204200: all is well

1/23/2019 3:48 AM
Simply imagine happiness, Faustina, your own happiness.
Feel the smile stretching across your face,
notice the lightness in your step,
hear the sparkle in your voice,
and all things, material and spiritual, will soon fall into place.
Happy today!
The Universe
***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Most of the time, I admit, I do better to not overthink, but to do.
At the Weight Watchers meeting at noon15, I was very upset.
Last week, my weight had inexplicably increased by a little over four pounds. How preposterous! How could I have gained that much weight in a single week?!
No one there could offer a clue.
This week, one of those pounds was gone. Had I done anything differently? No. In fact, I had two travel days last week, days of little activity and little control over food. In addition, I had a day between those of dining and noshing with distant family.
Yet, a full pound was now gone from my body?!
Ack!!!

So, I set about doing things that needed doing.
The laundry was the first to get checked off my invisible mental list.
I do find that task to be calming, especially in the company of Nami.
Only one other person came by while I was there, so that was nice, too.
(smile)

The next item of my day was a visit to the Jepson for a lecture and reception - the second this month.
This time was for the 13th PULSE Art + Technology Festival!
This lecture was by a very shy sculptor-cum-video game artist, Keita Takahashi.
I very much enjoyed this exhibit by him - I was able to create a little tune by touching the three letters!
Touch, after all, is one of my favorite senses.
(smile)

Another work I enjoyed from Takahashi was "Never Ever Quest", a series of sketch panels, arranged at varying heights to engage the viewer in the story.
By this point in the tale, 'Boy' is in the 'Sea of Taco' with his 'Bass-Riffing Red Umbrella (Rare)', after meeting three bears with tridents.
His journey had begun when he decided to take the Long Way Home after consuming a large lunch.
Nice of my musical memory to provide a soundtrack of Supertramp and Ringo Starr!

(smile)
Perhaps this scene from Erin Johnson's "Heavy Water" had jumpstarted my mental jukebox?
I'm sure it did!
See that black dog trotting along the forest path?
Well, of course that reminded me of the Led Zeppelin tune!
I loved that this exhibit was set at the Savannah River Site, too!
Right place, right time for me!
i thank You, God.

"Heavy Water" had been one of the few exhibits open prior to Keita Takahashi's talk.
Afterward, I had returned to the third floor and caught this rainbow-enhanced view of the mobile portion of "katniss" - how very lovely!
What a good reminder to search out new perspectives, too, not only of art, but also of situations in life.
Right place, right time -
aka, another fine coincidence.
(smile)


After getting my fill of chicken satay and beet-pickled deviled eggs at the reception, I was off to the grocery store.
Yet another task, finally checked off!
Then the dashboard reminded me that my car needed food, too.
(smile)
At the gas station, I was rewarded with an odometer reading:
204200.
All is well!
(smile)

denver double!

It's not like I intentionally paired the two movies based on their location.
Nope!
The universe arranged that as a special surprise for me!
(smile)
I selected them because I had not yet seen either of them.
Also, I had not yet used my A*List credits and they would expire on Thursday.
I needed to see some movies, and quickly!
Yes, even though it was a Tuesday and the movies were cheaper anyway.
(smile)
My first choice was "A Dog's Way Home". Beautiful scenery, Ashley Judd as a strong mom, and Edward James Olmos in a surprise role as a homeless man - plus, a dog for these last few days of its year! The 'Big Kitten' was pretty cool, too.
The location was primarily Denver, Colorado, a town that forced the family to choose between their dog and that city. The family chose the dog, of course.
(smile)
My second film was "On The Basis Of Sex", about Ruth Bader Ginsberg in her younger years, when she was raising a family and going to law school. Then, the movie shifted ten years to 1970, with her daughter now a teen and the American Feminist Movement in full swing. That's when the location shifted, too, from the northeast to the Rockies... and Denver, Colorado. That's where the Ginsbergs took on the Internal Revenue Service for gender discrimination, on behalf of Charles Moritz. They won, too, as did I.
Not only did these two films have a geographical tie to each other, but I had Carolyn join me for the latter one.
Then, we waited for Barbara and I was able to give her the ocean-themed calendar...
and an Elf In A Bag/ For A Shelf for her, too, from the Casements.
(smile)
Now, I'm home again and looking forward to more rest.
i thank You, God!

therapy via movies

Last night, after a long day of travel, I had returned from Virginia utterly exhausted.
As wonderful as it had been to see everyone and hear
the stories from the past, the occasion had still been quite stressful.
Finding the penny under this skylight at PHF had calmed me that morning, but I was ready to go long before
my 3 PM flight.

