This was a conundrum, because it was too cold to bathe her outside. Our 2nd floor tub no longer has a sprayer in it, and was recently remodeled into a too-nice-for-the-dog bathroom. We also have a shower in the basement, but Marley’s advanced age (13) and arthritis prevents her from going down those stairs.

What to do? I couldn’t come up with any better solution than to carry my 85-pound dog down into the basement. Not something I recommend you try at home (especially with Marley – she doesn’t like strangers), but, I did it without sustaining any injuries.

Once she was scrubbed clean and brushed, I had to admit, my odd-looking dog was looking pretty good. So I took her outside for a little photo shoot in some lovely fall light.

It never fails – Marley is an attention-getter. We always have a couple passersby stop and stare at her and ask what kind of dog she is. I can understand why – German Wirehaired Pointers aren’t a dog you see every day. And they are pretty odd-looking, what with the wiry mix of gray all over her body and mismatched brown head. Why did we pick a German Wirehaired Pointer? Compromise. I wanted a more common sporting dog like a Labrador or a mixed breed, and Matt, my husband, wanted a Schnauzer. At a minimum, he wanted his dog to have a beard. I also have a history of allergies to dogs (which miraculously improved when we got Marley!) and wanted a dog that didn’t shed a lot. Sure enough, while we were outside for this shoot, someone walked by and asked what kind of dog Marley is. And then told me, “wow, she’s beautiful!” And clean!

I arrived in New York on a cold, gray afternoon. My first stop was to take a walk in the High Line Park. This is a former freight rail line that runs above 10th Avenue for about 20 blocks. It’s now a scenic walkway with views of the Empire State Building and the Hudson River. I imagine it would be a lot prettier in spring, summer or early fall with more color, but it was a nice walk nonetheless.

Next stop was a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. This is about a 25-minute ride from the southern tip of Manhattan to the eastern edge of Staten Island. Ferries leave about every half hour, and provide a nice view of lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and the Verrazano Bridge. And it’s free!

I don’t know why we had this Coast Guard escort. I could see that the ferries heading the other direction back to New York did not. Strange and not that comforting.

I made a stop at TKTS, where you can get great discounted last-minute theater tickets…… and on a whim, decided to go see Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter, in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. This was so fun. And only two blocks from my hotel!The next day the itinerary got a little more complicated. Remember my boys were staying with my parents? Through an odd coincidence, one night during their stay, my parents were invited to go to dinner with friends and stay overnight. Where? New York. And not just New York – but the very same hotel where I was staying.

So, that afternoon, my dad and the boys took the train into the city. My mom joined them later on.

Jonas was fascinated by the view of Times Square from the 35th floor. Leo found the view a little unsettling, but was just as amused by this bench seat. We had to drag them away from this activity to go see New York! I’d told the boys before the trip that one of my favorite childhood activities in New York was to climb on the rocks in Central Park. No surprise that they enjoyed this too. Jonas got a little help from Pop Tony. There really are no words to describe how happy I felt that the boys felt the magic of New York. It’s always been a place close to my heart. It’s such a great feeling to be able to share that connection with your family. At the end of the trip, I asked Leo which he enjoyed more, New York or Disney World. He didn’t hesitate. “New York!”Small world alert! My dad grew up in Greenwich Village, and still has some cousins there. But with the size of the city, you sure don’t expect to run into anyone you know by chance. So boy were we surprised to run into my dad’s cousin’s husband and his son, Christian, at this amazing Central Park playground. Photo by my dad.The hotel lobby sure looks like something out of the future. At first Leo was afraid to stand near the glass edge and look out as we took the elevator up – but by the end, he couldn’t get enough of it. And I’ve never seen elevators like this anywhere else – there are keypads where you enter your destination floor. The keypad then indicates which elevator to go to. Once in the elevator, you don’t push a button – your elevator has already been programmed to take you to your floor. The kids loved this! And I loved how fast they were. Ah, the Haier Building. What is it? I have no idea. But I couldn’t resist shooting it with that dramatic sunlight and natural spotlight on the top. Toys R Us! I’m so thankful that by the time the kids got here, they were so tired they didn’t want to stay long. One more favorite activity: hiding behind the curtains. He could enjoy the view AND hide at the same time. The same day the boys left, my sister came in for a little quality time.

The final frame… my amazing dad. Not only did he and my mom take care of my boys at their house, and take them all over NYC, but my dad then drove back to Pittsburgh with us so I wouldn’t have to do all the driving myself. And then made dinner for us! All this before flying out of Pittsburgh for one more night in New York before going back home. Thank you Pop Tony (and, Mimi too)!

It was Leo’s idea to play what he called “Animal Club,” where he and Jonas would assemble some of their animals and take care of them. Once I saw how many he was assembling, I thought, Hmmmm.

Then this happened. I think this one’s my favorite. Jonas’s face is visible if you look long enough, but I love the hand sticking out, signaling his location. Guess what’s on Leo’s Christmas list?

Stuffed animals, of course.

But you can be sure that I will be spending quite a lot of time sharing laughs and fun times with my two favorite little boys in the whole world.

Thanks to my phone for the first photo of Leo and me, and thanks to my super duper awesome friend Randi Voss for picking up my camera and shooting the second and third frames during a visit to Phipps.