Catching Up With My Favorite Princess

For the first time since her surgery for breast cancer in March, I had the chance to meet up with my friend the intrepid reporter Princess Patti and her entourage at a local eatery so that we could share a few smiles, laughs, hugs, and wine. Even though she has now started to lose her luscious locks as a result of the chemotherapy that she's going through, Patti was in very good spirits as she sported a new hat that she had recently purchased on-line. It has always been my own humble opinion that some people can pull off hats and some people can't (like myself) so I am quite happy to report that Patti pulls off hat-wearing with as much finesse as the Queen herself and has a lot more fashion sense than Princess Beatrice!

As you can see, Patti modeled not just one hat but a back-up hat in a snazzy red. Her daughter Allegra and I told her that she needed to get a different hat for each day but whether she'll do that or not is entirely up for debate. We also discussed gauzy scarfs and other head wear that might be suitable for the discerning almost-bald woman and agreed that if one was going to lose one's hair, it was best to do it during warmer weather!

Even though my own hair is no great shakes I'm not sure how I'd react to losing it; I'd like to think that I'd be able to handle it with as much dignity and grace as Patti is but I just don't know if I could. Actually, I'm not sure that I could even come close to handling a diagnosis of cancer as well as Patti has as the woman is simply amazing. It seems like she has hardly missed a beat during this whole ordeal while she's juggled her job, her family, and her illness while still managing to maintain her sense of humor throughout. Maybe in the cold dark hours of the morning when no one is looking she may have had a few moments of self-doubt and pity but you'd never know it if you were fortunate enough to spend time with her as she's still one of the most warm, caring, and funny women that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Patti's gallant husband, Ralph, and her lovely daughter Allegra joined Amanda and I for the afternoon. The girls are both Whovians but Allegra couldn't say too much about the new season as Amanda has yet to watch it and she didn't want to give away any spoilers; they did exchange Tumblr names, though, and seemed to get along quite well.  Truth be told, I had actually forgotten that they hadn't met before as I've had the chance to get together with Patti quite a few times since we first met back in March of 2008 when we were both summoned to meet with Queen Mimi at a Bertucci's in Glastonbury. Ah, what fun we had that evening and I've had a good time with Patti every single time I've had the chance to get together with her since then.  She truly exemplifies what kind of friendships one can develop from blogging and I am proud and honored to call her a real-life friend - she's definitely one of a kind!

Ralph wrote a post himself about our afternoon and if you'd like to check it out, please do so over here.  He even managed to take a picture of me that I actually like that I snitched from his blog to share with you here ...

Apparently my "best side" is one viewed from wheelchair height - who knew?!? Oh, and just for the record, that little bit of blue sky that you can see in this picture was the first blue sky we saw all day and it only stuck around long enough for the photo op before the skies turned gray again!

Anyhow, before parting we made plans to meet again this summer down by the shore and raise a glass or two to the end of Patti's chemotherapy before she has to start her next course of treatment which will be five weeks of radiation. Her doctor is taking no chances on giving her cancer a chance to hang around - something I applaud as I am really looking forward to the time we all get together and raise a glass to the diagnosis of cancer-free!

In the meantime, maybe I'll do a little on-line shopping myself and see if I can add to my friend's hat wardrobe ... and I promise, Patti, that it won't be a fez even though they're cool!

Another Interruption ...

I know, I know ... I said that my next post would be my continuing adventures through Florida but I'm interrupting myself briefly for - what I think - is some rather exciting news!   I believe I may have mentioned a time or two that I have never been on a cruise of any sort unless you count the ferry over to Block Island and as nice as that is, I don't think it actually qualifies as a cruise, does it?  I've definitely been wanting to go on a cruise but the thing is, they all have that double occupancy restriction that makes it rather prohibitive for those of us who have neither significant others or friends or relatives who like the idea of being out in the middle of the ocean for an extended period of time. 

I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't think that a cruise was a wonderful way to spend a vacation!  I can just picture myself parked on a deck chair with or without a book for an extended period of time with the occasional drink to keep me company and maybe a nap thrown in for good measure; to me that sounds like pure bliss!  How could it not?  But I was beginning to lament that the closest I was ever going to get to being on an honest-to-goodness ocean-going vessel was my visit to the Queen Mary that's docked out in Long Beach as a floating museum.  That was nice but it sure wasn't a cruise!

