Short subjects

This week:

• It has been hazy, hot and humid. It definitely feels like summer.


• We watched "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and I am seriously outraged at the auto manufacturers. If you haven't see this yet, see it. The state of CA mandated that auto manufacturers who wanted to continue selling cars in CA had to provide a fully electric car, so General Motors, Honda, Toyota, and Ford all did so in 2001. They were very popular with consumers who leased them but they were the proverbial thorn in the side of the oil companies and auto manufacturers who used their significant political power and connections to get CA to revoke their mandate. The auto makers then took back all of the leased electric cars and destroyed them. Now everyone's all ga-ga about hybrids, which still use a gasoline engine and pollute the environment. We COULD have fully electric cars that do not pollute and that significantly reduce our need for imported oil.


• I had an enjoyable and productive trip to Richmond (company headquarters). I met all the new employees and attended some sales and product trainings. I got home Thurs night.


• While in Richmond I finished the book "Michael Tolliver Lives". Tues night after I had dinner there was nothing on TV so I got out the book and started reading. I couldn't help myself and wound up finishing the book that night.


• Fri evening we met Rick & Nick and friends for dinner. The previous Fri there were 6 of us, and this time there were 9 of us. Everyone was nice and we had a good time talking and getting to know the folks we just met.

Drag Queen name of the day: Rachel Slurs

Out the door

I'm on my way out the door. I have to go to Richmond for a 2-day sales training and to meet some new company personnel. I don't mind going to Richmond like I used to, which is nice, since I have to go about once a quarter. Its a long drive though - about 4 1/2 hours each way. I'm leaving now and will be home Thursday night.

Drag Queen name of the day: Rita Book

Great weekend

We had a GREAT weekend! It was partly due to the beautiful weather, but also due to several enjoyable things we did. Here's a synopsis:

• Fri evening we met Rick & Nick and new friends Kurt & Tracy for dinner at the Miltonian Pizzeria and Wing House. It was very tasty and we had a good time chatting. Afterward Spouse & I went for a lovely, after dinner walk around Lewes.
• Sat morning we walked to the Lewes farmers market. We bought some fresh peas, yellow and zucchini squash, blueberries, and bread. Spouse also got fresh bagels which we ate for breakfast. I pulled weeds from the flower beds while listening to my favorite 'best of' Manhattan Transfer CD while Spouse did some laundry. Then we met Rick & Nick at the beach for almost 3 hours. What an unbelievably beautiful day! I sauteed the squash as part of our dinner, and then we went to Rick & Nick's to watch 'War of the Worlds' on their enormous home theatre screen.
• Sun Spouse made biscuits for breakfast which we enjoyed on the screen porch. We cleaned the house, made cobbler from the farmers market blueberries, took Jordan for a walk around the pond, went grocery shopping, and then joined Paul & Steve and George & Steve at Crabby Dick's for dinner. It was 'Dining Out for Life' at the beach, so 1/3 of our tab went to AIDS charities. Then the 6 of us came back to our place for cobbler with real whipped cream and coffee.

It was a delightful weekend!

Drag Queen name of the day: Dixie Dumster

"Michael Tolliver Lives"

If the name of this blog hasn't clued you in, I am a huge fan of Armistead Maupin, the author of the "Tales of the City" series and several other novels.

Last year I purchased the only Maupin novel I didn't own, "The Night Listener" from Amazon.com. It was like $3. and it was in perfect condition, with the dust jacket, despite having been listed as 'used'.

I don't read a lot, but when I get interested in a book, especially one by Armistead Maupin, I have a hard time putting it down. I'll read for hours and hours, wanting to know what's going to happen next, sometimes even staying up well passed my bedtime. At the same time I'm eagerly devouring the book, I'm trying NOT to finish it. See, finishing the book means the story is over. So while I can't help myself from reading and reading, at the same time I don't want the book or the story to end. Such was the case with "The Night Listener".

