Bill and Cathy McArthur Spring/Summer/Fall 2008: 4
Monday, April 14, Bill walked 6 miles on the beach. We went to Katie's evening aerobics class.
Tuesday was a nice day. We walked along the Bay. Bill walked back along the beach. We saw a beautiful sunset accompanied by our first look at a pod of dolphins for the season. At one point, a dolphin breeched and the golden light of the sun reflected off of his skin. We've never seen that before.
Wednesday, we went to Becky's aerobics class. We followed up by some shopping at ACME. After lunch, Bill went to Wildwood Crest to install a software modification for the remnants of the Rio Motel. He got a kick out of working with an old Windows 98 machine. It was warm and calm, so Bill decided to paddle to the Canal. He met and talked with Joe Link on the way back. It figured that Bill and Joe would be the only kayakers out on the Bay on this mid-April afternoon. Cathy went for another aerobics class. Later, we spent some time packing for our trip to Son Bill and Stacey's house north of Atlanta. We had a good pasta meal, accompanied by a beautiful sunset. We viewed the stupidest of the 21 Democratic debates.
Thursday, we arose around 5:00 AM, ate breakfast, and were on the road around 6:00 AM. We headed south via the Delaware Memorial Bridge, I95, and I85. Traffic was moderate and moved fast except for some delays around Baltimore and Washington. We ate lunch in a Subway. The day was sunny and warm, which made for easy driving. We had prepaid for a room in a Quality Inn in Duncan, SC via Expedia. We arrived at the motel at about 6:00 PM. The room was cheap and somewhat shoddy, but clean. We walked across the street for an adequate and inexpensive dinner at an Italian Restaurant. We turned in early.
Friday, we awoke around 6:15 AM. We had a rather meager continental breakfast and got on the road by a bit after 7:00 AM. We arrived at Starbucks in the Mall of Georgia at 9:40 AM. We enjoyed hot beverages and coffee cakes. Later, we went to Dick's to buy some aerobics clothing and then to Barnes and Noble for a couple of books. Bill ordered a copy of "The End of America" to be picked up at the Alpharetta bookstore sometime in the next 3 days. We arrived at Scientific Games, where Stacey and Bill work, about 11:30 AM. Son Bill met us in the lobby and showed us around a bit. Stacey joined us and we went for lunch at an Italian restaurant near their YMCA. After lunch, Stacey and Bill paid the fees for Saturday's party. We went back to Scientific Games. Son Bill had arranged a very interesting tour of the printing facility. Our guide, the production manager, showed us through the busy plant. We split up into 2 cars after work. Bill and Son Bill went to Publix and picked up take-out at Rice Restaurant. After dinner, Sarah decided that we should watch "Peter Pan." Later, the adults watched "There Will be Blood" - still bloody.
Saturday, Bill awoke at 6:15 AM and took a shower. Then, he worked on the computer until almost 8:00 AM when the kids woke up, giving Son Bill and Stacey a break. We ate breakfast and got things together for Sarah's birthday party in the early afternoon. The women and Sarah took off around 10:30 AM to shop at a few places and to arrive at the YMCA early. The men and Billy took off around 12 noon to go to the YMCA. The room was nicely decorated for the party, which started around 1:00 PM downstairs in half of the YMCA gym. There was a huge blowup castle which the kids seemed to like. Sarah and Billy were a bit intimidated by the noise of the fans and the bouncy floor. Two YMCA youth coordinators organized some games for the kids to keep things under control. Then, we all went upstairs to eat pizza, and later, cake. The party was a big success and the mess was left at the YMCA. We returned to Son Bill and Stacey's house for some outside play in the beautiful afternoon. This was parent's night out at the day care center, so we dropped the kids off at 6:00 PM and had a great dinner at Atlantic Seafood. After dinner, we went to Barnes & Noble. Bill bought "The End of America" and Stacey bought a couple of kid books. We headed over to Best Buy, where Bill talked with a Geek Squad member about a memory upgrade for his laptop. When we went back for the kids, the fire alarm was blaring due to some burnt popcorn. A fire engine arrived just after we did. The kids were a little scared, but OK. After a long ride back, we all headed for bed.
