Hello on Sunday

Dear Friends,

I am moving a little slowly this morning, but I will rally for this afternoon's fundraiser at O'Laughlin's Pub. The send off party for the 20 something year old who is heading off to Afghanistan for a one year deployment went very well. The guest of honor is in the Army.

There was much food, fun, and merriment, and it was still going on when Linda and I left at 10 PM. Due to circumstances beyond my control, Linda was the designated driver. I think that my head hit the pillow at 11:30 PM.

I was the bartender for the day. Visualize a house which had a sun room which the hosts turned into a full Tiki Bar with a thatched roof. The only thing that they hosts are working on is the plumbing to the sink at the bar. As I was bartending, it brought memories of when I bartended at Bousquet Ski Area in Pittsfield during the winter months on Friday nights when our two boys were young. I forgot how much fun it was to work the crowd. Serving the 20 something's is quite different than serving the moms and dads while their children were taking ski lessons.
As the youngsters got tired of the keg of beer at this party, they had me making them shots of whatever I could concoct. These people thought that the host hired me to be the bartender for the day. One guy was amazed that my hair was curly, and my name was Curley. One of the guys asked me where the tip jar was. I told him that I was just a guest at the party like he was. The hosts are having a party at the end of July, and they want me back to bartend. I might have to give up some events back in the Berkshires, and it will be very difficult for me to refuse the offer to get behind the bar again. Linda saw me working the crowd, and she thinks that I should get "TIPS" certified, and go back to bartending so that I could put a few bucks in my normally empty wallet. Being on my feet for an 8 + hour shift takes a toll on my legs. They did have a seat for me while bartending yesterday, but I really didn't have much of a chance to use it. Also the alcoholic beverages consumed by these young people are all those flavored types. There are not too many straight bottles of anything. I wouldn't know what to do with all those fruit flavored beverages. There was no such thing as an Apppletini when I was bartending. What ever happened to me making a regular Vodka Martini with a couple of olives?

Food at the picnic -- The hostess had about 6 crock pots set up on her counter with things like meat balls, sausage peppers and onions, cocktail hot dogs, kielbasa, etc. There were cold salads, and mini sandwiches and wraps purchased from a grocery store or deli. I thought that they were going to cook some meats on their gas grill. Not! I even brought an apron and some grilling tools thinking that my services might be required. There was a table full of desserts, some homemade, and some purchased.

One good thing was there was 50 inch flat screen television at the bar. I was able to watch the extra inning Red Sox game. This game started at 1 PM and went to 6:25 PM. The Red Sox did win this marathon game. The Bruins lost another heartbreaker in Vancouver. They play the next two games in Boston.

There were some interesting people at the party. The hosts both work at the Worcester Post office so of course they invited some co workers. I got to chat with a couple of guys who were Veterans. They both came to the party on their motorcycles. One guy was Vietnam Vet who was in combat during the war, and the other was several years older, and missed the Vietnam War. I was telling the story of one of my students who did several tours in Iraq, and how he currently sleeps with one eye open (according to his Mom). The Vietnam Vet said that he can't sleep without the bedroom door being open. His wife doesn't like that, but she has adjusted. This got me thinking how nasty war is, and that you just can't shut off what you have seen and done during combat after you arrive back home.

Our Tewksbury son called me while I was in the reclining position in the car on the way home from the picnic. He told me some interesting things that he was involved in when they were shooting that film next to his restaurant the other day. Since I was a little groggy, I didn't do a good job of telling Linda what our son did. Linda will have to call my son today to get the details straight.

How about the kids in three bouncy houses on Long Island which were set up at a weekend soccer tournament? A wind came up during the game, and the bouncy houses went airborne with some children in them. The children got bumps and bruises, but that was about it. I can see some lawyers already formulating some law suits!

We will be starting off with sunshine in the morning, and the threat of thunderstorms for the rest of the day in to the evening. The Fundraiser today is in the Pub so we won't have to dodge the rain drops.

Speaking storms, a neighbor of the hosts was a guest at yesterday's party. She has her pilot's license. She took pictures from her airplane of the tornado damage which happened in the Worcester area. The airport which she flies out of was a mangled mess of damaged airplanes. Before she came to the party, she was at the airport trying to help out friends who planes got damaged. She put the pictures on the flat screen television at the party so that we all could see the path of destruction which the tornadoes did.

Well, I have to empty the Kia out, and do some quiet chores. Linda wants to sleep as long as she can today. I hope that the tapping of the keys on the laptop or the Ipad is not loud enough to wake her up. I hope that no one calls until after 10 AM.

Have a great Sunday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad