We Are Off To The Theater This Evening!

Mary is cooking up something extraordinary again!

First things first, our bi-weekly workout! My back sounded like Rice Krispies—Snap, Crackle, and Pop! After the workouts, we feel worn out, but we move better after a few minutes of complaining.

Sore today, stronger tomorrow. Remember,  Take care of your body. It’s where you live.

We walked into the garden and surveyed the work ahead of us: removing the summer plants, turning the soil, and preparing for the winter garden. Our grandkids are coming over on Sunday to pull everything out and begin turning the soil!

I have to stay away because on Monday, my hand gets operated on, and I will not be useful in the garden for a month or so.  Looks like I’ll have to avoid using my hand for a while, which means no high-fives for anyone. I guess I’ll have to perfect my fist bumps instead!

Say goodbye to Summer.

The Japanese Yard Longs are indeed that. We eat some fresh but remove the other pods from the plant and lay them on top of a storage shed to dry in the sun. After a week, we shell the beans and store the seeds in Mason jars so we can have soup later in the year!

Beans are a great source of plant-based protein, fiber, iron, and antioxidants. Eating beans on a regular basis can help maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and support gut health. Soups are an easy and delicious way to enjoy the health benefits of beans.

We shall dry these out and use the beans inside for soup!

The yardlong bean, a true legume, enriches the soil by fixing atmospheric nitrogen in nodules on its roots. With the help of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, the plant makes its own food. Distribution: The yardlong bean originated in southern Asia and is now grown extensively in Asia, Europe, Oceania, and North America.

Our cleaning crew arrived at 2:00 pm, and we were already dressed for this evening’s outing to the theater.  We stayed in the office until they were ready to clean it up, which meant vacuuming and taking out the trash!

Mary’s side of the office; Paul’s needed a wide-angle lens!

Robin joined us directly from work and arrived at 4:15 p.m. We shot out of here, heading for the South Coast Repertory Theater. On the way, we picked up Brenda, who works just two blocks away at Experian.

We rolled into the Silver Trumpet at 4:55 pm sharp, right on time.  Silver Trumpet Restaurant and Bar combines upscale cuisine with the lively atmosphere of a bar and lounge. Its AAA Three-Diamond rating is a testament to the culinary team’s commitment to excellence. Located at the prestigious Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa, it is a short walk to the local theaters.

Great dining: The Silver Trumpet.

We were hoping Jan Mongel would go but decided she would likely refuse; it would be great for the five of us to get together.

Ladies, enter for a gastronomical adventure!

Would you like to go inside?

We began with wine, did terrific appetizers, and threw caution to the wind!

We had a leisurely dinner.

Lamb Lollipops for appetizers.

The entrees were out of this world!

Mary did the rack of lamb.

We almost ordered the salmon to share.

Paul did the scallops!

With full tummies, we waddled to the theater and found our seats. We were ready to laugh and giggle. We saw “Little Shop of Horrors.”

Summary: Meek flower shop assistant Seymour pines for co-worker Audrey. During a total eclipse, he discovers an unusual plant he names Audrey II, which feeds only on human flesh and blood. The growing plant attracts excellent business for the previously struggling store. After Seymour feeds Audrey’s boyfriend, Orin, to the plant after Orin’s accidental death, he must come up with more bodies for the increasingly bloodthirsty plant.

Two movies were made, one in 1960 and one in 1968; both are quite funny!

The walk home was needed after sitting for two hours.

We had a photo op and took advantage!

Here we are.

After the show we were giggley and ready to walk to the car.

Good looking group!

We have season tickets to the South Coast Rep because it is easy to reach and offers excellent presentations.

Two blocks to the car.

We dropped Brenda off at work and then took the 55 North for a leisurely 15-minute ride home. Brenda, if you’re reading this, we promise we didn’t actually drop you, it was more like a gentle roll!

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We Did Errands All Day!

We visited a whole collection of people!

There was an old saying, “If I ran any faster, I’d run up my butt and disappear!”  We were running around from 8:30 am until 7:00 pm today!

We started the day by visiting the Senior Citizen Center and signing Mary up for a watercolor class. Mary is exceptionally talented, but we have been on the go for the last four years so we let her art ambitions take second place. We plan to adapt the upstairs into an art studio, small computer area, and entertainment center!

We have plenty of room and excellent lighting all day long!

