Paradise: day 4

"Whatcha got there?"

 

It's an origami parrot, and I made it!!! My first niece had joined me briefly at breakfast, as the rest of her group were still asleep. It was after 10 AM! I was dining with a Jamaican couple. Then she came up and they talked about being parents and teaching and her being a Pisces. Their teen daughter joined us, too. Then Christina left to wake the family, and I went down to the Euphoria to watch more of the Jimmy Buffett concert.

 

"Well, it looks like you had 'Arts & Crafts' today."

 

I did!!! Jason had already started showing some others how to make the folds. He backed up to show me and the others had a chance to repeat. I was the first to get the knack for the little legs!

 

"Joe Guy would have been pleased as punch with you!"

 

I know, right? I even showed the others how to hold the parrot so he looked like he was perched on your finger.

 

"And just where are y'all?"

 

The ship is docked at Freeport, Bahamas. I thought it was funny that the sand mounds looked like the snow-capped mountains in Marcia's pics of Alaska! That's where she was last week. 

 

"Ummm... is that a duck??"

 

It is! A Lady Liberty rubber duck! That's the first duck I've found on Paradise, and I only have the one Jesus. The girls have gotten quite a collection of ducks!

 

"Hahaha! I see that the room steward made you a duck, too!"

 

Mohamed said he was inspired by the ducks I had on my little nightstand. Isn't that sweet of him? I refer to this as "having my ducks in a row". Nice to have another inside joke!

 

"Yes, dear."

 

The tiny duck is one Chloe gave me, and the one wearing shades belongs to Anthony. Chloe had been playing with it nonstop at dinner last night, so I put it in my pocket. I gave it back to him tonight, and gave her the Jesus she found on the ship. It has a red sash.

 

Christina's quartet missed the origami session, as they were at breakfast. But when they all joined me for the onslaught of trivia games at the Euphoria Lounge, her hair was different! It was loose earlier, at coffee with me. Mine had been different, too, in just the one braid on top of my head. Now, with no coordination at all, we both had twin braids, down low!!! That's how Mama wore her hair, too, when I was growing up! 

 

"That's very cool! Y'all's telepathing link is still working! Hooray!"

 

Right? I had changed my hair when I put the green parrot in my cabin.

 

"I wondered when you got the pigtails. Now, talk to me about the trivia."

 

There were only the three, but they were right in a row! First was "Landmark Landshark Trivia" with Jason hosting. I got 15 out of 20; Christina had 17. Mohammed hosted the next two games. "Slogan Trivia" went pretty far back for some of it's 'mercial jingles, but I still managed to score 15 out of 21. I'll take that, gladly! She did better again, of course. The last game was "Guess The Young Celebrity Trivia", and I absolutely sucked at that! I think I had 5 correct out of 14. Yikes! She did better than me again, but neither of us won any of those. That's okay, we still had fun!

 

"And what did Miyah and Chloe do during that time?"

 

A woman with a bag of little ducks gave the bag to the girls, as well as the children in the family from Nicaragua, and asked that they hide them for her. The kids were only too glad to do so!!! LOL!!! That's how I got that teensy blue one.

  

"Great googly moogly! LOL!!!"

 

After all that, we bounced back to Deck 10 for lunch. I went to Frank & Lola's Pizzeria and had an entire Paradise Pepperoni pizza!!! So delicious!!! She got Cheeseburgers for her and the girls... and none of them liked them. They weren't "like Mom's" - hahahaha! Nothing wrong with the chocolate ice cream, though, and they each ate every bit of that! Then they went down to 4024 to change into swimsuits. I headed up to Deck 11, to the License To Chill pool, and snagged a table for us, then relaxed and grooved to the music of DJ Decibels as the "Sail Away Party" began. Ah!!!

 

There was just one snag... I never saw them come up.

Maybe I was too busy singing along with the music, or watching the tugboat that escorted out of the harbor...

or maybe it was because they exited the elevator on the other side of the ship than they usually did.

I waited for them for almost an hour, then I went back inside.

Emmanuel was strumming his guitar again in Euphoria, so I hung out there with him.

I knew they would eventually show up for dinner.

When the Philippine guitarist saw me, he played "Pretty Woman", again - nice of him to do that!

I sang along, of course!

And, sure enough, I caught my girl and her peeps when they showed up for Fins Dining!

However, it was already 7 PM and there was a dinner rush.

