Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Hello Sunday!

You have no idea of the amount of happiness you brought into my life and the lives of others.

Sue was a secret planner!  She put together a trip to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to celebrate Carri and Greg’s birthdays!  She wanted to do something special for them and what better way to celebrate than a champagne lunch at 8,000 feet above the desert floor, then hanging by a tiny wire while dangling over a ravine!  Always a smile and always enjoying others having fun, that was Sue. She made my every day a beautiful day!

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Trip February 2014  L-R: The Thedens, Greg, Carri, Paul, and Sue

Today the social calendar was lit brightly as I am heading to the Z’s for brunch with Ed.  Ed and I needed to get out of our houses and where better to go than the Z’s for “Hobo Eggs,” muffins, and champagne and sangria!

I was elected to get muffins, so at 7:00 AM sharp, I went to the local bakeries, and I found several which I packed up and took to the Z’s.  I thought about making them from scratch, but alas, I ran out of time.

I thought I had time, but the clock was too fast! So I shall make them this week (besides, it is better to make them once before bringing them to others to try!)

Off I go via the Grey Ghost speeding down the 405 to the 22 to the 5!  We were flying, paying no attention to the speedometer until I switched onto the five, and I was doing 95 MPH.  Holy baloney, I have a lead foot, and I was not the fastest on the freeway by far!  The police must be ticketing people not wearing masks at the beach as they were not in sight on the freeway system!

The Grey Ghost pulled up at the Z’s one minute after the arranged time; I hope they let me into this exclusive party!  I heard a loud “Welcome” so I knew all would be OK!

The table was ready, and the weather was outstanding! Party time!

Bob gave me the tour of his workshop, from which I jotted down several mental notes!  Then to the back yard for a garden tour, but in the middle of the walk, I got yelled at!  OMG, it was horrible.  This extremely vicious animal dropped from the tree, stopped right in front of me, showed his three-inch fangs, and yelled obscenities in a language I did not understand!

I vowed to practice up on my Squirrel so I could answer him back next time!

Donna and Bob had the patio set up for a king’s feast!  Ed and I so enjoyed the visit, and we were overwhelmed by the display of our beautiful wives with flowers.  An extraordinary thought from the Z’s.

A lovely thought by two gracious and caring friends!

We sat and talked for a while, making sure the six-foot rule was observed.

Ed was first up and showed us the way to plate Hobo Eggs properly!

Our conversations varied from how we met to dancing to honeymoons and back again.  It’s fantastic to be amongst friends who care about each other!

Our hosts were terrific, making us feel so at ease, even with the overhanging sadness we had in our hearts! Thank you, Bob and Donna, thank you very much!

Not missing a chance to be above and beyond, Donna and Bob brought out a gift for Ed and I.  Below, Donna presents a rose plant named “Spring In Paris” to remind Ed of the time spent in France with Kathy.  Then Donna brought out a Lavendar plant for me to remember Sue and her love of pinks/purples and the lavender fragrance.

How thoughtful remembering these things about Ed & Kathy and Sue and me!

It shall reside by our dining room window so I can see it every day and think of my extraordinary bride.

Our tummies were full, so it was time for a walk.  Only one picture is shown below, but there will be more posted soon.

Flowers flowers flowers!

We walked about a half-hour, so brunch would settle before returning and drinking some “Sangria a’ La Donna.”  We voted and are pretty sure the dill pickels and garlic made the difference!

Just to make sure us bachelors are fed, Donna brought out an assortment of cheesecakes to have with the sangria!

What a beautiful afternoon!  Just a fantastic time!

Friends are vital in times like these, thank you all!!! (We did not talk nor breathe while this photo was being taken and promptly jumped up and ran in opposite directions when we heard the shutter go click!

I departed about 3:00 PM to meet up with Robin and Bob at home.  We went out for burgers and a coke and then dinner in the park.  We saw the cutest “teacup terrier” running with its mommy, just adorable!

We had a schedule to keep.  At 5:00 PM, we had cousin Dave’s daughter, and two of my three daughters meet up on Zoom so we could get an introduction made.  We carried on for over an hour and had a fantastic time.

Dave (Louisiana), Robin-Bob-Paul (California), Colleen (New Hampshire), and Angie (Texas)!

After the phone call, Bob headed for home, and Robin and I headed for the living room to watch “The Shootist,” what a great movie!

After that, we crashed at about 9:30 PM.  It’s been a long but remarkable day!

About Paul

Just an old retired guy trying to finish out my last years on this planet. I lost my best friend and wife in early 2020. I was blessed again by reconnecting with Dr. Mary Côté, a long-time friend. Mary and I got married July 28th, 2021, and are enjoying life together and plan to spend the rest of our lives being a blessing to our friends and family.
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