Yesterday Kim and I accompanied my oldest brother bob and his wife Dorothy to the Minneapolis airport to pick up Fr. John as he was arriving at 5:15PM for his three day visit in Eau Claire. He is to be the keynote speaker for "Senior Day" at the University n tuesday morning.
We stopped in Hudson for supper on the way home at Don Pedro's which to my way of thinking is one of the quality restaurants in the entire area. The fact that the place was packed on a sunday night I think speaks volumes for the food.
Kim had a goat cheese and vegetable pizza, Fr John and I both had jerk chicken which was accompanied with tasty rice and beans and a great salad with crusty bread.
Bob and Dorothy split a dinner of shredded pork.
So today is St Patrick's Day! It brings memories of really great times in New York City! I stumbled upon St Paddy's Day in NY during a visit to my sons one year and from then on I purposely made my annual visit to include the holiday.
One year I had started fairly early with the Guiness at a great Irish pub down town Manhattan and it wasn't long and I was surrounded by 5 Irish lads and one Irish lass who (get this!) had flown in from Dublin because "they don't party hearty enough back home".
I thoroughly enjoyed their hijinks and brogue and was sorry to see them go when they left.
Most of the time, the weather did not cooperate and there was, like the weather here today, a mixture of rain and snow for the biggest parade I have ever witnessed.
Waves upon waves of drum and bagpipe bands -- either firemen or police -- in a never ending stream. My fondest memory is the afternoon that I met my friend Tom Johnson at an Irish pub near his apartment in Chelsea.
While I was sitting at the bar chatting up a retired Irish lieutenant from the NY Police Department and his Italian partner, in walks a squad of snare drummers and bagpipers in full kilt costume and they gave a mini-concert just inside the door.
Gave me goosebumps! Made me want to go to war. Or at least go bomb a Protestant church.
As soon as I finish the blog today, Kim and I will be heading out for a dinner of corned beef and cabbage. I probably should down at least one of the bottles of Harp lager I bought earlier today -- first.
So HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!
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