Weekend update

On Sat I was due to work, and although I had no appointments for the day, I was expected in the office to help with phone coverage.  Fortunately it was slow and we had more than enough people to handle the office so I ducked out for about 1.5 hours so Spouse & I could go to the gay car club's annual car show.  The weather was perfect for it. 

Many of the vehicles we'd seen before at past car shows, but I did note 3 beautiful additions to share:

This is a gorgeous 1955 (I think) Chevrolet Bel Air station wagon, in sea foam green with an ivory roof.  Such a beautiful car!

This is a mid-to-late 50s DeSoto Firedome convertible.  Love the powder pink and ivory color combo!  Its difficult to read in this photo but the license plate reads BEBUTCH.

This is a 1959 Pontiac Bonneville.  Notice how the up-sweeping rear fins are similar to those on my 1959 Cadillac.  Same goes for the wrap around windshield.

That evening we met Steven & Thad, Bob, and Joe P for dinner at 1776 Steakhouse, a high-end steak restaurant, to celebrate Steven's birthday and Steven & Thad's anniversary.  I had the same thing I've had several other times, the filet mignon trio. I absolutely love it! After dinner we had celebratory cake.

Then I went to the Blue Moon to perform in the Legends shows.  I was Neil Diamond and sang "Cracklin' Rosie", "I Am I Said", "Sweet Caroline", and "Brother Love's Travelin' Salvation Show". Our part-time neighbors Mark & Norman were there for the show, and Steven & Thad and Spouse showed up just before the finale song.  After I changed into my civilian clothes we walked over to Cooter Brown's where a big group of guys from the Bear Weekend had congregated.  We had a drink, chatted with friends and met some new friends.  The weather was dreamy outside so it was a great night to be "out on the town".

Sun was the complete opposite of Sat.  The weather was rainy/stormy and Spouse didn't feel like going to breakfast, which we do nearly every Sun.  So we stayed home, had coffee and left over cake, and watched several episodes of "Shameless".  We literally didn't do a single constructive thing all day.  Then about 5:30 we met Steven & Thad at a diner for an easy/cheap dinner, then back home for more "Shameless".

Cinco de Mayo

Today is Cinco de Mayo!

I've decided that Cinco de Mayo is my new favorite holiday.  There are no gifts to buy or wrap, no cards to send, and no travel required.  We just eat Mexican food and drink margaritas.  What could be easier and more fun?!?!

As usual, Spouse & I went to Dos Locos with Steven, Joe P, and Bob.  (Thad was at a spinning class.)  The food is always terrific and the atmosphere is lively and fun.  Spouse & I wore our Dos Locos Cinco de Mayo t-shirts, given to us by the owners (who are also our friends) on previous Cinco de Mayo visits.

Notice my T-shirt from Cinco de Mayo 2015.  I'm uncharacterically wearing my glasses; giving my eyes a break from long-term contact lens use.  I don't know why I posed for this photo sipping on a straw.  I never drink margaritas from a straw, since the rim of the glass is salted.

As usual, we had a great time.  Fortunately we arrived just before the crowd.  We were seated right away, but there were lots of folks waiting for tables when we were leaving.

For posts with photos of previous Cinco de Mayos, click the Cinco de Mayo label at the bottom of this post.

Poodle time

From my previous posts, you all know I love Miss Richfield 1981.  I see her every summer when she comes to town.

Last night Joe P, Steven, 1 of the Bobs, Tim and I went to see her new show "Play with my Poodle" at the Blue Moon.  In typical Miss Richfield style, she had us screaming with laughter!  I love the way she interacts with the audience and is so quick with hilarious observations of the audience.

After the show Miss Richfield 1981 posed with us for photos:

Miss Richfield 1981 and me

Miss Richfield and Joe P

If you're ever feeling down or suicidal, all you need to do to feel better is to go see Miss Richfield 1981.  Seriously, if you have the opportunity (here's her performance schedule), go see Miss Richfield 1981.  You'll be very glad you did.

Weekend highlights

Sat evening Spouse & I met up with our friends Vic & Mike for dinner.  We ate at Saketumi.

