We鈥檝e had a whirlwind re-entry into Donaldland, and, in order to survive, we continue not to watch or listen to the news. Of course, we both read 鈥榥ewspapers鈥 online but skip most of those items pertaining to the madness, as we sink into a state of worldwide peril. I鈥檓 sure if we were to go down to Times Square, among the different wackos in cartoon character costumes there鈥檇 be one dressed as you-know-who selling fake golden wigs as keepsakes.
Enough of the good news! We returned to Spring! The weather has been most auspicious to the point of permitting us to get back to golf, although today we had to cancel an outing due to rain.
Jayne is once again a happy camper; as soon as her tiny feet hit the shores of the new world her phone started ringing with requests for her services. We rationalize this as one of the best ways to earn money to return to Menton without having to break the bank.
One thing you notice right away is the almost complete absence of motos. Instead, we鈥檙e cut off and harried by drivers with road rage, hardly a more civilized manner of navigating the roadways. The motos were always predictable, the road rage drivers are not. Always have to be 100% alert for the crazies.
Other than chafing at the lack of baguettes and croissants de abricot, not to mention Sophia鈥檚 cream puffs in Ventimiglia, and shopping at the March茅 and Carrefour Monaco, it鈥檚 back to good ol鈥 American supermarket shopping. We are still not used to seeing vegetables that look as though they have been recycled and the prices for those items are very high. Example: tomatoes for 陆 pound which is about 录 of a kilo are $5.99 and they鈥檙e not farm fresh.
I鈥檓 sure the Cookie Lady on Avenue Carnot is wondering what became of the old guy who used to clean her out of the best chocolate chip cookies in the universe.
But, MOST OF ALL, we miss the joy of getting together with you on Saturday mornings and the week through. We guess you must know how lucky you are!
It鈥檚 off to Toronto tomorrow to look in on Mark鈥檚 closest cousins who are not doing too well, back to visit a dear friend in upstate New York for a couple of days, and then to Albany, NY, to scout possible living quarters and reconnect with some good friends in Albany who are the guardians of Jayne鈥檚 gardening tools and a few cases of our wine.
We send our love to you and wish you an active, fulfilling summer season!
Please! Please! Let us know how [and what] you鈥檙e doing! We need and treasure your input from across the ocean.
Mark & Jayne