debbie with a Hershey bar.

Dad says that years later when our family visited them in their last home in Washington DC, Evelyn produced a collection of exotic hats and trimmings from an old Afghani trunk and danced around the room in them. He says that even then, after sixty years of marriage, Elmer was clearly still besotted with his spirited and Bohemian bride.

And Jeff and Caitlin are away

Even though Michael and I aren't hitched, his brothers Jeff and Stephen, as well as being two of my oldest friends in New York, the last two years have felt like brothers-in-law to me. So it was a right old bummer to have to say cheerio to Jeff and Caitlin yesterday as they packed up and departed for Chicago.

We took some pictures with the family.

They have grand adventures ahead of them. Trips home and to Costa Rica and then back to Chicago for graduate school and goodness knows what next.

We said our goodbyes around 7pm and it might have been a somber evening, but thankfully Kelly was in town and she had planned an adventure for us as well. We jumped on the train back up to 79th street for dinner at the Boat Basin. Sara and Libby joined us after work, along with Liesel and Adam.

And we managed to cheer Michael up a bit.

I've been in New York for nearly five years now and I've made some splendid friends in that time. I've watched some of them get married like Liesel and Adam, some like Kelly have moved on to new places, and Jeff and Caitlin have done both.

Some days I feel a bit like the Scarecrow, stood fixed at the crossroads watching everyone else come and go. Although I'm not quite ready to hop off my post and march to the Emerald City because the more I think about leaving New York, the more I want to stay. It's really weird. Perhaps I should try that reversable psychology thing. Or perhaps I should stop worrying about it. How about I leg it to Ireland. Emerald Isle/Emerald City, it's close enough. And I quite fancy Barcelona. And Rio. And Sardinia.

You probably know or remember the famous and historical Trinity Church, at the top of Wall St. I see, if not pass, it every day. Aunt Mary (my grandma's younger sister) was an active member of their congregation, attending church there and participating in many of their community programmes.

I've only been inside on Halloween an old silent film of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, with an old style accompaniment on the church organ. I wonder if we sat in the same pew.

If you've read the post below (Stephen?!), you'll know I got a chance to wring some information out of Dad while he was visiting last week. In an effort to educate my siblings about their forefathers, I shall be posting one tidbit a day.

Grandpa Warren Bovee loved basketball. He liked to play the game and watch it on television. He joined the Church along with Dad and Grandma in 1957 and I had always thought that they hadn't been very active (he wasn't endowed before he died). However, it turns out that his passion for basketball was put to good use and he served as the Stake Athletic Director for several years.

Dad has been in town with me for the last seven days. He was really excited to come. Dad used to spend his summers here as a student in the sixties, so he wanted to explore his old neighbourhoods and retrace old paths, do a little shopping and just wander among the new and grand buildings that have sprung up since he was here. I wanted him to meet all my friends and to question him about his family who lived in New York, his mother and aunts and grandparents - I'm the fourth generation of Bovee/O'Briens to live in NYC!

Dad spent Friday in the Village, with a visit to his old apartment building at 1 Bank Street. In the evening we went to our West Side taco place on Amsterdam/108th with Jeff and Caitlin Mulcock, Jeff Butler, Colin and Jared. Most of the Mulcocks/McPhees have met most of the Bovee/Kings and we're all like extended family now. Well, I like to think so.


Saturday we met Dave Almond and his sister Elise and walked over the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn Heights where we had ice cream on the waterfront, and then went up to Montague Street to see the street where Dad and Aunt Mary used to live. He says the shops have changed but otherwise it looks pretty much the same.

Sunday I got to introduce Dad to several friends at church, and in the evening we had dinner with Mike - a happy reunion for Mike and "Dad" with hugs and reminiscences of Latvian sweaters - and then Dave came by and Dad got to play the infamous Ticket to Ride.

Monday morning I was back at work during the day, so Dad went exploring. In the afternoons he would collect me from work and we'd go do some of our favourite things like perusing the travel section at several large bookshops. We also enjoyed dining out. Tuesday we went for dinner at Molyvos, an upscale Greek restaurant near Carnegie Hall. Some fancier restaurants in NY really don't live up to expectations, but the food here was simply delicious. Perfectly cooked, wonderful ingredients. We were very happy! It turns out restaurants are great places to get people talking about their family history and I noted down several new stories about Dad's family and tidbits of information to follow up on.

