Success at A.R.E.; A BIG Rig; A Real Red-Wing; This Way, Class; Cats on Golden Pond; Bread on a Bike?

My Lovely Bride completed her conference presentation at A.R.E. in Virginia Beach today. Here she is with CEO Kevin Todeschi, and later with Dr. Eben Alexander. Her talk on The Meaning in the Messages was very well received, and she has another presentation tomorrow morning at the annual conference of the Academy of Spirituality and Consciousness Studies.

Back in Colorado, this unusual RV rig is across the road from us in the state park campground. The Peterbilt tractor has a 600 hp diesel engine, and gets 7-8 mpg in the flat. The fifth wheel is about 45 feet long, and probably very luxurious inside. The owners are from here in Colorado, but snowbird in Clermont, FL, just down the road from The Villages. They spend summers here to be with their kids and grandchildren. 

It was pelicans yesterday, and today our Bird of the Day is this Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) sitting on a fencepost near our campground. This bird is probably the most abundant bird in North America; they are certainly everywhere out here in Colorado. According to Wikipedia, “The Red-winged Blackbird is sexually dimorphic; the male is all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar, while the female is a nondescript dark brown.” This difference is generally attributed to a mating preference for more highly colored birds (e.g., pheasants, peacocks, Birds of Paradise), which allows the male to mate with multiple females, thereby ensuring the survival of the species. (It also makes the male easier to spot by predators, thus helping preserve the nesting female. What we guys do for our girls...) 

I couldn’t pass up a ride on the St. Vrain Greenway Trail, which runs right along the small river of the same name. I did pass up the riverside Left Hand Brewery halfway through the trip, since I thought “just a few” might impair my cycling abilities. The Greenway was finished in 2004, and is a beautiful paved path designed to go under traffic-laden roads in the Longmont area. 

You ride past farms and scattered houses until you reach town, where density increases, but the path is nicely separated from people as much as possible with lots of small parks and ball fields. I reached the end of the trail at Golden Pond, where I found this interesting sign warning of cats in the area... not feral tabbies, but big cats... mountain lions, AKA cougar, puma, panther or catamount (Puma concolor)... Its normal diet includes elk, deer, sheep, cattle and horses, but humans are occasionally on their menu as well. I think being on a bike helps, since cougars pick their prey based on size, but I’ll probably skip dawn and dusk rides in that area just to be prudent.  

Cougar are beautiful creatures, as this close-up shows. (This is not one of my photos... it wasn’t a “Here, kitty, kitty” moment. I do have some common sense.) They are about the same size as humans, with males 8-9 feet long weighing between 115 and 220 lbs, and females between 64 and 141 lbs. The largest cougar recorded weighed about 300 lbs. You would not want to mess with one that size. 

Back on the trail, the river was running quite high, since this is the time when higher elevation snows melt and raise stream levels. The water is also cold (let's see, "snow melt" is "melted snow", which must be pretty chilly, right?), which explains why the fishing isn't that good. (Works for me.)

I was about to take a photo of part of the path under water when these two adult Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis) marched across the path... with 26 little goslings in tow. Since a female goose will average only 5 eggs per clutch, this group of apparently adopted goslings and 2 adults is called a crèche.  Geese are also known to attack humans, not for meals but to protect themselves or their young. A goose will normally warn you first by spreading its wings and hissing; if that doesn’t get you to move, they will charge and bite.  

On my way back to The Bus, I saw a familiar sign about a quarter mile off the trail. I didn’t have a backpack, but I asked the young lady at Panera to slice a baguette into thirds so I could carry it on my handlebars. (I got some funny looks from other cyclists, but it saved time and a long car drive, since my lunch was to be a platter of cheeses and French bread, perhaps with a nice glass of Pinot Noir as an accompaniment. (Hey, good food and wine are some of the great delights in life...  and as my sister-in-law Janice Clay confirms, “Life is too short to drink cheap wine!”) 

Fishing; Matt the Fish Guy; Cinnamon Rolls or Grits; An Ark? Cousins; An Affectionate Elk?

