Mundus Casus Pars Duo

  Sunday 29 June 2025 Last day in Morristown today. We decided on brunch at the little cafe over the back. Their Nantucket Benedict - an English muffin topped with avocado, plum tomato, smoked bacon, large lumps of snow crab, poached eggs and a cilantro lemon Hollandaise, with a side of breakfast sauteed potatoes and a mocha berry cold brew infused with chocolate and a strawberry foam was Flashy’s choice. Lady P had an ever so average cappuccino and a good eggs Bene on ciabatta with a nice green salad. Then an Uber to the Courtyard NY-JFK by Marriott Hotel for the night before our flight to France tomorrow. Thoughts on our time in the USA. Overall, we’ve had a great time. Met lots of warm, friendly and courteous people. Travelled by air (very disappointing, even in what they have the temerity to call first class); train – pretty good; and car. The car trips have been long but on mostly good interstate highways. Local country roads vary in condition but we passed through some ...

  Thursday, Friday & Saturday 26, 27 & 28 June 2025 After a lay about day on Thursday, we decided to go to Brooklyn on Friday. We went there last time, walked the bridge and enjoyed the Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood. So, knowing that we loved the green treelined streets and classic brick buildings, we booked a free walking tour of Brooklyn. There were 13 of us and we joined the group after a train ride from Manhattan. The others having walked the bridge first. The advantage of the guided walk, even though it coved areas we had been before, was the history and quirky stories that Mike, our guide offered. Our tour started in Brooklyn Heights and finished in DUMBO. This is the waterfront area under the Brooklyn Bridge, now a converted warehouse neighbourhood, full of walking paths, trees, restaurants, apartments and today, lots of tourists. Last time it was a construction site.  New York has a penchant for acronyms. DUMBO came about because the residents at the tim...

  Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 23, 24 & 25 June 2025 Monday - and summer has arrived. It’s 35 C and feels like 41 C they say, and going over the back lawn for a coffee, it sure feels hot. A planning day indoors today. Tuesday and more of the same. An update on Flashy’s research into famous American foods. He has now had a waffle with Maple syrup and filter coffee for brunch and pancakes with smoky bacon. A hot dog in NYC is next on the agenda and another (New York) pizza is probably needed for research purposes and that goes pretty close to sampling all the legendary American foods. Wednesday was another train ride into Manhattan. It was again very hot - and surprisingly, as it is the height of summer, there were practically no tourists around. How do you know? Anyone that has spent time in New York can recognise a New Yorker and anyone that has ben in tourist cities can spot the tourist. Plus, the streets were almost deserted. Central Park? Well, you could have fired ...

  Friday, Saturday and Sunday 20, 21 & 22 June 2025 Sitting in the car rental office, talking to the nice lady waiting for her rental, we commented on all the police cars we saw back in town.   “Oh yes, she says, the President is in town.” How about that? In sleepy Morristown. It seems he just flew in and took the ‘Beast’ down the interstate to his golf course. Shuts down the entire motorway. Friday night we settle into our three story, large and brand new town house, in upmarket Morristown. We decide to live in one room. Less cleaning. Our cat ‘Polly,’ is a 16 year old Turkish Var. He slinks around and sleeps in the wardrobe. Just being a cat. Out the back, over the manicured green belt, we can walk to a large shopping centre with supermarkets and café/restaurants. But it’s an early night tonight. Flashy is desperate for a lazy day today, Saturday. However, the only opportunity to catch up with Joanne’s old Adelaide school mate, Georgina, is today. She is living in ...

  Wednesday 18 June 2025   A surprisingly easy one-way car hire pick up from (Arlington) Enterprise Car Rental today and we’re off to New Jersey in a Kia SUV, through Connecticut and New York states on the interstate. On the way, we stop in Harriman, a small town maned after the Harriman family of railway magnates. Arden House, located in Harriman, NY, was established as America's first conference centre in 1950 when the Harriman family donated the property to Columbia University. This is where Flashy attended the Columbia University School of International Marketing in 1993 – except that he wasn’t sure it was the place when we drove past. Anyway, we had an ice cream and kept going. Our Sonesta Hotel in Morristown, is a suite with a full size fridge, sitting room and desk, a kitchenette with a cook top, microwave, toaster and that great American invention, the dripolator with high quality coffee sacks. After Mackas and Burger King on the road, the left over meat balls and ma...

Saturday 14/ Sunday 15 / Mon 16 June 2025 Saturday, the locals put on a band, a food truck and a brewery pop-up in the little garden at the historic house of Jason Russell. This was attacked by the British in 1775 as part of the Lexington/Concord battles – the first in the War of Independence. He was killed (good old British bayonet they say), along with 30 others. The Brits lost about the same. The house is in the main street of Arlington and still has some bullet holes from the skirmishes. Lt John Baker, King’s Own Muskets 1775, recorded,  “We were now obliged to force almost every house on the road, for the rebels had taken possession of them and galled us most exceedingly but they suffered for their temerity, for all that we found in the houses were put to death.” Paul Revere’s midnight ride was along this road and he whispered, not shouted, “the Regulars are about.” So, they say. Sunday was a catch up day. Although, Lady P took Masie for an 8km walk around the lake. Flashy...

  Friday 13 June 2025 An auspicious date to visit Salem! Our home owners suggested we visit Salem. Despite the fact that there are 22 Salems in the US, including one the capital of Oregon, we knew they meant Salem MA. So, we headed off for the 40 minute drive to what was once one of the greatest trading ports on the coast and home to wealthy colonists, patriots, the inventers of Monopoly and other games, home of the National Guard, A.G. Bell’s first long distance telephone call and a favourite spot for Old Blood n Guts, Gen. George Patton. Occasionally also, home to pirates and witches. It’s the witch trials, however that capture the imagination of the tourists. English colonial settlers arrived in Salem in 1626. Most were bigoted, religious zealots who were referred to as Puritans. They sought to “purify” the Church of England from Roman Catholic religious practices and build a utopian society.   Over successive decades, waves of colonists arrived, changing the power dy...