Vic & Mike live in the same city in VA where Spouse & I used to live, and ironically, they live in the same neighborhood too, although they moved there after we'd moved away.  We met Vic when he was with Dawson and lived elsewhere in that town.  Vic & Mike moved into a house just 3 streets over from mine & Spouse's 1st house.

Vic & Mike bought a condo here at the beach about 2 years ago and we've gotten together with them a few times.  They are very nice guys, and they have 2 miniature dachshunds so our conversations over dinner included lots of dog stories.  They had never eaten at Saketumi before so we were happy to introduce them to 1 of our favorite places to eat.

Sun afternoon Kerry & Hugh stopped in for a visit.  They had been to Ocean City to open up their condo for the upcoming rental season, and stopped here before heading home.  The weather was nice so we wound up visiting on the back porch for a while, and then went for a late lunch/early dinner at Pickled Pig Pub.  It was really nice to visit with them, as always.

That evening we went to Steven & Thad's for a small cook-out.  Spouse made potato salad and Steven grilled burgers, Italian sausage, hotdogs, and pork chops on the grill.  Joe P & 1 of the Bobs came too.  We had a tasty dinner and lively conversations.

Weekend

I wasn't scheduled for office duty on Sat or Sun, so I was kind of "off" from work, except that I had to go into the office and meet a client who was signing an offer which I had to upload to finicky website, then meet another client to let them show their visiting parents the home they are buying.  So I was working from 1-4pm on my "off" day.  Other than that Spouse & I didn't do much on Sat, honestly.  Spouse was feeling kind of lazy and didn't feel like doing anything I suggested.  We did have dinner at Dos Locos with Steven & Thad, Robin, Alisha & Jack, and 1 of the Bobs.  I tried the spicy pork tomatillo burrito and loved it!  Why had I never tried it before?  Its my new favorite item there.  I also had a jalepeno margarita which was muy sabroso.  Afterward we went to Steven & Thad's house for dessert and saw that they had gotten new living room furniture!  Spouse & I both really liked the colors and style.

Not our actual garage

Sun Spouse & I had coffee/breakfast and then decided to be productive.  I had been wanting to clean out and organize the garage for several months but it had been too cold or I'd been too busy.  It was a nice day (close to 60 degrees) so we got started.  I acquiesced to Spouse's insistence that I throw away the pile of odds and ends that didn't sell at my yard sale 3 years ago.  I'd been saving them for the next yard sale, but decided to "just be done" with the stuff and tossed them into the trash can.  There was nothing of any real value; just stuff that I thought might fetch a dollar at a yard sale.  I also organized the salvaged construction materials from when the side porch was removed and the garage addition built. I have a project in mind that will utilize some of the materials and just can't bear to throw away good wood.  I will offer the remnants to my neighbors and handymen I know.  Now that the materials are organized and stacked, they take up less space and I know exactly what's there.  I also organized the stuff so that all the Christmas stuff is together on 1 side of the garage and all the construction stuff is on the opposite side.  I swept the garage and threw away the cardboard boxes that lay on the garage floor (absorbing Big Ella's drips) and replaced them with new boxes.  It didn't take that long and I feel so much better about the organization of the stuff.  Now I know that if I need the pruning shears or a hammer, I will be able to find them.  After completing the task I learned that April is National Garage Organization Month!!  Leave it to ME to be on-trend.

Sun I also received a response from a potential buyer via email, wanting to see a home on Sun afternoon, so I cleaned up and met them for a showing.  They were very nice; looking for a vacation home since they are outgrowing their vacation travel trailer.

When I got home Spouse & I decided to take Marvin for a walk on the boardwalk.  It was rather warm (again in the 60s) but turned out to be rather windy on the boardwalk so we still needed jackets.  Marvin seemed to really enjoy the walk and the exposure to different people, dogs, and smells.  We stopped at Lowes on the way home to walk through their garden center.  We are planning to freshen up our yard for Spring and wanted to see if there were any unusual/interesting low-maintenance plants on sale.  We left empty-handed.

