#anyway we would roast potatoes all day and put them in the barrels

[dirt-str1der]

Every day im thinking of minecraft campfire. How romantic to have a cloudy plume of smoke drifting upwards right to the sky ... to have something to cook your food on ... just waiting for the fire for your meal to be ready ... love it

[dopescotlandwarrior]

Beauty Chooses II-Chapter Six

                A Special thanks to @statell​ for your help and wisdom

Previous Chapters at AO3

Chapter Six-Remember Me

I rubbed my sore shoulders and whimpered with the pain. I don’t know why I was so keen on shooting a gun in the first place. I was obviously too small, too weak, or too something. I walked to the barn knowing Jamie would ask me if I did my exercises. If I did two or three lifts, I could tell him I succeeded. I sat on the ground and pulled the rope attached to a sack of grain and then pulled with all my might until it lifted off the ground. The rope was thrown over a board in the roof and it didn’t like to move. Maybe two more.

“Ah Sassenach, I am impressed with your dedication.”

“Finished!”

Jamie helped me up and hugged me close until he heard me wince. He held me at arms distance so he could look at me.

“Sassenach, you need not do your lifts every day. Give yer muscles time to heal in between, otherwise, ye wilna get any stronger.”

“I know, that's what you told me to do but it will take too long and now I am so sore I can barely hold Faith.”

“Mo chridhe, yer so sweet and verra sexy,” he growled into her ear. “It’s a good day for an afternoon nap.”

“A what?”

I stared at him like he had lost his mind. Jamie didn’t nap during the day, ever. He threw me over his shoulder and took the stairs two at a time being quiet in case Faith was sleeping. I was deposited on the bed and felt Jamie’s warm hands remove my boots and stockings before lifting me to remove my jacket, skirts, and the infernal corset. It took so long to get everything off it made me giggle. I still didn’t know what we were doing in bed in the middle of the day. Well, I knew what we were doing but not why since it was very uncommon. Jamie was stripped to his skin in under a minute and laid on his side, holding me close. Our bodies were pressed together from chest to toes. He closed his eyes and silently held me like that for several minutes. Our lovemaking was slow and unhurried, and I softly kissed his face a dozen times as he panted to catch his breath.

He looked at me while we laid in our post-rapture embrace. I could see his mind grinding on something and waited for him to tell me. When he didn’t, I asked what was in his mind. He told me the Jacobites had come upon him in the fields, separating Murtagh behind drawn swords at his throat. He refused to join them again, and warned them of consequences if his godfather suffered a single nick of the blade.

“They laughed at me Sassenach. One of them said I would fight, willingly or otherwise. Then they left. We must go Sassenach. After Hogmanay, plus maybe a month for the weather to become favorable for such a voyage. Be strong love and know I will keep my promise to get us to the new world before the fighting starts.”

He held me close and ran his hand up and down my back. It was a large, strong hand, that I entrusted the life of myself and our daughter to, with absolute faith he would see us safe.

The first time the Jacobites came to the estate there were five of them. They stood with Jamie outside and talked for over an hour. They were mustering and wanted Jamie to join them no doubt. I watched Jamie, for any sign of acquiescence.

It was five months later when they came a second time. I was outside with Faith and Glavia when a dozen men rode up on us. Glavia grabbed Faith and ran into the house and I turned to face them hoping my hatred did not show. I could only point them in Jamie’s direction, and they rode off to find him. That time I could not see Jamie to watch his body language. I could only hope.

When Hogmanay approached, I went the distance to provide an exceptional holiday for my family and the tenants that joined us. Misses Crook and I cooked all week for the celebration and the house was decorated in fine fashion. Jamie was up early cutting wood for fires that would burn bright all day and night. He put a pig and a deer to roast over the firepit outside. I sent Murtagh to the priest’s hole to unearth our silver serving dishes and candle holders. Throughout the day misses Crook and I laid out plates of meat and side dishes, fruit and cakes, sausages and potatoes, cheese and soup. When the house filled it was joyous with dancing and laughter. Our guests were treated to a very special party and Jamie was celebrated all evening.

It was all I could do to keep smiling, knowing this is the last Hogmanay to be celebrated in Scotland. The tenants would lose their laird, their customs, tartans, and all else held dear. It was a very difficult night for me. Faith, the apple of her father’s eye, entertained us until Glavia came for her at bedtime. She hugged Jamie and kissed him goodnight and I followed them upstairs.

“Glavia, why don’t you put a pretty dress on and go downstairs for a while. I will take care of Faith and stay right by her side.”

Glavia blushed and dropped her head shaking it side to side. She pulled Faith out of my arms and insisted I go back to the party. I listened to the joyous laughter below and fought back the tears wishing we were already on a ship to the new world. The battle of Culloden Moore was but four months away giving me good reason to fear.

When our last guest was out the door, I quickly sent misses Crook to bed and went looking for Jamie who was last seen in the dooryard with one of the tenants he grew up with. I found them in the barn, drunk off their collective asses, playing some kind of game.

“What are you two doing may I ask?”

“Ah, my beautiful Sassenach! Come my gorgeous darling. We are playing a wee game.”

“Well, the party is over and I am going to retire. How is this game played anyway?”

“One of us draws a line in the dirt, the other tries to throw somethin over the line. It’s so fun, ye want to try Sassy?”

“Certainly not. Goodnight gentlemen.”

By the state of their inebriation, I anticipated finding two very cold Highlanders passed out in the barn by morning. I went to our room to write a note for Joe. He was on my mind all evening and I wanted to wish him well. I wouldn’t know if he ever got back to Scotland and Lallybroch to see my note, but I hoped he did.

My sweet Joe, I am thrilled you come back to see my notes. I miss you and Baritone. I gave birth to Faith Ellen Fraser on January 5th, 1744. She is beautiful, healthy and strong. We have an idyllic life here without airplanes overhead or commuter traffic. Mostly, I love Jamie with every fiber of my being, so I belong here. The Jacobites are mustering troops and there is nothing I can do to stop it. We are leaving for America before the battle and I will watch Jamie’s heartbreak as he leaves his homeland. Master Raymond left me a stone that would transport me through time and worlds. Jamie threw it into a gorge, and it was never seen again. I wish I still had the stone. I have a sick feeling about escaping Scotland and wish we had a safe alternative. You start your residency this year! How very exciting. I will be thinking of you and all you will do. Love Claire

I set the note in Jamie’s hiding place and went to bed. I dreamed of sailing on a large ship seeing a beautiful green landmass ahead. I said a prayer for Jamie asking God to keep him strong and safe.

When I breezed through the kitchen the next morning it was obvious my prayer would have to wait for Jamie’s hangover to resolve as he looked anything but strong and safe today. I kissed his temple and he lifted his head an inch before dropping it back down over his plate. I poured him a whisky and announced, hair of the dog, before tipping the glass and liquid into his mouth. It seemed to help for a minute of two before he ran for a chamber pot emerging white-faced and slick with sweat.

I helped him up the stairs to our room and pulled his clothes off. He didn’t fight me, so I knew he was really feeling sick. Once he passed out, I returned to the kitchen to help with the cleanup. Out the window I could see snow whipping off the ground into spirals and sheets and moved to the door to peek outside. It was bitter cold, and I closed the door quickly.

I pulled my cloak around me with several scarves and gloves and pulled Jamie’s knit had over my head and ears.

“What’s got into ye Misses? Ye canna go outside today, it’s too cold!”

“I’ll be alright, but I cannot say the same for the animals without extra bedding. Has anyone seen Murtagh?”

“Aye, he looks worse than the Laird.”

I rolled my eyes and bravely walked outside closing the door quickly behind me. It was face-freezing cold, and I struggled to the barn hoping for a warm interior. What I saw was the plume of vaper as each animal exhaled and felt no warmth compared to outside. Something had to be done or these poor animals would freeze to death. There was a stone circle about two feet high and I wondered if it was used for fire to warm the barn during harsh weather. I dragged a stick through the dirt at the bottom and uncovered ashes and burnt pieces of wood. Running inside the house I gathered an armful of wood running back to start a life-saving fire.

How, I wondered, did they vent such an indoor fire. Running my eyes along the ceiling I saw a string ran along the slope and was tacked to the side of the barn. When I pulled the string a section of the roof popped open and it was directly above the fire pit. I was feeling like a hero when I lit the kindling to set the logs ablaze and clapped my hands at the radiating heat. What I didn’t anticipate were the embers that shot out from the popping wood sending little fireballs into the air.

I panicked, racing around the barn looking for something to contain the embers. I was ready to wake Jamie up for help when I spotted a metal disk laying atop a barrel. I grabbed each side and pulled until I was panting from the effort. I managed to move it only an inch and decided to push it off the barrel to the ground and then move it by lifting one end and tipping it over. By the time the disk was next to the fire pit, there were no more embers because the fire was long cold. I guessed I pushed that round metal for at least an hour. It was time to recruit help.

“Misses Crook, I need your assistance in the barn.”

“What have ye done to yerself Misses!”

“What?”

“Yer hands and face, they’re all black!”

By the looks of her, Misses Crook was going to faint right in front of me. I rushed to her promising I was alright. It was just soot and I was fine. I held out her cloak and bundled her up with scarves and a hat before pulling her outside to the barn. It seemed the temperature was falling if that were possible. I explained my intention to lift the disk on top of the fire pit to hold the embers leaving enough open space to fan the fire. I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore, so I urged the older woman to dig deep for strength. We each took a side and heaved the disk upward to rest on the stones above the fire. I was so excited and jumped up and down realizing I had no feeling in my toes.

I pushed Misses Crook out of the barn and promised I would be fine. In reality, I was dangerously close to freezing my fingers straight through, so I worked fast. I build another fire, twice the size leaving two inches to fan oxygen into the pit. I could fan and knock down any embers that snuck out of the opening. I was so intent on what I was doing I didn’t notice the interior of the barn warming up until I suddenly felt my fingers again. As I continued fanning and chasing embers, I started to sweat and rubbed the beads off my forehead, leaving a black greasy smudge that I was unaware of.

When the fire had burned the logs into glowing beds of warmth, I turned my attention to feeding and building up the bedding in each stall. The grain was the easy part. I took the large forked shovel and walked it, heaping with straw to the closest stall. When I swung it into the air the shovel was empty and fallen straw made a path where I walked. I tried several times to use the shovel, finally setting it aside to grab heaping armfuls of straw to throw into the stalls. Donus looked at me like he was afraid, and Brimstone leaned against her stall door to watch me. The goats were unimpressed and laid down for a warm winter nap.

Next, I had to bring water for each of them and I pumped until my arm felt like it would fall off, but no water came out. I ran back into the barn when I could no longer feel my face and threw more logs into the pit after shoving the disk farther back to make room. In minutes the fire was blazing again, and I dashed to replace the cover and bat at the escaping embers. I picked up the matted hay I used for a fan and kept the fire going.

I was exhausted. I wondered how many hours I was out here but felt so happy I saved the animals. My body dropped to the ground and I leaned against the warm stones of the fire pit. It finally occurred to me why they built the sides up with two feet of stone. The fire made them hot so they would radiate heat for hours after. Very smart. The fire wasn’t shooting embers any longer, so I closed my eyes to rest for just a minute.

I heard the barn door open and Jamie calling me. I barely woke up when the door closed, and the shouting stopped. I leaned against the warm stone and closed my eyes. What seemed like seconds later Jamie was hoisting me up stammering about my black face.

“Are ye hurt Sassenach? Yer covered in soot, how did this happen?”

I was delighted to see him and smiled brightly causing Jamie to lose it completely. He bent over holding his stomach and every time he looked at me the laughter started anew. I wanted to show him all that I had done but he couldn’t stop laughing long enough.

“Well, while you wet yourself laughing at me, I’m going to get water.”

I grabbed a bucket and made for the door to try the pump again, but Jamie stopped me. He grabbed four buckets and filled them with snow, right outside the barn door, and then hung a bucket in each stall.

“That will melt straight away since ye got it so warm in here. Yer the most beautiful mess I have e’er seen, lass. Thank ye for takin charge today.”

I could see he was biting the inside of his cheek to stem his laughter and his eyes watered with the pain. I followed his gaze around the barn and saw the upended barrel, straw littered all over the floor, and straw sticking out of each stall. I glanced at my warm hands and recoiled in horror. They were black on both sides up to my forearm. I looked at Jamie while a whimper escaped, and I held my hands up.

“Come lass. Let’s get ye cleaned up.”

Jamie wrapped my multiple scarves around my face and neck and pulled my arm into the crook of his elbow like I might blow away. Strange since we were so close to the kitchen door. He checked the glowing logs and pulled the disk completely over the fire pit. When we closed the barn behind us, I started for the kitchen and felt Jamie pulling me in another direction. The snow was shooting into our faces from the wind and I was decidedly uncomfortable until he pulled me into the back door and down the steps to the room at the back of the house.

“It’s warm here because all the chimneys run down this wall.”

He pushed me to sit on the stairs and promised he would be right back. It might be warm, but it was also black as pitch and my comfort level had plummeted. Jamie was back in five minutes with a basket full of hot, wet towels and a hand mirror. He pulled me to the outside door and opened it long enough for me to see my black, sooty face. I started to giggle, especially when I smiled and my bright white teeth were suddenly visible. The more I looked the more I laughed, and Jamie was right with me.

Once composed, Jamie pulled the towels out and wiped them on my face and arms. We needed the door cracked for light, but he worked fast, dropping the black towels once they were used up. I was shaking from the contrasting cold coming through the door and the hot towels on my face and arms. My teeth started chattering and Jamie abandoned his mission to carry me upstairs. My cloak was removed and Misses Crook handed me a towel after towel, pointing to places I missed.

It all seemed to catch up with me. The laborious afternoon in the cold barn, heaving straw, moving the disk inch by inch, pumping the water, and then scraping the soot off my skin. Again, I was lifted into Jamie’s arms and carried upstairs. Each piece of clothing was carefully removed and dropped into a basket on the floor. Jamie looked me over, front and back, declaring me clean. I was never so grateful to be crawling into bed until I stopped, frozen mid-crawl, hearing Faith cry. I looked down at my dripping nipples knowing they were painfully engorged but lacking the strength to get Faith. Jamie was out the door, so I pressed into the bank of pillows he had stacked against the headboard. I felt Faith lay across my stomach and latch onto the closest nipple.

“Ye didna want to wake me Sassenach, so you used yer incredible brain to figure out the fire pit and how it worked, and incredible brawn to get the work done.”

He squeezed my sore muscles as he spoke until Faith grabbed his hand and pushed it away. She didn’t like to be disturbed when she was nursing, and Jamie and I laughed at her territorialism. Any other time she was her da’s girl but not now. Jamie leaned against the headboard and kissed my neck before pulling me with a suckling Faith against his chest.

“Close yer eyes my beauty and rest in my arms.”

I thought about what Jenny told me so long ago. It’s a beautiful life in this century with plenty of hard, backbreaking work, and an abundance of time to love and reflect. Our lives are full of genuine people who know who they are, and what their purpose is. I never hear anyone say ‘why am I here? What is my mission in life? How can I feel fulfilled? No one is board, no one is addicted, no one is depressed for no reason. When I tell Jamie about the future, he crinkles his brow over the internet and the television. The wonders of these distractions are lost on him. Rather, he can watch his daughter nurse for thirty minutes and never move a muscle.

Jamie powers through his day like he is on high octane fuel and then sits on a hay bale to talk with a tenant who needs his attention. He’s never short with them but gives his full attention and lets them talk until they choose to leave, then he goes back to his task. It’s amazing to watch because I have never seen the same in my century. I wish I could write a book about the staggering differences between the centuries. Maybe people would turn off their television and push away from the computer, spend more time with neighbors in helpful pursuits, spend more quiet time in their head so they quit looking outside themselves to define who they are. If it required returning to my own time to give this book to the people I wanted no part of it. My heart would burn for Scotland and this beautiful life. I could think of nothing I would risk going back for and settled into my nap feeling warm and loved.

In mid-February, I laid in the dark with Jamie and asked the question that burned daily in my brain; when do we leave for the new world? We spoke quietly and Jamie instructed me to pack a trunk for each of us and be ready to leave as soon as passage could be secured. I kissed him over and over again, crying with my relief. Murtagh would secure our passage and he was leaving for the docks the next day.

Jamie had an Aunt in North Carolina and he had received word from her that we were all welcome and she would pray us safe to our new home. I could see Jamie’s heart breaking and I held him to me as often as possible. He spent more time outside on the property and I would find him watching the sunset, alone, with his sadness. I told him we would come back after a time and regain our wonderful life atLallybroch. Sometimes it was enough to lift his spirits and sometimes it wasn’t.

Snow covered the land until late February, and I was finally able to get through the trail to the bottom of the gorge. I searched for the blue rock for as long as I dared before returning home disappointed. Murtagh made his third trip to the docks as he had been unsuccessful so far. Again he returned empty-handed and my worry was blooming into a continuous panic. All of the treasures from the house were buried in the priest hole and the trunks were packed and ready. The voyage to America was a dangerous journey with sickness and treachery. If a mother got sick during the passage; she was thrown over and her children followed. This added another layer of fear to my days. I didn’t care. I just wanted Jamie on a ship sailing away from Scotland and I hardly cared the direction.

Jamie visited each tenant’s home and spoke with the family about the coming war and what was likely to happen after. He left their homes with the women crying and the men pacing. It was very unpleasant, and he would cling to me that night and claim my body to help him forget.

One day in early March, Jamie kissed me and left for his chores. It was a lovely day and I dressed Faith in warm clothes, and we spent some time outside in the fresh air. I helped Misses Crook in the garden preparing for seed we would never see sprout and I worried like I did every day.

Once again, Murtagh returned with no passage booked for us and I excused myself to fall apart in our room. I cried until I noticed the light waning and ran to the window to look for Jamie. Where was he? It was long past his usual time to get home and the sun was setting fast. I paced in our room until Misses Crook knocked on the door.

“Should I hold dinner for the Laird, Misses?”

“No, let’s go ahead and eat. Leave the pot on the fire to stay warm for Jamie.”

I needed the feeling of normalcy tonight to keep my hysterics at bay. I will feel much better when I see my husband and then we start again tomorrow looking for a ship.

Murtagh had searched the fields for Jamie and came back freezing. I searched his eyes and he nodded side to side while I collapsed in a chair. Where are you, Jamie? Are you hurt? Please come home, I prayed. By ten o’clock there was no sign of Jamie and my tears were uncontrollable. I sent everyone to bed and stoked the fire so the house would be warm when Jamie came home.

[beautifulletdownfics]

harry is fine and nina is fine too: part iii

Nina's late.

She's late and thanks to the puddle she managed to plonk through when crossing the road, she also has wet shoes and socks. The rain trickles a path down the back of her neck as she tripple checks crossing the street, little smatterings making their way onto her face as her umbrella fights off the latest gust of wind.

Leaving her class this afternoon, something in her had thought it would be nice to walk home instead of jumping on the subway like she usually would. She missed the fresh, crisp air of Blackpool and some part of her liked the painful chill that sunk through her. There was something nostalgic about the cold and the wet, and she was missing England with a newfound force since seeing Rodger and Adriana the day before.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Nina calls down the hallway at the front door, “New Yorker’s don’t know how to walk when it's raining. Have you started without me?"

"Just put the meat in, don't stress," Jane was leaning up against the kitchen bench waiting for Nina to appear from the entranceway, "We said seven anyway."

The clock on the wall read 6:45pm.

Nina frowns, "I'm on dinner, I left on time, but you people lose your shit in this weather."

"We're not used to it," Jane defends lightly, "Wine?"

"Please," Nina nods, pulls off her coat and scarf and hangs them over a dining chair, "Is Sarah in yet?" she watches Jane shake her head, "I'll be right back."

Their apartment is tiny, and it's probably too small for the three of them who share it. But it works somehow. Jane and Sarah had been housemates for years before Nina moved into the tiny study, or "third bedroom". It felt nice to move into an established home unit, the three girls did their Friday night dinners once a month and Sunday brunches, and they kept up with each other's lives. It helps ease Nina's homesickness.

It doesn't matter to Nina that her room isn't much bigger than the size of her bed, with only room to shuffle around one side of it to the tiny standing wardrobe in the corner, also touching the bed. She spends most of her days out, and she has found herself suddenly comforted by small spaces. Nina hides in this tiny room on weekend afternoons. She feels as though her world is incredibly small, instead of feeling the chronic and overwhelming sprawling expanse of thousands upon thousands of miles between where she is and where she is from.

"How was work?” Nina asks Jane when she returns to the kitchen, pulling potatoes from a tub under the sink and making sure none of them rolls off the bench before going on the hunt for other vegetables suitable for roasting.

"Fine," Jane replies, "My boss went home at lunch, so we all took off early as well. Did you have a good time with your friends last night?”

Nina’s heart swelled and sunk at the same time if that was possible, “It was so lovely to see them. Saying goodbye sucked.”

Jane looks at her sadly, taking a seat at their small dining table so Nina could monopolise the use of the whole kitchen space. Nina pretends she doesn’t notice the look. She’s tried hard all day not to dwell too much on what it might mean that I was so painful to say goodbye to Rodger. She’s doing her best not to think of everyone else she’s missing too.

"Oh, this one's nice," Nina comments, taking her first sip of wine. "I didn't realise how ready for a weekend I was. I heard earlier the rain is supposed to clear up overnight and tomorrow should be nice and—“

“—I'm home and I brought cake!"

Sarah barrels down the hallway, bags hanging off her arm, her collapsed umbrella raised above her head like a weapon of war. Nina rushes across to save the cake box shoved under Sarah’s arm, the familiar stamp of the bakery Sarah is a pastry chef at stamped over the top.

“It might be a touch soggy,” Sarah says quickly, accidentally hitting the hanging light with her umbrella and scaring herself, “But we can put it in the oven and fix that.”

Nina and Jane laugh at their housemate, she’s dripping wet and yet, red-faced and happy. Nina feels a lightness in her chest that had been wound too tight all day.

Maybe it was the wine.

Two more bottles appear from Sarah’s handbag, “I called both of you, did we need wine?”

Jane claps her hands together, “No but ooh goodie. Does anyone have anything in the morning?”

Nina’s laughing, and it feels good, but there’s something just a whisper from her heart, and it’s bringing tears to her eyes. Laughing with Rodger last night had felt the same, as though she was watching something she knew would disappear again very soon and there was no way to prolong it.

“Wine is probably a terrible idea for me right now,” She confesses, chopping away at the vegetables and trying to keep her voice light.

“Nina’s homesick,” Jane explains to Sarah easily.

Sarah’s dumped everything on the floor by the kitchen door and is tugging at the outer layers of her clothing, there’s a momentary pause as she recalls Nina’s friend’s from home having been in town, “How was last night?”

“Lovely,” Nina responds, “So lovely. They looked tan and happy from their honeymoon.”

“I bet they’ve missed you,” Sarah says in the dangerously disarming way that Nina can never quite match up to the raucous, loud woman she usually is. It’s a small nudge to getting further into Nina’s head.

When she first moved in, Nina had told herself that New York was a fresh start and these two new women in her life wouldn’t be getting Sad Nina. Moving in with Sarah and Jane was an opportunity to make a life in New York that wasn’t tied up in Harry. Nina didn’t want them to know what had happened to her relationship, she couldn’t dwell on it. She refused.

But before she moved in the girls had obviously Googled her to find what they would have thought would just be a Facebook page. They had just wanted to check Nina Lawrence actually existed and was a real human, but they fell upon far more than they had bargained for.

It had been an awkward few first weeks living with them. Mainly because there was no juicy break-up story. Nina had nothing bad to say about Harry.

Not a thing.

++

He lands in New York and heads straight to the apartment.

It is a minefield of Nina,. He brought it when they were together. Harry sold his place in Los Angeles— because she hated it there and would never travel with him if that was the destination—and instead, he got this apartment in New York.

She always loved this city, and the time they spent together in this apartment was always fun and romantic and settling. Hearing that Nina had moved here had been shocking, but it wasn’t a surprise she had picked New York.

Where Harry’s house in London is old and homey—with nooks and crannies, ornate finishes and a pleasant, comforting undercurrent of quintessential Englishness—the flat in New York is modern and sleek, with an open plan concept that makes Harry feel artistic and languid.

The first thing Harry does when he arrives is open three windows and take the cover off the baby grand piano Nina was furious at him for buying at the time.

He props open the cover and then sits at the bench, lifting the lid off the keys. The smell of the internal wood wafts over him slowly, and Harry tinkers with a few notes before making himself more comfortable in the seat and finding a familiar melody to play through.

He owes her his ability to play the piano so well now. Nina taught Harry herself, and now everything from his posture to the way he no longer watches his hands is wrapped up in her gentle voice, patiently correcting him while holding up his chin with delicate fingers.

Harry watches the pins inside the instrument flick in and out as he plays, striking the corresponding keys, and finally, he has the first hint of doubt hit him about being in New York.

What is he doing? If she needed or wanted him in her life she would have reached out, Nina knew she could call him for anything. Didn’t she? She had to know that.

The thing is though that Harry needs her. He’s tired of missing her. He needs to hear her voice—see her—because he misses her so much that he’s forgotten what not missing Nina feels like. What was it like to just come home and know she would be there? He wants to go back to being able to get through a writing session without having a panic attack.

In eight months of separation, Harry’s not managed to record a single song to completion. He barely makes it through singing through the demo versions. All of it is about her, and it’s like his brain can’t comprehend or sit with the knowledge that Harry and Nina are done, and he’s only ever going to be writing old memories, not making new ones with her.

Hearing from Rodger had scared him. Harry’s worried that Nina isn’t happy. Whatever Rodger saw that led to him calling Harry must have been significant.

Harry’s fingers stop on the piano keys suddenly. He has to call her. Rodger sent through a text after their phone call with Nina’s new phone number. The number Harry has saved wasn’t even right anymore.

The new one is a US number, and Harry’s hands shake, but he knows he has to do it.

He hits call and immediately wants to scream. He’s on his feet and repeating ‘fuck’ under his breath when someone—Nina—picks up.

“Hello, Nina speaking.”

Fuck.

“Nina … It’s Harry.”

“Harry?” Her voice breaks in such a subtle way he nearly misses it, he drops his chin to his chest and shuts his eyes.

“Yeah. Hi.”

Nina doesn’t say anything.

“I’m in New York, and I’d really like to see you.”

++

Nina’s glad she only had one glass of wine at dinner.

Sarah and Jane have both stopped speaking and are watching Nina with her phone to her ear, not saying anything. They heard her say her ex-boyfriend's name over the conversation about who was going to win The Bachelor.

“Nina?”

“Nina?” Jane repeats what Harry just said in her ear.

Harry.

Nina stands and walks to her room. She shuts her eyes against the closed door and tries to swallow her heart back down to its place.

He repeats her name again and then waits a moment, “Are you there?”

“Yep … You’ve got shows?” Nina hadn’t seen anything about him playing in New York, but then she’s never been brave enough to have a Google news alert for him. She’s scared of what she might see.

Harry coughs, “No. I’m here to see you. If you’ll let me.”

“Let you?”

The notion was almost as ridiculous as the idea Harry might have flown to New York purely to see her.

“You can say you don’t want to,” He sounds hurt, and Nina hates herself for it.

She shakes her head and sits on her bed, “Sorry, I … When will work for you? I’m free most of tomorrow—”

—Tonight. Can I see you now?”

Nina’s petrified. She has no idea how this is happening, how it went from being a Friday where she did all her Friday things and then came home and made Friday night dinner with her housemates, and now she’s on the phone to Harry, and he wants to see her.

She’s dizzy from adrenaline and Nina’s sure the instant she sees him she won’t be able to hold off the tears. Even hearing his voice sets her missing him on fire and fills her with longing.

“I can come to meet you if that’s easier …”

“It’s late,” He says gently, “I’ll come to you. Send me your address?”

[travelingtheusa]

FLORIDA

2021 Feb 23 (Tue) – We went out for lunch today to Micanopy. It was a small, historic town with lots of antique shops.  We wanted to eat at a restaurant but it was closed so we went next door to Coffee & Cream where we enjoyed chicken salad sandwiches with rice and beans. After lunch, we walked up and down the main street wandering in some of the shops and reading the historic plaques describing the history of the town.  

     On the way back to the campground, we stopped at the post office to mail off some items and at a convenience store to pick up wine and get some lottery tickets.  Then we stopped at the Antique Emporium.  It was a large warehouse with 55 vendor shops inside.  There were so many items we used to use for sale.  There is no faster way to feel old than to walk through an antique shop and see your life’s belongings laid out and considered to be “old stuff.”

2021 Feb 22 (Mon) – We took our time closing up this morning. Bonnie and Sheba got to play outside and we chatted with Rich and Margaret for a while.  Then we packed up and left Hernando at 11:35 a.m.  The campground was just 40 miles away and we were here within an hour.  Ocala North RV Park is a very nice, very clean facility.  It is large and there were workers putting in new lights, a shuffle board, and a bocce ball court.  They are getting ready for a luau in two days.  The clerk who checked us in said the owner bought the rundown campground two years ago and has been working on renovating it.  He’s done an excellent job.

 2021 Feb 21 (Sun) – We all drove over to Matt & Michele’s today.  They were hosting a drone speed course event for their local club.  It was amazing to watch these little things zip around the yard, sounding like a bunch of angry bees.  We could watch the drones fly around the course and watch the TV screens to see what the pilots were seeing in their headsets.

     When we got back to the house, Margaret made roast beef sandwiches for us.  For dinner, she cooked baked clams and steaks.  We visited for a bit after dinner then returned to the rig to get ready for tomorrow’s move.

 2021 Feb 20 (Sat) – I did some laundry today.  Margaret was kind enough to let me use her washer and dryer. Matt & Michele came over for dinner and Margaret outdid herself, as usual.  I think she loves to cook and is glad to have people visit.  She not only made lots to eat, but packed us a take-home box.

2021 Feb 19 (Fri) – It started out cloudy, rained, then got really cool.  We had to switch to long sleeve shirts and pants as the day wore on.

     We drove to WalMart at 8 a.m. to get an oil change on the truck. There was a line of six cars in front of us waiting for service.  We checked in then went shopping where we spent almost $200 on items in the store. The damn oil change should be free considering we shopped while waiting and spent so much we would not have spent other wise.  Lol.

     We got back around 10:30 a.m. and Margaret & Rich took us to Matt & Michele’s house.  Paul and Margaret used to work with Matt at NYSDOT.  They were building their home and a drone speed course when we were here last January.  It is all finished now and everything is very nice.  The drone control center and speed course are quite the thing to see.

     We returned to the house and finished off Margaret’s egg salad. Later, we went to dinner at Crump’s Landing in Homasossa.  It had a large grass covered roof over a seated patio area.  There were plastic panels pinned in around the sides to keep it warm along with large gas heaters.  It was very nice and the food was good.  After dinner, Rich drove us over to Monkey Island.  It is a small island in the middle of the Homosassa River where a troupe of monkeys lives.  It was too dark to see anything but there is a house and a replica lighthouse on the island that is little more than a mound of dirt in the middle of the river. Guess the monkeys were asleep because we didn’t see any.  It was too dark anyway.

 2021 Feb 18 (Thu) – We packed up and left Tampa at 10:30 a.m. It was a little more than two hours to Hernando where we are staying in the driveway of friends, Margaret & Rich. We were here last January where we celebrated the New Year with them.  Margaret was waiting for our arrival with egg salad sandwiches.  We visited for a couple of hours.  Later, she made sausage and peppers heroes for dinner.

