i made ron laugh!

That's him, Ron, sitting between me and Barbara.
Amber and Flo, both new to me, were beyond them,
on my right.
Zamian, our super-cool waiter, is shown taking
Flo's order on this meeting of the Bon Vivants.
It's been two months since I was last with this
MENSA offshoot, and quite a long time since I
dined at this particular restaurant -
and even longer since I ate out for Restaurant

Week, which is usually in a slow tourism month.
(Such as during winter, so that's why I miss them.)
Let's see... on my left is Sandy, even though she is invisible in this photo.
Past her is Lithuanian Dave (aka Buch Nekkid),
Kathy (the grand organizer of these events),
Edith (Flo's friend), and Susan (Ron's wife).
Usually, Susan and Ron sit side by side, but they
arrived quite late, so... lol!

I began my meal with a rare treat: a cocktail!
Called a Tropical Depression, this lovely liquid
was composed of mango tequila - my poison of choice -
with ginger beer and bitters.
I wish it had been as appealing as it looks, but
it was rather sweet for me.
Next time, I''ll have one of the Mules instead!
(smile!)

The beverage was not included in the three-course
prix fixe dinner, of course.
That thirty-dollar tab covered an appetizer,
an entree, and a dessert, only.
I had the Greek salad, sans feta, to start.
Then, the fresh peach cobbler, sans ice cream,
accompanied the tour de force: eggplant campeonato,
loaded with capers, onions, and olives - oh, my!
No seafood for me this time!

Such a good time I had tonight at this belated birthday treat!
I'm so glad I moved from the seat beside Barbara to the seat at the foot of the table!
Right place, right time!
That left an open chair for Ron to sit in - perfect for what followed!
We were chatting about various things, as folks do when sharing a meal with other folks they don't see often.
I had explained to Dave that my name wasn't "just Tina - it's Faustina, f-a-u-s-tina, like in Poland or Germany or Italy."
Ron had asked if that was my heritage and I'd told him I was none of those.
"I'm ICE!" I'd then gone on to explain that, as I did here.
Well, he got a big kick out of that and loosened on up!
His family hails from Georgia - "the one in Russia," he told me. They moved to Mexico first, but later settled in Texas in the early part of the 1900's.
That makes him Southern, through and through, like me and Barbara and Sandy.
Well, alrighty then!
I was on a roll after that, regaling him with my childhood of growing up being called "Tina" and "Linda" and "Sybil" and "Lorena" - the names of my aunt, my mother, and my grandmother - leading me to regard names as fluid things.
Even my three brothers, I told him, had fluid names, as Mama would call out "Smitty", "Ronnie", "Tony", until she ended with the one she wanted...
and that's when Ron Cole just lost it!!!
He joyfully laughed and laughed - and I was delighted to see him and hear him doing that!
That really made my night!
The others were just listening to us at that point, listening to Ron laugh so gaily.
No doubt they were all wondering what we were talking about to have gotten such a truly tickled response from this usually quiet man.
I'm still plumb tickled myself about his being so tickled!
(smile)
i thank You, God, for that blessed levity!

better get kraken on those gifts!

It's a pun, y'all!
You know how I love those!
Though I must admit to having krakens
on the brain of late.
I think the sidewalk art festival is to blame!
I don't think I'd ever seen them drawn there before.
The 3-D additions also made an impact on me -
even without my touching them!
(smile)

I think that's why I was drawn to this deodorant -
the kraken on my brain.
New underarm odor protectant was needed and I was
looking for something with Old Spice.
I've always liked the way it smells.
And what new scent was there?
Kräkengard! With the "unspeakable power
of the ancient ocean"!
True story! I took it to Vegas, too, baby!

Then, yesterday, I had even more Kracken going on!
I had taken my brother, Ronnie, to see "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation", and there the beast was,
singing and dancing!
The good news is I now know how
to tame a Kraken.
First, use "Good Vibrations" to soothe its jangled nerves.

After all, that's a lot of pressure down in the ocean's depths!
(smile) Get the joke?
Next, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" will hit its sweet spot, man.
(Tune it in to the Rasta wavelength!)
Last, use "La Macarena" to work out the kinks in those tentacles - oh, yeah!
That will be one re-lax-ed Kraken!
(smile)

Now, let's get crackin' on those birthday gifts, shall we?
Not that they were for me...
I got them to share the love with others.

