FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 3, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 37
Victoria’s
DIARY
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
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An unusual Thanksgiving
Enjoying holiday dinner with Sheila Levy.
A lakeside Thanksgiving.
A s’mores delight.
The plaque is attached to a
bench at Tappen Beach.
I watched the sun go down from the beach.
What a different
Th anksgiving!
There was no
full-family 25-people gathering,
but everyone was still in our
hearts and somehow we all got
through it by coping in diff erent
ways.
Th anksgiving day started with
the great joy of a bingo Zoom
gathering with my six grandchildren.
We were still together, but
in the COVID way! What fun!
In my neighborhood, the rain
came early on Th anksgiving day,
but as the morning turned to
noon, the sun came out and the
temperature rose to a pleasant 64
degrees — a gift by itself!
My daughter Elizabeth had
done research to see which
restaurants off ered noontime
outdoor heated dining, when we
thought it would be warmest.
Lucky for us, Gatsby’s Landing
on Old Northern Boulevard in
Roslyn off ered outdoor tables
with heaters on the ceiling to
warm our bodies and on the
fl oor to warm our feet! Our
seating overlooked the historic
Roslyn Duck Pond, even having
a family of ducks hanging out
just below our terrace seating.
Th e sun shone so strongly, my
9-year-old granddaughter Addy
complained of the sun hurting
her eyes. But when I off ered
her another seat, she insisted on
staying with hers and fought off
the sun rays by blocking it away
with her arms.
Elizabeth and my grandson
Jonah stripped off their jackets
because they felt so warm
from the heater. Our waitress
said they were off , but about
an hour later, the professional
owner came by and said,
“Oh yes, they’ve been on since
we opened a few hours ago!”
We were very cozy, so much so
that Elizabeth sat in a sleeveless
T-shirt, but I still wore my layers
of sweaters and a fur jacket.
Although none of us ordered
turkey, we were together and the
peaceful view from our patio
seating was matched by the delicious
food. Addy ordered spaghetti
with tomato sauce,
her favorite. Jonah chowed
down on a creamy macaroni
and cheese. Elizabeth and I each
ordered a rich vegetable soup
with spinach salad, and crispy
crab cakes.
But the piece de resistance of
the meal was the dessert. Addy
had a scrumptious-looking
s’mores sundae topped with perfectly
charred melted marshmallows.
She ate it to the bottom of
the glass.
Time went too fast and
lunch ended too soon for me.
Sometimes I wish time could
stand still.
Aft er they left , I was alone and
decided to go down to Tappen
Beach in Sea Cliff and walk
on the pebble-strewn sand. I
took my shoes off and realized I
missed walking on the silky soft
sand at Westhampton Beach,
steps from my summer retreat.
As I walked, I found a bench
perched at a landing halfway
down the beach. When I got
closer, I saw a plaque attached to
the bench that read:
Miss You, Mike T.–Forever
“53”
Tappen Beach…
Where Our
“Eternal Love Took Root”
Forever in My Heart, Tonia
So, I decided
to sit there and
feel that love as I
watched the sun
go down silently
and brightly,
making a dramatic
descent behind the
trees on the other side
of the harbor.
When I left the beach, I
called my daughter Samantha
and was delighted that she
off ered to make me a goodie
bag package of turkey, stuffi ng
and ravioli. She had thoughtfully
already bought me “touches”
from the turkey — my favorite
part!
I did end up continuing the
tradition of eating turkey and
celebrating Th anksgiving with
my family. It was diff erent than
usual, but we had “touched”
each other and that’s all that
counts.
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