Thursday, June 16, 2005
MAY AND JUNE....1993
We went to George’s for Mother’s Day weekend. Becky rode along with us and after the luggage was put away we ate a bite and visited until quite late. The next day we drove to Olathe where George usually purchased his lawn equipment. I was impressed with the spreader he had….I had been using a hand spreader and it was a laborious job. The fertilizer was heavy and my arms were too weak to do much at a time. George had a stainless steel one with wheels that worked great. I was determined to have the same. After that was accomplished we bought a few plants that were new and different to bring home.
For my Mother’s Day dinner, we decided to beat the rush and go on Friday evening, rather than on Sunday. George drove us over on the east side of the city to a favorite place of mine….Stevenson’s Apple Orchard. It had been converted into a restaurant years ago and was no longer a “working” orchard but was a delightful place to eat. They had different rooms you could dine in, like the fruit cellar, patio, hayloft, back porch, etc; The walk from one of the parking lots had overhead trellis’ with hanging flowers and twinkling lights around the patio where people enjoyed their meal outdoors. My favorite was always the cellar. It was concreted from the floor up to the domed ceiling and had fruit jars full of pickles, corn relish, apple butter and so on. It always made me think of grandma Stricklett’s cellar.
The specialties were baked chicken in cream, broccoli rice and cheese casserole and a little cheese carrot on top of your salad. It had a tiny sprig of parsley at the top for the greenery. Of course, dessert was out of this world. Apple dumplings and carrot cake were our usual picks. Of course the menu had other selections but I preferred eating the food that made them famous. The kids who waited tables were exceptionally nice and managed to keep the table full without being obtrusive. Most of them were college kids and the service was impeccable.
We left on Sunday afternoon and drove in rain all the way home. I didn’t go to work the next day as I wanted to go to the Social Security Office and get some idea of when I would be able to retire. When all of the numbers were calculated I decided it would be too premature as I would lose so much from both my Highway Patrol retirement and also the Social Security. I braced myself for another four years and decided to do the smart thing. I have to tell you, those last four years looked pretty long as I was approaching my 61st birthday……I would be working until I was 65 and could take full benefit.
Early in June we drove down to see John, Barb and LJ. We got away early and had a pleasant drive down. By the time we arrived they had a cookout in progress and we sat on the patio and enjoyed their yard. We couldn’t get over how much LJ had grown since the last time we saw him. John was up early the next morning to run and then shower and go to the hospital to conduct services. We had breakfast and when he came back we drove over to Slidell where we visited some Outlet shops. The weather was hot and dry but not humid as it would be normally.
John ran again the next morning and then we drove over to New Orleans. We decided to eat at one of our favorite places…..the Camelia Grill in the Garden District. It’s like an old 50’s diner. Black and white checkered floor, short stools at the counter and cooks making your breakfast just across from where you sit. The head cook barks out the orders and the cooks at the grill go into action. They have such a flair it’s entertaining just to sit and watch. John ordered his favorite, a chili, ham and cheese omelet. I followed suit and believe me, it’s a power breakfast. I wasn’t hungry the rest of the day. The Grill is absolutely a must see if you go to New Orleans.
Later that afternoon, John had to go back for “group” sessions at the hospital so we took LJ and Barbara to LJ’s T-ball game. There was much contention and after a very long game LJ’s team won and we left the field. I was exposed to rabid parents who yelled and screamed the whole game at their kids…..and other people’s kids. Each day was preceded with John getting up early to run before we took off in a different direction from the day before. We went to the French Quarter several times to shop and eat at our favorite places. John and Barb took separate days off to be with us. We left on a Saturday so we could have one day at home before I had to go back to work……..we arrived safe and sound by suppertime.
Our wedding anniversary was on the 19th and Bear’s niece, Connie, and her family were coming the next day. They had an extra little cousin with them and we fed them all and found places for them to sleep…..Connie was an excellent little mother and if I remember right, was home-schooling the children. I had to work the next day and Bear told me later they left around 9:00am…they were a happy little group.
The rest of the month played out quietly……
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
For my Mother’s Day dinner, we decided to beat the rush and go on Friday evening, rather than on Sunday. George drove us over on the east side of the city to a favorite place of mine….Stevenson’s Apple Orchard. It had been converted into a restaurant years ago and was no longer a “working” orchard but was a delightful place to eat. They had different rooms you could dine in, like the fruit cellar, patio, hayloft, back porch, etc; The walk from one of the parking lots had overhead trellis’ with hanging flowers and twinkling lights around the patio where people enjoyed their meal outdoors. My favorite was always the cellar. It was concreted from the floor up to the domed ceiling and had fruit jars full of pickles, corn relish, apple butter and so on. It always made me think of grandma Stricklett’s cellar.
The specialties were baked chicken in cream, broccoli rice and cheese casserole and a little cheese carrot on top of your salad. It had a tiny sprig of parsley at the top for the greenery. Of course, dessert was out of this world. Apple dumplings and carrot cake were our usual picks. Of course the menu had other selections but I preferred eating the food that made them famous. The kids who waited tables were exceptionally nice and managed to keep the table full without being obtrusive. Most of them were college kids and the service was impeccable.
We left on Sunday afternoon and drove in rain all the way home. I didn’t go to work the next day as I wanted to go to the Social Security Office and get some idea of when I would be able to retire. When all of the numbers were calculated I decided it would be too premature as I would lose so much from both my Highway Patrol retirement and also the Social Security. I braced myself for another four years and decided to do the smart thing. I have to tell you, those last four years looked pretty long as I was approaching my 61st birthday……I would be working until I was 65 and could take full benefit.
Early in June we drove down to see John, Barb and LJ. We got away early and had a pleasant drive down. By the time we arrived they had a cookout in progress and we sat on the patio and enjoyed their yard. We couldn’t get over how much LJ had grown since the last time we saw him. John was up early the next morning to run and then shower and go to the hospital to conduct services. We had breakfast and when he came back we drove over to Slidell where we visited some Outlet shops. The weather was hot and dry but not humid as it would be normally.
John ran again the next morning and then we drove over to New Orleans. We decided to eat at one of our favorite places…..the Camelia Grill in the Garden District. It’s like an old 50’s diner. Black and white checkered floor, short stools at the counter and cooks making your breakfast just across from where you sit. The head cook barks out the orders and the cooks at the grill go into action. They have such a flair it’s entertaining just to sit and watch. John ordered his favorite, a chili, ham and cheese omelet. I followed suit and believe me, it’s a power breakfast. I wasn’t hungry the rest of the day. The Grill is absolutely a must see if you go to New Orleans.
Later that afternoon, John had to go back for “group” sessions at the hospital so we took LJ and Barbara to LJ’s T-ball game. There was much contention and after a very long game LJ’s team won and we left the field. I was exposed to rabid parents who yelled and screamed the whole game at their kids…..and other people’s kids. Each day was preceded with John getting up early to run before we took off in a different direction from the day before. We went to the French Quarter several times to shop and eat at our favorite places. John and Barb took separate days off to be with us. We left on a Saturday so we could have one day at home before I had to go back to work……..we arrived safe and sound by suppertime.
Our wedding anniversary was on the 19th and Bear’s niece, Connie, and her family were coming the next day. They had an extra little cousin with them and we fed them all and found places for them to sleep…..Connie was an excellent little mother and if I remember right, was home-schooling the children. I had to work the next day and Bear told me later they left around 9:00am…they were a happy little group.
The rest of the month played out quietly……
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
