The Biggest in the World

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Charlie is an aficionado of organ music.

Anna Lapwood sitting at the Midmer-Losh organ in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

While in London we were hoping to catch a concert at the Royal Albert Hall by their resident organist, Anna Lapwood.  Alas we were a week late.

We both had VIP holographic wristbands.

However, to Charlie’s great delight Ms. Lapwood had a scheduled concert at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  I organized 2 VIP tickets to the event.

We were seated at the center of the hall which I especially chose for hearing the organ’s sound capabilities.

We were seated in the center of the hall to listen to the “The Largest Musical Instrument on Earth”:  The Midmer-Losh. With an official total of 33,112 pipes, the organ is not only the largest but also the loudest musical instrument on Earth. 

Some of the 33,000+ pipes are behind the green lighted area.

The pipes are accommodated in eight chambers arranged in opposite pairs on the left and right sides of the auditorium – there are four chambers in the stage area and four near the center of the room.

Although the largest organ in the world, it is dwarfed in this huge arena.

The main console is located to the right of the stage, near the proscenium arch. Its seven manuals are called, from bottom to top: Choir, Great, Swell, Solo, Fanfare, Echo, Bombard. There are 1,235 stop-keys, consisting of 852 speaking registers, 35 melodic percussions, 46 non-melodic percussions, 18 tremolos, 164 couplers, and 120 swell pedal selectives – for switching the shades of the swell boxes onto the six swell pedals (a seventh pedal is the crescendo).

The organ is encircled to the right of the stage.

Since the organ is to the right of the stage and the organist had her back to us, the entire concert was filmed close-up and aired simultaneously on 5 Jumbotrons.  We could see her hands, her feet, her expressions, her enthusiasm — everything that makes playing the organ interesting — while listening to Anna’s great talent and virtuosity.

This Victorian era inn is unique among the casino hotels in Atlantic City.

After the concert we stayed overnight in Atlantic City at The Chelsea Inn, a beautifully-preserved Victorian-era hotel which included a complimentary hot breakfast and free parking.

We were on a similar ferry headed in the opposite direction.

We took a different route home driving from Atlantic City to Cape May (a little over an hour) then cruised (car and all) on the ferry to Lewes, Delaware.

Taking the ferry alleviated the confusing traffic around the New Jersey Turnpike that we hit on the way up.

From the ferry we drove to pick up Dash and then back home.

Jo

May, 2026: Gonna

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A year ago in May I began designing the new kitchen.

A bird’s eye view of the new layout.

This May it is finally underway. Woo hoo!!

This bathroom needs to somehow be opened up.

Next big project is the primary upstairs ensuite bathroom.

In May I plan to:

  1.  Go to Anna Lapwood organ concert in Atlantic City, NJ.

    Anna Lapwood sells out all over the world.

  2.   Arrange the new kitchen.
  3.   Add weatherstrip to garage door.

    We did this before but it need tweaking.

  4.   Wash cashmere sweaters and put away until fall.
  5.   Work on exterior painting.

    The east façade is yet unfinished.

  6.   Decide where to plant flowering quince and bearded iris.

    I brought offshoots of this flowering quince from our former home.

  7.   Clear the “office” portion of the primary bedroom.

    This area needs to be addressed.

  8.   Plan something fun.
  9.   Hang a US flag on Memorial Day.

    I hope to improve last year’s display with a bigger flag.

  10.   Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: TRADITION.
  11.   Write a goal list for June, 2026.

Jo

April, 2026: Wrapped

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At the back of the house we have a marsh that separates the yard from the Chesapeake Bay.

Mid-April and the marsh is beginning to green up.

The weather has been warm, then cold, then warm, etc.  Everytime I planned for an outside chore I was forced back inside by winds or even frost.

Finally by the end of the month I was able to get busy outside.

In addition to the numbered list below I:

  • walked through our marsh and picked up trash brought in by storms and tides.

    In addition to 2 bags of trash which I threw away, some stuff from the marsh.

  • with Charlie’s help got the pressure washer working.

    We rejuvenated the hand-me-down pressure washer with a new hose and spray tips.

  • made space for our kitchen cabinet delivery.

    Our cabinets were delivered early in the month.

  • emptied at least 5 more boxes in the garage which had been damaged by water and were molding.
  • put some of the old kitchen cabinets on Facebook for free — just haul away.  A very nice young man came and got them.  Better than in a dumpster, I think.