We went to brunch at Benji’s from the Senior Center. Mary was in a serious pickle trying to decide what to order. It was as if the menu had turned into a multiple-choice exam, and she was convinced that the wrong choice would lead to a culinary catastrophe.

Decisions decisions.

Their family-owned and operated NY-style Diner | Lounge | Deli boasts the classics you crave—from bagels and lox and Matzo Ball soup to pastrami on rye. One of the only old-school Jewish restaurants in Orange County, they pride themselves in excellent service and unbeatable eats that will leave you feeling like you’re back in Bubbe’s 1960s Brooklyn kitchen.

They are a cornerstone of the North Tustin and Santa Ana communities and widely recognized as a must-experience restaurant in Orange

I ordered a pastrami, triple-decker. And then I realized I should probably start working out if I’m going to keep ordering sandwiches that big!” It was THREE sandwiches, so two came home with us and are now living with Jeff.

Oh my!!

After brunch, we went to see my pulmonologist at UCI/St. Josephs. He looked at everything and said, “Keep doing what you are doing!”  I will not see him, unless there is a problem, for six months!

The doctor’s office was decorated.

Then we went by CVS to get some meds and a flu shot.  I have to go back after my operation next week and get the remaining shots, which include rabies.

Then we went to the bank so Mary could check on some items… and ended up leaving with a toaster, a free pen, and a mysterious sense of financial responsibility!

From the back, we went to Irvine to see Mary’s doctor.  She is on a street unknown to GPS, so we have to go by sight.

On the way home, the traffic was terrible, so we called Dianne and decided to have dinner with her at a local eatery called Fresh Off The Boat—they were not kidding!

We noticed they also cater, so this is another place we may use! Hopefully they can cater to our strange obsession with mini hot dogs and unicorn-shaped sandwiches.

Dinner with Dianne.

We came back to the homestead at almost 7:00 p.m! Colleen sent a WiFi picture frame so the kids can send us pictures directly to the frame from their phones.  I had one waiting.

I set upo the frame that Colleen sent us.

Dinner with Dianne.

We were pooped out and crashed, but I managed to call Joe and see if the boys wanted to earn some money!  My poor old hands do not work well in the garden, so the operation is on Monday.

I need to get ready to plant the winter garden, but summer is coming!

Have grandsons; will work!

We crashed by 9:00 pm!

 

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We Were Not Too Busy Today!!

Halloween is on its way

Monday was a slow day for us. When we got up, the weather was dreary, and the fog was pretty thick. I think even the sun hit the snooze button a few extra times that morning!

We are at foggy bottom, Orange, CA.

The rotary garden are doing very well with the flowers leaping out of their little pots as if they are attempting to reach the pato!

The flowers seem to like cool weather!

We went to the gym and got so twisted into shape that we ended up looking like a couple of pretzels!   Neither of us could hardly walk after 90 minutes of abuse!

We worked around the house until the cooking bug bit the Misses and the Turkey Wings became the menu!

Turkey Wings and mashed potatoes! Comfort food!

We were going to watch TV but decided we had better crash early as tomorrow is a full day of errands.

Good night all!

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Halloween Is Coming!

23 days to go!

Only a few days remain until Halloween!! It was time to practice my pumpkin-carving skills and perfect my costume. I hope my neighbors appreciate the giant inflatable ghost I plan to put up in the yard. Boo!

Today, we worked on emptying all the suitcases and washing everything. Then we watched some movies and crashed!

We watched the 1953 movie, “The High And The Mighty”.  The High and the Mighty is a 1953 novel by Ernest K. Gann about an airline flight from Honolulu to San Francisco. Just past the halfway point, or the point of no return, the flight has a catastrophic engine failure, puncturing the wing and fuel tanks. As the flight crew struggles to get the damaged airliner to safety, human drama unfolds for the crew and passengers.

We crashed at 10:30 pm!

 

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We Decided To Fly Away!

He he he he!

Robin arranged for us to join her group in Huntington Beach for the yearly Air Show!

We joined Robin on the tenth floor of the Hilton Hotel on Huntington Beach’s beach for a fantastic airshow view!

We got to HB at 10:00 am and decided to have a bite to eat before going upstairs.  We must say that the Hilton Hotel food provided via the CaboWabo restaurant was unexpected!

The drinks were fantastic and the meal excellent!!

There was still some fog, so we went upstairs to the suite and entered a party underway!  Food and drinks abounded on every flat surface!

