Much has transpired since the last time I posted on the blog.

Sunday March 4th was my dad and grandfather’s birthday (they are 70 and 87 years old). My mother called the house as we were getting ready for church, she called to inform me that my uncle, Walter (Bunny) had pasted away early that morning. Uncle Bunny was married to my dad’s sister and they lived in the New Orleans’ area. Bunny and Betty had been married for fifty years.

I already had to leave for New Orleans that afternoon to attend the Louisiana AFL-CIO annual convention. After Church we came home and I finished packing and headed for Metairie. I checked into the hotel three hours later. I discovered that I had forgotten my dress close that I planned to where for my uncle’s funeral. My hotel was near the Lakeside Mall, so I went there (JC Penneys) and bought a new suit, shirt and tie for the funeral.

With that done, I went to my Aunt Betty’s home in Destrehan. My parents were already there as were my all four of Betty and Bunny’s four sons and their families. I had not seen most of them for many years. I offered my sincere condolences and visited with them for a few hours before I headed back to the hotel.

Mom and dad did not want to impose on Betty or any of my cousins so I invited them to stay with me in Metairie. They accepted the invitation and soon after came to the hotel. The three of us slept in the one king size bed. I slept like a rock.

Our union meeting was just down the road at the Steam Fitters’ union hall. The day was passed listening to state and local politicians giving speeches and union leaders speaking on various topics. By mid-afternoon we were finished for the day and I headed back to Destrehan and my Aunt Betty’s place. I again spent a few hours with family members and returned to my hotel as did my parents.

The next morning, I checked out of the hotel and went to the union meeting. We heard a few more politicians and covered more union business. After lunch I noticed I had a low tire and decided call it a day. I aired up the tire and headed to Destrehan. I did not want a flat tire while in Metairie, so I did not attend the rest of the afternoon meetings.

I again met my parents at Aunt Betty’s house, from there we went to visit Aunt Linda. Linda is something else. She’s 87 and the care taker of her son’s 81 year old mother-in-law. Linda is very much a character, she has a heart of gold, but can says what she thinks and is never concerned about sparing feelings. She also has a vocabulary that would put a sailor to shame, as did her mother (my great grandmother).

We visited with Aunt Linda for a while. She gave us rooms for the night, and then we left to attend the wake for my uncle. The wake was at St. Charles Catholic Church in Destrehan and the deacon who spoke did a wonderful job. He and my dad were old friends and they had worked together a Dupont when we lived in Destrehan.

A saw lots of people that I had not seen in decades and was introduced to kin folk that I had never meet before then. After the wake we went back to Aunt Betty’s for supper, friends and neighbours provided tons of food for the family. After supper mom, dad and me returned to Aunt Linda. We talked some more. He all had a hilarious time and a good long overdue visit.

Next morning we got up, dressed for the funeral and returned to St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Destrehan. The funeral mass was very nice and again the Priest gave a very good homily/eulogy. Aunt Betty, her sons and their families all did ok during the funeral. They are a very close family. It is good that all the boys still live in the area.

When the funeral was concluded, I was in a hurry to get home to Lisa and the kids, so I did not bother to change and drove the three hours home in my suit.


I was only home for a couple of days (Thursday and Friday). Saturday morning I meet several members of our Rescue team at the airport at about 4:30. We were on our way to Philadelphia for our annual 40 hours rescue training. After arriving in Philly we rented a couple of minivans and checked into the Embassy Suites for the week. This was my first time to stay at Embassy Suites. It was nice. We all had our own room with a kitchenette and living room that were separate from the bedroom.

They had a free happy hour every evening, from 5:30 to 7:30 for hotel guests. We took advantage of this benefit, without anyone getting drunk or stupid. There was also a free breakfast that included a short order cook. They made great omelettes. I was surprised that this Northern hotel had grits, and (even more surprising) the grits were good. That was a major surprise, since most restaurant grits that I’ve eaten over the years have had the texture and taste of glue.

Sunday morning five of us worshipped at 10th Presbyterian Church. It was a good service. We were an ecumunically diverse group, one Presbyterian (me), two Baptists and two Roman Catholics. After worship service we headed back to the hotel to meet up with the rest of the crew. Six guys then headed out for Gettysburg. Benny and I decided to stay in and kick around in Philly. We had both been to Gettysburg during last trip to Philly. (To Be Continued…)