We met at the start of a new school year. She sat down next to me and smiled. I turned red in the face and got nervous. Pretty girls always did that to me. We became friends right away and before too many weeks had passed I overheard her announce to a classmate that I was her boyfriend. Wow! I wasn't expecting that but after the initial shock I liked the idea.
As the weeks went on we grew closer and closer. We did everything together and hated for each day to come to an end. Our individual studies kept us apart more than we liked but we tried to make up for it when we had a break.
Fall came and the leaves fell. I expected things to end as most first loves do but by Christmas I was still madly in love and I think she was too. We were too young to know how to express this love so we contented ourselves with simple acts of kindness and longing looks.
During the spring semester we planned our June wedding. She wanted white horses pulling a white carriage loaded down with red roses. An odd wish in my opinion but I was fine with it. Actually, all the planning was done by her while I concentrated on making better grades than I ever had before....I was going to support a wife so I needed to get smart in a hurry. I figured if I didn't get enough education in time I would humble myself and ask her dad for a job on his ranch. I was pretty good with horses so I figured he would take me on.
Before the spring semester ended we knew we had to announce our plans to our parents. Their blessing was critical to a happy marriage. She promised to talk to her folks over the coming weekend and made me promise to do the same. I promised but I was a wreck thinking about how it would go. As expected, my Mom was not amused. She said I was crazy to even think of such a thing. Her response convinced me that telling my Dad would be a big mistake. When the following Monday came she asked how it had gone for me. I told her it wasn't good and asked about her parents reaction. She said her parents actually laughed at her. I was offended for her and worried what the future held.
Before school let out for the summer break she told me we were going to have to break up. With a huge lump in my throat I asked her why. She said her mother had convinced her we were too young. We needed to take our time and see other people. I was hurt but I tried to not show it. Later in the day I asked if she still felt the same way about things. She told me she did and insisted she knew better than I because, after all, she was older than me. I couldn't argue with that. She was seven and I was six.
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Thanksgiving in New York, Final Chapter
I decided I shouldn't burden you all with a day to day of our trip so I'll wrap it up today. Before I start let me say this: I love New York...the city and the state. Upstate New York is some of the most beautiful real estate I've ever seen and all the people living there and in the city, I guess we should call them natives, have always been so friendly and helpful. When I was young and would watch movies about crimes in New York I wondered why anyone would choose to stay in that horrible place. Why didn't they just all pack up and move to Texas where it was safe. Little did I know that a good percentage of them would do just that starting in the mid 70's and continuing today.
I had to make a business trip to Albany, NY when I was in my 20's. It was my first business trip and I was a nervous wreck. On top of it all I was worried that I would surely be mugged at the least and probably killed before I ever got to go home. I made my supervisor promise me that I did not have to go through the airport in the city to get to my destination. I was blown away with the laid back attitude of the people in upper New York. They were so friendly I had to call home just to tell Debbie about it. I fell in love with upstate New York on that trip but still had some serious misgivings about going to the city itself. I didn't make that trip until I was in my early 60's. I discovered I loved New York City and promised myself I would make the trip a regular part of my travels. My opinion didn't change with this last trip up there. Even though I've made some questionable remarks about New Yorkers....and will really lay it on heavy in this story, I have to say they are wonderful people and visiting the city is a joy. Okay, let's get on with the business at hand....
Day three of our stay began with a brisk walk down the block to the Warwick Hotel. Cody and Cayce had made reservations for a suite where we could watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade from a heated and very comfortable environment. There would be snacks and comfortable seating...sounded great. When we arrived the hotel lobby was very busy and quite crowded. We made our way to the back of a line leading into a reserved area. This is where we met the "select party only nazi". He took Cody's paperwork and looked it over for several minutes before shaking his head negatively and telling Cody he "did not have the proper credentials". We would have to go somewhere else to watch the parade and I don't think I'm making it up when he referred to us needing to sit with the common people. I know he did say his room was for a select party only. Cody showed the man his reservations again and insisted he had paid for a suite to watch the parade. Nazi man shook his head again and told Cody to "go away and, oh yeah, have a happy Thanksgiving". I have seen Cody get really mad before but it's been a long, long time. He took his paperwork to the front desk and had a talk with one of the hotel managers. A few minutes later we were escorted to our suite. We passed right by Nazi man but we didn't make eye contact for fear we might say or do something to lower New York opinions of Texans. The suite was shared by several other families but it was really fancy. We felt like we had been escorted into a fancy restaurant just for us and a few other "select parties".
