The hit HBO series, The Sopranos, is really big here. Nearly everyone you meet watches it faithfully. I guess you can imagine why since it takes place in Jersey. I think a lot of the country gets the wrong impression of Jersey because of it. They all think that Jersey is filled with people in the mob, everyone has a toxic waste dump next door and there are ugly buildings and factories everywhere.

Rick and I are somewhat out of the loop since we never subscribed to HBO and before moving here had heard about the series of course, but never watched even one episode. [Hey, we are just now discovering 24 too!] We have some catching up to do. So, I bought the first season on DVD and we’ve watched about 4 episodes now. I don’t think we’ll watch all six previous seasons, but at least we’ll get the gist of what’s going on. At least we hope so.

Our neighbors told us that many of the scenes when they are supposed to be in Vermont or Maine, are really filmed in and around our Township of West Milford! When the owners of the pet store where I buy dog food and I were chatting one day, the subject of The Sopranos came up [in the context of us just having moved to Jersey and people’s perception of what it’s like] and they told me that the strip club Bada Bing, is actually a real club on Route 17 called Satin Dolls where they film those segments of the show. They call it a “Gentlemen’s Club.” Hey, they can call it whatever they want it doesn’t change the fact it’s a strip joint.

Just last week in our local paper the front page story was all about how they were filming an episode right up the road from our house! So now we’ll have to watch and see what we can recognize when that episode airs this fall. Here is the story from the paper:

If it’s too small to read: “The HBO hit series, The Sopranos, was filming in West Milford on Awosting Road on Tuesday. The scenes involved a car chase and something in the woods. The set was closed to the public, but James Gandolfini (who plays boss Tony Soprano) was visible through private property woods. We don’t know what the storyline is, but judging by the bruises on his face, it isn’t going to be portrayed as Tony’s best day.”

Guess we’ll be subscribing to HBO soon.

Sorry for the graphic title folks, but I’m sure you’ve all heard the phrase before. Now finally, we have quantitative proof that the answer to this question that we have long wondered about is NO. Bears do not shit in the WOODS; they do it in our back yard! I was gone for a short time today and when I came home I let the dogs out and went out to scoop which I couldn’t do earlier today because it was pouring rain. What I found was not doggie droppings. No indeed. My first thought was BEAR! It was blackish, like a cow’s in consistency, full of seeds. The dogs didn’t want to go near it. I looked over at the fence and sure enough, the rail was down again just like last week. The bird baths were still standing upright, so he/she has learned that much; no food here. When Rick came home I showed it to him and he agreed that it was indeed bear. Was it just a convenient spot to relieve itself, or was it sending a message to the dogs [like our coyote used to do at our cabin] that the yard is just as much its territory as it is theirs? Maybe I should set up the video camera when I leave the house as this is the second time, and at the same time of day, as it happened last week. Is it Ursa? Or maybe the young teenage bear that was our first visitor?

This entry has nothing to do about swimming. Just now Big Al and I sat poolside for quite some time in the darkening dusk, just reflecting on things. Sometimes you just have to. We watched the bats do their seemingly choreographed bat-ballet of dips and swoops until my neck got cricks from watching them. Now it’s too dark and I think they’ve gone to bed, which I am about ready to do.

We just sat and reflected on life in general. When you make a big move, [as many people I know have never done in their entire lives] you leave more than a house behind. You leave life as you previously have known it behind. You also leave some friends behind. Sad, but very true. Some friends make no differentiation between the distance between you. They call, they email. While other friends can’t quite make the leap, therefore cutting you loose. Please don’t think of this as plea to call or email me with remorse after having read this. That is not my intent. I am merely stating what I am feeling tonight. Granted, I am not in the best of moods. And, I am feeling lonely. I have to admit it. Even the cicadas are not as noisy, but that’s because it’s quite cool outside right now.

I do love living in Jersey. It rains here. Trees grow without having to plant them. People are friendly and very nice. As much as I feel at home here, I am still alone.

I am seriously thinking of closing off my blog site to the public and just writing for myself off line. For those family members that check frequently I can still send you updates. For the most part this blog site is primarily for me and I was hoping to add something to someone else’s day by writing about my thoughts and experiences. My survey has shown me that not that many people are really interested in the site beside family members and a few friends, so after I think about it some more, you may find this blog site closed to the public. If that happens you can always email me and I can send you the new link.