That evening we went to Steven & Thad's for pizza. Our friend Michael was there, and we enjoyed teasing him about his new long-distance boyfriend's 1st visit here in a few weeks.  He says he's not letting him anywhere NEAR us!  For dessert we ate what was left over from the night before.

New Years Eve

Spouse was scheduled to work until 4:30; I was scheduled to work until 1:00 so the plan was for me to go to the grocery store and purchase the ingredients to make potato salad for Steven & Thad's New Years Eve party, then make the potato salad before Spouse got home.  That way we could both relax before going to the party at 7:30.  What is that saying, "The best laid schemes of mice and men"??

Although my office closed at 1:00 as scheduled, I had an unexpected visit from an out-of-state client and her friend who wanted to take a look at some homes.  (Luckily for them I did not have any other appointments AND the homes they wanted to see were all vacant/available.)  Of course I agreed to show them the homes, so I didn't get back to the office until 3:00.

After grabbing what I needed at the grocery store and taking Marvin Parker outside to do his business, I finally got started on the potato salad at 3:45.  Spouse texted me at 3:30 saying he was leaving work early.  I had washed and cubed the potatoes and poured them into the pot on the stove when he got home to 'take over'.  He had to put the finished potato salad into the freezer to get it chilled in time to take to the party.

Steven & Thad are hosting a potluck style dinner and I'm sure many of our mutual friends like The Bobs, Joe P, Jason, and Thatcher will be there.  I'm not going to wait until midnight to drink the bubbly.  I'm bringing a bottle of champagne and St Germain to drink throughout the night.  Yes, I do love a good Cosmo but in the spirit of New Years Eve I'm drinking bubbly instead.

Here's hoping you have a fun and festive New Years Eve!

However you choose to celebrate, please do not drink and drive. 

Tree trimming/birthday party

Yesterday Spouse & I hosted our tree trimming/birthday party.  It was a lot of fun!

We had set up and lit the tree in advance, and had all the boxes of ornaments out and ready.  20 of our friends came over about 4pm and some of us began hanging the ornaments.  (Several just came for the food and social aspect.)  About an hour later the tree was done and it looked beautiful.

We used to trim the tree ourselves until just a few years ago.  With all those ornaments it took a long time with just the 2 of us, especially since Spouse would always lose interest after 15 minutes, leaving me to finish the tree.  After the 1st time we had a tree trimming party I realized that in addition to the tree getting decorated quicker, it also looks different each year.  With other people hanging the ornaments in different places, different ornaments are 'highlighted' each year due to their location.  I love it!

Once the tree was done we ate dinner.  Spouse made ziti with Italian sausage and homemade meatballs, salad, and garlic bread.  Along with it we had wine, soda, tea, and Prosecco with St Germain.  We served this at our wedding reception and it was a big hit again last night.  I have a feeling this will become our signature celebration drink.  Since my birthday was on Fri, we celebrated it on Sun along with the tree trimming. 

After dinner our friend Tim brought a homemade version of Jeopardy, with categories like "Honey Boo Boo" and "Holiday Movies".  At 1st I thought it was going to be lame, but it was actually quite fun.  Tim did a terrific job writing the questions/answers and creating the Jeopardy board.

Afterward we had birthday cake and cupcakes.

It was a great party and everyone had fun!

Not according to plan

After attending the car club's meet-n-greet Fri night I was all ready for the big car show Sat morning.  Unfortunately Big Ella was not.

After numerous attempts, I just could not get Big Ella to run.  She would start up but then conk out a few seconds later.  I tried everything I could think of and Spouse even ran out to the auto parts store for some carburetor cleaner, bless his heart, but it did not remedy the trouble.  I resigned myself to the fact that Big Ella was not going to make it to the car show.

At first I was completely pissed off and utterly disappointed.  I wait all year long for this car show and she chooses this day to act up.  But after a few minutes I decided to heed the advice I would give to Spouse if it were him that was pissed off and disappointed.  

Don't let this disappointment ruin the entire day.  You can still attend the car show and look at all the fantastic cars.  The day does not have to be a total loss.