 2021 Feb 17 (Wed) – I went back to ENT doctor today.  First I had a hearing test with the audiologist then a follow-up with the ENT doctor.  I was told I have hearing loss in both ears and should go back to the VA for a re-evaluation on the hearing aids.  The doctor prescribed prednisone for 6 days and a Flonase.  Both are intended to reduce swelling and allow the fluid behind my ear to be reabsorbed.

    After the doctor, we dropped the prescription off to CVS then went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant.  After a stop at U-Haul for propane, we went back to CVS to pick up my prescriptions.

 2021 Feb 16 (Tue) – Johnny & Linda and Rick & Brenda came over for a barbecue.  It was chilly with an overcast sky and cool wind blowing.  At least it didn’t rain.  We had burgers, baked beans, potato salad, tossed salad and a chocolate cake to celebrate Brenda’s birthday.  We visited for almost 4 hours.  It was very enjoyable.  After they left, we took down the town and cleaned up.

 2021 Feb 15 (Mon) – I went to the ENT doctor today.  He wanted to follow up and see how my ear was doing after using the drops.  While the pain is gone, my ear still feels stuffed up.  The doctor believes that I have fluid behind my ear.  He asked me to come back for a hearing test.

     After the doctor, we stopped at Bonefish Grill for lunch.  The Bang Bang Shrimp is good every time! Then we stopped at Publix to pick up some groceries.  When we got back to the campground, Paul set up the covered tent for tomorrow’s barbecue.

2021 Feb 14 (Sun – Valentine’s Day) – We went to the Hard Rock Café & Casino for lunch.  Thought we’d enjoy a meal and a little gambling.  What an UNenjoyable experience!  The place is huge with several parking garages surrounding the main casino. We walked deep into the building before we found the café.  The food was OK but very expensive - $101!  After lunch, we went up to the second floor to the non-smoking lounge.  We searched for 10 and 25 cent machines.  That didn’t make any difference.  When you found a 25 cent machine, you had to bet a minimum of 30 credits – each credit being equal to 25 cents.  We both put $20 in a machine and after just 3 or 4 pushes of the button, we were broke.  It is nice when you can find a machine to play that will last a little while. After all, you look for entertainment for a while.  I don’t mind losing my money if the machine lets me play for an hour or so.  

     So, we went back down to the first floor and stopped in at a lounge for a cocktail and just enjoy the ambiance of the place.  We walked up to the plastic shield and waited for service. Two bartenders were making drinks and even though they came by us to get bottles off the shelf, no one said anything to us.  The bar was oval shaped and they were waiting on people on the other side of the bar. After about ten minutes, we spotted a waitress.  Paul asked if we could get service at a table.  She said yes so we sat at a small table and ordered our drinks.  I asked for a double shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream and Paul had a shot of 43.  My drink wasn’t more than an ounce.  In fact, I questioned her as to whether it was even a double as it looked like so little. The charge for my drink was $22. We left the casino feeling ripped off and very unsatisfied with our experience.  Sad.

2021 Feb 13 (Sat) – A fierce thunderstorm rolled through last night. The campground is full of puddles and squishy grass.  It rained off and on all day today.  There are more thunderstorms on the way over the next two or three days.

     At 11:30, we wandered over to the livestock barn to see what was going on with the little piggies. They were having some kind of contest.  A group of ten kids with pigs entered the ring. Each one had a long, thin switch that they used to continuously smack the pig on the right side of the face. Apparently, that is how they control the pig; with the switch and a stiff brush in their other hand.  It looked like a confusing melee to me.  The pigs walked all over the place and the kids followed, switching them in the face while trying to maintain eye contact with the judge.  A judge watched and selected two or three contestants.  They left the arena and entered cages on the side.  The rest of the contestants were dismissed and the selectees came back out, fist bumped the judge, then left, too.  Then, the next group of ten entered the ring.  We watched for about a half hour.  The animals were beautiful – strong, healthy looking beasts with ears that stood straight up and an energy to their trot. Some pigs were pink but more were other colors – chocolate brown, black with a pink band around their center, black with pink spots or pink with black splotches.   It must be more difficult than it looks.

 2021 Feb 12 (Fri) – We met Brenda & Rick for lunch at Portillo’s. The restaurant is famous in Chicago for its hot dogs and chocolate cake.  We sat outside and visited for almost two hours.  It was fun.

     Next door was a Walgreens.  After lunch, Paul and I went to find cards for our grandsons.  We addressed them, put in a few candy hearts, and mailed them off.

 2021 Feb 11 (Thu) – We went to Cracker Barrel for lunch.  We were appalled to see many tables with the dishes still sitting on them after diners have left.  The service was very slow.  We watched the hostess come in, haphazardly wipe off a table and then seat a couple there.  She definitely is not COVID protective.

     After lunch, we went to Lazydays which was right next door to the restaurant.  After buying a few supplies, we met with a salesman who took us to look at several rigs. We found two we liked and when we returned to the office, he worked hard to get us to buy one of the RVs.  He even brought in the boss to talk to us. Fortunately, he saw we weren’t looking to buy right now so he just chatted amiably with us then left. Good.  I didn’t feel like going through a high pressure sales pitch.  They offered to give us a trade in of $32,000 on our current rig.

     Campers are starting to come into the campground.  There will be a Swine Festival this weekend for the local kids club.

2021 Feb 10 (Wed) – Paul tested the charge on several stanchions and found high voltage running through the line.  I called the office and they sent an electrician over.  He said they have a fair coming up and run a higher voltage over the line.  With lots of people drawing power, it causes the voltage to drop.  Since we are the only camper here, the voltage is too high and they can’t reduce it.  It should be running around 128 but it’s over 133 and tripping the surge protector (which we thought was broken but was really doing its job).  So, we packed up and moved to the other side of the campground where they are not setting up for the fair.  The voltage seems to be OK over here.  There’s one other camper in this area.

     After the set up, we drove to MacDill Air Force Base.  We have tried to get reservations on that base a couple of times but they were always full.  They have over 400 spaces in their campground.  It was full and the sites were very close to each other.  We were just as glad we didn’t get in.  

     We then stopped at the commissary and picked up some groceries, then walked next door to the Class VI Package Store and picked up some wine.  

 2021 Feb 9 (Tue) – We drove to a laundromat to do some wash. They had a value card system in place. You have to put money on a card and put that into the washer and dryer.  It is a confusing system but we managed.  For two washers and two dryers, we spent $12.70.  That was high.

     While the clothes were doing their thing, we went to WalMart and picked up oil and DEF for the truck.  Paul asked about having an oil change done but the clerk said they didn’t have a lift big enough to fit the truck.  He told us to go to the WalMart in Valrico.

     We had lunch at Duke’s Brewhouse.  It was a relatively new place (as an evaluator said on Trip Advisor) but was not crowded.  The walls were covered with big screen TVs playing every kind of sports.  The Tamp Bay Buccaneers are big news after their win at the Superbowl this past weekend.  I had a Greek flatbread and Paul had a Caesar wrap.  The food was OK.

    The electric breaker kicked off twice.  Our surge protector usually takes two minutes to bring the electric back on.  It did it the first time but not the second.  Paul thinks the surge protector has bit the dust.  It is almost four years old.  That’s an awful short life.  Add to that the Jetpack that keeps giving us problems in accessing the Internet.  Ugh.

 2021 Feb 8 (Mon) – I found an ENT doctor and went to see him this morning.  He said I have a bacterial infection in my ear and prescribed ear drops.  He said to stop the Amoxicillin that the urgent care doctor prescribed.  I am supposed to go back to see the ENT doctor in a week.

     We then went to Smokey Bones for lunch.  The ribs were delicious!  Then I ran into CVS (which happened to be in a Target store) to get the ear drops.  I spent a good part of the day cancelling reservations and appointments back in New York. I was supposed to fly out today.

2021 Feb 7 (Sun) – We packed up and left Sarasota at 10 a.m. It was an hour and a half drive to the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.  Sometimes I have to wonder about our timing.  The Superbowl is being played in Tampa tonight.  We always seem to arrive somewhere where something amazing or very big is going on – like a presidential rally or a big concert.

      When we arrived, we discovered we didn’t have an assigned site. The saleslady had acknowledged our reservation and promised to send us information before we arrived.  She didn’t do that.  The guard called someone who told them to just point us to the camping area and to pick a spot.  That’s what we did.  There are two RVs camped along the fence next to the interstate.  Having camped near the interstate before, we knew it would be too loud with the 24/7 traffic.  So we found a site on the other side of the field as far away from the road as we could get.

     After set up, we went out to get some lunch.  We were also going to do some laundry but my ear was hurting very badly.  I got a message from Southwest that I had to have a negative COVID test within 72 hours of arriving in NY.  On top of that, New York is getting another snowstorm today and another is scheduled for Thursday, all on top of a snowstorm they had a few days ago.  I decided to cancel my trip until I could get my ear repaired.  Maybe the COVID test will not be a requirement in another month with the vaccine out there.  We’ll see.

     My sister gave me a homeopathic treatment for my ear so we went to Sprouts Market where I picked up some ear drops.  It did help to alleviate some of the pressure in my ear.

 2021 Feb 6 (Sat) – We stayed in the trailer all day except to walk the dog.  The wind was blowing briskly but it was more balmy than cold.  Paul dumped the tanks this evening in readiness for our move tomorrow.

 2021 Feb 5 (Fri) – It was cool today.  Had to wear long pants, socks, and a jacket in the morning.  We ran several errands around town.  We went to Millie’s Restaurant for lunch.  It was a delightful little café decorated with a French motif.  I told Paul that I would like that wallpaper in our next house, wherever we settle down. Next stop was at Petco to pick up dry food for Bonnie.  In the same shopping center was a Total Wine where we picked up some wine, a cordial, and a margarita mix.  We stopped in a mall to look for sweat pants and jeans for me.  It was about 3/4s empty.  I guess COVID killed most of the stores.  There was a JC Penney’s where I found a pair of soft slacks, not sweats nor jeans.  We looked at cruise wear but decided to wait before buying any.

     After we got home and dropped off our purchases, we ran back out to a medical clinic.  My ear has been painful for a couple of days and I am getting some blood on a Q-tip. The doctor thinks I might have ruptured the ear drum and recommended that I see an ENT doctor.  She prescribed an antibiotic.  I think she should have cleaned the ear out with a topical antiseptic but she refused to do it.  I called back home to my cancer doctor to be sure there was no problem with an interaction with my chemo medication.  I stopped taking it yesterday.  A nurse called back and said there would be no problem with the two medications.

     When we got back, we fed the animals then went into the lodge for dinner and drinks. I still had my free drink to claim from the Queen of Hearts drawing.  The bar was full and service was very slow but we finally got our meal.  The Exalted Ruler came over to chat with us and Paul met a couple of people who were from4rrrr our hometown.  One man came over to sit with us and reminisce about the old town.

2021 Feb 4 (Thu) – I called my brother, Gregory, and made arrangements for dinner.  We met them at Longhorn Restaurant.  The meal was delicious!  Afterward, we went to Greg’s house to visit with him and Potsy for a while.  He had us laughing with his stories of doctors, nail guns, and children.  I love his sense of humor.

 2021 Feb 3 (Wed) – We pulled up stakes and drove 120 miles northwest to Sarasota.  We are camped on the side of an Elks Lodge.  There are 3 campers hooked up.  We got the only 50 amp site. We parked so another camper can fit between us and the motorcoach next to us.  The RV is due to come in tomorrow.

     We went out to pick up groceries and dog food, drop off postcards for mailing, and refuel.  We stopped at the Bayan Tree Chocolate & Café for lunch.  They had a display case with specialty chocolates right when you walked in.  We sat and ordered off the menu.  I got a quiche and Paul had a sandwich.  We took home chocolate chili for dinner.  It did not taste as good as it sounded.

     At 5 p.m. we went to the outdoor Tiki Bar behind our trailer for a drink.  Several people were in there with heaters and a fireplace all blazing away.  It was cold and everyone was in jackets.  We then went into the lodge to pay for our site. We sat at the bar and had a drink. It was Queen of Hearts night so we bought tickets for that as well as the 50-50 drawing.  I won a free drink.  We paid the bartender for our 4-night stay.

 2021 Feb 2 (Tue) – We drove the Loop Road this morning.  It was pretty cool.  It is a 40 mile road that loops through the Big Cypress National Preserve.  About 12 miles of it is hard packed gravel (unpaved).  It was in pretty good condition with few potholes.  It was a narrow, 2-lane road that wound through the Everglades. There were cypress trees and bushes lining both sides of the road and lots of water on either side.  We spotted 3 alligators and several egrets.

      When we came out on the main road, we drove to Everglades City to take an airboat ride.  We were an hour early, so we stopped at a deli on the Miccosukee Indian Reservation for lunch.  We bought a meatball hero, a bag of chips, and an iced tea.  We sat in the car and split the meal between us.  At 1 p.m. we drove to the meeting spot.  It was an entrance into the canal with no office building. Two airboats were sitting there, waiting for customers.  Our guide came over, introduced himself (CPT Ryan), and gave us paperwork to sign absolving them of all liability if we got hurt.  It was only the guide and the two of us on the boat.  We wore headsets so we could hear him speaking over the drone of the engine.  He drove us through the Everglades for better than an hour and a half regaling us with stories of his childhood and descriptions of the area with its wildlife, fauna, and flora.  We saw gators, great blue herons, egrets, vultures, and turtles.  It seemed like we went deep into the wild and untamed wilderness.  The water was so clean and pure looking.  Not at all what you would expect a swamp to be like.  We saw a couple of alligators and many kinds of birds and even a turtle.  I was hoping to catch sight of a python but our guide said they were hard to spot – usually only when a bird or gator has caught one.  What a great experience!

 2021 Feb 1 (Mon) – We packed up and headed out at 9:30 a.m.  It was 110 miles to the Big Cypress National Preserve where we are camped in the Midway Campground.  There are 32 campsites arranged around the perimeter of a large pond.  We have electric hookup only.  We dumped our tanks and filled the fresh water tank before pulling into our assigned site.  The camp host met us at the entrance, ran through a litany of rules, and wished us well. He warned us to beware of the wildlife. When I asked him what kind of wildlife they have here in the park, he said “Everything!”  Does he think they have a zoo in here?

     After set up and a quick lunch, we headed out to the visitor center. It was very small.  We watched a video about the ecosystem but it failed to explain how it all works together.  Outside the center was a wooden walkway that ran along a canal. There were many alligators in the water as well as different kinds of fish.  It was quite thrilling.

     We then drove to Everglades City.  It looked like it has been pretty much beat up over the years.  Almost all of the buildings were raised 10 or more feet off the ground.  Is that for storm surge or wildlife avoidance?  The city is laid out in a large grid.  The houses have large yards; they might each be on one or two acres apiece. The local museum was closed.  We stopped in a very old store-turned-museum and wandered around all the old stuff.  They had interesting signs up describing how various equipment/furniture/ appliances were used.  The Smallwood Store was built in 1906 on Chokoloskee Island.

     My hair is going through another kind of metamorphosis.  It seems to be losing its curl and is more coarse. I guess the change in chemo strength is doing something.  I made reservations for a flight back home next month for a PET Scan and checkup.  I am not looking forward to going back to New York in February.  It’s cold! And with the damn virus, they might make me take a COVID test.  Keep your fingers crossed I don’t have to do that.  I won’t go back then if they try to make me take that thing.  It is too painful.

2021 Jan 31 (Sun) – We went into the Elks lodge for brunch at 11:30 a.m.  The food was very good.  At 5:30 p.m. we drove to Marathon to meet Tim at the Sunset Grill.  We had dinner and watched the sun set. There were clouds in the sky so we did not get much color.  A gentleman sitting next to me got a very interesting looking appetizer. I asked him what it was and he said it was cheesecake spring rolls.  I asked him many questions about it.  What was that name again?  Did the waiter recommend it?  It is sweet or tart?  Is it supposed to be a dessert?  He said it was delicious and he couldn’t taste any cream cheese at all.  We finally got our hands on a menu and looked up the appetizer, hoping to find out what ingredients could be put into a cheesecake spring roll that would erase all taste of cream cheese.  What a laugh we had!!!  There was a cheesesteak spring roll on the menu.  The bar was crowded, he had misheard the waiter, and he never bothered to check it out on the menu.  We had quite a chuckle all night long as we ordered and ate our “cheesecake” spring rolls.