  Tuesday 10/Wednesday 11 June 2025 Another walk around the shops in downtown Arlington and a relaxing day interspersed with walks of the dog. That was Tuesday. On Wednesday, the sun came out and it was 27C. So, off to downtown on the bus and train. Some in the party like public transport, you know. Well, a little bit of sunshine sure brings the flesh out. Close your eyes and you’d be in Melbourne. In a good way. Cut off jeans, short skirts, and crowds of kindergarten, primary, secondary and first year college kids everywhere. Bloody tour guides, teachers and parents all over the street. Luckily, we had a plan. Last time we were here it was January 2009 and it was snowing. I mean lots of snow. So much, that today in the sunshine, Flashy didn’t know up from down. Luckily he had Lady P along eh? Nonetheless, we followed the Freedom Trail (again), sort of, without a guide, and found many of the landmarks we enjoyed last time. This did include a good coffee and cinnamon roll, a p...

  Sunday/Monday 8/9 June 2025 It’s overcast but still warm here at our lake front house. We made a magnificent Thai beef salad last night, which met the desire for fresh, green, leafy food. Today is one of washing and trying to book a car for the drive to New Jersey in 10 days time but the internet and phone signal has gone crazy and Chat GPT won’t give us any more free time. I see DT has deployed the National Guard to LA as the protests continue. CNN has some decent coverage of the burning cars and such. A drive to the nearest Enterprise Car Hire and a conversation with a human, establishes why we couldn’t book a vehicle. Their system is not allowing a one way hire to New Jersey. Not to worry. The nice woman on the counter manually enters all the details and we have a booking. Let’s see what happens when we front up on the 18 th . Next and the last of the US bookings, is a night at JFK before we depart for Europe on 30 June. One of us on a tablet in the lounge and the other ...

  Thursday 5 June 2025 In the morning, which was another warm, sunny day, we wandered around the village, took some photos of various houses and had a coffee at Books and Bakery. Tonight we dined at the recommended Maple Soul restaurant. Lady P’s BBQ ribs were judged the best ever and Flashy’s wagu meatloaf was likewise satisfactory. While the meal, with 20% tip, was $200, there was enough of the mains left for a doggy bag. Thus, a substantial lunch for tomorrow. Friday 6 June 2025 We hit the road early for the 3.5 hr drive to Boston, along the I 93 all the way. The vehicle return was seamless and an Uber to Arlington saw us at our pet sit for Maisie the mut and Pearl the old white cat. They are both friendly and like lots of cuddles and patting Saturday 7 June 2025 Off to Arlington High Street and the town shops for a coffee and some groceries. It is a very white, upmarket, student/professor sort of place with excellent Italian style coffees. On emerging from the superma...

Tuesday 3 June 2025 We headed off to our house sit in Rochester Vermont this morning. A 3.5 hr drive through green farmland, following the Otter Creek for most of the way. Very rural America in upstate New York and Vermont, the Green Mountain State. We are minding the country house of our Boston pet sit people. It is in a village of 1,700 people with almost all buildings, two to three story, timber built, New England Colonial style and mostly painted white. Ours is the same and quite spacious. We are however, lucky to be here. We were almost killed on two occasions on the drive here. Just outside of Brandon, a nutter, overtaking on double yellow, came straight for us. Flashy hit the brakes and pulled onto the gravel, as a blue Subaru sped past at a closing speed of 150 mph. Then, not long after in the town, another bloke in a very big F250 ran a red light as Flashy was going through the green. We arrived at our quaint village of Rochester in time to get some supplies from the sma...

  Monday 2 June 2025 A successful breakfast in the room using the microwave, a fast food salad container from last night, our eggs and some sliced, smoked ham. Hard to reason why a motel gives you a fridge and microwave but no crockery, cutlery or containers. A very good single serve coffee maker, yes, but paper cups. Water glasses, no but plastic disposables. Luckily, we have a bit of a picnic box. As we are on the shore of Lake Ostego and close to the Erie Canal at Cooperstown, we decide to do a relaxing cruise on the canal. An hour down to lock 18, down 20’ and out the other side, turn around and back through the lock, up 20’ and cruise back to the dock. A bit of fun if you haven’t been through a lock before, I suppose. Very good commentary on the history of the Erie Canal. Then, back into Cooperstown proper. A beautiful, upstate New York village with well maintained timber homes and mansions, a vibrant, if not touristy Main Street and expensive lake front hotel, golf cour...

  Saturday 31 May 2025 A reasonably relaxing day today as we headed out to the huge shopping mall for a look. It was almost deserted which was strange for a Saturday. Anyway, a relaxing day. Off to Webster’s Bistro and Bar tonight, in Tonawanda North. This is a restaurant run by a travel agent, who was currently overseas and it is based on her trips to France, so the menu is French inspired American. We started the evening with a Negroni while we studied the food options. Glancing about, we noticed the portion sizes were smaller than last time we were in the US but still larger than we are used to. There is a strong culture of doggy bags here. Plenty of brown paper bags going out the door tonight. A shared starter of grilled octopus was soft and flavoursome and the Kendall Jackson, Californian Chardonnay was likewise excellent. Would have been a generous single serve, though. To satisfy her meat craving, Lady P ordered the rack of lamb. Flashy wanted the beef short rib Bourgu...