So that is what we did.  Spouse & I met up with Jack & Alisha, Steve & Thad, and 1 of the Bobs at the car show and really enjoyed ourselves.  There were lots of new cars I'd not seen at previous shows.  And the weather was nice and warm and sunny, unlike last year which rained out the car show.  In fact, it was such a beautiful day that after we finished at the car show we grabbed a quick lunch and then went to beach for the rest of the afternoon!

That night I attended the cocktail hour followed by the dinner and awards banquet.  It was a lot of fun!

Birthday highlights

Spouse's birthday happy hour at Saketumi went great.  Lots of friend showed up including Steve & Thad, the Bobs, Doug & Jim, and Christy & Todd.  We had cocktails and some sushi rolls and visited with everyone for about 2 hours.  Then Spouse & I headed over to Ivy for dinner.

Ivy is a new restaurant that backs to the bay, offering fabulous views while dining.  After dinner hours the restaurant transforms into a nightclub with live DJs and fantastic lighting.  The decor is mostly white and quite chic.  Slowly changing colors of light spray across the white wall decorations.  Spouse & I sat at a table very close to the wall of glass overlooking the bay.  

We ordered several tapas-style items with an Asian twist and talked and looked out at the setting sun over the water as we waited for our food.  It was absolutely delicious and we really enjoyed our dinner.  For more details about their very unusual menu, check out my friend the Rehoboth Foodie's review of Ivy here.

Weekend highlights

I worked Sat from 9-11am, then came home to pick up Spouse and meet the others who were caravaning to Rusty's memorial service. It was being held in his family's small country church about an hour away.  Steven & Thad, the Bobs, Joe P, Chris, Dennis & Rasaahn carpooled with us.  It was a record-breakingly hot day, 105 degrees.  The little church had air conditioning but it wasn't sufficient.  There was a visitation hour scheduled before the service, but the visitation had to be extended due to the number of people who showed up to pay their respects.  Rusty worked at the same place for 27 years and many of his colleagues from over years were there, as well as many other friends like us from the beach area.  The service was about 30 minutes long and was about as uplifting as a funeral can be.  I was glad I had thought ahead and brought 2 pocket-size packages of tissues.  I shared 1 package with those sitting close to me, and the other package I gave to a couple standing in the visitation line near my isle seat.  One of the guys was sniffling and wiping tears from his cheeks with his hand.  Without saying a word I simply pressed the tissue package against his arm.  He mouthed the words 'thank you' and I just nodded my head.  At 1 point I was struck by the beauty of sorrow.  Of course its terrible to lose someone you love and a natural reaction to this is tears.  But as I looked at so many people crammed into that tiny church full of sorrow and tears, I was struck by the beauty of it all.  Strange, I know.

When we returned home from the funeral Spouse's brother Louis and his wife Karen were here.  They had asked if they could visit with us and stay over night since they were taking the ferry the next day to Cape May.  We had a snack together, visited for a few hours, and played with Marvin.  Louis is a huge dog fan and he got a kick out of little Marvin Parker.  That evening we had dinner together at Bethany Blues BBQ and then talked until bedtime.

Sun morning we had coffee at home, then decided to go to breakfast.  Since I had to be at work at 10 I drove separately.  I worked til 1pm, then Spouse & I went grocery shopping and took Marvin for a short walk since it was still so darn hot.  That evening we had dinner at Steven & Thad's house along with Joe P and 1 of the Bobs.  In honor of our friend Rusty who had given us 2 bottles of 'discounted' sparkling wine last New Years Eve, we used the sparkling wine to make Champagne Darlings and toasted Rusty.  It seemed fitting.

4th of July highlights

My office was closed yesterday for July 4th but I still "worked" most of the day anyway, just not on real estate.  I cleaned off all the screened porch furniture and cushions, swept the porch, put all the furniture back in place, and gave the wrought iron patio set a fresh coat of white paint.  While I was still hot and sweaty I went ahead and pulled some weeds from the flower beds and watered Spouse's fancy red hydrangeas (which haven't bloomed yet).  Once inside the cool air conditioned house I put away lots of odds and ends, vacuumed the main level and cleaned the kitchen.  All this in preparation for hosting a July 4th cook-out.