    My trash another man’s treasure.

  • got a haircut.
  • transplanted hosta, columbine, and geranium (cranesbill) in the front garden.

    Found these in the yard: hosta, cranesbill, columbine (L to R)

  • signed up for the 2026 Bay Bridge 10K which takes place in the beginning of November.  Don’t let the word “run” fool you; I walk.

    I was all set to walk last year but the bridge was closed due to high winds.

I challenged myself this month to get a lot of tasks started.  Here’s how I did:

  1.  Celebrate Easter.  We had a splendid and meaningful Easter week.

    Charlie’s answer to Easter is to stock up on custom-made cream-filled chocolate eggs.

  2.   Put away last year’s tax papers and bills. In addition I started dedicated folders for all our capital projects. My advice to anyone starting a capital project is to keep all orders and receipts together — it’s difficult to assemble later.
  3.   Decide on a kitchen countertop.  I chose Calacatta Safyra after getting a third estimate and saving over $1200.

    Calacatta Safyra

  4.   Set up temporary kitchen in laundry room.

    I super-scrubbed the laundry room sink so I could use it for food.

  5.   Stain primary bedroom outside deck. Last month I cleaned this deck with exterior house cleaner and a directional spigot on the hose. It must have been a pretty thorough job because I also cleaned it this month once we got the pressure washer working and it didn’t look much better.

    A nice shady spot to have morning coffee overlooking the Chesapeake Bay.

    After letting the deck dry very well I stained it with Cabot Semi-solid Exterior Wood Stain and Sealer in One in the color Foothill.

  6.    Power wash front pavers.  Actually Charlie did most of the work; I supervised.

    No detergents, only water pressure cleaning the front pavers.

  7.    Begin reading The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough.  This book is the very detailed story of the Panama Canal.   I’m making my way through it in prep for a visit to Panama in the fall.

    The Panama Canal is well over 100 years old.

  8.    Make reservations for high school reunion.  The committee has not yet sent the information but I have at least narrowed down the choices of accomodations. I’m on it as soon as the info hits my inbox.
  9.   Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: DELIGHT.
  10.   Write a goal list for May, 2026.

Jo

Balcony Deck Project

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All of the bedrooms — whether first or second floor — have private decks.

The deck for primary bedroom is on the second floor, far right.

The deck outside the primary bedroom needed a little upgrade before it can be regularly used as an outdoor space.

The deck off the primary bedroom needed an upgrade starting with a good cleaning. (Before)

First I washed the deck with housewash and a jet spray nozzle.

All the balconies need cleaning and staining — primary bedroom is first.

The pressure washer helped get the last bits of moss off the edges.

Then, when we finally got the pressure washer working, I hit it again.

Even cleaned, the deck doesn’t look very good.

I had ordered the stain in January but when I opened it I found that I had received basic untinted stain.  I returned to Lowe’s (a hassle) to have the requested “Foothills” color added.

In some areas there was very little finish left — especially on the drip line under the eaves.

As it dries the finish doesn’t look as splotchy.

The deck has many surfaces so staining took a good while.

“Foothills” over the old brown is very much like the downstairs deck made from composite. (Seen at right of photo)

Covering all the dark brown on the outside of the house will be a challenge.

A nice shady spot to have morning coffee overlooking the Chesapeake Bay.

Two more decks to go plus all the dark exterior wood trim.  Ugh!

Jo

Cruise Norway: Heading Home

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We left London on a Thursday morning.

Jo and Charlie at our London spot — Baaria.

But not before one more meal at Baaria where we were clearly favorite patrons.  The chef came out from the kitchen and had remembered our joking conversation of the day before.  We bantered back and forth.

Our driver collected us right in front of the hotel.

Back at the hotel we had already packed our luggage and left it behind the front desk.  We waited for our driver to Heathrow Airport which had been arranged by the concierge.

Heathrow

Our driver was an excellent tour director teaching us all kinds of interesting bits about London and his own background. At the airport we waited for our direct flight back to Baltimore on British Air.

Dash spent almost 3 weeks with his friend from puppyhood, Rory.

At BWI we were picked up by our dear friend Sug who had been tending to Dash who was happy to go with us on our drive back to the Eastern Shore.

