Memorial Day

As I predicted, our Memorial Day long weekend was lots of fun, if not a bit tiring.

Ron & James and Clark arrived in town before noon but wanted to take advantage of the tax free outlet store shopping so we didn't see them right away.  Mike had an unexpected activity so he drove separately later that night.  When ready for a break from shopping, we met them for lunch, and then they finished up their shopping before finally arriving at our house.  The weather was lovely so we sat on the porch and visited.

James, Ron, Spouse, Marvin

We enjoyed a few cocktails and some snacks as we caught up on the goings on in each others' lives.  Then we went to Blackwall Hitch for dinner. I selected it because they would take a reservation. 

Clark, Ron, James

Fortunately Mike arrived in time to join us for dinner.  We all thought our food was good but pricey.  I left them to pay the bill so I could get my make-up started for the show.  The bar/performance venue was totally packed and the crowd was enthusiastic and engaged.  It was a fun show!  Afterward we walked over to the ice cream store for treat, then returned home to chat a bit before bed.

Sun morning we had coffee on the porch and then Spouse made breakfast for everyone: scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, fruit salad, and bagels.  Sun marked Spouse & my 23rd anniversary so we had mimosas with our breakfast.  It was significantly warmer on Sun so once we'd finished eating we continued talking inside.

Ron reconnected with Marvin and Walter

Then the 4 guys went for a walk around town, ducking into some of the antique shops and such.  Spouse & I stayed home since it was hot outside and we've been in the shops so many times before. We had cocktails and snacks at home again, and then that evening the 6 of us had dinner at Iron Hill Brewery where we happened to get our favorite server Spencer who is always fun.  Everyone agreed we liked our food better and it cost less than the night before.

Spouse and James

Ron and Mike

Me and Clark

The 6 of us

After dinner we went for a walk along the boardwalk and then returned home to chat a little before bed. 

Mon morning we had coffee and more visiting on the porch.

Mike and Ron (with Marvin)

Spouse with Walter

Ron and Marvin

The guys packed and loaded their cars, and then the 6 of us had breakfast at Arenas.  It was cooler again, more like Sat, so we were able to eat outdoors.  Regretfully we said our goodbyes and they headed back to VA.

Less than an hour later my cousin's daughter Chelsea and her husband Gabe arrived.  We sat on the porch and got reconnected for awhile, then went for a walk through town, looking at all the unique homes and talking about real estate.  We had a late lunch at Nectar. The skies threatened rain, so we returned home and got into the car to continue our tour of the area.  (This was their first visit here.)  After a brief shower we decided to stop for a bite at Station on Kings.  Chelsea and I were still full from our generous lunches so we both ordered desserts, while Spouse & Gabe had dinner.  The shower had taken away the humidity and a light breeze made for a delightful evening to dine al fresco.

Gabe, Chelsea, Spouse, me

Once back at home we talked until bedtime. 

We loved having our friends and family visit us over the long holiday weekend!  But I must admit I'm a little tired. I think I will sleep well tonight.

Weekend forecast

Today is the official start of the summer season here in our little coastal resort town.  The traffic was backed up at 9am!

Tomorrow our longtime friends Mike & Clark and Ron & James will arrive for a few days of eating, cocktail drinking, relaxing, laughing and catching up.  The weather forecast shows no rain so that's good.  I anticipate lots of time on the screened porch.

I'm also performing (as Boy George) Sat night at the Blue Moon so the 6 of us will have dinner nearby beforehand so we're not searching for parking or feeling rushed.  They guys have never seen me do Boy George, and of course being of "a certain age" they know and love his music, so it should be fun for them.

They're leaving after breakfast on Mon, and shortly thereafter my cousin's daughter Chelsea and her husband Gabe will arrive.  I visited with them last May while in Pittsburgh for our nephew's college graduation.  They'll be at a wedding in NJ on Sat night, then stopping at our place Mon for a visit and overnight stay.  

So it'll be a full but fun, social weekend.  Here's wishing everyone a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!