While I was in Florida there was a lot of talk about the Bloggers Cruise on the Carnival ship Glory that is hosted by John Heald as Sarge Charlie & Bee were already booked to go and Sandy and Dick were going to be making their reservations to go, too.  It sounded like it was going to be a lot of fun but I didn't really give much thought to it as I figured there was no way on God's green earth that I would be going.  Well, just goes to show what I know as I got an email from Barb the other day asking me if I would be interested in going and sharing a cabin with her.  Originally she was going to be taking a cruise with her mother and Sisters Dear but there was a date change and Barb was now available to go on the Bloggers Cruise. 

Hmmm, a 7-day Eastern Caribbean Cruise at the perfect time when I'm about ready to pull my hair out from yet another horrid New England winter?  Hmmm, a cruise in the company of some of the nicest people I've ever met?  Hmmm, the chance to finally live the dream of lounging on a deck chair with a tropical drink in my hand?  Hmmm, was I crazy to even think about NOT going?  Well, I may have my bouts of insanity but I'm not totally crazy yet - sign me up!

Of course, there are still some logistics that are going to have to be worked out on my end like time off from work and getting myself down to Miami where the cruise originates and getting a passport and trying to figure out what on earth I'm going to pack as I have THE worst wardrobe ever and hoping that I'm not going to be seasick and ... aw heck, I'll deal with all of that later! 

As an added bonus after a little cajoling from Barb, Sandee and her handsome hubby Zane have decided to join us from California and we're doing our darnedest to wheedle Hank and Lois into coming on-board, too.  Truth be told, I wish I could round up all of my blogging friends and take them with us and I would if I could ever win the Powerball but it seems like I can't even match one darn number - never mind all of them!

Anyhow, in honor of the occasion, I have put a new countdown widget on my sidebar as a reminder to myself that occasionally dreams do come true - you just have to wait a little while for them sometimes.  If anyone else wants to join us on the cruise, click on over to Bee's blog where she has graciously left all the details in a post but just be warned, she has already called Queen of the Ship so if you're hoping to be a member of the Bloggers Cruise Royalty you'll have to take a lesser position.  I believe there are plenty of openings for Lords and Ladies in Waiting but  I, for one, plan on retaining my title of Duchess of Norwich Upon the Thames.  Darn, that reminds me, I gotta get a tiara!

I gotta make a list ... !

Adventures in Florida, Part 2: Georgia On My Mind!

Shortly after the completion of Jamie's graduation ceremony in Orange Park, the new graduate and I pointed the rental car in a northwesterly direction and began the 2-hour drive to The Swamp ...

... where homemade lasagna, chianti, and new friends awaited us.  The drive up to Valdosta was a pleasant one as Jamie and I had the chance to chat when she wasn't using my iPhone to catch up with all of her friends in "the outside world"!  Ah, technology ... such a magnet to teenagers!

We arrived at Barb's beautiful home right around 5:30 where we met Barb's parents as well as Al and his wife Barbara and then later on Barb's neighbors from across the street - Mike, Peggy, and their daughter Vicky.  Such a nice group of people all the way around and there was none of that awkward first-meeting stuff going on as when you meet someone you've met through blogging it's like you've already met before and you're just picking up where you left off since the last get-together!

And of course there was Whitey who I briefly thought about trying to fit into my suitcase so that I could smuggle him out!  What a grand fellow he is and just the nicest cat ever!  And soft!  Oh my gosh is this guy soft! 

There was also Gracie who is so petite and cute and who gets along very well on that poor little leg of hers that was broken in so many places; she was such a little doll and I can fully understand how she managed to capture Barb's heart.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of Gandalf and Grayson as apparently I was suffering from heat stroke and wasn't smart enough to take pictures of a lot of things!  Matter of fact, you'll find no pictures of the delicious homemade lasagna and meatballs that Barb's mother made or much of anything else for that matter!  I'm really not quite sure where my head was but I can tell you that my camera was in the car for most of the evening!  The pictures above were all taken the next day as I took NONE at all on Saturday evening - not even with my iPhone!  Bad, bad blogger!

Anyhow, after dinner Barb and I chatted and sipped wine into the late hours until I looked at a clock and was surprised to see that it was 1:00 a.m.!   Those who read Barb's blog know that she's a very early morning person and here I was keeping her up to almost the time that she gets up!  I'm going to blame that on her, though, as she's just so darned easy to talk to and somehow the Chianti kept reappearing in my glass and well ... you know!