The room was a corner suite on the second floor with windows all around. The parade would pass right under us and the floats would be eye level. The "snacks" consisted of a full buffet serving finger foods, a complete breakfast offering, desserts of every imaginable make and a full Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, ham, pork chops, and all the trimming. So much food, so little time. Oh, and there was an open bar for those wishing to imbibe. Several parade watchers did so wish. Our hostess was a bubbly young woman who appeared to be having as much fun as we were having....and she was pretty. Don't tell Debbie I said that. Cody and Cayce took their kids outside to watch the parade for a few minutes at a time. I forgot to mention how cold it had turned overnight. Most of us were content to sit and watch, and eat, and watch, and eat some more with possibly a light beverage just to be polite.
It was a wonderful experience for everyone but especially for the kids. It was a joy watching them watch the balloons float past right in front of them. After the parade was over we all hit the buffet line again to enjoy out Thanksgiving dinner. What a day! Thank you Cody and Cayce.
The remainder of the day was relaxing. The women, except for Debbie who hates to shop, disappeared to all the fancy stores at their disposal. Cody, Andy, Debbie, and I took a carriage ride through Central Park. It was freezing but the park was still full of strollers, flag football players, and frizbee tossers who were having a great time. Our carriage driver gave us a huge blanket to cover up with so the ride was real enjoyable. We all met at the hotel and walked to a small deli where we had an early dinner before attending the Rockettes' Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall. This was one of my bucket list items so I was glad to have a chance to experience it. The only other bucket item I covered was having a Nathan's hot dog in Central Park. I'm a simple guy and Andy was kind enough to experience it with me...as long as I paid. We caught Uber rides back to the hotel after the show ending another perfect day.
I could go on and on with little incidentals about the trip but I'm afraid I would begin to bore even the most enthusiastic reader. Our trip home was a bit chaotic. Charlee had trouble with her ears again and told everyone on the plane that her tummy hurt during the last hour of the flight. All in all, the little girls handled the trip very well....and when they got a little tired and testy they were just too cute to stay mad at for very long. Carter was as close to an angel as a human can get. He is so laid back and easy going. He either inherited this trait from his uncle Kent....or possibly me. I doubt it was me though. I didn't become laid back until a year after I retired! Andy assumed the role of guardian angel to me and his mammy. We didn't take a step that he wasn't right there helping us and making sure that we weren't going to fall! Cody and Cayce have a beautiful family and the Garrison's are a joy to travel with...even Allie who is directional savvy don't ya know!
Thank you for reading. I'll try to keep my stories down to one at a time from now on.
I had to make a business trip to Albany, NY when I was in my 20's. It was my first business trip and I was a nervous wreck. On top of it all I was worried that I would surely be mugged at the least and probably killed before I ever got to go home. I made my supervisor promise me that I did not have to go through the airport in the city to get to my destination. I was blown away with the laid back attitude of the people in upper New York. They were so friendly I had to call home just to tell Debbie about it. I fell in love with upstate New York on that trip but still had some serious misgivings about going to the city itself. I didn't make that trip until I was in my early 60's. I discovered I loved New York City and promised myself I would make the trip a regular part of my travels. My opinion didn't change with this last trip up there. Even though I've made some questionable remarks about New Yorkers....and will really lay it on heavy in this story, I have to say they are wonderful people and visiting the city is a joy. Okay, let's get on with the business at hand....