We were given a pager and then waited at least 30 minutes for a table. 

Then the maitre d' took us the long way around in the vast dining hall, with Christina speeding along pushing Anthony in the wheelchair as he was too slow with his hands on the wheels.

I could not keep up...

and the sun was setting...

and I didn't want to miss this final sunset on Paradise.

So I left.

I took the elevator to Deck 11, then walked past the pool to the open metal staircase that led to the 12th floor, with nothing but open, darkening, sky above me.

That's where I remained for the next thirty minutes, enjoying the music and the soft sea breeze and that lone star (upper left corner) as the sun kissed the world good night on its rouged cheek.

Yes, others were out there, too, but they were staying in the moment, as was I.

Bliss...

even though it meant I missed dinner.

Renewed in spirit, I knew it was time to head for the Stars On The Water Theatre to snag a table!

Mohammed, the emcee, had said to hit him up for a seat, so I did, getting a fourth row table in the reserved section.

Then Auntie Terry saw me and moved me up to the front row, right where we all sat that first night!

No extra charge to gaze up at Tevin the steel pan man and that scrim of parrots!

Just before the 9:30 PM show time, Christina and her merry band joined me, just in time for the "tourists" checking out the "fishing shack". 

LOL!!!

A fish go snagged and flew up past them, making us all laugh out loud!

What a fun way to start off "Caribbean Heat"!!! 

More music, more acobatics, more twirling on the Luna!

With all the music being played on stage, some of my favorite Bob Marley tunes got mixed in there, too.

I managed to catch the scrim for "Three Little Birds" before they flew off!!!

"Singing, don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing is gonna be all right, yes, don't worry, about a thing..."

I just love that song!!! 

Then the show was over... but not the fun!

 

Mohammed was there on camera duty, taking photos of folks with the cast after the last twirls had been done and the last notes were played.

Such patience he had!

He had to traipse over to the right to get the person's phone, go and get in the middle to live up the shot, then given them their phone back...

over and over and over!

Miyah and Chloe were the first to get their photos taken, then they went over to Auntie Terry and burst into tears while hugging her...

oh, poor dears!!!

She even had tears in her eyes!

But that wasn't the last time we saw her... oh, no!

Even though it was already after 10:30 PM, we headed over to the Euphoria.

 

That's because Cruise Director Terry was the emcee for the game show, "Lip Sync Or Swim" and we had been invited to come!

Christina even managed to grab us some chairs, as the former occupants were up there trying to win free margaritas... or a free cruise!

The game ended in a tie, with both men winning cruises - wow!

Then the girls went up to dance with Terry, and get one more hug, before going back to the cabin to pack and sleep.

Me?

I found out the pizza joint on Deck 10 was still open, so there I went!

It was too late to eat it tonight, but the two slices of Paradise Pepperoni would be perfect for a quiet breakfast tomorrow.

And when I returned to 4089, I still had time to pack my suitcase and sit it outside the door for pickup.

i thank you, God!

Paradise: day 1

"That looks like a cruise ship!"

So it does! That's because it's Paradise, one of the Margaritaville At Sea vessels, and it was our destination there at the Port of Palm Beach, Florida. That was my first view of it, from the jump seat in Christina's van. Anthony had driven us the seven hours down yesterday, to West Palm Beach, then she drove us to the port this morning for our noon-1 PM boarding time.

Here is my first niece, with me, waiting our turn outside the Port terminal. 

"And just where are you? I'm not seeing you in this photo. Is she talking to you?" 

Actually, she is! You can see my reflection in the window, over her left shoulder. That's him in front of her.

"LOL! Are they wearing matching shirts?!?"

You betcha! The girls have on matching outfits, too, though in muted peach tones. Really cute, too, as you'll see later.

That was us, about 11:30 AM. Two hours later, there she comes up the gangplank! You can see him trailing behind her with his dad's walker. 

"Why did it take that long for them to board?"

There was some snafu with their paperwork, so they called her back. I waited for about fifteen or twenty minutes for them to come. I tried to get the girls in the shot, but they moved too quickly! LOL!

The cabins weren't quite ready yet, so everyone was encouraged to go to Deck 10, mid-ship, to have lunch. They didn't have to tell us twice!

"Let me guess. You've got Jimmy Buffett's cheeseburger in Paradise!"

