In Eckleburg's Eyes - 12/29/2008, Part 2

On Sunday, my parents and I spent the day visiting family.

We ate at my aunt JSN’s house. We had another huge crowd as all six of my cousins are home. With HANW’s wonderful in-laws and HLN’s friend Karlie (a Farragut High School freshman and fellow member of the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble) present, we had fourteen people for lunch. Unfortunately, my uncle REN did not get to attend the gathering as he was at work.

You may note that there was no place setting for me in the previous photo. As always, I was relegated to the kid’s table with HLN, Karlie, my aunt JSN, and MLW’s brother David. I thoroughly enjoyed their company. This is a picture of the massive buns my mother bought engulfing the tiny hamburgers we ate. I must note that Karlie did a beautiful job modeling the dish. As always, JSN’s food was great.

Red velvet cake was served for dessert. This particular cake is made by a family friend and has been sold for upwards of $100 at charity auctions. I made an almost sacrilegious comment for my family: I admitted that I don’t love red velvet cake. I do not dislike it either, it is just not my favorite. I am glad I confessed. My cousin HANJ provided me with the last piece of Kahlua cake made by a Hawaiian friend in Abilene. It was awesome.

In family news, on Friday, my cousin HLN completed her college applications online. Her final four choices are Connecticut College (in New London, Connecticut), Fordham University, Goucher College, and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Given her interests, a northern school is a must. Goucher presently is her first choice. Not that she will need help getting in, but I suggested she cite all of her heritage to make her more diverse: a southern Jewish Methodist. I also may write her a letter of recommendation since as a minister I do that these days.

I have also set a goal of assisting HLN in meeting Ringo Starr in 2009. She is as Beatles obsessed as ever and I figure meeting Ringo will be a lot easier than meeting Paul McCartney or the two dead Beatles.

After a fun visit with the Nodells, my parents and I hit the road to Newport to see my paternal grandparents. They caught a stomach virus on December 18th and have confined themselves to their apartment ever since. We believe they picked up the virus while making visits at the hospital. The virus lasted only a few days but it weakened them significantly. They did not attend church earlier in the day. It marked the first time since 1985 that they missed consecutive Sunday services. On that occasion, my grandfather sustained a heart attack!

We talked with them at length. My mother let it slip that my uncle JHV got them a DVD player for Christmas. I perused their living room and was careful to ask where their gift from my uncle was. My mother then added that she heard they received a DVD player. Unfortunately, my uncle has yet to deliver it. We do not think the surprise was totally spoiled as we are fairly certain they do not know what a DVD player is.

In news from Newport, my grandparents’ favorite restaurant Lois’ Country Kitchen (located at 1140 W Highway 25 70, Newport) is closing its doors in 2009. The proprietor and restaurant’s namesake Lois Wilson (LAW) is retiring citing fatigue.