I haven’t seen my granddaughter Robin in months, i have been up to my neck in work, and it’s not simple to find a place to stay in New York that is affordable, especially during the holiday season. My daughter Emma is good at gentle prodding, she has quietly reminded me that it’s time for a visit,  the Mansion and refugee work has been especially intense, so has the blogging and publishing work .

This morning, she e-mailed me that an apartment in her building is available for two days the first week of January for $150 a night, which is, for New York City, or Brooklyn,  a steal. So Maria and I are going down there for two days after New Year’s. It’s time.

Shelby, our farm sitter, is available, and all I  need to do is get the train tickets. We’ll go for two nights, a Friday and Saturday and come back Sunday morning. Robin and I will have to get re-acquainted again, and we will probably find time to get to a museum in Manhattan.

Emma very much wants me to be a part of Robin’s life, I will try to do what I can to make that happen.

Every time I see a photo of Robin, she is different, it’s fascinating to see the evolution into a complex and sentient being. When she looks into the camera now, the look is completely different. I think I’ll bring her a bag of books. Emma’s daughter is sure to be a reader.