So close! It's actually without the American cheese, but with plenty of pickles. The dining area is called Cheeseburger In Paradise, of course. Great grilled burger!

They all chose other options in the High Tides Market to munch. With six areas there that are included in our ticket, there are so many choices, from pizza to deli sandwiches to international dishes! Plus, of course, ice cream.

"Did you remember to bring Lactaid pills?"

Oh, yeah!

"What's this map for?" 

It's on the wall of every stateroom, showing the ports we can visit. 

Our cruise is the 4-Night Bahamas Duo, as we'll have stops at Nassau and Freeport. My cabin is 4089, on the Coral Reef deck, and is Ocean view. I love it! I'm hoping to see stars outside the porthole very night!

"Oh, that will be lovely!!! But what's with the magnets from your fridge?"

They're for my cabin door, so I can easily find it in that long hallway. There's even a fb group for this cruise and they had nice hints like that one. Christina turned me on to that!

It was 5 PM before I had access to them, as I had to wait for my bag to be delivered. That was fine, as we had the "Sail Away Party" on Deck 11, mid-ship, by the License To Chill Pool, to keep us busy! That's the Fusion Groove band on the stage - they were awesome! Such a large repertoire they had! I even danced to The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights", as I just can't resist that song!!! I even had a woman come up to me after and tell me what a great dancer I was! That is still so nice to hear!

"Wow, good to hear that even with the hitch in your giddy-up you still got it, girl!"

Just a little bit. I knew to stay away from the line dances. Christina joined those, though, and even had the girls come and join her for the Conga line! And when they asked for folks for the "Strong Woman" contest during the party, she jumped to be in it!

She even won a free beer just for holding that stein out there during "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"! 

"And where were Miyah and Chloe during all this dancing and such?"

They were already in their swimsuits, so you know they were in the pool! Christina let them stay for an hour or so, until the party ended. Then they bounced down to Deck 4, Forward, to their cabin to change for dinner.

We went fancy, choosing Fins Dining. Can you believe they've never experienced white-tablecloth restaurants?

"I don't doubt it. Having children doesn't much allow that in the budget."

Hey, wanna hear something funny? We all read the title as "Fine Dining"! That gives us a little inside joke for this family vacation!

I chose Cuban crab cakes to start, then Jerk Chicken, with Key Lime Sponge Cake to finish. Let me just say this: that dessert is at the top of my list for next time! That's toasted marshmallow on its left - yum!

"Oh, that does sound totally delish!!! Tart and sweet, together! I wonder it willl be on the menu again?"

I certainly hope so. Oh, remember I said the girls were dressed in matching outfits? Well, there they are... and them being so cute snagged us front row seats at a reserved table! That's in the Stars On The Water Theatre, on Decks 8 & 9 Forward. We'd come early, hoping for good seats for the "Nassau Nights Variety Show". We couldn't have gotten any better than these! We had songs and dances and even aerial work on silks!!! Wow!!!

"Wow!! What a great ending for your first day!!!"

Magnificent, just magnificent!!! Sweet dreams for all tonight!

 

blonde roots + anesthesia = inside joke

"What's that dear? I'm guessing it must be tied in with your colonoscopy earlier today. Am I close?"

Oh, you're almost spot on! See, Dr. Craig's office recommended that I wear something that would be easy to put on after the procedure. Knowing that my first niece would be in charge of me, I decided to put her in charge of my ID, too. That's because I wanted to wear my flowing green dress, which has zero pockets.

"You mean she lost your stuff??"

Oh, no, Christina Ann is actually responsible for me finally finding it! We were sitting in the parking lot at the Carey Hilliard's on Skidaway, in her van, during a rainstorm. That was after spending at least 30 minutes in my driveway, pulling everything out from under her front seats, pulling every little thing out of the center console, even searching the back seat. The little 'wallet' in which I keep my ID and such was nowhere to be found. That's why we had returned to the restaurant, to check the ground, to check inside to see if it had been turned in. After we had exhausted every possibility, she looked under the passenger visor - nope, not there. In the glovebox? Nope. What the fresh hell??? Then she asked, "Do you think it might be in your bra?" So I stuck my hand in there... and there it was.

"Seriously? You didn't remember putting it there? Girl, that's hilarious!"

