One of the popular social media activities right now is for people to post pics of places that have made them happy. You know the pics, the ones you look at and you get that feeling of calm and happiness inside. I've decided to do that for this week's edition of Travel Tuesdays.
This is the 18th edition from my self isolation.
One of the popular social media activities right now is for people to post pics of places that have made them happy. You know the pics, the ones you look at and you get that feeling of calm and happiness inside. I've decided to do that for this week's edition of Travel Tuesdays.
This is the 10th edition from my self isolation.
The count down to Christmas is on!
Today, for Travel Tuesday, I am traveling back to the Christmas Paul and I spent in New York City.
Lent and Easter are full of seasonal foods. Chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks are the likely conversation starters nationwide, but in Buffalo you can’t make it through a conversation without including the famous Butter Lamb.
With every unique eat or holiday custom you hear about in Western New York – from the “angel wings” chrusciki to the post-Lenten bash, Dyngus Day – just about every one of them stems from European culture and is faith-based. Most people don’t consider the religious symbolism behind the popular foods they eat every spring – be it pork (a “forbidden” food) or bread or eggs (signs of new life) – they just know it’s all good!
And for the cute little creamy butter lamb, the same rings true. There is a very significant meaning to the butter lamb, which ties specifically to the biblical time of Passover and the exodus of the Jews from slavery. During this time, the blood of a sacrificial lamb was placed at their door so the angel of death would pass over their first born. Catholics refer to Jesus and His sacrifice as the Lamb of God.
Today, the lamb in its butter form is usually accompanied by a ribbon around the neck and a cross or a banner with a blessing such as “Alleluia” on its back. Peppercorns make the eyes, said to symbolize the light of the world. So why make it of butter?
Simple. To eat! Butter is an ingredient in just about everything so we can pin the idea on necessity.
For many the Spring and Easter season isn’t complete without a trip to the Broadway Market – which is Butter Lamb Headquarters. Look for Malczewski’s (Malla-cheski’s) – that’s where the Buffalo Butter Lamb got its start. And if you can’t make your way to the east side market this year, lucky for you most of the major grocers in the area carry at least a size or two in stock. This is what we do (although we have been to the Broadway market a few times)
Of course - if you can't make it to Buffalo you can always try this 'do-it-yourself' version I found on the internet:
Christmas is a month away. My Travel Tuesdays posts between now and then will feature shots from our Christmas travels.
First up is New York.
We normally go camping over the August long weekend - this year was an exception to the rule. As a result, I am heading to Letchworth State Park for Travel Tuesdays, we had one of our best Civic Weekend camping trips there a few years ago.
The other day I took mom, Paul, and Rose into the city for an evening out. We started off at the office - they wanted a tour and they received the full hour-long version. Easy to do when the office is closed and there are no distractions.
We had a good dinner at il Fornello (although I wasn't able to eat most of mine thanks to the lasting effects of this damn flu).
Then we saw the musical Come From Away - an improbable musical about the days after 9-11. Imagine - a musical about 9-11. The very thought is almost a repugnant insult.
Except this story is not really a tale of mayhem and death rather it latches onto the better sides of the human psyche . . . hope, helpfulness, and looking out for one another.
The show tells the tale of how the citizens of Gander, Newfoundland welcomed almost 7,000 grounded travelers and the crews from 38 planes which were redirected to the town airport in the hours after the 9-11 terrorist attacks after the US closed its airspace. I had read rave reviews of the show as it was developed over the past few years - first as a part of the Sheridan College theatre incubation project and then as it was refined in studio in La Jolla, Seattle, and Washington DC. The Toronto show is the last stop before the play opens on Broadway.
The underlying theme to the play is the extraordinary efforts ordinary people can take when they see a need and the lasting impacts of these efforts. In the scary and uncertain times following 9-11 the citizens of Gander and the surrounding towns welcomed the stranded passengers from those 38 grounded planes and transformed them. The true Canadian spirit - optimistic helpers who get things done against seemingly insurmountable odds - was the central theme to this play. It is a role we find joy in and play on the world stage.
Lately this is something I have reflected upon a fair bit.
Service to others.
It is a significant part of my familial DNA. Always in the background, quiet . . . but ever present. We do not run for office - that would be too much, but we do join in if necessary or even work independently to try and get things done. This service can present itself in odd ways at times. It has been the source of laughter, stress, and considerable comfort over the years.
I find as I grow older (something I plan on writing about in the future as I have been reflecting a lot on age for some weird reason) it is people being kind to one another in unplanned and unexpected ways that elicits a strong emotional response in me. When I read a new story about a stranger helping out a stranded family when they were in desperate need I can be moved to tears.
This is one of the key trickles of glue which holds us together as a global tribe. It is one of the things we will need to nurture, celebrate, and encourage over the coming years as the world seems to be moving down a dark and mean path.
Now back to that play . . .
The show was fabulous. One of the best theatre productions I have ever seen . . . and I have seen many. I would say 'go and see it' but the reality is it closes in a week and if you did not buy tickets back in October you are SOL.
If you're able I'd suggest go to Broadway and see it.
Now that brings up an interesting thought - how will a play which is as sweet as Canadian Grade A Maple Syrup play in New York? It has been suggested that Broadway might be a bit to cynical for this tale of infinite goodness. Then again, given the mood growing in the US right now it could be just the thing to remind New Yorkers of their shining moments of togetherness where their collective good made a difference when faced with great evil.
Hard to believe that this weekend is Thanksgiving.
I was looking at some pics from when Paul and I went to the Finger Lakes for Thanksgiving.
Hard to believe it has been 15 years.
A few more pics from our recent trip to NY . . .
(recognize this one from TV?)