This lovely, reusable tote bag was given to the physicist at lunch today.
(By coincidence, we ate at Sushi Zen, but the order in the photo was from my Florida trip in May.)
The bfe loved the geometric kitteh - hooray!
After lunch, we took in a movie he chose, "Sorry To Bother You", which turned out to be more science fiction than expected, but really good.

On Sunday, Smitty and Tony had come by to install this -
a real live, honest-to-goodness air conditioner!
We have it set up to stream cool air into the dining and living rooms, with fans for the other rooms.
(I'll be curious how it will impact my electric bill.)
I gave Tony a smashed penny with a racecar on it,
obtained from M&Ms World - his favorite candy.
Smitty received two coasters from The Angry Butcher,
a swanky eaterie at Sam's Town.

This Gilchrist & Soames beauty and bath kit went to Carolyn last Friday, as an early 72nd birthday present.
Its duplicate will be given to Barbara tonight, as a belated 67th birthday gift.
Each of them contain a quartet of the company's BATHE liquids, as well as soap, a toothbrush, a pouch of cotton swabs and wipes, and a shower cap - all in a see-through travel bag for easy plane travel.

How true it is: 'tis better to give than to receive!
(smile!)

kilted off-kilter bananas!

What an incredible baseball fairy-tale finish tonight!
However, the ending was very nearly not so rosy for this much-ballyhooed ballgame.
Yes, I did say much ballyhooed, for it certainly 'twas.
Folks in Detroit knew about it.
Folks in Kansas City were hip to it.
Folks in Miami knew the news.
Folks in Cincinnati were all onto it.
Even the folks in Las Vegas knew about it!
This wasn't just a little local novelty for folks in Savannah.
Thanks to USA Today and Sports Illustrated, folks everywhere had heard the news.
The Savannah Bananas were wearing kilts to play baseball.
Wow!
No other MLB team had ever done such a thing!
Then the game against Macon Bacon got rained out midway through the first inning.

The continuation of that game was tonight...
and the boys were clad, once more, in the yellow and green plaid kilts...
after reading about and hearing about the stunt novelty for over a week...
and with many of these players being Southern-born, as I am...
so I'm sure they'd been kidded about the "skirts" at least since the original game.
That had to be a bit rough on the psyche of these young men.
I could see it in the way they played the first few innings.
They were definitely self-conscious out there, even the few who had chosen to wear pants or jeans under their breezy, swaying tartan plaids.
But there was a perceptible shift in the sixth inning.
It wasn't that the Bananas finally scored a run, after trailing the whole game...
because they did not get a man across home then.
No, the shift was in their attitudes.
When they came up to bat, they came to get a hit, rocking that kilt as they did so.
They were finally accepting the apparel and owning it fully.
Macon had gotten all the runs they would be allowed - time for Bananas to play!

In the 7th inning, Alex Rodriguez swatted a double down the middle -
Hunter Wilson was in!
Run one for the Bananas!
After that, it was a matter of loading up the bases with yellow kilts, trying for more runs, to tie up the game.
But the seventh and eighth innings failed to produce more feet across home plate.

Then the magic, the miracle, the magnificent happened!
Bottom of the ninth, the home team was behind, 3 to 1.
Jake Howard got on base, followed by Justin Dirden, and then Garret Delano -
the bases were once again full ... and of mostly Southern Bananas!
Time for Bill LeRoy, the catcher from Dublin, Georgia, to wield the bat.
The ball headed toward third base, but the pitcher fielded it and hurled it toward first -
and beyond!
The boys were all waved on to home! Go home!! Come on home!!!
And they did!!!
Then the triumphant trio joined the others racing out of the dugout to join Bill on second base and hoisting him up jubilantly!
Wow!!!
What an absolute thrill to have been there tonight with Willie!
Wow!!!

i thank You, God!

anything goes with ibrahim and abraham, especially cake!

No need to adjust your screens, folks.
Yes, this was taken at Asbury Memorial UMC.
No, he is not Billy Hester, away for the summer.
The man holding sway today is Imam Ibrahim Abdul-Malik, the one who took over after Maajid died.
He chose to give us a history lesson, to emphasize that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are waters from the same fountain. That was the message in "Abraham: The Father Of Many, And A Model For All".
Well done!

I especially enjoyed David Kafer's solo rendition of "His Eye Is On The Sparrow".
That song truly is about God's love for all of us, no matter what our background or social status or skin color or gender or nationality may be.
Amen, y'all, amen.

Afterward, we had sweets galore!
This was the Womens' Dessert Contest and there
were four tables laden with the best efforts
of the contenders.
There were prizes for prettiest, tastiest,
and most original...
and perhaps a few more categories, too.

