Thursday, August 5, 2010

Happy 24th Anniversary

It's amazing how time flies by so quickly. It seemed as if it were only yesterday that Lenny and I pledged our love to each other, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. This anniversary will go down in history as one of the "poorer" ones. Me being on temporary disability for the past six weeks and our hot water tank giving up the ghost, not to mention the dinner we went to that night, but I'll explain that later. So here we are 24 years later sitting at the campground waiting for the repair man. Luke is a very knowledgeable RV Tech who thought he would be in and out quickly, replacing our hot water tank. NOPE! Oh replacing the water tank was no problem, it was the plastic connections which after 15 years had cracked. He graciously and patiently rebuilt that whole thing-a-majig. I was very impressed with his knowledge and patience. Patience is a virtue not seen very much anymore. He arrived later in the morning and got right to work. He brought his dad along for the trip (he was coming from about an hour away) and it was wonderful chatting with him about his RV trips. If you are ever in the eastern part of PA and need someone to fix your camper, give him a call. His rates are reasonable and he comes to you. I would highly recommend Luke to anyone. RV parts are very expensive. A little six gallon water tank costs almost $550 and that's without tax and labor! When he took it out, it looked like a beer keg. When that project was complete and our coach put back together it was off to the pool for a few relaxing hours before we would meet some friends for dinner. Now that's a whole other story.

We have been friends with Dave and Crystal for over 15 years and their anniversary is two days before ours. That Monday we asked if they would like to join us for an anniversary dinner at "The Big A". We were given a coupon for $50 but you had to spend $100 and we never spend that much for just the two of us. We met around 6 that night and did something we normally don't do. We ordered more than normal. Oh, the appetizers looked so good. Lenny had the Baked Crab and Spinach Au Gratin, I had the Tuscan Steak Crostini, our friends ordered the Bruschetta and salad. The appetizers alone could have been a meal, but we had to spend $100 so on to the main course. Our friends both ordered the Sauerbratan, which they said was almost as good as homemade. Lenny ordered the Chicken Atlantis which was mouth watering. I enjoyed the Cold Water Salmon Filet in a garlic teriyaki glaze. Oh the food, so delicious, delectable, so much. But hey, we were celebrating. Dave and Crystal were married 29 years and we were celebrating 24 years and did I mention we had to spend $100? So, on to dessert. After all, what's a party without cake? We laughed that night  until our bellies ached. So much fun was being had by all. Then it hit like a left hook out of nowhere. She approached the table smiling and handed Lenny "THE BILL".  I have never seen Lenny's mouth drop open like that. Now mind you, I don't mind paying for good food, especially when you get so much. The issue was we were planning on spending around $50 per couple. He commented that maybe with my heart condition he should not have shown me "THE BILL". Too late for that. I passed it on to Crystal and Dave who said good thing we have plastic. All in all, the consensus is we would definitely go back. If only for a special occasion. The final cost you ask, was only $250 before the coupon, but the food is definitely worth it.

When all was said and done we had spent almost $1,000 that day so yes, for richer or poorer it was still a Happy Anniversary.