Click on the thumbnail below to be directed to the Photo and Movies Gallery on my MobileMe website. Some of the videos are uploaded in large format, which takes just a little longer to load, but which makes the viewing more pleasurable.  You may want to wait a couple of minutes before playing it, or allow the download to catch up.  if the video stops, just wait a short while and then press play or the space bar to continue.  Where available, you may click on the Medium format – it should stream with no problem.  You will need QuickTime 7.2 which you can download for free before playing the video.

Christmas in New York – 2010

Christmas 2010 had to have been one of the most wonderful Christmases we as a family has experienced.  Katie and I spent almost two weeks in New York at our apartment.  We were joined by Tommy and Yuki with our dear grandson, Ryusei. and Katie’s 90-year-old mother, Grace Tharp, came in from Florida on Thursday before Christmas, and was going to stay until Sunday after Christmas.  Of course, we had the big snow storm which wreaked havoc on the airline schedules, and she was unable to get out until Friday, almost a week later. What a bonus it was to have her for those extra days!  I was fortunate to stay until the Monday after New Year’s, and Tommy, Yuki and Ryusei did not have to return to San Francisco until Tuesday.  And with Dan and Jessica here, the picture was complete and perfect.

On Christmas Eve afternoon Katie babysat while Tommy, Yuki, Grandma Grace and I went to see  “A Little Night Music” which is the show Jessica was doing on Broadway, with Bernedette Peters and Elaine Stritch.  What a fantastic show!  Then we all met at Jessica and Dan’s apartment for a lovely evening of fun and wine and cheese.

On Christmas day we had presents and then a lovely Christmas lunch at our apartment.  In the evening all of us went to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.  The show was, well, spectacular.  After the show we were treated to a back-stage tour by one of Jessica’s friends, and Ryusei got to pet the camels.  We then went to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, had dinner, and sent Jessica off to do her Christmas evening performance of her  show.

The next day, Sunday, we went up to Jessica and Dan’s neigborhood for brunch at Popovers, and walked back in what turned out to be a major snow storm pushing Mother’s wheel  chair and Ryusei’s stroller.  The next couple of days we enjoyed New York in a way that was very special for all of us. Granny Scoot (Grace) was such a trooper.  We bundled her up and took her EVERYWHERE in that 4×4 wheelchair we had!  Snow, sidewalks covered in up to two feet in places… nothing deterred her.  And how much fun we had with Ryusei in his first snow!

Katie and I went to see la Fanciulla del West, one of my favorite Puccini operas at the Metropolitan Opera.  On Monday I left, Tommy, Yuki, Dan and Jessica went to see Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Met.

Thank you so much to my kids and most of all to Katie for making this such a wonderful Christmas.

Click on the photo above