This was my hands-down favorite!
These were individual-sized,
ooey gooey chocolate in coconut,
on pretty doilies - so very delicious!
The judges liked it, too!
Then, it was time to take my sugar rush away...

And I knew just the place to take it!
Over to the Kennedy Center at SSU, for the SCT's teen theatre camp production of "Anything Goes", the sea-going 1934 Cole Porter musical!
Wonder of wonders, the Odd Lot crew was there, too!
I felt like I was having a bit of deja vu, as this was just like on July 1st when I had also gone to a musical theatre - at same place! - after church!


Now, a bit of quiet, if you please!
The show is about to start...
(smile)
i thank You, God for this wonderful welcome home to Savannah!

bananas, blowfish, bruce, ballcap!

First, I want to show off this snazzy new ballcap!
Steve gave it to me tonight!
(smile)
The Savannah Bananas had a military-themed
game that I missed.
As a veteran, he received a couple of these with the special silver Banana...
and saved one for me, a fellow veteran.
Woohoo!

That's him in the yellow-plaid shirt, directly under
the "MEDIA" sign.
In past years, he's sat in the row behind Willie's,
but this season, he has been close at hand.
That's been good, so the two guys he can talk
baseball, including national games.
Here they are right after Alex Rodriguez' triple!
And who is that other person between them?
That younger man on his cell phone?

That is the long-lost Bruce!
He once was a regular at the Sand Gnats' games,
even working with them for their last season here.
He came for a couple of Bananas' games during their first season, but then moved back to New York.
He heard that Willie hasn't been doing well -
and that's why he was there tonight!
(I have his phone number now so they can
stay in touch - good!)

Speaking of Alex Rodriguez, here he is at bat, under
red skies at night (a sailor's delight - lol!).
The Bananas' third-baseman was as on fire tonight as
were the bottoms of these western clouds!
The sixth inning, in particular, was all him.
Did he get a hit?
Nope, he didn't need one, apparently -
the Lexington County Blowfish walked him to first.
That was a mistake, as the pitcher soon learned!

After a throwing error by that same pitcher,
Alex managed to steal second base.
Then, a pop fly that ended in an out (oh, no, there was a glove under that ball!) and Alex standing on third.
But not for long!
Justthatfast, HE STOLE HOME!!!
That gave the Bananas their fifth run -
and the only action for that inning.
Amazing to have witnessed!!!

The man was certainly not done for the night, either.
Here he is, on third in the eighth inning, waiting patiently for a hit to bring him home.
(This was two minutes after the second photo -
in this post - was taken.)
It was beginning to look like he might have to
steal his way home again,.
The next two men, Garret Delano and Sam Claycamp, good batters as a rule, failed to get a hit and make it away from the batter's box ...

But then Hunter Wilson, the second-baseman, came to the rescue of the Banana stranded on third!
Hunter swatted a single to left centerfield -
and that allowed Alex to race across home plate and score the seventh - and last - run for the home team
in that game.
Sure, the Blowfish had tried for a comeback in the last three innings, but only scored three runs.
The Bananas won!!!

Ah, yes - fireworks are always better when the right team wins!
(smile!)
How lovely that the moon was there to participate in the man-made star systems!
How nice of Mister Willie to patiently wait through them, as he knows I enjoy them so much!
How incredible that we managed to get out to my car and make it away from the stadium before the traffic congested!
Right place, right time...
i thank You, God!

summer camp, theatre style!

Oh, how I wish I could say that I had seen all of these!
I wasn't paying attention, in truth, and missed half of the productions.
Believe me, I'll watch the Savannah Childrens' Theatre website more closely next year.

"Phantom Tollbooth, Jr." was the
first of the threesome I saw...
and it was a musical!!!
Words versus numbers, with both lost without rhyme and reason!
Brothers versus each other and against their sisters.
And it was a children's musical!
Wow.
Not only that, but it starred a dog!
That's important to me this year.
(smile!)
I loved Tock, the "watch" dog!
Such glorious puns throughout!

This morning, I saw my second one of these productions, and it, too, was a musical!
"Peter Pan, Jr." was filled with mostly little kids, unlike the above show.
(That show was actually seen on June 30th.)
I was one of two audience members, but that's okay - she and I cheered even louder for that!
My thanks to Georgette for the free pass for this special morning rehearsal!


