Mom and Dad suffered a burst radiator hose on the way down, just east of Lucedale, Mississippi. Some very nice folks helped them out and the fellow who replaced their hose (bypassing the heater core, which seems to be the real problem) only charged Dad $1.00. They arrived here at 7:30 or so, and Paul & Emily warmed up some turkey, spinach and purple hull peas for them. We watched a bit of the Olympics and turned in.
After a solid night's sleep, we had orange danish, bacon, scrambled eggs and canteloupe for breakfast Sunday morning. A leisurely morning was then spent reading the paper and talking.
We all took a pleasant walk with the dogs in a wooded park off of 12th Street adjacent to Bayou Texar. We thought we'd lost Boo-Boo (Schatza) for a while there, but she had circled back and finally showed her happy face after we'd called her name for five minutes.
Around noon, we drove down to Seville Square in the heart of historic Pensacola to browse the booths and have lunch at the 23rd annual Pensacola Seafood Festival. Mom and Emily ate Grits-a-Ya-Ya, a combination of grits, gouda cheese, spinach, shrimp, mussels and scallops. Dad and Paul, suspecting that more seafood lay in their future, had chicken gyros.
Sure enough, after eating and listening to some music, we drove down to Joe Patti's, a fabulous dockside fish market, where Emily picked out some sizeable shrimp for dinner. Then back home for more Olympics and relaxation.
Emily prepared the shrimp in an alfredo sauce over noodles and charmed Mom into preparing some Waldorf salad. Paul made the salad and Dad played "Red River Valley" on the piano.
After dinner, of course, came bridge which we playing while keeping our eyes on the Olympics. Mom and Dad won the first game, Paul and Emily won the second. Paul and Emily had a 90 leg in the third game when Dad bid and made a daring three no-trump. Rubber to the elder Willifords!
Monday morning. Paul turns 40. Emily lets the old fellow sleep in while she makes some nice birthday signs that have no trace of taunting in them.
And the paper brings a nice surprise: a picture of Paul and Mom (and a very small part of Baw-Paw) at the Seafood Festival (in the photo shown above). To the left is a blow-up of part of that picture. Paul is in the red T-shirt at the upper right and Mom is in the pink shirt beside him. The bit of white under Mom's chin is Dad's shirt.
According to Emily tradition, one birthday present is opened in the morning. Paul opened one from Betsy which had a coffee mug and six Bigma-style juice glasses (with red cherries on them). Very fun!
Then we went off to breakfast at Napoleon Bakery downtown, which has marvelous French pastries and breads. Paul and Dad, watching their diets, had bran muffins and cranberry scones. Mom and Emily, abandoning theirs, had Cocque-Madames (a poached egg and ham on a French bun covered with bechamel sauce). Emily really buried all sense of propriety by going back for a pain au chocolat. She also picked up Paul's birthday cake (chocolate truffle cake) to be eaten later.
Back home for a potty and toothbrush break (not together and not necessarily in that order) and to put the cake in the fridge. While Dad did a thorough job on his pearly whites, Paul played a little bit on the piano and Mom read her book.
Then we hopped in the car and drove down to the National Museum of Naval Aviation. We arrived just as the guided tour was starting and spent the next hour and a half looking at airplanes and learning about their evolution, led by a former navy flier named Roger Boh who was both entertaining and informative. Dad surprised all of us by not asking a single question.
Not far away is the Pensacola lighthouse, constructed in 1859. We walked around it and its grounds.
Then home for a lunch of turkey sandwiches and Waldorf salad. Emily napped, Mom read and spoke with Hope Byers on the phone, and Dad did a thorough job on his pearly whites while Paul started composing this log.
A little later, we drove down to Boy on a Dolphin, a sound-side restaurant with a Mediterranean sensibility, for dinner. Mom and Dad had grilled talapia, Paul had grilled mahi mahi, and Emily had a steak with crabmeat (and other interesting things) on top of it.
