Island Girls...our beginning

Snooky and I have a long history together, even some of our family members don't know our entire story. Hell, we probably don't remember a lot of it anymore! My Mom and her Dad were sister and brother. One of the best gifts the two of them passed on to their kids was their terrific sense of humor. We tend to look at life through cracked lenses. It makes for an interesting journey.

When I remember some of the craziest and most momentous times in my life, my cousin was by my side. I remember walking on the wall around the Temple in Freeport pretending it was a tightrope and buying ice cream at the candy store on the corner by our Grandma's house. My first cigarette was shared with her the night we thought about painting the Bingo sign to Ringo....we didn't. Not too many years later we eloped together, only I got married to Bob and Pete made her wait another year!  That was one of the funniest trips I ever took! Who laughs so hard during their wedding they are afraid they will get yelled at by the preacher?

Over the years we watched our babies grow, well, she watched a lot more than I did, but we were always there to bolster each other if things got too heavy or either of us needed a shoulder to cry on. We just had this knack for knowing when the other one needed to hear a funny story, or a word of advice. I think my all time favorite was the story of the hermit crabs. I was having a less than stellar day when the phone rang.  It was Snooky, just sharing.  She was folding the laundry and found the hermit crab's legs in the clean things that had just come out of the dyer...how to tell the kids.  They must have been in someone's pocket.  Forgive us kids for the tears we cried from laughing about that one!

She was my Matron of Honor and about 9 months pregnant when I remarried.  We have both buried our Dad's, shared the heartbreak of death in many forms.  We are both strong and independent women, and it seems so fitting that this adventure is something we get to share.  Now we add  Anne to the mix, and become a trio. Anne is also family, Snooky's little sister and not quite as crazy as we are, yet.....

SNOW!!!

Living on Long Island gives me the opportunity to experience all four of Mother Nature's seasons, which is a wonderful thing! I lost count of how many signifcant snowfalls we have had this winter. And just let me say, it is a good thing I LOVE snow.

Snow makes everything beautiful and muffles all the noise of the outside world. Shoveling snow is great exercise, like something to be attacked and conquered. It's also the time to stock up on all the important essentials:  food, wine, pre-made margarita's and really good cookies. Even if you only get snowed inside for one day, the Girl Scout motto has saved my butt many times in the past, "always be prepared."

 Today is another wonderful snow day of watching the snow fall as it settles on the branches of the evergreens outside my windows, knowing that this Girl Scout just got finished attacking the driveway and is prepared to be socked in for at least 3-4 days if necessary!!!  How many days Snooky until we leave for the island????  20 and a wake up! I can take a lot more snow knowing I have that to look forward to!

Island Girl

I am an Island girl, born and bred. Long Island may not be tropical, but it is an island in the sense that we are pretty much surrounded by water. Some of the most beautiful beaches in the world look out over the Atlantic Ocean to the South, and Long Island Sound washes over the rocky beaches of the North Shore.

 I surely have salt water running through my veins; if I am away from the water for too long I get a little bit buggy. The only thing that comes close to the peace and serenity of the water, to me, are the mountains with their deep woods smell and quiet stillness. The Adirondack Mountains are a few hours drive from my home, and between these two worlds I have spent much of my life, therefore a few of the reasons why I feel I am "the luckiest woman I know."

When I was a kid, my Uncle Dan was the head of sound and lighting at the Jones Beach Theater. He worked there for 50 years, an icon in his own way, still remembered by some of the guys "in the booth". My Aunt Eileen worked as an usher, and I used to stay with them during the summer for a bit. I got to sit in the audience with my cousins and watch all the musicals that were staged; it was really a magical time. The place was much different back then. The stage "floated" on Zach's Bay, much as it does now, just smaller. Before the show, Guy Lombardo would whip out in his beautiful boat right in front of the audience and introduce the show. The lights would dim, the orchestra would begin, and the magic would happen! You were transported to distant lands, faraway places, memories to young and old alike.

Which brings me back to the reason why I started this post in the first place, and the meaning, in part, behind the title of this blog. There was a show that a little girl became a part of many years ago, floated away on the mist of a memory....Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific", and the haunting "Bali Hai".....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81NROmUb7o0

I did it!

Step one in sharing this amazing journey is complete, or at least I think it is...I created a BLOG! And I didn't call Cablevision, my brother Steven, offspring Bob or Jenny, or any of the other hundreds of people who support me in my continued lack of computer skills. You simply cannot be good at everything!

I used to have a simple phrase to describe myself that I have begun to use again recently..."I am the luckiest woman I know!" I used it so often people would gag when they heard it. Then life got a little heavy and I let it fall to the wayside for a bit, but things are starting to pick up in my neck of the woods again, so I think it is time to drag it out for another go round! Get used to hearing it family, 'cause it is time for a replay!!!

How many regular people get to travel to so many super cool places in the world in one lifetime? Let's see, I have been to Paris France, Ireland, my all time favorite EGYPT(woohoo here), Jamaica, the Bahamas, Cozumel, St. John's New Brunswick, Montreal Canada, not enough of America, but I am working on that....and now I get to go to Bali!!! And I didn't even win Mega Millions YET!

 How did this come about??? Well, I have a cousin, Mercedes, Snooky to the family, who has a shitload (can you curse in a blog?) of the most amazing kids, I lost count actually, 10+ and yes I am serious. Anyway, one of these super cool kids grew up to be super adventurous and smart. I don't want to put too much in here right now, will save the zillions of details for another day, but he married Simona and they decided, didn't find out why, to go and teach at the most amazing school I think I have ever read about in my life. When Snooky said she was going to Bali for a visit, I think I invited myself....seriously, I am almost more excited to see Green School than I am about this island paradise! I am going to post the link, and take a break for now. As most of my family and friends know, I NEVER run out of words, and I tend to be long winded......seriously....http://www.greenschool.org/