I'll be looking forward to the season-ender I'll see on Sunday!
(That sure was a bunch of "s" words, wasn't it?)
(smile!)

well, that battery just couln't take the heat

So... I returned from Las Vegas last night.
The plane was a bit later than scheduled, due to a storm in Atlanta, but I was
on the ground here by 9 PM.
Barbara and Sandy met me at the airport and took me for a rare meal at Chedddars.
Then, they dropped me at home and I slept in my own bed, with my own pillow...
very good!
Thanks, mis amigas!

Today, I slept until after 1 PM.
Then, I did some unpacking and thought I'd like to go see "Ant-Man And The Wasp" -
get a bit of popcorn, right?
However, my car wouldn't start.
Surely that three-year-old battery hadn't died...?
My neighbor and his family were heading out, but he took a few moments
to use his handheld charger to get my car started.
Vroom! Vroom! Off I went to the cinema, taking the long way.
Thanks, Robert!

After the movie, the car refused to start.
Again.
No lights, no sound, nothing.
Apparently, that thirty minutes of driving had not done the trick.
My brother Smitty came to my rescue, using his handheld charger to get me on the road again.
He told me the heat had probably killed the battery and I needed to get it replaced.
Off I went to Firestone!
Thanks, Smitty!

And I get to the Firestone... and they had closed early for a meeting.
Oh, no! What to do???
Leaving my car running, I ran up to the door anyway...
Dave must have seen the stricken look of panic on my face.
He opened the door, listened to my tale of woe, and...
here's the amazing part...
he took charge and handled the situation for me, a valued customer.
As good fortune would have it, the battery I needed was in stock.
As more good fortune, Adam was there to remove the old battery and put in the new one.
Right place, right time... and right people.
Thanks, Dave and Adam!

Now, I'm off to join Barbara and Sandy and Carolyn for a trip that was planned before I even left for Nevada.
We're all going to "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again!", to dance in our seats!
i thank You, God, for these little miracles in my life!

dogs and dancers and dino

My last day in Vegas and I still had money to burn,
thanks to Diamond Resorts!
Off I headed to Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile
after polishing off the Hard Rock doggie bag!
I had two shows to attend before I left town,
and my first goal was to exchange my two groupons
for actual tickets - done!
I even had time for a beaver shot of the redhead -
the physicist greatly appreciated that!

I had a bit of time before the first show,
so I bopped around under the blue 'sky',
enjoying the memories of my 2013 trip.
Look, there's the Salsa Cantina, by the redhead -
good margaritas were had there one night!
A little farther down was Blondie's, where I had lunch before another show!
Good times for sure that October!

Then it was time to head back to the V Theatre
for the 4 PM Gregory Popovich's Comedy Pet Theater!
I had so enjoyed it five years ago -
all the talented dogs and cats, even a duck!
Would the Red Skelton-style skits still shine?
They did!
As did the juggling and all the animal antics!
Plus, they have added a silks aerialist - hooray!

Now what to do before the evening show?
Well, first, I located the Saxe Theatre.
Along the way, I had seen Lobster ME -
what was that all about?
Great eats on the cheap, that's what!
I had a lobster taco and a grilled shrimp taco -
and they even gave me free chips and cheese!
Plus, since it was Taco Tuesday,
I ate for less - perfect, with no leftovers!

I walked around a bit more, watching for the Rainstorm on the Miracle Mile, but my timing was off.
That's okay, I'd wait until after Vegas! The Show!
And look what I found inside the Saxe -
a replica of the famous Las Vegas sign!
Magnificent! Pretty nice photo of me, too!
(smile!)

As for the show, it was a superb variety act!
Feathered dancers! Glittery singers!
Dino and Frank and Sammy Davis, Jr.!
Tom Jones! Elvis! Gladys Knight with her Pips!
And songs turned into skits - "The Candy Man"
had girls throwing treats! "The Devil In Disguise"
had brides in fluffy white become red-clad sirens!
"What's New Pussycat" - pretty obvious,yes?
Then came the acrobats and the wry juggler!
What a magnificent show!

Now for a little dessert for my taste buds!
Over to the Ben & Jerry's I strolled, getting my
coconut almond fudge chip cone just in time
for the 9 PM Rainstorm - very nice!
Then outside, into the heat and the crowds
on the sidewalk, and what did I see?
The Fountains at the Bellagio were doing their
9:30 PM dance, moving to the music in my head!

Back into the cool of Planet Hollywood,
retracing my steps along the Miracle Mile,
heading south down The Strip.
Then, while I was traversing a side street
via the glass walkway, I saw shining brightly
the purple lights of my Las Vegas home in May of 2010, October of 2013, and on this 2018 summer trip:
Polo Towers.