Around 4pm Steven & Thad, Joe P, one of the Bobs, Robin & Bill came over.  I decided not to drive Big Ella in the Doo Dah parade because it was just too hot.  I was afraid the extreme heat might cause her to overheat, so we all walked over to the parade route and watched parade instead.  Then everyone can back to the house for the cook-out but we ate indoors.  All that work to clean the porch and repaint the dining set and we ate inside!  But the food was tasty and we had a good time.  Later we rode down to the beach to watch the "volunteer" fireworks.  These fireworks are not paid for or sponsored by the City; they are paid for and set off by private citizens or "volunteers" and they're great!  For more than 90 minutes we were delighted and entertained by fireworks directly in front of us, to our left, to our right, and even across the bay.  It was a fun display.

 

Today I'm off because its my regular day off and we're going to the beach with Steven & Thad and Jason & Kevin.  Its supposed to be another scorcher but at least we'll be at the beach and can cool off in the ocean.

Weekend highlights

This was my weekend to work both Sat & Sun, so I don't have much else to report except that Spouse & I went to a cat's birthday party.

Not just ANY cat, but our good friend Joe P's cat KC's birthday party.  KC turned 1 year old this week and Joe P could think of no good reason NOT to have a birthday party for him.  So Steven & Thad, 1 of the Bobs, and Spouse & I went over to Joe P's place for a cat's birthday party.

It was all very sweet!  Joe P hung a banner above the fireplace...

we ate on happy birthday paper plates and used happy birthday napkins, and even had happy birthday blower/noise-makers...

 we wore the classic, cone-shaped birthday hats...

...and in high GAY style, the guests brought birthday cards and gifts for KC!

It was fun!

Weekend highlights

As usual I worked on Sat. but it felt like a short day because I was only in the office until 1:30. Then I met a client and we spent a good while at a new home neighborhood pricing out a new home with the sales consultant there. Afterward I stopped in at my client's place to check in on painter. Changing the color from mauve to medium brown made a huge difference. I told the client "Your home is feeling younger by the minute!" That evening we met up with Steven & Thad, Jack, 1 of the Bobs, and Joe P for dinner at Dos Locos.

Sun morning we had breakfast with Steven & Thad at Crystal. It was super cold and windy. Later Spouse & I did some window shopping and then he took a nap while I caught up on some shows on the DVR. I also made a large piece of art. I'd bought a huge painting at a thrift store for $35. that had a hideous 1980s Grace Jones-like print on it. I could never have purchased a blank canvas that large for $35. So, I just painted over top of it.
That evening we went to Steven & Thad's house for dinner and to watch the Golden Globes. We made Weight Watcher-friendly pizzas using Flat Outs (oblong whole wheat flour tortillas), mushrooms, turkey pepperoni, olives, low-fat pizza sauce, and low-fat cheese. They were really good and I didn't feel like I was dieting. Joe P stopped over after dinner to watch some of the awards with us. Like most 'normal' gay men, most of our commentary was about the gowns and hairstyles worn by the nominees.

Spouse had today off since it is MLK day. My office was not closed, but I was not scheduled for phone duty and I had no appointments so I took the day off so we could be together. Hopefully Spouse will help me take the ornaments off the Christmas tree today and pack up the rest of the Christmas decorations. As much as I love Christmas, its time.

Weekend highlights

This was my weekend to work both Sat & Sun, but I still managed to squeeze in some celebrating and fun.

Sat evening we joined a bunch of friends at Saketumi for Jason's birthday dinner. The food was delicious as usual, and the company was fun. Then I was off to Blue Moon for the Legends Christmas show. It was really fun and the crowd was very responsive to our performances.

Sun after work we went to Steven & Thad's for dinner with Joe P, Alisha & Jack, and the Bobs. Steven made enough spaghetti for an army! We had a great time and it was a great way to end the weekend.