Oh My! Did we have food or what?

Out on the balcony, the weather was poor.

Just a bit of fog!

Kelly Grigsby was there, and we got to visit and catch up on this since I retired 18 years ago.  Kelly was on my staff and took care of many tasks for me.  She was ex-Navy and never met a challenge she could not tackle!

Kelly Grigsby joined us!

We heard the jets go by, rattling the iron railings on the patio.  We never saw the jets and hoped they had their radars on, as we were ten floors up on the beach and could not see a thing!

You could not even see the ships!

We decided to head home ahead of the traffic since the fog was still pretty thick. Robin got the car from the auto park about three blocks away and drove it to the front door. I had a few drinks and decided to have Robin drive home; it was a good choice.

Dog-A-Puss and I lay on the floor and talked about our recent trip!  He told us he loves Irene; they are quite a pair!

Poppy and Scout!

Robin had to leave early to relieve Nick from Binx-watch.  Their family kitty is 14 years old and not doing well, so they want someone always to be there.

We decided to go into the hot tub for a while before watching TV. The weather was a balmy 78 degrees, so we stayed in for three cycles, which was around an hour. We popped out, dried off, and decided to watch Hocus Pocus in the TV Room.

Mary crashed hard, like a computer running Windows 95 trying to play a Blu-ray movie. She looked so peaceful, so we decided to let her sleep!

Scout and I stayed up until it was over and woke up sleeping beauty. Looks like I’ll be watching it again tonight! I guess I should invest in some toothpicks to keep her eyes open!

In all fairness, we’ve been on the move for ten days straight – even the Energizer Bunny would be begging for a break by now!

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Day 9 – Coming Come!

Home Sweet Home

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The iPhone alarm went wild at 6:03 am this morning.  When I jumped out of bed, I noticed the shower was running, and sure enough, Miss Bright Eyes And Bushy Tailed was already getting ready to go!

While she was showering, I arranged her eight steamer trunks by the door, making her packing easier.  The two trunks used for shoes were already packed to the top.  The other six steamer trunks were partially full, and she laid the contents on top.

The cab company and moving vans will pick us up and her suitcases at 9:00 am.

The other alphabetically color-coordinated suitcases were ready to receive her clothes.

Color coding makes it easier to find them when the cargo plane lands in LA.

She is so lovely to me!  She ironed my Ralphs Market paper sack and reinforced the paper handles with scotch tape so it would not fall open on the way to the plane.

We took some last-minute snapshots of the inn!

By the way, the book on the table was our donation for the decorations last year!

Goodbye, Inn, see you next year.

Talk about scary!  This scary spook was UGLY!

A spook in the mirror!

Everything was decorated!

Once a year, all the cobwebs become decorations!

Now, after breakfast, we are ready to go!

The kids, God bless them, came to say goodbye and make sure we could carry our baggage to the car. The moving van arrived just before the kids, or they would have panicked and driven off into the sunset.

The drive was uneventful, a mere 45 minutes.

Colleen leaves this airport when she comes to visit.

We got our picture taken with a moose!

Hi Moose! We are Elks!

We made it to the plane with few issues, except that we tried to take our luggage ON THE PLANE! We wondered why the suitcases would not go through the X-ray machine. Yes, we should have checked them in! So, we went through the TSA line twice.

Here we go!

Up, up, and away!

Flying to Charlotte.

It’s time for a quick iced tea before boarding.

Quick stop in Charlotte before the next leg

The flights were excellent since we now travel first class; we are getting too old to sit like sardines for hours.

Robin picked us up, and we were home at 8:00 p.m. and in bed by 8:15 p.m. since it was 11:00 p.m. our time.

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Day 8 – Our Last Full Day In New Hampshire

We got the message!

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On the weekends, New Hampshire and Maine are invaded by people from New York and New Jersey!  The traffic on Friday and Sunday nights is impressive—almost like LA!

By 9:30 am, Mary was ready for breakfast, and I lept into the shower and threw on my clothes while she ordered breakfast for us.  I had no idea I liked 1/2 piece of burnt bacon and a glass of buttermilk.

Mary, ordering for herself, had a “simple” omelet (Dubbed the “Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata,” which includes 10 ounces of Sevruga caviar, an entire lobster, six fresh eggs, cream, chives, and lobster sauce.  It’s served over a bed of Yukon gold potatoes), caviar, Wagyu beef bacon, truffles with white saffron, and foie gras with matsutake mushrooms.

