Category: Fun

About eight or so years ago, Helen (adorable wife) and I began a Christmas tradition of hosting a Meat Loaf dinner for a group of friends from our former neighborhood. I’ve shared the party with Easin’ Along readers twice before and apologize for the repetition, but we always have such a grand time that I felt it worth sharing once more.  Remember, when you combine food and fun, it is retirement activity at its finest.

The date we picked for this year’s event just happened to be the birthday of our dear friend Rose. Rose’s birthday is always a lot of fun and she has endured some of the best birthday pranks ever played on a birthday girl.  A few years back, a member of our group arranged for her to ride on a float in the local Christmas Parade.  Rose was lured to a float-in-waiting where she was brought aboard and whisked down the parade route wearing the robe of a Snow Princess.  On another occasion, Rose was tricked into going shopping with her friends and, when she arrived at a downtown department store, an enormous crowd that included the Mayor burst into a raucous Happy Birthday tune.  His Honor proclaimed it “Rose’s Day” and gave her the equivalent of a key to the city. Fortunately, Rose has a fantastic sense of humor and always plays along…she’s a great sport.

This year, however, she made everyone in our crowd swear an oath of no tricks. A decision was made to have an “in-house” birthday party while keeping our Rose in the shade. Therefore, our annual Christmas meatloaf dinner had a birthday party theme.

On the afternoon of the dinner, Priscilla brought over banners and balloons to liven up the atmosphere.  Helen had gone into her usual frenzy to ensure the house was ready for company.  The tree was decorated and the Snow Village (complete with RV park) was on full display as was a beautiful bowl of fresh white flowers—Roses, of course, in honor of the birthday girl.

My job was to make the meatloaf.  Not to brag, (ahem) but I make a pretty mean meatloaf. I start a day early with preparing the vegetables and finish it up on the afternoon of the dinner. I’m meticulous about this meal and try to time it so that it comes out of the oven just in time to serve hot on the table.  The meatloaf was in the oven when the first guests arrived.

Everyone had been told to arrive a bit early. Party hats and noisemakers were distributed to one and all as we warmed up and prepared to be very rowdy when the honoree checked in. Rose was in her usual cheery mood when she came through the door whereupon the greeting committee stopped her dead in her tracks and placed a bright pink tiara on her head. Cheers rang out.  We had achieved a complete surprise. Rose wasted no time joining in and, if she was a bit annoyed with us, it never showed. Like I said earlier, she’s a great sport.

Mealtime was filled with great laughter and a lot of storytelling from days past including tales from the thirty-nine trips to the beach our wives have enjoyed on annual gal pal excursions. The guys repeat often-told stories of our annual camping trips in the Cherokee National Forest that we never tire of hearing.

Near the end of the meal and after Rose was treated to a beautiful birthday cake decorated with roses of many colors, a member of the group arose to present the annual “Red Hat” award.  This award goes to the person who had faced adversity during the year and had pulled through in glorious fashion.  Bob, a hard-core Marine veteran received this year’s Red Hat.  Bob modestly accepted the award and wore it with distinction.

We lingered long into the evening as no one seemed eager to leave.  Helen and I considered it a compliment. I insisted on a group photograph to mark the occasion and proudly display it here.  Happy birthday, Rose. Friendships are the spice of life and we’re blessed to have these special people in ours.  It is our sincere wish that, for many years to come, we’re still Easin’ Along…together.

 

 

 

In our household, we celebrate three events this time of the year.  Obviously, there is Christmas and New Year, but Helen (adorable wife) adds a third event to the calendar. The event, Decorating for Christmas, is a big deal…a really, big, deal.

Thankfully, Helen waits until the day after Thanksgiving to start.  She refuses to follow the lead of retail establishments and others who rush the season, but as soon as the turkey is trashed, out comes the boxes from the recesses of the attic.  That chore falls on me, but most of the labor she takes on herself—and always with a smile.  She truly relishes the task.

In most years, this activity goes off without a hitch.  Helen has all the ornaments, lights, and miscellaneous decorations organized in storage crates which are labeled and numbered.  This year, however, the event brought out an interesting twist because she broke with tradition and did the heretofore unthinkable. Helen bought an artificial tree.

In years past I had tried to make this happen…bringing trees home and placing them on a stand can be a real pain. I tried especially hard to convince her after we downsized and artificial trees seemed to be the norm in our neighborhood.  I tried even harder after a retired couple we know built a new home and constructed a closet in the living room where the Christmas tree lives, fully decorated. Every year they simply pull it out and plug it in. At the end of the season, they scoot it a few feet into the closet where it lives for another year. Compared to what I went through every year with a real tree, this sounded like a good deal to me.

I can’t recall what prompted the change.  I just remember that after the Christmas season last year, she was searching online for a tree that came with an abundance of lights, at the best price of course. Next, I was unloading a boxed tree from her car and hauling it up to the attic…grinning broadly.

Fast forward to this season and it’s time to decorate for 2017. Down the stairs comes the boxed tree where it is placed in the center of the living room. 

Follow the pictures, they tell the story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Success! The lights come on! There are white lights, then colored lights, then blinking lights, then flashing lights, then slow glow, fast glow, and twinkle.

On top of all that, this tree even rotates! It was such a hoot that we laughed ourselves silly.  We settled on colored without glow or twinkle.  After a while, all of that glowing and twinkling was suddenly creating an urge to find sharp objects, a notion I had to dispel before somebody got hurt.

Thinking that the tree was ready to decorate, I began looking for my favorite ornaments, the wooden ones that we brought home from Germany where we lived after we were married.  I look forward to this reunion every year. It’s like welcoming old friends back to the house after a year apart. I pulled the guys out and began to place them on a tree branch when from the back of the room there came such a clatter, I paused in mid-placement.