Finding the warlock at the ATL airport was a definite day-brightener.
I had noticed the luggage first, as the medieval floral
is much like that on mine.
The black cat topper, though, drew my gaze upward as
I took in the person dragging that bag.
Very nice, and somehow reassuring that a wielder of magic would choose air travel.

When my late flight finally reached SAV about 9 PM, I'd been traveling for almost twelve hours and my energy was sapped.
The very thought of walking through the parking garages to the far lot brought tears.
So, I took a page from my Grandmama's book and claimed "helpless older lady" status.
Two security guards gladly drove me out to my car.
i thank You, God.

After letting the ex, my first niece, and a few others know I was safely home, I sought no other company than that afforded by the television.
ON DEMAND provided me with the perfect respite:
"Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure".
The free 1989 movie was completely relaxing, as it was one of my long-time favorites.

I slept for eleven hours, waking to Abba's "Does Your Mother Know" playing on my mental jukebox.
Very nice!
Not yet feeling up to company, I turned to ON DEMAND again for diversion.
Fortunately, it served up another free favorite, 1988's
"A Fish Called Wanda", that I know by heart.

Afterward, I felt that I might be up for something a bit different, maybe even try a movie I had never seen -
but what might that be?
How about "Box of Moonlight", I thought, with 39-year-old John Turturro and 30-year-old Sam Rockwell?
That 1996 film was a winner, featuring nude shots of both men.
Sweet dreams for me...
i thank You, God.

celebration of Arlene, post-mass

After the mass, the family and friends headed to the Kiln Creek Country Club for comfort and comfort food.
(In fact, that's where I had snapped the earlier photo of the women in scarves.
Those dears had even made sure I had an official seat at one of the front tables.
(smile)

That's Daniel and dear Stephanie, still like newlyweds, to the left,
Jenna and her boyfriend, Bryce, round out the foursome.
Apparently, we were having such a good time at our table that the youngsters had to come on over!
The young couple are in college now, so the talk turned in that direction -
and to students arranging their schedules to not miss their soap operas.

That's when Steph waxed rhapsodic about "The Young And The Restless", and, amazingly, so did Jeff!
His tie-in was about the tune which is forever linked to the show: "Nadia's Theme".
The song was written for a film in 1971; the television show debuted in 1973, and is still going strong.
Christopher got a big kick out of his sister's soap craze - and from his cousin Jeff crooning the song!
So did I - good times!

By three-thirty, all were done with food and ready
to fully enjoy the extensive slide show that Jenna
had created, using photographs she had gathered
from the family... including me!
Last week, I had again pored over old photo albums
and scanned more than fifty for her, from the early
1990's to the reunion trip to Nag's Head in July, 2009.

How very wonderful to hear reminisces of those
happy times shared together!
Not long after, I had witnessed a bet between Daniel
and the Mad Rose (him betting she would like tomatoes in seven years, her betting not), watched a putter miss his shots repeatedly, and then it was time for the family to head to the Davidson's for story time -
PEACE OUT! (smile)

Here's Jeff, early on in the evening, catching up with Pam, Uncle Larry's sister.
Her husband, John Miramonte, wasn't able to make this trip, due to health issues.
Hopefully his back will be better soon.

And here Jeff is again!
This time he's with Christopher, Stephanie, and Madelyn, and obviously regaling them with some funny tale.
Just what was spoken, I can't say...
because I don't know!
I was just the photographer, I promise!
(smile)

Shortly after that, Jeff was in deep powwow with his mom's and Auntie's cousins.
That's Gene Mroz at the head of the table.
Felix, with the thatch of white hair, is facing Jeff.
Steven Stokfisz is there beside Felix, out of the frame.
Jeff's cousin Brian had come in to check on the group, as they were missing the family tales being told.

Hint taken by the group in the dining room!
Within the next half-hour, Jeff was in the breakfast nook, sharing the memories warming the air - and our hearts - on this chilly evening.
Speaking of chili, Brian had made some!
It was good and cheesy, too - just like him!
(smile)

Brian started the storytelling, too, but not with one about his mom - well, not directly.
No, this one was about his dad and his Grandpa Ed. As it turns out, Larry was at sea on the USS Forrester when a Coast Guard chopper came to carry him off to Annapolis, courtesy of Ed.
Larry sent the helicopter back, saying no thanks to the offer - he wanted to get back to his sweetie, Arlene, after that tour of duty!

