Our Good Friend Dave Visits!

This week we were fortunate to have our good friend Dave come visit us from New Jersey. He had some high powered meeting up in the Twin Cities and he swooped down for an evening to visit with us. He got to meet Veto the cat and go on a whirlwind tour of Rochester, MN. After a tasty Mexican dinner at a local restaurant, ice cream from Coldstone Creamery, and some conversation back at our house it was time for him to go. We've known Dave now for over two decades...he has a great sense of humor and we miss living near him.

Dave meets Veto the Cat

No visit to Rochester is complete without seeing the ear of corn water tower (really)....

Taking Sammy for his first walk...

On May 7, 2006 we took Sammy for his first walk outdoors. Our good friends Dave, Jackie, and their son Max had given Sammy a fabulous Peg Perego stroller (yuppers, it's Italian!!). Sammy's cousin Ana kindly agreed to accompany him. So off we went to enjoy spring in our neighborhood.

Dave/Jackie/Max -- thanks so much!!!

Michele making sure Sammy is well tucked in.

Sammy tries to control his hunger with is fingers...

...but that doesn't work so we had to stop to feed him.

Ana was as charming as the spring day.

Two Yankees fans...
... who don't have much to smile about this season...
...yet

We have flowering trees in on our "boulevard."

Tulips...right?

SammyTrip2006: Dave, Jackie, & Max

No trip (least of all our 2006 Spring trip back east) to NJ is would be complete without seeing our good friend Dave and his family.

We've known Dave for almost 20 years now.

Paul's brother David met Dave in college. One of our fondest memories is when we saw the movie "The Gods Must be Crazy" at a cinema. The four of us went and Paul, David, and Dave were literally on the floor laughing so hard their bellies hurt afterwards. The rest of the audience didn't know what to make of it. But that is the kind of off-key humor that the three of them enjoyed...whether it was Monty Python, SCTV, or the Simpsons.

Dave eventually moved from upstate NY to NJ like we did. He married Jackie, a woman with a special touch for felines. They have a wonderful son named Maxwell -- and it was an honor for Michele when they asked her to be his Godmother.

During our visit there, we got to see how much Max has grown up in the last few years. He's exceptionally bright and very personable. He was kind enough to bring out his battery operated Thomas the Train set. Both Paul and Sammy were mesmerized. Max had several sets so the track setup took up a large living room.

Wherever Dave is, so are good eats. The first night we ate food from the Mikado Japanese restaurant. The next night we dined at one of our favorite restaurants, sadly not available in Minnesota, Friendly's. And to top it off, Dave cooked us a giant stack of tasty pancakes for breakfast.

We can't use enough superlatives to describe Dave (which he rightly deserves). He is one of the brightest, funniest, most decent people we have ever known.

Dave, Max, & Jackie.

Michele's Godson, Maxwell.

Dave, Jackie, Max, Michele, Sammy, & Paul

Sir Topham Hatt berates two workers...
...he should remember they are unionized!

Little Sammy was mesmerized by the trains!

The massive stack of tasty pancakes made by Dave.

Our good friend Dave...

...we think he should move closer to us!