Most evenings we ended up at the seaport, having a look in the shops and sitting at the end of the pier, watching the boats. And then back home, where Dad had easily befriended all my roommates.

I was so sorry to say goodbye to Dad yesterday. I stood looking out my office window in the afternoon, wishing he was down there somewhere. But I'm sure he'll be back to visit again soon. New York is too much of a draw. And I think he rather likes my company as well!

Papa arrives today

Escape

This weekend I finally escaped the city for more than just a few hours. I had a car and I intended to go a good long way. First stop was New Bedford where I'd hoped to find some more historical records and photograph some old buildings connected with my family. Neither were to be found, but I did have a jolly nice sandwich (tuna salad made with long grain rice) so it wasn't entirely a bust. Having finished early in the afternoon, I had loads of time on my hands so I headed to Cape Cod. I could have driven all the way to Provincetown, but there's a limit to the hours I can spend in a car, so stopped at Hyannis and went to the beach were the beginnings of the sunset cast long shadows across the dunes.

The next morning was the highlight of the trip. Bright and early, I attended sacrament meeting with the Fall River Branch. This little congregation, with 50-60 people in attendance, were exactly what they professed to be, a family. The Branch President sang his heart out during the hymns. The meeting was friendly and familiar without being irreverent. You could sense real affection among the members and the talks given really drew the Spirit. I even took notes. Haven't done that for years!

After church, I made a quick stop at the cemetery (oh, how I love cemeteries!) and then on to Newport, Rhode Island, the fashionable summer retreat for well-heeled New Yorkers before the turn of the 19th century. The seashore is dotted with grand houses, indeed some, like the Vanderbilt's mansion The Breakers, are virtually palaces.
Despite 90 degree temperatures and blazing sun in New York and New Bedford, Newport was constantly overcast with strong ocean breezes blowing in great clouds of cool, moist air. I walked along the cliff path, enjoying the fresh sea air and the sound of the breaking waves. I love being near the ocean.

The most exhilarating part of the trip was driving over several tall bridges. The views are spectacular, and it was so tempting to keep taking my eyes off the road. The winds would have easily blown my car into the next lane or, it seemed, over the side of the bridge had I not be ever so careful. The longest and tallest of these bridges was the Pell Bridge connecting Newport to the mainland. I managed to take this picture during the long 200-foot ascent.

As I arrived home Sunday night, tired but refreshed, I realised I'd put my feet down in four different states that day.

The rest of the pictures from the trip are on Flickr.

The Mr. Darcy list

Dave Almond and I are doing a joint, or rather simultaneous, post on what he calls the Mr. Darcy list. These are things that we feel are alright, but other people go crazy for, and we don't understand quite what all the fuss is about. For example:


Dave says he appreciates the fine storytelling of Austen's Pride & Prejudice but has never understood the obsessive adoration for the character of Mr. Darcy and various portrayals of him that so many people seem to have. Hence the title of the list. By the way, I don't really understand the allure of him either. Men who are withdrawn and surly are not mysterious and intriguing to me, I see them as grumpy, self-involved and frankly no fun at all. I prefer nice chaps, with smiles and self-esteem.

So anyway, here's my Mr. Darcy list:
Fancy NY restaurants - sometimes delicious, sometimes not, you can't believe the hype, cheap felafel sandwiches are often far more satisfying
The Alchemist - it was a decent read but it didn't change my life
Mountains - i enjoy going up mountains once in a while, especially if they're in the Alps, but at boarding school in Colorado people practically worshipped them (what I do like is tunnels through mountains, I LOVE tunnels)
Mitt Romney - it was kinda fun watching an LDS candidate for president do well, but I couldn't ever really support a Republican and I was recently shocked to discover one of my friends - heretofore a commited Democrat - had served as one of his campaign staff
Traversing the Brooklyn Bridge - she's a beauty, but I could go a good long time without walking across it again

Feel free to chip in with your own Mr. Darcy list contenders (Dad, that means add new ones... we already know you think Mitt is Satan) Or contest any of the above. I may be opinionated, but I'm also English, which means I never miss a chance to apologise for it!

I'm a proper New Yorker now... I just got invited to the Hamptons! That would make two weekends out of the city in a row. I am so anxious to escape, even if it's just for a couple days.