That wasn't the only story Brian had, of course.
He also told of one in his teen years, when he was called down from his bedroom, by his dad, to the den.
Once there, where Larry and Arlene were cuddled up, Brian discovered the reason for his summons...
his folks were too comfortable on the couch to get up and change the tv channel!
Brian was the 'remote control' for them!

Uncle Larry stepped in with a "Brian" story in which the boy had "run away" ... but only as far as the neighbor's yard. The neighbor had even ratted Brian out, going to the Kopek house and telling them where he'd gone!
That was quite funny!
Larry also told one about his being asleep in his car in an empty lot across from his parent's house when the MP's had come looking for him, saying he was AWOL. LOL!

The fellow in the white sweater is one of Larry's cousins.
He related a tale about him and Larry sent to Chicago to fetch back Bob, destined for the priesthood.
Wonder of wonders, the man had been taking photos... and had laid out on the floor, in a woman's shape, the nudes of several!
I bet the Playboy Club there was his inspiration!

And that man in the gray shirt and glasses?
He's Doug, Larry's Canadian brother-in-law.
I had introduced myself to the woman and, when she
had not recognized my name, I said "the ex-wife of
Auntie Arlene's nephew, Jeff".
That's when Doug had piped up, smilingly, "You know
what that makes you, right? Baggage!"
"Right pretty baggage, too!" I had jokingly replied.
"Especially this beautiful blue sweater I'm wearing!"

Doug was also the one who told the only roast-style
tale about Arlene.
Doug and his wife had joined Larry and Arlene at their Hilton Head condo a few years ago. On the final day, Doug opted to help by cleaning out the refrigerator...
and threw out "a quarter of a half-sandwich".
We all knew exactly what Auntie had said:
"No! Someone will eat that later!" (smile)

Larry had a good one about Mother Pat!
She had joined Larry and Arlene to drive out to the Grand Canyon - think it was summer - and she had opted to stay in the car while they got out and took a look.
The keys were in the car, so she could have the A/C -
and in the car they remained, when she joined them for a look, after carefully locking the doors behind her...
keys still in the ignition. LOL!

All good tales, but see that fellow in the center?
He's Doug's son, Steve, and he had some doozies about Grandpa Ed, Larry's dad.
Like, Grandpa Ed kept a whistle to blow in a restaurant, if he thought the service was slow.
Grandpa Ed used to not think twice about fighting a guy twenty years his junior.
Grandpa Ed had a set of new tools, out at the lake house, and went crazy when a much younger Steve had

chucked the tools into the water, one by one, trying to get the attention of a turtle sunning itself.
There were more, but those are the ones I recall most.
I'm not sure that Madelyn quite knew whether to believe these tales about her great-grandfather or not!
The general consensus seemed to be that the stories were most definitely true!
(smile)

Whether or not they were exaggerated, the memories spoken of in these recollections about family now gone accomplished their mission:
to bring smiles and laughter to hearts left behind.
Tomorrow, those hearts will return to their homes.
Jeff will be returning to Rome before 7 AM.
I'll be off to Savannah at 3 PM.
And the thing I will most fondly recall?
This big, beautiful smile on Uncle's face.

(smile)
i thank You, God.

wrapped in scarves of love

It had been Michelle's idea for the wearing of her mother's scarves by the females in the family.
They all wore them somewhat differently, of course, adding their own sense of style, but the end result was the same -
each was wrapped in Arlene's love of family for this day of the Celebration of her Life.
This was taken at the Davidson home, with Jeff visiting with his cousin Michelle and her daughters, Madelyn and Jenna.

The Celebration of Life was held at St. Kateri Tekakwitha, a nearby church which was the site of many happy times for Auntie Arlene and her family.
The emphasis of the program was firmly on family, the core of Arlene's existence.
Michelle and her younger brother, Brian, provided the family history, including the births of each of the six grandchildren, all so dear to Arlene's heart.
I think the timing of the children's entrances into her life was very good for her, granting her little ones to love on for more than three decades. What a blessing for a woman whose career had been raising her family!

