Here's your word for the day...Ephemeroptera

Ephemeroptera. Ephemeral.

The

Mayflies

ah in bloom again...uh...wait. That was calla lilies that Kate was talkin about, wasn't it?



This was taken last Sunday on our little cruise aboard the Spirit of Peoria. There were a few out then. But today....



Oh, this is nothin...the air was literally thick with 'em this morning. The side of our neighbor's house was covered with 'em. Don't know why they prefer their house, other than maybe the color of it attracts 'em. The one with the wings still, is circlin the drain. The ones that look like their wings are gone are no more. They're ex-Mayflies. Dried up. Dessicated. Spent after such a brief, but intense, life.

See, they live only to breed. They don't have stingers...nothing for defense. They don't eat...don't even have mouths. All they do is hatch out...and breed. Spread their genes. Then die within a few hours.

La petit morte, indeed.

They're really kinda cool...when they're alive. All floaty and...ephemeral. But there are so many of 'em...millions...trillions...that they can clog up stuff. Like central air units. Car grills. This particular "bloom" wasn't that big. But they tell us that it might happen a couple-three times this summer.

Ya know, a lotta people around here won't swim in the river. They say it's too polluted. But...

"The mayfly belongs to group 1 taxa, or pollution–sensitive animals. This means if mayflies are in or around the water, the water should be good quality, perhaps even good enough to drink without distilling or boiling."

With the amount of this particular bloom, I'd say we don't have too awful much to worry about.

Pretty sure I wouldn't drink the river water...anyway.

The world needs more of us

This particular song is my mantra...it's "me"...and it illustrates the previous post....perfectly.

I might be Scandanavian...

...but a finsk bastu ain't my idea of a good time.

Finsk bastu is Swedish for sauna. Which is what it feels like 'round these here parts. Temps in the 90's and *humiditidity equally icky.

*Humiditidity - a Donovanism (my dad) for humidity.

Damn. I'm drained. And not in a good way.

I dunno. I hate winter. But at least when you're cold, ya can always put more clothes on. Ya can only get so nekkid.

I know I can sit around in the central air, but dammit...I wanna be outside.

Unfortunately, I think my absolutely lovely neighbors might take umbrage at the sight of me sittin nekkid on the deck. Not to mention I'd prolly scare away all the birds. Which eat all the nasty buggies. And if I scare away all the birds, then all those nasty buggies would be drawn to the glaring white light of my copious Scandinavian skin. (sigh)

Funny how my mind works, ain't it?

The Chronicles of Cheeseburgerweddingpalooza: Episode Two

So, we met with Captain Harold of the

Spirit of Peoria

today to finalize the "Cheeseburgerweddingpalooza" plans. In fact, he invited us for a freebie cruise...and it was awesome. If you've never done one, I highly recommend it. 'Course, it was a gorgeous day...that didn't hurt a thing, either.

It's a definite "yes" for him to do the ceremony, so the invitations will go out sometime this week. I wanted to make sure we actually had an officiant before sendin 'em out. He's a very nice guy and we feel lucky to get him. He seems to be exactly the kind of person we'd like to marry us. Easy-going and fun. Perfect.



But more about the cruise. It was fun to see a view of Peoria that we don't normally get to see. Unfortunately, it looks a lot better from the river. heh



And here's a shot of the McCluggage Bridge that most people don't normally get to see.



The river was packed today, too.





And there were all kinds of "characters" aboard.



All in all, it was one of those perfect days.



And as a perfect ending to a perfect day, we came home, tossed a couple potatoes in the oven, threw a couple of T-bones on the grill and....voila!



Looks like somethin out of a food magazine spread, huh? Note the fresh chives on the 'tater...grown by yours truly. YUM!

Oy! What a day I had!

Yesterday started off as a perfectly nice day.

In my several-year-long quest to find the perfect hair salon and the perfect stylist, I'd decided to try Richard Anche in Glen Plaza. JACKPOT! The stylist, whom I grilled like she was on a job interview, said she'd been there seven years and had no intention of leaving. And she just did an absolutely awesome job with the hair cut. Exactly what I wanted.

THANK YOU, ANGIE!

Honest ta gawd...I was so tickled with the whole experience that I almost cried. But in a good way. Not in a bad way...like the last hair...ah...tragedy I experienced. (Some of you women probably know what I'm talkin about...you men will probably just think I'm a fruit loop.)

