It was no fun having to work during Erin’s first visit with me, but duty called and so I had to leave her behind once again and march off to the office. Fortunately, Erin wasn’t stranded at my house because Ashleigh (whose car had broken down and been repaired during my California vacation) still had possession of my Mom’s car and didn’t need it any longer. Therefore Erin was able to take advantage of the day and go visit her good friend from days gone by Nathalie Bennett, who is living in Springboro. We met up again at my Mom’s house around 6pm on the evening of Wednesday, May 5, 2010.
I had been scheduled for jury duty on this day, so I had to call in the night before to see if I had to report. Fortunately, I didn’t. I had also been scheduled for it on April 28, but was let off the hook on that one since I was out of town.
Since it was Cinco de Mayo, we made sure to enjoy a Corona beer along with the great cookout food, courtesy of my mom. We had burgers, hotdogs, bratwursts, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, and strawberry shortcake. Erin brought along some amazing gooey brownies as well. Ashleigh and Stephen even made the trek to Mom’s house to fill up on the goodies. Erin and I played a couple of games of pool. I won’t embarrass anyone by publicly announcing the victor. We left Mom’s house that night at about 8:30 and headed to south central Ohio to a Best Western in Mt. Orab. The reason for this was that I had to be at the grand opening of the new Kroger store in town bright and painfully early.
In celebrating Cinco de Mayo, this was as far south of the border we would go while at Mom’s house
Some pre-dinner billiards
Even Stephen and Ashleigh venture out of their netherworld when there are free eats involved
Oh what a girl. Oh what a beautiful girl she is.
Bob and Mom go to town on the strawberry shortcake
Basking in the glow of the good folks around me. And the brownies.
Commemorative cup from “The Bob and Tom Show” collection
A nice photo taken at Erin’s request of Bob, Mom, and me and their lovely house
On Thursday morning, Erin drove me to the the new store and then went back to the motel to catch a little more sleep. As we seeped into the afternoon hours, Erin came to the store to visit for a bit and then we headed back toward my office in Cincinnati. I had to be O’Charley’s in Sprindale for the retirement party of my boss John (actually boss’ boss). After close to 40 years of service with the company, he was one of the most well-liked and respected people in our division. We had a great time with appetizers and drinks, with a few awards and gifts presented to John.
Carl gets ready to present John a bucket of golf balls, each individually signed by co-workers
I’ll never forget John – one of the best bosses a person could ask for
Erin picked me up from O’Charley’s and we headed back to the Dayton area. Our plans were to go to Heidi’s house for a bonfire that night, but first we made a couple of stops. The first was a most rewarding to Discovery House where we had both attended during our childhood (although Erin has no recollection of it, and probably only attended for a week or so). I have highlighted this visit – and my history – at Discovery House in a separate posting found here.
Erin and me outside of Discovery House – whereupon her I first laid mine eyes
Reunited with Kathy, one of the Discovery House teachers – in the basement with the castle, my very first memory of attending here
We also made a quick stop at one of Erin’s earliest childhood homes on Spinning Road in Riverside. She had lived here from birth until she was about nine years old. While Erin posed for a picture outside, the newest resident came out guns blazing asking what we were doing. He quickly calmed down once he realized that she had lived there as a kid, and was able to give her an update on some of the neighbors.
Erin’s old house on Spinning. The gentleman coming out the door is about to find out just who in the hell is taking pictures of his house.
As we made our way into my old neighborhood – where Heidi now lives – it was getting close to 8pm, and Erin wanted to pay a visit to Nathalie’s parents, who live on Pine Bluff. We had a very nice visit with them before moving over a couple of streets to Winterset and Heidi’s house.
Erin with Nathalie’s parents Martine and Bill
Although we had tried to get a few other friends to join us, they chose to all be lame on this weeknight. We made our own fun at the bonfire with Corona, hotdogs, chips, more of Erin’s brownies – and the final kicker of wasabi beans. We took off at about 11apm after the swell evening, looking forward to the upcoming weekend and more opportunities to explore our past and enjoy each other’s company.
Hotdog, Corona, fire, and fun
Heidi disappeared in the dark to get more wood. I was expecting a few large sticks. She came back with this.
Heidi’s in the kitchen with Erin
Erin’s photo of Heidi and me. It’s either called art or tipsiness, I’m not sure.
Our Memory Lane trip will conclude in the next posting…
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