Waking Up to a Redhead on My Pillow; A Trip to Del Webb; Uh-Oh.... Reject! An Unexpected Gift; Geo-Quiz

Have you ever had a strange dream in the middle of the night, gotten up, and returned to bed to find someone unexpected on your pillow? Maybe not, but it happened to me this morning. I found a redhead on my pillow... Rudy normally sleeps under the covers next to me, chest level, while Gretchen is at my knee. (I’m in between the puppies and Suzanne, sort of like the filling in an Oreo.) Here is Rudy taking over my pillow. I hope he found it to his liking, other than not finding any doggie treats on it...   

On Monday, Suzanne and Bev Garlipp drove north to Ocala to present her talk “The Meaning in the Messages” to the Spruce Creek Del Webb Metaphysical Group, which had offered the presentation to their entire Del Webb community. Cindy Stern, Vice President, introduced Suzanne. Thanks also to President Karen Harmelin for the kind invitation.

There were 350 attendees, many of whom had never heard Suzanne speak before. Fortunately, there were just enough seats for everyone in this beautiful ballroom. 

There was a long line at the book signing table afterwards, with several people getting all of Suzanne’s books. 

Suzanne has spoken at Spruce Creek on two previous occasions, and loves the great energy and warmth of the Metaphysical Club and the community there. Thanks to everyone for a very rewarding last presentation before we head off on our Summer Tour. We’re looking forward to returning in the Fall.  

Tonight we had dinner with Suzanne’s mom Ruthie; her brother-in-law’s mom Janis Clay, who is visiting from West Chester, PA; and her brother and sister-in-law Brent and Cheryl Smeltzer. Janis made a great barbeque dinner with salad and bread pudding. As salad was being served, Brent asked to see the bottles of salad dressing to check the expiration dates... “Uh-oh, Mom, this one expired in 2009... and this one expired in 2010. Don’t you have anything newer?”  Ruthie was quite put out, and wondered aloud, "What difference does it make?" She then noted that she had an unidentifiable spice jar on the rack dated "1948". We settled on a very nice, young olive oil with a 2014 date... as for Brent, he might get gruel on his next dinner visit.  

Our neighbors and partners in RV crime, Bob and Jan Blythe, called after dinner and asked if we were busy. They came over a few minutes later, and My Good Buddy Bob presented me with a remote control key fob for all of the belly storage compartments in The Bus. Our American Eagle did not come with a remote, although it did have electronic locks, and Bob noted that I was more than a bit envious of his. (His remote!) Anyway, it was very thoughtful of him. I guess he’ll go back on my Christmas card list, after having been removed for giving me such a hard time about my lack of fishing success in previous blogs...

Geo-Quiz: Okay, here’s the deal. You departed New York on a cruise, but have spent far too much time at the bar. You have completely forgotten which ports you were scheduled to visit. On arriving ashore on a French island, you overhear several local residents speaking strangely-accented French; one of your new friends says, “Oh, that guy, he’s a Euskaldunak.” You are baffled, and go for a walk to sober up. It’s July, but the temperature is only 62F, and you could cut the fog with a knife. You pass a fisherman hauling a fishing dory onto the beach with what looks like an old-time anchor capstan from a Clipper ship, and the “beach” is not sand, but large pebbles. A tide chart shows the mean tidal range to be 1.97 meters (6.5 feet). You also note a torn chart of local shipwrecks, with several hundred referenced. You watch some really big guys throwing boulders around; they call the sport harrijasotzaile, and they say they are practicing for the upcoming festival. You pass a small restaurant, and go in to check out the menu, but the prices are in Euros! You thought that you have only been at sea for a few days... Have you crossed the Atlantic without remembering it? Where are you? You can send your answer to me at ftgiesemann@aol.com and I will consolidate answers by Wednesday or Thursday and announce a winner.