One of the most serious (and potentially fatal) errors a guy can make is calling his girlfriend/wife by the wrong name while kissing her. Imagine my shock when My Lovely Bride, after kissing me this morning, murmured, “Oh, Wilbur…” “WILBUR??? Who the hell is Wilbur?” I asked. She replied, “Well, Silly, it’s the guy whose chocolate you just ate, you know, the ones that Terri sent you!” Abjectly, I muttered,“Oh. Well, I guess that’s okay, then.” (Thanks again to our friend Terri of the Frozen North for introducing me to Wilbur Chocolates and stimulating another very embarrassing blog entry.)
Speaking of The Frozen North, in the spirit of my laying off Minnesota for awhile, here is a recent photo for Connie in North Dakota, along with others suffering through a long, dark, cold, snow-swept winter. This is Your Gleeful Grillmeister about to put a couple of ribeyes on the grill on our lanai. The temp here was 68F; as you read this blog, the temp in Fargo, ND is probably about -2F. That’s a 70 degree difference!
Are you guys crazy up there? Don’t you know that birds migrate south for the winter? Bears find a cave and hibernate. You folks drive onto a frozen lake, cut a hole, and try to catch fish fingers, all while attempting to avoid frostbite and hypothermia. I think this guy has been frozen in place for a few days…. does it look like he’s having fun?
Okay, here’s the deal… for a couple of hundred bucks, you can go to Disney on two consecutive days. But wait… you also have to run 39 miles over those two days, and the temp is up around 80F with 90% humidity. Where is the sign-up list for this good deal? It’s called the Goofy Challenge, and Suzanne’s Lovely Niece Michelle thought it would be great fun. She completed both days – a half marathon, or 13.1 miles on Saturday, and a full marathon, or 26.2 miles on Sunday. Michelle is also thinking about an Ironman (140 miles) in a couple of years. OOH-RAH Michelle! We are so proud of you. Look at all that gold and silver!
On Saturday afternoon, Corvette Chick decided to try to wear out Her Loving Husband, and suggested a little bike ride on the Withlacoochee State Trail, a “rails to trails” bike path that runs for 46 miles. We started at the cute Florida town of Inverness, but only did 25 miles. (I was whooped, but CC was in rare form as she rode behind me, asking, “Can’t you go a little faster?”) She looks pretty fresh here at the WST Caboose, and this was at the end of the ride.
We had the great privilege of dining with Cheryl and Mike Breault at their house last night. Cheryl is a gourmet cook, and prepared shrimp and andouille sausage gumbo that would be the envy of any New Orleans restaurant. Her pecan pie was also made from scratch, and “to die for”. The lighting in this photograph is a bit strange… that’s because Mike is a former US Navy submariner who now teaches nuclear power plant operators the skills of their trade; I had heard that he and other nukes “glowed in the dark”, but this was the first time I actually observed that phenomenon. On the bright side (no pun intended… well, maybe just a little one), Mike is also an oenophile… no, he is not weird about “oens”… he is a wine enthusiast! His wine cellar is superb, and we benefited from his expertise. (Don’t get the wrong impression by the four bottles on the table; one was a pepper grinder, and we sampled the others to see which would go best with the gumbo!)
Now our male readers will be waking up, because they read “Hooters!” in the title line. A few years ago, My Lovely Daughter Elisabeth worked briefly at a Hooters restaurant. We were visiting her in North Carolina, and got to meet many of her co-workers. Suzanne stayed very close to me while we were there… but not so close that she interfered with the presentation of a neat Hooters tee-shirt, inscribed with notes from all the girls. It was a great day! (Just in case you are eyesight-challenged, it reads, “Ty, I heard you’re very hot and sexy. Come and visit soon. Love, Holly xoxo”). Those Hooters girls (Chelsea and Holly here) are not only cute, but also very smart and discerning! Eat your hearts out, guys! (I only just discovered this shirt today after several years; I think My Lovely Bride may have hidden it away in a drawer where I couldn’t find it, but I can’t be sure.)
