Paulie's Wedding: Our 'flight' back home...

When we returned home from Sammy's Uncle Paulie's wedding, a logistical problem caused us to miss our flight. Northwest Airlines put us on another flight (at no cost), but since only so many flights were available from Syracuse, NY to Rochester, MN we opted to just fly into Minneapolis. This way we could get in at a reasonable time and not severely interrupt Sammy's sleep schedule. Paul's nephew Chris offered to drive us from Minneapolis to Rochester...accompanying him was Molly who seems to be a pretty nice person.

Since we had a wait then at the Syracuse Airport for our new flight, we meandered over to a display they have of a Boeing 727. Sammy offered to fly us home...

Suddenly a 727 pulls up with a familiar face at the controls...

Pilot Sammy beckons us into the plane...

Sammy welcomes us aboard...
...and tells us to buckle our seat belts...

Takeoff...

Sammy explains the aerobatics he will commence shortly...

Sammy puts us into a nose dive...

Sammy laughs in the face of danger...

Sammy explains to us...
...that to conserve fuel...
...airlines re-circulate air in the cabin...
...and limit the amout of fresh air they bring in...

Starbucks Sammy slurping...
...an Orange Crème Frappuccino® Light Blended Crème...
...he's so trendy...

Sammy's cousin Chris and Molly pick us up at the MSP Airport...

Huzzah!

Just about every year our friend Johanna goes to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival and we usually accompany her. This year she took a good number of us with her. Paul's sister Diane met us there. It was a day of strange people, large turkey drumsticks, and magic. Usually it is Sammy who charms the women (he must have inherited it from his mother's side), but today it was the other way around...

By the entrance to the festival...

Johanna and her loyal dog Bluto...

Hyue, Michele, Sammy, Shannon, and Linda visit with the live livestock...

Reason #58,375 why we keep telling Sammy to go to college...

Sammy seems puzzled by a presence he senses...

A Wood Nymph appears and offers a magic stone to little Sammy...

Sammy attempts to resist ...
...the nymph persists...

Once she starts playing music...
...Sammy can no longer resist her magic...
...he succumbs to it....
...and starts dancing...

It was wrong then...
...and it is still wrong now...
...animal cruelty--medieval style...

Renaissance shopping...
...Diane, Michele, Jessica, Sammy, Bluto, and Johanna...

Tired by the long day, Sammy is carried by Jessica...
...Is Sammy just tired? Or is he thinking of his wood nymph?

NOTE: Since Sammy's seductress never spoke , we never were able to confirm 100% that she was actually a Wood Nymph. Possibly because she has wings one might conclude she is a fairy...though those tend to be "little people" (think Tinkerbell). In any event, we'll have to keep an eye on Sammy when he goes in the woods.

Paulie's Wedding: Photos immediately afterwards...

Immediately after Sammy's uncle Paulie's wedding, we all went over to a park nearby to take some photos.

Sammy telling Aunt Sharon about dinner at Denny's the night before...
...where he had the New Moons & Stars Chicken Nuggets...

Aunt Sharon with celebrity Sammy...

Uncle Paulie, Mitchel, and a demure Kaitelyn...

The groom (Uncle Paulie) and his men...

The wedding party...

Michele, Katelyn, Sammy, Sharon,
Grandma, Jaime, Stephanie, Mitchell,
Paulie and Seth...

Paulie's Wedding: Visiting Aunt Prudy...

While back east for Sammy's Uncle Paulie's wedding, we dropped in on Paul's Aunt Prudy. It was great to see her (and to inspect the vinyl siding on the garage we installed 14 years ago!). During our pleasant visit, it was tough to tell who was teaching who bad habits!

Michele, Sammy, and Aunt Prudy...

Courtney, Cousin Scott, and Sammy...
...who is teaching who bad habits?

Paulie's Wedding: Dinner at the Grandparents...

No trip back home is complete without an excellent meal prepared by Sammy's Grandpa R ("Pappa"). This trip was no exception. Our last evening in town, Pappa made us a tasty spaghetti dinner.

Sammy enjoying time with Grandma R.

Sammy enjoying a spaghetti dinner...

Pappa's spaghetti...

Great Grandma, Grandma, and Sammy share a secret...

Great Grandma smiles her Mona Lisa smile...
...what is she thinking about?

From left to right...
Aunt Diane, Uncle Andy, Michele, Great Grandma, Pappa, Grandma, & Sammy...

Paulie's Wedding: The Ceremony

This past Saturday was Sammy's Uncle Paulie's wedding. Paulie and Shirley had a wonderful day...a nice temperature, low humidity, and clear sky. The ceremony was nicely done. Unfortunately Sammy was a bit restless, so he and Paul spent part of the ceremony outside...so we didn't take nearly as many photos as we would like to have. Additionally, Paul had problems with the interior shots in a large space with low light (someday he'll have to read his camera's manual!).

Both Paulie and Shirley seem very happy together and we sincerely wish them all the happiness in the world together.

The wedding was at St. Matthews in East Syracuse, NY...

Exterior of St. Matthew's...

The inside of the church...

The altar...

The family...just before the wedding...

Saints are everywhere...

Sammy's cousins Mitchell and Katelynn...
...they did an excellent job...

It really was a beautiful ceremony...

Sammy's Uncle Paulie and Aunt Shirley...
...now husband & wife...

Sammy imagines entering a large seated area...
...while "Hail to the Chief" plays...

YAP (Yet Another Paul)...
...Sammy's Great Uncle Paul...
...and his son, Sammy's cousin George who Sammy enjoyed playing with...

A mystery was solved...
...this man is *not* wearing a toupee!

Paulie's Wedding: Back in Rome, NY

A few years ago Paul's parents sold the house they lived in for almost 40 years and moved out of state. Some fellow bought the house, gutted it, upgraded it, and flipped it. Earlier this year Michele was able to walk through the house, but this was the first time Paul was able to view it in person (from the outside) when we went home for Sammy's Uncle Paulie's wedding. Here are some photos of the front of the house:

New siding, new roof, new windows, new shutters, new front door...

The giant two pin oaks that Paul's father hand planted over 30 years ago...
...Paul remembers when they were just a few inches in diameter...

Uncle Paulie's Wedding: Rehearsal

This past weekend we flew back east for Michele's brother Paulie's wedding (yes, there are alot of people named Paul in our families). We planned on arriving in time for the rehearsal, but upon hearing that Sammy's Great Grandmother was in the hospital (and being released) we rushed to the hospital first. After Great Grandma was released, we headed over to the church for the rehearsal. We didn't take as many photos as we liked, but here they are:

Aunt Diane, Sammy and Michele outside the church...
...everyone put their guest stickers on Sammy...
...as a show of solidarity with his concern for his Great Grandma...

Perhaps the only photograph in existence of the rehearsal...

Sammy's Pappa and Grandma...

How could you not love this man?

American Elm: Part II

Progress is slow on the removal of our neighbor's towering Elm tree. Weeks have passed and only about 1/2 of the tree has been removed. One would wonder why. Perhaps what Paul overheard while they were last working here might explain it:

Mad Lumberjack: "Get out of the way. I already have two workers in neck braces!"

This is from 8/12...

This is the tree. albeit from a different angle...
...on 8/31

Child Labour...

Determined to earn his keep, Sammy has taken to cleaning with our Dyson vacuum cleaner. He likes the vacuum cleaner so much, he often will turn it on and let it run as a sort of "white noise" and walk away. If you turn it off, he will come back and turn it on. Well, it's better than having to listen to pop music.

Sammy the vacuum man...

Sammy was wearing pants when he started...
...proof that the bag-less Dyson vacuums don't lose suction...