I want a new truck

Back in 1984, I was driving MA to work every day in Atlanta (in our Renault Alliance, which is a different story). We would listen to Gary McKee on 94Q, and Huey Lewis and the News had a song out I want a new drug. Gary loved to do parody songs in the morning, so when we weren´t singing the Boss´newest wo, wo, wo, my wife´s on fire, we enjoyed the lyric:

I want a new truck

I want a truck that´s blue

Fast foward several decades, and I spotted a beauty in brother-in-law Tom´s front yard

Tom goes through cars much more quickly that we do. We just sold the 2002 Lexus RX 300, but are still driving the 2010 Lexus RX 350 (affectionately called ¨the new hotness¨from the Men in Black). Well, Tom had 7 cars for two drivers, and we had one car for 2 drivers. And MA won´t let me call the Lexus a truck. So the blue truck has moved to the bluegrass

The commonwealth has agreed to send me a license plate EBEN; it just takes a while to get that and I wanted to share now.

This 1982 Jeep J10 was restored by a doctor in upstate SC. It´s a real beauty now.

Come on by and I´ll give you a ride

MS Walk 2017

Quoting my buddy Chuck, "Not too sure how long it has been since I actually sat down and put fingers to keys and felt as if I had something to add to the global blogosphere; but I decided it was time." 

Besides, it's my annual plea for funding for the MS Walk. If you care about nothing else, and just want to give money, click here.

We've been doing the walk for a long time.  You can read about Mary Anne's progress, and why the advances that this walk funds are important to us in these earlier posts:

MS Walk 2009

MS Walk 2010

MS Walk 2013
MS Walk 2014
MS Walk 2015

MS Walk 2016

There were many more walks than that, but I didn't start writing until fall of 2008.

I have been active on the MS board this year. We are beginning a five year 1 Billion dollar campaign. The goal is to eradicate MS and restore lost function. A big dream, but one we strongly share.

I have a team, but need some teammates. If you are in LEX on Satuready 4/1, please plan to walk with me. Let me know and I'll share details

Mary Anne has been doing very well. She came out with me to Pasadena, CA (where my current client is, so where I spend most of the week every other week). She walked around like a trooper. Pictures below.

Huntington Garden

Getty

Herself is doing so well that she is headed to England this spring without me. Thanks to friend Pam, they are headed to Whitby, where they will enjoy a seminar with Martha Lunt.

It's been another great year living out on the creek. We have hosted countless parties, and loved all the time with family and friends. Pictures below are from one of the highlights, Aunt Leslie's 90th birthday party.

Blog posts have been sparce - it's a busy life with all the travel. We are well. Please come see us. We thank you so much for your support.

Gruner has left us too soon

Thomas (Tom) Alexander Grunwald  1942 - 2017
Gone too soon

This blog has way too many funeral notices. Need more weddings and babies, although that is partly my fault, as the next generation is doing its part, but my compulsion to write has been driven by those we miss.

Gruner was so much a part of the family that he is in the post that is the introduction to TGP in this blog. He was a regular at our whole family July 4th gatherings.

Tommy July 4th 2006

While I clearly remember the amazing way he gave us geography lessons in 7th and 9th grade (quick, what countries are N,S,E,W of Sudan?) and the not so politically correct way he taught us about where the road to hell was really paved, what I appreciated most about Tommy was the way he continued to contribute, no matter what his position.

He showed me and wife Mary Anne and daughter Caroline around Sayre in 1994, as Caroline was beginning her stint at UK. He was so proud to limp over to buildings that weren't there when I graduated in 1979, and he was head of high school.

After moving back to KY, we enjoyed having more time with Tommy and Judy. They were at a dinner party at the house a couple of years back. We were sitting in the den, and he looked at a couple of prints on the wall. I never have thought much about those prints - they were in MA's house growing up, and she choses/places what goes on the walls at the house.  So, we were sitting there, reminiscing about who knows what, and he perks up and says - "That's the clipper ship red jacket"  He regaled us with the entire story!  1853, fast ship, etc. Who needs "OK, Google", when Tommy Grunwald is in your life?

We are all thinking about Judy, Matthew, Andrew and the rest of the Grunwald family. It's always hard to lose someone you love, and doubly so when he was such a great man, loved by so many.

