PARTY, POKER, POLLEN, POOPED

This past weekend we headed south to Columbia, SC to visit Pat's brother Charles and wife Carol. They graciously offered us a room at their inn where we could stay(thanks so much!) and then head up to Charlotte an hour north so we could attend a gala baby shower for Erin and Steve. It was a two-fer since we also got to see Robin and our special grandchillrens. The Party was very nice - and baby Pittorino got some nice loot. The Poker marathon in Columbia was fun...both couples put $20 in the pot and had lots of laughs and got our $20 back...pretty much a tie! Pat invented a new game called "South Carolina Hold It". If you are a Texas Hold'Em player, here's how it works. Deal 3 cards to each player. Each person plays ONE of those 3 face down. Of the remaining two cards in your hand the lowest one is your wild card. Turn all 4 cards over and these serve as the flop and the turn. Bet. Deal the river. Bet. It was one of our favorites! On the way home we were amazed to see an actual cloud of Pollen floating above Columbia and blowing across the freeways. Pat turned the air control to re-circulate. Gag. Cough. The five hour trip home took its toll on the driver who was suffering badly from whatever is wrong with his shoulder. (Rotator cuff? Tendonitis? Bursistis? MRI tomorrow will hopefully tell the tale). So by the time we pulled in the driveway we were both... Pooped!