Finally calling it a night I slept like the proverbial rock and once I managed to drag myself out of bed at 8:00 a.m., Barb's father made us a wonderful breakfast after which I finally remembered to take some pictures!  The one above isn't exactly the best but I had to edit my fat head out of it as I had my patented stupid look on my face and I really wanted to show you what a beautiful smile Barb has rather than how goofy I looked!  The picture really doesn't do her justice!

Before packing up to head south towards Saint Augustine and the next stop on our trip, I took some pictures of the swamp behind Barb's house.  The geese and their goslings weren't there but the swamp was still beautiful regardless.

 The temperatures were already starting to creep into the 90's so it was most definitely going to be another scorcher in south Georgia but I could definitely see the allure of the area in spite of the fact that just breathing made one break out in a sweat! It rather reminded me of the time I spent in Biloxi, Mississippi when I was in the Air Force but a whole heck of a lot prettier!  Too bad I hadn't been stationed at Moody Air Force Base instead!

Following hugs good-bye and talk about getting together again sometime (perhaps when it's a bit cooler!), Jamie and I began the next leg of our journey but not before I stopped off in downtown Valdosta to take some pictures:

What can I say?  I'm a sucker for beautiful architecture and the Lowndes County Courthouse is certainly that!  The whole downtown area looked to be quite charming - not to mention empty on a hot Sunday morning - and I wished I had more time to explore but Jamie was patiently waiting in the car wearing down the battery on my iPhone again and it was time to hit the road with a cooler full of lasagna on ice that needed to arrive in West Palm Beach on Monday.

Of course, once I arrived home I just had to do a little research on the place where my former-Yankee-turned-Southern-belle blogging friend lives so here's a few fun facts about Valdosta, Georgia:

In 1837, the city of Troupville became the Lowndes county seat. When the Gulf and Atlantic Railroad decided to put a right-of-way four miles south of Troupville, the citizens of Troupville made an interesting move to ensure the future prosperity of their town – they picked it up and moved it four miles.  The town was then renamed Valdosta , in honor of “Val d’Aosta,” the plantation home of former Governor George Troup. In 1860, Valdosta was incorporated as the new seat of county government.

Valdosta’s history has been closely tied to the soil. The sandy loam allowed the city to become the inland capital for Sea Island cotton. When cotton crops were devastated by the boll weevil in the early 1900s, other crops such as pecans, peanuts, and tobacco rose in popularity.

Valdosta is the 11th largest city in Georgia .
Valdosta has a population of over 48,000+.
The composer of “Jingle Bells,” James Lord Pierpoint, was from Valdosta .
Famous gunfighter and gambler, Doc Holliday, was from Valdosta .
The Valdosta High School Wildcat football team which has won more games than any other high school in the nation has given rise to the city’s nickname — “Winnersville.”

Three For Thursday

Yesterday's plan was to get a few things accomplished before heading back to work today but alas, the only things I got done were to mow the lawn - and may I just say that I was thrilled to come home to find that the grass seed I put out last week had started to come in nicely! - and get dinner made for myself and the girls before deciding that I was just too wiped out to do much of anything else.

I did, however, manage to edit three pictures out of the way-too-many that I took - one from each of the bloggers that I met on this trip who are lovely people all!  For those of you who have never had the chance to meet anyone that you've gotten to know through blogging, what are you waiting for?  I've yet to meet anyone who wasn't nicer off of the blog page than they are on it which is no mean feat!

This first picture is Barb who resides in Georgia with Gandalf, Grayson, Whitey, and Gracie.  I'm afraid that none of the pictures that we took came out all that great but I'm going to chalk that up to the fact that I was IN the pictures and I do not photograph well for the most part.  Could be because I'm actually pretty uncomfortable having my picture taken but I try to make the occasional exception!

This next picture is the very lovely Sandy who just happened to be visiting with family in Saint Augustine the same day that Jamie and I were there - talk about a fortuitous event!  We didn't get the chance to visit anywhere near as long as I would have liked so we'll have to amend that at some point.  Her equally nice husband Dick did the honors of taking this picture.

