Day 26 – Plainview, Long Island, New York

Don here again, pinch-hitting for the vacationing DeeBee, who we understand is enjoying his freedom from his many responsibilties.  That’s OK, guy, have fun, you’ll be back at work soon. 

Geri and I both slept a little late this morning, and I woke up feeling very refreshed.  Geri arose soon after, and the first words out of her mouth were, “I haven’t had such a good night’s sleep in ages!”  I heard her with mixed emotions.  See, the mattresses here are the “Sleep Number” pneumatic jobs, which we had auditioned in the Ventura showroom a few months ago.  We agreed at the time that they were very comfortable, but were a bit taken aback by their somewhat inflated prices.  (Pneumatic = inflated, that’s a ha-ha.)  But I can see now that our initial evaluation will have to be reviewed.  Maybe the Deeb will want one too.

We were spending a leisurely morning, drinking coffee and net browsing, until we got a call from Gary, who informed us that he would be visiting shortly to drop off our camera, which we were totally unaware that we had left at Carol and Mikey’s.  So we accelerated our activities, and were ready when he showed up in the lobby to reward him with a breakfast at a local diner.  He was then off to Jersey City to spend some time with his old buddy James.  Geri made telephone contact with her late friend’s daughter Laura, and we meandered over to her place for a short visit.  Our visits with this family are always exhilarating, filled with fun and repartee, and we were happy that husband Steve and son Alex were part of the group.  Laura was wearing a t-shirt with the message that “If you woke up alive this morning, it’s only because Jack Bauer spared you”, which struck a chord with us as fellow “24” lovers.  All too soon, we had to leave to make it down to East Meadow and brother Alan and wife Jeannie’s home.

When we arrived, we found, to our surprise, that there was a party going on!  A party celebrating oldest daughter Jenna’s 20^th birthday!  Jeannie had told the partiers that a mystery celebrity guest would be showing up for the party, and when Geri arrived, she announced herself as Beyonce’.  I don’t think a lot of people believed her.  The place was filled with friends and relatives, and copious quantities of delicious food were trucking in.  We were more than pleased to have arrived on such an auspicious occasion, and had a wonderful time meeting all the people that were gathered in the back yard.  The family dog, Chelsea, a Shih-Tzu of great discernment and ebullient personality, immediately identified us as Golden Retriever club members, and barked her warnings to all the people gathered there.  Having done her job, she was very warm and friendly.  We all reveled in the food and fun, and particularly enjoyed seeing Alan, Jeannie and the girls again, who we hadn’t been with since their visit to SoCal a couple of years ago.  An unplanned visit, and a wonderful time had by all!  DeeBee, you would have really enjoyed it.

Back to the hotel, watch a little TV, do the blog, and crash into Sleep Number solace.  A good day, well spent.  Wish you were with us, Deeb, we love you!