Saturday ..Hospital Visit and ???

       I woke to a house full of guests and family.  Kathy, Helen's friend , left to return to New Jersey and her Grand Daughter Jenny left for work.  Dawn, her daughter, was expecting her husband to drive up from New Jersey to bring her some clothes to wear for another couple of days that she would stay to help.  
       Helen and I left for Breakfast then I was to follow her to the hospital so I could see David before I left the next day.  I was going to Martin Van Buren's house after then back to the house. We had a nice Breakfast and Chat before I followed her to the Albany Medical Center.         I parked in Handicapped next to her .  We both have Intermittent Claudation in our legs so the trip from one end of the hospital to the other was slow and painful.  When we arrived at David's ward, it was FULL.  He had a private room across from the Nurse's station and was quite cheery.  Normal for David.  He had lots of computers and feeds in to him all hung on a tripod so he could walk around a "Pink" track with pink socks on so if he got off the track, the nurses knew he didn't belong there.  
     Dawn and her husband John showed up shortly after we arrived.  David's lunch arrived and I left for Martin Van Buren's house. Helen slept on David's bed while he visited with daughter. 

           I had no map or GPS just a general idea so headed South East out of Albany and after driving through the center...I arrived on the road I wanted and ended up at Martin Van Buren's home. A miracle. 
       The tour started just after a short movie about him and his life.  He was the first "American Born" President.  The 7 before him were born in the British Commonwealth...know as America but not officially.  The tour of his house was interesting.  It was a small home so we were crowded in but the Park Ranger did a great , understandable tour that I did enjoy.  

     I returned to Helen's after and arrived to Barbara waiting to take me to Max's Brassier, a Swiss Restaurant with excellent food.  Jenny joined us.  I drove.  When Barbara , who is my height, got into the back seat, I commented...sit up front with the leg room but she said Jenny gets sick when she sits in the back????  OK?  Jenny sat up front and played on her cell phone the entire 20 minute drive while Barb and I shouted back and forth with no response from Jenny.  
      We arrived and were seated in the bar as it was Saturday and all the tables were booked with reservations.  It was nice and comfortable and Jenny was pleasantly surprised by the menu.  She like local, organic food prepared fresh to order.  She got it and came to life.  We all had a really nice meal and a nice conversation.  
         Helen and Dawn were home when we arrived.  We all went to bed early.  

SUNDAY RETURN

         I woke Sunday and packed.  Then had coffee with Helen and left for Batavia after having the last piece of Apple Pie.  I stopped at McDonald's for a scrambled egg and sausage breakfast and was on the road by 11 am.   I drove straight to Batavia through four SNOW flurries all along the way and arrived about 3:30 and checked in the Comfort Inn.  

         I unpacked and got comfortable then around 5 pm I headed for Alex's Restaurant for the Twilight Special.  The ground was covered with snow when I got in the car.   It was melted by the time I got to Alex's.  I had the Chopped Sirloin with Mushroom Gravy, Tomato Basil soup, Collard Greens with Red Peppers, Cheese and Crackers, two glasses of Merlot then returned.  It is so nice and quiet here.
           The rental car now had an additional 1800 miles on it since I picked it up at the airport.  I drove around 36-40 hours of my 13 day trip to the Northeast.  I made a copy of the 1937 Yearbook from Attica H.S.  My Aunt Grace was in her Sophomore year and my Uncle Charlie in his Senior year.  Then Monday I took it to the Attica Library and donated it while reviewing others from 1931-41.  Goodbye Attica.

Waiting for the Plane

       

Friday Trip to FDR's House

        Everyone had left for the hospital and I was left with the dog.  Everyday Jenny puts a blanket on the couch and turns the TV on to the Greatful Dead Music Channel for Boomer the Dog. She must know all their songs by now.  I would be in the way and couldn't do anything so headed for FDR's home in Hyde Park after breakfast at the Diner again.

  It was around 1:30 pm when I arrived, got my ticket and shortly after was with a large group led by our Park Ranger guide.   The Ranger had a high pitched voice and I could barely hear him but enjoyed the one hour tour before going to the FIRST Presidential library which was FDR's and located next door.

Paralyzed from the waist down..he hoisted himself up to second floor in his own elevator

FDR was born in this bed, in this room...and grew up as a child here.

  I passed by his and Eleanor's grave site first.

 
         It was around 4 pm when I decided to visit the CIA just down the road.  The Culinary Institute of America was the USA's foremost school of Culinary Arts.

 Most of my "Chef " friends had some connection to it.  They had been instructors there or graduates.   I wanted to eat there but it was so crowded and the lines so long to get in to the restaurants that I took some photos and left to return to Helen's.
         I got back around 5:30 and no one was home, a first!   It was so quiet and relaxing...then Kathy showed ...oh David , I haven't seen you in 8 years I think.  She came up to help Helen through the this ordeal.  They were neighbors in Freehold N.J.  She brought some Meatballs and Spaghetti to feed everyone when they returned from the hospital a few minutes later. Barbara had brought Meatballs and Spaghetti the night before....and David's brother brought over Meatballs and Spaghetti the next night.  It really was a nice support group with her children, sister, friends and me.
           David's operation had gone well but he had a clot that were worried about and had to stay in the hospital until Monday.    I would stop by the hospital Saturday to say hi to David before visiting Martin Van Buren's house.