A week or so ago I got an email from Amazon informing me that they had Armistead Maupin's newest book "Michael Tolliver Lives" for 33% under retail value, so I signed on and bought it. It arrived yesterday. I told myself I wanted it to last so I wouldn't begin reading it right away. I'd wait a few days to start it - maybe Sat I'd read some at the beach. So much for good intentions.
Spouse didn't feel like watching a DVD with me last night, so rather than watch it alone I decided to start the book.

All 6 of the "Tales of the City" series are written in the 3rd person and one assumes Armistead Maupin is the narrator. So, I had a little trouble adjusting to "Michael Tolliver Lives" which is written in the 1st person with Michael as the narrator. I kept picturing Armistead instead of Michael. Finally decided to read the book in a southern accent, since Michael had a southern accent in the movie verson of "Tales". It didn't take long for me to be transported to San Francisco, complete with 'visits' from other "Tales" characters like Brian Hawkins and Anna Madrigal.

In usual fashion, I read 111 of the 276 pages last night! And I said I wasn't going to do that. I was going to try and stretch it out. Oh well, what can I say? I'm a true fan.

Drag Queen name of the day: Ann Teak

More 'Music in the Park'

Last evening we decided to attend 'Music in the Park' again. We'd really enjoyed it when we went before. Rather than walking as we did last time, we decided to sling our 'Whatachairs' over our shoulders and ride our bikes to the park where the free concerts are held.

We parked our bikes, set up our chairs and began listening to the band called Cole Younger. The lead singer explained the band's name came from a guy named Cole Younger who was an associate and fellow bank robber with Jesse James. 'Nice inspiration for a band name' I thought to myself. Many of the band's original songs included themes of Cole Younger's assumed activities and thoughts. Unfortunately we didn't find them to be particularly interesting, nor did we find the lead singer's voice to be very good. It kind of reminded me of the way some straight guys will develop a fascination/fixation over some historical character, in this case an old-west bad guy.

Here's my thought about performing original songs: If you write good original songs then you probably have a career writing songs for Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, or Keith Gill. If you don't have such a career then your original songs probably aren't that good, and you will bore people when you perform too many of them in one sitting. Local bands should stick to doing covers of songs people know and like, with the occasional original song thrown into the set to stroke the band's ego. Nobody wants to go to a concert and listen to all original songs they don't know and can't hum along with. Its just a fact of life, like it or not.

So after about an hour of songs we'd never heard before, inspired by a bank robber, we packed up our chairs and rode back home. We ate some watermelon and watched a DVD from Netflix.

Drag Queen name of the day: Polly Urethane

Bikes

A few weeks after we moved to DE we returned to DC for a visit. Spouse's mother and sister both asked us what we'd like for a housewarming gift.

Spouse & I quickly came to the same conclusion that we really didn't need/want anything for our new house. After consolidating everything from the VA house and the beach house into our new house, we wound up donating a sofa, dinette table and chairs, an arm chair, 2 coffee tables, a side table, and miscellaneous duplicate kitchen items because we didn't have room for them. Not wanting to turn down the thoughtful and generous offer, we decided what we really wanted were bikes, so we told Ev and Mary to give us Wal-Mart gift cards.

When we were back in DC this past weekend they gave us the gift cards, so Mon evening we reviewed the selection and picked out 2 matching bikes. I'll post a photo later. They're street bikes, not mountain bikes, and are bright green (the only color this model came in) which made me think of the comic book character The Green Hornet. (I don't know why; I never read comic books.) So as we were giving them a spin around the neighborhood Mon evening I told Spouse that when we're riding our bikes I will refer to us as The Green Hornets.

It was pretty warm on Mon during the day, but a dreamy cool breeze was blowing Mon evening which made for delightful biking weather. We rode around town and up and down several streets of the neighborhood for about 20 minutes. I'd never ridden a bike with speeds so I had to ask Spouse if it mattered whether I was pedaling or not pedaling when changing gears. It was quite fun.

