Live from New York

OLGS and domtran are in NYC, and have been for almost three months. There have been visits from two of the sons, many movies, church services, concerts, lectures, walks in the park, and frequent meals at our neighborhood brasserie.  We are the opposite of the people who say that New York is a nice place to visit but wouldn't want to live there.  I think it's a nice place to live but wouldn't want to visit -- too overwhelming.

Yet Another Hungarian Actor Makes it Big

Did you know this?  I sure didn't, but the great English actor Leslie Howard -- the dreamy Ashley Wilkes from Gone With the Wind -- had a Hungarian father.  OLGS thought that ol' Leslie was a Hungarian immigrant, and could not believe that the quintessential gent could have mastered the King's English so beautifully.  However, Leslie was born in England with the last name of Stainer (changed from Steiner so it wouldn't sound so German during WWI).

Innocents abroad, or Joe's visit to Colombia

Joe College Grad is off again -- this time to Colombia.  He's moving fast, and has made it to St. Gil, a colonial city that looks quite lovely.  Ah, to be young and healthy.

Eastern Europe

We've been back from our trip to Vienna, Budapest and Romania for almost two months, but the glow lingers. Vienna, where OLGS was working with Austrian colleagues, is rich, accessible, clean and very western. Budapest is more gritty, with many remnants of Soviet-style architecture, a significant police presence, and fewer English speakers. But that's OK, 'cause OLGS speaks Hungarian. And there are the broad boulevards, the elaborate fin de siecle apartment buildings, the cute trams, and an atmosphere that conveys, "Yes, we were once grand and could be again. Just give us time." But Romania?

In some ways it's a throwback. Donkey carts, lumbering, exhaust-spewing trucks, and many, many Roma people who are universally despised by the Romanians. It's what I imagine Alabama to have been in the 1920's. And the reminders of the Ceaușescu regime -- huge dams and factories, extreme poverty, suspicion and fear -- linger still. But the Hungarian-speaking village where we stayed in Transylvania is both very poor and very rich -- self sufficient in so many ways, dedicated to the children's education and improvement, and living out their heritage every day.

Will we return?  You betcha.

Leaving Flyover Land -- Temporarily

OLGS and Domtran are off on another adventure, this time to eastern Europe, with a stop in central Massachusetts. While we are absent from the land of 10,000 swamps, some of the Joes will be living chez nous, supervising Mitzi the cat, the carpenters who are working on the house, and making sure that the snow, if any in this winter of global warming, is removed from the walkways.

And it will be good to both leave town and come back -- maybe to spring?

Global Warming in Minnesota

OK, global warming foes. We're not just making it up. By this time, early February in the Land of Lakes, we have usually had dozens -- at least two -- of days where the thermometer went below zero. That's what we're known for -- the coldest major population center with ridiculous winter temps. We take pride in it.

There have been only a couple of below zero days so far this winter. And those were at night. None of that stuff where the afternoon temp never went into positive territory. Moreover, we've had no snow. The total is around six inches since November in the Twin Cities. What's up with this?

And they just released the revised gardening zones. We are definitely not anywhere near zone 3 anymore. In fact, in some places in MN, we're barely in zone 4. And because there's no snow cover, on those few occasions when the temp has dipped into the teens or single digits, I worry about freezing. Snow is a wonderful insulator for plants, even those supposed to be hardy in zone 3. We might as well be living in Iowa.

Obviously the global warming naysayers have not been here recently. Probably never been here, in fact.

St. Augustine

A quick break to the sunny south -- and it was indeed sunny. Glorious weather, amazing beaches (especially for January), and finally an understanding of why people like Florida. It's not just a swamp.

We stayed in Atlantic Beach, near Jacksonville, at a funky little hotel, the Palms Retro. Each room has a theme, with murals, music and books that match. We stayed in the Beach room, with a mural of a Woody beach wagon -- ever wonder why old timers call station wagons beach wagons? That's why. Accommodating managers who stayed up late to let us check in past the usual 7 PM checkin deadline. However, the nicest part was the lovely courtyard, with fountain, tables and umbrellas and hibiscus in bloom. Take that, Minnesota!

Off the next day to St. Augustine, which touts itself as the oldest city in America -- that is, if you leave out the southwest Pueblos and other city-building Indians. Anyway, St. Augustine was an interesting place, trying hard to market its historical significance. Lots of schlock -- Gator Bob's, people dressed up as Spaniards, and too many venues with "olde" in the title. However, the story of St. Augustine should not be dismissed. Burned to the ground by the Brits in the 1790s, the city has little left of its Spanish origins except a remarkable fort and a few houses.

Equally interesting is the role of Henry Flagler, the Standard Oil magnate, who built several St. Augustine hotels in the late 19th century so that his friends could join him for the winter season. The hotels have been converted to other uses; one has a new life as a dormitory at Flagler College. These are not your usual student lodgings.

Cedar Street, a block from the college, is home to several bed and breakfast establishments that were all lit up through January and that looked very festive. We stayed at Journey's End, a B & B run by Tim and John, with devoted assistance from Raleigh, their dog. They are friendly and helpful hosts, providing not only excellent served breakfasts but snacks, drinks and useful recommendations for restaurants and sightseeing.

And the beaches around St. Augustine are pretty special.