     There are the nastiest gnats around here.  Their bites sting and just keep itching.  Our legs and arms are covered with these small red blotches that won’t stop itching. ��Ugh. Well, we have checked off the Florida Keys from our bucket list.  Time to move on.

2021 Jan 30 (Sat) – We had planned to take a glass bottom boat tour in Key Largo with Tim today.  He called to say that the weather for the day was bad for boat rides.  The wind is blowing pretty hard which would give us a rough ride.  So we cancelled that plan and arranged to meet Tim at Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada.  Every time we drive down the road, the marina is packed.  Apparently, they have lots of activities going on there and we wanted to see what they have. 

      We got there at 11:30 a.m.  There was a storyboard that told the story of Scarface.  The owner found a tarpon with its jaw badly torn and hanging.  He called a friend who sewed the jaw back in place.  The owner nursed the fish back to health and after six months, released it back into the wild.  Apparently, it liked the treatment because it continued to hang around the marina.  In addition, it brought friends back for handouts, too.  Today, you can pay $2.25 to walk out on the dock to look at the tarpons gathered around and you can buy a bucket of food for $4.00 to feed them.  The dock was crowded with people and pelicans looking to sample the food.  We skipped the melee and had lunch on the patio.  The margarita was terrible.  We told the waitress that and she brought another drink.  It was a little better but still not good.  The food was not that good either.

      Tim’s friend, Jimmy, joined us.  He and Tim met back up in New York working on the casino boat that went out of Freeport.  They have both moved down here to Florida.  Jimmy works for a pool company.  He was pretty funny.  Interestingly, Tim is talking about getting an RV.

      It was cloudy, windy, and cool all day long.  We went on to the patio at the Elks lodge at 6 p.m. to watch the sunset.  We were sure that with all the clouds, the sunset would be fantastic.  Unfortunately, the clouds were too thick and too low on the horizon.  There were no beautiful colors to see.  A couple sitting at a nearby table live next door to the lodge and came over to watch the sunset, too.  They peppered us with questions about RVs.  They were dressed in winter jackets, gloves and hats.  Guess they thought it was cold.

2021 Jan 29 (Fri) – We met Tim at the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center.  It is located on the property of the Islander Resort in their convention center.  It was small but interesting.  Tim and I got in free because we were veterans.  Paul got the senior rate.

      After the center, we went across the street to Lorelei for lunch.  We found a table in the sun out on the patio and enjoyed a delightful meal together.  After lunch, Paul and I stopped at Publix to pick up a few things.  We also stopped at the post office where I mailed off our passport renewals.  Let’s see how long it takes to get the new passports.

      Our mail arrived this afternoon.  I asked to have our mail forwarded 2 days ago.  UPS marked it as a 3 day shipment but it arrived in 2 days.  Unfortunately, the package was marked as one of two packages.  The tracking number for the second package says it is scheduled to arrive here at the Elks Lodge on Tuesday.  We leave on Monday.  The UPS driver said they could forward it to us.  Just leave the forwarding address with the camp host here.

      A cold front came in today.  The temperature dropped to a low of 59 degrees.  Lol.  The Floridians brought out their parkas, gloves, scarves, and hats. 

2021 Jan 28 (Thu) – We went to the laundromat this morning to wash clothes.  We sat in the truck while the clothes washed, then drove to a Mexican restaurant for lunch while they were in the dryer.

      I spent an hour putting together an annual report on finances for the SMART Nomads.  Later in the day at 4 p.m. there was a Zoom meeting with National Muster committee (I volunteered to chair the Administrative Team).  The meeting went on for about an hour. 

2021 Jan 27 (Wed) – We drove to Marathon and met Tim at his boat at 9:30 a.m.  Before we got there, we stopped at a nearby Walgreens to have passport pictures taken. He took us out on the dinghy to his dive boat then we rode out to the Sombrero Reef, the third largest reef in the world.  The water was such a beautiful green-blue color.  Tim said the water was not cold but I thought it was so I did not go in. Paul put on a weight belt and a belt to hold the breathing regulator in place.  Right after he jumped into the water with just his bathing suit, Tim promptly donned a wetsuit.  So much for the water not being cold!  Paul and Tim spent about an hour diving on the reef hookah style (as Tim calls it).  The 50’ hoses were attached to the oxygen tanks that stayed on the boat while they swam around the boat.  I looked over the sides and watched the colorful fish go crazy for crackers I threw in the water.

     After we got back, we transferred to the dinghy and rode to the Dockside Grill where we enjoyed a refreshing drink.  Then we returned to the dock and came back to the campground, stopping at Walgreens to pick up our pictures then at Winn Dixie to pick up a few groceries.

     At 6:45 p.m. we went into the Elks lodge for dinner and to play the Queen of Hearts.  The woman whose name was drawn did not choose the $900 Teaser.  She drew a card but it was not the Queen of Hearts.  So she won nothing.  Next week’s drawing will have a prize over $32,000.

 2021 Jan 26 (Tue) – We drove to the post office to make application to renew our passports.  The clerk told us to go online.  Turns out that all renewals have to be done by mail.  That means we have to go get our pictures taken somewhere.  Ugh.

     We went for breakfast at the Bitton Bistro.  Turned out to be a French café.  The owner, Michel, is from Morocco.  He was the only person working in the café and there were 3 tables taken and several people coming and going to buy pastries.  The food was good and we even bought pastries for tomorrow’s breakfast.

     We met Tim at the Crane Point Museum.  It is a 63 acre hammock.  A hammock in Florida is used in the southeastern United States for stands of trees, usually hardwood, that form an ecological island in a contrasting ecosystem.  Hammocks grow on elevated areas, often just a few inches high, surrounded by wetlands that are too wet to support them.  There were birds in a cage being cared for by rehabbers.  The group included pelicans, cormorants, owls, kestrels, egrets, herons, and an eagle.  A little further on was a pedicure pool.  People could take their shoes off and put their feet in the water. Little fish nibbled on the bottom of their feet.  Four people were sitting on the dock with their feet in the water.  They said it tickled.  We wandered through thick foliage with lots of roots sticking up in the pathway.  It was a rough hike through the trees.

     After the tour, we drove to the Overseas Pub & Grill and had lunch outside on the patio.  It had an Irish menu and I enjoyed shepherd’s pie.  Tim had corned beef stew and Paul just had a burger.

 2021 Jan 25 (Mon) – What an illuminating day it was!  We drove to Key West today.  It was 90 miles one way.  The road (US 1) passed over one island after another.  Each island is called a key and there are many keys (also called a cay).  The houses and buildings are painted in lovely pastel shades of pink, green, blue, peach, yellow and dove gray.  Some islands are very built up and others are sparse.  There are many boats and marinas along the way.  Key West was incredibly crowded.  The streets are narrow and the houses are tightly packed.  The entire place was so built up!  We had to wait on a long line just to get our picture taken at the 0 mile marker for the southernmost point in the Continental U.S. There were so many people in town and no parking that we couldn’t even tour the Truman Little White House or Hemingway’s Home.  It was very disappointing.  

     We did stop in at a Butterfly Conservancy.  That was delightful.  There were butterflies flying everywhere!  The docent told us they buy 300 egg sacks a week and release 15-30 new butterflies into the screen area every day.  There were also very colorful little birds flying around.

     We drove over to the Naval Air Station to check out the Sigsbee Campground.  Although they have almost 100 hookups, there were not many RVs camped there at all. We guess that only servicemen who are stationed at the base are allowed to camp there.  It was nice but the sites were tight.  We are just as glad that we never got in there.  

 2021 Jan 24 (Sun) – We drove to the Florida Keys History and Discovery Center in Islamorada but it was closed.  It is located in the Islander Resort and a guard at the gate told us they are only open Wednesday to Saturday.  That was disappointing.  

     We drove down the road to the Island Grill and had a meal outside on the beach.  Out table was a long table with two trees growing up through the table.  After lunch, we drove further south to Bud ‘n Mary’s Marina.  A friend of ours told us to go see the fish there.  There were loads of pelicans begging scraps from a fisherman cleaning the day’s catch.  In the water was a manatee, several very long fish (we think they were mackerel), and lots of minnows.  The water was a beautiful color.

     We stopped at the Hurricane Monument.  A carved granite marker stands on the side of the road in tribute to the people who lost their lives in a hurricane in 1935.  Next, we stopped at the History of Diving Museum.  It was a very informative place.  There were displays of deep sea diving gear, SCUBA gear, and underwater equipment.  Lots of storyboards told about the personalities that made breakthroughs in diving and contributed to the sport.  We enjoyed the museum very much.

 2021 Jan 23 (Sat) – We drove to the post office this morning to get pictures and submit paperwork to renew our passports.  We will be taking a cruise to Australia and New Zealand next year.  Following the cruise, we are planning to take a camper around Australia for 2 or 3 months. That’s when our current passports will expire.  We are renewing them now in order to avoid the possibility that our passports might expire before we get back home.  Unfortunately, the post office was closed.  So we went next door to the Made 2 Order café and had a late breakfast.

     After our meal, we drove to Islamorada to the Theater of the Sea.  It was fun.  We got on a tour that went to several stations.  First was the fish display.  There were sting rays, parrot fish, and nurse sharks in shallow pools. The guide described the fish and showed how they train the sharks.  Next to the display area was a wading pool where people could wade in the water with some of the fish.

     Next stop was at a glass enclosure that held two alligators; one female and one male.  We learned the females grow to about 6-8 feet and the males can grow up to 14 feet. Another enclosure held a crocodile where the guide explained the difference between the crocodilians.  

     After that was a stop at the turtle pools.  They had leatherbacks, loggerheads, and green sea turtles.  One turtle floated around the pool with a life vest on.  There was something wrong with its shell that prevented it from surfacing.  The vest helps it to be able to take a breath. These critters were so big!

     Then we went to 3 shows.  The first was where they had several parrots and macaws.  The emcee described the different types of exotic birds and where they come from.  Then we all went to a large pool where two dolphins performed tricks for the audience. Beside the pool were two small pools where people were swimming with the dolphins.  The place offered the opportunity to swim with dolphins, sting rays, and sharks, all for an additional fee.  The admission fee was pretty steep - $87 for the two of us and that was with a 10% discount!  After the dolphins, we went to another pool where they had sea lions perform tricks, too. And, again, there were people swimming with the sea lions in small pools near the main pool.

     The tour ended with a ride on a bottomless boat.  The boat had benches on the four sides of the boat with an opening in the center.  The two dolphins from the show came swimming by and popped up in the center of the boat and did tricks inside and on the side of the boat while we rode out and back on the lake.  The guide said the entire park is landlocked so they pump in over 11 million gallons of water every day.

     After the park, we drove to the “world famous” Lorelei Restaurant. It is a bar with a very large patio on three sides that sits right on the bay shore.  We found a table where Tim joined us.  He was meeting a friend who is in Florida on vacation.  The friend didn’t want to come to the table so he sat up in the walkway in his wheelchair watching the women go by. Joey was also there, sitting up on the walkway with a friend.  

 2021 Jan 22 (Fri) – We drove to Marathon today to see Tim and take a ride on his boat.  He actually has two boats.  One he lives on and the other is his dive boat.  He can take out groups of up to six people to dive on a nearby reef.  His son, Joey, was also there.  

     We parked the truck and got on the dive boat.  Tim drove from the dock to a nearby restaurant where we docked at the pier and had lunch on the patio.  After a couple of margaritas, we got back on the boat and rode out into the ocean.  We parked (can you park a boat?) out near the 7 mile bridge and watched the sunset. Sadly, there were no clouds in the sky so the sunset was pretty bland.  You have to have clouds in the sky in order to have a beautiful sunset or sunrise.

     We returned to the marina where Tim anchored his dive boat and we transferred to a little dinghy for a ride back to the dock.  It was tight and a little nerve racking but we did it without incident.  It was a good day.

     When we got back to the lodge, I went in and asked if they had any leftovers.  It was prime rib night and I thought I could get some of the leftover food.  It turned out they had plenty left and we wound up sitting down to dinner at 8:30 p.m.  Ugh.  That is SO late to eat a heavy meal.  We brought most of the meal back to the RV.

2021 Jan 21 (Thu) – After the motorhome next to us left, we readjusted our position in the campsite.  We fit much better now.  We have no TV stations over the air.  Paul had to put the satellite dish up on the roof but it is working fine.

     My brother, Tim, came over this morning.  We were stuck in the campground because I was waiting for UPS to deliver my medicine (I have to sign for it).  At 1 p.m. I called UPS and asked to pick up the package at their office tomorrow. The clerk I spoke with (sounding like she was in India) arranged it.  We then went out to lunch at Tower of Pizza. Tim said it is the closest thing to New York pizza outside of New York. It was OK.  

     We returned to the campground and sat down by the water.  A truck pulled up with a 100 gallon tank on the back. The driver put a hose in the water, turned on a generator, and began pumping water into the tank.  It turns out that he sells salt water to aquariums for their collections.  Who would have thought you could make a career out of that?  A UPS truck pulled up and, low and behold, my medication and our forwarded mail were both on the truck.  Luckily, we were here so I could sign for my medicine.  

     There was a beautiful sunset tonight.  Tim, who lives on his boat in Marathon (an island further south in the Keys), says the sunsets seem to go on for hours down here.  The water is incredibly clear.  We walked out on a pier they have here at the lodge.  There are little needle nose gars swimming in the water.  They blend in with the water and algae so much that it is difficult to see them.  I could not spot any dolphins or manatees.

 2021 Jan 20 (Wed) – We are in The Keys!  We packed up and left South Bay at 9 a.m. and drove 3 hours to Tavernier.  We are camped at an Elks Lodge on Overseas Highway.  The lodge is right on the water.  The Keys is on a narrow strip of land flanked by the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other.  The sites are very tight.  We got into our assigned site (# 13) but we could adjust a little.     The motor home next to us will be leaving tomorrow and we will readjust our position after they leave and before the next RV gets here.

      We went into the lodge at 6 p.m. for dinner.  They had a Queens of Hearts drawing at 7:30 p.m.  That was a hoot.  The prize is over $31,000.  The reason the prize has grown so big is that they have a Teaser.  Tonight’s Teaser is $900.  If your ticket gets drawn, you get to turn a card over.  If you turn a Queen of Hearts, you win the entire pot (+$31,000). You can opt to take the Teaser ($900) and they still turn a card over.  If it’s the Queen of Hearts, you win nothing and they start a new game. Twenty-seven cards have been turned over so far.  The winner took the Teaser and the card that was turned over was a Queen of Diamonds. The game is still on.  The next drawing will be next Wednesday.

     I got a series of reservations from the Newburgh KOA for our caravan this summer.  The costs were all above our budgeted amount.  I called and spoke with the manager of the campground.  She explained that she had to just get something into the system to hold our sites.  The price adjustments will come later and not to worry.

 2021 Jan 19 (Tue) – We drove into West Palm Beach today. After a quick lunch at Zaxby’s, we took a ride on the Diva Duck boat.  There were just 8 adults and 2 children on the boat.  It was a weird sensation to go from the road into the water. The woman narrating the tour was very good and had lots of tongue-in-cheek jokes about ducks.

     After our pleasant afternoon, we stopped at PetSmart to get some dog food then Publix for a few groceries.  Paul filled up the truck and I bought lottery tickets hoping to hit the more than $800 million jackpot.  

2021 Jan 16-18 (Sat, Sun, Mon) – We stayed in the campground.  This was a holiday weekend and we were staying away from the crowds.  The folks with the chicken on a leash left today. I wanted to get a picture of it but I missed out.  Oh, well. The weather has been cool; lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s.  Hopefully, it will be warmer down in the Keys.