We have this fantasy that after we've built up our stamina, we'll strap our beach chairs to our backs and bike the 2 1/2 miles to the entrance of the state park, and then a little further to the beach. Not sure if that will ever happen, but its good to have a goal.

In the meantime, we'll simply enjoy nice, leisurely summer evening bike rides around town... livin' our dream.

Drag Queen name of the day: Grace Period

Snippets

Here are some snippets from this passed week:

• Last Sat was the 1st Sat of the Lewes farmers market. We walked there and Jamie bought some delicious goat cheese and Joe bought some bagels.
• The Newlyweds came last weekend and we went to a great (free) car show in Dewey, where we ran into our friends Marty & John, who were there with their robin's egg blue Edsel. Then we drove out to Laurel, DE to a small airport so Michael & Jamie could go skydiving! They had a great time doing it. Joe & I took pictures.
• Sun was the series finale of 'The Sopranos'. I found it to be anti-climatic. Not that I wanted to see all the characters get killed off like in the series finale of 'Oz', but I expected SOMETHING to happen. The final episode just seemed like filler. Its such a well-written show that I expected a much more clever finale.
• Mon Jordan overturned the kitchen trashcan and licked the left-over bacon grease out of the container I'd thrown away the day before. As if I wasn't pissed off enough for having to pick up the trash and clean the kitchen floor, a few hours later she threw up right next to my desk! It seems that bacon grease - however tasty - was a tad too rich for her digestive system. I was quite tempted to throw her out the 2nd floor window, but instead I cleaned up the 2nd mess for which she was responsible that day, and reminded myself that at least I have my health.
• Tues we had our realtor Lee Ann over for dinner. We talked and laughed about Italian families, food, and real estate. I told her about my plans for my 2nd career (some time in the future) of buying and renovating homes with potential to make them more desirable and improve the neighborhood.
• I just can't tell you how SICK I am of all the Paris Hilton coverage. I immediately turn the channel each time I see her face. Who cares what happens to her? She's a spoiled rich kid whose only 'celebrity' is being a spoiled rich kid. To the Media: This is NOT news and we don't care!
• We're leaving Fri evening for our monthly trip back to DC. I'm meeting a couple friends at Freddie's for karaoke tonight. Sat we are driving to Hugh & Kerry's huge, annual kickball game and cook-out. Looks like the weather is going to be pleasant for it. Sun we're meeting Bugs & Roger and the Newlyweds for brunch.
• We are considering trading in our Suburban AND Civic on a single vehicle that is somewhere between those 2 in size and better suited to our life now. We really don't have a need for the Suburban anymore. We're not bringing friends and family with us to the beach anymore so the Suburban hardly gets driven now. Filling its massive 42-gallon gas tank is no fun these day, plus I have never really liked driving the Suburban for anything other than a road trip. It was great for what we originally bought it for: road trips, but it doesn't fit our life now. Joe's Civic will need a new clutch and some other engine work done soon, which will cost more than the value of the car. If we liked the car we'd pay for the work, since its cheaper to fix a car that's paid for. But neither of us really likes the car very much because of its manual windows/door locks, and no sunroof. And despite its 4 doors, its really not comfortable for 4 adults, making it impractical for us. It was a great car for what we originally bought it for: Joe's daily commute to work, but it doesn't work well for us now. Joe talked to his friend who owns a used car place in Rehoboth and he said he would take both of our vehicles in trade (plus some cash) on a used car from his lot. So we've got him on the look-out for something to fit the very modest budget we've allotted, and I'm hopeful that he'll find us something that better fits our life now.

Drag Queen name of the day: Carrie Okey

More car woes

Taking one's car to the garage for diagnosis and repair is just too much fun. Monday's visit with my car just wasn't enough. I had to have more.

As I was taking Jordan for her post-breakfast walk Tues morning I heard a horn blow so I turned around and saw Joe turning onto our street in the Suburban. After Jordan had 'done her business' and we returned to the house Joe said the battery in his Civic appeared to be dead. He was driving the Suburban around with a battery charger plugged into the cigarette lighter so he could then plug the charged-up battery charger into the Civic's cigarette lighter, in hopes of starting the car. (Do any of those gadgets really work?) Instead, I got the jumper cables out of the Civic's trunk, hooked them up to the Suburban and Civic and jump started his car. He looked at me ask if I'd just cracked some secret code.

