Bagels, Pizza, Hot Dogs and Race Tracks - New York City?

Guess what these naughty boys are looking at? Giggle. And where was I?

There's the group photo. Now where was Joe? Whatayagottasayforyourself, Joe? Party pooper.

And one more.........these guys are looking suspicious.

We should have taken a photo of the food.....ahhhhhh that roast duck was delicious, if I do say so myself.

OK, I'm wild about these photos, they are treasures, not least since they are nice and loose.

I am beyond charmed to see Noddy in person and hope to meet her one of these days.

I look at these pictures and think, as I think of my long time batch of girlfriends, look, there's the whole smart ass group!

On Kicky the Kutie, I'll be back with another post.

Well, I admire all of you in those pictures, not to get maudlin, and enjoy seeing you together in all your differences and friendship.

On Kicky, I just have to say, that he so reminds me of an old friend, Joe Morella. Joe is a friend of a friend, and of course he and the Kick are different people, even way different people, but there are some similarities in looks and .... storytelling.

Joe Morella is still there in my memory as one of the best storytellers I've ever heard hold forth. He has had a career of writing of books I haven't read on movie stars. But in a room of people drinking gin and tonics with the sun going down, the man had no peers. Well, maybe Joe Nation, but I haven't been with him in a room of people hanging on to gin and tonics.

Kicky is sly, in that it's my guess he has an easy sense of the use of the english language in books and real life, and he's facile at getting people talking on a2k about any damn thing - has a liquidity of language.

And, I see Noddy looking at Blatham with ... a certain look.
What is she thinking?

Phoenix and Lola, which one has the Toni?

Blatham and Frank, goodgod, not twins?

Thomas, I like him so much, but am almost afeared of his posts, and he is so nice and real in the photos..

Actually, Lola, Phoenix, and Noddy may be the Toni triplets.

(You'll not get the reference if you weren't around in the fifties or unless, born somewhat later, you were interested in the history of advertising.)





I, of course, wanna hear about the trip to the Met. I am guessing it is hard for you, Noddy, to make it through all of the place, and wonder how you dealt with that.

Wondering about if you all - Noddy, Phoenix, and Thomas - ate lunch at the cafe and what you had. Trying to remember what I had, guessing it was some ravioli and white wine, while I - I do remember this - perused my wee book on Bonnard, very recently purchased.
But mostly I just sat there happy.

lola, great pix!

Yes, thanks Lola (and Lola's daughter perhaps?) for taking pics and for sharing them with us.

Sly Kicky, that's me. Thanks Osso! You do realize that one of these days we will be husband and wife, don't you? That is, if Blatham doesn't get to me first.

My god, everytime I see that guy, he can't keep his lips off me!

Here are a couple of the highlights of the night, from the Kickycan perspective:

Frank taught me a card trick and how to play Texas Hold 'Em...The Nodster did a psychic reading for me and told me that some opportunity is going to come to me within the next 7 weeks, 7 months, or 7 years......Blatham sexually harassed me, as he always does...Thomas, Lola and I watched the woman in a nearby apartment through binoculars, hopes unfulfilled that we'd see some sex, or at least some nudity...Thomas tried to tell me some BS story about how people in Germany actually get paid vacations AND a stipend from their employer when they go on vacation--Ha! He must think I just fell off the turnip truck...Joe was conspicuously absent, which pissed me off...Phoenix offered to sell me some land in the Everglades...I asked Blatham and Lola if I could marry either one of their daughters...Frank did an excellent naked belly dance routine...I offered to make a vagina cake for Lola...

And I guess that's about it. So what do you think? Sound like a good time?

Oh guys...................I am back home now, with such wonderful memories. I wish that it could have lasted much, much longer. What a great group of people!

On Monday, before we went to Lola's, I met Frank, and we walked down to "The Frying Pan". It is all that people have said about it, and more. What a delight, to sit on a chair overlooking the river. It is almost like a different world.

Lola, is a fabulous hostess. She had told us that she would be having "food", but I was not prepared for "gourmet". Lola, everything was wonderful.

The terrace on Lola's apartment is to die for. It has two views, and cross ventilation. Although it was warm and muggy in the city, it was breezy and comfortable on the terrace. On one side, the buildings right in front of hers are shorter for a number of blocks. The view, especially after dark, is out of this world.

Although we are all from different places, backgrounds, and vintages, we have become one terrific bunch. I envy the guys who meet every week at the Frying Pan. Next time you are there, I will be with you in spirit.

On Wednesday, Noddy, Thomas and I went to the Metropolitan Museum, and took in the Matisse exhibit, as well as ambled around other parts of the museum.