Day three of our stay began with a brisk walk down the block to the Warwick Hotel. Cody and Cayce had made reservations for a suite where we could watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade from a heated and very comfortable environment. There would be snacks and comfortable seating...sounded great. When we arrived the hotel lobby was very busy and quite crowded. We made our way to the back of a line leading into a reserved area. This is where we met the "select party only nazi". He took Cody's paperwork and looked it over for several minutes before shaking his head negatively and telling Cody he "did not have the proper credentials". We would have to go somewhere else to watch the parade and I don't think I'm making it up when he referred to us needing to sit with the common people. I know he did say his room was for a select party only. Cody showed the man his reservations again and insisted he had paid for a suite to watch the parade. Nazi man shook his head again and told Cody to "go away and, oh yeah, have a happy Thanksgiving". I have seen Cody get really mad before but it's been a long, long time. He took his paperwork to the front desk and had a talk with one of the hotel managers. A few minutes later we were escorted to our suite. We passed right by Nazi man but we didn't make eye contact for fear we might say or do something to lower New York opinions of Texans. The suite was shared by several other families but it was really fancy. We felt like we had been escorted into a fancy restaurant just for us and a few other "select parties".
The room was a corner suite on the second floor with windows all around. The parade would pass right under us and the floats would be eye level. The "snacks" consisted of a full buffet serving finger foods, a complete breakfast offering, desserts of every imaginable make and a full Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, ham, pork chops, and all the trimming. So much food, so little time. Oh, and there was an open bar for those wishing to imbibe. Several parade watchers did so wish. Our hostess was a bubbly young woman who appeared to be having as much fun as we were having....and she was pretty. Don't tell Debbie I said that. Cody and Cayce took their kids outside to watch the parade for a few minutes at a time. I forgot to mention how cold it had turned overnight. Most of us were content to sit and watch, and eat, and watch, and eat some more with possibly a light beverage just to be polite.
It was a wonderful experience for everyone but especially for the kids. It was a joy watching them watch the balloons float past right in front of them. After the parade was over we all hit the buffet line again to enjoy out Thanksgiving dinner. What a day! Thank you Cody and Cayce.
The remainder of the day was relaxing. The women, except for Debbie who hates to shop, disappeared to all the fancy stores at their disposal. Cody, Andy, Debbie, and I took a carriage ride through Central Park. It was freezing but the park was still full of strollers, flag football players, and frizbee tossers who were having a great time. Our carriage driver gave us a huge blanket to cover up with so the ride was real enjoyable. We all met at the hotel and walked to a small deli where we had an early dinner before attending the Rockettes' Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall. This was one of my bucket list items so I was glad to have a chance to experience it. The only other bucket item I covered was having a Nathan's hot dog in Central Park. I'm a simple guy and Andy was kind enough to experience it with me...as long as I paid. We caught Uber rides back to the hotel after the show ending another perfect day.
I could go on and on with little incidentals about the trip but I'm afraid I would begin to bore even the most enthusiastic reader. Our trip home was a bit chaotic. Charlee had trouble with her ears again and told everyone on the plane that her tummy hurt during the last hour of the flight. All in all, the little girls handled the trip very well....and when they got a little tired and testy they were just too cute to stay mad at for very long. Carter was as close to an angel as a human can get. He is so laid back and easy going. He either inherited this trait from his uncle Kent....or possibly me. I doubt it was me though. I didn't become laid back until a year after I retired! Andy assumed the role of guardian angel to me and his mammy. We didn't take a step that he wasn't right there helping us and making sure that we weren't going to fall! Cody and Cayce have a beautiful family and the Garrison's are a joy to travel with...even Allie who is directional savvy don't ya know!
Thank you for reading. I'll try to keep my stories down to one at a time from now on.
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Thanksgiving in New York, Part 2
If you will remember yesterday's episode where self-proclaimed "Ace Tour Guide" Allie got us lost on our way to dinner, you will know how important it would be for us to search out and hire the world's foremost New York Tour Guide. To keep the possibly of lawsuit at a minimum we will just call him Tour Guide From Hell, or TGFH.