Holiday highlights, the finale

Spouse & I remarked to each other that this was probably 1 of the best holiday seasons we can remember.  We never felt stressed, and everything just seemed to fall into place.

We got our tree up, our interior decorating done, and our exterior lighting all done before our tree trimming party.  (That has not always been the case.)  Our tree trimming party was fun, as always.  We attended the town Christmas parade which wasn't rained out as it has been in some recent years.  While our holiday shopping got off to a slow start, all ordered items arrived on time so I could wrap them without feeling rushed.  I got to attend the town's Christmas home tour for the 1st time ever.  I spent the good part of a day baking cakes, brownies, and breakfast casseroles to take with us.  We enjoyed our annual pizza and hippie roll luncheon with our dear friends Kerry, Hugh, Kelly, Carl, Lisa, Alex, Kim, and Danny.  We had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant followed by cookies at the home of our old buddies Ron & James, along with Mike & Clark.  We had a lovely visit/lunch with my cousin Nez and her husband Steve.  We saw most of the family on Christmas eve and/or Christmas day.  Once we returned home we debriefed with our friends Steven & Thad over dinner.  We went to a lovely post-Christmas party at Marty & John's home. We did a lot, saw a lot, and ate a lot; pretty much the perfect holiday season!

Here are a few photos of some of our special/unusual tree ornaments:

Purchased in Palm Springs Oct 2018

1 of 2 clear snowflakes purchased at the Dollar store several years ago, and a Paris ornament from 2003

Large, silver snowflake from Joey & Glenn

Lenox sleigh from my friend Dawn

Eiffel Tower purchased in Paris Dec 2003

Translucent chicken from our friend Megan 15+ years ago, Lenox bear from Dawn, and clear rainbow swirl ball from Calvin

Another clear rainbow swirl ball from Calvin, and Chihuahua from Dawn

Blue glass ball with white swirl from Calvin

 Here are some of our interior holiday decorations:

Although not visible in this photo, the snow-covered trees have glitter on them and were found inside our very 1st home together in 1996.  I adore them and suspect they're pretty old.

The reindeer were from my cousin Nez, the snowman was from our friend Clara.  The old school ceramic tree is actually not old; we bought it at the QVC clearance store about 5 years ago.

Red truck pillows purchased about 3 years ago

Red truck floor mat purchased this fall

Red truck wall hanging purchased 2 years ago

Without any knowledge of our red truck decor Spouse's sister gave us this red truck cookie jar which coordinates perfectly

 And last but not least...

Marvin & Walter in their Christmas bow ties on Daddy's lap on Christmas day

I hope all of you had a great holiday season.

Holiday highlights part 1

Sun the 23rd we loaded up the car with our luggage, gifts, food, and dogs and got on the road by 8:30, right on schedule.  After unloading everything at Spouse's sister's house, our 2 nephews joined us as we met up with our friends for our annual hippie roll and pizza luncheon.  We had a wonderful lunch with Lisa, Carl, Kerry & Hugh, Kelly, Alex, and Kim & Danny and I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes more than once.  As is our custom, we took a group photo:

One of the things that had me laughing so hard were the 'mini hands'.  Or as I called them, 'Trump hands'.  Kim brought these little plastic hands that fit on the end of your finger, which were simultaneously hilarious and creepy.  We kept finding different ways to position them for comedic effect.

I've lost count of how many years we've been doing this, but its certainly a highlight of the Christmas season for me.  And the owners of the restaurant couldn't be nicer to our wacky group.

Afterward we hung out at the house with the family for a couple hours, then met up with our old friends Ron & James and Mike & Clark at our favorite Mexican restaurant Cantina Mexicana, also known as The Taco House.  Unfortunately I neglected to take any photos of our gathering. We've known them for over 20 years and we're all very happy we've maintained our friendship despite Spouse & me moving away 12 years ago.  The 4 of them have visited us many times at home, and we were happy we all had an opportunity to meet up for dinner.  We were also overjoyed to see the Taco House owners Juan & Gloria too!  As we were looking at the margarita menu we noticed a small typo.  One of the choices was a "Caddillac" margarita. We speculated about what it was made of. Someone suggested it was made with top shelf tequila, so I joked that the top shelf liquor made it special and was responsible for the extra "d" in "Caddilac".  Then I said "Who doesn't like some extra D???" and we all had a good laugh!