And of course this picture needs no introduction as I think everyone knows Bee and Charlie who are just two of the nicest folks ever and are most definitely blogging royalty!  Naturally, the Flat Boys had to get into the picture also - little hams that they are!  I've been trying to decide if Sarge looks like Telly Savalas or Yul Brynner or maybe a combination of the two - either way I think he looks real good especially considering all that he's been through lately!

Once I get my act together here at home I'll tell ya'll the stories of my visits with these folks - especially about the delicious lasagna Barb's mother made and the wonderful meal that Bee cooked complete with a cherry pie but for now it's back to work ... gee, I wonder if anyone missed me??

Five on Friday - "Time For Me to Fly"

For this week's Five on Friday I decided to go with a theme based on something that I would be doing today - flying!  Not that I really wanted to be flying, mind you - I wanted to be taking a train and then I could have gone with a railroad theme for Travis' meme this week but alas, Amtrak is not high on my list of favorites right now - maybe at a future date but not for this trip!

Anyhow, as I was driving home from work Wednesday night I was trying to think of songs about flying other than "Leaving on a Jet Plane" by Peter, Paul, & Mary which just wasn't doing it for me!  Even the John Denver version wasn't appealing but luckily there are a decent number of songs out there about airplanes and flying and it ended up being easy to find five.   It's probably a pretty odd mix when you stop and look at it but that's what so fun about this meme - it can be a mixed-up mess or all one genre or group or singer or whatever you'd like!   Out of these five I'd have to say that Foo Fighters "Learn to Fly" stands out as my favorite simply because it took me forever to master it on Guitar Hero and then Michael Buble comes in a close second because he's Michael Buble and it's just such a great song!

Anyhow, as the song goes, it's time for me to fly so I'm off to Florida via a Southwest Airlines flight out of Hartford to see my baby graduate (woohoo!) and then Jamie and I will be hitting the highways and byways of Florida to meet up with an assortment of blogging friends - Barb in Valdosta just north of the Florida border whose Mom has made lasagna!; Sandy in Saint Augustine who is fortunately going to be there on the same day we are!; Charlie & Bee in West Palm Beach where I'm going to have loads of hugs and some lasagna to deliver provided the lasagna doesn't get sidetracked on its way from Georgia!; and finally Lyn who is a lovely lady and an avid bicyclist down in Fort Lauderdale where we'll be flying out of to return to Connecticut on Tuesday.

Amanda and Tesla are going to hold the fort down here at home with the aid of friends Jason & Amy if need be and I'm sure they'll do just fine in my absence.   I promise to take lots of pictures (you wouldn't think otherwise, would you?) but posting may be sketchy if at all as I'm only taking the NetBook with me "just in case" and anything else will be done via iPhone. 

Ya'll (see? I'm practicing for being down South!) try to behave yourselves while I'm gone but if you can't do that, at least have fun!

Hunting the Ghosts of Gettysburg

Following the completion of Edgar Allan Poe's funeral service (featured in the post below) on Sunday evening, the girls and I headed northwest to Pennsylvania and Gettysburg - one of my very favorite places in the country. I've been to Gettysburg several times in the past (the first time being back in the late 1970's when I was stationed at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey) and each and every time it has fascinated and awed me. There's really no good way to describe the feeling I have at the National Battlefield and the area surrounding it and I wanted to share that with Amanda and Darci in the hopes that perhaps they, too, would come to understand and appreciate some of the struggles our country has gone through to become the Nation that it is. I honestly don't believe that there is a more hallowed ground anywhere despite the fact that Gettysburg - sadly - is not anywhere near the only battlefield in this country.

The last time I was at Gettysburg was with my cousin Amy back in May of 2002 and the time before that she and I had gone down with my son, Michael, shortly after he had graduated from high school. Initially Michael had that typical teenage are-you-kidding-me kind of attitude but that changed after we were there for awhile. Consequently this wasn't my first journey to Gettysburg with teenagers in tow and I was hoping that my previous experience would help out if they got to the are-you-kidding-me stage.

As Poe's funeral ended up running almost 2-1/2 hours, it was pitch black by the time we arrived in Gettysburg after 8:00 so consequently the girls had no idea what the countryside around us looked like. We drove through town and out to our hotel - the Quality Inn that is on the site of General Lee's former headquarters across from the Lutheran Theological Seminary - site of the first of the three days' fighting in Gettysburg.