Yesterday was a banner day... I got my Colorado license and went fishing for the first time in months. St. Vrain State Park has several lakes, and I didn’t do too badly for the first day out in unfamiliar waters and no local knowledge. (That’s an experienced fisherman’s excuse for not catching many...) I landed one small trout, had two toss the hook before I could get my hands around their throats (sorry, I meant to say “before I could gently release them”), and one enormous lunker that broke my line. It was probably a walleye, judging by the relatively vicious hit and fight he put up. Trout aren’t nearly as mean. I was using small spinners for the trout on an ultralight spinning rod and reel with 4 lb. test Stren line and a larger jig with a yellow tail (that’s what the suspected walleye took) on an 8 lb. test line. This is what the walleye that got away would look like. If I had landed him... Sigh.   

When walking back to The Bus, I met Matt, a Fish and Wildlife Volunteer. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera or phone, because he was a neat guy. He asked how I would rate my day (actually only an hour) fishing. I gave it a 5 of 5 because of the birds (particularly these white pelicans, who must have eaten all the good fish before I arrived) and beautiful weather. Matt’s parents live in Florida now, but he loves Colorado for the myriad outdoor activities.  We talked about the outdoor life, and I mentioned that if it weren’t for the snowy, frigid winters, I could live here. He assured me that winters weren’t that bad. (Yeah, it snowed just two weeks ago! I think Matt may be Terri’s distant cousin.) 

Friday wasn’t going to be a snow day, though. I held early reveille on the hounds, so that I could get a run in before solar heating raised the temps to an expected 90F. I trotted through gently rolling hills at mile high altitude. My route took me past open fields with hay stubble and hundreds of prairie dog holes, with their owners popping up every now and then to see if this human interloper was going to be a threat. Fortunately, prairie dogs don’t sound very appetizing, so after my run I found a coffee shop and a cinnamon roll. (Being able to pamper one’s person in proscribed pastries is the only advantage to your wife being two time zones distant.) 

Speaking of My Lovely Bride, she is keeping in touch, and having a wonderful time at the Edgar Cayce Conference in Virginia Beach. Last night she had dinner (flounder stuffed with crab meat) with Elizabeth Magee from The Villages; these partners in crime are rooming together, and I have alerted the Virginia Beach Police about two tourists getting wild and crazy while visiting their fair city. Here is Elizabeth at breakfast, making a face over the quality of her grits... now I ask you, what does a gal from south Joisey know from grits? (Maybe they should have eaten at Waffle House.) 

Suzanne is seen here today at the display of her books in the A.R.E. bookstore. (She appears much happier about her book table than Elizabeth did with her breakfast!) Today she is a conference attendee; tomorrow afternoon she will be presenting. 

While the girls were being spiritual at a beachfront conference, the Colorado contingent of our group was touring on our combined ten feet around Estes Park. A family driving by saw us and pulled over to say hello. Rudy and Gretchen got to meet one of their distant cousins, Oscar, another long-haired miniature Dachshund who looked much like Gretchen but with darker tan accents. The three Doxies got along famously. Oscar lives with his family in Wyoming, and is as affectionate as our puppies.  

Estes Park itself is a contradiction; there are beautiful sights such as the vintage Stanley Steamer in the historic Stanley Hotel, and then there is...

... the Estes Ark... one local I spoke to called it an eyesore. I will refrain from making a judgment. (Gag...) I wonder if Noah realizes he built this thing at 7,300 feet above sea level?) 

Estes Park is the Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. The view from the visitor center is beautiful. The peaks are still snow-covered, and several of the trails are closed until Memorial Day. There were signs posted of extreme avalanche danger in the back country, but we didn’t have that on our to-do list today. 

We hiked a short National Forest trail outside RMNP, since fierce canines like our Rudy and Gretchen aren’t allowed on NP trails. They might be a threat to the 500 lb. elk that roam the park. By the way, we saw these cow elk in downtown Estes Park. (I think the one with the green jewelry might be looking at me with more affection than I care to think about... she must know that I'm a member of an Elks Lodge... Hey, I’m spoken for!)  

A Kansas Bimbo; Terri Survived! Wind Breaks; Portmanteau; A Sugar Beet Dinner? Jump Starting the Brain

While departing our campground in Kansas the other day, I noticed this sign... 

Then I tried to visualize the sexy, voluptuous blonde farm girl who would appear in the TV ads to promote the bakery... my warped mind ran wild... 

but this is reality! (I think that some of the guys may be disappointed...)

