Pomp and Circumstance

You would think after all the sleep I got; I would have been up early on Tuesday morning. Nay, nay!

When I finally did get up, I putzed around a bit and then had some more melon for my breakfast. I think that Lu actually got up before me, already had had her breakfast and was having her tea in the living room.

We had to be at the River Crab in St. Clair by 3:00 PM, so I suggested we leave no later than 1:30. Sure, sometimes you can make it in an hour, but with all the road construction, etc., its better to be safe than sorry.

About 10:30 AM, I was starting to feel poorly again. So, apologizing for being such a poor host (and I have been a rather absent host), I went in to take a nap. Lu said she'd wake me up at noon to get ready. Believe it or not, I did fall asleep and did sleep until she woke me up.

We both got ready and hit the road just after 1:30 PM. Traffic wasn't bad and the only real glitch was that the St. Clair exit was closed (under construction). We had to get off at Wadhams Road. Why is that bad? Because, that took us to Yankee and right past our old house. Lu hadn't seen it, so she slowed (well, stopped actually) and I had to look once again at what those yahoos did to my house!

We got to the restaurant about a quarter to three, and both of us brushed off the hostess and headed for the restrooms. I got done first and asked the hostess for the Joe Garcia table. She checked the listings and got quite flustered. She asked how many people were coming. I said I had no idea. So, she went away (probably checking the phone records) and came back, said there would be seven and immediately had a waitress set up the table.

Now, in a crowded restaurant, that would have been a problem. But there were only three or four tables being used and they were all outside on the deck. There is an advantage to eating on a weekday afternoon! About that time, Jeremy and his family showed up, along with Joe's paternal grandmother, Nancy.

Lu came out and we proceeded to the table. After the menus, water, etc. were dispensed, we all got to studying the menu. Now the River Crab was originally one of the many Chuck Muer restaurants (Charley's Crab, etc.) but he's been dead for years. Anyway, they have always specialized in seafood.

Here's how I think it ended up: Jeremy had a cedar plank salmon filet; Riese had a bowl of clam chowder and a chicken plate (something originally fancy, but minus the mushroom and artichokes - so chicken with a sauce, asparagus and mashed potatoes); Jyl had some kind of scallop and mushroom dish that looked great; Nancy had a Caesar salad (that she thought would be a side salad) and fish and chips; Joe had a bacon cheeseburger and fries and Lu had a custom-ordered salad (it may have been what she ordered, but it suffered, presentation-wise).

Me? I wanted to order something great, but knew I'd never be able to eat it all. So, I, too, ordered the clam chowder and just an appetizer: Mussels ala Muer (mussels steamed in white wine, garlic, butter and lemon).

Riese commented that the clam chowder didn't taste as good as mine (it didn't), but my mussels were good. Mussels look like a big plate, but it's mostly shells, not meat. So, I took my time and finished it all!

Nancy and Jyl had the key lime pie for dessert and Riese had a Sander's hot fudge sundae.

Then we headed back to Jeremy's house to visit, have coffee (and tea) and to let Joe get dressed. We left for the ceremony about 6:00 PM.

Now, Joe had to get there early, of course, so we had plenty of time to find some great seats. Jeremy spent some of the time planning out just how he wanted to take the shots of them walking in (getting the zoom and the focus all set, etc.) I watched the band set up and then just people-watched.

Finally, the moment arrived! They were massed outside the auditorium, each holding a flickering electric candle. Jeremy tensed up, the music started, and they turned all the lights off!! It was a dramatic entrance, but not one that inspired a Dad, who wanted a picture of his son walking in.

The ceremony was very nice and, thankfully, very short (I've seen them going on for like two or three hours). They managed to graduate 300 kids in less than an hour. Afterwards, we took some pictures (well, I didn't - I don't have a camera bag and really wasn't up to messing with it, anyway. Jeremy said he's send me some for the Blog when he got the chance) and then we took our leave.

It rained off and on during the ride home, but Lu kept up the pace (naturally). We got back to my place at about 10:15 PM and I went to bed.