Mourning after

Last Thurs Spouse & I packed up the dogs and several days' worth of clothes and left for VA.  We arrived at Spouse's sister's house just before lunch time so we took her and her older son (nicknamed Baby David) to lunch.  Afterward we stopped at a few stores because Spouse wanted some new pants for the viewings/funeral, and Spouse's sister needed a few things too.  That night we ordered food in and looked through a bunch of old photos collected from Spouse's mom's apartment.  We pulled out about 100 of them to use on the memory boards and in a slide show.  Here are some of my favorites:

Evelyn loved sitting in her back yard

Evelyn was a member of lunch AND dinner Red Hat groups

Glamour Girl in her kitchen

That adorable little boy in the grey suit is Spouse

Memory board #1

Memory board #2

It was fun and somewhat therapeutic to go through all the old photos.  And yes, that's Evelyn riding a camel in Egypt in the center of memory board #2.  The woman got around!

On Fri the family arrived at the funeral home at 1:15 for the private family viewing, then set up the memory boards and slide show.  Next was a viewing for friends at 2:00.  According to the guest book about 75 people came, including many of the residents and staff of the retirement home where Evelyn had lived.  Spouse's boss came from DE with her husband, and several friends of ours came too.  We had a break from 4:00-6:00 during which time the family had a light meal and I picked up my aunt Mary.  Then came the 2nd viewing from 6:00-8:00.  Approximately 125 people attended that one, including our dear friends Mike & Clark, Ron & James, Kerry & Hugh, Kelly, Justine & Liz, and the retired pastor and associate pastor of the church we attended in VA, who are still dear friends. While it was obviously a sad time, I can say that it wasn't overly sad.  Friends shared cherished and often humorous stories about Evelyn and I imagine there were likely as many laughs as there were tears.

The funeral mass was at 11:00 in the Catholic church Evelyn attended for many, many years.  There were likely 150+ people there including our good friends Steven & Thad.  For me, this was sort of the 'finale' and I anticipated having trouble keeping my emotions in check, so I planned my coping mechanism.  When I felt like I may ugly-cry, I would think about a hilarious situation involving Evelyn at a restaurant.  Spouse & I were out to dinner with Evelyn when a familiar looking woman was seated a few tables away.  Evelyn thought it was her old neighbor Pauline who had moved away 20 years prior.  Spouse suggested to his mother than Pauline would now be much older than this woman so it likely wasn't her.  Spouse's mother persisted that the woman was wearing a ring just like Pauline, so she decided to approach the woman at her table.  The brief conversation went like this:
Evelyn:  Excuse me, are you Pauline?
Woman:  No.
Evelyn:  Are you sure??  You look just like her!
Questioning whether the woman was sure of her identity still makes me laugh to this day, so I knew it would help me shift my mood when it became too heavy.  Fortunately it worked.  Immediately after the funeral mass there was a lovely luncheon in the parish hall.  In addition to eating lunch, it was a great opportunity for us to thank our friends for coming and chit-chat.

Afterward Spouse & me, aunt Mary, and Steven & Thad all went to Spouse's sister's house and hung out for a while and visited.  Then I took the dogs and my luggage and rode back to DE with Steven & Thad.  I needed to get back and Spouse was going to stay for the internment on Mon morning.  After feeding/walking the dogs and getting them settled at home, I joined Steven & Thad for a quick dinner and then headed to the Blue Moon to perform in the Legends show.

Sun morning I was up early to hold a moving sale for my clients.  They'd intended to include the furniture/furnishings with the sale of their beach home, but the buyer is going to live there full-time and already had her own stuff, so I offered to hold a moving sale for them on Sat.  Due to the funeral I pushed it to Sun.  I advertised it on several buy/sell facebook groups and had a GREAT turn-out.  I sold nearly everything in the house, including an old ironing board!  After the sale I went into the office to catch up on emails and administrative tasks.