Speaking of blondes, we have good news from Terri of the Frozen North; she survived the “unseasonable” early May blizzard, but was trapped in her car for a week under 12 feet of snow on I-94. She was rescued in time, with only minor frostbite injuries, and has recovered sufficiently to return to work. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Terri is now complaining (dare I say “whining”?) about the unseasonable heat wave that Minnesnowta was enduring, with temps in the high 90s. Terri, you can’t have it both ways! Hasn’t this past winter convinced you that you need to move to central Florida? Our lakes haven’t frozen over in several millennia, and Sunday’s 89F in The Villages was much cooler than Minneapolis’ 98F!

Weather, weather, weather... on the Great Plains, they talk about the weather a lot! Western Kansas was less windy today than yesterday, but the photo at left shows a sturdy line of cedar trees set to the west of this farmhouse to help cut the vicious winter winds. 

The last town in Kansas, just before crossing into Colorado, is named Kanorado. This is an interesting name, because it is a portmanteau word, a combination of two or more words or morphemes, and their definitions, into one word, such as smog (smoke and fog). The name is derived from the French, portmanteau luggage, which has two compartments. Kanorado’s 2010 population was 153, but there were 276 residents in 1990. One may assume that real estate prices are a bargain here...

We arrived in Longmont, Colorado, 25 miles north of Denver, amidst thunderstorms and lightning. We are staying in St. Vrain State Park, where I will do some fishing and get some work done on The Bus. We’ve been out for about 2 weeks, and almost 2,000 miles later, we’re just a few minutes from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. This Canada goose in the foreground is probably wondering if he should have flown farther south and wintered in Cancun.

It’s bizarre to see so much snow on the mountains in mid-May, and sobering to see signs on the Interstate requiring truckers going west to have chains ready for snow conditions. The temp tonight should get down to 48F. I get to stay here and freeze while My Lovely Bride goes to the beach...  

“The beach?” you ask... Colorado is a long way from the beach! Yes, Suzanne will fly out on Thursday to Virginia Beach, VA, where she is a presenter at the “Our Soul Life Conference” sponsored by the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), the organization founded by Edgar Cayce. The conference is fully booked with 250 attendees, and her fellow speakers include Dr. Eben Alexander, John Van Auken, and mediums Robert Brown and Maureen Hancock. 

But surely being stuck here won't be too egregious... we had dinner tonight at a local place called Sugar Beet. Doesn't sound too appetizing, does it? Well, don't judge a restaurant by its name... look at these dishes:

We shared a delicious arugula salad with almonds, lavender honey vinaigrette, shaved cheese and tasso ham...

I opted for appetizers instead of a main course: fried Hama Hama oysters from Washington State with a scrumptious sauce over some purple leafy thingees...  

and large shrimp with applewood bacon, drizzled with a passion fruit vinaigrette, again with some leafy green fodder that was actually quite tasty...

A glass of quite palatable Block Nine Pinot Noir complemented my meal nicely.

My Lovely Bride selected sea scallops on purple potatos with a carrot ginger puree, with a side of Dungeness crab on avocado:

I may have to check out the chef's other specialties while Suzanne has Chesapeake Bay crabs....

I mentioned yesterday that our car battery had died... here’s the rest of the story. When we stopped for our daily run at Ft. Riley, Kansas, I had to jump start the car, with My Lovely Bride at the wheel to turn the ignition switch. We then drove the car over to the Cavalry Museum, with Your Faithful Correspondent in the passenger seat. Just before getting out of the car, I said, “Love of My Life, please leave the car running while we’re in the museum.” You can see this coming, right? 

Yep, you guessed it, she turned the car off ten seconds later (she claims it was force of habit), requiring me to find a nice passerby to park next to us to get our car started again. “Short memory span” doesn’t quite describe it... So here’s my solution to jump start Suzanne’s brain...

Unity Village; Wind Farms; Big Red One; Cathedral of the Plains; Swinging in Kansas; WABBITS!

On Monday we departed St. Louis and headed west. While passing through the Kansas City area, we stopped at Unity Village, the headquarters of the Unity Church. Suzanne had been interviewed by Unity Radio, and then gave a reading to Carla McClellan, Director of Retreats, who was kind enough to give us a tour of their beautiful and serene campus. We then met with Denise Blake, the new Director of Retreats, to discuss Suzanne coming to Unity Village to lead a retreat in early November. (See Suzanne’s web site for details). 

