Dinata Misovec

Our first errand this morning was to get our auto and motorhome registrations renewed.  I usually do that online, but this time I wanted the paper faster than I would get it through the mail. We got there about ten minutes before the tax collector’s office opened at 0830. There was a long line in the parking lot. I thought we were going to be there for hours.  However, as soon as they unlocked the door, we all filed in to three receptionists who asked what our business was and gave us a number.  We took a seat and were barely settled in when our number was called. It only took a few minutes to pay the fees and get new registration cards.  Now we can get an Arlington Ridge gate pass for our car and park the motorhome in the storage lot.

I needed a day off.  Hours upon hours of dishwashing was killing my back. We sat outside with our coffee and watched golfers.  Andy fell asleep so I went inside to empty one more box.  I just couldn’t stand seeing it sitting there.  That box with the pumpkin suit turned out to be mostly kitchen things. I found a set of adorable, fat pitchers I don’t remember having.  And, at the very bottom of the box, there was a casserole dish I just love.  I had not thought of it in years and it was so nice to unwrap it – like an old friend and a present.  Andy woke up and caught me working.  So I sat back down with another mug of coffee. We sat on the front porch in our rocking chairs and waited for Rick Griffen to show up.

Andy gave Rick a tour of the house with an emphasis on the pile of books in his office. Rick retired very recently and has a similar pile of books at his house. Rick said he felt as though he had been here before, after reading my blog posts. He even approved of the new kitchen table arrangement. We had a great chat in the family room before heading out for lunch.

It was hard to get a picture without too much of the clean and dirty piles of stuff on the kitchen counter.

I have been wanting to try La Palma Mexican restaurant a bit north of here and Rick said he likes Mexican food too.  The decision was made and off we went.  It was delicious and all three of us enjoyed our meals.  There are dozens of Mexican restaurants in the area, but I see no need of checking out any more of them.

The waitress took our picture but we all turned out as silhouettes. A bit of Photoshop did not improve the picture much. At least we are identifiable now.

Next, we gave Rick the tour of our Village Green – cafe, bar, pool hall, banquet hall, movie theatre, craft room, library, card/game room, library, and swimming pools.  We skipped the exercise room and gym for fear of working up a sweat.

I so much enjoyed Rick’s visit.  It was fun to hear him and Andy talk about work and the people they both knew.  He also had some great stories to tell. I hope he comes back for another visit before too long.  We had an oil change appointment for the RAV4 and Rick had a long drive back to Jacksonville, Florida, where he is attending the Shock And Vibration Symposium this week.  I sure miss going to those.  Andy always attended the technical sessions and presented a paper, but I went sightseeing with the spouses. Great fun.

I took one last picture of Andy and Rick just before we left the house.

It was a very fine day off. Thank you, Rick!