We have a busy yard, both front and back. Things visit, weird things grow. It never ceases to amaze and delight me. We have the usual assortment of squirrels, ground squirrels and chippies running to and fro, jumping from limb to limb in the tops of the trees, and the dogs’ favorite, the ground squirrels that love to get under the decking around the pool. Then there are the birds. Our normal visitors are the noisy blue jays, the timid titmouse, the colorful cardinal pair, the doves, a few pigeons, robins, sparrows and once in a while I"ll spot an exotic visitor such as a Baltimore Oriole or a Scarlet Tanager. Here is the Tanager:

Other bird visitors are not as common. A few weeks back we kept hearing this “bird” all day long on an on-going basis. It was more like a piercing scream than a regular bird call. We didn’t know what it was and could never find it in the thick foliage of our trees. Then one day Rick spied it sitting on a branch in the open next to the yard. It was a kind of hawk or falcon. It took me days to identify it, but finally now know it’s a Broad Winged Hawk. They must have a nest close by. Here he/she is:

And let’s not forget the turkey family that now visits the front yard on a daily basis, and sometimes as much as three and fours times per day! Usually it’s two hens and five babies. I think there used to be six babies, but lately I’ve only seen five. They are getting so big now! One is much bigger than the rest and we think it must be a Tom. Rick has threatened to catch one for dinner but I think he’s just joking. At least I hope he is. And yes, I am feeding the birds out front. I just can’t stand not to and it’s only a few handfuls. Between the squirrels, birds and turkeys there isn’t anything left for the bear to even ponder over. Here are a few photos of the turkey family. Some were taken through the screen since they spook if I get too close to them.

Yesterday I came home to find we’d had a visitor of another kind. Most likely a bear. My first clue was the bird bath in the front yard was turned over. Then I noticed the bird bath in the back yard was also turned over. Hmm…next I find a picket from the fence in front had been pulled off and on closer inspection, muddy prints were found on the fence. After messing around and getting wet turning over the bird bath, this brazen bear climbed over the fence right then and there. We don’t think it was Ursa and cubs because the prints don’t look big enough, plus she never goes over the fence here. So who was it? Below you can see the toe prints in one photo, and the other you can tell whatever it was had long claws and hair! I’m pretty sure it was a bear.

As far as weird things growing in the yard, we had another strange mushroom of the same family [stinkhorns] as the strange ones in the front. I first noticed a strange egg shaped object in one of the flower beds. It was a bit slimy and had a tiny root coming out of the bottom. It was not attached to the ground anymore, so Rick and I brought it inside and cut it open. It looked “mushroomy” to us. There was another one right beside the spot where I found this one, only it was firmly rooted in the ground. We watched and watched over several days. Nada was happening. Then yesterday when I checked on it I was excited to see that it had “bloomed.” Here is what it looked like when I first found it:

And here it is after it bloomed. We think the rain the night before, er, uhm, shall we say stimulated it to grow. Here it is in all its glory.

It STANK! YUCKO! The dogs didn’t even want any part of it. I saved it and wrapped it up and put it in the fridge to show Rick. He thought it was disgusting, so I tossed it into the garbage can in the garage. This morning when I went out in the garage the whole place reeked of the smell of that mushroom! I tossed it outside for the slugs. No wonder they call them stinkhorns.

Yesterday we got brave enough to drive into NYC. Or should I say Rick felt brave enough. I just sat there. Well, not quite just sat there, as you know me, can’t keep my mouth shut. But I only protested at near misses on a few pedestrians and when taxis cut us off. All in all, it went easier than driving into Denver! I know you will find that hard to believe, but it’s actually true. And it only took us about an hour both ways to get right into midtown Manhattan!

We took the George Washington bridge over and even though Rick wanted on the top level of the bridge, we ended up on the bottom level so we didn’t have the view. We crossed the northern tip and came down the east side of Manhattan to 63rd Street. We stayed on 63rd and it took us all the way to 5th Avenue. We were there before we knew it, and there was Central Park right in front of us. We started down 5th not really sure where we were going to park, but Rick had the Apple store in mind. We had only gone a couple of blocks when I spotted a parking garage off to the left. We pulled in. Despite the high cost ($17.00 per hour for the first couple of hours), we decided it was well worth the price. Plus, it was valet parking! [Under the CBS Building.] And, the Apple store was right on the corner. It was our first stop.