On the right side, I was allowed one sip of yesterday’s orange juice, which they retrieved from the porch after the cat had finished with it.

We are off to the museum to finish our visit from yesterday!

BAck to the museum.

The most recent addition to the museum is a center for the regional arts!

We visited the garage, which was quite enlightening.

Old-fashioned lightning rods.

A lightning rod or lightning conductor (British English) is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike.  If lightning hits the structure, it is most likely to strike the rod and be conducted to the ground through a wire rather than passing through the structure, where it could start a fire or cause electrocution.  Lightning rods are finials, air terminals, or strike termination devices.

In a lightning protection system, a lightning rod is a single component.  The lightning rod requires a connection to the earth to perform its protective function.  Lightning rods come in many forms, including hollow, solid, pointed, rounded, flat strips, or bristle brush-like.  The main attribute common to all lightning rods is that they are all made of conductive materials, such as copper and aluminum.  Copper and its alloys are the most common materials used in lightning protection.

Ah ha, a new type of washing machine that saves electricity!

This is called a “Dianne” – A washing machine.

Upstairs, we visited veterans’ displays.  The lady in the display was a WWII Navy Nurse.

WWI heroes.

After visiting the museum, we drove to Colleen’s and the Nubble Lighthouse.  We loved Colleen’s signage on her from the porch!

We were meeting Colleen at her home.

There are 65 lighthouses all along Maine’s coast, inlets, and islands.  Initially, the lighthouses were erected to signal the mouth of a harbor — a much-needed beacon for storm-tossed sailors.  Today, these lighthouses have become icons of coastal Maine, and visitors worldwide are traveling to see them.

The Cape Neddick Light is a lighthouse in Cape Neddick, York, Maine.  In 1874, Congress appropriated $15,000 to build a light station at the “Nubble,” and construction began in 1879.  The U.S. Lighthouse Service dedicated the Cape Neddick Light Station and used it in 1879.  It is still in use today.

Plans to build a lighthouse on the site had been in the works since 1837.  The tower is lined with brick and sheathed with cast iron.  It stands 41 feet (12 m) tall, but the light is 88 feet (27 m) above sea level because of the additional height of the steep rocky islet on which it sits.  Unusually, the stanchions of the walkway railing around the lantern room are decorated with 4-inch (100 mm) brass replicas of the lighthouse itself.

A beautiful lighthouse is now fully automated, meaning no people are involved.

The wind is constant!  We stopped at the gift store and did some serious shopping.

Thar she blows!

From the lighthouse, we stopped by the optometrist to get glasses for the kids that were supposed to be available.

From there, we stopped at The Tuckaway for dinner.  The Butchery opened on March 15th, 2012, as a meat market specialty shop highlighting top-quality beef and homemade marinades, but quickly expanded to much more.  Today, the Butchery features a wide variety of in-house crafted specialty foods, a vast array of locally crafted beers, plenty of wine, and a complete organic section featuring nuts, granola, fruit bars, chips, desserts, and more.

It’s time for dinner.

Mary takes care of the old man!

We are now ready to order!

Oh my, talk about a steak!  This was so good that I did not even think about A-1 sauce; it melted in your mouth!  The street corn and New Hampshire chili were outstanding.

The entire cow.

The great-grandkids were chowing down with the help of Grandma and Grandpa!

We had a magnificent dinner.

After dinner, Colleen drove us to our hotel, where we met a fellow who was changing his tire.

Hey bones!  Do you need a hand?

We finally went to the hotel around 7:00 pm and crashed.  Tomorrow, we are getting up early to pack, have breakfast, and then head to the Manchester airport for the flight home via  Charlotte, North Carolina.

It has been a fantastic trip, and we got to meet some of the in-laws, which is always a good idea.

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Day 7 – Morning Of Relaxation And Afternoon With Family!

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We thought we should let Colleen rest and not have to entertain us this morning, so we stayed around the Inn. We had coffee early, followed by breakfast. We just relaxed until around 1:30 p.m., when we invited Colleen for lunch at the Inn. The weather cooperated beautifully.

No perspiration for the week!

The breakfast table had some new decor.  The Sander’s Sisters Blackbird was visiting this morning.  A blackbird’s life expectancy is around three years, but they have been known to live into double figures.

Alfred Hitchcock, eat your heart out.

The sisters are funny!  We watch the movie every Halloween season.