 

 

 

“We have to fluff!”

“Huh?”

“Fluff”, she says.  “The branches have to be fluffed!”

Deciding that fluffing was a task for which I was woefully unqualified, I repaired to the refrigerator for an adult beverage. I returned to my recliner for a fluffing demonstration. It required three days. Again, the pictures tell all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At one point, fluffing operations ceased and Helen handed me an ornament that she picked out to commemorate our newly found RV lifestyle. It was an ornament to honor Bertha, our first travel trailer.  Laughter reigned once again.  I handed her an ornament I purchased to represent our second RV, Betty.

Fluffing continues, and I’m Easin’ Along.

 

 

 

 

 

Life can be a whirlwind at times and this fall seems to be one of those times. It has all been self-imposed and it has all been a lot of fun, and fun is retirement activity of the best kind. We’ve been to weddings and wedding parties, church and friend gatherings, Halloween fun, and neighborhood events. Fall is a great time of the year!

Two weeks ago, Helen (adorable wife) and I took Betty (our camper) on a trip to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and joined a group from our church in a delightful weekend in the woods (see last week’s post).  We arrived home from that adventure on a Sunday afternoon then left the following Tuesday on a flight to Southern California to visit our son and his family for another week of fun in the warm California sun.

Even though the flights are long, and the airlines don’t care that people like me (6’ 4” tall) don’t fit in their ridiculously small seating, I endure it for the joy that awaits at the end of the runway. Our grandchildren are a sheer delight and that weather is always perfect. In addition, there was plenty of activity planned and we were looking forward to all of it. Here’s the rundown…

Wednesday: Our first activity was walking our grandchildren the three blocks to their elementary school.  This may seem like a small thing, but Helen and I never miss the opportunity. Walking gives us a chance to have a casual chat with them and meet some of their friends.  The elementary school starts the day with a program of free play where the children are encouraged to walk the track for about twenty minutes and then have organized exercise before entering the classroom.  This is a great program and the children seem to love it.  There are always plenty of parents around, most holding coffee cups and engaged in conversation with other parents. This truly is a social event.

Thursday: The school observed Veteran’s Day and all parents who have served in the Armed Forces were honored in a formal ceremony after the morning exercise.  As a Veteran and a grandfather, I was included in the ceremony and made a hasty run to the Exchange at Los Angeles Air Force Base the day before to purchase a “Retired US Army” cap which I wore proudly as my name was called by the school principal. My son, an Army Veteran, was also honored and we stood side by side in the group photo with other Vets.  The ceremony recognized members of scouting organizations and my grandson attended looking resplendent in his new Cub Scout uniform.  Following the ceremony, a student handed me a very sincere letter thanking me for my service (see letter at bottom).

Friday: School was out and my son had the day off for Veteran’s Day, so Helen and I let everyone sleep in and we drove down to the pier at Redondo Beach for some fresh air and an early lunch. I love Redondo Beach.  The view south toward Palos Verdes is beautiful and we sat and looked at it while lunching on sliders from Barney’s Beanery at the pier.

Saturday: This was soccer day for our grandson and the whole family was up and out for a game at 8:00 am. His team fought hard but came up short in a 3-2 loss.  Our grandson played well both in the field and for one quarter at goalie.  I drifted back to the time when our two boys played soccer. Those were days of children’s youth that I remember very fondly. There is just something magical about seeing sleepy-eyed little boys arrive at a dew-covered field on a fall morning all grumpy and unsettled.  Then, as if by magic, a whistle blows, and eleven little boys take off in pursuit of a white sphere, kicking, and yelling at teammates suddenly awake and alive.  I love that.

Saturday evening: This was our night to stroll around the pier at Hermosa Beach.  My usual request is to have dinner at Hennessey’s Tavern at the base of the pier, but the last two visits have not gone well. The food was not good. The sunsets viewed from the dining room can be incredible and, for this reason alone, I was willing to give it one more try.  Soon after our seating, a spectacular sunset appeared and I ran out on the pier to capture it with my camera. The view of the sunset did not make up for the bad food as, once again, my meal was not prepared well–such a shame because the location is excellent.

Sunday morning: The whirlwind swirled on when my son and I went back to the pier for a visit to Sharkees for NFL Football on many, many television sets.  Since we are in the Pacific Time Zone, football begins at 10:00 am and pitchers of Bloody Mary’s are available.  I thought “what the heck” I’m on vacation (aren’t I always?) and ordered up one pitcher as a chaser for my plate of nachos.  The atmosphere was terrific, but after a couple of hours, we returned home for a long nap. I’m a wild one!

Sunday evening: Suddenly our last night arrived and we were treated to a wonderful evening at the home of our daughter-in-law’s parents. Our host, Cheryl, always goes out of her way to make us feel welcome and is a fantastic entertainer. This evening was no exception. While seated at the dinner table, one of Cheryl’s other grandchildren decided that she wanted to serve salad to everyone and climbed on the table with serving forks in hand, aided by her grandfather. This was marvelous theater and laughter roared through the dining room. All too soon it was time to say goodbye.

Monday: Up before sunrise, and it was time to head to the airport for the return trip home.  The flight was uneventful (thankfully) although the promised WiFi failed to work and the seats were still too small.  After touchdown and a quick Uber ride home, we were left wondering where the time went. Our west coast turnaround had ended almost as suddenly as it began, but I suppose that’s what happens in a fall whirlwind…you turn around and it’s gone.  Nevertheless, great memories linger…it’s just time to be Easin’ Along.