We walked out feet off. I had already been walking all over the city since Sunday, and was a bit raggedy myself. Anyhow, I regretted that I was not going to go to the Egyptian part of the museum, as my favorite work was there. It is called "The "Metternich Stele", and looks like a tombstone carved out of shiny black stone. It is covered with hieroglyphics.

Well, we were wandering around, looking for an exit, and all of a sudden, there it was. (That's three points for "serendipity").

I found an article about the piece, but the picture does not do it justice:


Link to the Metternich Stele

Osso- Yes we went to the museum cafe. I had the crab cake, which was delicious.

Don't underestimate Noddy. She is one tough and spunky lady. I really think that she uses the crutch to hit people if they get into her way.
When I had to sit down and catch my breath, she was moving along, quite nicely.

Because serious gun-threats follow upon any slight movement of cameras in the direction of HofT, she does not appear in the previous photos. She is a four foot ten inch buxom thing with a pronounced Alabaman accent and anyone who might be charmed into playing poker with her would be - on this point there was an apparent unanimity - imprudent.

Smiling at that!

And we still haven't heard from Joe......how unusual for him. I hope he's ok.

Kicky........I'd forgotten about the vagina cake offer.....I must have been drinking or smoking some type of forgetting potion....or maybe it was the duck that made me forget. If we're really nice to Bernie, perhaps he'll fill us in on the story behind Kicky's rare and generous offer. And as far as the daughters go......Bernie has one and I have three. The only one old enough to qualify as your bride, my young friend, is my oldest and she's already married and living in BFE, TX, so I guess it's gonna have to be Bernie........but only over my dead body. Bernie flirts, but he's always home for supper.

Noddy, Phoenix and I do all look a bit curly headed, but I assure you that the only one with a Toni is Bernie. Noddy and Phoenix, do either of you have a daughter for Kicky? I'm sure he'll make a fine husband one of these days when he finally decides what he wants to be when he grows up. Noddy read some cards for him.........but I think it will take more than that to get the man to commitment stage.

No one should worry about Noddy getting around. I'd say more worry is in order for the people who get in her way. Didn't we have some fun?

Phoenix, Thomas and I sat on the balcony for a long time, enjoying the breeze and the view........and Phoenix did something she told us she hadn't done in.......what was it..........25 years? But I'm not telling what.

And what can I say about Thomas? Fun, polite (as all Europeans seem to be) and as we all know intelligent. He's even more surprising with his cleverness than we might have expected and I expected a lot. Good timing is a trait one can't measure in the internet world of the written word. Thomas has it. If I had more time, I could be more clever about my praise of him.......

HofT was there. Which as Bernie points out, in his ever smarty way, isn't obvious because of her absence in the photos. She's shy.

And Frank is Frank. That man is always making trouble. But aren't Bernie and Frank cute together? They aren't twins, but......... my my my, they do make a darling couple. Sorry Kicky.

And Osso, you're right about that look on Noddy's face in the photo. But I'm sure Bernie had just said some provocative thing or other. Noddy has more good sense than to get mixed up with a man like that. But they did seem to get on rather well.

And we were hoping to see some nudity....but as Kicky said, no luck. From the photo, you can see who had the binoculars, even though he worried out loud endlessly about the morality issue. Thomas and I assured Kicky that it was perfectly ok to be watching. After all, her blinds were wide open and the light was on.......and all she was doing is ironing. A long philosophical discussion ensued about the ethics of spying.

We had a good time. And as I said, we still haven't heard from Joe the absent.

ohhhhhhhh - wonderful pix, and stories.
thanks kids!

I am loving Noddy's top/dress - must be part of the new hippie wardrobe.

I'll be back in New York October 20 - 25. I had to make sure I had a Thursday night in there, just in case the weather holds for one of Frank's excursions into town.

I'm examining maps of New York right now, trying to decide which segment of the city I want to walk the he!! out of. Since Frank and I hit RUB just as it opened, and seconds before it became trendy, I think I'm gonna hit him up again for a walk into an unknown area - see if we can find the next HOT resto.

ok - kicky in summer - he's got enough colour to be picked on in those subway checks.

Thomas just looks so dang normal - and nice and friendly. I'd seen photos of him and Phoenix already, but it's still a bit of a surprise.

It's the squint in Thomas's eye while Kicky has the binoculars that does it, I think.

Realizing that Thomas is really a Kicky-style horndog just ratchets down the intimidation factor.

As to Kicky and I marrying, now there's a practical idea! Kicky, hurry up and age and I'll get busy getting younger.

What's the RUB?