I suggested he let it run for a while so the alternator could charge the battery back up. (He thinks, but is not sure, he may have left the dome light on the night before.) About 15 minutes later he decided to drive the car to Wal-Mart, since the car issue had prompted him to take the day off and use some comp time. I finally sat down at my desk and started working.

A few minutes later he called from the Wal-Mart packing lot to say that car wouldn't start again. Of course I rolled my eyes and thought him stupid for turning the engine off so soon, since the battery was surely not recharged yet. But rather than say anything like that, I stopped working, drove the Suburban over to the Wal-Mart parking lot to jump start the Civic again.

Despite doing the exact same thing I had done at home, it wouldn't start again. I even revved the Suburban's engine while he tried to start the Civic. Then I tried to remember if we had ever replaced the battery in this car, and I could not remember ever having done so. That means the battery was almost 10 years old!

We both got into the Suburban and drove up Rt 1 to Midway Tire & Auto, explained the situation with the Civic to the guy behind the counter, and left them a key. We returned home and I sat back down and resumed working.

About 3 hours later they called and said the battery was completely dead (unrevivable) so they had replaced it. It was ready for us to pick up. So AGAIN I stopped working and drove Joe over to pay for and pick up his car. It cost about $80. for the battery and $50. for the labor of getting the car from the Wal-Mart parking lot to the garage and replacing the battery. Not too bad, considering it was all done within about 3 hours.

The next day when I took Jordan out for her morning walk I saw Joe's Civic in the driveway again. When I sat down to work I got an email from him saying that the car kept stalling out on him, so he brought it back home and drove the Suburban to work. I called Midway and explained the symptoms. The guy said that sometimes the car's computer needs to reset itself after a battery has been replaced. I'd never heard of this before and was rather skeptical. He suggested keeping a foot on the gas pedal and revving the engine for awhile. When Joe got home we started it up and it ran like normal - no stalling at all. I drove it around the block and stopped several times, with no issue. This time it was me who felt like I'd just cracked the secret code.

Drag Queen name of the day: Tara Bull

Anniversary

This week is the 40th anniversary of Loving vs. Virginia, the historic Supreme Court case from 1967 that removed prohibitions against interracial marriages. Yes, believe it or not, just 40 years ago it was ILLEGAL for people of different races to marry. Its hard for me to believe that 2 people in love were prevented from being married, simply because they were of different races.

It is my great hope that years from now we will celebrate a similar anniversary: the anniversary of gay marriage. Really, isn't it about the same thing? People in love who want to marry? 40 years ago it was 2 people in love but from different races. Today its 2 people in love who are the same sex. People are people, and they should ALL be able to marry and enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as any other couple.

To learn more about Loving vs. Virginia and marriage equality, stop by the Freedom to Marry website at http://tinyurl.com/yomc8f.

Drag Queen name of the day: Mary Meehon

Car woes

Two Wednesdays ago I took my BMW convertible to a new shop to have the passenger door fixed, and to find out why the ABS (anti-lock brakes) light comes on intermittently. I was very happy with the friendly folks at the shop and VERY friendly price for the door repair: $25.

However, they weren't able to determine at that time what was causing the ABS light to come on. The computer produced 4 different error codes that related to different things. The mechanic thought it was unlikely that all 4 things needed fixing, but rather, the actual cause of the problem was also triggering other alerts to produce error codes. Rather than trying to fix all of the different things the machanic suggested he reset the computer to erase the error codes. If/when the ABS light comes on again, I should bring it in and the origin of the problem should be found. I drove the car for a week and the ABS light didn't come back on.

