100 Year Mark Made by Jay M. Shaff, Sr.!

Let me start off by saying:  it's not been a terribly fun summer - at least July and the first week of August.  June was terrific, in that I joined most of the family for nephew Chris's glorious wedding to the Beautiful Sydney [see previous posts].  However, I brought back a nasty cold from NJ which I generously shared with Jay.  He, of course, converted it into an upper respiratory infection which put his sodium levels in distress and he ended up in the hospital for two and a half days.  Dare I say, he's not a patient patient!  And add to that his confusion due to the low sodium levels which caused much confusion!  Whew!

When he got home from the hospital, we had to wait a week to see his doctor, but when we did, the good doctor did not clear him to drive for at least two weeks.  Bummer!!  The Carmel trip was canceled for this year, but since Jay's father was turning 100 on August 4, there was no way we could miss that celebration, so Nurse Sharon became Driver/Nurse Sharon.

Since Gretchen joined the family at the end of May, I was happy to drive her. ;0)  She sure is purty, isn't she?

We left for Davenport, Iowa on Thursday, August 1.  I'd wanted to get an early start but due to Jay's distressed situation, we didn't leave until 8:00 a.m.  The first leg of the trip, which was to Liberty, Missouri, was uneventful except for a near death experience with a semi!  As I was passing him, he decided to move into my lane in order to allow another semi onto the highway.  Not a fun experience, driving on the grassy median but thank God, I was able to regain control quickly.

On Friday morning, August 2, we left Liberty in a huge rain storm which I had to drive through for about two hours.  Lemonade: dead bug bodies got washed off Gretchen.

We arrived in Davenport late in the afternoon.  Never let it be said Jay doesn't take me to interesting places.  Just before Davenport on Route 80 is The Biggest Truck Stop in the World!!!  Yes, we stopped.  And yes, it sure was the biggest truck stop I've ever seen!  Sorry - no photo - as it was potty break and Dairy Queen break.

After a quick dinner [and an adult beverage for me] at Miss Mamie's, we hit the sack early as I was a tad tired.  Word to the wise:  if you hit the sack early, you're going to wake up early - well, at least ONE of us will, and HE will see to it that SHE is awake as well - at 3:00 a.m.

After a "complimentary" breakfast [which I cannot compliment], we headed to Jay's dad's house.  Diane had gotten there on August 1 for her visit so we chatted and looked at photo albums and enjoyed each other's company.  Oh and by the way, the temperatures didn't get much into the 80s while we were there.

We didn't want to tire out Jay, Sr., so we left in the late afternoon and had dinner at Bass Street Steak House on the Illinois side of the Mississippi.  YUM!!  I had a filet seared in duck fat with a Diane sauce. Oh, and a delicious and generous adult beverage.

Again, bedtime was early as we were both pretty whipped.  At this point I didn't know the meaning of "whipped" but I digress.

I have a cousin, Stephen Gallo, who is a pastor at a church in Rock Island, Illinois and we'd spent time looking for him but my voice mail messages were not and still have not been answered.  But on our outings looking for him, I got to see a little bit of the Mississippi.

It's not nearly as muddy up here as it is in Louisiana!

So now it's Sunday and we're off to Jay's Aunt Lissi's who is hosting the celebration.  Here are a few photos from the party.  I put off completing this post as I'd been told I'd receive photos that the other relatives took, so if I do receive them, I'll add them later on.

The party was kept relatively small, and I'm so sorry I didn't get more photos of the festivities, but it was truly a photographic phrenzy as not too many folks have reached the ripe old age of 100!!!

Cousin Tom Shaff and Jay

After the party, we went back to Jay, Sr.'s home to visit with him and Diane.  He was pretty tired so we didn't stay long.

Diane and Jay

We grabbed a quick bit at Biaggi, a little Italian restaurant across the street from our hotel. I had scallops on risotto and while it was highly recommended by Jay's cousin, J.O., it didn't come anywhere near what Ocean Prime in Dallas offers. Since this area is the place of Jay's youth, we stopped at his FAVORITE ice cream place - Whitey's.

Eat your heart out - I've got a strawberry malt!

We went to bed early as I wanted to get an early start.  Well, our original plan was to drive home a different way - down through St. Louis and on to Memphis for the night on Monday, and then home on Tuesday.  Well, I awoke around 2:30 a.m. and grabbed my iPad to look for another, faster way home.  And so, after a quick bite, we drove out of the parking lot at 7:05 a.m. and into our garage at 9:10 p.m, stopping along the way only for gasoline and potty breaks.  The drive was only partially different.  We drove the same way back to the Kansas City area, but then instead of taking 35, we took another, more scenic route.  I've never been happier to see the Red River than I was that evening and much as I don't like driving on 75, it was a great joy!  Now, I know what truly "whipped" is!

It's a week later and we're rested up.  Jay saw his doctor again yesterday and while we don't have the results of the tests, Dr. Pearlman feels confident that his sodium levels are back up, thankfully!

So, I'll close for now but IF and/or WHEN I get photos from other relatives, I will add them.

Ciao for now, but stay tuned as I think I might report on Savour Kitchen, where Sandra and I are having lunch today.