Saturday, November 04, 2017

And I Am Back!

Actually, I was back Thursday night, but I've been busy catching up on things since then. That's the problem with vacations. Your whole life seems to pile up while you're gone, and everything wants your attention when you get home. Especially the cat.

Anyway. The surprise party for my grandmother went really well. My aunt put out a heck of a spread, a truly impressive number of people showed up, and Grandmom was genuinely surprised and apparently quite moved. And, no, she did not keel over from a heart attack at the surprise, the way everybody I told that we were having a surprise party for a 90-year-old woman worried she might.

As well as catching up with family, we went some interesting places while I was there, including the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, where my scientific curiosity fought a pitched battle with my natural squeamishness, with variable results. I do recommend it, though, for those whose squeamishness doesn't always win out.

We also took a tour of the Herr's potato chip factory, which was oddly delightful. Man, I miss Herr's chips. At least I got to have some of those on this trip, as well as other Delaware Valley delicacies, including Tastykakes, soft pretzels, a Philly cheesesteak (emphatically not to be confused with anything you might have seen labeled as a "Philly beef sandwich" or some other ridiculous, inaccurate thing), and a Wawa hoagie. Mmm-mmm.

And because this blog never really does have enough pictures for modern sensibilities, some photos of me:

Here's an embarrassing one of me trying on my aunt's Halloween costume.



And here I am having a staring contest with a monitor lizard at the Delaware Natural History Museum. Which was tiny, but pleasant, and looked like a great place to bring kids. The museum, that is, not the lizard. The lizard looked like it might want to eat your kids.




(Hopefully people can see these pictures. I still haven't quite figured out how Google Photos handles permissions.)

6 comments:

  1. I for one can see the pictures. I have to say that that first one is not a good look. :)

    I'm glad that the party went well. I think if somebody makes it to ninety without having had a heart attack then it's reasonable to consider them as being at low risk.

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    1. Yes, it's a good thing I was not born a giraffe. :)

      My grandmother does have some heart problems, but not the heart attack-inducing kind, so I was pretty sure she'd withstand the shock.

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  2. Which type of Philly Cheese-steak was it.. I remember the fights in my family about what type of Cheeze Whiz was used said what part of the area you were from.

    My family was a Charles Chips versus Herr's chips. I remember every thursday a truck would drive by and we would get 2 new cans of chips (BBQ and regular or sometimes vinegar).

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    1. The use of Cheez Whiz seems to have become much more widespread since I left the area two or three decades ago, and I strongly lament this trend, because Cheez Whiz is an abomination in my sight, and as far as I'm concerned doesn't belong in the same room as a proper cheesesteak. Personally, I prefer provolone cheese, but American will do fine.

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    2. I will go for a cheddar sauce over Cheeze Whiz any day... which makes me even less likely to be invited to the family events.

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    3. Clearly you are too good for them. :)

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