Should old acquaintances NOT be forgotten...

I have a confession. When I was little girl, our parents took us to a hotel for an overnight stay. My brother, a year younger, and I raced up the grand staircase to the second floor and peered down at our parents. We also spied a bald man walking by and OMG, yes, we did... Ptooie! Did it land on his head? We were so scared, we couldn't look. Our emotions and actions that night ranged between excited conspiratorial giggling and wide-eyed wondering and shoulder shrugging...would we be discovered?! We weren't.

This weekend we attended a holiday party open house, 1-7 p.m. Drop in, stay an hour, and leave. Twelve couples socialized, ate, laughed and had a good time. By 4:00 p.m. half of the couples had left and the other half had moved to the lower level, where the focal point was the beautiful Christmas tree with so many colorful lights it illuminated the room. We six couples were not related, but we have history in common. We attended high school together, class of 1967.

We women have grown up. Our guys have grown too...older and balder. Bald seemed to be a theme. Bob talked about the time one of our male teachers, who obviously wore a toupee, was trotting down the stairs during class change. Bob had unwound a wire hanger in preparation for his antic. From the half-landing above, he reached out with that hanger and snatched Mr. Nurenburger's toupee off his head and flipped it up a flight. Then he ran like the wind.

Chuck who bucked high school authority with his long hair, and took suspension over a haircut, now covers his pate (not with fake hair) as a few of the others do.

You'd think being in our sixth decade, we'd be less inclined to laugh at things we'd have punished our kids for, but we howled at the memories. We sipped adult beverages, nibbled delicious goodies all night and listened to one of our musician buddies strum his guitar and serenade us. By 8:30 our hostess harmonized on holiday songs and we all hammered out some of the words to the songs of our day. Mellow, we gazed around at couples snuggled in. Bill and I were wedged into an oversized chair
and I feared being stuck forever.

Back in the 60s, times were changing. We are all so grateful to have found one another again. Our gracious hosts toasted to old times, good friends, our future. Miss Bunny B. said, as she raised her glass and looked around at all of us, "I KNEW which of you would stay, and who would leave. I just knew."

 

We survived...we thrived!

 

WE SOLD OUT!

Typically at a single title book signing, authors and book store managers expect sales to be between 7-10. We sold 25 hard back copies within an hour, and then the authors went into their private stashes to sell seven more paper back copies.  You can still order a copy on line or at your local bookstore. http://www.amazon.com/We-Will-Survive-Encouragement-Inspiration/dp/1477848037

We overheard the staff talking, "They sold out!"

With a fun bunch of women who aren't afraid to laugh out loud, what do you expect? 

 Cathi LaMarche, Linda O'Connell, Lynn Obermoeller, Alice Muschany signing Gloria Gaynor's book, We Will Survive. Our stories were included in the 40 chosen for this anthology collection.

Lynn's entire family came out to support her. They were a fun, rowdy bunch of cousins and aunts. We thank them for their purchases and their support. I gifted each of my angel friends with an ornament like the one below. I am so pleased to be in the company of women who endured more than I did.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support us.

The end to a wonderful trip

This is a view approaching the Memphis, Tennessee riverfront, pedestrian bridge overhead.

The mighty Mississippi River ~ five hours north to St. Louis, MO. Five hours south to the Gulf of Mexico. I tell you, I wanted to keep driving south and sink my toes in the sand, but my 6'1" voice of reality whispered in my ear, "Honey, it's winter in the Panhandle, too."

The great American Pyramid built as a concert venue in 1991 now being converted to Bass Pro
Shop,  a hunter/fisherman's/sports enthusiasts paradise.

This is a view in passing of St. Jude's hospital. To the right is the research wing. My heart aches
at the thought of children suffering, but I am thrilled that Danny Thomas founded this haven, and
I am grateful for those who donate to the worthy research cause.

Along the highway travelling home there was evidence everywhere of the earth going into resting mode. Every now and then we spied a bush/tree with the reddest berries I have ever seen. It was not a holly bush, and several of them were tree-top high. Reminded me of the earth sprouting one last strong opinion, before a long winter's nap. Does anyone know what these are?