So anywho, I'm feelin pretty damned spiffy as I walk outa the salon. I head to the auto parts store to pick up an air filter for Ziggy's car, and not only find an air filter that is actually made for his car, but get waited on by the nicest guy.

Great day, so far, huh? I shoulda known.

Instant Karma's gonna getchu...gonna kick you right in the head...

Instead of pullin out of the auto parts store onto Forrest Hill where there's a light, I try to pull out onto University. 'Course, the traffic is so heavy that I can only go right. And I wanna go left and head toward the grocery store. Ok, so I'll pull out, go right, go around the block and get headed back in the right direction, ok? No problem.

The problem started when I was sittin at the stop light at the corner of University and Forrest Hill, headed north.

A chubby, black guy on a bicycle pulled up on my right. As he did, he glanced into my car and evidently noticed my purse sittin on the passenger seat. Just as the light turned green, he grabbed my door handle and tried to open my door...to snatch said purse, I expect. Was the door locked? Yup. I wanted to laugh in his face...but he didn't gimme a chance. He peeled off, pedalin his fat ass as fast as it would go, off to the right, toward Forrest Hill and then down a side street or alleyway...couldn't tell.

A couple of years ago, he'd have had my purse. But my present job takes me into a lotta...uh...shall we say rough areas...of town, so I always keep my car doors locked. It's become a habit, now. Thankfully.

Boy, don't I just wish I'd have had a .357 to point at him, though? I probably wouldn't have actually shot him...just pointed it...for the shock value, ya know?

So, on to the Seventh Circle of Hell, better known as the Kroger in Evergreen Square...where I find a parking place RIGHT IN FRONT! On a Saturday morning, no less! I got in, got what I needed and got out IN LESS THAN 20 MINUTES! Jumped on the expressway and headed north to the beach house, errands completed, lookin forward to just chillin the rest of the day wit' da Zigster.

Yea, yea...I forgot about Karma. This time, he jumped right up and took a big ole bite outa the other asscheek.

So, I'm flat-ass flyin down 29. Yea, I'm goin fast, but I'm keepin up with traffic. They drive like maniacs on 29. To survive ya gotta drive like a maniac, too.
Unfortunately, that reasoning didn't fly very far with the nice Mr. State Trooper who nailed me at 71 in a 55.

I saw him comin from the opposite direction, so I immediately slowed down and whipped it off onto a side road...like I planned to go that way.
Lah de dah! I'm just a little ole gramma, comin back from the grocery store. Who? ME? Speeding?

The white pick up truck that was pacin me in the left lane did the exact same thing...only the opposite direction (it's a 4 lane highway with a wide median). In the rearview mirror, I saw the trooper hit his brakes and just knew that he was comin back...but for who?

Yea, I won that little draw.

"Did you realize that I clocked you at 71?"

Uh...did you realize that if you'd clocked me about 30 seconds sooner, your little radar-thingy would have read in the neighborhood of...oh...I dunno....76-77?

Noooo...I didn't say that. But I thought it. I was nice and polite and just told him I have no excuse. He asked me when was the last time I got a ticket and I told him, "Ohhhh...about 30 years ago." He stood there and said, "You're kiddin?"

Whaaat? He thinks I look like a repeat offender? I didn't tell him that I've just been really lucky because I rarely obey the speed limit.

Thankfully, he just gave me a stern lecture and a written warning. 'Course, I hadda get the last word in, anyway.

"I'm not makin excuses...I have none...but I was just keepin up with the traffic."

"Yea, I know. It's a white-knuckle ride out here on 29."

No shit.

Needless to say, I was kinda...rattled...by the time I got home. Taking pity on me, the Zigster took me out for supper.

We tried Bailey's Pub in beautiful, downtown Chillicothe and weren't a bit disappointed. It was great. I'd definitely recommend it. Great sandwiches and a pretty extensive list of beer.

A yummy sandwich and a couple of

Leinenkugel's

later, and I felt much bettah.

A rose is a rose is a rose

We doan need no steenkin roses!



Since we've moved into our little beach bungalow, I've had a ball buying flowers and plants. See, when we lived in the apartment, the patio was pretty small, so I didn't have room for a lotta stuff.

I grew up with a love of gardening and plants, in general. The best job I ever had (well, it was the one I liked the most, anyway) was workin in a florist/greenhouse. I didn't realize how much I'd missed fussin with plants...diggin in the dirt...watchin things grow and change...until we moved here.