Fun, food and friends

So, the weekend before last our good friends Ron & James and Mike & Clark came for their annual visit.  They arrived midday on Fri and took advantage of our tax-free factory outlet store shopping, then met up with some mutual friends of ours for a visit before arriving at our house around 6pm.

Although our friends come just once per year, I was surprised they noticed we'd replaced the area rug in our living room.  The previous area rug was off white and although it was wool and supposedly easy to clean, it unfortunately did not fair well with our pets.  It seems they've all puked, peed or pooped on that darn rug for 1 reason or another at some point in time.  So we recently replaced it with an area rug that will be more 'forgiving' and also feels more modern that the previous one.

After a little chit-chat we headed out to dinner at Beachside Bar & Grill.  Though the weather was mild enough we could have eaten outside on their huge patio, we opted to eat indoors.  The food was very good and our server was cute and attentive.  Afterward we walked down the street to the boardwalk and treated ourselves to ice cream.  Back at home we visited until everyone's eyelids became heavy.

Sat morning we had coffee, juice, croissants, and scones and just enjoyed a lazy morning of conversations and laughs.  Later we got dressed and walked downtown where we stopped into a few shops and the antique emporium.  Then we met up with our mutual friends Marty & Karen for lunch at the new Crooked Hammock Brewery.

Afterward a few of us went home and a few of us made a stop at the Dollar Tree.  Ron loves to stock up nice, well-priced greeting cards there.  That afternoon some of us napped while others talked until it was time to have dinner.  We went to Pig + Fish, and everyone started off with cocktails before deciding on our apps and entrees.  As the 1st of the entrees was arriving at the table, James said "Here comes your chicken, Ron" and several of us burst into laughter because the runner delivering the chicken dinner looked like he was 14 years old.  (Gay men of a certain age will make the connection between chicken and 14 year olds.)  Everyone enjoyed their meals and there were many more laughs that night.

After dinner we walked over to the Blue Moon to check out all the creative costumes, since it was Halloween.  Also there were Steven & Thad and Rick & Nick.  We hung out for a while until it got too crowded.

Sun morning after conversations and coffee we walked over to Honey's Farm Fresh for breakfast which was delicious and filling.  Afterwards the guys packed up their gear and bid us goodbye before heading back to DC.  It was a fun weekend, complete with lots of laughs and friendship.

Friday fragments

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

We had a great time in Montreal!!  Although we didn't expect to have Tornwordo as our tour guide every day, he generously spent time with us during each day of our visit and we saw lots of great sites and had a ball.  

Photos and descriptions will be coming in next week's posts.

Tomorrow night is Halloween.  My crazy friend Liz texted me this:

Our longtime friends Ron & James and Mike & Clark are coming today for for their annual weekend visit.  We used to hang out a lot when we lived in VA, and they would come visit our beach house with us every year beginning in 2003.  So this weekend is our 13th annual weekend together.  We don't tend to 'do' a lot when they're here (ie: site seeing).  Since we only see them once a year we usually spend it talking, drinking, laughing, eating, and catching up on the goings on in each others lives.  

Can I see a show of hands of who was surprised that Tim Gunn used his 'Tim Gunn Save' to bring Edmond back?  Anyone?  Anyone??

Have a fun and safe Halloween weekend!!

Weekend highlights

Our longtime friends Ron & James and Mike & Clark came this past weekend for their annual visit.  We used to hang out a lot when we lived in VA, and they would come visit our beach house with us every year beginning in 2003.  So this weekend was our 12th annual weekend together.

They arrived on Sat and we immediately met them over at our mutual friends Karen & Marty's home for lunch and a visit with Karen & Marty.  The weather was cool and rainy so we didn't spend any time on the porch.  That evening we had cocktails at home and then went to dinner at 1776 Steakhouse.  Our steaks were fantastic (even coming from me who really isn't a steak fan) and so was the banana coconut cream cake we had for dessert.  Afterward we returned home for more conversations and catching up.

