Yesterday, while my stepmom collected her brother at the airport and ran some errands, my brother, SIL and I went up to her parents' house (also in San Diego) and collected their two dogs (my brothers & SIL's dogs, that is) and took them for a walk at the beach. Here are just a small handful of photos from that occasion...
And a story, just for fun. This was one of Dad's favourite stories to tell - he'd tell it to anyone who hadn't heard it before, and quite often, to people who had heard it - but that's how family stories work, isn't it...
My dad really liked the restaurant TGI Friday's, and had been going there for years, from the time they first opened, which was a long time ago. There used to be on right near where he and my stepmom lived, and frequently, they used to drop in there after work, until it got to be like their local - like their own private Cheers - the barstaff all knew them (they always sat at the bar) and when they came in the door, their usual drinks would be on the bar before they even got there. One year, Nancy bought my dad a handful of shares in Fridays - it was publicly owned at that point - as a Christmas present - not to make money from, necessarily, just for fun. So my dad walked in, announced they were now shareholders, and of course free drinks ensued. Fridays is pretty good like that for its regulars anyway, I think...
Anyway, it got to be a kind of theme in their marriage that they would "collect" Fridays - if they went away someplace together, they'd always look to see if there was a Fridays. In 1998, they planned a trip to London to visit us, but a month or two before they were scheduled to come, my dad's mother died. While they were up in New Jersey dealing with the funeral and her property, etc, they of course made a trip to a local Fridays. They got to chatting with one of the bartenders, who turned out to be on secondment from the Fridays in Covent Garden (you see where this is going, I bet!) - well, this guy, at the end of the evening, said to them that it was nice having talked to them, and if they were ever in London, stop by the Covent Garden Fridays and he'd buy them a drink. Of course, my dad kept completely mum about their planned trip!
A month or so later, what happens but Karl & Nancy show up in the Covent Garden Fridays & go up to the bar - this bartender was luckily working that day - and say "Here we are - where's our free drink?" They guy of course recognised them and said "Jeez, what some people will do for a free drink!" Anyway, we all went out to Fridays last night for dinner in his memory - it's definitely the place he would have chosen for us to hang out - it's not "their" Friday's, which is in Greenbelt, Maryland, as that's where they were living then, but it's a Fridays- and the loaded potato skins are still the best anywhere.
4 comments:
I don't think I ever heard that story about Karl. It's a good one. I didn't know he and Nancy were Friday fans. Do you realize that I eat lunch with friends at the TGI Fridays in Greenbelt nearly every Friday?
Family stories are the best! I like that one...just the sort of thing that would happen in my family too ;o)
I had not heard that story either, but I love it. My friend Kelly and I used to be regulars at the Greenbelt Fridays, too. Every Friday and most Saturday nights, we'd go see whatever new movie was opening that weekend, then go to Fridays afterwards and close the place down. The bartenders all knew us and we would often drink all night for little to no cost. As time went on, the post-movie drinks got fewer and earlier. Then the drinks went to before the movies. Now, it's been years since I've even set foot in the Greenbelt Fridays. Last time I went, there was still smoking in restaurants. I probably still smoked at that time, too... Getting old sucks.
LOL! That was my Fridays to go to as well!! Greenbelt is a happening place! Sigh...making me miss home now, it will be a long time before I make it back to College Park/Greenbelt again!
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