Oliver and Nana in front of the Origami Tree at the Natural History Museum I was not expecting to make a trip back up to New York before the New Year but Grammie's funeral was in Long Island so we got back on a plane (everyone but Oliver is sick of traveling!) and flew up to NYC. New York is so magical at Christmas time and despite the sad reason for being there, we had a terrific time.
My mom and I took Oliver to the Natural History Museum. That was one of my favorite places when I was little. I loved to go look at the origami tree. This time I was surprised by how small it was, in my memory it was just enormous. Oliver at first just ran by it, but then when he slowed down and got a closer look he was mesmerized.
He was, of course, thrilled that we got to take a bus to the museum. My mom held him and they chatted about all the taxis, busses, garbage trucks and motorcycles we passed along the way.
He loved the museum, he ran all over looking at the dioramas of animals and the huge dinosaur fossils.
I made Oliver pose in front of this diorama, because it was my ALL TIME favorite when I was little. I mean, I was obsessed with this one. It shows Peter Stuyvesant trading wampum with the Indians for the Island of Manhattan. The salient features of the diorama are a) Peter has a peg leg and b) the Indians are naked (under their loin cloth flaps). It made for fascinating viewing and certainly provided a lot to think about (were the manequins anatomically correct? how did Peter's peg leg stay on??).
Abby hosted us for brunch in her new apartment. She served bagels and lox which is my favorite New York breakfast. Her apartment is so sweet!! She had just moved in (as in 2 days before we got there) but she had already Abby-fied it with her cute personal style. It has skylights and an amazing terrace/deck which is practically the size of her old apartment. We can't wait for the summer barbecues!
Oliver and Brian chillin' on the roof deck
The funeral itself was just as perfect as something like that could be. All my aunts and uncles were there, as well as a lot of my mom's college and childhood friends from the neighborhood. My dad also came, which I thought was really cool. The funeral gave me a chance to reconnect with some of my cousins who I haven't seen for years. It was really great to see what interesting people they have become. My cousin Tegan works for an organization called The Food Trust, whose mission is "building strong communities through healthy food." She is involved with an initiative to improve the school lunch program by connecting local farmers with school districts. It is really shocking how inherently unhealthy the food that is served up in public schools is. Anyway, she got me fired up to find a way to get involved with this down here in North Carolina.
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