We are now driving across a very wide and windy state... Kansas. With 25-30 mph headwinds, the fuel economy of The Bus (okay, stop laughing out there!) has taken a hit today, down from almost 9 mpg to just under 7 mpg. When the wind shifts astern, I’ll be getting the sails out! The farmers here have figured out the wind... we passed hundreds of modern towering windmills producing electricity to feed the power grid.

It was going to be a scorcher, up to 98F, so we stopped at Fort Riley at 0930 for a run before the heat became dangerous. Fort Riley is the home of the First Infantry Division, the Big Red One. It used to be a cavalry post, as this statue of a cavalry soldier from the 1870’s proves. The grave behind me is where Chief, the last horse to be part of the US Cavalry, is interred. He served from 1940-1949, and died in 1961.

We also took a few minutes to tour the Cavalry Museum. Just a few yards from where we parked were the stables where the commanding general’s ceremonial guard horses live. We enjoyed listening to the whinnying of these beautiful horses who all carried the same US brand on their left shoulders like Custer's horses did when he fought the Sioux over 150 years ago.

One of Suzanne’s books, The Priest and the Medium, has several chapters set in Victoria, Kansas, where (medium) Anne Gehman’s husband (former priest) Wayne Knoll grew up. This tiny town of 1,342 souls was just a mile south of I-70 as we headed westbound toward Colorado, so we turned left and stopped to recon. We parked next to Wayne’s home church, St. Fidelis Catholic Church, “The Cathedral of the Plains”. When it was built in 1911, it was one of the tallest buildings west of the Missouri.  Suzanne was very excited to see the town and places she had written about but had never visited.

As we approached the cathedral, we noticed a woman about to cross the street. We introduced ourselves to Betty Brungardt and asked her if she knew Wayne Knoll; she replied, “Yes, Wayne was one of my classmates.” We were amazed, and after hearing some of her stories, Suzanne gave her a copy of The Priest and the Medium.

We then toured the church; it is stunningly beautiful, a real testament to the faith of the German-Russian farmers who settled here in the 19^th Century. The building stones were hauled and cut by hand, with some families, including the Knolls, recorded as hauling up to 80 wagon loads of stones; engineers estimated that townspeople cut and dressed over 125,000 cubic feet of rock. 

As we departed, we met Ivan, one of Wayne’s brothers' fraternity brothers from college. Both local residents that we encountered had known Wayne well; that doesn’t happen often except in a very small town!

We stopped for the night in Oakley, Kansas. While My Lovely Bride set up camp (sort of like a troop of cavalry might in 1876), I found the local blacksmith for some tack for my horse (also known as a replacement car battery, since mine was failing). I was going to put a .45 through the battery to put it out of its misery, but the NAPA store clerk was aghast, so I holstered my trusty Colt revolver and trotted to the campground for some firewater (a very nice Cabernet). What did I find but Suzanne, Rudy and Gretchen trying to hunt dinner, in the form of several rabbits that they were chasing hysterically around the campground. The hounds got within a few feet, but the bunnies were too bashful to play. (I had to settle for pasta and chicken sausage, but it was better than cleaning bunnies, that’s for sure). Corvette Chick was feeling frisky, and decided to visit the playground and ride the kids’ swings. I don’t think she will ever grow up...

St Louis SuperStars; A Dynamo Choir; Across the Wide Missouri; “You Talk to Mormons?” "CSL Rocks!"

The last two days here in St. Louis, Missouri, have been AMAZING! Suzanne was invited to speak at the Center for Spiritual Living on Fee Fee Road. (My first thought was this must be a happy group... who else could go to church on a street named after a poodle?) On Saturday evening, we presented a private viewing of the Messages of Hope documentary (since it is being considered for a major network, the film’s producer can’t officially release it for public showings). We had a full house in CSL’s sanctuary, and the most enthusiastic audiences we have ever experienced. It was a fantastic evening, and we were warmly welcomed by the wonderful CSL community.  

