8/24/2014

weekly update 8/24/2014

I was in Kansas City, Missouri last weekend to visit my brother, David and his family. Ishy had flown out from Rochester a few days earlier, so the remaining Wahl family was all together, probably for the last time. It was a nice visit. I was warmly welcomed by Dave and his wife and they made me feel as if they were glad to have a chance to see me.

I flew out on Friday, on a very uneventful and on-time journey through Atlanta. When I arrived in KC, I picked up the rental car, gripped the steering wheel with all my might, and with much fear, headed out to find my hotel. The hotel was awful - no hot water in a shower that trickled, the most lame “free” breakfast ever (no butter for toast - ever - how can that be?), after the first day the maid did not leave coffee packs for the in-room coffee maker, no newspaper. But, sheets and towels were clean, and there was a nice pool. There was take-out barbeque for supper that night (The Wiley's sauce I'd purchased before I left Savannah to give them a taste of REALLY GOOD barbeque sauce was confiscated at the airport - I should have known). Kathy, their oldest daughter, was at their house with her three boys - Luke 8, Logan 6, and Ethan 5). Dave & Kerry's baby, Diane, and her husband, Brian, were also there. We didn't meet Chris, the firstborn, and his girlfriend, Danielle until Sunday. They had flown in from Tampa Florida, so had a lot of Chris' childhood friends to visit. We visited both Kathy's and Diane's homes - very nice. Kathy's children are darling! Both Diane & Brian took vacation time from work to be able to visit with Ishy & me while we were there. (Dave & Kerry took time off, too. I would say that Kathy doesn't work, but with three boys, that's not true at all). On Sunday, Kerry planned a huge family picnic with her sisters (she has two - Connie & Tamy) and their families. We even had time to watch some old home movies of when we were all little kids. And we also watched brief glimpses of a few preseason NFL games. Brian & Diane had a game of Logos that we played, and I'm stunned that with all the tv I watch, I was unable to come up with the products or slogans of some of the advertisements; I finished dead last. Dave drove us around Lee's Summit (the suburb of KC that they live in) because every place we thought about visiting on Monday was closed. Living in a huge tourist trap like Savannah leads me to believe that museums and historic places are open every day, but that's not true in other parts of the world. Ishy and I flew to Atlanta together, where we then had to board our separate planes to return to our separate cities. When we landed, I had just enough time to get to the gate to board for SAV, so there wasn't much time for a good-by. A quick hug and then I was on my way home again - back to palm trees and salt marshes, high heat and afternoon thunderstorms, and the pool. All in all, the vacation was very relaxing, very nice. 

Ishy, David & me - I'm sure the family resemblance is evident

David, daughter Kathy, his wife Kerry, youngest daughter Diane, and son Chris

grandsons Logan, Ethan & Luke

David & Kerry, who made me feel so welcomed and comfortable on my visit

 

Before I went on my trip, I did a couple of things in Savannah. I was treated to a luncheon by the Bonaventure Historical Society in appreciation for the Second Sunday tours I give. The lunch was at the newly opened Cohen's Retreat. It was wonderful - a nice place and great food. I think I see a visit here in the future of the Ladies' Dining Out group. I also went to see the 100 Foot Journey with Beth. It was a good movie, and with Helen Mirren as the star, what's not to like.

After returning, I was back into my routine in no time. At both DH on Friday and at BC on the weekend it was extremely slow. It's been so hot here - close to 100° for days - and there's a heat advisory to remind people to take care to stay hydrated and remain out of the sun as much as possible. So few people want to walk to a museum or around a cemetery. Saturday evening, there was a Coastal Heritage Society fund raiser at Old Fort Jackson. It was so hot, and I really didn't want to go. But I'm trying to get BC involved again in the annual remembrance for the Siege of Savannah, so I wanted to talk to one of the director. I bid on a couple of coffee baskets at the silent auction, but didn't win, and walked around for a while. But it was so hot, I didn't stay for long. Besides, there was a Buffalo Bills games on the NFL network that I was missing by being away from my tv. I didn't miss much. The parts of the game I saw were AWFUL. It's hard to believe this is a professional team that will be ready to compete in a few weeks. I was interested to see Mike Catalana, the Rochester sports newscaster from one of the channels I remember from when I lived there, reporting as sideline analyst for the game on the national NFL network, though.