From the Basement to Keating Doherty Elegance on Thanksgiving

During those thirty days of "Sandy-cleaning" had an elegant break, a Thanksgiving at  John and Chipper Keating Doherty's.

And elegant it was!

Brought mostly UN-elegant work clothing from California and could not really go shopping for something proper to take this awesome old family friend who also hosted my brother who canceled his annual Vermont Thanksgiving.  Because my days were dedicated to the basement, had little time for shopping.

My son Don came down from NYC to join us and bought a bottle of wine.  There were no fancy wine gift bags so I looked around the basement and had to get creative quickly in order to make our offering more presentable. I had a few pickings from my favorite pepper tree plant from my home then took a few of my mom's silk flowers to clean up and washed a basket that might have been my sister's...Lois, whose archival work, for the most part, although damaged, thankfully survived Sandy!! The "wood roses" that I gave mom over twenty five years ago got damaged in Sandy but the beige colored wheat survived. They added a bit of texture to the arrangement!

Will post a few pics later but here is our small offering at the grandioso Thanksgiving!

Whew!

Our Miss America, Miss New Jersey 2012

Uncle Henry's granddaughter, our cousin Joyce's daughter, Lindsey Petrosh, did a magnificent job representing New Jersey in the Miss America Pageant this past week!

Wherever I went in Vegas, whoever I spoke with, added Lindsey's name to their list of picks for Miss America.  She was OUR MISS AMERICA and what a royal week it was for her biggest fans.
Royal fans from Egg Harbor City (so many of them!), royal lodging with my sister Joan and her husband Mike in their Grand View Time Share, royal meet-ups and receptions, royal Wimberg cousins and our royal Queen of New Jersey!

Among the photos in the archives were pics of Uncle Hen and Aunt Lil.  During the time I lived in Hawai'i in the seventies, Uncle Hen and Aunt Lil came to visit Oahu.  I did my best to treat THEM royally. Took them around the island, brought them to a few local parties and most of all just loved being with one of my dad's favorite brothers. (Uncle Hen was the only sibling of my dad to meet the father of my children!)

Uncle Hen took this photo of Aunt Lil and me.

Dad's Love for Horse Racing!

Dad owned a few horses.  Redcoat was one of them.  I remember one day the phone was ringing often when I was a kid.  Locals saw that Redcoat was running.  It was put in the race at the last minute. Although it was a long shot, those who knew dad, bet on it and it WON, big time!

This was one of dad's jockey's jackets.  It might have been Redcoat's, not sure.  Mom could never toss it even though horse racing was not her "cup of tea".  Finally after years in storage, Hurricane Sandy stained, ripped, wet it enough for us not to feel guilty tossing it.  (This is where a photo is almost as good as the item itself.)

Jockey's jacket damaged in Hurricane Sandy.

Karen Visits 3 North's Dinosaur Remains!

The North West room that was once part of "The 3 North Archives" was used to gather items for garage sales.  Karen's items faired the best throughout Hurricane Sandy.  Most were in plastic tubs.