Bruce Springsteen Giant Stadium 9-30-2009

Conrad and I saw the "first of the last" shows of the farewell tour. Bruce opened with a brand new song, the first new one of the tour, written just for the occasion: I was raised out of steel here in the swamps of Jersey, some misty years ago / Through the blood and the beer, and the mud and the cheers, I've seen champions come and go... Bring on your wrecking ball.

Setlist

Wrecking Ball

Seeds

Johnny 99

Atlantic City

Outlaw Pete

Hungry Heart

Working On A Dream

Thunder Road

Tenth Avenue Freeze Out

Night

Backstreets

Born To Run

She’s The One

Meeting Across The River

Jungleland

Waitin’ On A Sunny Day

The Promised Land

Into The Fire

Lonesome Day

The Rising

Badlands

No Surrender

Encore

Raise Your Hand

E Street Shuffle

Growin’ Up

American Land

Dancing In The Dark

Hard Times

Rosalita

The Dog Show at Mallory Square

We headed to Mallory Square for the sunset festivities. Jack, Con and Chrissy all participated in the dog show act while I took pictures:


First, Chrissy helped tie a man in chains. We weren't too sure what this had to do with a dog act, but it was fun anyway.




Next, Jack and another girl held the hoop for the dogs to jump through.





For the grand finale, the dog
walked the tightrope,

and claimed a ten dollar bill from Con's mouth.

Tranquility Bay

We spend the first few days lounging poolside at Tranquility Bay, a relatively new resort in Marathon. One of the few resorts with a secluded private beach, the property has two pools, an 18 hole Jack Nicholas putting green, and a fantastic Tiki bar on the beach.

We made the mistake of first going to the adults only pool. We quickly realized our error and moved to the main pool, a lagoon style swimming pool with lots of shade for Con to lounge and read. For lunch, we visited the beach side Tiki bar, TJ's, where you can create your own tropical drink. We opted for Rum Punch, their signature drink which includes a floater of 151 rum on the top.

Chrissy met a very cute young man who ran the water-sports activities and was totally infatuated with her. He offered her a private jet ski lesson, which she declined.

Winter Break in Marathon

When Continental announced they would start flying to Marathon, Florida, we immediately booked a flight to Grace and Phil's. Connecting through Fort Meyers we hopped a Cape Air "shuttle" to Marathon. I was expecting a small plane but wasn't quite prepared for a nine passenger Cessna , a single pilot flying by instruments alone, and a pre-flight weigh in (including all carry on luggage) to determine the proper weight dispersion. Even the Gerber corporate jet had a copilot and open seating.

Jack and Chissy, being the lightest, took the back seats with Con and I over the wings. We took off at sunset, with spectacular views of the Gulf of Mexico. As the sky changed to complete darkness, I was, for the first time, completely petrified. For the next forty-five minutes, I clutched Con's hand tightly. When the lights of Marathon runway finally became visible, I was able to release my kung fu grip and breathe a sigh of relief.

Lifetime Athletics

This weekend we joined Lifetime Fitness, an absolutely amazing health club that just opened in Berkeley Heights. The club has both indoor and outdoor aquatics centers, complete with a two-story water slide, zero-depth recreation pools, lap pools and children's interactive play areas, all incredibly clean, and best of all heated in the winter. The workout center features row after row of every kind of machine you can think of and countess activities from dance classes to racquetball. Best of all, the locker rooms are pure luxury, with marble counters and sinks, heated towels and an assortment of complimentary lotions and conditioners ! And for Jack, the club has a fantastic children's center with a kids only gym and a computer center.

While Con worked out, Jack and I went swimming and later on I relaxed in the whirlpool and sauna while Jack made new friends at the child center. Afterwards, we all met up at the Lifecafe, a full service restaurant where we shared a healthy snack or organic fruit, nuts and juices. Next visit - a trip to the Lifespa for a massage and a pedicure. I'm afraid this is the end of the line for the Westfield Y.

Happy 18th Birthday Chrissy

My baby turned 18 today.

We celebrated with a hibachi dinner at Arirang followed by a cake. For her gift, she opted for a summer trip to Europe, which we are buisily planning.

Weekend In Phoenix

This weekend I headed out to Phoenix to join Con at his company's national sales meeting at the beautiful Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort set high in the Phoenix North Mountains. The spouses and s.o.'s arrived on on Friday for cocktails and dinner at their signature restaurant, Different Pointe of View. Perched high on the mountaintop 1,800 feet above the city, we enjoyed a spectacular dinner and an outstanding selection of wines, complemented by breathtaking views of the city.

Con and I spent Saturday morning lounging at our private pool before joining the group for18 holes at the Lookout Mountain golf club. The par 72 course is aptly named, with a 100-foot drop at the 10th hole and cart paths resembling a rollercoaster ride. Twice we came eye to eye with coyotes, who turned out to be more tame that wild. That evening, we returned to the Point of View for cocktails at sunset followed by Japanese hibachi with the group.

On Sunday we had relaxing hot stone massages before settling in to watch the NFC playoff game at the Pointe In Tyme Tavern. The place was on fire with the Cardinals' first division championship in the team's history. We headed for the airport after the game for a smooth flight home to snowy New Jersey.

Cakebread Cellars

I have to mention the amazing wine Con's managing director introduced us to this weekend - Cakebread Cellars 2004 Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley.

Cakebread Cellars was founded 30 years ago by Jack Cakebread, a photographer who came to the Napa Valley to shoot a book. While there, he casually mentioned his interest in one day owning a vineyard to some family friends who had a ranch in Rutherford. When he returned home that afternoon, the phone rang and it was the family friends offering to sell their property. He headed back up to the valley that same afternoon to make his best offer, and Cakebread Cellars was born.

This particular vintage is the result of an unusually warm late winter, consistently mild spring and summer weather, and several late-summer heat spells resulted in one of the earliest Napa Valley harvests on record. Although fast and furious, the early start to the season and lower-than-normal crop loads produced grape clusters with small berries and ripe flavors, yielding wines with impressive concentration, depth and structure.