(Sigh) All my anesthesia brain remembered was that my left thumb had held the 'wallet' on top of my to-go box. I'd placed it all - or so I thought - in that center console while I got settled in the passenger seat. The next thing I knew, I looked on top of the to-go box and my 'wallet' was gone. I was sure it would turn up inside the console!

"Wow."

It wasn't until my hand touched it in my bra that I remembered, oh so dimly, placing it there so it wouldn't get knocked off the box. Why I hadn't put it with my keys in the side door pocket I have no idea. I felt like such a blonde, even though those blonde roots have been invisible for decades.

"And how did she react?"

She didn't laugh at me, so that was good. She did give me some grief about it, though, once we got back to my house. It's our inside joke now. "Is your wallet in your bra?" "Did you check your bra?"

"She's such good people."

Yes, she is. She's only just now left. I ate some blueberry yogurt, with some of those wild blueberries from Georgetown, to help get my gastrointestinal tract back into working order. That SuPrep has had murky yellow liquid making its way out of me at odd times. I think some fiber is in order for dinner. Let me see if I can find something along those lines. Then it'll be an early bedtime this evening.

"That sounds like a winner. Sweet dreams, dear." 

not going lytely this time around

Not that I've been given a choice about which colonoscopy preparation solution I would like to toss down my gullet today.

Maybe things have changed since I last had this exploration for polyps and the solution will actually be tasty.

Somehow, I doubt it.

I think it's more a matter of different doctors having their own preferences.

Dr. Craig prescribed the SuPrep solution, so that's what the pharmacists in Charleston has sent for me.

This is to be taken twice, not once.

The first time will be at 5 PM, though I somehow doubt it will seem like a 'happy hour' cocktail.

One of the 8-ounce bottles will go into the mixing container, to be added to 8 ounces of water, then drunk.

Another two 16-ounce volumes of water are to be drunk within an hour.

Then, tomorrow, I get to repeat all that at 5 AM. 

Oh, joy.

I've already been peeing more than usual, as I haven't had anything solid to eat since dinner yesterday.

That was a delicious 'big salad' (as 'Elaine' of "Seinfeld" would order), with lots of tuna, using the Publix Makoto Honey Ginger package.

Truly was marvelous! 

Ten years ago, I drank the Go Lytely stuff and then rode the shuttle from the Savannah VA Center to the Ralph Johnson VA Hospital in Charleston, where I had the colonoscopy as well as the surgery for the carpal tunnel in my left hand.

Christina was up in Summerville, South Carolina, visiting her boyfriend, so she came to the hospital to pick me up and bring me home to Savannah.

Amazingly, she will be coming to my rescue again on Monday!

She'll be dropping off her girls for their annual camp at the Fresh Air Home at Tybee Beach, so she won't need to make a special trip to town.

i thank You, God.

And what shall I do to pass the time today in between trips to void my bladder and my intestinal tract?

Well, Comcast has given me a $1 movie rental, and I chose "Merrily We Roll Along", a musical from last year - hooray!

It's based on the eponymous Stephen Sondheim musical from 1981.

I've already watched it once and am quite pleased with Daniel Radcliffe's work.

No wonder he won a Tony for that role in 2023 when the musical was revived on Broadway - good for him!

I already had an item to help the time pass, though: a baseball game!

This will pit the Savannah Bananas against the Savannah Party Animals.

The venue is Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon... LOL!

Why does that make me giggle?

Well, it will be one of those right place, right time moments for me.

My first husband, Keith Schiller, called that town his home and I got to visit it, for the first and only time, when we returned to the States from Galeta Island in Panama.

Wouldn't it be funny if he was there watching the game, too?

Hahahaha!

saying "SUMMER!!!" with Sven and Olaf!

 

Here the three of us are, 

mouths wide open 

for that first syllable!

 

'Sven' is brought to life by the very talented Trey Wilner, and I thank him for giving me the strength to have my photo taken on the Starcastle stage.

Had it been anyone else, I might well have abstained.

 

Between the still-healing scab on my right cheek and the enormous bruise on my upper left arm from the ER visit, I've been feeling more self-conscious about my looks.

 

However, I'm trying to not let those temporary blemishes interfere with my social calendar.

 

How crazy would it be if I let those physical issues, like the above or my still-halting gait from the hitch in my giddy-up, detract from maintaining my mental and emotional health? 

 

Hence the partial reason for me being at the matinee today of "Disney's Frozen: The Broadway Musical"!