Sunday morning, Cathy, Stacey, and Sarah went to church. Bill, Son Bill, and Billy hung out at home and did some guy stuff. We all had left-over pizza for lunch. Later, we all went to the big park in Cumming to kick and throw balls and play in the playground. Bill cooked pasta with onions, raisins, and pine nuts for dinner. Both Son Bill and Stacey were awakened to handle business problems during the night.
Monday, Bill and Cathy drove the kids to daycare, while both Son Bill and Stacey were on conference calls. Bill and Cathy went to Starbucks for a cappuccino for Bill and to read a couple of newspapers. Then, we went to Best Buy in Cumming to get Bill's laptop memory upgraded to 2 gigs of memory. When we got back, Bill found that his laptop performed much, much better. The adults went to lunch at Moe's. Cathy and Bill walked a lap around the neighborhood under clear blue sky and with a temperature of 79 degrees. They both took short naps afterward. Bill and Stacey went to pick-up the kids while Son Bill and Cathy prepared dinner. We had a good burger meal. After dinner, Bill, Cathy, Stacey, and Sarah went over to Mike and Annie's house to visit for a short time.
Tuesday was Sarah's actual birthday. Bill, Cathy, and Son Bill dropped the kids in daycare. Then they went to the fancy farmers market in Alpharetta for swordfish and other dinner items. Later, after they returned home, Stacey joined the adults for a drive to an Indian restaurant for a luncheon buffet. The food was good and very spicy. They went to Northside Mall for a few items and then to Fry's for a few more items. Then, it was time to go to Sarah's classroom for a birthday party. The other kids sang to Sarah and then played with a pinata. We all returned to Son Bill and Stacey's house. Bill and Son Bill worked on a couple of handyman projects. Then Son Bill grilled swordfish while Cathy prepared the rest of the meal. We all sat down to a great birthday meal. Afterward, Sarah opened presents. Still later, we all enjoyed homemade ice cream, thanks to Son Bill.
Wednesday, we packed, ate breakfast, said our goodbyes and left for home at about 7:00 AM. It was a beautiful day and the driving was easy. We stopped at a Ramada Inn in Spotsylvania, VA. We ate dinner at Pancho Villa's Mexican restaurant. The meal was basic and cheap.
Thursday, we left the motel about 7:00 AM and headed north on I95. We stopped for breakfast at a Cracker Barrel about 20 miles up the road. We took our time at breakfast and finally got back on the road at 8:00 AM. The traffic was slow at times, especially around Washington, D.C., but we arrived back in our area in time to go to the Lobster House for a lunch outside on the dock. After we got settled in at home, we went for a walk down the beach to the Canal. Cathy walked back on the road while Bill continued back on the beach. It was beautiful and warm. We viewed "Charlie Wilson's War" during and after dinner. Later, we watched "Lost" before heading to bed. Bill had to fast from midnight on, which was no problem since he was asleep.
Friday, Bill was on a fast until his prostate biopsy. He took care of some computer work. We drove to Somers Point a bit after 10:00 AM. We had to wait for a while before Bill was taken in for his biopsy. He was knocked out as he was in his last two biopsies. It was over and we were back on the road around 1:00 PM. We stopped at Starbucks in Rio Grande for coffee and lunch. Bill spent the rest of the day chilling out on the couch. He watched a few episodes from "The Wire" Season One, lent to us by Son Bill.
Saturday was another day on the couch for Bill. He watched more of Season One of "The Wire" before we had to attend the wedding reception for Lindsay Moeller, daughter of friends. Bill did the best that he could, but had to leave by 7:00 PM. He watched a couple more episodes of "The Wire" before bedtime.
Sunday brought more couch time. Bill finished watching Season One of "The Wire" and started Season Two. We picked up George Pechin, former chef at Peaches, and drove to Karen and Rei's restaurant for a wonderful dinner. We had a great time conversing and eating. We dropped off George in Cape May and were home around 10:00 PM. Bill watched one more episode of "The Wire" before heading to bed.
Bill and Cathy