I'd always wanted to stay there and it was a lovely hotel (probably the best one of our whole trip). After checking out the room and putting our stuff away, we drove to the Pizza Hut just down the road a bit and fortified ourselves with stuffed crust pizza before moving on to the rest of our agenda for the night - a ghost hunt with a blogging buddy of mine from Virginia!

This is Patty and she writes the blog Autumn's Meadow as well as A Haunting We Will Go. I knew from reading her blog that Patty had planned to be in Gettysburg in October with her husband Dean and I was lucky that it turned out to be the same time that the girls and I were going to be there. Patty is an amateur ghost-hunter so I knew I'd finally be able to go on one of the many ghost tours that Gettysburg is famous for. There is no way on God's green earth that my cousin Amy would ever go on one with me when we were there but it was something I had always wanted to do. The girls were pretty excited about it, too, as the walk that we were going on was touted as an actual ghost hunt with actual ghost hunting equipment like night vision sensors, infrared viewers, thermal sensor digital recorders, EVP meters, and that sort of stuff. We weren't just going to walk around and be told scary stories - we were going in search of some ghosts!

After checking in at the Farnsworth House, one of the more famous spots for ghost tours in Gettysburg, we gathered out front with about 15 other people waiting for our guide, Gwen, to finish guzzling half a bottle of Coke before we headed out into the night. Apparently she'd had a long day and was in desperate need of caffeine which then gave her a desperate case of the giggles. The girls liked Gwen but I thought she was kind of a ditz and could have done a better job explaining to us how the equipment worked. Thankfully Patty and Dean had a pretty good idea of the technology involved so after being divided into groups, off we went in search of some of the supernatural.

The area that we were taken to is known as The Grove, one of the most haunted areas on the battlefield which is located on the northernmost territory of Cemetery Ridge. Gwen gave us a brief run-down of what transpired during the fighting in the area on the second day of battle involving the Louisiana Fighting Tigers who had a reputation as being some of the fiercest, hardest-fighting, assault troops in General Lee's army. She pointed out what spots would be best for our hunt then plunked herself down on a rock to smoke cigarettes while we wandered around in the dark being careful not to trip over dark roots or any of the walnuts lying around!

While everyone else in our tour group headed out across the school fields towards a lake behind the trees underneath which bodies supposedly lie; Dean, Patty, Darci, Amanda, and I headed towards the woods at the foot of Cemetery Ridge.

While everyone else tried out the high-tech equipment, I took a camera and just started snapping pictures in the dark to see if I captured any interesting orbs or the like. Generally speaking, you've got no idea what you may or may not have gotten in the picture until you get the chance to upload them to a computer. In the shot above, if you look carefully you can see a small orb in the left corner in a small patch of night sky. It looks solid enough to be an actual orb and not a bit of dust (which produces orbs that are generally translucent). Also, it was close to midnight and as it was pretty cold and damp, I don't think there was a whole lot of dust flying around out there. I could be wrong, of course!

In the pictures above, Amanda and Patty use some of the newer ghost-hunting equipment and Amanda and Darci also took turns using the dowsing rods - not a piece of new-fangled technology but the oldest form of divination known to man - to "talk" to any spirits that happened to be in the area. Darci had a pretty good "conversation" going on for awhile before we moved over to the area behind the bleachers where, during excavation to build them, several bodies were found. Eventually 59 bodies were recovered in the area but there were supposed to be 60 and no one knows what happened to the last one. Gwen had told us to pay particular attention to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th areas of the bleachers ...

We never did get over to the lake where everyone else was still hunting around but in an area just east of the bleachers, Amanda got the following picture of what looks like some sort of mist forming right in front of her as well as an orb at the top.

I should point out that Gwen had told us to take pictures in groups of three and in the other two shots that Amanda took of this same area, there wasn't even a smudge. This one you could see while it was still in the camera, too, so there was no waiting to get back to upload the pictures. I was walking right next to Amanda when she took this and I can vouch for the fact that there was nothing there at the time that I could see with my naked eye - no breath condensation, no one walking in front of her - nothing.

In this picture, Dean and I were walking back across the field towards the rocks where Gwen was sitting and Amanda decided to snap a couple pictures. For some reason she really likes strange angles - well, either that or it was too dark for her to see where she had the camera pointed! I'm not sure whether Dean and I are walking through a field of dust or a group of orbs but either way I thought it was interesting and it looks like there might be one or two "legitimate" orbs floating around. I do remember feeling like "wow, it just got really cold" when we were walking back and a slight sense of unease so maybe this explains why.