Jo

Cruise Norway: West End Theatre

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On our final day, a Wednesday, in London I was focused on getting in 2 more theatrical shows.

Bowler hat topiary at the entrance to the Waldorf Hilton London mimics the bowler donned doorman.

Of course on Wednesday many shows have 2 performances — matinee and evening.  I had purchased the tickets the day before at the TKTS booth in Leicester Square.

My treat at Ole & Steen was a Vanilla Festival Bun filled with vanilla cream and whipped cream, finished with a swirl of whipped cream, and white chocolate.

On our way to the matinee we stopped at Ole & Steen on The Strand near the Aldwych Theatre for some coffee and pastries.

The stage setting for Shadowlands at the Aldwych Theatre.

We saw Shadowlands starring Hugh Bonneville (yes, Downton Abbey‘s Earl of Grantham, Robert Crawley) as C.S. Lewis, a man who preached that one should approach suffering and loss with patience, which is not easy when the love of your life dies from a brutal illness.

Shadowlands explores grief with great depth. Both Charlie and I were deeply moved.

Charlie makes himself at home at Baaria.

After the matinee we walked back to our hotel then later headed up Charing Cross Road to our favorite little cafe Baaria before attending our final performance.

Grand drape at The Garrick Theatre before the opening number of The Producers.

The Producers is a schtick-filled musical with lots of energy and a crazy plot which we enjoyed. After the show our walk back to The Clermont was about 6 minutes.

The Garrick like other theatres in London is elegant and traditional.

I love seeing theatre in London because the quality is as good as (or better in some cases) than Broadway and the ticket prices are about one-third of those on the Great White Way. I could stay another week and see more shows however the next day we would be heading home.

Jo

Cruise Norway: Saint Patrick’s Day

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Our second day in London was Tuesday, Saint Patrick’s Day.

Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church Soho, London.

My plan had been to find some shamrocks to wear on our lapels (like the Princess of Wales) and celebrate in an Irish pub.

Fr Alexander Sherbrooke handing out blessed shamrocks on St. Patrick’s Day.

We started our day early (8 a.m mass) at St. Patrick’s Soho Catholic Church where the priest blessed boutonnières of live shamrocks and handed them out at the end of mass.

Freshly blessed shamrocks from St Patrick’s Soho in London.

The next planned task was to go to Leicester (pronounced Lester) Square to buy theatre tickets at TKTS which opened at 11 a.m.

Baaria Café on Charing Cross Road.

In the meantime I discovered a little café, Baaria Leicester Square, that advertised “Italian coffee” in red neon lights in the window.  I was ready for a good coffee.

Charlie’s cremino.

We had a wonderful waiter who suggested Charlie order a cremino — sort of a macchiato with pistachio creme. He loved it especially when the waiter brought a small pitcher of hot cream to clean every last bit out of the bottom. Baaria Italian Café –we returned many times and they always treated us well.

Charlie wanted a bite of Paddington’s marmalade sandwich in Leicester Square.

Sporting our shamrocks we headed to the TKTS booth in Leicester Square to buy more theatre tickets. I bought Oliver for Tuesday evening, Shadowlands for wednesday matinee, and The Producers for Wednesday evening.  We could have seen all the big popular shows but we had already seen most of them on Broadway.

Irish stew, mashed potatoes, and brown bread.

The next stop was The Porterhouse Irish pub in London where we both ordered the Irish stew special — a quart of stew, a side of mashed potatoes, and a brown bread roll.  All delicious and more than we could eat.

Oliver‘s grand drape.

That night we walked (13 minutes) from the hotel to the Gielgud Theatre to see Oliver! The Musical.

The Act curtain from the center of the stalls — great seats.

Oliver was really good with a talented cast and, of course, a happy ending. We walked back to the hotel after the show.  We had a green and happy Saint Patrick’s Day.

Jo

Cruise Norway: London

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Charlie and I had been to London for an extended stay in 2018 where we did the tourist thing visiting palaces, museums, churches, and other important sites in the city.

The Clermont Hotel

The purpose of our recent trip was to see some theatre in the West End.  Our hotel, The Clermont at Charing Cross, was chosen due to its proximity to the theatres — all the shows we saw were within walking distance.

St Martin-in-the-Fields was a block away from our hotel and a good landmark.

On our first day (Monday) in London after our Uber driver dropped us off at the hotel our room was not yet ready so we headed out for a bite to eat.