Return to Coxsackie, Family Crisis, Historic Hudson River Valley Homes

             I called Helen at I got within 50 miles to let her know I would arrive shortly when she informed me that David had a stent put in where the other stent had failed and got clogged.  Erik , her son had driven up from Richmond Virginia to be with his father as did his two sister's Tina and Dawn.  I arrived and Tina's daughter, who lived in an apartment Helen had built for her was home to greet me.  Barbara, Helen's sister called and told me she was bringing Spaghetti and Meatballs over for dinner.  Helen showed up with Erik her son, just after Barbara arrived so we ate and chatted until late.  The local "drug runner" , friend of the family brought over some Xanax to calm Helen's nerves and allow her to sleep that night.  Barbara and I are going to see one of the Historical Homes on the Hudson river tomorrow around Noon.  She went home and I went to bed.
       She got here early so we went down to the local diner and had breakfast and headed for Germantown and the Livingston Estate.

First Steamer, The Clermont.  Fulton and Livingston were partners.

Livingston Family...descendants of the one that drafted the Declaration of Independence and negotiated the Louisiana Purchase

Livingstone Mansion

Their property

 Livingstone's were rich and owned lots of property on both sides of the Hudson.  One helped draft the Declaration of Independence but refused to sign it in case Britain won the war.  It was considered treasonous and they would have lost all there property , wealth and lives.  It was a nice tour and after Barb wanted to take me to Beeham Arms for dinner.  The Montgomery House was just up the road a bit so we stopped there first.

Montgomery Mansion...1st General to die in the Revolution

 Barbara stayed in the car and called some Real Estate customers she was working with while I walked to the Montgomery House .  A tour would take too long and it was too late but I took photos of the grounds and the house before returning to the parking lot and Barbara.  She drove through the campus of Bard University.

We then drove into Rhinebeck, a wealthy suburb of NYC.to have dinner at the Beeham Inn.  It is the oldest operating Inn in the U.S....but the Red Lion in Sturbridge Massachusetts says the same?

  We had a great meal with Colin our waiter,  then returned to a house full of people just returned from the hospital.
          The Doctor decided David needed a "heart map" operation the next day so would not becoming home.  The operation would start at 9 am and take 7 hours.  The whole family went in to support Helen.  

Littleton, New Hampshire and My Mother's Side of the Family

       I showered, had breakfast on the way out of town and headed for New Hampshire and my step-Aunt Jeanette's home in Littleton and to visit the grave site of my recently departed Uncle Johnny, my Mother's Brother.

 I got lost half way there so took a LOT of scenic Route through Vermont and New Hampshire before finally arriving around 5:30 in time for another "Birthday Dinner" .  My cousin Dan showed up with his wife Priscilla and we sat down to another wonderful dinner of Pasta with Veal, Rolls and Vegetables.   We sat and talked a long time before Dan and Cil departed.  We all retired for the night .
       This morning Jeanette and I drove up to Polly's Pancake Parlor and had a nice Breakfast.  The place was packed.  The food and view a top the mountain was beautiful with a light rain complementing the fall colors. 

       We then stopped at the cemetery to pay respects to my Uncle John.

 We took a little walk around the cemetery then returned to the house so I could get my computer and update this Blog at McDonald's since Jeanette has no computer or WiFi.   We hope to have dinner at Dennis and Linda's Restaurant, "Grammy's Place" tonight.  Dennis is another of my cousin's that worked a short time for me at my restaurant in Phoenix...a long time ago.  He is a good Chef as is his brother Dana.  
         I took off for coffee and WiFi at McDonald's to check my email then returned around 3 pm to find Dan and Cil visiting Jeanette.  They wanted to take me up to Whitefield , Dalton , the Covered Bridge over the Connecticut River between Vermont and New Hampshire then to a restaurant for dinner. We took off but the road was blocked off so we crossed another bridge to Gilman where my Mom worked when she was 17 at the Paper Mill just down from where my Grandfather Streeter lived in Vermont.

 That house was gone now too.  We crossed back over the Covered Bridge into New Hampshire , took some photos then Dan started driving up along the river North....and drove ...and drove through country I didn't recognize. Dan stopped so I could visit some more of my deceased Aunt and Uncle, Cousin and Grandparents.

         Finally I asked where this restaurant was ..St Johnsbury, Orleans, ?  No it was almost in Canada in Colebrook, NH where his brother Ron used to work at Sheriff after he returned from Vietnam.  Dan drove a UPS truck 250 a day 5 days a week back and forth making deliveries there for 3-4 years out of his 31 years of working for UPS.  It was beautiful country and a nice but long ride.  We stopped at a Waterfalls just outside the town.

 It started to rain and was getting dark so we finally reached the restaurant and had dinner then drove back. 
         Dan got stopped by the State Police doing 60 in a 50 mile and hour zone but after a check of his clean driving record the policeman gave him a warning and we arrived back at Jeanette's home in time for the Democratic debates at 8:30.  Dan and Cil returned home and Jeanette and I watched the debate.  
      After. we were talking and she confided her concern about her bouts of dementia and how difficult it was for her to manage the house.  She admitted a future need to downsize and move to an assisted living facility where she could get care she anticipated she would need later.  I offered to take her to a place she mentioned the next day for a tour and to investigate the costs and benefits of such an arrangement.  We agreed to visit the RiverGlen home in downtown Littleton the next day.
         Wednesday morning we had coffee then arrived at 9 am and met the sales representative for a tour of River Glen next to the Senior Citizens Center along the river right downtown.  

We took the brochures and gave Ron Niles the Representative the information he needed to contact her.  
         We went over to the Coffee Pot for lunch and discussed it.  She wasn't ready to move yet but agreed that she felt that would be the place when the time came.  She wanted to have  lunch there  by herself and get more of a feel of the place. She had met some friends she knew from the Senior Center while visiting that day that lived there for the last few years.  That made her feel comfortable and she could take her cat with her.  I dropped her at the house and left for Helen's in Coxsackie anxious to find out how David was doing.