Full moon over Vesuvius

As we pulled away from Naples, the moon highlighted Mt Vesuvius. Maybe not breathtaking but certainly worth noting. Yesterday seemed like old home week. Two waiters in the dining room hugged me and welcomed us back (we must have tipped well). Then, I thought I saw an old co-worker from the Pentagon, but wrote it off as the "I've been away from home so long people are starting to look like someone I know" syndrome. But, later I saw his wife. They live in San Antonio, but it takes an ocean to meet up.

Today was a long road trip. The Amalifi Coast (55 kilometers of curves)and a short stop in Positano - a village built into the side of the mountain. Then back to Sorento for sightseeing and lunch at a 5-star hotel. Ok, the Italians have pasta down to a science. Then, on to Pompeii, somewhere I've wanted to visit since grade school history class. The eruption that buried the city was in 79 a.d. The last eruption in 1944. Pompeii was a city of 10,000 to 20,000 people complete with 143 wine bars, several bordellos and assorted other places of note.

When we could barely walk another step, a woman and her husband whom I met during the course of the day, convinced me we could not leave without sharing a piece of pizza. Just like Julia Roberts in the disappointing "Eat, Pray, Love." Unlike her I do believe I gained 10 lbs today alone - and we have 40 days left. Ah well, swimming tomorrow and maybe even the gym. I am proud to say, it's been four days without a soda. Way to go, Janny.

Arrivederci Roma

Well, I have no idea how to spell "goodbye" in Italian, but that was my best shot. The luggage, Joe and I have arrive on the Celebrity Equinox safely, although he had just one blip left on his wheelchair, and if the battery goes dead, there is no resurrection. A long 9 1/2 hour flight to Rome made easier by a last minute upgrade to Business Class. i think I'm spoiled. A suicide driver in a Mercedes mini-van got us safely to the Hotel Cicerone, which was close to the Vatican. We checked in, had a good lunch, followed by a nap and a good dinner, followed by several Italian white wines and a Benedictine and Bailey. I was able to find the air conditioning switch about 3:00 a.m. this morning and it made it much more comfortable. After another harrowing ride to Civeteveccia, we are save and sound. Ciao.

Off on a great adventure tomorrow

Well, the party has come and gone. 100+ people, family, and friends all enjoying football and great conversation. Bob and the crew worked their magic once again. Barb and I did have to sneak six large black trash bags to a closeby dumpster cause something in the garbage was smelling like chicken left outside in the heat - and we didn't have chicken.

Now I'm on to packing and trying to keep the suitcases under 50 lbs. That's hard for a 42-day vacation. And, every weather forecast seems to predict temperatures diametrically different than one another. But, right now, I wish the suitcase didn't weigh so much empty. I'm getting cheated out of 14 lbs. Of course, I've had lighter suitcases which the airlines manage to annihilate in one brief trip. Fortune did smile briefly today while checking in on-line. Your could upgrade to Business Class for a high, but manageable amount. So, for 9 hours and 15 minutes we should be as comfortable as possible. Bring it on and Ciao.

Ooops

I forgot to put the pictures from the World War I Symposium in Kansas City at the WWI Museum. Here they are. Why would I want an SLR camera when I can barely work this one. The field of silk poppies gives pause. There are 9000 poppies, each one representing 1000 people who were killed during the war. Lest anyone forget . . . . It was a moving place to remember 9/11.

On the road again. . .

After a couple days at home (think laundry), we took off again to a World War I Symposium in Kansas City. A simple journey north on I35. Unfortunately, Tropical Storm Hermine also decided to go north along I35 the entire three days. They closed 35 in Dallas as we went by; it rained 11.6 inches in Killeen as we went by. Boy was that fun. Good times in KC. I had lunch with an old friend from Pentagon days, who hasn't changed a bit. It gave me hope that I hadn't either. Saturday was the piece de resistance, however. We got up early and I got Joe off to the seminar. And, Daisy got a chance to run and run and run. Then it was my turn. I crawled back into bed and watched two Law and Orders and drifted in and out of sleep. Utter decadence. Then Room Service. A personal pizza, apple pie and a Diet Dr. Pepper. Back into bed and watched Runaway Bride. Mindless idiocy, but I can't remember the last time I got to do that. Maybe the morning Princess Di and Charles got married. That maybe an exaggeration but not by much.

Now the National Baptist Convention was at the hotel and the membership really knew how to dress. Hats, suits, hats, bow ties and more hats. I wish I could carry off some of those outfits. I owe a big vote of thanks to two of the guys standing outside the hotel. I went out to walk Daisy, and they called after me, gesturing wildly. Seems my cute little skirt was tucked in my panties. See, I could never carry off the elegant outfits the women were wearing.

The 9th anniversary of September 11th has come and gone. Polly called to tell me she was thinking of us. That touched me more than I would have anticipated. The memories continue to fade; the only concrete remnant is a strong startle response. I guess I'm at peace with what was done or not done. Someone said today that we should focus on the survivors of that day. I liked that. Virtually everyone was changed in someway. Maybe we should all take a moment to thank God that we're survivors and to savor that fact.

Well, after too much to eat at a rib place in Norman, OK, I guess I snuggle in for a long winter's nap.

I'm Baaaaaack

I can hardly believe that it's been almost a year since a sallied forth. But, good friends reminded me of the obvious. Joe and I and our favorite lap dog started out on a two-week roadtrip to points west. We hoofed it to Ruidosa with a stop in Ft Stockton, one of our favorite resting places (that was tongue in cheek) but if you live in San Antonio and want to go west, it's stop there or nowhere. We descended on Bruce and Nancy and Daisy's sister, Pali. Daisy decided to stay with them when we went to Chandler to Creative Escapes scrapbook extravaganza.


We made the yearly pilgrimage to the Heart Attack Grill and stuffed ourself with lard, cream and Mexican cokes - the really syrupy kind. Fred and Joe had found it (by accident) last year, so we invited Nancy and Bruce and we all had burgers dripping with grease. After 3 hard days of scrapbooking, we left Patty and Fred at the airport and went to retrieve Daisy.
Joe and I had decided to drive to the Grand Canyon but when we learned Nancy (another highschool friend) and Don, her husband, were back in town, we opted to have lunch with them and then the six of us could drive to Vegas instead. What a great choice.
Boys in one car and girls in the other. We told funny stories, reminisced, and just had an all around good time. Once there, we had great Italian food; bad craps tables, good Oz and Monopoly slot machines. It must have been a good time cause we never left the hotel. You just can't take for granted friendships that last over time. We have been truly blessed. And another blessing is that our husbands really appear to like each other. I'm sure sometimes they feel left our of the stories, but they benevolently hang in there. Here's to them.
After all of that, the ride home was a bit of an afterthought, but Daisy joined us in the front seat and we returned home to laundry, mail, and other assorted mundane stuff. And packing for a trip to Kansas City. Thank you Lord for friends.

Time Flies By

and suddenly this tiny 14-year old has her Texas A&M class ring. I don't think I even got a college class ring (my roommate Ellen had stolen my high school ring), but at A&M it's one of the great traditions. You are entitled to order one when you have the right number of hours. The morning you get your ring, you receive a time. Maggie had 5:15 p.m. and we went at 5:45 and avoided the rush.

Alums hand you the ring and take pictures - I'm the one with the lump in my throat.


Maybe later I'll try to figure out how to get the pix in better, but not today.


Then you have your picture taken. We chose the fountain rather than the enormous class ring since it was dark.




Another great tradition is that only Seniors are allowed to do certain cheers. She's a real senior now.