Earth Science & Living Large

  or,
What weighs 6 lbs and hangs at Home Depot?

Man, this is good stuff.

I dropped my dad off at the airport last week, which is to say that I hand walked him to the gate and watched him step gingerly down the ramp until he disappeared into the belly of the fuselage. 10 weeks in Naples, 4 visits to the dermatologist, (eczema, not scabies as first moronically diagnosed by Doogie Howser), and every other day brunch at Metro Diner, and his snowbird status was revoked; not by the White House - because that is coming, but by yours truly. It's hard watching your parents go from old but upright to ancient and teetering ... and his second day in town was highlighted by his cartwheel down three misplaced steps in a restaurant where a luncheon was being held by the Red Hats. Have you seen them? Usually they travel in packs of ten or more, all donning red hats of varying fashion or fashion not. I don't know why they remind me of a gaggle of geese because I've never seen a goose in a red hat, but if a goose could wear a red hat, and convince another dozen or so to do the same, I mean -  there you have it. A luncheon of the Ladies of the Red Hats.