TGFH was a native New Yorker who hailed from Queens. He was proud of his status and described it to us ad nauseam. He was hired to lead us to the Balloon Inflation Festival at Central Park. We were all excited to get a professional tour and the little kids were excited to see the parade balloons up close and personal.
TGFH knew his city and its history well and entertained us with important facts along the way to the park. We saw who lived in that apartment building and this apartment building. It was a cornucopia of celebrities living right in the neighborhood where we wandered. We saw where Madonna had her very first job as a.....something. I can't seem to remember now but it was impressive in its obscurity. We saw where John Lennon was killed, "RIGHT HERE IN THIS SPOT WHERE I'M STANDING!! RIGHT HERE!" We learned who killed Mr. Lennon and believe it or not, we also learned exactly why! TGFH was there in the neighborhood when it happened....really...
TGFH knew everything about his city except how to get us to the Balloon Inflation Festival at Central Park. The following was not his fault but we chose to blame him anyway. Thinking that we wouldn't have a huge crowd attending the festival because tickets had to be bought in advance, we strolled along behind TGFH for awhile oblivious to the steadily increasing number of park seekers. Before too long our guide stopped us and yelled for us to follow his green and black umbrella if we got separated. It was then that we realized we were part of a million man march on Central Park. The crowd was massive and working with a herd mentality. We were slowly going down one block with barricades guiding us along. There was no option of getting out of our situation because the streets were lined with New York's finest making sure we all kept moving. After a longer than I would have preferred amount of time, Cody told our guide to give it up. We didn't need to stay in this crowd. We would forget the balloon festival. TGFH informed us we couldn't leave because he had already asked a policeman and told we could not exit. He evidently read Cody's face clearly because he immediately started working us through the crowd to the edge next to the barricade. Once there he asked again if we could exit. The policeman said no. He then walked away to another barricade emergency and TGFH removed the barricade and told us to hurry through. Instead of stopping us though, he informed us of a shortcut we could take. Like the rest of the herd, we mindlessly followed him up a sidewalk until we ran into another crowd. As we blended into this crowd Charlee disappeared. In seconds we were running through the crowd screaming her name. Before we found her someone yelled that Claire had disappeared too. This was a nightmare in the making but Charlee was quickly found and a really nice family came up holding Claire's hand. Both girls were crying their little eyes out and hugging their mommy and daddy as tight as they could.
TGFH didn't seem too phased by the exercise and started us off again. In a few minutes we realized more people were headed in a direction opposite from ours. When we stopped one of them and asked we discovered TGFH, native New Yorker and Ace tour guide, was leading us away from the park. Cody fired him on the spot and he wandered off into the night. He may still be lost.
You may ask how any event could be worse. Well, I'll tell you...when we were in the worst of the crowd it began to rain....hard. TGFH was the only one with an umbrella. But to end things on a positive note we wandered around town for a while and found an awesome hole-in-the-wall pizza place. We stuffed ourselves on New York decadence then found our way back to the hotel.
Tomorrow I will tell you about the "select party only nazi" we encountered on day 3.
TGFH was a native New Yorker who hailed from Queens. He was proud of his status and described it to us ad nauseam. He was hired to lead us to the Balloon Inflation Festival at Central Park. We were all excited to get a professional tour and the little kids were excited to see the parade balloons up close and personal.
TGFH knew his city and its history well and entertained us with important facts along the way to the park. We saw who lived in that apartment building and this apartment building. It was a cornucopia of celebrities living right in the neighborhood where we wandered. We saw where Madonna had her very first job as a.....something. I can't seem to remember now but it was impressive in its obscurity. We saw where John Lennon was killed, "RIGHT HERE IN THIS SPOT WHERE I'M STANDING!! RIGHT HERE!" We learned who killed Mr. Lennon and believe it or not, we also learned exactly why! TGFH was there in the neighborhood when it happened....really...