Sun morning we had coffee and talked while some also perused the newspaper.  Eventually we dressed and walked over to JD's Cafe for breakfast.  It was cool but sunny so after breakfast we went for a nice walk through town, ducked into a few stores, and walked through Canalfront Park before returning home.  We talked and laughed some more until it was time for Spouse & me to get ready to go to a wedding.  Our dear friends Deb & Greer invited us to their wedding and reception nearby so we went to it while Ron & James and Mike & Clark went shopping at our wonderful, tax-free outlet centers.  The wedding was a lovely event and we had a terrific time.  

The brides

We met the guys back at the house, walked the dogs, changed our clothes, and headed out again, this time for dinner at Cafe Azafran.  Spouse & I ate rather lightly since we'd nibbled on goodies at the wedding reception earlier, but everyone enjoyed their meals. 

Can my face possibly look any fatter??  I don't think so.

After dinner we went for a walk on the boardwalk along the ocean before returning home for more talking and relaxing.

This morning Spouse went to work as usual and I stayed with the guys until they packed up and left at about 9:45.  

We were really happy that our friends who don't have dogs were so comfortable interacting with Marvin and Walter and vice versa.  We certainly wouldn't expect those who don't have dogs to play or hold our pets, but they did and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  We had a great weekend, as always, with our great, longtime friends.

Annual visit

Our long-time friends Mike & Clark and Ron & James came to visit today!

Each year they come for a long weekend visit, not to take advantage of some annual sale or to attend some special event, but just to hang out with us, catch up on each others' lives, eat, drink, and laugh.

Today they arrived shortly after lunch and shopped at our local outlet/factor stores while Spouse & I worked.  Then we all came together just after 5pm here at the house.  We talked, enjoyed cocktails, and had some good laughs on the screened porch, and now we're heading out for dinner.

I was able to schedule myself off work this weekend (although I will slip out Sat morning to show 1 house) so we can spend some time together.  Hello friends, and hello weekend!

Friends

This photo was taken on Dec 23 during our Christmas visit in the DC area.  We met our friends Mike & Clark and Ron & James for dinner at the American Tap Room in Arlington, then had Christmas cookies at Ron & James house afterward.

When we lived in the DC area we socialized regularly with these guys and they have remained good friends of ours for many years now.  We met Ron & James in 1996 at the church we used to attend and we met Mike & Clark in 1997 at a financial seminar for same-sex couples.  They eventually became members of the same church.  

Both couples joined us at our beach home (when we still lived in DC) several times and both have continued to visit us at least once a year since we moved here.  We always have a good time together, as you can see from the expressions on our faces above!

Holiday this & that

Wed night the owners of the Blue Moon had their employee/performer holiday party and gift exchange.  (The Blue Moon is where I perform in the Legends shows.  Yes, that's me in the Elton John costume.)  The food was terrific and the bar was complimentary.  After everyone had eaten the gift exchange began.  Everyone brought a gift valued about $20 and folks could either 'steal' a gift that was already opened by someone before them or pick something from under the tree.  I picked from under the tree and got a bucket of loose change!!  Needless to say no one tried to 'steal' my gift.  But it all worked out, as I took the change to a CoinStar machine the next day and converted it into a gift card.

Although I don't take many photos, Marvin is just the cutest and friendliest little guy I could hope for.  He has really brought joy to our lives, and in general is easy to live with.  However, he is not fond of cold weather and wind.  When we take him outside to do his business he wants to run back inside as soon as possible.  We've gotten him a sweater and a jacket but they are kind of awkward to put on so we don't use them unless we're going for a walk.  But even when he has an accident I can't get mad at him.  Who haven thought that I'd be the one to be smitten by him?

About a week ago Spouse started to get a cold.  Not wanting to be sick at Christmas, he immediately began taking Zicam and other remedies to try and prevent the cold from knocking him out. Unfortunately he's still got the cold, but fortunately he doesn't really feel badly.  I hope he'll be okay with our full holiday schedule.