It was a great film, and the second production was as good as the first!

The skull consists of 22 bones joined together by cranial sutures.  The cranial region houses the brain, and the facial region includes the rest of the skull.  Enjoying an omelet when a skull was staring at you was difficult!

Hard Head!

We were all set to escape the clutches of the Inn at 11:00 am and embark on a thrilling adventure to the local museum. Brace yourself, museum; we’re coming to admire your finest dusty artifacts!  We hopped in the car and zoomed over to the museum just a stone’s throw away.

New decorations showed up this morning!

The Woodman Museum was founded in 1916 from a trust established by Annie E. Woodman to: “Advance and develop a passion for History, Nature, and the Arts.  To educate, excite, and inspire current and future generations about . . . a changing nation by preserving and exhibiting objects of historical significance, decorative and fine art, and natural science that connect Dover and its citizens to . . . the world.”

It is located at 182 Central Ave.  Dover, NH, which was less than two miles away!

We arrived at 11:30 am.

The signage out front revealed four buildings to visit, but we also had limited time. We joined a tour group to get as much information as possible quickly.

Did you hear about the robbery at the local museum?  The thieves only took the Monet and ran!

Museum, here we come.

We visited the first building and read about the linen made in New Hampshire. Linen was essential in the 1600s since no cotton was available in New England!

When people arrived in the New World, they needed food, water, and clothes. Linen has been around for eons. It is one of the world’s oldest textiles, originating around 10,000 years ago in Ancient Mesopotamia.

Linen is the second strongest natural fiber in the world.  It is a solid fabric and gets 10% stronger when wet.  It’s also 30% stronger than cotton!  Linen is very durable; unlike other fabrics, it doesn’t pill over time.  The more worn and washed it is, the softer and more luxurious it becomes.

To protect themselves from the Indians, settlers built fortified houses called garrisons!

Why is Dover called Garrison City?  Because it was an early settlement in Abenaki lands, settlers built fortified log houses called garrisons, inspiring Dover’s nickname “The Garrison City.”

In 1600s New England, a garrison was a fortified house that was a crucial part of the military strategy and a last resort for frontier towns:

Definition: A garrison was a fortified house built in almost all New England towns, especially in frontier towns like Maine and New Hampshire.  Garrisons were constructed to be strong enough to protect multiple families in times of danger.

Construction: Garrisons were typically built with log walls or thick planks and were constructed using a timber frame called plank frame construction.

Use: In times of peace, garrisons were used as one-family dwellings.

Military strategy: Garrisons were a first line of defense and a last resort for frontier towns.

Etymology: Garrison comes from the Old French verb garir, which means “defend, protect”.  The term “garrison town” was first used in the mid-1600s.

The garrison below was moved three miles by hand and horse in 1910 and has been protected from the elements by an overhanging building for the past 120 years.

The community fort house.

Inside, it was generally used by one family, but when Indians attacked, the local people would go to the garrison, protected by a foot of white pine.  The garrison kept food and water available and housed as many as twenty families during an uprising.

Inside was spartan but functional.

In the adjacent building, there were collections of items from pre-war of Independence through the 1860s.  The docent had great stories to share.

The museum is well documented.

The early settlers (the mid-1800s) had music, including a Swiss music box that played 40 different tunes.

Excellent craftsmanship; it still works after 150 years!

At 1:15 pm, we departed the museum even though we were not done.  We had to meet Colleen at the Inn for a late lunch.  We were on time and had a super “afternoon tea,” complete with cucumber sandwiches, scones, and other delectable goodies.

We had brunch at the Inn.

From lunch, Colleen drove us home to pick up Mark, and we all went to Jacquie’s home, which we had not seen yet.  We visited the kids and had a ball watching them be kids.  We saw the drumset that we sent to Chunk (Ashton).

Four generations of family!  It looks like Emmerson is having a ball.

Four generations at Lacquie’s home.  Mary, Emmerson, Jacquie, and Colleen.

We brought the kids some homemade cupcakes from GAle at the Inn. Not only were they good to eat, but they also looked good!

“How do I look in my new cupcake?”

After a while, we departed Jacquie’s home and headed back to Doven to Colleen’s house, where Jon and Sarah would bring dinner from the local Thai restaurant.

In Thai culture, sharing is a vital part of dining, and eating alone is considered bad luck. At meals, everyone shares from a large bowl of dishes in the center of the table, and taking small portions from each dish is considered polite.  We followed their tradition.