TGFH knew everything about his city except how to get us to the Balloon Inflation Festival at Central Park. The following was not his fault but we chose to blame him anyway. Thinking that we wouldn't have a huge crowd attending the festival because tickets had to be bought in advance, we strolled along behind TGFH for awhile oblivious to the steadily increasing number of park seekers. Before too long our guide stopped us and yelled for us to follow his green and black umbrella if we got separated. It was then that we realized we were part of a million man march on Central Park. The crowd was massive and working with a herd mentality. We were slowly going down one block with barricades guiding us along. There was no option of getting out of our situation because the streets were lined with New York's finest making sure we all kept moving. After a longer than I would have preferred amount of time, Cody told our guide to give it up. We didn't need to stay in this crowd. We would forget the balloon festival. TGFH informed us we couldn't leave because he had already asked a policeman and told we could not exit. He evidently read Cody's face clearly because he immediately started working us through the crowd to the edge next to the barricade. Once there he asked again if we could exit. The policeman said no. He then walked away to another barricade emergency and TGFH removed the barricade and told us to hurry through. Instead of stopping us though, he informed us of a shortcut we could take. Like the rest of the herd, we mindlessly followed him up a sidewalk until we ran into another crowd. As we blended into this crowd Charlee disappeared. In seconds we were running through the crowd screaming her name. Before we found her someone yelled that Claire had disappeared too. This was a nightmare in the making but Charlee was quickly found and a really nice family came up holding Claire's hand. Both girls were crying their little eyes out and hugging their mommy and daddy as tight as they could.
TGFH didn't seem too phased by the exercise and started us off again. In a few minutes we realized more people were headed in a direction opposite from ours. When we stopped one of them and asked we discovered TGFH, native New Yorker and Ace tour guide, was leading us away from the park. Cody fired him on the spot and he wandered off into the night. He may still be lost.
You may ask how any event could be worse. Well, I'll tell you...when we were in the worst of the crowd it began to rain....hard. TGFH was the only one with an umbrella. But to end things on a positive note we wandered around town for a while and found an awesome hole-in-the-wall pizza place. We stuffed ourselves on New York decadence then found our way back to the hotel.
Tomorrow I will tell you about the "select party only nazi" we encountered on day 3.
Monday, December 2, 2019
Thanksgiving in New York, Part One
I guess most people have a "bucket list" whether they call their dreams that or not. My bucket list includes food items mostly....I am a simple guy, ya know. Fortunately for our family, my son Cody and my daughter-in-law Cayce dream bigger. One of their "bucket list" items was fulfilled this past week. They wanted to take their parents, one sister, and the whole C&C crew to New York City to celebrate Thanksgiving by watching the Macy Parade live. This endeavor included eleven people and a tremendous amount of planning on their part.
Cody and Cayce announced their plans over a year ago so everyone would be available, healthy, "ward - robed" for the cold, and as excited as they were. They spent the entire year making reservations, buying tickets, paying for hotel and entertainment. They met with all of us more than once for our input on what we would like to do. It was an experience of a lifetime and for this we can never thank them enough.
I tried to keep a journal of the trip so I could tell all of you about it in detail. I was true to my commitment for the first three days and after that I was just too tired to write at night. So much was planned for us we were racing each day to get everything in. Sadly, we had to pass on several activities because....well, because Debbie and I kind of slowed everything down. We are old you know! Even though we didn't try to stay together as a group on all the excursions, we did have to meet at certain times and places to enjoy another planned activity. It was an action packed week to say the least.
On our first day out we all met at terminal C, DFW airport. The first blip was mine. I forgot my cane and knew my leg would give out before too long. I had to get another one in New York. Cody and Andy went out the first night to find one for me. I stayed behind and rested one really aching leg.
As we took off from DFW and climbed to the cruising altitude Charlee asked her daddy why it was taking so long to get there. That was a sign the flight was going to be really long. She proved to be our entertainment on the flight. She refused to go into the flight restroom because as her Mammy, Debbie, escorted her back she saw a man walk out of it. She wanted to wait for the women's restroom to open up. As we descended to JFK airport her ears started popping and she screamed for the whole passenger list to hear, "Daddy, my ears hurt".....repeatedly until we were parked and getting off the plane. This was a good distraction because Debbie, who is very nervous flying, asked me while the plane had been taxiing for several minutes "Have we landed yet?"