The sunset was spectacular. Elongated shadows draped hillsides like a shawl lazily cast upon cattle as they grazed in fields at dusk. I said a prayer of thanks for my eyes and the beauty of our trip, our lives, our families our health and our friends. That concluded our Thanksgiving trip, different from any other, a first for us.
 

Holiday decorations

 

This massive, beautifully decorated pine tree was breathtaking.

 

 The gas lights draped with holiday swags were gorgeous, and spoke to me of days long gone.

 

 

The life sized dioramas took me back to the days when my children were young. It was a family tradition to load up the kids and their grandma, and go downtown on Thanksgiving night to view the Famous and Barr (Macy's) animated window displays and Lionel train scenes. F and B took up an entire square block area, and the kids were so excited running from one window display to the next.

Every time I passed by the kid flat on his back I had to stifle a happy little laugh-chirp.

 

 The animated characters were not at the Peabody Hotel, but in a neighboring town.

This stack of giant ornaments also made me giggle. I asked someone to take our photo in front of them. It truly is the little things in life that make me happy. Yes, we ate a bit too much, but we also enjoyed a new experience, sang along with Fats Domino to old blues songs as we drove for four hours. We enjoyed the scenery, and I have a few more great pictures to share with you. Come back.

WHICH is your favorite diorama photo?

Check it out!

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/books-and-literature/book-blog/four-local-women-include-stories-in-gloria-gaynor-s-we/article_b15bcb58-e3ad-5e41-9ec6-9883eb9a8d11.html

I promise I have two more sets of photos from our Memphis trip, but first I have to do some social promoting. Thank you for checking this out! Thank you so much!

The ducks go marching one by one

 

 
The historian told the crowd gathered at The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN the backstory about the ducks. Frank Schutt, general manager 1925-1956 was on a duck hunting trip with his buddy.  They got to sipping Jack Daniels and before they knew it, they hadn't any ducks other than the live decoys. They put them in the hotel fountain. In the morning, realizing what they had done, and expecting a big mess in the lobby, they hurried in to see...the ducks still paddling in the fountain.

A guest staying at the hotel was an animal trainer for Barnum& Bailey Circus. He told Schutt that he could train the ducks to walk off the elevator and down a red carpet and into the fountain everyday at a specified time. Schutt agreed this would be a wonderful attraction. To this day, the "duck walk" draws crowds at 11:00 and 5:00 each day.

The fountain was carved out of a solid piece of Italian marble.

Children are allowed to sit on either side of the red carpet and watch the ducks march. That light in the background is at the elevator area. the ducks live in the penthouse and each day the handler goes to the roof and brings them down for their swim. If you click directly on the photo and look closely you can see the man in a red jacket with the ducks waddling behind. It was difficult to take pictures from our vantage point.

Hubby was less than enthusiastic when only four ducks exited the elevator in single file. he expected a dozen. But, it was a sight to behold, something we can say we have seen.

These photos were taken in the earlier days when Buddy Moreno performed.

Come back tomorrow to view holiday displays, and a two story Christmas tree in the lobby.

Peabody Hotel Memorabilia

We toured the small Peabody Hotel Museum and enjoyed viewing the historic memorabilia.

 

 The skeleton key locked and unlocked the Honeymoon Suite. Prominent people honeymooned here.

 This was a grand means of communication in its day. Now everyone has a cell phone.

 Dinnerware used during the many banquets, receptions and events. Peabody still very popular venue.

 Creamer and sugar bowl and gravy boat. I could have lingered here.

 These bronze hounds look like they are giving me the evil eye. The owner was a duck hunter.

Can you imagine the movers/shakers and merry makers who partied at the Peabody Hotel?

Come back tomorrow and I'll post pictures of the grand foyer decorated for the holiday. I'll tell you about the fountain, and show you the famous duck walk and tell you how it came to be.