Thursday -- Sep 13, 07
Some of us came in yesterday, some are still arriving. But there are so many familiar faces every where you look.
Framingham, Manchester, Sarnia, Tacoma, Seattle, Tualatin Valley, Everett, Colorado Springs, FDNY, and more. So many smiles and lots of hugs after not seeing great friends.
I got in in the afternoon, yesterday from the pacific northwest. It was a nice day, actually a touch to the toasty side. Colorado Springs was just perfect weather.
Day one, was pretty much getting settled in, finding out where everyone was, getting nametags, and checking out the store to see what cool things they'd added to the shelves.
I knew I'd be on for camera duty once the crowd was obvious. So the first pictures are from the Doubletree as we planned dinner at the local Macaroni Grill and the trip to Jack Quinn's.
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Rose Foti, her son Frank, and her band of merry helpers were busy with the first of several days of KP. Even our own Marine, Jonathan Coffey, was drafted for kitchen duty. Meatballs, pasta, and bread everywhere and tasking for each. It looked like controlled chaos, and it smelled like heaven! I tried to stay out of the kitchen, and knew that from just the sheer volumes of what was about to happen, things would get serious back here pretty soon. Good thing Jonathan has Marine training, surely a sweet lil Italian mom would be no challenge for the Marines. hehe
Dinner wasour third expedition to the Macaroni Grill, and to see our favorite waitress, Sarah. Turns out she is from Massachusetts, and this lil spitfire took complete control of that room, handling about 80 hungry mouths. Great job girl, and see ya next year.
During dinner, some of the heroes in the room got "Shirt Faced" for us. Niiiiice! Aaron Setunsky, brought out his pipe and played for us. Toasts were made all around, and our Marine got a standing ovation from the whole room, making him feel very welcome.
Huuuuuuuge portions, great food, and the very best dinner companions made this one for the memory books.
Afterward if was off to Quinn's to see everyone. Soon, the pipes and drums would take over the street, and walking about freely would be a bit of a challenge.
Enjoy the pix ... if yours are in here, it means we're hoping for shirts from you/your department for this year's drive.
More tomorrow!
lj
These are the photos from Doubletree, Macaroni Grill, and Quinn's. There a whole lot more to be edited and posted.
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