Weekend highlights

Sat I worked until 3:30. I left early so I could go home and run through my Legends show routine a few times before heading over to Steven & Thad's cookout. Spouse made potato salad and helped Steven & Thad get ready. Here's a photo of my back and ass in the background and some of the food in the foreground.
From left to right: Steven's macaroni salad, Steven's black bean and corn salad, and Spouse's potato salad.
They had a great turn out! Jason & Kevin, Chris & Jason, Jack, Allen, Joe P, Robin, the Bobs, Rusty and other friends and neighbors came. The food was great and we had fun talking and laughing. The weather was perfect for a cookout. I left at 8:30 to go to the Blue Moon for the Legends show. Our friends Marty & John and our neighbors Jim & Barb came to the show!

On Sun I went to work again and Spouse met up with Steven & Thad, Joe P, and Allen for the annual Drag Volleyball game. For years now 2 teams of volleyball players dress up in themed drag and play. There's always a dramatic introduction and a 1/2 time show too! Here's a photo from this year's game:That evening Spouse & I met up with another bunch of friends for a birthday/cocktail party. It was fun to hang out with this group of friends again as well as meet some new friends. Afterward many of the guys went to a big dance in town but Spouse & I picked up an ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery (an early birthday treat for Thad's upcoming birthday) and took it over to Steven & Thad's and visited with them and Allen and Joe P.

This morning Spouse & I had a quick breakfast, packed our stuff and arrived at the beach at 10:15. The weather was mostly sunny, breezy and about 80 degrees. Steven & Thad and Allen were already there, and shortly after we arrived Joe P showed up too. We had a great day hanging out at the beach. We saw lots and lots of friends, including the guys from the previous night's birthday/cocktail party. The sun disappeared behind the clouds for an hour or so, but came back out again later. We'd brought lunch so we were able to stay until 4:15. What a great beach day! Once back at home we showered, dressed, and headed over to Steven & Thad's for dinner. Steven used the leftover chicken to make chicken enchiladas which we ate with the leftover salads. We ate outside in their yard and enjoyed the great breeze until it got dark and the bugs started biting. We went inside and had cherry pie and watched "True Blood".

It was a terrific holiday weekend filled with friends, food, celebrations, beach, and work.

Celebration

We had a lovely time last evening at Spouse's birthday dinner at Saketumi!

Steven & Thad agreed to pick up the Happy Birthday balloons for me, and Bryan picked up the cake from the bakery. That way Spouse & I could arrive together without me having to stop along the way.

In addition to Spouse & me there was Steven & Thad, the Bobs, Joe P, Robin, Bryan, PW, Chris & Jason. As usual, we all had delicious food and impeccable service.

When we returned home we watched another couple episodes of "True Blood" on DVD. It was a terrific evening.

Weekend highlights

Fri evening Spouse & I were invited to dinner at Jason & Kevin's. We were surprised to find Steven & Thad right behind us. Jason & Kevin grilled steaks which were delicious, even to me who usually couldn't care less about steak. We also had corn on the cob, also grilled in foil, which was so sweet you'd have thought they dusted it in powdered sugar. We brought my Gram's recipe for butter basil peas. Its so simple: boil peas, drain, add butter, salt, pepper, and dried basil. Its so delicious and reminds me of my Gram who lived out in the country and had a huge vegetable and herb garden. When I was a kid I used to spend a couple weeks at my grandparents' house in the country, swimming in the creek, helping in the garden, and enjoying a very different landscape from my suburban home. My grandparents passed away when I was 26.

Sat I worked from 9-5. Spouse's family (sister, brother-in-law, niece, 2 nephews, and mother) arrived in the late afternoon. Shortly after I got home from work we left them behind to go to 1 of the Bob's birthday barbecue. Many of our friends were there (both Bobs, Steven & Thad, Joe P, Jack & Alisha, Robin & Bill) plus several other friends of Bob that I didn't know well. We had great food and a very nice time. Then we swung back home so I could brush my teeth and pick up my black shoes, and then I was out the door to perform in the Legends show. Spouse's 81 year old mother really wanted to come, so he brought her and his sister and brother-in-law to the show, which is held in a gay bar. Performing that night were Gladys Knight, Etta James, and Neil Diamond. Spouse's mother was dancing in front of the stage with some anonymous gay man who took a liking to her. In reality she's never met a stranger. Immediately after the show the Legends and I came out in our costumes to be with the audience and have our photos taken and Spouse's family shared with me how much they liked the show. It was fun to have them in the audience. They left shortly thereafter so I changed back into my street clothes, got a drink, and hung out with Jason & Kevin for a while. It was a fun night!

