Not Your Average Meeting
Last year, Pattie and her husband Dave, Dr. Flea, Mrs. Flea and the two little “Terminators,” and my son Dougie and I, all had a meeting in Merrimack, MA. It was great! The sun was shining, the food was plentiful, and we enjoyed each other’s company immensely!
There’s nothing like good friends, good food, and good conversation!
This year, our meeting was much, much smaller. Dr. Flea was unable to come, although he had been in on the planning earlier on, and Pattie had just shipped off her husband Dave to a far away city earlier in the same day. That left a party of … 3! Although we were lacking in number compared to last year, we were not lacking in “good friends, good food, and good conversation!”
I’m pretty sure that the restaurant thought we’d never leave! It was nearly 10 PM before we parted in the parking lot – for one more long year.
We met at “Not Your Average Joe’s” … a restaurant with a load of locations across MA, and another in VA, with more coming soon along the Atlantic seaboard. The food was really yummy, and the wait staff was excellent.
I’ve got to say that the visit with Pattie was definitely the high point of my week, plus some! Pattie lights up a whole room with her presence – she’s one of those rare people who put all of themselves into a smile. She was able to do that after having spent what must have seemed like a lifetime driving. She’d begun the day in the mountains of NH, driven down to RI, and then driven all the way back up to Medford, MA. And that was on top of all of the driving she’d done from North Carolina to NH less than a week earlier.
I’ve included a few shots of last night. For those who don’t know, that’s Pattie at the top left of the post. That’s not the only picture I have of her from last night, by the way … there’s one more, but I’m saving that one for blackmail purposes! >;o)
On the right is Dougie, looking oh-so-mischievous. That pic really captures the spirit that makes him so much fun(?) to be around … *blink* … he keeps me on my toes, because I never know what he’s going to say (or do!!!) next! Actually, I’m always telling him that he was a great kid – never in trouble, never rambunctious … he saved it all until he hit 21, and it’s been payback ever since! *LOL*
And yes, I know – I didn’t include one of myself. I intended to. However I’ve been really busy in the last week, and that’s meant that I’ve been eating things I shouldn’t (think salt *rolls eyes*) and the 2 photos Dougie took reveal a moof that looks about 10 pounds heavier than she really is. Not at all flattering. Give me a bit to get my diet back in line. You know it’s salt when behaving yourself takes 8 to 10 pounds off in less than a week.
Anyway, that’s it for this year’s meeting … hopefully next year, more of the original crowd will be there, and we’ll perhaps even have added a few people.
And – you never know who those people might be! In fact, this is how Vijay and I ended a conversation yesterday when it was time for me to leave for my meeting with Pattie:
vijay:
bye moofie
i enjoyed thisme:
ME TOO
please, let’s do it again SOONvijay:
in person over a grateful dead or two or 3 or 4
July 18th, 2007 at 9:53 am
It’s so nice to get together with friends and family. I love the photos. Both have such an infectious smile. It looks like a good time for sure. It’s too bad you couldn’t have met up with the others as well, maybe next year. Nice post.
July 18th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
You know Moofie, I often wonder what it would be to meet some of these bloggers that I feel I know so well even though I’ve never met them. I wonder if we would be shy with each other even though we exchange teasing comments so easily it seems.
But in fact I did meet many of the people I knew only on dunnetworks, a listserve I belonged to for years, in different parts of the world as I travelled nearby and it was wonderful and there was never a moment’s unease.
So here you are proving that the connection in person is just as great as it is online. Thanks for telling us all about this and I hope that Flea is doing OK, even though he couldn’t make it to join you.
I’d like to meet Vijay too, working away in Salem, but reaching out to the rest of the world and sharing his country with us.
regards
jmb
July 19th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Hi Moofie,
Dougie must have told you that we met him yesterday in McDonald’s of all places. Ken and I miss you even though talking on line keeps us kind of in touch. We would like to get together some weekend and maybe go to a park for a picnic. If that doesn’t work, we would like to spend some time with you at camp. Dougie thought that would be a better idea.
Ken would really like to speak with you as you are his spiritual advisor. He thought there would never be a time that you would not go to church and he misses you there as well as the other people at church. You add so much to everyone’s life that your presence is really missed at church.
Dougie told us about your family troubles and I’m sorry that God has sent you so many trials. I pray for you and your family every Sunday.
Love,
Barbara
July 21st, 2007 at 1:25 am
Hmmmmm, I know a difficult patient that would like to meet “nose to nose” some day! :o)
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Oh, what fun!!!!
July 23rd, 2007 at 6:48 pm
hi moof,
THANK YOU! very much.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Hi Moofie,
I am not sure thie picture you posted is my most becoming, but I guess it’s better than the one you *could* have posted, right? *LOL*
I had such a wonderful time with you and Dougie, although my head is still spinning from all the tech stuff. You both amaze me with your vast techno knowledge.
Thanks for meeting me and sharing your blue kettle treats with me. It felt so good being so bad, didn’t it? *snicker* I hope the appt. wasn’t too much of a giveaway (wink, wink)
I am heading back to NC later today and will post sometime over the weekend. Thinking of you….and think about a trip down South. Seriously. I think you’d love it. Although you would never want to leave *LOL* Break the news to Althea now….heheheh….
Take Good care my friend. I miss you already.
July 25th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
I’m so glad that you had a wonderful time visiting together.
Perhaps someday we could meet f2f as well.
later…
August 7th, 2007 at 9:11 am
Sorry it’s taken me so long to get into here.
Angel, I’m a “the more the merrier” sort of person, and I would love to have huge get-togethers. I have to admit, though, that meeting with just Pattie, Dougie and I was pretty special – we had a chance to chat in a way that wouldn’t have been possible if there too many of us.
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JMB – I agree with you on that! I would love to meet Vijay!
It’s a funny thing, though – there are some bloggers that you can get to know even better than the people you see on a daily basis. I think it’s because your media is written communication, and when you’re blogging, you can end up writing far more than you would actually share in a casual work relationship.
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Barbara! Thank you for your comment. I also miss my friends from church. About camp, we just got up here last night, and this is our first full day (August 7) … I have a slew of appointments over the next week or so, and won’t be here much. We’ll have to see what we can arrange a bit later in the month, ok? Send me an email with some dates you have free.
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Ripple – that would rock! I promise you that if we’re ever within a few hundred miles of each other – we’ll absolutely have to make it happen!!! :o)
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Dr. Deb – it was a load of fun! You’re quite right! (And the food was pretty good, too!) ;o)
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May, my dear heart – you’re very welcome. If you need anything else – holler!
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Ahhh Pattie … we both know what I’m saving THAT picture for! *LOL* Nahhh … I’ve behave (I think!)
It was great seeing you again, Pattie! It was just too darn short. I could see that you were really tired toward the end of our visit, and I felt terrible for you, knowing all of the driving you’d been doing.
I hope that the next time we do this, Flea and his family, and Dave can all be there. All the same … being the rather selfish critter that I am, I wouldn’t mind having a nice quiet visit like that one, again, either!
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TJ … I feel as if I’ve known you for a long time now. I would really really like to meet you. If we’re ever anywhere near each other’s neck of the woods, let’s make a promise that take the time to meet, ok? {{{ hugs!!! }}}