2021 Jan 15 (Fri) – We drove to Palm Beach today.  Palm Beach was named for the coconut groves that were once common along Lake Worth.  The only remaining coconut grove in Palm Beach is on the Flagler estate.

     First stop was at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum.  What an amazing place!  Another example of the opulence of the nouveau rich of the 1800s.  Flagler’s family immigrated from Germany to New York. Flagler left home at 14 to look for his fortune.  He found it when he joined up with John D. Rockefeller and Samuel Andrews to form Standard Oil Co.  He made millions (billions in today’s money).  In 1902, he built Whitehall as a winter retreat and visited there for 12 years until he died.  His wife died 4 years later and left their estate to a niece.  She then turned it over to private investors when it became too expensive to keep and they turned the mansion into a grand hotel.  In 1959, the investors had gone broke and the building was going to be torn down.  A great granddaughter bought the property and turned it into a museum in 1960.

     There were more than 75 rooms in the home.  Much of the original furniture, as well as furniture from the period, are in the rooms.  Each room is grander than the next.  It was amazing!  In the back of the home was another building housing Flagler’s personal rail car.  He built a rail line that connected Jacksonville to the Keys.  Flagler is credited with building up Florida and making it a major attraction for tourism and agriculture.

     Across the water behind the estate was a marina that housed several yachts. One of them was a small ocean liner with beautiful lines.  Ah, what the money people spend their dollars on.

     After the museum, we drove into town and had lunch at Almond.  It turned out they also have a restaurant in Manhattan and Bridgehampton back in New York.  We sat on the patio and watched all the rich cars drive by.  I’ve never seen so many high end vehicles – Tesla, Mercedes, Bentley, Ducati, etc. – in one place.  Parking is restricted to two hours and while we were eating, two of the wait staff ran out to move their cars so they wouldn’t be ticketed.  Our lunch was excellent but we paid for it.  It was almost $100 (tip included).  Whew!

     Next was a drive around town.  We wound up on Ocean Drive and drove past Mar-a-lago, President Trump’s Florida home.  It’s a strange arrangement.  The road cuts through the middle of the estate with the club on one side and the pool on the other side next to the ocean.  There was a very large American flag standing on the lawn in front of the club. We couldn’t see the entire building as there was a 6’ hedge in front of the place.  Most of them have 15-20 foot high hedges in front of their properties. I guess that’s more attractive than fences and certainly more private.  Each home we drove past was more opulent than the next.  This is definitely the place to come if you want to ogle the rich and famous.  

     When we got back to the campground, we could see that most campsites have been filled up.  It’s the weekend.  The folks next to us have a chicken.  They tie a rope to its foot and the rooster just hangs around.  He likes to be high so they put him on the handlebars of their bicycle or up on a 6’ ladder.   I’ve seen some crazy things during our travels but a chicken on a leash is a new one for me.  Lol.

 2021 Jan 14 (Thu) – We stayed in the campground all day.  I did work on the Nomads newsletter as well as the New York Caravan.  Paul worked on finding us campgrounds to stay in.  After he found a site in Tampa, I called Southwest and made a reservation to fly to New York next month.

 2021 Jan 13 (Wed) – We asked the office to move to a site further away from the road.  It must be a main truck route as it was noisy all night long.  We got moved from 85 to 151.  It’s marked as a handicapped site but the picnic table is located on the wrong side of the rig.  Regardless, it is much quieter over here.

     After our move, we drove into town to get propane and fuel.  We drove through Clewiston and stopped at the Chamber of Commerce & Museum.  It was small and not well laid out.  The CoC offers a Sugarland Tour which we very much wanted to take.  It is four hours learning about all the sugar cane farms in the area.  Unfortunately, tours are suspended until September because of the coronavirus.

     We drove through South Bay.  There were many slum areas, dilapidated houses, and closed stores. This town is suffering greatly. Trip Advisor listed only one restaurant in the entire town – Subway.

 2021 Jan 12 (Tue) – We packed up and left Cocoa at 9:50 a.m. and arrived at the South Bay RV Campground at 1:30 p.m.  We ran into traffic going through the Palm Beach area.  The campground is owned by the county.  It is neat, clean, and well laid out. Unfortunately, it is right by a major truck route and quite noisy.  We only got a 30-amp site while there are 50-amp sites open.  The campground is about 90% full.  It sits at the base of a levee.  There is a lake and creek on the property with signs warning of alligators. Check-in was online as they are keeping everything contactless.  There is nothing to do in South Bay.  This is the kind of campground you come to when you want to get away from it all.

 2021 Jan 11 (Mon) – We went to the Brevard Zoo today.  Paul thought it was very nice.  Not too big and all the animals were out and visible. We had to make a reservation online as they are limiting the number of people in the zoo at any one time.  There were lots of animals from Australia and Africa. It was about a two hour tour.

     We stopped at the Melbourne Seafood Grill for lunch.  I had a crab cake and Paul enjoyed clams.  Then we got some fuel in preparation for tomorrow’s move. When we got back to the campground, we did some wash.  Sheba brought some hairballs last night while laying on our bed so we had to wash the sheets and bedspread.  It’s time to take the flannel sheets off the bed anyway.  We are headed into southern Florida where the weather is sure to be warmer (we sure hope so!).

 2021 Jan 10 (Sun) – We did laundry today.  It seemed like Sunday was wash day for a lot of people in the campground and we got the last two machines.

     We met George & Linda at El Leoncita for dinner.  The food, margaritas, and company were all good.

 2021 Jan 9 (Sat) – We drove back to Merritt Island and picked up Denise with her dog, Levi, then drove to Cocoa to George & Linda’s. George made dough balls to go fishing with his grandson, Ryan.  Their son, Neil, came over and we all went down to the lake.  Ryan, Neil, George, and Paul fished while Linda, Denise, and I went for a drive around the neighborhood.  It was cool with a brisk breeze blowing.

     No fish caught, we returned to the house and George grilled up some burgers and hot dogs.  After visiting, we returned to Merritt Island to drop off Denise, then back to the campground.  Sheba ran out of the door when we got back at 8 p.m. and it took a bit of effort to get her back inside because it was dark and we couldn’t see.

2021 Jan 8 (Fri) – We went out to pick up food for Bonnie.  The vet recommended that we only give her one protein source.  Rather than mixing up beef and chicken, we should only feed her chicken.  We also have to make sure her dry food is chicken as well as her treats.

      Next door was a WalMart.  We ran in to pick up a few things.  While at George & Linda’s the other day, I noted she was cooking with a Blue Diamond pan.  We got to talking about different kinds of pans.  I have been thinking about getting rid of my Teflon pans for a while.  So while we were at WalMart today, I picked up 3 new fry pans and a Dutch oven.  I also picked up a roasting pan and a small baking pan with rack.   After we came home, I spent time rearranging the cabinet and getting rid of the old pots and pans in favor of the new ones.

     The day was very windy today.  Sheba didn’t spend more than a few minutes outside before looking to come back in.  It was just too breezy.  She sure loves her new toy.  

 2021 Jan 7 (Thu) – We stayed around the campground for the day. Paul ran out briefly to pick up some hardware to fix the silverware drawer.  It was not working smoothly and he had to replace the hardware slide. The drawer works very nicely now.

     At 8:30 p.m., we went out to watch the Space-X launch.  It was delayed for a little bit but the rocket finally took off at 9:15 p.m.  It was so quiet but very bright.  The launch was successful and they were able to capture the booster rocket.

 2021 Jan 6 (Wed) – We went over to George & Linda’s for dinner tonight.  They grilled chicken and Brussel sprouts.  We enjoyed the food with margaritas.

     I pulled out the NY Caravan file today to see what actions I have to take. I contacted one campground to confirm our arrival.  After some discussion, the owner decided that they could not support our caravan.  We have too many large rigs.  It was with some disappointment I found another campground. The next one is $11 more per night. That will certainly put a dent in our budget.

 2021 Jan 5 (Tue) – We packed up and left KARS RV Park at 10:30 a.m. Since the drive was only 27 miles, we waited until near checkout time before leaving.  We had to stop and dump the tanks first.  It was a good day to leave as a bunch of Fish & Wildlife trucks pulled up in the field across from us this morning.  It looked like a manhunt was underway.  I called the office only to find out they are doing a controlled burn around the property today.

     It was 50 minutes to Patrick Space Force Base in Cocoa.  We checked in with the camp host.  She said we were lucky.  That someone just left a very nice spot (they have a first-come, first served policy for campsites).  The site looks out at the river without a camper in front of our site. It’s OK.  The camp host told us this is a historic stay.  They just changed the name from Patrick Air Force Base to Patrick Space Force Base last month.  It’s a nice campground but a little tight.  We have full hookups with 50 amp service.  

     We went out for dinner to Grill’s Seafood Restaurant.  It was right on the water and we sat out on the deck. It was enclosed in glass so it felt like the inside but with all the view of the outside.

2021 Jan 4 (Mon) – We took Bonnie to the vet this morning.  We might have inadvertently solved the problem on our own though.  Bonnie has been doing a lot of barking and appeared to be very hungry.  She has been suffering urine infections off and on for two years now.  She’s been through a variety of antibiotics but the UTI always returned.  We remembered a friend who used the same pro-digest we give Bonnie.  She said she stopped giving it to her dogs because they had renal issues.  We stopped giving all extra stuff to Bonnie – the pro-digest, multivitamin, glucosamine, and fish oil.  We’ve just been giving her the liver medicine and regular food.  She’s also been getting lots of extra treats. Interestingly, Bonnie has calmed down. She’s not doing the excessive barking or restless moving around.  Maybe the antibiotic she was on and the pro-digest disagreed with each other.

     At any rate, the vet’s office only allowed one of us in so Paul sat out in the car.  After hearing of Bonnie’s story, the vet recommended that we give her only one protein source.  We feed her Hill’s Science Diet (approved by the vet association) but mix it up between beef and chicken.  The vet said that a dog’s system has to do a reset every time the protein source changes. Her long standing issue with diarrhea could be related to the changes in protein.  She suggested we give her only one protein for three weeks and see how her system reacts.

     The vet took some blood and found that Bonnie’s thyroid level is low. So now she is on a thyroid medication. She needs to go back for a recheck in two weeks.  We’ll see about that.

     When we got back to the campground, we did the laundry.  There were two washers and two dryers in the laundry building when I looked in last week.  Today, there was only one washing machine.  We only did the whites.

     A Falcon 9 Space-X launch was planned to take place between 8:30 and 12:30 tonight.  We rode down to the waterfront, set out our chairs, and waited to see the launch. The sky was clear and the stars were so bright with no moon to fade out the stars.  It was so cold; in the 40s.  We waited 20 minutes, trying to find out online if the launch was going to be live streamed.  People finally started posting on Facebook that the launch was rescheduled for January 7. That was disappointing.  We are in such a perfect place to watch a launch, right across the river from the NASA launch site.

 2021 Jan 3 (Sun) – We drove over George & Linda’s this morning. She made hash with the leftover corn beef.  That and eggs with toast was scrumptious.  The mimosas were a nice touch.  Denise (George’s sister) and her little dog, Levi, joined us.  After our meal, we sat out on the patio around their fire pit and had a nice visit.

     On the way back to the campground, we stopped for lunch at Kelsey’s Pizzeria.  We’ve seen a number of them around and wanted to try them.  We couldn’t eat in their store.  They instructed us to go next door to Harry & Jack’s, a bar and grill. They had indoor and outdoor seating. None of the wait staff wore masks. There were 3 tables occupied near us when we sat next to the bar.  The first group left and the waitress haphazardly wiped the table but didn’t touch the seats.  The other two tables vacated and neither of them was wiped down at all.  We got our pizza.  It wasn’t New York.

     After lunch, I stopped in at Supercuts next door and got my hair cut. The woman did a terrible job.  The good thing about it is that my hair will grow back in.  

 2021 Jan 2 (Sat) – Another day in the campground.  The weather has turned cold.   We went over George & Linda’s for dinner.  She made reubens with corned beef and sauerkraut on rye bread.  It was so good.  We are invited over for breakfast tomorrow where Linda will make corned beef hash with the leftovers.  After dinner, we watched a movie with Liam Neeson.  It was awful.  It certainly wasn’t his usual genre as a kick-ass fighter.  I think the name of the movie was “The Other Man.”  Don’t watch it!

 2021 Jan 1 (Fri-New Year’s Day) -  We stayed in the campground all day.   Our church had a Zoom meeting at 1 p.m.  We would normally have a potluck meal on New Year’s Day but no one’s getting together in groups this year.  There were about 20 of us online.  It was confusing to me with everyone talking over each other.  But it was good to see all our friends.  The call lasted about an hour.

2020 Dec 31 (Thu-New Year’s Eve) – We met George & Linda at the pier by Doc’s Bait House near their old condo.  We were going for a boat ride on the Banana River and lunch down river.  Unfortunately, as soon as we got past the bridge, the wind was whipping up the water and waves were splashing over the boat, getting us all wet.  It was too rough to go boating so we returned to the dock and pulled the boat out of the water then followed George back to his shop. We met their dog and checked out their new Renegade Class C RV.  They bought it in July and it still smells new.  After putting away the boat, we went to Fishlips for lunch down by Port Canaveral.  The meal was good but pretty expensive.

     After lunch, Paul and I drove to Patrick Air Force base to check out the campground.  Most of the gates into the base are closed and you have to drive a couple of miles around the runway to get to the campground.  They are also pretty full but there are still a few empty spaces. We will look to move there next week.

     We returned to the campground and spent a quiet night watching TV.  We turned in at 9 p.m.  How’s that for celebrating the new year?  I think we are officially “old fogies.”

 2020 Dec 30 (Wed) – We ran some errands today – picked up groceries and got some propane.  George & Linda drove over to the campground and we chatted for about an hour then drove to Denise’s house.  We picked her up and drove to Carrabba’s for an early dinner.  We all sat out on the patio and enjoyed margaritas and a good meal.

 2020 Dec 29 (Tue) – We packed up and left Mayport Naval Station at 9:30 a.m.  It was 160 miles south to Merritt Island where we are camped at the NASA owned property KARS RV Park.  We have been here twice before.  It is pretty full now; almost every campsite is occupied.  We have a site way in back behind the storage area nowhere near the water. They continue to improve the campground.

2020 Dec 28 (Mon) – We drove into St. Augustine for lunch. Our meal was at the Florida Cracker in the old historic town.  St. Augustine was settled in 1565 and is said to be the oldest city in the United States. It has been under six flags over the years – Spain, Italy, France, England, Colonial America, and the U.S. (I think).  It is an interesting tour.  There were many people out and about, too many without masks.  Traffic coming into town was all backed up.  We walked around for a while then left.  We stopped at the post office on the way back to mail off a package and got fuel for tomorrow’s move.

 2020 Dec 27 (Sun) – We dialed into the virtual service at our church this morning.  It appears that the minister contracted the coronavirus and was quarantined for two weeks. That must be why they stopped having in-person services last week.

     We took down our Christmas decorations today.  I thought we were leaving tomorrow, Monday, but we are leaving on December 29.  That’s actually on Tuesday.

 2020 Dec 26 (Sat) – We drove into town and had lunch at North Beach Fish Camp.  It was a seafood place.  I had a cod dish and Paul enjoyed crab claws.  On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Publix to pick up a few groceries.

     The weather is pretty cold today.  The temperatures have dropped into the thirties and there is a freeze warning for the area tonight.  We’ll have to remember to disconnect the hose before going to bed.  At least the wind has died down.

     The vet called to say that Bonnie’s urine sample had come back normal.  The antibiotic has done its job.

2020 Dec 25 (Fri – Christmas Day) – It was very cold this morning but warmed quickly to the 50s.  The wind was blowing strongly.  Last night’s storm left many homes without electric and the news showed streets and homes where trees fell onto them.  It was a very destructive storm.

