We have been home for a tad more that two weeks and into familiar patterns that we enjoy. By going to Europe for three months I had hoped to avoid snow and cold, but we returned two weeks early and the weather gods found out and dumped six inches of the white stuff on us about a week ago. It finally disappeared on Saturday when we got another dose of cold and white. Luckily, we anticipated all of it and had plenty of food, wine and water - as well as a high performance gas fireplace - so we were cozy and happy. I still get a warm feeling sitting by the window with my hot tea watching Cindy shovel the snow off the driveway and walkways; it never gets old!
We attended a Mardi Gras gala last Friday night in support of the Friends of Music, the foundation that promotes musical excellence in the Eastern Panhandle (that’s us). It was held at the Bavarian Inn and since we originally had planned to arrive back in WV the night before the event, we booked a room knowing that we would be really tired. Glad we kept the reservation since it started to rain/snow shortly after the event started and we just had to toddle to our room and sleep out the storm. The Inn is a series of four freestanding buildings made to look like Alpine Chalets, half timbered buildings, complete with the painted walls. They have a rather authentic Rathskeller with Spaten beer on tap and great Bavarian food. (After dancing for two hours I must say that a half liter of Spaten went down with ease.)
We pulled together costumes from things around the house - see photo below - and ended up doing a fine job of ‘masking’ our identities. I would guess there were about sixty people that attended and everything was handled very professionally. The food was really quite good for a group that large and the music was sensational. It was a six piece Dixieland Band and they actually marched into the room playing, which got everything off to a great start. Of course Cindy and I danced almost every number and had a marvelous time tripping the light fantastic.
Cindy has gotten back into her music and attended her first orchestra rehearsal since September. I managed to get our taxes done and catch up on lots of emails that somehow never showed up on my account while overseas, not at all sure why, but no harm was done. Little things also needed tending, which is to be expected when you are gone for two months. One thing not expected was a flat tire on Cindy’s little yellow Aveo. I got a hand pump and filled it with enough air to drive to the tire store, which was closed for good, but there was a place nearby that was able to get it repaired quickly. The culprit was a half inch metal screw from the installation of the new gutters and downspouts last November. The tire guy said that they must get three or four of those a day and they always secretly thank the sloppy contractors that don’t clean up after themselves.
In order to complete our immersion back into USA culture, we took a trip to Costco. We were going to spend the forty bucks they gave me as a rebate and we were also going to buy one of their great roasted chickens. I forgot how big a big box store can be and after all of our shopping at mom and pop places in Europe, it was a shocker. However, you can’t argue with their prices. We needed to replace one of our ‘cruise’ suitcases, a 25-inch that can hold suits and dresses. We had priced some of these in Nice, where they were having annual sales with more that 50% off, and yet they couldn’t come even close to Costco prices. So after purchasing the suitcase, storage containers, wine, cheeses, water, and odds and ends, our chicken ended up costing more than $380 and we forgot to use the rebate certificate. C’est la vie!
Best wishes, Cindy and Wm
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| King and Queen of the Ball |
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