Fortieth Fête

A little over a week ago Son Tony had a milestone birthday. Because of scheduling commitments it took a couple of days, but we finally got around to celebrating it as a family.

Since the birthday boy and his family live in California, it required his parents and one of his brothers to hop on a plane to get there. On July 5th Hubby Tony I were at the St. Louis airport bright and early. (Son Donald flew by himself.) The flight was uneventful, and we arrived at San Jose airport as scheduled. We picked up a car and got ready for fun.

The family wasn't gathering until mid-week. Three house guests were too many for Son Brian and DIL Nicole's small house, so we checked into a motel nearby. Each day we drove a couple of miles to spend time with Brian and company. While there, we: 

• Played board games with the grandsons and completed a large jigsaw puzzle.

• Gathered at a park in Los Gatos for a photo session. (I was unaware that some JCPenney Portrait locations offer outdoor photography, but it was a wonderful option. The photographer did a great job of organizing our group of 13, which included some cranky toddlers. I'm excited to see the proofs when they arrive.) The entire clan ended up back at Brian's for lunch.

• Drove into San Francisco, where we visited the California Academy of Sciences to see the rain forest and aquarium displays. We also went to the Maritime National Historical Park where I stuck my feet in the ocean, and Ghirardelli Square for ice cream.

• Went to a hot pot conveyor belt restaurant for lunch. Each seat in the booth had its own heating element. Everyone ordered their preferred broth and meat, then chose additional items to cook from the selection that passed by the table.

• Visited Topgolf

On Wednesday we packed up our things and headed towards the coast to meet up with Son Tony's family for the next portion of the trip. Each family had a cabin at the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay KOA. The six grands swam and played. The entire group came together for meals. There was a campfire, s'mores, and a birthday cake.

However, the perfect trip had a less than perfect ending. Before we arrived Grandson Ell had a 24-hour stomach flu, and then Grandson Dee had the same issue shortly after we got there. Both snapped back to normal quickly. Tuesday Donald spent a half day alone at the hotel with intestinal issues (which he attributed to too much hot pot). On Wednesday afternoon Hubby Tony developed an issue and quarantined until it passed. Thursday night after dinner Grandsons Dee and Jay got sick. 

Everyone was checking out on Friday morning, but Brian's group just packed up and left early. Later that night we learned via text that Grandson Ian had also joined the throw up club.

The plan was for Tony, Donald, and I to drive to Son Tony's house for a couple of days before our flight back home. The three of us talked it over and decided to change our plans and fly out early. Thursday morning we packed up the car and headed back to San Jose. Traffic was lighter than expected, so with our extra time we detoured over to the Apple campus and stopped by the visitor's center. The building is pretty much just an Apple store and cafe area, but there was a nice deck on top of the building and an interesting AR (augmented reality) model of Apple Park.

Swing A Round

I must be in my golfing phase. Just last week Hubby Tony and I played some indoor miniature golf. This week I was part of a group that visited Topgolf.

I've seen the massive Topgolf facilities, but had never been in one. It is more of an entertainment complex than an actual golf range. The three-story complex has one side open to an area to hit balls into. Depending on the activity the group chooses, everyone will be hitting their balls towards the large targets scattered throughout the field, or participating in a game that also has a virtual component.

Each group has its own individual bay. There were a variety of clubs available, but the attendant was happy to bring me a left handed set. I have never played a round of golf in my life, but somehow I ended up on top in a game called Block Party (thanks to the lucky bonus points I accumulated).

It was a lot of fun, and I would definitely go back.

Five years ago today: Bearable Bedding

Murphy's Laundry Law

I have a nice collection of shirts in my closet. For some reason the only ones I spill food on are the light colored ones.

Two weeks ago I bought a white tee at Sam's Club. The first time I wore it I ended up with a blob of salsa right in the middle. I treated the spot, then immediately washed the shirt. When I pulled out of the washer there was still an obvious red spot. I treated the area again, this time with a bleach solution. I rinsed the bleach out, and put the shirt back into the laundry. The second time was the charm for removing the stain.

Yesterday I was wearing that shirt again, and got pasta sauce in approximately the same place. This time I wasn't at home to treat it, but a couple of hours later I squirted stain remover liberally on the spot, then saturated a piece of paper towel with remover and set it on top of the stain to soak overnight. I ran the shirt through the washer, and fortunately the shirt came out ready to wear again.

This afternoon I went out to lunch at a hot pot restaurant. I was wearing a light pink shirt, and if you guessed that I got broth splatters on it you would be correct. This time there were about a half dozen red blobs of tom yum broth all over the front. The first thing I did when I got home was change shirts, then I treated the spots with both stain remover and dish detergent and let the concoction sit for a while. Thankfully the stains came out in the wash.