     We went to the Oasis Galley on base at 3 p.m. for a holiday meal.  It was supposed to be $9.20 per person but the guy just waved us through when we arrived.  I don’t know if it was because he was having problems with the register or that it was almost time to close the mess hall (dinner was being served from 1 to 4 p.m.  At any rate, we got a great meal for free.  There was salad, shrimp cocktail, turkey, dressing, steak, mac & cheese, cranberry sauce, corn, kale, green beans, biscuits, eggnog, coffee, tea, and a variety of pies.  We brought our pumpkin pie back to the trailer and had it later with coffee.  

 2020 Dec 24 (Thu) – We dropped a urine sample from Bonnie off at the vet’s office this morning.  Then we went to breakfast at Another Broken Egg.  They have such good and unusual selections.  We both enjoyed our meal very much.  We sat out on the patio with a lot of other people.  

      After breakfast (more like brunch), we drove to General RV to pick up our new loungers.  The shipment never came in so we bought the floor sample.  The saleslady we dealt with was out today.  The person we dealt with today must have thought we were really stupid.  She said they never had new furniture to order and we were always going to get the floor sample.  Then she said the saleslady we first dealt with (Brandi) tried to order it but it wasn’t available.  I then asked for a discount on the cost of the furniture since we had to take used furniture rather than get it new.  She tried to tell us that the sample was only on the floor for 4 days.  We sat in it over a week ago so that wasn’t true. Brandi had told us it was out for several weeks.  In addition, the floor sample was still sitting on the floor.  It was not sanitized and packed up for us.  The woman tried to mumble that she couldn’t have sanitized it earlier because people would have still sat on it.  Paul told her no one could sit on it if it was disassembled and she tried to tell him they would have.  It was one of the most aggravating hours we have ever spent. The woman was either incompetent or an out-and-out liar.  At any rate, we waited while they sanitized and took the furniture apart (2 chairs with a center console).  She refused to give us any plastic to wrap up the furniture so it wouldn’t get dirty in back of the truck.  We did get a refund of almost $200.

                                               the old furniture

                                                   the new furniture

      Paul then drove into downtown Jacksonville.  Since it was Christmas eve, he figured a lot of the stores and offices would be closed.  He was right. It reminded me of when we went to Phoenix and arrived on a weekend.  It was like a ghost town.  We stopped at the St. Johns River Riverwalk and strolled along the waterfront.  There were a few people out but not many.

      The day started out very nice but turned nasty late in the afternoon.  Severe thunderstorms rolled through and there were warnings of tornadoes in the county.  The temperatures dropped drastically and the prediction was for iguanas falling out of trees tomorrow (lol. Temps are supposed to be freezing)

 2020 Dec 23 (Wed) – We did some laundry today.  Since the machines are free, we are taking advantage of the benefit.  Someone got annoyed we weren’t right there when our wash finished and they took our laundry out.  They put it on top of the dryers.  We put our stuff in the dryers and made sure to come back before it was done.

     We went out for lunch at Cracker Barrel today.  The food was good and they were doing a brisk business.  It’s hard to believe there’s a pandemic out there. After lunch, we stopped at a liquor store to pick up some Bailey’s Irish Cream.  It’s for Christmas day.

 2020 Dec 22 (Tue) – The day was cold and blustery.  We stayed in all day.

 2020 Dec 21 (Mon) – We ran some errands today.  Went food shopping at WalMart, picked up dog food at PetCo, got some fuel at a very sloooooooow pump (took a half hour to fill the gas tank), and dropped off an envelope at the post office.

     At sunset, we drove over to the southeast side of the base to see the Christmas Star.  Not since 1600 (400 years ago) has Saturn and Jupiter been aligned next to each other. They are so close that they look like a big star in the sky.  This great conjunction is referred to as the Christmas Star.  I think it’s because it’s happening during Christmas week.  We saw nothing.  Maybe it was hidden behind some low clouds on the horizon.  We’ll try again tomorrow night.

     I volunteered to put together a cookbook for SMART as a fundraiser. Paul was looking through our church cookbook one day and brought up the suggestion that we should do it for our travel club.  I pitched the suggestion, went through lots of questions and hesitations, and finally got the go ahead today.  Hope I don’t regret the offer.

2020 Dec 19&20 (Sat & Sun) – We stayed in the campground this weekend.  We dialed into the church for a virtual service on Sunday morning.  We had some initial trouble getting the live broadcast but it turned out to be a problem at their end, not ours.

 2020 Dec 18 (Fri) – We ran out to get propane this morning. The weather has been cold (it was 37 degrees this morning) and the heat has been running almost constantly.  We ran out of propane two nights ago (luckily, we have a second tank to switch to when one goes empty).  The place we first stopped at was out of order and we struggled to find another place.  The refill was finally achieved.

     Karen called today.  She is a travel agent and we are working with to arrange a cruise to Australia in 2022. We have tentatively decided on a Holland America 15-day cruise to Australia/New Zealand in January 2022. We also spoke with her about arranging a campervan trip around Australia following the cruise.  We plan to take two months to travel around Australia after the cruise.  She’s looking into it.

     We returned to the campground and hunkered down for the day. I sure hope it gets warmer soon. This is Florida!!!!

 2020 Dec 17 (Thu) – We drove into St. Augustine this afternoon. It took us over a half hour to find a parking space.  We finally wound up parking in a church parking lot for $10.  Then we walked into town and came upon the Lightner Museum. It is in the former Alcazar Hotel which was built from Henry Flagler in 1888.  One half of the 5-story building houses government offices and the other half features the museum collection.  The building was stunning and the hotel must have been amazing! The collections were from the 1800 and 1900s.  There were pottery, crystal, and glass artifacts; furniture; paintings; sculptures; and more.  A stuffed lion was on display that was a gift to Winston Churchill.  The lion was placed in the London Zoo and sired over 40 cubs before being stuffed.  I don’t know how it wound up in a museum in Florida.

     At 5 p.m. we went to dinner at Harry’s Seafood Grill.  It was a New Orleans style restaurant.  The waiter was very animated and made the meal enjoyable. He said he was originally from Queens and worked in Melville.  I had rice and beans with sausage and Paul had a scampi dish.

     We walked down to the marina and took the Night of Lights boat tour. It was a boring ride back and forth in front of lighted store fronts in the freezing cold.  The captain was absolutely silent.  Most tours of this kind would have had a dialogue about the area. He should have described some of the landmarks or talked about the history of the marina or told the story about St. Augustine.  Aside from his mandatory safety briefing (which was 75% unintelligible), he said nothing during the entire ride.  We were supposed to get complimentary coffee or tea but they didn’t have that either. We didn’t think the boat tour was worth the expense.

 2020 Dec 16 (Wed) – It rained for most of the day today.  It was cool and miserable.  I called the office today and was able to extend here at Mayport for another 3 nights until January 1st.  Hopefully, that will be all we need to take care of Bonnie’s issue.

2020 Dec 15 (Tue) – We went food shopping at Winn Dixie to get groceries for the week.  Then we went to Bono’s Pit BBQ.  We bought a rack of ribs and brought it back for dinner.  Yesterday and today have been blustery and the temperatures have been in the low 50s in the morning.  The wind was blowing so hard today that you had to be sure to hold the door when you got out of the car or the RV.  There were white caps and big splashing waves out in the river.  We swear that the winds were gusting to 50 mph.

 2020 Dec 14 (Mon) – We went furniture shopping today.  After wandering through several stores, we finally arrived at General RV and paid for two lounge chairs.  The clerk said she thought she could get it in by Friday, Monday at the latest.  If it doesn’t come in, then they will give us the floor sample.  We have to call on Friday so they’ll have time to sanitize the floor sample if it doesn’t look like the new chairs will come in on time.

     After paying for the chairs, we stopped at Taco Bell for lunch. Yuck!  They no longer have the taco salad.  Now it’s bowls.  I got a chicken quesadilla and Paul got chalupas.  My meal was very skimpy and too spicy.  I won’t get that again!

     The vet called to say that Bonnie has a bacterial infection and needs to go on antibiotics.  We turned around and drove to his office to get the medication.  After ten days, we have to give another urine sample.  The time period will be close to when we are scheduled to leave.  Since we don’t have a reservation for the next campground, I called the office at Mayport to see if we could extend for a few days.  The clerk said they have no vacancies.  We have to call back every day to check on availability.  Ugh.

 2020 Dec 13 (Sun) – We went to lunch at Seaglass, a restaurant on base.  We were the only two diners in the place.  It looks like it would be really nice on a Friday night with folks gathered around the bar and socializing.  That won’t happen for a while, if ever again.  I had avocado toast and Paul had chorizo hash.  It was good.  We returned to the campground and let the animals play outside.  Sheba is fascinated with the geckos crawling on the palm trees.

 2020 Dec 12 (Sat) – The day was rainy and overcast.  We just hung around the campground all day.

 2020 Dec 11 (Fri) – We went out for lunch today at Colhane’s Irish Pub.  The food was very good.  I had my usual – shepherd pie and Paul enjoyed potato soup and a salad.  He’s down to 208 lbs.  His goal is in sight and he’s very focused.  We came back and let the fur babies have time outside.

     The vet called today.  Aside from slightly elevated liver enzymes, he really doesn’t see anything in Bonnie’s bloodwork to indicate a problem.  He is going to do a culture on the urine sample we left.  He’ll call back in a couple of days.

 2020 Dec 10 (Thu) – Paul offered to take me out for breakfast this morning.  That’s very funny since he lost his credit card and we had to invalidate it.  Now, I’m the only one with a credit card. After the breakfast that he treated me to (that I paid for), we went to Winn Dixie for groceries (I splurged on a lottery ticket), then to PetCo for dog food, and last to the post office to mail off a letter.

     On the way back, we drove into the Village of Mayport.  It is a small fishing village with a ferry port.  There weren’t many businesses at all.  When we got back on base, we drove around the docks looking at all the big Navy ships.  There were about a dozen ships tied up to the piers.

     We took Bonnie to the vet this afternoon. In the last two or three months, she has started this kind of barking routine.  She gives a bark, waits about ten seconds, then barks again.  She keeps this up until we are moved to do something. It’s either feed her, walk her, or pet her.  She goes out for a walk about every 1-1/2 to 2 hours and has a bowel movement almost time. That’s many more than she used to have (which was two – one following breakfast and one following dinner).  The doc took blood and promised to call us tomorrow.

2020 Dec 9 (Wed) – We stayed in today and spent the time putting up and decorating our Christmas tree.  The season is here!

 2020 Dec 8 (Tue) – We went to the post office to mail off the claim form to New York.  It will be interesting to see how much is due to my mother (who passed away in 2009). My sister, Susan, had filled out a claim in 2010 for money due to my mother.  The five of us each wound up getting $20 (she was due $100).  This time around will probably be $2.50 each. Mom didn’t have much to her name when she died.  I can’t imagine what this money is from.

     We stopped for lunch at the Hangar Bay Café.  It was a small place run by an African American retired Navy guy with an Asian wife.  The menu had a lot of ramen on it.  Paul got pork ramen and I ordered fried chicken.  The food was good.  The gentleman didn’t want to talk about his service.  Even though there was an 11x13 picture of him in dress uniform on the wall, he kept avoiding my questions about his time in the Navy.

     The commissary and PX are both off-post.  We stopped in there to get a few things.  You have to show ID at the register at the commissary and at the entrance at the PX to ensure you are military.  When we got back to the base, we drove around the housing area.  There is a second campground (called Osprey Cove) on base.  It is not on the water but cloistered among spreading trees with lots of Spanish moss. It is very lovely and intended for long-term stays.

 2020 Dec 7 (Mon) – We packed up and left Kings Bay Subbase at 11 a.m. It was much later than we normally move out but the drive was only an hour to the next campground.  We ran out to the post office before we left so I could mail another registered letter to a lawyer used to sell Travis & Sam’s house. We’ve had serious issues with him and have had to make a formal complaint to the Judicial Review Board.

     We arrived at Mayport Naval Station, Pelican Roost RV Park a little after noon.  They gave us the option of choosing one of several sites.  We elected to take a space at the end of the aisle on a curve. We can get a somewhat obscure look at the ocean.  We stayed here last December.  The ships sail right past the campground on their way out of and into the port.  They blow their horns to say hello and goodbye.

     We went out to the bank to get a paper notarized. I was cruising around the internet and put in Unclaimed Funds in New York State.  Surprise, surprise!  My mother’s name came up.  The website doesn’t tell how much is owed, just there is some money due.  I printed out the form and filled in the required information.  I will mail it out tomorrow.

[glowyjellyfish]

I had a little pre-Thanksgiving drama, and to get my mind off it I started thinking about what Thanksgiving Drama would look like in the 2017 McDuck household. And it started out just as little fun script scenes but somehow morphed into an entire fanfic that I can picture as an episode in my head. I considered making an attempt at fleshing it out into a full prose story, but... I lack both the time and the wherewithal for such things, and anyway it wouldn’t be done before Thanksgiving so what would be the point? I think the ending comes a little abruptly, but the ideas were drying up, so...

Donald: (trying really hard) Um, I know it’s been a while, but… Thanksgiving’s coming up, and… what do you usually do?

Scrooge: Oh, I don’t usually celebrate, really. I don’t see the point. Actually, now that I think about it, I do always ask Mrs. Beakley to make a few of my favorite Scottish dishes. For old times’ sake, you know. Shepherd’s pie, haggis--

Donald: WHAT??

---

Webby: I’m so excited! A real Thanksgiving dinner! I’ve never had one before! What kinds of special traditions do you guys have? Can I help?

The nephews look at each other.

Louie: You mean the tradition where we all fight over the remote, or the one where Uncle Donald gets super stressed out because he has to do everything but also won’t let anyone help with anything?

Huey: He let me set the table last year!

Louie: Only because he went outside to cool off and you set the table while he couldn’t stop you!

Huey: Maybe, but maybe this year he’ll remember how helpful that was and let me do it again!

Dewey: Look, you just forgot the golden rule of Thanksgiving: stay out of Uncle Donald’s way, let him do what he wants, and food will magically appear. Oh, and always wash your hands thoroughly. That one got us into trouble a couple years ago.

Louie: (laughing) Oh yeah, but it was worth it! We actually made him think he was dead! That was amazing!

Dewey joins in laughing, fondly reminiscing. Webby looks at Huey uncertainly.

Webby: Is that a… normal Thanksgiving tradition?

Huey shakes his head, stonefaced.

---

Launchpad: Wow, a real Thanksgiving dinner! That sounds great for you guys! It’s been a long time since I had one.

Webby: What do you mean? Don’t you go home to your family over the holidays?

Launchpad: No, no, I was pretty young when I left and, you know, I can’t really face my parents and I can never go back. So… no.

Webby: Oh. Well, why don’t you join us? I’m sure there’s room!

Launchpad: (tears in eyes) Really???

Webby: Sure! It’s Thanksgiving! The more the merrier!

Launchpad: Yes!! Oh, this is gonna be so great, I gotta hit up the stores before they run out of pie!

---

Dewey: Wait, you didn’t invite Launchpad, did you?

Webby: Yeah-- was that wrong?

Louie: Uhh, we’re never allowed to bring friends to Thanksgiving. It’s strictly a family thing.

Webby: But it’s Launchpad, he’s... practically family?

The boys are skeptical.

Webby: Come on, he didn’t have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving dinner, and he was so excited about coming! I’m sure it will be fine.

Dewey: Okay, but you invited him, you’re the one who has to tell Uncle Donald, got it?

Webby: Oh, because of the amount of food, right? I’m sure it won’t be a problem, he said he was going to buy pie!

The boys look horrified.

Huey: ...storebought pie??

---

Donald: GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN!

Beakley: It’s MY kitchen, Donald! We had an agreement!

Donald: And you’re not holding up your end!

Beakley: I KNOW how to make mashed potatoes, Donald! It’s hardly rocket science.