Then last Wednesday evening the roof stopped moving when I was opening it. I was pretty sure the roof switch on the console had gone bad. For awhile now I'd had to really push the switch down hard to get the roof to operate. I was hoping to get the door and ABS issues resolved before tackling the roof switch, but no such luck. I tried it several times but the roof didn't move; it was stuck partially open. Thurs morning I called to make an appointment at the garage. They told me Wed of the following week was their 1st available appointment. I told them I'd looked at the weather forecast and saw the possibility of rain on Fri night and Sat morning, and asked them to squeeze me in on Fri, but they said they were unable to. Mon morning (today) was the earliest they could give me. I tried the roof switch again but it didn't respond. So on Fri I made arrangements with my neighbor to park my car with its partially opened roof in their garage Fri evening. As I was about to move the car to the neighbor's garage, I decided to try the roof switch 1 more time - and it worked! I was able to fully close the roof. Fri night it rained.

This morning as I was driving the car to the shop, the ABS light came on again. 'Good timing' I thought to myself. When I arrived I filled them in on the roof switch theory and let them know the ABS light was on, which should give them the necessary error code to diagnose the cause.

While typing the paragraphs above, the garage called. My roof switch theory was correct. It will cost about $200. for the parts and labor to fix it. Unfortunately it will take 3 days to get the switch and the garage is booked until next Tues, so I'm going to pick up the car this evening and bring it back on Tues for them to install the new roof switch.

I asked about the ABS light and they reported that the computer showed no code. They suggested that since it lit up only a mile or 2 from the garage, it may not have had time to register an error code. When the ignition is turned off, the light goes out. When they moved the car, the light didn't come back on. Aaarrrggg...

Murhpy's Law dictates that because I will not be able to open the roof for the next week, we'll have absolutely stunningly beautiful weather.

Drag Queen name of the day: Marion Settledown

New view

Well, the view from our kitchen, dining room and living room windows has changed dramatically in the last few minutes.

I heard the loud roaring sound of some kind of machinery so I looked to see what was going on. A guy on a John Deere tractor with a bush-hog type of attachment was starting to mow down all the 6-foot high weeds and saplings in the two lots adjacent to our house. I watched him for a few minutes, wondering what 'plans' may be in store that property.

The two vacant lots are owned by one of our neighbors on the street behind us. The 2 small lots are what separate their yard from ours. Our realtor told us they purchased the lots to prevent someone from building on them, but then they turned around and put 1 of the lots (the one that borders our property) up for sale. We momentarily entertained ideas of what we would do with the lot if we were to purchase it. It didn't take long for me to begin designing the structures in my mind. But the price they're asking for the lot is completely outrageous in everyone's opinion so we're no longer entertaining those ideas.

When I saw the tractor driver remove his sunglasses and wipe the sweat from his forehead and out of his eyes I decided to take him a glass of cold water. It was really hot AND humid today. He turned off the tractor and thanked me for the water, then asked if I was aware what was going on here.

I told him no so he told me the folks who own both lots contracted him to "clean up" the area. His first task was to mow down the weeds and saplings today. Next week he's coming back to apply Round Up to both lots (which seems to me to be the equivilent of pouring a thimble of water on a raging forest fire), then he's going to plant grass on the lot farthest from our house, which has no trees. Then he's going to bring in a TON of mulch to cover the lot with the trees, which boarders our lot. "Its going to look kind of like a park when its done" he said.

The funny thing is that I kind of liked the way it looked with all the growth! I know it was mostly weeds, but believe it or not, the growth really provided a visual buffer and had a very 'natural' look so I didn't mind it at all. I guess the new "park" will look nice too, but it will open up the view at the same time.

Drag Queen name of the day: Ann Articka

Music in the park

Mon evening we attended "Music in the Park", a program from the Lewes dept of Parks & Recreation. Every Mon and every other Fri between Memorial Day and Labor Day there are free concerts in the park adjacent to the library. That's a lot of free music!

