We're baaaaaack.

First off, THIS is bullshit. I'm not against folks who voice dissent, but this guy is a prick, and the Navy must be thinkin' about keeping their support together in this Democratic Congress to want to give this asshat any acknowledgment.

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Now, I'm back at the library in San Saba. I'm back to work after a week off for Spring Break. I had my regular Monday ritual (jalapeño sourdough bacon cheeseburger) a little bit ago and now I'm tryin' to catch up on emails and stuff.

I called one of my neighbors... one of the folks that lives out by my property and told him I was selling. I think I could smell the saliva on his breath as he heard the news. he's wanted it bad for a long time, so I don't think I'll have much trouble getting what I want for it.

Denise and I got back from Nashville last night around 7:15. We spent the last four days up in Kentucky, visiting her kids and grand kids and attending a big throw down at the home of a friend of hers. I had a great time, drinking Yuengling and smoking a few cigars on the porch. The food and company were both great.

We left Killeen Thursday around 8:50 AM for what was supposed to be a forty-five minute flight to Houston. However, that short hop turned into a four hour flight, due to fog that socked in the Houston Airport and a detour to College Station to refuel. Four hours in a little turbo prop puddle jumper! Not pleasant!

Of course, we missed our 10:10 flight to Nashville, and then the 12:20 flight they signed us up for, and then missed the stand-by seats on the 3:30 flight. So, we were in Houston, eating and playing cards till about 5:45. We didn't get to Nashville until about 7:30. We were supposed to be there by about noon. I tell ya, it was the day from Hell!

We rented a car, a Chevy Cobalt (CRAP!), and drove the hour or so up to Bowling Green and spent the night at Denise's daughter's house. We stopped at a Stop-N-Rob just south of the state line and I picked up a couple of 6-packs of Yuengling and a bottle of 7-Up. They still don't sell Yuengling Traditional lager in Kentucky, and Denise needed the soda for her "Shandy".

We got to the house in Bowling Green by about 9:15, and then I watched and took pictures (I know, shocking) while Denise showed off all the baby clothes (Lynn is pregnant, due in September) and sweets she'd picked up for the kids in England. We had a late dinner, ordering a pizza, watched a little TV and eventually hit the sack.

We slept in Friday and then spent the day at the mall in Bowling Green, looking at baby stuff. Then we zipped up to Elizabethtown. We had a great dinner at a local German restaurant there that Denise and her family have been going to for decades, and Denise's other daughter and her two boys joined us there. We went over to their house for a bit and then headed back down to Lynn's.

We slept in Saturday and then Denise, Lynn and I went to Panera Bread for brunch. We gassed up the Cobalt (friggin' guzzler!), left Lynn back at home and then Denise and I drove back up to E-Town to connect with her friend Joan.

The St. Patricks Day party at Joan's place has been an annual ritual for many years. Denise has missed the last two because of work, so I was happy to go along and join her on this one. It's a huge affair, with all sorts of local folks, lots of interesting food to eat and good booze to drink. I still had one six pack of Yuengling and three cigars left by Saturday evening, so I spent much of the night out on Joan's screened in porch, introducing a few other guys to Acid Kuba Kubas and the fruits of America's oldest brewery. Both went over BIG!

It was a great time. After it all ended, Denise and I spent the night at Joan's. We got up earlyish Sunday, said our good-byes and drove over to say goodbye to Denise's older daughter Chantel. She's an Emergency Room Nurse there at the local hospital, so we just drove over and grabbed her from work.

After that we drove down and spent a little time with Lynn and her husband, and then we headed south to Nashville. We gassed the guzzler up just outside the airport, turned it in and were sitting with our tickets, bag checked with plenty of time to relax and check out the stores in the concourse. We had lunch at O'Charley's, and I was disappointed to find that the restaurants in the airport don't have Yuengling, on tap or otherwise. Tootsies didn't even go there. At one store I found a funny t-shirt advertising Moon Pies. I had to explain to Denise why "Eat More Pie" could be taken as a rude reference. You know, she's a lady, and she ain't from around these parts.

We were flying west towards Dallas, taking a break from the card game to eat pretzels and drink orange juice when I glanced through the Sky Mall catalog in the seat pocket in front of me. On the cover, this little item caught my eye. I must have swooned and giggled uncontrollably, because Denise cracked up. Can you imagine how cool it would be to have that thing in your living room? Looking at it, I briefly had a vision of myself, teaching my college class while sitting in it. I know, hilarious!

Anyway, they're about to close up the library, so I'll tell you the rest and show you pictures another day. Cheers!