When we landed the storm rolled in. We drove to Pennisu's and Scott's in a HUGE downpour. Nothing like a Florida rain storm ... but there were ducks swimming in the drainage ditches on the side of the expressway! We don't see that around here!
This is Pennisu on her way to work on Friday morning ... although I think I remember the wine bottle being from Thursday night's dinner. AND it was delicious, I might add! (the wine and the dinner) Pennisu is working for the Orange County Commissioner and keeping plenty busy with all her projects and yard stuff. They have a vineyard growing now! Whoo hoo!
This is Chef Scott, maker of all good things ... dinner and some mighty tasty pancakes for breakfast ... let me just say here that Paul was in heaven with the whole pancakes treat! Scott is teaching at Valencia and writing some food critic articles for The Park community paper. a very busy man ... and very creative as well.
And here are the two geniuses at work! Wish you could have seen them programming their telephones ... well, maybe not ... although I do have pictures of it. And truly, it was the morning after a very nice evening of dinner and drink. BUT STILL ... I was ever so entertained. We certainly appreciate PSU and Scott hosting us and allowing us to occupy their guest room for the evening. As a child my parents moved every 2-1/2 years or so for my dad's business. I never understood the intensity of my mom's visiting her friends in previous cities, or her immense happiness when people would come to visit us. NOW I GET IT! There is nothing like reconnecting with good friends after an absense. PSU and Scott, we've truly missed our dinner parties and evenings of silliness. Thank you for letting us revisit that! So nice.
We stayed with Paul's mum and dad. And TRULY appreciated their hospitality and being waited on by Paul's mum hand and foot. It was simply delightful to spend time with them and goes back to understanding my mom's excitement when she got to visit family as well as friends she'd "left behind". Thanks mum and dad for having us and taking such good care of us! And Paul actually got to play golf with his dad, which he truly enjoyed. A real bonus!We did go to the recital and see the most incredible show that the dancer's from the Dancer's Pointe put on. It was wonderful, as always. Thanks to all the dancers, teachers and staff for working yourselves silly and giving such a perfect performance. I was in tears an awful lot during the show! The idea that all those dancers are still dancing, and how beautifully they are growing up and maturing is a lot for an old retired teacher to digest! So many of them graduated this year ... man! It was also a complete joy to visit with the kids, the parents, and the teachers. OH HOW I MISS THAT WORLD ... not quite the same sitting at a desk waiting for someone who is interested in purchasing real estate ... not the same at all. It's a trade off though, for our lives are simplified to a fine art fit for us. And we're relaxed! Lovely! If anyone has pictures of us being there, please send them to us! I forgot to take my camera, being of sound mind and all that.
It was a perfect traveling trip .... no hitches in flights, or rental cars, or directions, or any of the possible things that could go wrong. We are so grateful for such a wonderful time. Thanks be!
Just one small thing that could be entertaining now that it is over ...
don't forget to check you travel bag for things that might be inside the bag from a different and previous trip or adventure all together. I chose my trail back pack to take with us because we just needed a carry on and it was "just right". But it set off an alarm on the metal detector ... and that required a search. What could that be, I wondered to myself ... and that turned up a BIG buck knife which was left in there from hiking ... last year when we went with the kids. HMMMMMM. Unfortunately the blade measured longer than 3 inches, which is the limit you are allowed to carry ... so now my picture is registered with the airport officials and security in case I choose my back pack to travel with again (or more specifically, my knife). My brother would have been proud as he was an avid knife collector/keeper. I would like to interject that Paul was having the time of his life with this event, no doubt seeing it as his personal entertainment of the week ... I'll have to figure out my retaliation slowly and surely ... and will be accepting suggestions! Please submit your ideas as your earliest convenience!
On Friday night the hikers called from Northern VA to check in. They all sounded great and were excited about moving on. Each of them left a message on the voice mail ... so fun! And I got to talk to "Acorn" and "Tweak" in person. Tweak was our sickest friend, and he is perfectly fine now, so thank goodness for that! We're hoping to get them back for a reunion in a healthier state at the end of their journey so we can treat them to food and celebration.
Time for our rest ... still catching up. You won't believe what's going on in the side yard! (*next post) Paul is installing a wood floor for Barry & Caroline ... always a project!
Blessings to all,
Paul & Cheri
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