The Q&A session after the documentary was lively, and Suzanne got to sign a lot of her books. My Lovely Bride came to bed “wired” with enthusiasm and gratitude for the response to the film and her discussion afterwards. Good thing she was able to get to sleep, because on Sunday morning, she was the principal speaker for both services. We were very impressed by the amazing love and spirit-filled congregation, and even more by the Gateway to Agape Choir, led by a dynamo named Pooki, who had more energy than most college basketball teams (and a wonderful connection with Spirit). 

The choir topped off their performance with a musical selection accented with kazoos. (Okay, I can’t resist... Mizzou Kazoos...). We also took the liberty of inviting Pooki and the Gateway to Agape Choir to The Villages in January for a special concert. Pooki is also a friend of Karen Taylor-Good and Stowe Shockey, so maybe we can get them to sing together... “watch this space” for more information on this amazing choir. 

Suzanne’s Sunday messages were tailored for Mother’s Day, and filled with evidence she had received from mothers who had either sat with her for readings or come through from the other side with messages for their loved ones. It was a beautiful morning, and again, we were much impressed by the warmth and love of everyone at CSL St. Louis. These beautiful flowers (azaleas, I think) outside of CSL's front door caught my attention, and reminded me to "slow down and smell the flowers"...

We had a break in the afternoon, and got on our two-wheeled chariots at Creve Coeur Park for a 15 mile bike ride. (Creve Coeur is French for broken heart, and is the name of the lake named for an Indian girl whose broken heart led to her suicide off a cliff here). We rode across the muddy Missouri River to the Katy Bike Trail, at 237 miles the nation’s longest rails-to-trails project. It follows much of explorers Lewis and Clark's route across the state in 1804-1806 exploring the Louisiana Purchase. It was a beautiful ride, but quite brisk at 65F and a 15 mph northwest wind to cycle against for the first half of the ride. (The view of the river was obstructed by the chain link fence erected after Lewis and Clark's trip; it is designed to prevent nitwits from falling into the river and drowning; in the Old Days, such stupidity was considered "personal responsibility"... maybe we should reconsider trying to keep everyone from making fools of themselves and let Darwin's Law take its toll. It would sure improve the view.)

Sunday evening saw us back at CSL for Suzanne to present her new Making the Connection talk. While everyone was arriving, I was describing this blog to one couple... I mentioned that last summer I wrote about how I got down on my hands and knees to talk to a marmot in Sequoia National Park. The husband asked, “You talk to Mormons on your hands and knees?” “Dude, whatever works!”

Suzanne’s evening presentation was enthusiastically well-received, but was not without its comic moments. Just as she pressed the “Next” button on her remote to change to slide #2, the computer froze up. Quick on her feet, she asked the choir members to sing while she fixed the computer. The choir and most of the attendees instantly started singing Bob Marley’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, which had been one of the hits at the morning services. It made everyone laugh, and this group is big on laughter!



The evening continued with love, enthusiasm and joy, and we are looking forward to returning to the Center for Spiritual Living in September. "CSL Rocks!"

0600 Reveille; Another Miss Meanie; Hot Dog! Rain, Rain, Rain; Lebanese Pizza? A Mo-Fla Connection

One of the nice things about being retired is being able to sleep in... that is, unless you’re staying on a military base, when bugles start playing Reveille at 0600 (that’s 6:00 AM for you civvies). We thought we were safe on Air Force bases, since they usually don’t ask airmen to get up (if it’s not inconvenient) until 0800 or 0900. But Scott Air Force Base here in Belleville, Illinois, is a Joint Base, meaning that members of all four of the services are stationed here, and the Army, Navy and Marine Corps are early risers. Anyway, we were awakened from our blissful slumber by a bugle playing on a nearby loudspeaker at 0600. It was still dark outside, for crying out loud, and we are staying in a Family Campground, where most of the transient residents are retirees. I may have to write a letter to a congressman about this... 

Since we were up early because of the bugles, we decided to get a weight workout in at the base gym. After working out, we noticed that the basketball courts were filled with people; a Health and Fitness Fair was going on, and many base activities and civilian businesses had tables with information and... freebies! After getting a banana and a couple of mini Twix Bars, we found a table with two nice ladies from TriCare, the military families and retirees health care administrators. Suzanne asked Nicole and Bernadette if she could have one of their cool pocket notepads, complete with pen, Post-It notes and multi-colored tabs... they of course said yes, and My Lovely Bride was a very happy camper.  