What a blessing, too, to have these women wrapped in the solace of her clothing!
Jenna wore the tiger-striped scarf, draped loosely around her neck.
Michelle's choice had been the neutral-toned geometric print, twisted and tight.
Younger daughter Madelyn sported openly the flounced one with the bright flowers.
Pam, Arlene's sister-in-law, had the blue-toned scarf, draped in a classic style.
Stephanie, the first granddaughter, wore the lacy black one as a shawl on her shoulders.
How very beautiful, both in appearance and sentiment!

katniss of pinpoint

It all began from a photograph taken of a flowering plant in a ditch.
Rather humble start, wasn't it?
And now, that little marsh flower, of the genus sagittaria, is represented as both a third-floor wall mural and a hanging mobile in the atrium at the Jepson Center.
I'm so glad I attended this artist talk and reception tonight!

I had thought the name - Katherine Sandoz - sounded familiar to me, but couldn't place her.
Then she showed this image and it clicked for me.
She was the first artist of SEESAW!
"Turtle Island" had been the creation of this woman who had expanded her talents from advertising to painting when she moved to Savannah to attend SCAD.
I spoke to her after the talk and she remembered my name from the Muralcle project!
(smile)

Here is the wall mural she was commissioned by the Jepson to create, as part of their ongoing #art912 mission.
It's the first thing seen when ascending the marble staircase, greeting the viewer with cheery brightness, filled with color and form and texture - an artist's mainstay.
The project has taken almost exactly a year to formulate and express.
What a memorable way to transition from her 49th birthday to her 50th!

First, she painted the wall mural, using skills she has honed for the last twenty years.
Then, she created an exploded representation of that image, suspending 108 key elements of color and shape on 19 wires from
the ceiling of the atrium, ensuring
a total weight of no more than
30 pounds on each wire.
That part of the project involved completely new skills, as well as collaboration with other artists.
Que magnifique!

I'll have to be sure to visit at different times of day, as the mobile is meant to be an ever-changing exhibit, incorporating its surroundings - and nature - into the life of the artwork.
(smile)

chelsea chooses crabs!

Twenty of us had gathered at Tin Fin for Chelsea's 20th birthday!
Pretty nice coincidence with those numbers, wasn't it?
(smile)
And just why had this small restaurant been selected?
And why were we meeting on a Tuesday evening?
I'll tell you why: Chelsea wanted crab legs for her birthday dinner and the Tin Fin of Rincon (notice how well that rhymes, please!) offers all-you-can-eat crab legs on Tuesdays!
I think it was $35 per person... but the dinner for Chelsea and her boyfriend was Melinda's gift to her daughter.

My dinner was the pound of boiled shrimp and corn on the cob, but it was still pricey.
That's okay, though.
I had a beautiful view!
Leila and Alyssa shared my end of the first long table.
Miyah sat with us briefly, but then she bopped over to her Grammy.
That's Melinda, cuddling up with Matt while holding Miyah on her lap, at the second table, visible between the twins.

(Nice photo bomb, Alyssa!)
Venita is up against the wall,
directly behind the girls, and next
to Matt's Mom, Mary, who is beside
his dad, Lee.
Melinda's one-and-only brother, David, is in blue and sitting beside his girlfriend, Karen.
Those two frequent this place and knew about the crab leg feast.

The birthday girl and her beau were catty-corner from me, at my table.
Christina, shown here at the second table, was initially between her sister and Miyah.
Melinda's sister, Tammy, was beside me. Then there were her husband, Booby, and their two kids. They all had the crab legs.
Melinda's youngest sister, Robin, was across from them with her daughter.
At this point, everyone was a bit scattered, including the twins.

Part of the movement of people was due to the dearth of crab legs.
I think the restaurant was a bit overwhelmed to have so many leg-folks at our two tables!
The two waitresses simply could not bring them out fast enough, plus serve the rest of the tables.
That time lapse gave the smokers, including Matt, plenty of reasons to step outside...
and where her PawPaw went,
so did Miyah!

But then he came back inside for more food, bringing her in, too, and that's when things went awry.
That littlest girl commenced to screaming and wriggling and being an absolute almost-two-years-old terror!!!
She wouldn't settle down for Christina, nor for her Grammy, nor for the birthday girl -
not for anyone!!!
Then again, by that time it was almost 9 PM and past her bedtime.