The real reason, of course, is my upcoming birthday, as this has long been planned as part of my bday8 celebration.

 

Above, 'Olaf' (Brett Bowling) stands with 'Anna' (a delightfully ditzy Camryn Cothran) and 'Elsa' (Isabella Schmitz, whose voice soars!) and someone's mom.

 

Here, 'Prince Hans' (the ever-handsome Desmond Chaney) poses with a fan, while others chat up the two princesses after their photo session.

The only photo I wanted was with the reindeer and the snowman, and I patiently waited for all the line of children to have their turn after the show.

 

That meant that I missed seeing all the other cast members in the lobby, so I didn't get my hug with Danielle this show.

 

I'm sure she understood.

 

I'll have to share with her my "inside joke" reason for this photo, which I call "reaching for the mustache"!!!

 

See the face in the painting?

It resembles an aging Italian.

The receding forehead in the hairline, 

the bushy mustache covering up the lips, 

the blue eyes...

see it?

I don't know if the volunteer set painters did the design on purpose or if serendipity had a hand in guiding the paintbrushes, but every colonnade featured the face.

I wonder if anyone at Savannah Children's Theatre has noticed...

or maybe it's just me, and my cockeyed sense of humor?

Perhaps I'll see it again and conduct a survey?

But I'll do so after the musical, so no one is distracted by the mustache.

(smile!)

two by two for the a*list to finish april

 

That's partly due to the AMC 11 not having enough new movies.

Wait, let me amend that statement.

It isn't that they had no new films, but most were horror movies.

Nope!

If only they had been more like that one, I would have gone.

As for the two movies in my A*List this week, those are shown above.

"Michael" was about the King of Pop, and follows him from his childhood days as part of the Jackson 5 up through his heydays in the 1980's.

He would have been in his 20's then, just like me.

This year, he would have been 68 years old, just like me.

However, he died in June of 2009, two months before his 51st birthday.

I admit to liking the latter half of the movie more so than the first half.

I'd liked watching the family performing on TV in the film, as it brought back memories of watching those same exact scenes when I was a kid, too.

However, the music from the 1980's was fabulous, made even more so by the actor portraying him.

That was his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, son of Jermaine Jackson.

I thought it was nice to have someone related to MJ playing that role.

As for "Over Your Dead Body", I saw that purely because of Jason Segel.

I had always liked him in "How I Met Your Mother", but I started outright loving him after "Forgetting Sarah Marshall".

What deadpan comedic chops he has!!

The movie has a couple who've gone to a cabin in the woods as a vacation, though their real intent is to kill each other.

That goes out the window when three murderous fugitives go after them and the couple end up defending each other against the outsiders.

Really has a lot of laughs mixed in with the action!

Both were seen on Tina Tuesday as a double header.

The week before, I only saw two movies with my A*List, and those were also as a double feature for that Tina Tuesday.

No, I don't have a photo for that, as I somehow forgot to take one.

The first of that duo was "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie".

That featured Mario and Luigi venturing into outer space with Princess Peach to rescue Princess Rosalina.

As far as I know, the two women are not related and rule in different areas in the video game world.

It was entertaining, but would I ever see it again, on purpose?

Nope.

However, I did see another movie set in outer space, and it was my second time viewing it.

"Project Hail Mary" was absolutely as attention-grabbing as it had been the first time a couple of weeks ago.

At 45 years old, Ryan Gosling is at the right age to portray an intelligent science teacher who is well aware of his own limitations and willing to learn from others, and that would include the Eridian on the spaceship that comes across his path.

Both of them are sole survivors of the long trip sent to find a cure for the astrophage that is threatening their worlds.

I do wonder one thing: is the fact that the initials of his character's name are the same as the actor's name meant as an inside joke?

'Ryland Grace', Ryan Gosling... see what I mean?

Being that Gosling put a lot of his own money into bringing this film to life, I'm inclined to believe that is a nod toward humor.

Very nice!

Now, I'm going to watch some "R.J. Decker", which has a bit of humor, too.

Plus, I like its lead actor, Scott Speedman!

He happens to be 50 years old, which no doubt helps that attraction...

just sayin'. 

Later!

today, i made the friday fiesta!

I celebrated by ordering the Shrimp Ceviche!

Yes, a celebration was most def in order.

I'd missed the ones on April 3rd and 10th, though Tony and Laura had brought home chips and salsa for me after that first one.