Here's the list...so far:

1 pot of purple lisianthus (as pictured); 1 red double hibiscus; 2 pots of red, blooming vinca; 2 pots of a mix of coleus, vinca vine and springerii fern; 2 pots of calibrachoa, one pink, one purple (they look kinda like miniature petunias); 1 big pot of a mix of pink and purple petunias; 1 large pink/purple fuschia; 1 pot of yellow and orange tuberous begonias; 4 pots of mixed herbs; 1 Boston fern.

I drove by a greenhouse today and the car just automatically turned into the parkin lot. I couldn't stop it. My latest acquisition?



A pot of papyrus...cause ya never know when I might wanna make my own paper. heh

Oh, and I bought a pot of some kinda small, ornamental grass...just to fill in around the papyrus, which is supposed to get 6' tall. I might need a bigger pot.

We also have several tomato and pepper plants...but those are mostly Ziggy's domain. He grows 'em. I eat 'em. Works out good.

I keep sayin I'm done buyin plants. But they'll be markin everything down any time now.

And I think I really need a palm of some kind...

He was kinda funny lookin, eh?

(First one who guesses what movie that quote is from wins...uh...well...just wins.)

I dunno. Looks like a buncha strange people to me. Happy bunch, though, huh?



(From Saturday's Peoria.com Forum get-together)

See, PI? Shoulda let me take your picture. hehehe

I want it how I want it

Ok, so this'll be my third marriage. The first one? So long ago and so short that I often forget it even happened. The only good thing that came from that particular fiasco was my daughter, so because of that, I don't regret it one bit.
The marriage ceremony itself, was the most depressing thing I've ever been through, though. No "wedding". No reception. No guests or presents...no cake, even.

Second time around was a big improvement. That one lasted for darned near a quarter of a century. As far as the ceremony and reception goes, it was nice...but I didn't get to plan much of anything. My ex mother-in-law (bless her heart) did it all. Like I said, it was nice...but it wasn't mine, if ya know what I mean.

This time is gonna be different. This time, I want it how I want it. The really nice thing is that Ziggy wants it how I want it, too. heh No, really. We've planned this together. It just so happens that we think eerily alike when it comes to...well...most things. This is gonna be our day and no one elses. And we're doin it our way.

I'm positive that what we're plannin wouldn't suit everyone. So. What. It suits us to a "T"...and that's all that matters.

Life's just too short for "fussy". And big, overblown, outrageously expensive weddings and receptions have always seemed sooooo silly to me. I mean, I suppose if you've got money to throw away like that, it's fine. More power to ya. But to go into debt just to put on a big show to impress people? All that stress and strain? No thanks.

This weddin's gonna be...different. Fr'instance, I spent a whoppin $16.99 on my dress. It's a white, gauzy, hippie-kinda dress, it looks good on me and I love it. I've planned to go barefoot, but as a contingency (in case the grass is really crunchy...we need rain...BAD) I bought a pair of white flip-flops. For $2.88. I'll pull a blossom off my hibiscus plant for my hair. Ziggy's attire? An (A?) Hawaiian shirt, a pair of khaki shorts and sandals.

The ceremony is gonna be right here in our beautiful yard, right on the bank of the river. The wedding officiant will be a riverboat captain and we're gonna have him include a quote from Oscar Wilde because it means somethin to us. Not quite your "traditional" wedding ceremony, but that's how we want it.

The "theme" is "Cheeseburgers in Paradise", so that'll be the menu along with chips, baked beans and a humongous veggie/dip tray. Jimmy Buffet and/or steel drum music will be on the ole CD player all day. I'm also currently scouting the local bakeries for a cheeseburger cake...if I can't find someone to make it, I'll do it myself.
Ok, I'll try to do it myself.

I designed the invitations on the word processor and printed 'em out on our printer. Personally, I think they're cute as hell. (Want one? Zip me an email with your snail mail address.)

Decorations consist of tropical-colored, plastic tablecloths for the tables (a buck apiece), tiki torches, Hawaiian paper lanterns, a few rolls of crepe paper in tropical colors, our own blooming plants and plastic sand buckets filled half-way with sand...I'll add a citronella candle to each one...for centerpieces.
I also found a couple of inflatable palm-tree coolers...a 6' tall one and a smaller one...to keep all our beer and pop cold. I'm also thinkin about gettin a big, inflatable kiddie pool and fillin it up...for us kids to play in. heh More than likely, it'll be hot as hell.

