Thursday, November 10th

Three days off! And in the nick of time, if you ask me!! And I plan to put these three days to good use, let me tell you. Tomorrow I'm gonna sleep as late as Maynard will let me. Then maybe breakfast at Blue Plate Cafe. Probably do some laundry and maybe watch another few episodes of '24' season one. Speaking of, it seems that the person who loaned season one to Linda went out and bought seasons two and three as well, and is just waiting to loan them, too. I can feel my behind getting bigger and bigger by the minute... episode.

Saturday we're going to the Christmas Village in Nashville. It's a fund raising event organized by Pi Beta Phi sorority alumnae to benefit some of their philanthropies. Should be a nice day. We bought tickets through the Navy MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) to ride to Nashville in a bus (we have to be at Millington Naval Station at the ungodly hour of 7AM. &AM on a SATURDAY MORNING!! Arghhhhhh!!) Anyway, three and a half hours to Nashville, shop til one of us drops (me, most likely) then ride back with a dutch treat dinner stop on the way back. I can't help thinking of Roy Scheider's line in jaws, "You're gonna need a bigger boat!", cause we're gonna need a bigger room.

I got a call from Number 1 Son. He was out at lunch and saw a Houston MC cop on a Valkyrie. Way cool!! I tried to find a picture but the closest I could come is Dallas. So here it is:
Is that not COOL??? What an awesome looking bike!

Cold front has come through again, and the leaves just keep on turning! The colors are getting brighter and more beautiful each day. Autumn is a great time of year. The air smells so good, crisp and clean in the mornings and heavy with the smell of the leaves piling up on the side of the road in the afternoons. Beautiful! Breathtaking, even!

Gotta talk more to the kids. I need an update as to how life in New Orleans is progressing. Co-workers here are starting to get letters about bulldozing their homes, so I guess the cleanup continues. At my workplace in NOLA, it seems that we have contract disputes and health safety issues that have hampered the cleanup of our buildings. Our leaders still talk about returning in March (a phased return), but that date sure seems "iffy" to me considering how far they've gotten so far. I still think June or later is more likely.

It looks like we'll be able to get together with Mick and Bev over the Thanksgiving weekend. Yeah!!!! That'll be great! Also, another deacon couple friends of ours is coming to Tunica (near Memphis) to celebrate a birthday and have asked to get together with us, so we are looking forward to that in December.

And finally, the pastor of Holy Spirit church here called and invited Linda and I to a clergy social on December 9th. It's really thoughtful of him to think of us and we're anxiously waiting for that. It will be really nice to meet with the priests and 4 deacon couples of the parish in a social setting.

It's time to wrap up, so happy Veteran's Day. We wish you joy and happiness and the graces that only God can provide in your lives. Take care and God bless you! - Dean