Our reservations led us to the Parker New York hotel which was mind blowing to Debbie and I. We don't get out much but even if we did we would have been as impressed as all the others who have made the New York trip many times. We got to our rooms, dropped off the luggage, and hurried back down to the lobby to start exploring the city.
We went to the subway and bought passes so we could get on and off at our leisure....and a mere $2.50 per person each time we did it. The passes allowed us to spend our money without the hassle of buying a ticket every time. I did not realize how fast a $40 pass would disappear in a day. We were very lucky to have Cayce's little sister, Allie with us. She was self-proclaimed as being "directionally savvy". Our first stop included the phrases, "Oops, we're on the wrong train" and "I'm pretty sure we're going the wrong direction" but she was directionally savvy after all and we made it to our first destination. We finally got off the right train at our planned destination....just a short walk. Allie had a map and encouraged us to follow her. Forty minutes and many blocks later she explained, "I don't know where north is. Anybody have any ideas?" Allie was dismissed as tour guide and her dad, Russ Garrison took over. We eventually arrived at our restaurant late, sweating, and very hungry.
This ends the first day. I will write again tomorrow and tell you about the tour guide from hell we encountered on day two.
Cody and Cayce announced their plans over a year ago so everyone would be available, healthy, "ward - robed" for the cold, and as excited as they were. They spent the entire year making reservations, buying tickets, paying for hotel and entertainment. They met with all of us more than once for our input on what we would like to do. It was an experience of a lifetime and for this we can never thank them enough.
I tried to keep a journal of the trip so I could tell all of you about it in detail. I was true to my commitment for the first three days and after that I was just too tired to write at night. So much was planned for us we were racing each day to get everything in. Sadly, we had to pass on several activities because....well, because Debbie and I kind of slowed everything down. We are old you know! Even though we didn't try to stay together as a group on all the excursions, we did have to meet at certain times and places to enjoy another planned activity. It was an action packed week to say the least.
On our first day out we all met at terminal C, DFW airport. The first blip was mine. I forgot my cane and knew my leg would give out before too long. I had to get another one in New York. Cody and Andy went out the first night to find one for me. I stayed behind and rested one really aching leg.
As we took off from DFW and climbed to the cruising altitude Charlee asked her daddy why it was taking so long to get there. That was a sign the flight was going to be really long. She proved to be our entertainment on the flight. She refused to go into the flight restroom because as her Mammy, Debbie, escorted her back she saw a man walk out of it. She wanted to wait for the women's restroom to open up. As we descended to JFK airport her ears started popping and she screamed for the whole passenger list to hear, "Daddy, my ears hurt".....repeatedly until we were parked and getting off the plane. This was a good distraction because Debbie, who is very nervous flying, asked me while the plane had been taxiing for several minutes "Have we landed yet?"
Our reservations led us to the Parker New York hotel which was mind blowing to Debbie and I. We don't get out much but even if we did we would have been as impressed as all the others who have made the New York trip many times. We got to our rooms, dropped off the luggage, and hurried back down to the lobby to start exploring the city.
We went to the subway and bought passes so we could get on and off at our leisure....and a mere $2.50 per person each time we did it. The passes allowed us to spend our money without the hassle of buying a ticket every time. I did not realize how fast a $40 pass would disappear in a day. We were very lucky to have Cayce's little sister, Allie with us. She was self-proclaimed as being "directionally savvy". Our first stop included the phrases, "Oops, we're on the wrong train" and "I'm pretty sure we're going the wrong direction" but she was directionally savvy after all and we made it to our first destination. We finally got off the right train at our planned destination....just a short walk. Allie had a map and encouraged us to follow her. Forty minutes and many blocks later she explained, "I don't know where north is. Anybody have any ideas?" Allie was dismissed as tour guide and her dad, Russ Garrison took over. We eventually arrived at our restaurant late, sweating, and very hungry.
This ends the first day. I will write again tomorrow and tell you about the tour guide from hell we encountered on day two.
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