Mary Anne Jones Horton 1928 - 2016

MA's mama died last Sunday morning in her sleep. The girls called her Anna. She believed that a woman should be in the paper three times: when she was born, when she married and when she died. Her third mention is here.

Her husband of 67+ years, Ira, misses her terribly. They were a devoted couple, a model of what it means to do for one another. We are glad to be able to spend a couple of weeks seeing Ira every day.  We had a service at the Franke, where they have lived for the last nine years, and a graveside service in Orangeburg on May 26th.

Anna loved her children and her granddaughters. She was very happy to make it to Caroline's wedding last fall. She spent hours in the garden while Mary Anne was growing up, and loved her social life in Orangeburg, including weekly bridge parties. She was always impeccably dressed. She knew her Bible better than anyone we know. She was an avid reader beyond that as well, especially British literature. She practically memorized the Samuel Pepys diaries, quoting entire stories and laughing and laughing.

We will always miss Anna.

1968

Alice, Mary Anne, Anna

Laughing before the wedding  1983

Recap from MS Walk 2016

Who knew it could be only 37 degrees at 10am on Saturday April 9th at 10am? Despite the chill (and the wind) we had a great turnout at MS Walk 2016 Lexington. I was proud to serve as the chair of the walk.

It's never too late to give, if any of you missed the opportunity.

The walk made the nightly news (WKYT - channel 27). I was interviewed, but they wisely went with a person who actually had MS. I am, however, in the background over her right shoulder, sporting my Eben hat.

It did make me glad we didn't do the WOC in early spring and get caught by this kind of cold.

Mary Anne and Muv came. Muv did two half mile laps with me. The cold was more than MA could take, so she waited in the building.

Masteron Station was full of people. When people are this strongly touched by a cause, weather is not a deterrent.

I have raised over $3500 so far, and the team is over $4300, with come more checks in the mail. Special thanks also to my colleagues at Xerox for joining the team and raising money.

Don't you love the party hats?

Muv during the walk

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The Wedding of this Century

I've already shared about the WOC from the 1900s. This wedding was daughter Caroline marrying Bill. Last October 10th, we had a celebration here in the bluegrass and it was a weekend to remember.

Caroline did an amazing job of planning. We had a full, well organized and fun week with family and friends. Thursday was an all day tailgate at Keeneland. Cousin Tish did us proud with the food and the spot. It was a perfect day and we taught several out of town folks how to bet (or how to give money to the track). The only downside came the next morning when Bill asked if he could borrow the car to take groomsmen to Woodford Reserve. I said "Sure". He came back shortly asking where the car was. We looked around but couldn't find the car. Turns out we had taken 7 cars to the track, but only brought 6 back. Luckily, folks end up leaving cars parked in the grass overnight, and it was there for us to retrieve it.

Friday was a glorious rehearsal dinner, hosted by Bill's family. Special props to machatenista Deaver for all of her hard work. The weather held up - just warm enough and no substantial rain.

The wedding was beautiful. Preacher Mark was poignant, funny and very meaningful.

Leading up to the wedding, Caroline asked me if I still had my extra wedding ring. Back in the late nineties, right after winter moved to spring, I lost my gold band from 1983. We bought another, and I started wearing that one. Then when the seasons shifted again, I switched back to winter work shoes and found my wedding ring in that pair in the closet. Life was more complicated when I had to go to a gym to work out. So look closely at the picture, and you'll see 1983 in the ring Bill is wearing

The flowers were done by Anna at Bellaire Blooms. Locally grown by the daughter of TGP's medical partner

Kim had a friend who had a cool car for the get-away.

At clean up time on Sunday, we were retrieving the left-over alcohol from the venue. Cousin Tish was helping. I had been enjoying a dinner party game for a couple of years with two bottles of single barrel Four Roses that were bottled for Wine and Market. Same mash bill, same age (10 years 4 months when bottled), same rick house, but different parts of the rick house. One high and toward the outside, one low on the inside. They tasted like two entirely different liquors. While unloading, I noticed a stricken look on Tish's face. She had combined the two bottles to make space in the liquor cabinet, because the labels looked the same. We all got a good laugh out of it, and I had a little bit of a unique blended bourbon.

We're thrilled to have Bill in our family, as well as all of our other new relatives. It really was the wedding of the century.

Enjoy the pictures

The Reveal

Jordan and Kate

Kate and Lucy