17 Miserable Years

Today is our anniversary.  17 miserable years.

Jeanne started the day with a massage at one of the local spas.  My morning was not so glamorous — I was assigned to washing the car and updating the computers.  After our in-town chores, we returned to the coach to spend a quiet afternoon reading and watching TV.

That evening, we went to a local Italian restaurant, Tony C’s.  We expected a quiet, romantic dinner but got something quite different.  On entering, we saw the owner’s wife playing a piano keyboard.  It was a bad omen.  Seated as far from the music as possible, it was still overpowering.  Most of the music was from Broadway plays, but there were a few hymnals randomly thrown in.  You get the idea.  To make matters worse, the group we were seated near was consuming large amounts of beverage alcohol while waiting for friends to show up.  Of course, they were shouting and squealing over the unrelenting music.  This was certainly not the quiet, romantic dinner we had in mind.

Eventually the music stopped (the arthritis must have flared up) and the next table quieted down when the food arrived.  After a while, the owner approached us to ask if there was anything we would like to hear.  We politely said no, but privately thought “The Sounds of Silence” would be best.  In the end, the food was good and about a quarter of the meal was enjoyed in relative calm.  Next time we’ll bring ear plugs.

The remainder of the evening was spent quietly at the coach.  Strange thing about being on the road, after a while you get mentally ready to move on.  We are at that point now and the last few days here are just a waiting game for us.  In the meantime, the weather is nice and we enjoy spending time with Faye and Don.