Donald: YOU’RE MAKING THEM WRONG!! Louie won’t eat the skins and Huey hates lumps!

Beakley: We don’t need two kinds of potatoes any more than we need two whole turkeys! Is this what you always do?

Donald: You try telling the boys that one of them has to go without a drumstick!

Beakley: One turkey is more than enough, even for eight people!

Donald freezes for a moment.

Donald: ...EIGHT people??

---

Launchpad bursts in the front door, super excited, with six pies and a giant bag of stuffing. The boys are there to see him and are horrified.

Louie: Six… six store bought pies? Why would anyone--

Huey plasters on a grin and steps forward.

Huey: (loudly and brightly) Hi, Launchpad! So glad you could make it! Wh--what what kinds of pies you got there?

Launchpad: I was only going to buy two, but they all looked so good! I got… two pumpkin pies, chocolate mousse, chocolate pecan, blackberry, and apple! Hope you guys are hungry!

The boys continue to be horrified.

Dewey: (quietly) but uncle donald’s pumpkin pie is perfect, who eats store bought pie?

Huey: (loudly) Sounds great! And… the stuffing?

Launchpad: I’ve never had stuffing before and I got kinda stoked.

Huey: Okay, cool! We already have stuffing, I mean our turkeys are already stuffed, but we can probably pop that in the oven and make it nice and crunchy, at least--

Launchpad: Awesome! I’m gonna go put these babies in the kitchen where they belong!

Huey: Wait!

Launchpad blithely marches into the kitchen with his armload of goodies, and things go terribly quiet in there. The boys watch in horrified anticipation. A moment later, Donald storms out of the kitchen, furious and barely containing himself. He throws his apron on the floor and stomps off to the front door.

Donald: I’M GOING OUT FOR SOME AIR.

Huey: Wait, Uncle Donald!

Donald: NO.

He goes outside and slams the door behind him, leaving Huey torn between wanting to fix everything RIGHT NOW and knowing that the best method is to leave him alone for a while AND knowing dinner will probably be ruined if left alone. Dewey and Louie look at each other and race into the kitchen, with Huey a little bit behind.

---

The kitchen is chaos, but that’s fairly normal when Donald cooks. Mrs. Beakley is frantically hunting down enough clean pans for Launchpad’s stuffing, pots on the stove are starting to boil over, and the oven’s alarm is beeping. Launchpad is standing just barely out of the way, looking distraught.

Launchpad: What did I do wrong?

Beakley: It wasn’t your fault, Launchpad. Boys! See to the potatoes, will you?

Huey and Louie rush over to the stove; Huey turns down the burners while Louie grabs a spoon and takes the opportunity to drool over the food, but he picked the wrong pot.

Louie: Uh, I think you guys forgot to peel the potatoes--

Beakley: Those are smashed potatoes. You leave the skin on. They’re much easier to make, but the plain kind are in the other pot. Your uncle insisted on making them.

Louie checks the other pot and is relieved.

Louie: Whew! Got worried for a minute there!

Dewey: Hey, what about my baked potato? Cause--

Beakley: Seriously? Is this what you do every year?

Dewey: Uh, yeah! That way, everyone gets what they want!

Louie: Yeah, you get to make your weird potatoes, don’t judge us.

Beakley: I’m not judging--I was only trying to show Donald--oh, never mind, the vegetables will be done roasting in a moment, we need to have the stuffing ready to go--

On cue, Huey pulls the slightly singed roasted vegetables out of the oven and puts them on the counter.

Huey: Vegetables are ready! Although I noticed we are way behind schedule on prepping the salad, we are three cans of whipped cream short, and I don’t see any cranberry sauce anywhere! Someone’s going to have to go to the store.

Beakley: It’s too late, we’ll just have to--

Launchpad: Cranberry sauce and whipped cream! I’m on it! Anything to help!

He charges out of the room before Beakley can stop him.

Beakley: Launchpad, don’t bother--ugh. ...So why do we need a salad in addition to the vegetables?

Louie: Huey hates the texture of cooked vegetables.

Beakley: You boys do realize that you’ve been making your uncle prepare enough Thanksgiving for a dozen people all these years, don’t you?

Huey: Oh…

Louie: Yeah, but that just means more leftovers!

Beakley sighs and pinches the bridge of her beak.

Beakley: Alright, here’s what we’re going to do.

---

Webby peeks her head in the kitchen tentatively.

Webby: What’s going on? I just washed my hands again to be safe, and when I got back I couldn’t find anyone. I thought no one was allowed in the kitchen? Where’s Donald?

Dewey races past the door with a pan of stuffing held above his head.

Dewey: Outside! Getting air!

Huey is washing dishes, with his eyes glued to a hastily-written schedule he taped above the sink.

Huey: We’re making sure everything will be running smoothly when he gets back! Dewey, make sure to turn the oven down when you put the pies in!

Dewey: Got it!

Louie is very carefully arranging a basket of rolls.

Louie: He’s totally gonna still be mad, but at least dinner will be ready and not, like, burned and gross.

Huey: No, Louie, it’s going to be PERFECT and he will be DELIGHTED, okay? We all agreed this would fix everything!

Webby: (slightly skeptical) Wow, okay um, sounds like a good plan! How can I help?

Beakley looks up from where she is tossing the salad.

Beakley: You can set the table, darling. Go fetch the formal dining set from the china hutch in the parlor.

Webby gets determined.

Webby: I’m on it!

---

Outside the front gate of McDuck Manor, Launchpad screeches to a halt in the limo, parking perpendicular to the road, and leaps out of the car with three bags of whipped cream and cranberry sauce, nearly barreling over Donald.

Donald: Watch it!

Launchpad: (out of breath) Sorry didn’t see you there! Had to go all the way to St. Canard before I found any cranberry sauce! Why are you outside?

Donald: (frustrated) I went for a walk to clear my head and I got locked out! This is a disaster!

Launchpad helpfully pushes the intercom button; no one answers.

Donald: No one’s answering, I’ve been pushing that for twenty minutes! Dinner’s going to be ruined and it’s my fault!

Launchpad: I thought it was my fault?

Donald: ...yeah, sorry. Thanksgiving is a very stressful day for me, and… look, it took years to find a recipe for pumpkin pie that we all like. We don’t need any backup pies. I can handle it.

Launchpad: Okay, but you can never have too much pie.

Donald wearily pushes the button again. This time, it crackles!

Scrooge: Where is everyone--yes, what do you want?

Donald: Uncle Scrooge, it’s me! We got locked out!

Launchpad: I got cranberry sauce!

Scrooge: why is Launchpad--oh, whatever.

He buzzes them in; Donald and Launchpad both race frantically for the kitchen. Scrooge suspiciously follows at a more leisurely pace.

---

The kitchen and dining room are a choreographed whirlwind of activity, with Webby and the boys placing dishes rapidly and barely avoiding ramming into each other. There are two turkeys, three kinds of potatoes, five pans of stuffing, a small mountain of roasted vegetables AND a salad, two baskets of rolls, a sweet potato casserole, haggis, and the whole kitchen smells like pie. Mrs. Beakley is stirring up the gravy when Launchpad bursts in with his groceries.

Launchpad: CRANBERRY SAUCE!

Beakley: Well done, Launchpad. Why don’t you grab a bowl and a can opener and get that ready quickly? No, the can opener’s over there--over there, third drawer on the left. Left, I said.

Donald: What’s going on?

Dewey: We finished making dinner for you. Because we’re awesome.

Donald: But--

Huey: I never realized just how much work you put into this! But you really don’t have to do it all yourself anymore.

Donald: I just try to make everything perfect for you boys!

Louie: And we appreciate that… now. But you can ask for help, you know, we might complain about it but it’s actually kinda fun? And nobody wants you to have to do all the work. Besides, you got Team Thanksgiving now!

Webby and the boys: TEAM THANKSGIVING!

Donald: Well… I don’t know what to say. It looks like you did a wonderful job.

Beakley sets the gravy on the table, and invitingly pulls out a chair for him.

Beakley: You might consider saying “thank you”.

Donald: Thank you, everyone. Happy thanksgiving!

Scrooge: …happy what now?

...because nobody actually consulted him about this Thanksgiving dinner in all the chaos. It’s fine though. Scrooge enjoys his haggis and convinces Dewey to try a bite (no one else will, though); Launchpad discovers that he loves stuffing and eats two pans all by himself, Louie accidentally takes a scoop of the wrong kind of potatoes and is disgruntled to learn that they are delicious. Each of the boys and Webby get a drumstick, and they mock-swordfight a little bit; Launchpad eats all four wings. Everybody tries every different kind of pie, with varied results, but they all agree that Donald’s homemade pumpkin pie is the best pie; there are no surviving pieces for anyone to eat later.

[offtosavetheearth]

June 28th, 2018   

I’m sad to leave the beautiful Hacienda today. Breakfast was great; scrambled eggs and BACON, toast with jam/butter, and the best coffee I have ever tasted. It was almost chocolatey, and thick like a coffee shake with no ice cream.

Descending the eastern slopes of the Andes, we passed through cloud forest into the rain forest. We went through the Bano de Ambato, a resort with hot springs situated on the side of the active volcano Tungurahua, which is sometimes evacuated due to eruptions. We pass the Agoyan hydroelectric plant and Aguyan waterfall, and travel a winding road through tunnels as we descend steeply to the Amazonian rain forest lowlands. Interestingly enough, Ecuador prides itself on powering 70% of the country through hydroelectric power. Hoping to replace natural resources entirely, the goal is to reach 100% hydroelectric power. Unfortunately there is still much controversy; hydroelectric power requires dams, which have been associated with the flood of habitats, and release of methane gas. Two of the three largest dams in the world are housed in Latin America.

As we drove closer to the lowlands, the tributes of the Pistasa River could be seen, representative of the great Amazon River. Following this down, we entered the world’s largest broad leaf forest, housing more biodiversity per square foot than anywhere in the world. The rainforest itself used to be home to thousands of indigenous, who practiced guerilla warfare with poison dart arrows the fight off the Incas and Spaniards.  However oil was soon discovered in the Amazon, and Ecuador was launched into modernization by joining the OPEC organization. They started building roads through the biome, which have allowed colonists from other parts of Ecuador to establish farms and populate towns such as Puyo. Toward the end of the drive we passed through Shell town. This famous town, founded by the oil company Texaco and later adopted by Chevron, is being sued for environmental contamination and pollution of the Amazon River in Ecuador. In 1964, Texaco started drilling in the rainforest. The company eventually exported as many as 220,000 barrels a day to the U.S. During this black gold rush, the Cofan, indigenous people who drink, bathe, and fish in the Amazon, began noticing a stench coming from the water. Texaco’s run-off system, in which “the pollutants come from a pool through a tube in the swamp and the swamp feeds the river from which the Cofan take their water” didn’t seem to be working. Indeed, 18 billion gallons of run-off were found in the river – 30 times that of the Exxon-Valdez spill. Texaco defended the run-off system, saying that it was “within industry standards.” Now the Amazon Defense Front is fighting back by representing the 30,000 plaintiffs who are tired of the damage to the river, cleaning up behind Texaco, and the unusually high levels of cancer they have been experiencing. As of May 2010, the damages sought were up to 27 billion.

Also with politics in the United States, there is also bureaucratic controversy fueled by the antics of Correra. The former president believed that in order to achieve sustainability there must be poverty reduction, and poverty reduction comes from economic gain through resource extraction. This angered many indigenous communities, who were jailed for disagreeing with Correra. Lenin, the current president, has released these peoples and has let his public know of his support towards environmental protection.

Once I arrived at the Amazon Basin, I was surprised at how few insects were around. Here the area has been highly fumigated, and it is sometimes rare to see mosquitoes. But we are not camping in the Basin; we are traveling as deep into the jungle as we can, without risk of being exposed to tropical disease.

Next we crossed the Napo River, located in the province of Napo. The bus stopped at an outdoor restaurant, with a beautiful view and immersion into the jungle. We ate soup with popcorn, pappas fritas, fried steak topped with queso fresca, salada, horchata, and mineral water. To my surprise I actually had a great conversation with Danny over lunch, about our common interest in natural resources and energy. He recommended a few classes to take that he enjoyed, and shared with me his plans for graduate school, while I in turn relayed my interest in law school, particularly Energy Law, or International Law. We discovered that we even have mutual friends; Corey Hulse was on my team for the UT Austin Alternative Energy Challenge in which we won first place/grand prize, and for Danny, Corey is the person who got him interested in computer programming, and he is now the President of the Engineering Club. What a small world sustainability is, and how interesting is it that our passions almost intermesh, yet we are seeking two very different career paths.

When we arrived at, Alfredo demonstrated how to roast and grind cacao beans, adding milk, vanilla, and sugar to make chocolate. The Cacao beans have to dry for three days before they can be used, and to get the best aroma, you must ferment the beans in a box. We first put the cacao in a pan over fire for 3 to 4 minutes until they popped like popcorn. Then we laid them out by the bar area, and peeled off their burnt layer to reveal a black bean. We made the chocolate from here with the three ingredients listed, and ate it with cookies. It was semi-sweet, and I was not a huge fan, but fun experience anyways.

After being assigned a room with Allie, and Whitney, we dropped our stuff off and most of the group went swimming while I had a drink with Sisi. I got a Coke, she got a beer, and we talked for about 45 minutes before swimmers came back from the pool. Everyone hung out in the social area until dinner either reading, playing cards, talking, or drinking.

Dinner included a kind of honey-baked chicken, green and purple lettuce, rice, and mashed potatoes. It made me feel like I was almost back in Texas, just needed some gravy.

Late night activities included a bug-walk, where we saw various types of spiders, frogs, toads, ants, roaches etc. The only way I could explain it would be to say, everything is bigger in the Amazon. The cockroaches were the size of leaves, ants tripled in length, and toads as big as my head. We can thank all these little creatures for aiding in the immense amount of biodiversity found here.  It freaked out a LOT of people, but I thought it was cool, the only thing that worried me was the bullet ants because of how painful their bites are rumored to be.

When we were back at the social area our hosts took out their tarantulas and the group had a photo shoot with it. I felt really bad about the whole thing, because she had raised up half of her legs and was obviously scared, but couldn’t go back in her home till everyone got a picture with the flash. I was waiting to get a picture but she had to leave before I could, which I wasn’t upset about. She needed a break, and it’s pretty wrong to have done all that to her.

[ariannadi]

Ease and Comfort

Part six of my Skyrim thing!! Holy shit I finished it finally *dies*

Enjoy!! Vilkas x Marly, of course ^^

It hadn’t taken them long to complete the task at hand. Though they were still trying to familiarize each other’s tactical means, there was no doubt that Vilkas and Marlyna made a good team.

After clearing the target location of Forsworn and recovering the heirloom they sought, the two Companions retired to the Silver-Blood Inn in Markarth, Vilkas ordering them a room as well as a hot meal each.

“We’re getting better at this - working together, I mean,” Marlyna commented as the man seated himself next to her in front of the lobby’s hearth; passing a mug of ale her way before taking a swig of his own.

“Normally I’d disregard such a statement… but, you’re right,” Vilkas replied, leaning back in his chair. “You’re doing well, Marly. You happen to be the first shield-sibling of mine that hasn’t had me contemplating murdering them for their incompetence.”

“Er, thanks?” Marly responded, raising a brow. Vilkas just let out a quiet chuckle.

The two sat in a rather comfortable silence, occasionally sipping at their drinks, before Marlyna rose and announced she’d be heading to the baths before their meal. Vilkas contemplated doing the same, realizing he hadn’t bathed since they had left Jorrvaskr half a week prior. Thankfully, his companion wasn’t so much of a priss in the face of dirt, greasy hair, and sweat - she herself matching him in such regards half the time.

“Suppose I’d better do the same. Don’t want to scare away passerbys on the journey home tomorrow.” he commented, swishing his mug a few times.

Marlyna laughed. “Your stern expression will be the catalyst of that scenario, Vilkas. Don’t you worry.”