Sun I worked from 9-4 and Spouse & 'the family' went to the beach all day. When I got home we hung out for a while, then 'the family' and Spouse & I went to dinner together at Jake's Seafood. It turned into a beautiful night weather-wise, so we all sat out on the screened porch for a long time talking and laughing. The kids decided to watch a movie but it was after 11pm so Spouse & I went to bed. After all, they're on vacation - I'm not.

Since I worked Sun I took today as my day off. I thought everyone would have breakfast and we'd go to the beach together, but it didn't quite work out that way. Since the kids stayed up late, they slept late. None of the adults was willing to wake the kids so I basically sat around all day. Had I known they were going to wait for the kids I would have gone to the beach myself. As it turned out we didn't go until 2pm. I was kind of disappointed when they were ready to come back home at 3:45. It felt like my 1 day off this week was spent waiting around on others who have the entire week to do whatever they want. Oh well... there will be other days to go to the beach.

Now that we're home, everyone has showered and we're thinking about what to have for dinner. Burgers and dogs on the grill? Pizza?

Festive Fourth

We had a festive 4th of July weekend!

Sat I worked until 5, then Spouse & I met up with Steven & Thad, Allen, and Joe P for dinner at Saketumi. Afterward we went to see the Legends show. Patti LaBelle, Liza, and Alan Jackson performed! We hung out for a while afterward, then sat on a bench on the boardwalk and talked. It was a beautiful night.

On Sun we arrived at the beach at 10 and stayed until 4. It was 1 of those days when the sun kept darting in and out of the clouds. We were joined at the beach by Steven & Thad, Allen, Joe P, 1 of the Bobs, Robin & Bill, and John. We also saw many of our friends at the beach. That evening we met up with everyone for burgers, grilled dogs, and salads at Steven & Thad's house. I was amazed at how much they'd done to get settled in and organized.

Yesterday Spouse went to the grocery store early in the morning - I will still in bed when he left! Then we had coffee together when he got home and planned our day. He was responsible for the food and I cleaned the house in preparation for our 4th of July parade/dinner/fireworks. That afternoon we met Steven & Thad, 1 of the Bobs, and Joe P over at Joe P's pool. We hung out for a couple hours, then came home and finished getting ready. Robin & Bill, Steven & Thad, 1 of the Bobs, Allen, and Joe P came over to watch the Doo Dah parade. I drove Big Ella in the parade, of course.


After the parade we had grilled chicken, rice, and sauteed veggies for dinner on the screened porch and hung out until nearly dusk. Then we headed to the beach to watch the incredible 'volunteer' fireworks display. It seems each year they're bigger and better. The weather was dreamy and we really enjoyed the colorful celebration.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

What is WRONG with this picture???

Bugs & Roger supposed to come today and spend the holiday weekend with us. However, Roger's parents were in a car accident about a month ago so they are going to spend the long weekend with his parents. I'll miss them!

I've been working with a couple from CT since Tues. I showed them homes on Tues and Wed, then took them back to 1 home for a 2nd showing. Today we wrote up and offer on that house! I hope it works out. Its going to be a very busy day at work tomorrow. I'm scheduled to show property to 3 different people/couples!

So, what's in YOUR back yard?

Tonight we're going to a smart dinner party at Joe P's. Steven & Thad, Jack & Alisha, and the Bobs will be there as well. Afterward I'm singing a song in the Divas Show at the Blue Moon. One of the perks of winning the Rehoboth Idol contest is being paid to sing in Blue Moon shows. Tonight's the 1st night of this perk for me.

Rehoboth Idol finale

This is it: the finale of the Rehoboth Idol singing contest. The night's mission for me was to pull out all the stops and really show that I am a performer, not just a singer.