Following our "hunt" we all gathered back together and walked back to the Farnsworth House were Gwen offered to come back out and talk to people after she had changed into her street clothes if they were so inclined. Both Amanda and Darci wanted to stay so even though it was way past midnight and getting chilly, we all hung around for a bit to chat.

As the girls sat on the steps, Patty and I sat in a couple of the chairs that were on the porch but as we were sitting there I just kept getting colder and colder and felt like there was a cold breeze blowing even though the night air was totally still. I asked Patty if she felt the same thing and she said she did while no one else who was gathered around Gwen (who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the sidewalk with her pet ferret) felt all that cold or noticed any wind. Finally Patty and I got up and walked over closer to where everyone else was and I decided to turn around and snap a couple of pictures of the chairs that we were sitting in ...

Patty had been in the white chair while I occupied the brown rocking chair next to her and what should be between the two chairs but a very solid orb? In the second picture, it's obviously not there. Hmmm ...

So, was our ghost-hunting adventure a success or a flop? If a success means that we got some 'strange' things on pictures, felt some 'strange' things, and even caught the occasional whiff of pipe tobacco and the like then I'd say that "yes, it was". Also, considering that both girls had a really good time and had to be dragged back to the hotel at 1:30 in the morning then yes, it was definitely a success!

I wish we'd had more time to spend with Patty and Dean but Monday was going to be a whirlwind tour of the battlefield for the girls and I before heading to Lancaster that evening to put Darci on a train to Philadelphia and Patty and Dean had plans of their own. However, I've told Patty that we definitely need to meet again and do some more exploring of the area - next time without an overly-caffeinated, bubblehead of a tour guide who spent more time giggling than anything else. The National Battlefield doesn't close until 10:00 at night so perhaps we can head out to the Valley of Death and a haunting we will go!

Be Very, Very Jealous!

Amanda and I will be heading back to Connecticut today and home sweet home via what I hope is a road less traveled by everyone else (is there such a thing in the Northeast?) but I just had to write a quick post about our dinner last night with the two very nicest people in Pennsylvania -

This is Mark and his gorgeous wife Lisa - known to a lot of us in the blogosphere as Star - with whom Amanda and I spent a wonderful three hours at dinner last night. If you think that Lisa is nice on her blog, you really need to meet her in person and hubby Mark is all that she says he is and then some! What a lovely couple - so in love and expecting their first little bundle of joy (Megan was there, too, you just can't see her!). I stick by what I've said in the past, bloggers are some of the most wonderful people EVER!

I've got more pictures to share a little later on but I wanted to get these two up before we hit the road again just to tell you what a wonderful time we had and how happy I am that Mark & Lisa took the time to drive up from their home about an hour away to spend time with a couple of travelers passing through their area. Seriously, if you're ever around Scranton, be sure to arrange a meeting - you'll be glad you did!

Oh, and for those wondering - yes, hugs were given all around in spite of my reputation for being non-huggable!

Travel Plans

First and foremost, if you get a chance please meander on over to my friend Jeni's blog at Down River Drivel and wish the old seasoned gal a very happy 65th birthday. She had told me yesterday that she was going to more or less just ignore the day but I told her that birthdays were meant to be celebrated and not ignored. Jeni - and everyone else - can ignore them when they're dead and buried but if you're still on this side of the dirt - celebrate!!

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, our upcoming road-trip this weekend is going to be a bit longer and cover a bigger expanse of places than past ones have as I'm trying to turn it into an actual vacation and not just a jaunt down to Baltimore and back. Amanda and I were supposed to be flying out to Southern California with our friend Amy and her mother at the end of the month to spend Halloween in Los Angeles but - without going into too many details - Amy and her somewhat famous rock star sister had a bit of a falling out and the trip was canceled. Amanda had really been looking forward to it and was understandably disappointed so we moved to Plan B which was Poe's funeral. Amy was originally going to go with us on this trip but couldn't get her time off from work adjusted so now it's just myself, Amanda, and Darci - again.

