Gather 'round, it's story time

"Let me tell you a story 'bout a man named Jed, Poor mountaineer barely kept his..."   Oh no sorry, that's not the story.


Here's the story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls..."  Oh darn, that's not the story either.

So here is the long, very detailed, version of what could be a short story, but won't be.

Rick has been wearing his very heavy New England Patriots sweatshirt lately since we've been in areas where it's been below 70 degrees (seems that's when Rick brings out the heavy wear,  but rest assured he is still not wearing socks ~ heck it could be 20 below and he just won't wear them, like when we were in New Hampshire in February 2009 and it's snowing and freezing ~ nope, no socks).  I told you this won't be the short version of the story.

So, wearing Patriots sweatshirts, off we went to Carrabbas (yet another of our favorite restaurants) last week when we were in Colorado Springs.  Rick got up at one point and as he was returning one of the waitstaff (Justin) stopped him and asked him if he was from Boston or something (not sure, cause I wasn't there at that moment, and Rick can't remember the exact conversation).  Rick and Justin continued to converse for a couple minutes and Justin told Rick about a local restaurant that has a Patriots fan club (with 300+ members), where they meet to watch the games etc.

We had originally planned on leaving Colorado Springs last Friday, but when we heard about this group we decided to hang around for a few more days.  It's often an "issue" for us to find places that have the NFL package where we can see the game if we can't get it on our satellite tv ('cause we just can't seem to justify adding the NFL package to our service, to the tune of a few additional hundred dollars a year!)


It's a "standing joke" with Rick and me that more often than not he seems to "find" people along our way who grew up in Weymouth (where he did) ~ Patrick and I love to give him grief about this Weymouth thing.  I just don't get it, Weymouth natives have this sense that there is NO place as wonderful in the world as Weymouth.  Also, when they talk with one another every place they mention is defined by a "square" ~ Jackson Square, Columbian Square or by churches ~ St. Albert's, Immaculate Conception, Sacred Heart or St. whomever.  Naturally when we were leaving the coach to go to meet up with the fan club Rick said, "I bet I'll run into someone from Weymouth".  Well heck, we were at a game in St. Augustine, FL and he runs into someone he went to school with, so it makes "sense" that he'd make that statement.


We get to the restaurant and Justin is arriving just as we are so he points the way for us and we get into the room the fan club has every Sunday.  As soon as we get in there he spots the "president" of said club and introduces us.  The official members (as opposed to us visitors) have name badges that list their hometown, as well as their name.  Well guess what?  Yup, Anne is from Weymouth!  Seriously, I can't make this stuff up you know!  So of course they go through the street lists, the squares and the parishes not to mention do you know this person and that person!!!  I left Rick in his Weymouth world and went off to buy raffle tickets for a game shirt (unbeknownst to me, the drawing isn't for weeks so I ended up giving the tickets to Justin - sure hope he wins that shirt).


Game starts, we make very small talk with the people right behind us .... game continues ~ oh my word what a great game.  Have a few cocktails, a pizza and himself has a few beers..... yadda yadda yadda.


Eventually we start chatting with the people in front of us - the usual "where are you from" etc. and we tell them briefly our story and they tell us theirs.  They tell us they are from Greenfield, MA.  I tell them parents lived in Greenfield and Leyden (a teeny town about 10 miles north or Greenfield and that my Dad grew up in Shelburne - about eight miles from Greenfield.  Come to find out they are really from Shelburne but no one knows Shelburne so it's simpler to just claim Greenfield (as we claim Boston initially in a conversation). We continue talking and I mention that I was just back there as my aunt had just passed away and they mention they'd just returned from the area as well as the gentleman's mother had passed away.  Continue the conversation - they wonder where my aunt had lived ~ come to find out they are very familiar with the house as her (Erika) parents live on the same road and his (Denny) family owns apple orchards further down on the road.  I proceed to tell them that my Grandfather owned apple orchards on the same road as well as orchards in Leyden.


Okay, so now it's my turn and this is a better story than any Weymouth story.  Come to find out Denny and I are related (by marriage).  His Grandmother was the sister of my Grandmother.  He was referring to my Grandfather as "Uncle Roger" (which sounded so so strange to me, and to my Grandmother as Aunt Rose (another weird ism).  


So it's like this ~ my Dad's mom passed away when she was 40 (ish) and my Grandfather remarried Rose.  Gramma Rose was the only paternal grandmother I ever knew hence she was always referred to as our Grandmother.  Too weird this whole things was - I still can't believe it.


Below is a picture Erika took of Denny and Rick and me!  Erika is a professional photographer and with that and the excitement of the day I posed - something I rarely do these days since I've put on all this weight, photo shoots are not enjoyable to say the least!

Rick took the photo below of Erika, Denny, me and Anne (fan club president).

Seriously, top this with a Weymouth story!  Oops, it's gonna happen, I just know he will!