Then home to open the remaining presents and eat chocolate truffle cake, which was very rich. Among the remaining presents were: A nice backpack from the girl dogs. A baseball on a rope (more on that later), a six-pack of Heineken and three stuffed animals (for Price to play with) from the boy dogs. An big comforable office chair from Emily. A very nice hardcover edition of The Bridge of San Luis Rey from Mom and Dad -- beautiful illustrations!
We were all too exhausted to play bridge so we climbed into bed.
Emily went in to work on Tuesday morning. Mom and Dad had "Staley blend" cereal for breakfast. After Mom and Dad helped Paul put his new office chair together, Paul played the piano a little while Mom read her book.
Then the three of us got in the car to drive to Mobile for a visit with Anne Hunt. Along the way, we stopped at 201 Roper Street to see Mumsie's old house. It was a brisk day, but we enjoyed walking around the house which is now painted a cream color. Paul was sorry he forgot the camera to take Mom's picture in front of that house.
We were also disappointed to find that Anne was not at home, or not feeling well enough to answer the door. We tried calling from a pay phone but got no answer, and Mom left her a note and plans to call to see how she's feeling.
On the drive back, we stopped at the Florida Welcome Center for free orange juice and to pick up some brochures. Then home for tuna sandwiches and a little relaxation. Emily came home around 2:00. Then Dad sang while Paul played "Mean to Me," "Yes Sir, That's My Baby," "If You Knew Susie," "I'll Be Seeing You," "I Can't Get Started," and "These Foolish Things."
Emily suggested a croquet game which was applauded by everyone, so we drove up to a nearby soccer field. Paul hammered in the posts and paced off to place the center wicket. Emily placed the 1, 2, 6 and 7 wickets. And Dad paced, marked and placed the four side wickets. Paul played blue, Emily played red, Mom was yellow and Dad was green. Mom showed excellent form and advanced to an early lead, being the first to the far post. Dad was not far behind her and lined up to zip through 6 and 7 and hit the post. It looked like another victory in the making for the elder Willifords when Paul came through the 5 wicket and his bonus shot clipped the top of Dad's ball. You know the routine: Paul lay his ball next to Dad's, placed his foot on top of it, and clouted Dad's ball only about ten feet to the east (the grass was a little tall and thick). Then through the wickets to the post and back and Paul is chasing Mom to the next corner wicket. But she's through first and back through the middle wicket and Paul doesn't catch her until the last corner wicket. Emily, poor soul, has had a little trouble, but is making gradual progress and Dad has regained ground and is chasing Mom and Paul. Paul makes the final post first, then Dad passes Mom (still stuck on that wicket!) and posts in. The final verdict: the boys beat the girls.
While we're at the park, we try out one of Paul's birthday presents. Emily gave him a baseball on a twenty-foot rope for batting practice. One person swings the ball around in a circle (at about waist-level) and the batter stands near its path and tries to hit it. It's not as easy as it sounds, but we all got hits. Grandad, the old Auburn ballplayer, would have been proud of the way Mom held the bat! Emily, who played softball for Immaculate Conception High School ("Go Virgins!"), made the most solid hit, right in the sweet spot!
Then home to feed the dogs and fix dinner. Emily made a honey dijon chicken dish with pecans served over rice. Very good!
Then bridge. Paul and Emily won the first game with the first hand: a three no-trump bid and made (with two overtricks). Then Paul & Emily got a 90 leg on the second game when Emily made three spades. Their leg was "cut off" by Mom and Dad who came back by making one spade, setting Paul & Emily at three clubs, and winning two no-trumps. Tied one game apiece. We broke for birthday cake. Then Paul and Emily won two successive four club contracts. Rubber to the younger Willifords!
While Dad played solitaire, Mom called Hope Byers, who invited the four of us to dinner Thursday night.
And so to bed.
Friday, September 29
Saturday, September 30
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