So far, I've spent maybe a hundred and fifty bucks.

We want it relaxed and casual and, most importantly, fun. For everyone.

And, by gawd, that's exactly how it'll be.

And to think...I was gonna stay home and take a nap

Just got back from the first (but not last, I hope)

Peoria.com

Forum 'bash'. Actually, 'bash' sounds more like it should go with 'blogger'...as in "blogger bash".

We need a different appelation...how about "Forum Free-for-all"? "Forum Fiesta"?

Awww, hell...don't matter whatcha call it. It was fun!

I really hesitated to go. See, believe it or not, I'm kinda shy. Ok, stop laughing.

Well, not so much anymore, but I used to be painfully shy. I mean, I would no more think of walking into a bar or restaurant by myself than I would bungee jump from the Golden Gate Bridge. And, believe me...that ain't gonna happen any time soon. Like...never.

Sometimes, I still hafta push myself. Especially when I'm meetin people that I've never laid eyes on before. Like this afternoon at Schooner's.

Aaaanywho, I'm soooo glad I went because I met the nicest buncha people. (And, yea I took pictures. But I don't know if everyone is comfortable with me posting their mugs all over the 'net. But if any of you want a copy, speak up...I'll email ya one.)

Some of the forum members are also local bloggers. Fr'instance, Diane of Peoria Rocks!. She's as cute as can be. And so are her two adorable little kidlets. It was a real pleasure, Diane.

I was especially tickled to meet Peoria Illinoisian. His blog is on my 'must read every day' list and has been for some time. He's nothin like I imagined him to be. Though, come to think of it, I'm not sure exactly what I imagined. I think maybe I imagined a little, geeky, balding guy. Something he's definitely not.

Thankfully, I didn't call him "PI", like I do when I "talk" to him 'round the blogosphere. I mean...say it out loud. "Pee-eye". Reminds me of the old joke....ah....nevermind. It was a pleasure to meet you, too...uh....PI. hehe

Other forum members attending were CD, aka the "awesome blossom" (that's her supper I took a picture of. YUM!); Mr. Collector; Harley and his very nice wife; (I hadda put the semi-colon in there. With just a comma, it looked like Harley's wife was named "Reno"...hehe) Reno and Tapeworm. (Who doesn't look anything like his nickname, btw. Damn good thing, too. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I couldn't have eaten there. LOL) It was great meeting all youse peeps, too!

It was hotter than a three-peckered billy goat, but the beer was cold, the service was great, the food was damn fine and the company...well, ya just couldn't find better company, that's for sure.

It was waaaaaay more fun than a nap.

Whatta ya think?

Ok, this Weddingpalooza is gonna be just a tad on the....ah...unique side, so keep that in mind.

It's a really long story that I won't go into right now...but Ziggy and I actually met because of an Oscar Wilde quote. Well...that and a quote from a Ma and Pa Kettle movie (look 'em up on IMDB).

But the Oscar Wilde quote came first. (ahem)

Soooo, I was thinkin...wouldn't it be cool to have Captain Harold quote ole Oscar during the ceremony? Sorta...I dunno...closing the circle. Tightening the ole noose. Kinda.

Nevermind.

Now, Oscar was a pretty sarcastic guy. He was also a closet homo, but hell...everybody's gotta be somethin, right? It's pretty simple to me...ya love who ya love. Ya don't have much choice in the matter. But I digress, as usual.

My point is, I had a hard time finding a....shall we say suitable quote for a wedding...and for us, in particular.

Until I stumbled upon this little gem:

Life is one fool thing after another, whereas love is two fool things after each other.

It's just so....us.

Episode One of the "Chronicles of Cheeseburgerweddingpalooza"

Ask And Ye Shall Receive

I asked and commenter "Alice" delivered.

Gotta love blogs, baby!

Officiating at the Cheeseburger in Paradise-themed wedding of the Zigster and yours truly will be none other than a true-blue, honest-ta-gawd, real, live paddlewheel riverboat captain!

How utterly and over-the-top cool is that?

"Captain Harold" of

The Spirit of Peoria

has graciously agreed to perform the ceremony. In fact, he said it sounded "quite interesting"...or something like that.

Mmmmhmmm. Interesting. Ok, we'll try to be on our best behavior...
while he's here, anyway.

