Thursday, January 22, 2009

My weekend ... #2 ...

When I published #1 two days ago, I told you that this one would be the 'next post'. At the time I thought it would, but so much has been happening and my mind has been full of so many different things that I just 'had' to publish a couple of others in between.

While it might seem to you like I've been trying to make up for lost time - I didn't publish at all Sunday or Monday, that's really not the case. Just a lot going on. I'll tell you about some of it later, but let's move on to this past Sunday.


I drove down to LaMarque - almost to Galveston - where I met up with Chuck and Whalechaser at Kelley's Restaurant. Do these names sound familiar to you? They should!

[Oh, if only you could see me right now! I have this huge smile on my face that extends outward for a few feet - a 'slight' exaggeration, I hope you understand - each direction whenever I even think about those next couple of hours!! Don't know how successful I'm going to be writing this post. I can feel my cheekbones being stretched to their absolute limits here.]


I arrived a few minutes late. (I'd had to stop two or three times along the way to jot down questions I wanted to ask them.) When I got to the front door of the restaurant, I could see the two of them sitting just inside, waiting, with these humongous grins on their faces.

I started screaming. Literally! I stayed outside for a few seconds, just screaming my head off!! When they both started to get up and move towards me, I thought I'd better try and get my act together and go inside so we could start with the hugs already.

[Still had another scream or two left in me, tho, as I discovered.]


Oh, man! The next couple of hours were spent in laughter (occasionally uproarious!), almost non-stop talking, and picture-taking. Every time I looked up from my food, it seemed - and don't ask me how we found time to eat, but we did! - there was another camera pointed in my face. Boy oh boy, do those two ever like to take pictures!!


At one point I thought I heard - it was Chuck who would have asked - (something like), "Where would you rather be, Goldenrod? Here with us or on a cruise?" (They were about to embark on their first-ever Caribbean cruise.)

There were several seconds of absolute silence as I contemplated what I thought was a serious question. I thought he was giving me an either/or hypothetical.

Whalechaser said, "He's really not asking you to make a choice here." (She's intuitive as well as empathetic, and had seen my quandary.)

"Well, in that case," I answered, "I'll have both! But if there's only one choice, I'll take this moment. Now! I'm having an absolutely wonderful time!!"

And I was! It was, truly, a very special 'moment in time' for me, and I was savoring each and every second.


All too often, I think, we allow some of these wondrous occasions to just slip on by, sometimes even taking them for granted. Not this one! No no, not this one. I will keep vivid memories of those precious few hours in my memory banks for a long, long time.

4 comments:

Tammy said...

Oh Goldenrod, this is a WONDERFUL post! I'm so thrilled the 3 of you got to meet. I've got a huge smile on my face, too. :) :) :)

Tammy said...

Forgot to ask...will you get to see them on the way back through from their cruise?

Goldenrod said...

Hi, Tammy!

Just tried to call you, but got your voice mail instead and left you a brief message.

Chuck -- altho he had told me that he didn't think they would have free internet access throughout their cruise -- published (preempting my own post about this event by FOUR DAYS!!!) "Galveston and Goldenrod" on the 18th, that same evening!!!!!

And no, Tammy, I won't be seeing them again after their return. They'll be going across the ferry to the Boliver Peninsula and then continuing on east towards Florida. I wish they weren't going that way, but that's the route that Chuck has chosen.

Craig Peihopa said...

What a lovely post. I am smiling too!