The location is ideal. There are lots of big, old trees to provide shade, and if you feel the need to use the bathroom, you can go into the library and do so. Its just a few blocks from our house so we walked on over, with our 'what-a-chairs' slung over our shoulders. It was a beautiful evening; cool temperature and no humidity - perfect for an outdoor summer concert. If only our past trips to Wolf Trap had been so nice! And like Wolf Trap, we saw some people with picnic dinners.

As we were waiting for the concert to start a man with a beagle came near us. Joe petted the dog as we complimented it for being a "cutie". The man said "Do you realize you're the youngest people here? You're the only ones under 75!" Initially we just laughed. Then I looked around and noticed he was partially correct: we WERE the youngest people there. We've seen other people around our age in town, but none of them were at the concert.

Mon night's performance was by Tydewater, and was billed as 'Country & Pop', but all the songs they did were completely country. I'm not a fan of country music (the cliches are just too much for me) but I must give this group credit. Each one was a very talented performer so the group was very 'tight' and professional. The singer also had a very nice voice. So despite my disaffection for country music, I did enjoy the "music in the park".

I'm looking forward to some of the choral, jazz, and big band groups on the itinerary.

Drag Queen name of the day: Mae Day

Finally... rain

Well, Sun it finally rained. I don't know how many days it had been since our last rainfall, but its been quite a while. Usually I am not the type who waters the lawn, but after seeing it change from 'spring green' to 'hay stack tan' and hearing it crunch under my feet, I gave in. I set up a sprinkler for at lest an hour, and sometimes up to 3 hours, on Mon, Tues, Wed, and Thurs of last week. Fri we were out of town so I didn't water.

Then Sun morning we awoke to cloudy skies and the smell of rain in the air. You know how you can smell the rain before it arrives? Then finally, it began to rain; lightly at first, then heavier in the afternoon. It was a nice, long rain that lasted about 10-12 hours, I'd guess. Spouse & I needed to go grocery shopping, and usually I'd cancel the dreaded deed due to rain, but Sun we went out in it anyway; happy for the nourishment it brought.

I had hoped to go to the beach on Sun, but when we awoke in the clouds my disappointment soon turned into gratitude. We really needed the rain.

Drag Queen name of the day: Holly Berry

Family obligations

Fri morning Spouse & I got up and cleaned the house in preparation for his family's visit. I usually do most of the organizing/putting away of things and then I vacuum the entire house. Spouse usually cleans the bathrooms (because I HATE doing that) and tidies up the kitchen. He's always finished before me, if you see what I'm sayin'...

We showered, dressed, and had a little time to sit and relax before they arrived at 11:45. Since this was their first visit, we gave them 'the tour' and then had lunch. I'd gotten nice Italian bread, turkey breast, honey ham, and 2 kinds of cheese for everyone to make a sandwich. I also made a cold pasta salad to go along with. We had a nice lunch, and then everyone went to their respective rooms to change clothes.

Dressed in our 'Sunday go to meetin' clothes', Spouse, his mother, sister, brother, and sister-in-law and I got comfortable in the Suburban and headed north just passed Philadelphia. We got stuck in some late afternoon traffic around Philly, but eventually arrived at our exit near Levittown, PA.

Spouse's aunt and uncle were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with a Mass at 5:00, followed by a reception at a country club at 7:00. I'd been looking forward to going for several months because I really like this aunt and uncle, because 50 years is quite a milestone, and because it is a real 'family' thing to participate in. The only part of the event I was not looking forward to was sitting through a Catholic Mass.

Because of my being brought up in the Jehovah's Witness religion, and subsequently kicked out when I 'came out', my feelings are rather sensitive when it comes to religions. Also, the hypocrisy and abuse by many current religious leaders has further irritated my condition. Although this country was colonized by people searching for religious freedom, nowadays it seems you can't be American unless you are religious. The religious conservatives and fundamentalists have hijacked 'America'. And the Catholics' view of homosexuality does nothing to endear me, either. I was afraid I might get mad at what I would have to listen to, just to support the 'golden' couple.