Jon and Sarah brought their kids, Nova, Kia, and King. The doggies were a three-ring circus, providing great entertainment.

The babies have a new best friend.

It’s time for tricks. Sarah showed us how the babies can have food put on their noses and on commend, flip to food in the air, and chow down.

The doggies were a three-ring circus!

We all know that these babies talk, so we attempted to make them tell us their secrets. It turns out that their first words were, ‘Goo, gaa gaa… give me a bottle!’ Well, we voted and decided that we humans make better husky sounds than they do!

We moseyed on back to the inn and plopped in front of the good ol’ TV until 10:00 p.m.

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Day 6 – Visiting Family And Old “Relatives”

It was a fantastic morning.

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We were up early and had breakfast at the Silver Fountain Inn.  The dining room was partially decorated, but we expect additional decorations by this evening.  The breakfast was terrific!  It kept us going until lunchtime.

We found black cats everywhere!

Breakfast at the inn!

The theme was Hocus Pocus. Movie summary: A villainous comedic trio of witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage boy (Omri Katz) in Salem, Massachusetts, on Halloween night. Walt Disney Pictures released the film in North America on July 16, 1993.

We watch the movie every year!

Hocus Pocus decor is everywhere around the Inn.  Last year, we contributed to the decorations.

It was decorated for the season.

The signage around the Inn was funny also!

We loved the signs.

We went to Colleens at 9:15 am and then headed south to Connecticut to visit with Ralph and Alyce Chartier, our ex-son-in-laws parents.  We surprised Alyce because the early warning she was supposed to get ( her son, Pete’s brother, Eddie) never happened.

The ride through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut was beautiful.  The leaves are turning. Trees stop making food in the fall, and chlorophyll production slows down and eventually stops. This reveals the other pigments in the leaf, such as xanthophylls and carotenoids, that were previously masked by chlorophyll.

Two hours on the road was tiring.

Alyce was beside herself when we showed up because we had cards and flowers; it was also her birthday!!  She was still in her jammies!

Hello Alyce, SURPRISE!!!

We gossiped about the past for a good hour and touched on all the family and friends that she knew. Ralph has memory issues but sat quietly and listened to all the goings-on!

We talked for an hour or more.

We were happy that Alyce was doing well and had all her faculties recalling things I had forgotten. We remembered the turn-of-the-century cruise, sitting in the hot tub on the ship, and watching the year 2000 change.

We were saying goodbye!

Alyce was happy to see her grandson, Jon, and his bride, Sarah.  They were also recalling memories of the past!

Alyce with grandson Jon and Sarah.

Even though Colleen is an ex-daughter-in-law, they were happy to see each other after many years.

Colleen and Alyce.

We were hungry and took a vote; it came out Mexican. I was worried about “East Coast Mexican” food because Mexican food was horrible years ago. Tortillas used to come out of a can and have zero spices—ugh!! Jon, Sarah, and Colleen assured us that was no longer true!

We hit the road to a restaurant known by our eastern relatives.  We were traversing I95 north.

We are on our way to lunch.

We landed at Mezcal Tequila Kitchen in Worcester, Mass. The service and food were both outstanding. I had three tacos with hard shells. They had hard shell tacos, and I asked the waiter to surprise me with his selection.

Lunch was terrific.

We had a mountain of food to finish.  We had a blast during the meal, cracking jokes and keeping the waiter amused!

The food kept coming… and we kept eating.

The happy crew was ready to face another two hours on the road. Our tummies were full, and we had a designated driver. Sarah strapped in, fastened the five-point safety belt, and hit the gas pedal with vigor. With flames shooting out the back of the KIA, we were on our way.

The adventurers in action.

Watch out for these three!

Three generations.

We visited Colleen’s home for a while before returning to the Inn. After five hours of riding in the car, we needed to get horizontal!

Mary thinks she has found a hat she might need! Tomorrow, we will have Colleen come over around 11:30 for lunch before we visit family.

Mary looks at the goodies in the Inn.

Since this morning, more decorations have appeared. We will have lunch here tomorrow with Colleen before visiting the grandkids’ homes.

The dining room is ready for Halloween.

We went to our room, got comfortable, and awaited the VP Debate, which ought to be a hoot.

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Day 5 – A Time To Visit!