The hostess, Miss Richfield 1981, explained that the order of performance for this week was determined by our rankings from last week, starting with the 2 who tied for 3rd place, followed by the 2nd place contestant, followed by me. Here's the songs we performed in the disco-themed portion:

• Tom - "Hot Stuff" (originally performed by Donna Summer)
• Amber - "Hot Stuff" (originally performed by Donna Summer)
• Terry - "I Will Survive" (originally performed by Gloria Gaynor)
• Me - "Night Fever" (originally performed by the Bee Gees)

I've been battling sinus congestion since Sun so I felt tired and drained at the coaching session that afternoon. I was told by the coach that I needed to move around the stage and add some choreography to my song. So that afternoon I watched the "Night Fever" video on YouTube with clips from the song's appearance in the film "Saturday Night Fever" to get inspiration. At home I practiced moving around the stage and added several recognizable disco moves to my routine, including the bus stop dance and John Travolta's signature 'point-up, point-across-the-body'. It felt like just enough choreography to enhance the song but not be distracting to me or the audience.

I sang "Night Fever" in falsetto as the Bee Gees did, except for the bridge. Like the original, I sang "...and that sweet city woman, she moves through the lights, controlling my mind and my soul" in my regular voice, then went back to falsetto for the rest. Although fatigued from sinus medication, my adrenaline kicked in and I gave it everything I had.
The audience and judges loved it!

Then we were onto the 2nd part of the competition which was a song from any genre. The order of performance was by age, from oldest to youngest, so here's what we sang:

• Tom - "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" (originally performed by Toby Keith)
• Me - "Its Too Late" (originally performed by Carole King)
• Amber - "Angel" (originally performed by Aretha Franklin)
• Terry - a song originally performed by Beyonce that I can't identify

Since there was just 1 song before I sang again, I quickly changed out of my disco outfit into an all black outfit for my 2nd number.



After each of us sang our 2nd song we received feedback from the judges on both songs. Most of it was very complimentary and affirming.

Then the judges went to deliberate and tally their scores while the audience was treated to a performance by Carla Jones, Rehoboth Idol 2010. She did an amazing job singing Chaka Kahn's "Ain't Nobody". Although I didn't attend any of the Rehoboth Idol 2010 performances, it was easy to see why she won last year. She's got a great voice, lots of vocal control, and is beautiful.

Then judges returned to their seats and Miss Richfield 1981 called all 4 contestants onto the stage and explained that 1 of the owners of the Blue Moon, Tim Ragan, would deliver the results. Tim came onto the stage with a huge check, like they show in those Publishers Clearing House commercials, with the name covered up. He explained that the judging was very hard since the contestants were all so good. They decided not to give rankings, but to just select the winner.

Miss Richfield 1981 said "Well, don't keep me in suspense! Who is it? Who's the winner of Rehoboth Idol 2011???"

As he uncovered the name on the giant check for $1000. he said "Mark!!".

Miss Richfield 1981 took my hand and directed me to the front of the stage where Tim gave me the huge check. The audience cheered and I saw camera flashes coming from every direction so I smiled and tried not to look crazy. I often don't look good in candid photos. Miss Richfield 1981 congratulated all the contestants on a job well done and we congratulated each other. The judges joined us on stage and we closed the contest by singing "Dancing Queen".

When the song ended it was group photo time on the stage. Again, camera flashes right and left. Although I'm not very photogenic, it was actually fun/exciting to be photographed like that, as if the paparazzi were vying for the best shot.

When the mayhem subsided I joined my friends Steven & Thad, Joe P, Kim, and The Bobs who had come to support me. They congratulated me and we talked for a few minutes. Then I got a bottle of water and talked to some other friends and several strangers who stopped me to chat.

It was an AMAZING night and I am SO HAPPY that Claritan-D kicked in. I'll add photos once I get them from Joe P, so check this post again tomorrow.

In addition to winning the $1000. cash prize and the title Rehoboth Idol 2011, I will also be given opportunities to be paid to perform in other Blue Moon shows for the next year. I think I'm going to have a good time!