We're supposed to meet with him in a couple of weeks...on the Spirit...during one of it's short cruises. Maybe it's just me, but I think that's pretty cool, too.

The Captain sounds like the nicest guy. I can't wait to meet him.

And, Alice? Thanks a million, honey! If you're not doing anything on Saturday, August 4, you're soooooo invited to the wedding!

We've been on our honeymoon for six years, now

I think it's about time for a weddin', don't you?

Yea, me too.

Ziggy's not sayin much. 'Course those pain pills that the doc gave him for that black eye, broken jaw and dislocated shoulder that I...uh...accidentally gave him while tryin to...ah...encourage him to make an honest woman of me (cough)...are keepin him preeeeetty damn quiet.

He can still nod, though.

August 4 at 5 p.m. right smack-dab here on the bank of the river gently flowing, Illinois, Illinois.... That's providing the ground doesn't crack wide open and swallow me, plunging me into the very depths of hell, itself.

See, I'm wearin a white dress. And I'll be barefoot.

It's also providing we can find someone to do a civil ceremony for a coupla pagans.
Anybody got any ideas?

Anywho, more info will follow as the saga of Bridezilla and her man unfolds.

Anyone know where I can buy some coyote urine?

Which leads me into my next question.

Just exactly how does one collect said coyote urine to sell, anydamnway?

See, we have a chipmunk problem. The little Alvins are eating our little green tomatoes. Now, I don't wanna kill 'em...they are cute.

I just want them to stop eatin my damn tomatoes.

A gal at work today said that she'd heard that coyote urine is a really good pest deterrent, but she didn't know where I could get some. I know there are coyotes around here...I've heard 'em a time or two. But I'm not sure how to go about convincin 'em to come here and pee on/around my tomato plants.

And if I do find some bottled coyote urine (Me asking some pimply-faced idjit at Lowe's or Home Depot: "Excuse me, sir...do you carry coyote pee?"), I'm thinkin that'll draw every damn coyote for miles.

That'd prolly get rid of the chipmunks, though, huh?

But then what do I get to get rid of the coyotes?

Please don't tell me bear urine.

Now there's somethin ya don't see every day, Chauncy

At least, not in this century. And certainly, not right in front of our house.


I knew that the

Spirit of Peoria

cruised once in a while, but this is the first time we've caught it goin by.


Very, very cool!

Wat da fu.....????

The final episode of the Sopranos was like tryin to screw in the back seat of a VW Bug.

Painful, completely unfulfilling and anti-climactic. Literally.

I was so ready for something horrendus to happen...like the whole Soprano family gettin whacked right in the middle of their onion rings.

And then...

And then...

Nothin. Fade to black.

I thought our cable went out.

I haven't been this upset over the final episode of a show since

St. Elsewhere

.

Just.....damn.

A pirate looks at sixty

Aarrrggghhh!

Ok, he's got a few years yet. You'd have never have known it last night, though. He acted like a teenag...uh....thirty year old. Somethin about Buffett's music'll do that for ya.

The Boat Drunks

were on the Riverfront last night and WHATTA HOOT! If they're ever at a location near you, I highly suggest you go see 'em. Even if you're not a huge Buffett fan like we are, they're great. I've gotta admit, though...the lead singer sounds eerily like ole JB, hisself.



'Course, a big part of goin to stuff like this (for us, anyway) is the people-watchin. And boooooy howdy...there were some pretty....ah...interesting people to watch.



We were sitting at a picnic table with another couple...complete strangers...but nice as hell. The guy said, "You're sooooooo bad", when I took this shot. hehe Couldn't help it. The sight of that big ole bald spot amongst all that long, bushy hair was just too good to pass up.



And this couple....oh, my gawd. What can I say? Just a great coupla Parrottheads from waaaaay back. Loved their hats...her's had a parrot on the top and his was a complete tri-corn with big, white plume...a la Jack Sparrow. They danced their feets off, they did.



As for me...well, what can I say? The night was balmy and starlit. The Corona was cold (AND served with lime) and I was singin for all I was worth. Unfortunately, I'm a terrible singer. Fortunately, the two or three thousand other voices pretty much drowned mine out.

But just how cool was that? Two thousand voices singin "Cheeseburger in Paradise".

Very cool, indeed.

Not quite as bad as a sharp stick in the eye...

...but almost.

I decided to buy a new car this morning.

So I did.

I walked into the car place, looked at the first guy I saw and said:

"Are you a salesman?"

