On with the show, this is it . . .

Here we are with the cooler (recognize this, Kathy?) from someone at church in which we kept just some of the things Deb had prepared cold (it was 66 Monday night in NYC!) We are at one end of the room where Josh’s opening is set-up.






















Here is the sign for Josh’s show, a tip to the Google alternate search line, but also to his upcoming graduation . . . (sadly, you can't tell that he has painstakingly inked in the pixelated words and then made a denril [I think] mask for them).
The show is stunning in it's epic grandness on an infinitessimal scale. One teaser before I head up to change into my suit and head back to the Cooper Union. On the internet, a picture does not do justice to what he has done. But look at this kitty from internet site Icanhazcheeseburger. Click on it to see closer . . . This was a blank piece of paper when he started, to which he applied a fine tipped felt pen, holding it at certain spots of a continuous line, one straight line at a time. Serious and compelling (and 8 1/2 by 11), they draw you in and you see the fineness of his work with line.




Here is the photo of the artist as a young man (Henry James lived only a few blocks from here) . . . . or young man as an artist . . . ?























And here is Ellen Cushing just arrived, talking to the chief caterer . . . . more and in a more orderly fashion Thursday . . .

A bagel a day keeps the nebbish in you away . . .

Here, hopefully is the reordered set of pictures. More coming tomorrow. So many people and . . . well, proud parents. Here is of Deb in front of our wonderful hotel.

Here's a tiny part of their menu on a roll of paper. What a place.

Do you see how good is this spectacular sesame bagel with salmon and cream cheese (with capers), onions, and tomato that we shared? Nothing like it!

The Morning of the Day

Ah, the daytime panorama out of our sixth floor room looking west, I think. Out to Murray's for marvelous bagels, a little walking and then over to Cooper Union for preparation in the afternoon . . .

On which we arrive in Manhattan

After all the packing and a mostly uneventful but enjoyable trip, and much traffic once we hit Manhattan, we got to see Josh and drop off a couple of things before he headed to class and then some final preparations after class.

We're again glad to be staying at the Larchmont Hotel, which is close to Greenwich Village. We're on the 6th floor and have one of the greatest views we've ever had . . . and, live, it's not quite as blurry as this photo seems to indicate . . . . where is that tripod when I really need it?

We couldn't wait to go to our favorite Italian restaurant, just a little further down the block, Gene's. Old world waiters; they even scrape the crumbs away after the main course. We have never been disappointed here and go almost every time.








Do you see the rose at the table? The one with the fork. Both of us had the same . . . broiled scallops, all part of a combined meal that included, for me, the smoothest and most wonderful chopped liver and spaghetti as a side, the real Italian kind, both the pasta and the wonderfully light and fresh tomato sauce. Oh and the creme brule that came along with the meal for dessert. Untouchable.

Tomorrow's the big day; after driving around the block for over and hour to find a parking space from which I didn't need to move the car the next morning early, I got ice and placed it in all the coolers around the food Deb has prepared, as tonight it is only as cool as 64 degrees in Manhattan. Deb's already asleep and I'm down in the lobby where there is wireless to add this post. What a day tomorrow will be! And so many of his friends have come along side, even last night having a Senior Show dinner for him. Wonderful to see . . . . Some people from Massachusetts coming down and my sister and dad coming up . . . 6:00 tomorrow night. Now for a couple of hours of work on the gospel of Matthew for a beginning of a series this Sunday on this remarkable biography of Jesus. Please do pray for all of this . . . . .

i'm feeling lucky

The title of Josh's Senior Show (recognize it from the Google search page?). Here are all the things Deb has assembled to cater Tuesday evening's opening. Weeks of thinking, days of cutting, making, cooking, and a cake by Diane Melanson with one of Josh's first works of art from 1990 . . . "a man with a birthday hat on holding a sign that says 'Happy Birthday,'" Josh told his mom when she asked him to draw a picture for his Grandma's birthday. Many of his friends helping in way way that is characteristic of Josh's reaching out to help others with their own shows in the past. We're on the road.