Duba Comes To Town

My sister's in town. This is the first time in several years so it was an exciting event for the 2/3's of the family that lives here in New York. The occasion? Kris returned to the States from Germany where he's working (singing, not dancing) in the Lion King - the German version in Hamburg. Thus, the perfect occasion for a family reunion! The only ones missing? Dani and Erik, upstate New York and Michael in Los Angeles.

Duba had just undergone a replacement of both knees. This was just two months ago. And yet here she was, walking, climbing stairs, touring New York City - no cane; no walker. Based on her remarkable recovery, her surgeon wants to make her the poster child for knee replacement!

Stacey and I picked up my sister at LaGuardia on Sunday morning. Kris, staying at his NYC digs in Harlem, met us there and the four of us drove out to the South Shore of Long Island for brunch at Lee and Alexis's place in Bay Shore. Duba had not seen their new house (nor had she seen our Brownstone in Brooklyn), not to mention all the new kids that the Weinstein offspring have been producing.


Stacey, Lee and Kris enjoy some old photos that we discovered in a box in our basement.


Kris plays one of the hyenas in the Lion King....see??


My sister and sister-in-law. Not bad, eh?

Alexis had prepared a wonderful spread and pretty soon one of the families arrived, kids in tow: the Mosher family: Jessica and Ed and (almost) 3-year old Jordan and the new little baby boy: Benjamin Mosher.


Here come the Moshers!


Mom looks on as Aunt Stacey squeezes a very cute Jordan.


Please Uncle Matt, no photos. Yeah, right!


A kiss for a long distant cousin.


Hi Ben! Whassup?


Jessie, Kris and the newest addition, Ben.


Once more.


Sweet Benjamin.


Aunt Duba gets to know her niece Jordan.


This is my new brother!

We hung out at Lex and Lee's, having a grand time, talking, walking and playing, grownups and kids. But the day was getting on and we still had another stop: the Lorenz household. They had been at their beach house on Fire Island but were returning home to Islip and we were meeting them there at five. Off we went - Duba had not seen the twins, Luke and Olivia for many years.


Luke on his karate punching bag (or some such thing). These kids turn six this summer....wow! was that fast!


Marlo and Kris on the deck.


Malte - just back from Fire Island.


Stacey, Alexis and Marlo enjoying something.....what's so funny?


Just Alexis.


Luke and Kris ... Play ball!


And this, of course, is the beautiful Olivia.

We said our farwell to the Long Island branch of the family. It had been a long day. But driving back west to Brooklyn, we stopped for a spicy dinner at Planet Thailand in Williamsburg. Then we dropped Kris off at a subway in Manhattan and headed home to Underhill Avenue and .... sleep.