Him: "Yes. What can I do for you?"

Me: "I wanna buy a new car."

Him: (smiling) "Oooook."

Me: "I want a sedan. I want white or black. I want economical. I want dependable. I want air, an automatic transmission and a cd player. I don't want a buncha bells and whistles. Oh...and I wanna cup holder."

Him: (laughing).

Me: "And don't bother tryin to sell me somethin I don't want. Just show me a car that has all those things and we'll be friends. Otherwise, you won't be my friend."

I can think of....oh...roughly 674 things I'd rather do than buy a car. I absolutely hate all the bullshit that goes along with it. I hate the dickerin. I hate the back and forth crap. I hate knowing that most car salesmen will tell you absolutely anything to get you to buy a car. I hate the waiting on the financing. I hate that they never give you what Kelley Blue Book says your trade-in is worth. I hate the prices. I hate all the stupid paperwork. I hate the whole damn experience.

And, most of all, I hate the coffee that those places serve. Good gawd! Where the hell do they get their coffee, anyway...Latvia? I don't know what that crap was, but I'm pretty sure Juan Valdez didn't have a damn thing to do with it. His donkey...maybe. It completely and totally reeked. It tasted like it'd been filtered through Kareem Abdul Jabar's sweaty jockstrap.

I've gotta admit, though...Nate, my cutie-pie salesman, made the whole three-hour experience reasonably bearable.

Except for the coffee.

Oh...the car? It doesn't have a buncha bells and whistles. It's economical (34 mpg). It has air, automatic transmission and a cd player. The extended warranty that I also purchased pretty much guarantees that it'll be dependable.

And it has four cup holders.

Just the thing for a coupla Faux Parrotheads

After all, we did name our little beach bungalow "Beach House on the Moon".

The Boat Drunks are coming!

The Boat Drunks

are coming!

Ziggy and I are both big Buffett fans, though we've never gone to the extreme of actually joining a Parrotthead group. We're not much on the whole 'joining' thing.

But Buffett's music just...speaks to us. It's not just about the music, either. It's about the whole relaxed, easy-goin, beachy lifestyle that the music evokes. And, as I've mentioned before I'm sure, the Keys are one of our most favorite places to be and the Keys are all about The Buffett Way of Life. heh
The great thing about it, though, is that you don't hafta live...or vacation...on a tropical beach somewhere to appreciate it. I think that's the gist of his whole 'message'.

It's fun.

Anywho, The Boat Drunks are a Buffett tribute band...and they're coming to the

Riverfront

THIS Saturday, June 9.

Yea, they've been to Peoria before...but nearly always on a Friday night...and Zig works Friday nights. Here lately, he's been workin Saturdays, too. Which really sucks.

The stars are aligning, though...this time, they'll be here on a Saturday and even better, Ziggy's OFF this Saturday.

We will soooooo be there.

Overheard conversations (and other schtuff)

Ziggy: "Is it just me, or is Meatloaf looking more and more like Karl Malden?"

We're watching

History Rocks! - the 70's

on the History Channel, narrated by none other than the 'Loaf, himself. And, bless him heart...he is startin to look like Karl Malden.

But anywho....It's. Awesome.

I love history. Though this doesn't get into great detail, it's set to the music of the 70's...kinda like..Pop-up Video. Anyone remember that?

Whatta hoot! Especially if you're a little more than half-way shit-faced. Like me. Again.

I know. But they had Honey Brown Lager on sale at Kroger. It like...called my name.



"Pam...PAM! Come. Buy me. Drink me. You know you wanna. You know you have so much more fun when you drink me."

So I did. Bastards had it comin. All six of 'em.

Uh. Seven.

But I ask you...was it, or was it not, the most gorgeous day today?



Well, except for those couple of little pesky pop-up showers.



We cleaned up the beach a little...made a big bonfire and burnt a lotta driftwood. Then cooked out and dined al fresco. I fixed a flat-iron steak and some baked potatoes. Uh...but not on the bonfire. On the grill. Mmmmmm...good.

Oh...OH! Wanna see my bloomers?



Wait. What'd you think I was talkin about?



Gawd...whatta fanfuckintastic day.



Good gawd. Now, on History Rocks!, they're doin a bit on the helicopter evac of Saigon....and playin "Freebird" as background music.

"Operation Frequent Wind". Yea. Right.

Whatta memory. I could cry.