Such a good brother!

I was determined to see both of my brothers this time, and so I did, getting hugs in Jalapenos when I entered and hugs outside when we were all leaving!

Hugs from my family and friends are as much a part of this time together as is the shared meal itself!

I know Robin has found that to be true, too, after the death of her husband, Harry.

I do wonder sometimes if I started that hugging part of the ritual or if it was already in place before I started coming out to Jalapenos?

I'm just thankful for all that touch!

We were all giving hugs to Claudia tonight, too.

Our favorite waitress for these S&K Friday Fiestas is off to her family's home in Mexico for a month and won't be at Jalapenos next week.

As I told her, I'm so glad I was there tonight!

I would have been so sad to have missed her.

I know we'll all be taking a break from Sandfly next week.

We'll either be at Tubby's or at Spanky's, but not here.

It'll be good to have a change of pace!

(smile!)

Now, I'm going to settle in to watch "The Accountant", my Diamond Reward from Comcast this week.

My guess is the title was chosen as an inside joke!

After all, Wednesday was the last day to file income taxes! 

Hopefully they know he's really a hit man!

Hahahaha!

netflix film fest with a dane

One of the perks of dogsitting is getting to watch movies I can't see elsewhere.

Fortunately, Laura has Netflix, which has come in handy before.

Mostly, I used it this time to catch up on the first three seasons of "Young Sheldon", which I didn't start watching until after I found out the little boy's grandma also attends Asbury Memorial.

That's been nice to have that link to Iain Armitage!

I've also used that streaming service to watch "The Closer", the crime-solving series with Kyra Sedgwick.  

I watch a few of each every evening, and a few with Sheldon in the morning.

I've also treated myself to a movie for the last three nights!

The first was "Rumor Has It", from 2005, on Wednesday.

Kevin Costner is 'Beau Burrows', who was her mom's high school crush, as well as the guy her grandma (Shirley MacLaine) seduced... all leading to a classmate's penning "The Graduate" about the tale... or so the story goes!

Now, the younger sister is getting married, 'Megan' (Jennifer Aniston) is engaged to a great guy (Mark Ruffalo), but things are not well.

'Megan' is sure her dad is not her biological father, so she goes in search of the crush that her mom ran off to Mexico with... and sleeps with him, too!

Hey, it's not as creepy as it sounds, and was actually quite fun.

 

Dane didn't care what I chose to watch.

I'd found a box of puppy ice cream in the freezer and he was happy!

He stretched out on his rug and slurped away for probably thirty minutes!

Oh, yes, the little things mean a lot!

Thursday, I had my luncheon, but returned to their house with laundry.

While the clothes and bed linens were washing, Dane and I had 'coffee on the porch' time, out back and up front.

He was sure happy about that!

 

Then, later, he was glad to be eating ice cream again!

I was happy to have found "The Thursday Murder Club" to watch... and on a Thursday, too!

This 2025 film must have been an inside joke for me from the Universe, as I didn't catch the significance of the day until later.

I was just thrilled to have something with such a stellar cast!

Dame Helen Mirren!

Sir Ben Kingsley!

Sir Jonathan Pryce (as the sundowning husband of Mirren)!

Plus Pierce Brosnan and Celia Imrie to round out the group of pensioners - i.e., retirees - who solve cold cases one day a week at the retirement home.

I just loved it!

What would I find for Friday's film?

That turned out to be "The Sting", starring America's version of royalty!

There's Robert Redford getting fancied up by Paul Newman, so they can con a cheating, gambling, mobster (Robert Shaw).

Eileen Brennan, Ray Walston, Charles Durning... what a cast!

That included Robert Earl Jones, the father of James Earl Jones.  

Very nice!

But one of the things that set it apart?

The use of artistic 'scene change' slides, with images reminiscent of those in "The Saturday Evening Post".

I just loved having a bit of art mixed in with the caper!

 

Dane liked that I was having a good time, especially as he was, too.

Yes, indeed!

Third movie for me, third ice cream treat for him!

I'm glad I had that to bribe him with, as he'd refused to eat his dinner this evening.

That was, until I told him no dessert until he did.. then he went to it.

Good boy!

I know he'll be very glad when Tony and Laura return tomorrow!

It's been a couple of years since he didn't travel with them.

Four days is about his limit for them to be gone.

(smile!)

friday fiesta, sans two brothers

That's right.