Tomorrow I think I will wear a black shirt. That way I won't spill anything on it, and there will be no extra efforts needed before it goes into the laundry.

Five years ago today: Sleepytime Breathing

A Simple Solution

I always carry a tube of hand cream in my purse. Last month when I was applying some, the lid fell on the floor and rolled away. I searched diligently but never found it. I put the topless tube in a Ziploc bag. For a while I carried it in the zipper section of my purse, but soon the inside of the bag got messy from lotion squirting out. It was time to retire the tube and start fresh

I've been making an effort to reduce my plastic consumption, so instead of buying another tube I purchased a lotion bar which had a solid consistency. I slid the bar into a small recycled container. The holder did a good job of keeping the bar intact, and fit nicely into the side zipper section.

But I recently changed to a smaller purse and the container was a little too big. I found an empty lip balm tube, filled it with pieces of the bar, and labeled the tube accordingly. Now all I have to do when my hands get dry is screw the lotion up and rub it on my hands.

Five years ago today: Three Weeks In Grandma Heaven

Nine Holes Of Indoor Fun

There are 108 cities in St. Louis County, Missouri. Many of the larger ones host July 4th festivities, which include fireworks. Hubby Tony and I weren't inclined to attend any, but Mother Nature helped us decide to definitely stay at home. A storm overnight and this morning brought somewhere between 1.5"-2" of rain, and the weather people are saying that another front coming through tonight will bring more rain and maybe severe weather. Even if they're wrong, the ground would be so wet it would be miserable to sit on.

However, it's still a holiday and I wanted to do something different to make the day memorable. We researched indoor activities, and ultimately decided to check out Puttshack

What is Puttshack? The website says:

From the makers of Top Golf, Puttshack is an upscale tech-infused mini golf game, powered by patented Trackaball technology. (Get ready to ditch scorecards and focus on winning!)

The facility is located at the City Foundry, an old electric motor manufacturing facility that has been turned into an entertainment and retail complex. I made our booking for 11:00, right when the doors opened. When we entered, the attendant at the front desk told us that the display screens would tell us which of the four courses to go to. The Sapphire course was on the second floor

Puttshack

We arrived at the course, where another attendant helped us check in on the video screen. After each check in was complete the kiosk spit out an assigned ball. That ball tracked the number of shots and kept track of the score. Each hole had bonus point opportunities. There were also hazard traps, which subtracted points.

I thoroughly enjoyed the game play, and it didn't hurt that I came out on top by a few points.

We could have stayed and eaten at the facility, or had a drink at the bar, but we decided to save that part of the experience for our next visit.

Five years ago: A Personal Emergency Non-Computerized Information Lifesaver

Four Tea

I don't know where the time went, but today Son Tony turns 40.

Since he lives halfway across the country it's hard to casually find out his wants and needs. For his last few birthdays Hubby Tony and I have sent some type of edible present--chocolates, baked goods, popcorn, or fruit.

This year we wanted to do something extra. It started with a handmade "four tea" card. After printing out the text, I attached a row of four tea bags to a piece of card stock.

While I did that Tony went to the store and purchased an Amazon gift certificate. We slid it inside the card, then put the card in an envelope and took it to the post office.

We hope Son Tony can have fun picking out something special.

License To Do As I Want

Last Wednesday I did my last cooking shift at the church. I prepared pasta, salad, garlic bread, and cantaloupe chunks for the clergy and office staff. The associate priest made his special family recipe for dessert-a four layer chocolate cake with alternate layers filled with marshmallow cream/chocolate chips and chocolate frosting/peanut butter cups, frosted with more chocolate frosting.

After I cleaned up the kitchen I stopped by the parish office and turned in my keys and grocery store payment cards. Both the business manager and his assistant are close to my age, and they both said they were envious of my new freedom.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday flowed as they always did. On Sunday morning, instead of scanning the newspaper before scooting out the door to get to the grocery store before heading to the church to have breakfast ready for the clergy at 10 am I thoroughly read the entire newspaper while enjoying a second cup of coffee. Hubby Tony and I took a mid-morning walk, which freed up the afternoon for time to do nothing.

Today would have been another work shift. Tony and I had our monthly Sunday collection money counting shift. Normally, after that's over I have to hustle to get back home and collect my things before heading back out for the church. Today I had no commitments, and all the time in the world. Tony and I ran errands, then went to a nearby park before heading back home. This afternoon I actually had time to read, work through a crossword puzzle, and tackle a project.