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We were up by eight and decided to have breakfast at the B&B before going to Colleen’s home.  There, we met up with Gale, who always dresses up as a witch during Halloween.

Breakfast was terrific, complete with blueberry scones!

The dining room has yet to change to Halloween, but it will be transformed into a more haunted look today!

The dining room was just as we remembered from last year.

Magic began to occur as Mary stepped out the door, and perhaps I had a unique lens on the camera!  Maybe the place is haunted!

Time to go!

We got to Colleen’s around 10:00 am and spent the rest of the day visiting and getting ready for another family dinner this evening.

We arrived at the Perry’s.

I can remember Colleen as a little girl, and I had to get after her for a messy room.  Today, her beautiful home is immaculate and decorated by a professional, Colleen!  We loved the family pictures on the wall and took notes!

We love family!

Mark is going to BBQ sirloin tips this evening, and Sarah (Jon’s bride)  will make her world-famous oysters.  We needed supplies, including a cake, so we went to the local market.  Logann selected the cake, but we also needed one for Calhan!

We are shopping ahead of a family dinner.

On the way back home, we stopped at McDonalds and, of course, Dunkin’ Donuts!

That morning, Mary attempted to renew her DEA license and discovered that her California Medical License had expired; it was panic time. After calling the California Medical License Bureau, Mary found that the agency needed to send updated cards. You’ll need to go online and print them out.

While at Colleen’s, Mary and Colleen worked together to bring everything up to date.  Mary’s license had NOT run out after all.   Colleen saved us; we needed a printer to print out the medical licenses!  We even went to Staples and had them sealed in plastic.  Now Mary is all up to date!

While that happened, I received a text from Colleen, who recommended my Halloween costume for this year.  I went online and ordered it from Amazon.  I get to be a patriotic Santa.

We are ready to go!

Sarah and Jon arrived first, and then Sarah went to work to prepare the fried oysters.  The aromas coming from that stove were quite impressive.  Mary and I wandered over and watched the process unfold.  And let me tell you, it was like watching a magic show, except instead of a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, it was more like watching someone try to assemble an IKEA bookshelf without the instructions!

Mary assists.

I tried to take a picture with our oldest grandson, Jon, but he’s so tall that when I made him sit down, he still towered over me.  It looks like we are taking a photo with a friendly giant!

Our oldest grandson, Jon!

Jacquie and Nate also watched the cooking activities and shared stories with everyone.

Chuck stays close to Mom and Dad!  Emmy will be here soon!

We have four generations below. From left to right, we have son-in-law Mark, great-grandson Chunk (1 1/2 years old going on four), great-grandson Calhan, great-grandpa Liles, and grandson Jon. Another nature has a plan; she improves the looks of each generation.

Four generations!

We cannot leave the girls out!  Emmy demanded equal attention!

We allow girls in also!  Emmy was quite happy.  Where is Jacquie?

Great-grandpa Liles and four great-grandchildren are trying to determine if the beard means he is Santa Claus!  What a collection!

Meet great grandkids!  Logann, Emmy, Calhan, and Chunk!

Emmy had to leave early as she had to return to school tomorrow, so we sent her home with some cake.  This slice was for Chunk!

The cake is a vital necessity!

In the front room, Jackie was charged with watching the kids (including Mark)

Jacquie had everything under control!

The dinner bell rang, and the oysters were ready to make a dramatic entrance!  They rolled in on tiny oyster-sized roller skates, wearing tiny chef hats and performing a synchronized dance routine.  It was quite the show!

I downed six of these puppies, and Mary even had one, even though she very seldom eats shellfish!  They were amazing.  The sheet pan was emptied in minutes, and even the kids enjoyed oysters—imagine that!!

Sarah did oysters!

Mary attempted to help, but the kitchen with Mark, Jon, Sarah, and Colleen all working together was like a ballet… we decided to sit in the first row and applaud!

“Can I help??”

The grandparents also get a full circus show with the four little ones running around the house.

Fun with family!

While heading home, I recalled many thoughts about my daughter, Colleen.  It turns out that she and Joe are just like me in so many ways; Mary agreed!  Seeing them with their own family is a pretty fantastic feeling.

She turned out to be an amazing woman and a fantastic grandmother.

Around 9:00 pm, we headed home to the Silver Fountain, exhausted from a full day of visiting.

Going home… in the dark!

Posted in Adventures, Cooking, Family, Fun, Memories | 2 Comments