The Crypt is entered through a side building next to the church.

An elevator led down to the crypt.

About a block away was St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church (our landmark) which runs Café  in The Crypt.

There was quite an array of fresh, hot food in addition to an espresso bar and pastries.

One serving was easily enough for two.

We had a wonderful traditional fish and chips lunch (a single serving was enough for 2) among the grave markers that lined the floor.

The floor of The Crypt.

The Crypt gift shop was not in the least macabre.

There is also a nice gift shop with some unusual items if souvenirs are needed.

Entrance to the National Gallery which has no entrance fee.

Then we headed toward Trafalgar Square about half a block away to the National Gallery. I had planned to see 3 paintings.  Here they are from largest to smallest.

The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo 189.5 × 120 cm

The National Gallery website was very helpful in pointing me in the right direction.

Sunflowers by van Gogh 92.1 × 73 cm

Vincent has 7 paintings at the National Gallery.  I would have liked to have seen them all.

Perhaps the most famous painting in the museum is The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck.  82.2 × 60 cm

Charlie’s not a big fan of art museums so he benched himself while I looked.

Our hotel room included a large bathroom with both a tub and separate shower.

We made our way back to the hotel where our room awaited.

We sat in the center of the “stalls” which in the US would be center orchestra.

I had prearranged theatre tickets online a few days before for the evening’s performance of The Devil Wears Prada starring Vanessa Williams.

We walked to the theatre 19 minutes away up Charing Cross Road at the corner of Tottenham Court.

I had done my research and found the Dominion Theater was open on Monday, a day that is traditionally dark on Broadway.

Don’t worry. We were invited to take this photo.

We had a grand time.

Jo

Cruise Norway: Docking at Tilbury

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The final port of call of our cruise from Bergen, Norway, is  London in the UK.

We docked at London Cruise Terminal at Tilbury.

Actually we docked not in London but in Tilbury which is a 45 minute drive from central London.  Most people who were ending their travel in London were transported by Viking to Heathrow Airport via motor coach.  Others who were staying in England on their own used prearranged car services or Uber.

The tower at Charing Cross station in front of the hotel is a 19th-century, 70-foot high replica of the medieval Eleanor Cross, designed by E.M. Barry in 1865.

Charlie and I used Uber to get from Tilbury to our hotel in Charing Cross, London, after a bit of a snafu.  I had arranged to be picked up at “Tilbury Docks” but in fact we disembarked at the nearby “London International Cruise Terminal”.  I’m guessing some others used the train in Tilbury but we weren’t sure we could manage our luggage even though we’re light packers.

The building with the flags is The Clermont.

Our Uber driver was very congenial with personal stories and pointing out landmarks and attractions.  He delivered us to The Clermont at Charing Cross and helped us with our luggage.

Vestibule of The Clermont.

We were ready for our 3-day London adventure.

Jo

Cruise Norway: Amsterdam

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Our penultimate port before disembarking in London was Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The glass-topped canal boat in Amsterdam.

We were only in port for 6 hours so we took the included tour on one of Amsterdam’s famous glass-topped canal boats.  This Dutch city is home to 165 canals that wind their way through the cityscape, spanning a total of 31 miles; 1,281 different bridges cross over the canals.

This house was being restored; not an easy job.

With a local guide,we saw some of Amsterdam’s oldest buildings, from narrow-fronted gabled houses to gilded manses adorned with riches during the height of Holland’s Golden Age.

Row houses lined both sides of the canal.

We passed a variety of vessels, including charming (and some not so charming) houseboats moored canal side.

The boat fit snugly under the bridges.

We enjoyed views from the Golden Bend to Overhoeks, the city’s newest quarter, and from the Music Building to the replica of the 18th-century ship Amsterdam moored outside the Maritime Museum. We also passed the wooden double drawbridge known locally as the “Skinny Bridge”.

Amsterdam neighborhoods are busy and vibrant especially on Sunday morning while we were there.

Before returning to the ship we were given some free roaming time in Amsterdam.  The traffic was brutal, especially the bicycles (including ebikes) that have their own lanes and stop for no one.

We saw many, many windmills all over northern Europe.

A bus took us back to the Neptune which was docked about 40 minutes away in Ijmuiden for our final sail from Amsterdam to London.

Jo