The priest included the expected comparison of God's creation of Eve as a companion to Adam to modern day marriage, citing both as 'blessings'. Yada yada yada. Stand up; sit down; stand up; sit down. Then he started in on the "marriage is the union between a man and a woman" bit and I began to fidget as I could feel my temperature rising. But then I stopped and thought to myself: 'I'm here for aunt Antoinette and uncle Domenic. I'm not here for religious education. This Mass is part of how they chose to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Its all about them; its not supposed to be about me.' So I took a deep breath, stopped fidgeting, and allowed myself to relax. Its pretty amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.

After the Mass everyone went outside and talked at the entrance to the church. There were several cousins of Spouse who live in the Philadelphia area that he hadn't seen in years. It was nice to see and talk with aunt Antoinette and uncle Domenic, both of whom seemed to have permanent smiles on their faces, and their two sons.

Then we all headed over to the country club place where the reception was. We got there before 7:00 so we had to stay out in the large foyer where there were lots of sofas and upholstered chairs. It looked like the furniture had been purchased in the late 1980s, not because it was tattered, but because of the colors and patterns. Its funny how colors and patterns can give away the age of furniture even when its in good condition. Finally the staff opened the doors to the Grand Ballroom and we filed in.

Everyone seemed to be huddled around a table, waiting to sign the guest book I presumed. Then I realized they were looking at the name cards, trying to find theirs so they'd know which table to sit at. As soon as everyone was inside, the DJ started playing music and the parade of stainless steel platters began as the staff brought appetizers to the buffet tables. There was an open bar too. It seemed like every person who walked past our table with a plate of appetizers had different things on them, things that were not on the table when I was there. Spouse & I decided to visit the appetizers again and got completely different food the 2nd time. Then a horrible thought struck me: What if this IS the buffet? What if its just appetizers? I quietly whispered this frightening suggestion to Spouse and his sister Mary, who were equally as alarmed as I. Fortunately a few minutes later Mary overheard one of the staff telling another staffer that dinner would start at 8:00. Whew! No need for future panic.

More people attended the reception than the Mass, likely because many people were not off work by 5:00 when the Mass started. So Spouse and his siblings were able to visit with even more relatives at the reception. Lots and lots of photos were taken. I'd planned to take a lot too, but was disappointed when the battery in our camera went dead after only 3 shots. And I'd just replaced the battery a month ago when I took all those flower photos in the neighborhood. What's that all about?

The dinner buffet was brought out and each table was called by a staffer to line up, one by one. Then the appetizer buffet was replaced by a dessert buffet, followed by the cutting of the wedding cake. Yep, they had a 3-tier wedding cake too! We ate until we were stuffed, then watched mostly senior citizens as they danced that graceful, coordinated way they do. I love to watch old people dance. They really look like they know what they're doing.

Finally at 10:30 we decided we should say our goodbyes and prepare to leave. We still had a 2 1/2 hour drive ahead of us. After exchanging lots of hugs, kisses, and email addresses, we hoisted our satiated selves into the Suburban and headed back to the highway. We got back to Lewes at 1:20 am, got everyone into bed by 1:45 am, and then Spouse & I collapsed into bed and talked quietly about the night for another 15 minutes or so.

Despite having gone to be so late, Spouse's mother got up at 7 am, and Spouse's brother got up at 7:30! Fortunately I didn't hear them. I felt Spouse rolling over so I looked at the clock at 8:11 am. He said he was getting up since his family was already up, so I got up too. I slid down the stairs to the kitchen and put on the coffee. We all gathered in the living room and recalled the nice time we'd had the night before. Brother and sister-in-law are coming back in Aug to spend 5 days with us. They will use our place as a base camp and take day trips to the beach, outlet shopping, take the ferry to Cape May, etc.

At 9:30 the 6 of us walked to the Blue Plate Diner for breakfast, then we took the long way home so that the family could see more of downtown. Then everyone packed up and left at 11:30. Spouse took a nap and I lounged on the couch and watched TV.

Drag Queen name of the day: Lisa Carr