Vilkas flashed her a smirk, watching the captivating sway of her hips as she turned and wandered off into the depths of the inn.

It was a miracle that their trip together hadn’t been awkward thus far - something the man was certain would be the case at some point. Though an underlying tension was definitely present, for the most part the two companions had put the focus on their duty, which Vilkas was thankful for, in a sense. Perhaps the pair had jumped into whatever it was they had too quickly, he realized, not wanting to jeopardize things between them. Marlyna wasn’t his typical one time roll in the hay, and he wanted her to understand that.

It was still hard to define what exactly it was they shared. They were attracted to each other, that was apparent; but otherwise they still acted like typical shield-siblings. Only time would tell if whatever was blossoming survived.

Marly eventually joined him at the hearth once again, her face freshly cleaned and her damp hair already forming silky waves. The innkeeper brought them their meals not long after - a plate of roasted pheasant and boiled potatoes, coupled with a bowl of hardy stew and a roll of bread. The two warriors, famished from the events of the day, licked their platters clean, which earned them a look of gratitude from the inn’s cook.

“By Shor, I’m stuffed,” Marlyna groaned as she slouched in her chair, her eyes shutting a moment after.

Vilkas was in the same boat, his arms cushioning his head as he leaned back in his seat.

“As much as I would like to stay here and vegetate for the remainder of the evening, I should probably wash up,” he said after a while, rising to his feet. “The room should be open, whenever you feel like retiring.”

Marlyna nodded, her eyes remaining closed. “Enjoy your soak, my good sir.” she drawled, waving him off.

The pools located in the back of the vicinity were spacious, the steam rising from them causing a sheen of sweat to arise on Vilkas’ skin. Quickly he removed his armor and underclothes, then proceeded to the nearest basin, sinking into it with a guttural groan.

After traveling for days and transforming recently, it was definitely a welcome relief. 

He did his best to scrub off the grime and dirt that covered him from head to toe, but as with every warrior the filth of battle just wasn’t something you could wash out completely. Still, he assumed Marlyna would appreciate the gesture - as she had nearly ran into a table the first time she saw him without warpaint streaking his eyes.

The memory caused his lips to quirk. She was definitely something else.

Marlyna was already sacked out in her bed when he arrived at their room, a line of drool making its way down the corner of her chin. Vilkas let out a chuckle, moving over to the woman’s side to tuck the quilt covering her further up her body. He then collapsed into his own bed, staring up at the ceiling for a time before sinking into a restless sleep.

They left early the next morning, knowing the journey back to Whiterun would take them a couple days at best. Before heading out of the city, they stopped at the marketplace, gathering some food for the long walk home as well as varying potions and salves.

Aside from a random interaction with a desperate thief, their travels were smooth, and a rather sociable experience.

“It’s hard to believe you basically grew up in Jorrvaskr,” Marlyna said to Vilkas with a smile. “There had to be at least one or two instances where you were mistaken for a barrel of ale and nearly thrown against a wall.”

Vilkas chuckled at that. “Farkas and I were certainly stepped on a few times, but we found our place eventually. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine my life going any other way. Being a Companion has basically been embedded into my blood.”

Marlyna hummed in acknowledgment, raising her eyes to the starry skies overhead. “Marcus and I would always babble about the Companions when we were young; our great-grandfather was one for a time, and he passed stories onto my father, who passed them onto us. Tales of the legendary Harbinger and their band of warriors, taking down everything in sight for the sake of Skyrim’s people.” She sighed dreamily. “It wasn’t hard to consider the idea of becoming one. Marcus likely would’ve done the same, had fate not stepped in the way, or whatever it is he’s doing with Greybeards and dragons and whatnot.”

The man felt his lips quirk, his eyes contentedly settling on the woman. “You do your family proud, Marly.“ 

His shield-sister glanced at him, her own eyes grateful. “I try,” she said with a little laugh. “The company in Jorrvaskr makes it that much more interesting.”

Even if she wasn’t referring to him directly, the words caused a swell of pride and something else to bloom in Vilkas’ chest. 

They ended up returning to the apocethary cabin once they’d had their fill of traveling for the time being, seeing as it wouldn’t cost them anything to stay there. Once inside, Marly went to unstrap her various bits of armor, while Vilkas began preparing their supper. 

“You can have the bed again,” he told her as he threw some vegetables into the kettle over the hearth. “I’m fine with dozing in a chair. I likely won’t sleep, anyway.”

Marlyna paused in her actions, instead regarding him with a concerned look. “Lacking proper rest doesn’t trouble you any?” she asked.

Vilkas shrugged. “Nothing I can do about it anyway.” he stated bluntly.

He didn’t have to turn around to know Marly was slowly approaching him, but he still jumped anyway when her hand settled on his arm.

“I know how badly you want to be cured,” she said in sympathy. “Kodlak will find a solution, I know he will.”

Vilkas’ eyes shut, almost instinctively. The woman had to know what she did to him, especially in these moments.

“Marly…” he uttered, and his breath hitched as the woman wrapped her arms around him, resting her head in the crook of his neck.

“You’re never alone, Vilkas. Just remember that,” she murmured to him, and he couldn’t help firmly embracing her back.

Likes and reblogs are all the love and make me like die from happiness :’)

[atypical60]

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND. MANY HAVE WONDERED.  MANY HAVE ASKED.

HERE YOU GO!

A couple of readers are curious as to how Bonaparte and I came to be a couple and I thought it would make for a fun post so here goes! I hope you enjoy….

Joséphine de Beauharnais and Napoleon Bonaparte

Seriously Josephine. Get outta my way. The Frenchman is mine!

The story of little loud-mouthed girl from New York and baguette loving little French Parisian boy….

My divorce wreaked some havoc—especially havoc in the form of a horrific financial downfall.   My oldest son was away in Austin at University of Texas. My middle son, my daughter and I were now housed in a small apartment. I may have lost our home, but at least there was a roof overhead.

It wasn’t easy. The water and electricity were constantly being shut off—so much so that the staff at Trenton Water Authority knew me by my first name. But—they were always pleasant and I always managed to scrape up enough cash to have the water put back on. Ditto the electricity.

I’ll skip some other bad stuff that I don’t want to get into. But—after a while, it was time to get back on the social train. I was signed up for a “trial” of 30 days on “Match.com”. I had two meetings over coffee, but just figured I was better off alone. Anyway, a couple of days before my “trial” ended, I figured I would peruse through the pickin’s.

Yes. We met on Match.com!

I stopped at a picture of a man in a light blue crew-neck sweater. I could tell it was wool and not polyester—that grabbed my shallow attention. Then I noticed this gentleman’s eyes were as blue as the color of the sweater. This gentleman appeared to be very distinguished. Something I was not. In fact I was sitting at the computer in granny pants and an old, holey T-Shirt.

I then went on to read his profile. He liked art (check); New York City (check, check, check); fine food (sorta check—I was cooking for teens but I love me a great and fancy meal!) and tennis (uncheck). OK –so three out of four wasn’t bad.

I love art..especially Renoir, so it was a good thing Bonaparte had a good appreciation–I mean, he’s French afterall…..

Given the fact he loved my home town, was also a plus!

Then I noticed where he was born and raised. Paris, France.

I had heard that Parisians were the rather “difficult” of all the Frenchmen–and women!

Oh.

Now, you need to understand something—I fed into that whole “Oh-the-French-hate-Americans” thing. Yes. After 9/11 I had a propensity to refer to “French Fries” as “Freedom” fries.

Yup! I don’t necessarily like fried potatoes, but I did refer to them as “freedom” fries. These days I just call them “Frites”!

I learned every single stereotypical image about the French from cartoons and TV shows.

Yes. My educational on French stereotypes were from “great” sources…

…although sometimes Pepe Le Pew is easier to understand.

However, something inside me, perhaps it was the contrarian or the curiosity, made me write a little blurb to him. It went something like this:

“So, you like art. Impressionism? It’s my fave. I love Renoir. You like NYC? I lived there for many years!” “You got an accent?” (THAT was a dopey question)

He wrote back. We spent a bit of time writing back and forth. I finally wrote to him that my “trial” was about to expire and I gave him my email address and told him to just shoot me an email.

We emailed back and forth and he asked me for my phone number. I gave it to him. He called. He had a very heavy accent that was somewhat hard to understand. But, we kept talking.

He asked me out—that last weekend of November 2004. Actually, Thanksgiving weekend. I explained to him that I could not make it because my daughter had a regional Irish Dance competition in Philadelphia and would be busy from Thanksgiving evening through that Sunday. (Yay! Party time at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Oireachtas!) Anyone involved in Irish Dance is fully-aware that you never make plans that conflict with those Thanksgiving weekend regionals!

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Irish Dance competitions, especially the Oireachtas, takes top priority. Over EVERYTHING!!! (spoken like a true dance mom)!

He asked if I wanted to meet him the following Friday. Friday, December 3rd, 2004. I nervously agreed. It was just easier talking on the phone and emailing than having to get all dressed up, and trying to look “pretty” and worrying how I looked, and did I look too fat…yada yada yada.

We both wanted to keep things casual so we met on somewhat safe and common ground. We met at The Marketplace in Princeton. The Marketplace was a smaller mall, and in that mall were many stores I frequented! (I spent many a rainy summer day there when the kids were young). In addition, I felt comfortable there. I figured if things turned sour, I could always use some retail therapy—and spend money I didn’t have.

I spent a lot of time, and money I didn’t have at this Princeton Mall. It was a safe place for our first meeting!

It was easy to spot Monsieur Bonaparte because, luckily, he looked just like his photo. In fact, he looked very nice. Until I noticed what he was wearing on his feet. A FRENCHMAN wearing TENNIS SHOES???? Yes! I was shocked. As much as I fed into the “anti-French” propaganda, the one thing I did have in common with the French was the disgust of white tennis shoes and/or sneakers. In my most humble opinion, tennis shoes belong on the tennis court and only on the tennis court.   The sneaker thing—only a few types of sneakers get my stamp of approval. Chuck Taylors and old-school Keds. End of story.

Was Bonaparte REALLY French–or was he faux-French. What self-respecting Frenchman would wear these on a DATE????

I become physically upset when I see tourists wearing white tennis shoes/sneakers, heavy ankle sport socks and ill-fitting shorts with t-shirts—especially when I see this kind of attire in a large city. It was bad enough for me to be seen off the courts with someone wearing these hideous shoes!

Those tennis shoes had my red flag at half-mast.

My red flag was at half-mast. Uh Oh!

As Bonaparte was not familiar with the Princeton area, so we took my car and we drove down Route 1 just a bit to grab a bite to eat at The Princetonian Diner.

Best diner in the Princeton area! The burgers and “freedom” fries are delicious!

Bonaparte had his red flag at half-mast upon entering my car—which, by the way he later deemed as the messiest car he had ever been in. I don’t even it being a mess except for a few pieces of sports equipment that belonged to the kids. The car wasn’t that bad. I mean really; he actually thinks he saw papers strewn on the floor!

My oh my. Bonaparte had HIS red flag at half mast after seeing the inside of my little green Cavalier.  Now we were even!

Wait. It gets better. After having a quick bite at the diner, Bonaparte asked me if I wanted to drive across the road to check out furniture at Ethan Allen and Domain. (I thought he was moving a bit fast!). It turned out his daughter was moving into a new place and he wanted to check out furniture for her.

Imagine that! This helicopter mom met her helicopter dad!

Get rid of those red flags. Helicopter Mom has met her true match..

The French version of the Helicopter Dad!!!!

We actually had a pretty good time checking out all that furniture—it seemed that we both had pretty much similar tastes!

Surprisingly, all the sofas and loveseats in our home are white and slipcovered! Who knew?

A stop at Starbucks ended our first “date” *giggle* *giggle*

A delightful end to our first date was a stop at Starbucks!

We have been together since that first date–but there’s more so read on…

Shortly thereafter, Bonaparte administered a “test”, unbeknownst to me. The test was disguised as a movie and dinner date. He was to cook dinner for me after seeing a “surprise” movie.

When I arrived at Bonaparte’s home, he was ready to leave. (*NOTE: Bonaparte is ALWAYS on time. Worse yet, he’s early. I am always late with the exception of doctor’s appointments, air and train travel. That’s it.) I think I may have been a couple of minutes late because he was not smiling. Oh wait. He’s French!

To lighten things up, I asked him “Why do you always wear those white tennis shoes? You’re supposed to be French! I thought the French had better taste in footwear?” “They really are not attractive!” (He didn’t realize I had a “thing” about footwear).

Embarrassed, he took the fugly tennis shoes off and changed into the classy, chic, European loafers, that he should have been wearing in the first place.

He also explained “Ah em so embarrahrrrazzz.” “Ah soughs zhat Americanzzz loved zuh tennis shuz.” “Ah em zoo ‘eppy ow don’ lek zhem.” “Ow ahr lek zuh Fra’shhh. Ow spek ur meen”.

(Translation: “I thought that Americans loved the tennis shoes. I am so happy you don’t like them. You are like the French. You speak your mind.”)

Score one for me!

While on the way to see the movie, he wouldn’t budge when I asked him whatmovie we were seeing. Instead, I hounded him about dinner. He was making roast chicken, French style. He then started talking about the various courses. He explained that we were having , in his words

“Pate and Cornish hen to start” He explained in his heavy accent.

I asked him why we were having Cornish hen before having chicken.

He knew I love a good meal, but Cornish Hen as a starter?  Whoa–I’m not that much of a little piggy!

He was becoming frustrated “Cornish hen..wizz mutar!!!”

Sensing his frustration, I started to laugh and asked why he was getting so upset.

Bonaparte: “Ow no zouz gren zings zhewish pip-ul et?” From zuh bar’rel?”

(Translation: “You know those green things jewish people eat? From the barrel?”)

Me:               “Yeah. You mean pickles??”

Bonaparte: “Oui.” Cornish hen ahr leedul peekuhls”.

Thus, I found out what “cornichon” were! Years later, I still cannot understand everything he says!

This is what the “Cornish hen” was! Oops!

The movie turned out to be “A Very Long Engagement”. A World War I epic of love and the search for a loved one. It starred Audrey Tatou and Gaspar Uliel as the doomed but engaged lovers, Mathilde and Manech. I loved this film. In fact, to this day it remains one of my faves!

I outsmarted Bonaparte! He had no idea I was a fan of French cinema!

This film turned out to be the “test”. Apparently, Bonaparte was unsure of a long-term relationship if I didn’t like French film. What he didn’t realize that I had been a fan of French cinema since my early twenties. Living in Manhattan gave me the opportunity to enjoy many French films. I was especially fond of Francois Truffaut, Louis Malle, Jean Renoir and Eric Rohmer. (Also..Bonaparte’s uncle, Yves Robert! Bonus!!!)

After expressing my disgust at this ridiculous test, I scored another one for me!

I guess the French are just more pragmatic in their relationship thinking! They judge compatibility  by film and food!

We’ve had ups and downs, but mostly ups.  We have fun and enjoy each other and balance each other very well. It’s nice!

I even introduced Bonaparte to selfies!

Bonaparte wasn’t used to divey bars in NYC until he met me! Here we are waiting for my son Roman’s band “Bad Man Yells” to begin playing. My oldest son Jake is with us. This is from 2010!

In Long Island. November 2011 at a family wedding (my side)!

So that’s it. Here’s a link to an article I wrote in “FrenchEntree” about my first attempt at making a nice French dinner for Bonaparte. It started out as a complete disaster but it really is a fun read:

My Dinner for Bonaparte

To keep you in the mood..Le Temps De L’Amour from Francois Hardy! Oh lala! XOXOXOXO

Move Over Josephine! Bonaparte is Mine!!! (The Story of how a New York Girl and Parisian Man Met) BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND. MANY HAVE WONDERED.  MANY HAVE ASKED. HERE YOU GO! A couple of readers are curious as to how Bonaparte and I came to be a couple and I thought it would make for a fun post so here goes!