All that is visible from the ground of the Apple store is a 32-foot tall glass cube with a big Apple etched in the middle. From here you either take the staircase or elevator down below ground level. It’s not overly large, but brightly lit and inviting. The store is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Amazing. It was packed full of people buying ipods, using the internet access, and buying computers.It’s only been open since May of this year. One can only imagine what that kind of location costs!

We went across the street to Central Park and managed to avoid taking a horse-drawn cart ride, and walked for a while instead. We didn’t see much of Central Park [it’s HUGE] but what we did see was very impressive. Beautiful big old shade trees combined with huge boulders and rocks, lots of grass and walking paths. We entertained ourselves watching the horse-drawn carts go by. Some drivers could have cared less and were reading the newspaper as their horse plodded along without guidance. Some were dressed in shorts and t-shirts while others were as smartly turned out as their horses with plumes on the horses’ heads and top hats on the drivers. When I do take a ride around Central Park I will be very choosy about which cart and driver I pick. Definately not the guy reading the paper, nor the ones dressed in shorts. I think it’s something to do with my Mom next time she comes down.

We were pretty hungry, so we headed back to find a place to eat. Mind you, here we are in the “high rent” district. We walked down Madison Avenue, Park Avenue. We passed several little bistro-like places but they looked a bit off-putting to me. One didn’t even have a name listed anywhere to be seen and about seven tiny tables inside set with pristine white cloths. No menus were posted. Another little place just had an apple symbol on a tile next to the door. Only one couple sat inside sipping wine. I told Rick they just looked too pricey. You know if you have to ask you can’t afford it! So, we trudged on. We had noticed a little restaurant across the street from our parking garage, so we headed back there. Unlike the other empty eateries we had just seen, this one was full of people. It was Italian, Bottega del Vino. We asked to look at the menu and it all looked good. We both had sandwiches, toasted on tasty bread. The service was excellent and even though we were tempted to have a glass of wine we didn’t, and shared a bottle of Pellegrino instead.

After lunch we headed back to the Apple store so Rick could purchase his new laptop. While they were configuring his new computer to his specifications we had the time to walk down 5th Avenue. Directly behind the Apple store is F.A.O. Schwarz. Of course we went in! What a store and lots going on! We were entertained by two dancers, a girl and a guy, dancing and tapping their way through Chopsticks and Heart and Soul on the larger than life-sized keyboard.

Our stroll down 5th Avenue reads like a list of Who’s Who. Next to F.A.O. Schwarz is Bergdorf Goodman’s, then you pass such designer stores as Louis Vitton, Prada, Tiffany’s (of course!] just to name a few. Before you know it we’re in front of Trump Tower. Have to visit here! Gleaming rose colored granite and mirrors cover every surface! A large photo of Donald and his lovely wife smile down at you. Tacky? Hmm..maybe just a touch. We indulge in ice cream [gelato actually] that is wonderful. There is also a restaurant in here, and maybe next time we’ll try it out. Alas, The Donald does not make an appearance for us.

Back outside again and I just can’t NOT go into Tiffany’s to browse. We weren’t the only ones just looking. Tiffany’s lighting is all about showing off the jewels. They sparkle and gleam in their cases as if to say “BUY ME.” I tried on a beautiful ruby and diamond band [I’ve had a thing for rubies for some time now, and our 25th Anniversary is coming up after all!] set in gold and platinum. Timeless. Understated and classic. Gorgeous. Expensive? Yes, but not terribly so considering the source. We only browsed the bottom level although there are several more floors of decadence to be explored in the future.

Back in our car, [our parking tab was $41.00] we headed home a different way. This time we drove past Rockefeller Center and through the Lincoln Tunnel. Again, only about an hour’s drive from the parking garage to our driveway. Very surreal to think we just did all that within an hour of our home! On a Sunday, that is. Now during the week it’s a whole ‘nother story! I can’t wait to go again!