Wednesday morning I'm scheduled to do an exercise class at the Y right in the middle of what would be my lunch-cooking shift. I'm hopeful there will be more time during the day to do whatever I want.

And the good news is that I can repeat this pattern this week, and next week, and the week after that.....

Yet One More Cicada Post...

Many of the deciduous trees in my neighborhood are sporting brown branch tips, but there's nothing wrong with them.

The issue is caused by the periodical cicadas that emerged from the ground in May. They mated, then the females scraped a channel in a small branch to lay their eggs. If too many females used the same branch the twig gets damaged, which causes the leaves to die. 

The cicada eggs will hatch in the next few weeks, and the nymphs will fall to the ground and burrow underground until the reappear 13 years from now.

Clean Forgot

It's gotten hot enough here that outside activities need to be done early in the morning or late in the evening. I'm more of a morning person, so today Hubby Tony and I drove to the local YMCA branch and did a couple of errands on foot before I headed inside for an Aqua Zumba class.

Even though our walking route has a lot of shade, I know from past experience that at the end I will be sweaty, so in addition to my suit, pool shoes, and towel I bring fresh clothes to change into post-pool. At the gym I left my bag in the car, then headed to the bank and the post office before returning to the car for my things.

This branch of the Y normally has four locker rooms-one for women, girls, men, and boys. However, this summer they're renovating the adult ones and the youth locker rooms now serve all ages by sex. Except for the fact that the lockers themselves are smaller it's not much of an issue during the times I'm in there. Everyone is my age or older.

In the locker room I took my things out of the bag and realized I had forgotten to bring a beach towel. Before putting on my suit I took a second to figure out exactly what that meant. I could use my dirty clothes to dry off. The pool area is through the shower room and down a flight of stairs. Getting there would not be an issue but afterwards getting from the shower to the locker area could be a little problematic.

The showers are communal, with a row of heads lined up along one wall of the room. (Twenty-year old me would have had an issue with this, but past-middle aged me has no problem showering with a bunch of women my age.) My routine is to adjust the water correct temperature, stand under it, take my suit off and let it hang to drip. When I'm finished showering I squeeze as much water out of the suit as possible, dry off, then wrap the towel around me to walk through the wet area to the lockers.

Today I used my hands to try and squeegee as much water off my body as possible, then hustled my damp, bare bottomed self over to my locker. It took both my damp tank top and cotton knit shorts to dry my body enough to put the new clothes on.

Then I realized that in addition to drying my body, the beach towel also serves as a layer in the bottom of my bag to sop up water from the wet suit. Even though I put those clothes in the bag first, they didn't sop up much liquid. I think I might have left a small trail of water drops as I walked down the stairs and out of the dressing room.

Five years ago today: Almost Healthy

True To Type

After blogging for 15 years there are a lot of activities I come back to time and time again. Today was a good example. 

The first thing on my To Do list was a trip to the chiropractor (mentioned in approximately two dozen posts). Once again I walked in with a sore lower back and an achy left shoulder. I came out without either of those two pains. However, I know that when I return six weeks from now for my next appointment he will again be addressing those two issues and whatever else crops up.

Next, Hubby Tony and I set out on a road trip to Alton, Illinois (the subject of a dozen posts). Approximately once a year we head across the Mississippi River to replenish our supply of good balsamic vinegar (seven posts). 

The store didn't open until 11 am, so we headed to an antique mall and looked around. On the way back towards the river I happened to mention that we would drive right by Fast Eddie's Bonair, a legendary bar and restaurant. If it was open it would be a great place for lunch.

I knew I had written about my first trip to Fast Eddie's. Turns out it was on October 17, 2008 on my first blog. How time flies! Except for the prices things haven't changed much since then. The food is a loss leader, designed to get people in the door. Our meal of a quarter pound hamburger, beef tenderloin kebab with green peppers, and a basket of fries came to a couple of cents over $13. Some type of drink was required, but the waitress didn't seem to care what it was.

The place is still cash only, and there was a large sign that said it would take a minimum of 20 minutes to receive a food order. I suspect that's to get people to drink more. While we waited we helped ourselves to free popcorn. It was a little on the salty side-again probably to keep people drinking. The food itself was fabulous. I walked out stuffed.

At the vinegar store I got refills for four 375 ml bottles, and I was entitled to a free sample size bottle because I had told them my birthday was in June. On the way out of the store we asked the owner if she could recommend any coffee shops (innumerable blog mentions). She said there was a local company with a branch about five miles away so we headed there. They had already stopped making drip coffee for the day, but I ordered an Americano, which is just espresso with extra water. It did the trick.

Five years ago: Puzzling Non-Parity