So Wifey spent Friday night and Saturday am engaged in the tension of packing for her cruise. I must admit to a bit of schadenfreude -- I DON'T really wish to travel, and so being free from the chore of packing is something I savor.
Still, she asked me to wake her at 10 am, so she could be ready for fellow sailor Jeannette's arrival, and I did, with a fresh cup of coffee. Jeannette arrived, and I caught up with her affable husband Bob -- hadn't seen him since before Covid. He had some not great news: Jeannette's Mom Inez, in the nursing home, took a turn for the worse -- and so all are hoping Jeannette gets to enjoy her cruise without having to fly home from Nassau or Cozumel for a funeral.
These elder parents are SO rude sometimes!
I glided the man sized Caddy to the Port, and found the Celebrity ship, and offloaded my passengers. Wifey left me a crumpled up protein bar package and a crushed water container as gifts to remember her by -- I try to run a clean car-ship. Then I was off --tunnel back to 395 and then up Biscayne Blvd. where I marveled at the construction everywhere -- 5 new cities since I moved here in 1979.
I arrived at D1's house and came in quietly - Baby Man was napping, and Joey was having lunch -- he offered some to me, but I had a late breakfast. Later, D1 came home with a sleeping Little Man in his car seat -- we watched him snooze happily from the big kitchen window. D1 got to eat HER lunch in relative calm.
Then the boys awoke, and the happy tumult of the house was back -- building towers, anger at little brothers for wrecking said towers -- the normal joy of 2 little boys.
D1 and I decided to descend upon D2 and Jonathan -- back from a memorial lunch for Jonathan's grandfather, who had died in 2000. We arrived, and instead of one enormous dog there were 2 -- they were dogs sitting for Bodie, a gorgeous, rambunctious Golden. Baby Man loved the dog-ness, so long as we kept the big canines from knocking to his tuches.
And then Jonathan got a call -- from new neighbors Joe and Linda -- octegenarians who live up the street. Joe is a former long time court reporter, and so he and I had TONS of tales to share -- Jonathan poured him a few beers and me a few vodkas, and Linda and D1 compared notes of attending UF in the 50s versus in the aughts. They have grandkids who are grown, and seemed to enjoy the energy of Baby and Little Man.
After a big, they left, as did D1 and her men -- she likes to get them to bed early. I commanded they order Pinch Kitchen for dinner, which they did, and Little Man LOVED his cheeseburger, telling D1 that meat had iron which was "Good for healing." I can't wait to see what life path this picaro, to use the perfect Spanish word for him, boy takes.
We also ordered Pinch. Jonathan couldn't decided between the skirt steak and burger, and I solved the dillemma -- we could split the two! Also, friends Yonatan and his fiance Jackie came over with ANOTHER retriever -- this one a far more mellow Ruby. She fit right in.
We feasted, and I got to know Jackie, who I liked immediately liked. She's from a very wealthy family -- international schmata trade -- but not at all affected. She fit right into the group, and hearing her and Yonatan's excitement about the upcoming wedding was lovely.
Dinner was done, and the first Final Four game was in the books (Purdue beat NC State) and I headed for home. I blasted Classic Rewind the whole drive -- songs of my youth -- and tried to recall how and what I thought about in those high school and college years -- never dreaming the manifold blessings that would come my way as a grown up.
D2, anxious like her Dad, texted to make sure I made it safely, and I assured her I had.
The next door neighbors were having a yuuuuge party -- both spouses were turning 50. Ten years ago, they invited Wifey and me and we attended, realizing it was all their close friends and we were the decade older outsiders, and left after 20 minutes.
We have little interaction with them, but they invited us this time -- probably so we wouldn't complain about the noise, and I left a bottle of Cab on their doorstep wishing a happy double 50, but we couldn't attend.
I feel asleep at was awakened by the VERY loud music before 1 am -- as the evening progressed, and the air cooled, and ambient noise was gone, I heard the DJ's selections as loud as I had blasted in my car.
At 1 am, they played "I Hope You Have The Time of Your Life," I guess an anthem for post Boomers, and then the music stopped.
I could hardly complain -- I had nothing in the early am, and no sleeping grandkids here, so all was fine.
This am I have WDNA on Sonos playing Blues and Jazz, and little planned except for a long walk later, and then the series finale of "Curb" tonight at 10. I love that show.
But I'm still glowing from the day spent with kids, grandkids, granddogs, and visiting friends and other dogs. There was no place in the world I would have rather been than Miami Shores with that wonderful gathering.
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