For those of you who don't know who JoAnna Lumley is.....here is a link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_Lumley
It was a surprise that I would be attending the PFW Holiday party in December and I needed a cover. Dave C. was instrumental in creating the alias for me. It had Andy C. so perplexed not only did he google her but he almost waterboarded Dave when he learned that she was a British actress and couldn't possibly be Dave's date. We pulled it off pretty nicely.
I had asked Perpetual Headwinds to list a ride so that I could come ride with the group but with the bitter cold temperatures on the morning of December 10th, I politely begged off the ride but agreed to come to the start of the ride. Laura played along and introduced me as the surprise visitor and posted in her blog that Joanna Lumley appeared at the ride start with Dave. Thanks Laura for not blowing my cover.
Although I didn't get a chance to take photos at the holiday party .......mainly because I was catching up with familiar faces.....the party, the attendees and the food was just exceptional. Thank you to Andy C, our club vice president, along with Ira, club president who put a lot of time and effort to making the party a success.
On Monday, Al P of the TSS crew, announced that he would delay the ride start until 12:30 PM from Etra Park to let the roads dry from the morning rain. Dave and I decided to join the crew. OMG. Although I was properly dressed in winter gear, the air was raw and bit right through my gloves to numb my fingers. It was 44 degrees which I thought was warm but it turned out to be very cold and damp. The rest stop was at Roy's and was a welcome sight. We ended up with 35 miles. What have I learned from this ride? I learned not to ride in NJ in December when it's not above 50 degrees. I have become acclimatized to FL weather and I just can't take it any more! Below are some photos from that ride.
Can you tell I was cold?
Glad to be finished with the ride
Dave and I had decided to go into NYC after the ride to see the tree. We were not going to have much time but we went anyway. We arrived at 8 PM. We missed the Bryant Park ice skaters and outdoor Christmas market because it closed at 8 PM. I thought NY never slept but apparently it does.
Here are some photos of what we saw.
Wait...who are those people? It's Dave and Cheryl. I look tired on the train but I was really excited about going into to see the tree!
An aisle decorated inside of Macy's flagship store
One of the Macy's windows.
We headed towards Rockefeller Center and the tree. It was a nice night to walk and the crowds were almost non-existent.
The Rockefeller Ice Rink with the tree in the background
What an amazing tree!
Angel's way
The Sak's Fifth Avenue light display on the store walls. Truly spectacular
The lights surrounding the Sak's windows.
One of the moving manequins in the Sak's window. Her eyelids moved!
Another manequin in the Sak's window
We also visited St. Patrick's cathedral and saw the manager. What is missing in the picture below? No cheating.
In the Catholic religion the baby Jesus is not placed in the manager until midnight mass. I never knew that!
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone!!