I'm actually taking four shifts off from work which gives me until next Thursday off so after we attend the funeral on Sunday afternoon, we're heading northwest to Pennsylvania and Gettysburg National Battlefield which is only a little over an hour from Baltimore. After we get settled into our hotel there, it's off to the Farnsworth House for one of Gettysburg's famous ghost walks on Sunday night and then we'll spend as much time as possible on Monday covering at least the highlights of the battlefield. Neither Amanda nor Darci have ever been to Gettysburg (and Darci is a history nut) but they're both looking forward to it. Plans also include meeting up with a blogging friend who is spending a few days at Gettysburg with her husband; we may actually meet up at the ghost walk if things work out right.

Monday evening after I've bored the girls to death with all things Civil War, we'll be driving over to Lancaster to put Darci on an Amtrak train back to Philadelphia as her father doesn't want her missing school on Tuesday and then Amanda and I will spend the night somewhere in Dutch Country. I haven't made definite plans on just where yet (though I'm leaning towards the Strasburg area) but I hope to have that nailed down by Friday afternoon. Tuesday will be spent touring as much of the Amish countryside as possible, including one of those delicious Pennsylvania Dutch Country restaurants, before heading north to the Wilkes-Barre area where plans call for meeting up with another blogger and her husband who live in the general area.

Tuesday night will be spent either in the Wilkes-Barre or Scranton area depending on where I decide we're going to hang our hats and then I'm hoping for a nice leisurely drive back to Connecticut either through the area of the Delaware Water Gap or further north depending on the weather and the amount of foliage. Of course I'd like to try to find the most scenic route if possible and if that involves staying off of the major roadways for awhile, I wouldn't mind that in the least as I'm sure I'll have spent more than enough time on major highways and could use the break! I'm hoping to be back in Norwich at a reasonable hour Wednesday evening so Amanda can go back to school and I can go back to work on Thursday - much to what will be, I'm sure, both of our disappointments!

Obviously Amanda is going to miss two days of school but I figure she was going to miss that if we went to California later in the month anyway and she's promised to get any assignments she's going to need from her teachers ahead of time. Come to think of it, I need to remind her of that!

In an effort to get somewhat more organized for our upcoming road-trip than I have been for the last couple, I'm going to try to spend tomorrow doing some packing so I'm not scrambling around wondering what I forgot at the last minute - again. Considering we plan on leaving Connecticut at the god-awful hour of 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, I really need to be ready to go ahead of time as "scrambling" isn't even my dictionary for that time of the morning - including when it comes to eggs! However, I figure that time should get us through New York City and well down the Jersey Turnpike before traffic becomes an issue - I hope!!

After we get home from this trip I'm going to try to stay put for a little while though I've also got plans in the works to attend the Annual Lantern Tour in Derby, Connecticut on October 24th with my friend the Princess Patti and her hubby Ralph - two wonderful bloggers and Nutmeggers I've had the pleasure of spending time with in the past; a trip to Fort Adams in Rhode Island with my cousin on the 23rd; and it also looks like Amanda and I will be heading to Salem, Massachusetts with Amy and Jason for Halloween. So ... maybe I'll stay home next weekend??

Dining With Royalty

Saturday was what one could call a perfect New England day - the weather was absolutely beautiful with moderate temperatures, no humidity to speak of, and a big blue sky full of beautiful white puffy clouds that just cried out to have their pictures taken. Well, at least to me they did!

The day was made even more perfect as I got to meet some fellow bloggers for an early dinner - the Princess Patti of Late Bloomer Boomer and her entourage, Prince Ralph and Lady A! Patti and I had been talking about getting together again ever since our first meeting last March with Mimi, the Queen of Memes, who designated us both to be Blogging Royalty at that time. Even though she didn't have her scepter with her and have us kneel to accept our royal titles, I believe that we are still legitimate Blogging Royalty and certainly do our best to act as such when out in public places!

Patti and Ralph live somewhat to the south and west of me and even though we had talked of meeting somewhere in the middle, it ended up being a lot closer to my part of Connecticut as we decided to meet at the Olive Garden in Waterford. Princess Patti and Prince Ralph set out along with Lady A in their Royal Ride with the goal of reaching our designated dining area at 4:00 p.m. but alas, Interstate 95 Northbound ended up being more of a parking lot than a highway so they were running a bit late. After Patti called me on her cell phone to advise me that they were running late, I went into the restaurant and gave the hostess my name along with our table requirements as Ralph is disabled and has an electric chair. I had a feeling the place was going to start to fill up fast as good dining options are at a premium on Saturday nights and I was pretty sure that people would start pouring in soon.