We all took our leave after settling the tabs, glad to have seen each other...
glad to have shared this time of celebration together...
glad to be granting the wish of the littlest girl.
i thank You, God.

dawn at last

Remember this photograph?
I posted it over a year ago, when Dawn and I 'had lunch' out at Armstrong.
When we've been trying ever since to arrange an actual, bona fide meal together.
The problem was finding a date when we were both in Savannah.
That seemed to be rare, between her work schedule - which involves a lot of travel - and my leisure schedule - which also involves a lot of travel.
I should have taken a new photo to commemorate the occasion!
After all, our dining together has proven to be rarer than a blue moon.
(smile)
We met at The Noodle Bowl, as she had never been there.
Her New Year's resolution is to try new restaurants. Sure, it may be a scouting maneuver, to look for new clients for her company's pasta and sauce products. But it is certainly a way to check out more of the wonderful eateries here in town, especially those the locals love.
Like The Noodle Bowl.
(smile)
Yes, the physicist and I go there a good bit. Yes, our most recent trip there was just two months ago and was rather memorable.
(smile)
Yes, I've been there numerous times over the years, especially with the Peace guy. I have even been there for the MENSA group, too!
Let's just say I have fond memories there... and now I have one more!
She and I are hoping to schedule a dinner party - at my house! - sometime in the near future. She has a game called "How To Host A Murder: Roman Ruins" that looks like fun and can be played by eight people.
Here's the best part: the game has never been opened.
It'll be brand-new for all of us!
Now, who to invite to this future dinner party?
Well, Dawn and Chris, of course. Then, I think Smitty and Mary would enjoy it! And, do I overload Dawn by including Tony and Laura or do I ask her to invite another couple? And what about that eighth person, who to choose? The bfe? At least Dawn would know him. Or maybe Scott, the Eagle Scout? Or how about Kevin, to mix up the ages a bit?
I guess we'll have to settle that once we find a date that works!
Maybe we can help narrow that down at her Soup Party in two weeks...
maybe!
(smile)

beaufort boys!

I need more time with this nephew!
Merritt, son of my half-brother Michael, is holding two rubber ducks that he won in a machine there at the Cinemark.
Why did he want these speckled,
square-headed birds?
They reminded him on Minecraft -
plus, he collects the ducks!
Of course, that means I had to tell
him about my ducks, too.
(smile)

His younger half-brother, Conner,
is also into the ducks - or maybe
he's just into the guaranteed-win
game that has them!
Here he is with a sweater-vested
waterfowl holding a volleyball
while Merritt photo-bombs us!
Conner ended up gifting that duck
to me...
and I gave to Merritt, as he knew
a teacher who would like it.
(smile)

And he-e-e-e-re's Bonnie!
(smile)
She and I just wanted a visit with each other today, as it's been more than four months.
That's just crazy!
I've offered to meet them in Beaufort, knowing how busy her schedule is as guardian, caretaker of her mother, and working woman.
Bonnie prefers this leisurely outing in Bluffton.
(smile)


So, what did we do? Well, we began with lunch at El Cinco, as we did last time. The boys had the same meals as that time, too, with the Beef Nachos for Merritt and Steak Tacos for Conner. I had something totally new: Zucchini Chicken, sans queso - so much flavor! Bonnie had a triple beef plate with an enchilada, taco, and burrito... and the check for it all. She said that was my Christmas gift - how sweet!
Then, she paid for the movie tickets for all, too! Good thing it was the cheap show! The movie was "Bumblebee"... and she stayed awake the whole time!
(smile)
I sat between the boys and they were pretty rapt for the entire show, too.
Me? I really enjoyed seeing this again, especially in the company of kids.
(smile)

Afterward came even more fun!
Bonnie had the boys open the belated gifts I had brought -
what a blessing for me!
Now I know that Merritt really likes jigsaw puzzles!
I already knew that he likes "Star Wars", so the two 100-piece challenges, one of Darth Vader and the other with Obi-Wan Kenobi,
were excellent choices.
Hooray - thanks, Daddy, for the helpful hint on his birthday gift!

As for Christmas presents, I'd bought both of them the same thing, but wrapped them differently.
Those science gifts turned out to be bit hits, too!
Conner took a while to get into the styrofoam cube containing his, but he was elated by the two plaster casts inside!
I had bought those down at MOAS, getting a fossil box and a marine life box for each of them.
They'll have to let me know what was buried beneath the plaster!
(smile)

Thank you, Bonnie, for the gift of lunch and a movie with you and the boys!
Thank you, Merritt and Conner, for adding such fun to our day!

i thank You, God, for this beautiful day!