Our Federal Deli tradition.

We feel at home here. 

Not that there were any Jewish delis that serve Cuban coffee anywhere around us at home. Nevertheless, we have been coming to The Federal Deli here in Auckland long enough that it feels like we belong.  

It's always busy, but we've never had to wait very long to get a seat. (Reservations are not accepted.)  We've always enjoyed the food.  I do roll my eyes and sigh when I pay the bill, but oh well.  

We weren't able to come in on Jeanne's birthday for lunch this year, as is our tradition, but we came as soon as possible.  

This post is a short one, but it seeks to capture the essence of the place in just a few pictures. 

-Nor have we had to wait very long for our food after ordering either.  

We're at the counter today. That's a first. We get to watch the food prep. (They're very good at what they do.)

I love this picture.  It makes me want some again every time I look at it. 

That's matzo ball soup. Look at the oil on the surface. That's real quality. And the dill...  

Kenny P., a sales rep. I once worked with from New Jersey, (many years ago) always said that his Jewish mother's chicken soup was not complete until she put the dill into it.  

So, this is the real thing...

Can't you almost taste how rich that broth is?  

I like Ruth Reichl.  Okay, I don't actually know her, but I like this quote of hers a lot.   

We enjoyed our lunch. It was worth the wait.    -djf

Walk ins Welcome in Ponsonby. (well, mostly)

Okay, tell me honestly. If you were standing where I am now, taking this picture, wouldn't you wonder what's in there?  

The double doorways, the unique paint job, long narrow hallways disappearing into the distance. It makes me curious. And there are stairways back there. You know what I think about stairways, right? (they lead to interesting places)  

I showed you this place once before in a post about Ponsonby, but I didn't take you upstairs. Today I will.  

We'll go to the left side first.

There was a young woman up there, who, when she heard me on the stairs, stuck her head out of the room beyond the chairs and asked, "What do you want.?"  

She seemed out of sorts, so I said I was just looking, and retreated.  

Now lets go to the right.  

Tattoo art everywhere

I like this.  

Here's the barber shop.

Later, walking down Ponsonby, I came across another double set of doors. Instead of going in, I panned out for the next picture.  

Close by the fancy duplex was this house with only a single door. The double palms though continue my theme (so far in this post) of doubles

Although....the lattice work on each side of the door, the pairs of double pillars and symmetrical windows and shrubbery qualify this place.

This may very well be my favorite photo of the day.   

Double kids rid in an electric bike.  

I will close this post with a short video. I hope you enjoyed yet another look at Ponsonby. -djf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wuxa2_0kg6M

A walk through Grey Lynn

Auckland has many historic neighborhoods. Recently, I walked around Grey Lynn and photographed some of the houses I saw. 

Take a look.

This one has stained glass on it's front porch.  

This last one shows one section of a much larger mosaic in downtown Grey Lynn.  Good attitude.   

I hope you enjoyed walking with me today. We'll have to this again sometime.  Hope the hills didn't bother you.                                                  -djf

Our Mid-winter dinner.

 

It's 5:45 a.m on July 10, 2021, and I'm enjoying a cup of coffee in the quiet Atrium before helping to set up tables and chairs in the Events Center. The tables/chairs you see here are left over from yesterday's happy hour.  I'm told that there will be two serving lines for the meal in the Atrium.  

It's later, midmorning now. The tables are up and the next wave of volunteers comes through to set them. Paper plates will be used at the serving lines but I understand that most people bring their own plates. We plan to do the same.

Both the Event Center ( photo above) and the cafe are needed to seat everyone.  

Jeanne and I (and others) were busy for over two hours, micro-waving potatoes. Barry has his roasting oven going in the corner.  It takes a lot of potatoes for over 300 people. 

This was our table.  It was a BYO event.

 The organizers of this dinner also hired a musician for after-dinner entertainment. 

A lot of folks got up and danced in the Atrium. 

This whole event was amazing to me. First of all, the dinner was free. Everyone was invited including management and staff.  The entire cost was covered by the social committee. That must have been substantial. 

There is a core of truly dedicated and talented people (residents) who had the vision and ability to organize this event. And, they mobilized a small army of volunteers who helped out. 

Jeanne and I feel so fortunate to have come to this place. I have been told it is unique among all the Metlifecare properties in New Zealand and I can believe it. The level of cooperation that the management and staff here give the residents is wonderful and one of the main reasons why this dinner was possible.  

The singer/guitar player continued with old favorites for some time. Most people had already gathered up their plates and leftover drinks and departed. A few heaty souls continued to enjoy the evening. Jeanne and I stood for a while high above the scene enjoying the ambiance.  

What an extraordinary place and people. My highest compliments to all involved and many, many thanks.    -djf

A couple of evenings with the moon

We have been spending time lately watching the evenings develop from the comfort of our balcony.    

This post will show you some of the pictures I took on two nights toward the end of February 2021.    

First night:

Second night:

I've got some more moon pictures I'll show you sometime soon. We're into our rainy season now so I'm not taking many lately.      -djf