After speaking to the hostess who assured me they would have a nice table waiting for us when the rest of the Royal Party arrived I went back outside and took up a spot on one of the wrought iron benches they have out front and decided to take a few more pictures of the clouds. The moon was starting to come out a little bit so I was trying in vain to get a picture of it also. At that point one of the waiters who was going into work walked by and asked "New toy?" in reference to my camera. I had to laugh as I answered him as my camera is definitely not new though it's most definitely a favorite toy!

Shortly thereafter my dining partners arrived and after being introduced to Prince Ralph and the Lady A, we adjourned to our table in the corner - in the back. It was almost as if they knew that we were bloggers and they wanted to give us some privacy in an area away from everyone else! How thoughtful! Of course, like any good blogger does in this sort of situation, we all whipped out our cameras and started taking pictures! Here you can see Prince Ralph and Lady A doing their best to emulate Queen Mimi!

I'm afraid I don't have any pictures of myself and Princess Patti as we were sitting on the same side of the table and it seemed somewhat rude to shove a camera in her face. I do believe that some pictures were taken from the other side of the table, though, and those might show up on Late Bloomer Boomer or Airhead 55, which is the blog of Prince Ralph. I don't believe that Lady A has been bitten by the blogging bug yet but she's probably got her hands full going into her third year of college where she's majoring in history. Now there's a girl right after my heart; I would love to have majored in history! Also, for the record, I thought that Lady A looked strikingly like her mother and had her warm wonderful smile, too. Of course sitting right next to her father, you could see the family resemblance there, too. Along with that she was polite and nice and intelligent and seemed like a wonderful daughter - what a joy she must be to Ralph and Patti!

Dinner began with an offer from the waitress to sample some wine so Prince Ralph had a nice Reisling while Princess Patti and I opted for a Pinot Gregio. It was very tasty but not having had anything to eat for quite some time, I could feel even that slight little bit going to my head. Good grief, am I ever a cheap drunk! Once our dinners arrived and I got some solid food into my stomach, I settled down nicely and don't think I did anything too embarrassing in the interim like dance on the table or break out into a rousing rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon"! If I did, then I truly apologize for actions unbecoming royalty!

This good looking plate of food is my Chicken Parmesan

while Patti had ordered the Garlic Grilled Shrimp with vegetables.

Naturally when dinner arrived we all took out our cameras for pictures before digging in - even Lady A who is definitely a blogger-in-training!

Following our very tasty meals and a lot of good conversation, we split two servings of a really delicious tiramisu between the four of us while Ralph had what looked like a very yummy cappucino and Patti and I had coffee - very hot coffee! As soon as Patti took a sip of hers she had to spit it back out as it was so scolding hot that it burnt her tongue. Thankfully it wasn't so bad that she was lisping for the rest of the evening but it was easy to see that it definitely hurt. I wonder if they could write "Warning! Coffee may be scalding!" on the inside of the coffee cups along with the other writing that's there? Of course, if it's in Italian not too many of us would know what it says but still ... might save someone else from burning the beejeebers out of their tongue!

After dinner, I followed the Royal Family out to the parking lot to take a look at their Royal Ride which is quite the noble steed! With the way his conversion van is set up with his chair lift and such, Ralph can get in and out of the vehicle very efficiently and safely even when he's on his own. It's quite large inside and is very useful when it comes to hauling large objects around as well as stacking as much stuff as possible in for a dump run! The van also comes well-equipped with a bevy of bears in all shapes and sizes! Hey - they make great traveling companions when Prince Ralph is out and about on his own!

After talking for awhile longer in the parking lot with Patti and I both attempting to take some decent shots of the half moon that was glowing above us, it was agreed that our next meeting should be at their royal estate in Ansonia where I could meet the boys - Linus and Rigby - and tour a little bit of what that part of Connecticut has to offer. That sounds like a wonderful idea to me - I'm thinking it would be very pretty there when the leaves change in the fall.

Prince Ralph and Lady A - it was a pleasure meeting the both of you! As for you Princess Patti, you are just as wonderful as I remember you to be from March! I look forward to spending more time with you all in the future!