Mac

Wesley Emmett McNeel, otherwise known as Wes to Grandma, Dad to his children, Grandpa to myself and my cousins, and Mac to many friends, cronies, and other relatives, closed his eyes for the last time on August 16, 2012.  He is a dear soul who will be sweetly missed by all who were touched by his heart.

These are my recollections of him through grandchild eyes:

Grandpa was kind, easy going, and patient.  He was never quick to anger, if ever, and he would take as much time as necessary to teach anyone, any task, that he already knew how to perform.

You can see by the photos below that Grandpa had a ready smile and what you saw was what you got - he really was that happy and joyful, genuinely delighted to be alive.  His goofball humor and love of laughter was infectious.  It's because of him that my earliest memories of snow are coupled with a disk-like garbage can topper expedition down a slight hill, covered in snow, a la Clark "Grandpa" Griswold.

I learned most of my work ethic from my Mom, who learned her work ethic primarily from her Dad.  Grandpa was possibly the hardest working man that I've known, and he certainly was in my child's eyes throughout my maturation.  Grandpa built and repaired many things by his own shear talent, hands, and elbow grease, including a gorgeous retirement home in which I spent many entire summers.  During those summers, Grandpa and Grandma were my bosses as I learned how to labor long hours and interact with the public in their tourist town ice cream shop that served as a retirement "project."

Grandpa was a lover of information, books, and trivia.  Sharp as a whip, he spent many hours in retirement watching his "money shows" and logging data about his family's financials.  His political approach was simple:  "I have always had more money in the bank with a democrat in office."  He left everything else that politicians argue over to individuals and their own family values and decisions.

Lastly, but hardly in his entirety, he's what I term the perennial family man.  Grandpa was eternally devoted to his wife, his children, grandchildren, and extended family.  Like many in their golden years,  he merely wanted to be surrounded by loved ones, and for those loved ones to love and respect each other.  He would do anything he could to help his loved ones, even if it pained him.  I'll never forget, once, going into a tailspin upon seeing a harmless grass snake behind the house and insisting that Grandpa "kill that thing!"   I could see the regret on his face as and after he took a garden hoe to the creature after he couldn't convince my adolescent self that Sammy the Snake wanted nothing to do with us.  The takeaway from that, and many other actions he led by, for me, was do no harm, when none is warranted.

You are so missed, Grandpa, and our memories of you are 100% cherished.

Link to Grandpa's Online Tribute

 

 

This is where it began

Caption on the reverse of this photo:

"Here she is again, the world traveler."

Dear Appendix

Dear Appendix, 

I've looked your "itis" in the eye, seen darkness & now light. You are a worthless, unemployed, lacking skills organ that siphons the energy off of the other members of Organville. Thanks to talented hospital staff & many caring friends, I'm almost back to 100% strength and return to work tomorrow. Prepare, kids, and please be kind to me; for at least the first few days. 
Sincerely, Appendix Hater 
PS - appendix, we have not forgotten about you. When you're sans infection and anger, my surgeon is delivering your eviction papers. I cannot say that I'll miss you, but I bid you safe travels when you're removed & embarked upon the biohazard trail. Get along, you do-nothing-doggy.

 

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

I think I can receive a pass for using that worn out title as a line since I never actually saw the movie.  Sorry, Mudda, I just *told* you that we were going to the movies when you dropped us at the theater (two screens even then, folks), instead we cruised the Plaza.  <shoulda seen the movie instead>

Charley and I traveled to the east coast recently and enjoyed the sights, slurps, and sounds of Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Cape May, NJ.  Phila and Cape May, as per normal, did not disappoint, and the majority of the photos are from my first experience in Baltimore:  Photo Album

There's a rogue photo that I snapped for my seester, of myself and my newest foot care purchase, The PedEgg.  There's also a paparazzi shot of a giant stuffed monkey in the backseat of a car.  You can also notice a stuffed frog wrapped around the passenger side's head rest.  I'd like to think that this was a getaway car, taking stuffed test lab animal subjects to a refuge in a land free of needle probes and toxic cosmetic injections.

Baltimore is a unique little-big city that offers more history and sites than we could take in during the afternoon we were there, but I wholly recommend a trolley/bus tour if you're in the town.  Catch the 12:30pm tour in front of the National Aquarium, and ask for Doc to be your guide.  Tell him the Texan sent ya!  He'll tell you the story of how, when he was stationed with the military in San Antonio in 1963, he loaded up the family and drove straight to Dallas the day after JFK was assassinated, ostensibly to catch a glimpse of the shooter(s).  On the Baltimore food front, naturally we wanted crab cakes so Mo's Seafood's Little Italy location was our pick.  I've never seen (or tasted) so much crab meat in a cake, sans fillers.

Thanks to Charley's parents, we experienced a new dining experience in Philadelphia, The Perch.  My chicken Caesar was deeeeeelectable and the beer selection was nicely arranged for most beer-dies.

Cape May, NJ has a plethora of hotels and B&Bs that bring charm and comfort for a visit to the shore town, and this time we stayed at The Mooring.  Charley is the lodging snob in our relationship, but even he was more than pleased with the accommodations.  Union Park offered some of the finest food I've tasted AND it's BYOB.  Yes, ladies and gents, 'fine' can equate to BYOB.  While in Cape May, Charley's rockstar swimmer of a niece competed in the National Lifeguard Championship, which was conveniently staged IN Cape May.  As one of the members of our group quipped, the competition area of the beaches looked like a recruiting ground for Abercrombie & Fitch models.  As someone who never took swim lessons as a child and instead learned via the sink or swim method, I was highly impressed by the athleticism exhibited by the lifeguards.  During the school year, rockstar niece swims competitively for a division 1 university.

It's been a wonderful summer packed with equally wondrous vacations, but I admit that I'm looking forward to staying marooned at home, at least until the holiday season begins.

I don't eat Chick-fil-A & I don't have a basement

...But I appreciate some, or a lot, of what this person has to say:

<written by a stranger, shared by a friend (AD) via Facebook, and blarg posted by me>

"In The Basement"

Hi, I'm Mat.

Here's the jewel that greets front door guests, now:

Rapture in the blender

Recipe

• About two bananas, sliced.  The browner ones, the better.
• Roughly 1/2 cup ice
• 6-8 ounces of any type milk, yogurt, Greek yogurt, etc.
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• Optional:  Nutella, chocolate syrup, etc., to taste
• Optional:  small amount of Splenda
• Seven year old not included