I was all set to go by 10:15 and headed in to Austin to meet with pals from the past. Jean was busy in the kitchen when I arrived. It was great to see her. Her beautiful home was very inviting, with a lovely table set in the dining room. Enticing smells emanated from two huge pots on the stove, compliments of Ina Garten of the Food Channel, some kind of a stout chicken chili/stew concoction. The 'girls' (Jean's cute-as-a-bug beagles) came tumbling in from outside. Jesse and Flo gave me lots of hugs and kisses to make up for our lost year. They are much calmer and are in the laid back hound stage of their lives.
I got a tour of Jean's latest renovations and was delighted to find the 'Tricycle' print from Riata in her guest bath. What a whimsical piece of art that suits her style. The luncheon ladies came straggling in; Holly, Becci, Lonna, Allyson, Gina and Debbie. It was great fun to see them all. And of course it immediately sent me into one of my Twilight Zone moments that I have been experiencing so frequently since returning to Central Texas. We all caught up on each other's news and told a few EDS war stories while we enjoyed a salad with our soup and cornbread. The meal was delicious and was topped off perfectly with chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. Jean had me read the following words of wisdom entitled Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray:
"Cakes have gotten a bad rap. People equate virtue with turning down dessert. There is always one person at the table who holds up her hand when I serve the cake. No, really, I couldn’t, she says, and then gives her flat stomach a conspiratorial little pat. Everyone who is pressing a fork into that first tender layer looks at the person who declined the plate, and they all think, That person is better than I am. That person has discipline. But that isn't a person with discipline, that is a person who has completely lost touch with joy. A slice of cake never made anybody fat. You don't eat the whole cake. You don't eat a cake every day of your life. You take the cake when it is offered because the cake is delicious. You have a slice of cake and what it reminds you of is someplace that's safe, uncomplicated, without stress. A cake is a party, a birthday, a wedding. A cake is what's served on the happiest days of your life."
About half of our group had to head back to work. I can't even imagine that! It was a fun gathering. I really needed to hang with the gals. I said goodbye to Jean and her girls reluctantly and headed to the camera store. For those of you who have been following my travels today is the culmination of quite a few months of searching for the perfect camera for my RV journaling needs. It felt like Christmas when I walked out of the camera store with my bag of goodies and my Sony Ultra Compact, Point and Shoot camera. When I got home Bob asked if I'd be up all night reading through the manual--what do you think?:-)
Bob and I read the paper I brought from town and worked the puzzles. It got up to 59 degrees this afternoon and the sun is quite nice. We shared the generous container of Ina's chili that Jean sent home with me, as well as a piece of her yummy cake. I did not read the preamble for Bob however.
Bob settled in with his book and I started reading my camera documentation. I'm on page 12 of 125! I remember last year when my sister came for our estate sale. She had her new digital camera and brought the manual along to read on the plane. I feel her pain now. I have successfully inserted the battery and am charging the thing up. We take a break and watch CSI and then our last movie rental so that may be as far as I get with the camera tonight.
It's 8:05 p.m. and 45.5 degrees.