Speaking of the holidays, on Mon all 130 cards went into the mail, and yesterday I wrapped all the gifts, so our countdown to Christmas has started.  Unfortunately I did not have time to do any holiday baking this year.  I usually like to make cookies to give to neighbors/friends and to enjoy ourselves but I just didn't have time for it this year.  

Spouse is off work all of next week off and my office is closed Sun-Wed.  Since I work tomorrow and perform tomorrow night, we can't leave for VA until Sun morning.  Once we arrive we'll pick up Spouse's mom and take her with us to meet Kerry & Hugh, Kelly, George, and Lisa for our annual lunch of pizza and hippie rolls.  That night we're having dinner with our buddies Mike & Clark and Ron & James, followed by coffee and Christmas cookies at R&J's house.  Then on Mon morning we're heading to my cousin's house (about an hour away) for a visit and lunch.  That evening we'll join the rest of the family at Spouse's sister's house to celebrate Spouse's mother's birthday.  Yes, her birthday is Christmas Eve!  My old friend Kathryn will stop by for a visit that night too.  Tues morning we'll have a leisurely, relaxing breakfast and hang out with Spouse's mom for a few hours, then have Christmas dinner around 2 or 3pm at his sister's house, followed by opening gifts.  We're coming back home on Wed.

Weekend highlights

On Fri early afternoon Ron & James and Mike & Clark (hereto described as 'the guys' in this post) arrived in town and took advantage of our lovely tax-free outlet and factory store shopping.  This is a ritual for them, and works well with our schedules since Spouse & I usually work til about 5.  The house cleaners were not finished at 5 so I called Spouse and told him to meet me and the guys at Fish On! for happy hour.  We had cocktails and shared a couple appetizers and chatted for a while.  Once we were pretty sure the house cleaners were gone we continued talking at home.  That night the guys selected Rigby's as their choice for dinner.  We'd eaten there a year or so ago and they liked it.  Plus, its location offers free parking which is hard to come by in the middle of summer in a beach resort town.  We had a great dinner and decided to have a boardwalk ice cream and people-watch for a few minutes.  Upon returning home we continued to catch up on the goings on in each others' lives.  Although they only come to visit once a year and we only see them 2-3 times a year, we always seem to just pick right up where we left off which is the sign of good friends.

I planned not to work on Sat & Sun so I was there with everyone Sat morning for coffee and continued conversation.  Later breakfast Spouse made breakfast for everyone.  Although I was off, I did agree to meet clients for 30 minutes nearby to look at a building lot.  While I did that the guys slipped out for a little more shopping.  3 of them came home with new digital cameras!  The latter part of the afternoon found some napping, some computing, and others just relaxing.  That evening we enjoyed and old cocktail favorite:  Champagne Darlings.  So easy to make, so delicious, and so refreshing in the summertime.  Then we headed off for dinner at Ivy.  It took some convincing beforehand to get them to agree to the 'small bite' dinner concept but once they tasted the food and saw the sunset on the bay view, they understood why we'd recommended it.  After dinner we headed into town for the Legends show.  I performed as Elton John and it was fun to see my friends there in the front row.

Sun after coffee and conversation we had breakfast at Ocean Point Grill.  The guys had packed their car beforehand and left directly from the restaurant.  Spouse & I hung out at home for a while, then met up with Steven and Dennis & Rasaahn for dinner.  

We had a great weekend with our friends!

Friday fragments

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

 As you might expect, this left me thoroughly delighted!

Did you read/hear about the man in China who claims his penis was stolen?  If not, read about it here.  But unlike John Wayne Bobbitt, the man in China's penis has not been recovered.

This gave me a good chuckle.

Several professional athletes have made a video called "Words Do Hurt" in an effort to take a stand against homophobia in sports.  I love it when straight celebrities use their power for good instead of evil.

Our good friends Ron & James and Mike & Clark will arrive later today and spend the weekend with us.  They come once a year and we always have a great time.  I'm looking forward to catching up with them.