Now to bed I go.
I'm checked in for my 11:30 AM flight tomorrow, my bags are packed, and I've placed my call to Bell Trans for the shuttle to pick me up around 8:30 AM.
Here's hoping for on-time flights and "Isle Of Dogs" still on the in-flight movie list!
(smile)
i thank You, God, for this blessed birthday trip!

between an m&m and a hard rock

Woohoo! Here I am, off to do battle!
The evil beasts of Diamond Resorts awaited me
in their lair at the top of the building.
The goons at Polo Towers had nagged me into an
"owner update" meeting - misnomer for a sales pitch
to get more of my money -
so I was there to get paid.
And I did - $150 of VISA cards -
and an iPad, too.
Thanks, Jeff Galloway.
Now, to have fun at their expense!

My first stop was M&Ms World!
Ms. Green was looking out from the top floor,
toward the mountains to the west,
but I chose the view to the north!
Ah, the sweet and dark smell of the chocolate
was so intoxicating!

Ms. Green even came out for a visit!
Right place, right time!
i thank You, God!
After hobnobbing with her by the race car,
I made sure to get some smashed pennies
to mark the occasion, with one for Tony -
these are his favorite candies!

Then I was off to experience the 4-D film,
"I Lost My M In Vegas!"
What's that fourth dimension?
The rushing air and other special effects
off the screen and around the viewers!
I enjoyed it so much that I saw it twice!

I had passed by the ID tag machine's
bright yellow bulk several times,
but something made me stop for a
closer look at its wares.
Then, I truly saw it - the Elvis M&M dogtag!!!
It even had purple highlights!!!

I had it engrave a special message -
FAUSTINA
60TH BDAY
- just for me!
Now, it's on my key ring that Mama gave me for
my 19th birthday, along with my real USN dogtag.
Those are both 41 years old, by the way.
(smile!)

Next stop?
Well, smelling all that chocolatey goodness
really worked up a powerful thirst.
Fortunately, the Coca-Cola Store was just
a few doors down!
Ahhhhhh!!! Nothing quite as thirst-slaking
as an ice-cold Coca-Cola ICEE -
the taste that refreshes!
(smile!)

***** H * E * L * L * O **** G * O * R * G * E * O * U * S *****
Thanks, T-Mobile! I appreciate that!
(smile!)

By the time I finished my exploration of the Showcase Mall, it was not only five o'clock somewhere,
it was five o'clock in Vegas, baby!
Time for a very late slunch and a libation!
Over to the Hard Rock Cafe with my bad self!
What a book to have been seated by The Killers
and the Panic! At The Disco -
they're both Las Vegas bands that made it big!

Eric was the best waiter on this trip!
He encouraged me to take in the sights while my food was being prepared and that's what I did, too.
The guitar had belonged to Paul Stanley of KISS -
so I had to send the photo to my ex!
"I've never seen that one. It's like half of a Flying V fused with half of a shrunken Explorer. Weird!"
Woohoo! That meant he loved it!

I loved all the memorabilia that had belonged
to Elvis Presley!
The turquoise and brown patterned shirt that
screamed 1970's style really made me smile,
reminding me of some of the shirts my brother
Smitty wore in high school.
These dragon-embroidered pants, though,
were what I most liked.
I sure would love to have a pair of these,
especially with Elvis in them!
(smile!)

Oh, and look at my gorgeous food!
The Southwest flatbread, sans cheese,
flanked on the left by the generous portion of
side salad and lemon vinaigrette,
with the Apple Cobbler - no ice cream, thanks! -
taking up the right side.
So good to have dessert along with the meal!
Thanks, Eric!

Nice entertainment accompanied my dining pleasure!
Here was Kool & The Gang, encouraging me to "Get Down On It", which I did, all while enjoying a pure smorgasbord of music videos!
There was Garbage with "Special", the Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla", some "Breathe Me" by Sia, Muddy Waters and his "Mannish Boy", Green Day going "Bang Bang", and the Cure telling me it was "Just Like Heaven".
My, oh, my, how had they known?

I even took a bit of that heaven - in the form of flatbread and cobbler - away with me for breakfast tomorrow.
Now, I'm settled in from the heat of the sidewalks, chilled Guinness Stout at my side, for a bit of "Sex In The City" - and sweet dreams of Mr. Big later.
(smile)
What a great day this has been, and all at no cost to me!
i thank You, God!