At this session of the S&K Friday Fiesta at Jalapenos, two brothers were not present, as one was in Orlando and the other was sick.

The photo has Smitty and Mark on the left, with the women - Robin, Mary, Betsy, and Becca - all on the right.

Well, except for one woman.

That would be me, as I stood next to Smitty.

(Remember, standing keeps me from having sciatica on Saturdays from those high chairs.)

Seven of nine, y'all.

(Inside joke for me, of the "Star Trek" flavor!) 

 

That meant one Smith brother was absent and one Kameron brother was absent.

Even so, the one traveling still checked in with a photo to each of us of him and Laura having a good time in Ybor City! 

That's where her oldest son, Josh, works at a very fancy restaurant.

I'm so glad she and Tony were having such a great time!

 

We had a great time, too!

Betsy had tale after tale of her hilarious run-ins with the parking police on St. Patrick's Day!

Well, they were hilarious to me, but not so much to her.

Add on that it was crazy cold downtown and she was worn out before the parade ended at 2 PM.

Honestly, being down there in the cold for four hours is probably why Jimmy was out sick tonight.

I'm glad I chose to stay home and watch!

He'll be getting chicken soup from Jalapenos.

I got my three crunchy beef tacos!

(smile!)

And Mark was thrilled to get his Gringa.

He says it's the best meal he eats all week!

He also felt like it had been two weeks since he last had it, but I reminded him that he'd only missed out last week.

On that Friday, he was the only absent one, as he was working overtime in Bluffton with his boss.

The local football team needed their stadium lights repaired.

Addison was still in town on spring break on that Friday the 13th.

I dined on something totally different!

Well, it was different for me... but the same thing that Mary and Robin chose!

Yes, we all had the cheese quesadilla, with rice and beans, that night!

Very funny!!!

Okay, let me wrap this up and get back to the Dane!

This will be our last night together, as Dood returns home tomorrow.

I'm so looking forward to being back in my own bed!

I did take my pillow over with me, but their guest bed is about two inches higher than I would like, so I have to crawl up into it.

Ah, there's no place like home!

Oh, what a lead in!

Comcast's reward to me yesterday was ....

drum roll, please!...

"The Wizard of Oz"!!!

Last Thursday, the reward was "Space Jam"!!!

Nice to have them both waiting for me at home this weekend!

I'm off to see the Dane now!

14 dances!!!

That's right!!!

14 dances, performed by 9 dancers, and choreographed by 7 seniors.

Best of all, it was completely free!!! 

That's what was on the docket at Savannah Arts Academy tonight.

I've had news of it on my fb page all week!

This was the "2026 Emerging Choreographers Showcase" and all seven young women each designed two dances.

Of the two dances each choreographer had, one would have multiple dancers on the stage, one would be a solo.

Except one instance, I enjoyed the multi-dancer selections much more so than those with a single dancer.

Here are my favorites, in the order in which they occurred.

"Xscape", designed by Mariah Cade. 

This featured three female juniors and one male junior.

 

"California Dreamin' ", with the song by The Mamas & The Papas!

Miley Nguyen's design had three female juniors, in hippie garb, and it was delightful!

"Turning Page", choreographed by Vanessa Johnson.

I was enchanted not only by the lavender tap shoes, but by the ever-present smile of the dancing junior!

That was fabulous!!!

"Living Legend", designed by Miriam Safer. 

These four dancing juniors were all clad in golden dresses with lots of fringe that swayed and swung with their dancing!

I do so love fringe!

"The Little Mess You Made", designed by Mary Adcock, was my favorite.

The talented couple enacted a romance that goes wrong, sharing what felt more like a short film more than only a dance.

How expressive!!!

"The Dreams We Danced", designed by Mia Garcia.

I admit it: this one reminded me of "The Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairies", so of course I liked it!

The four female juniors were perfect for this ballet!

 

"Cell Block Tango", choreographed by Juliet Manica, was the very last. 

I have to think this was an inside joke, from her to the audience!

The last dance of the showcase...

the last dance of the sole "not guilty' person in 6-dancer death row tango from the musical "Chicago"...

surely this was deliberate!

In any case, it assured me I was where I needed to be.

Right place, right time!

Now, it's almost time for Steve Buscemi to be featured on "Elsbeth", along with the art of crossword puzzles.

Life is good!

(smile!)