A few minutes later, we returned in that direction, and she suggested that I get one as well. As I am approaching the table, Nicole, with a devilish grin on her face, scoops up the remaining notepads so that Your Faithful Correspondent couldn’t get one! I had met another Miss Meanie! Fortunately, she was just being playful; a good thing, because otherwise I’d have to tell the whole world that Nicole had crushed my tender feelings, and boy, would she be in trouble then! 

On the way to the car, we came across a USO truck and volunteers offering free chili dogs, chips and water or sodas... what, no beer? Oh, I almost forgot, this was a Health and Fitness Fair, so chili dogs are okay but beer is not. My Lovely Bride allows me one chili dog per year, and it’s May 10 and I hadn’t had one yet... so here I am, getting my free chili dog from the wonderful USO folks who do a great job supporting our (hungry and thirsty) troops around the world, even here in Illinois. (I had to eat it right there, because Rudy and Gretchen, our long-haired Dachshunds, might think me insensitive if I ate a hot dog (wiener) at home. 

We have had rain almost every day since we left The Villages on May 1. This area has had much more cool weather and rain than normal over the past month or so, and many rivers and lakes are very high. This photo shows flooded fields in southern Illinois, with nary a river in sight. 

Here is a photo Suzanne took out of the side window of The Bus, a tug pushing loaded coal barges on the Ohio River, which is not in flood stage at the moment... now this is a river! 

Last night we drove to Lebanon, about 15 minutes from our campground, for pizza. It was very good, and we enjoyed walking around the small college town (population 3,523) admiring some well-restored Victorian houses. Lebanon is home to McKendree University, a private university affiliated with the Methodist Church. Like many towns in “Little Egypt” or Southern Illinois, Lebanon is named after the Middle Eastern country... other similar place names in this locale include Cairo, Metropolis, Thebes, Palestine, and Karnak. (No relation to Johnny Carson’s role on The Tonight Show...) 

I’m sitting at the Base Exchange food court writing this blog because Suzanne is doing an in-person reading back in The Bus; one of the many people on her waiting list happened to live about 25 miles from Scott AFB, and was able to meet us here. While at the BX, I got a new fishing rod, an ultralight spin outfit for trout and panfish like crappie. My Lovely Bride mentioned that “crappie” wasn’t the most appetizing name for a panfish that was destined for the table... hey, what does she know? I’ll tell you a True Suzanne Fish Story... we were in Hampton, Virginia a few years ago, and I was at work at the Joint Warfighting Center while Suzanne was relaxing on our sailboat, then a 36 foot cutter. She called me and said, “Ty, I just caught two fish on the rod you left me. But I don’t know what they are or if they’re good to eat.” I replied, “Well, what do they look like?” She came back with one of The Great Girl Fish Lines, “Well, they look like fish, and they are making sounds like ‘croak, croak’”. Trying to stifle my laughter, I said, “My Darling, you have just caught two croakers. They are delicious; put them in a bucket with sea water and I’ll clean them when I get to the boat.” 

Fish was on the menu Friday evening at Andria's Steakhouse last night, but we had read that steak and prime rib were their specialties. We had been invited out to join Shelby and Donna Anderson, from Missouri and Florida, for dinner out at this famous restaurant. We had met both of them back in The Villages, but this was our first opportunity to get to know this delightful couple. 

They have an 80 acre farm in Missouri where they used to raise Angus cattle, but now stick to less labor-intensive hay. Shelby had us in stitches telling us about running a farm, such as misplacing a hay rake, shown here being pulled by a John Deere tractor, and it's just a little bit larger than the hand held rake I have in the garage for cleaning up leaves... seems he had taken a trip out of town, and when he returned, looked in his barn, and no hay rake, so he reported it stolen... then Donna reminded him that he had taken it out to get some welding done... "Yessir, sheriff, I just forgot all about where I had left that sucker..." 

The steaks (ribeyes for the men, tenderloins for the ladies) were somewhere between fabulous, incredible, unbelievably delicious and to-die-for. These were the best that either of us had ever eaten. They were of course grilled, but had been marinated in Andria's steak sauce, which we shall look for at the first grocery we pass on our way out of town. Donna and Shelby, thank you for an unforgettable meal and delightful conversation!