ON THE ROAD (AGAIN) ...TO YORKTOWN HEIGHTS

Yeah, man! On the road again! Sing it, string it, Willie! Last Monday Pat and I jumped in our RAV4 and headed on up to Yorktown Heights, NY to share a few hilarious days with Paul and Dorothy Nierman. We arrived just a few minutes after Elizabeth! All of us ready for a good time!

The Nierman "estate"! Picture perfect!

Wow! 280 years of "cumulative life experience"!

.....uhhh, 300 years of "cumulative life experience"!! Double wow!






















Monsieur Paul Monet Nierman, artist et provacateur, elucidating on the inspirational background prompting this, his latest work....."les Birches".















Boscobel Estate on the Hudson.



http://www.boscobel.org/

Bring your own picnic supper.....before the show.

Monsignor "Joe", pastor of the Fishkill parish and personal friend of Dorothy and Paul.

The view of the Hudson Valley is beautiful. Almost distracted me from supper. Almost.



Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew after dinner. Professional. Hilarious. 2+ hours of bellylaughing!





http://www.facebook.com/pages/Taming-of-the-Shrew/108680125830500


Then, on the way home Wednesday we took a slight detour to Livingston, NJ. A short distance off the Garden State Parkway. Why? Well, of course, to wish Joe Dimino a happy 79th birthday.
Joe, my best friend. My oldest friend....uh, I mean I've know him for 60 years! Happy Birthday, Joe.

Hi, ya' Pat! And Damien. And Shannon. And l'il Rome!













A great occasion for toasting the birthday boy with liberal draughts of good wine and scotch! Yipee.

And if anyone has persevered to this point...thank you for encouraging an old guy (this old guy, not Joe!) to practice the noble art of mental focus. Blogging! The end!

WEDDING: PART ONE

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13, 1969 WAS A HOT, SULTRY SUMMER DAY as we gathered in the chambers of Judge Louis Grossman, Surrogate Court, Manhaattan. A short informal ceremony...and we became Mr. and Mrs., our marriage "blessed" by New York State.

Pat's dear mother Mae and her brother Joe were our offical witnesses. Elizabeth, Pat's sister, was our "special" witness.

Pat's brother Tom arranged for a beautiful wedding celebration dinner at White's Restaurant, 57th St. and 8th Ave. , Manhattan. Ahhh, famiglia! Deo gratias!

Pat musing: "I've often wondered what was going thru Chris' mind in this pic. Why the eyes uplifted heavenward? Was he delish-ing on our wedding cake?



Or me?"





Hey! Who's the cute nun modestly composed in the foreground!



Why! It's Elizabeth! Pat's beloved sister/sister!









The next day we took off from Kennedy on our honeymoon to Bermuda. We had both quit our jobs two days before. We had accrued no vacation time. And the bums wouldn't give us any honeymoon time. Ahhh, what the hell! We were free spirits! We just quit our jobs and went our merry way. Luckily, we had pre-paid our Bermuda Honeymoon Caper earlier. Providential!



"Oh, Patsy Girl! Some day, far in the future, let's take a second honeymoon somewhere! Say...in 2010! When you're a bouncey 71 and I'm a sciatic 79!"

Oh, Chris Guy! Let's concentrate on this honeymoon, 1969! I wanna have lotsa beautiful l'il babies! Okay!

Sure, Pat! I hear ya'! Okaaaaay!



"Chris, listen up! Now that we're married....I'm the boss! Hear me!!!!"

"Yesss, dear!"















Ahhh, Patsy Girl! Look how thin we were 41 years ago. I even had some hair then. And just look at your mop!


There's a sequel to all this....if you have the time and patience.

See WEDDING. PART TWO

WEDDING: PART TWO

Yes, there had to be a PART TWO to our story. Pat and I weren't satisfied with a merely secular, legal wedding as in PART ONE. Our leaving the religious and clerical life with a secular wedding was only the beginning of our dream for each other. We wanted a sacramental marriage. Eventually, Rome capitulated.

In late September, 1970 Monsignor Tony Bevilacqua married us sacramentally in the Brooklyn Diocese Chancery Office. He later became the Cardinal Archbishop of Philadelphia.

Pat was dispensed from her religious vows (made at age 18!).

And I was dispensed from my vows as a Passionist religious ( I entered the seminary at age 14!) And Rome gave me permission to marry Pat. But they said, in effect, "sure, you may marry...sure, you are a priest "forever"....just don't function as a priest anymore." And now, I don't use my priesthood....[well, not all the the time].

However, that would be another blog about... "my priesthood today"

A friend once commented that Sister Pat looked anxious and worried in this pic back in the late '50's. Could be.

But we think it shows her ascetic idealism at age 18! Ahhh, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder!"

I entered the Passionist Seminary at age 14, 1945.

Ordained 14 years later, 1959. Man, that was a long stretch!

Vatican dispensation, 1970.

As for Pat and me, our life together began on the 13th of August, 1969. Our life together.... thanks to the Providence of our Loving God!

And this is what that Loving God gave us...our three little Mouseketeers!

l-r Mikey, Kimberly, Kelly. 1976.

And again, in '78

l-r: Kimberly, Michael and Kelly St. Paddy's Day.

"Suddenly today"..... all in their mid to late 30's. Our greatest gift(s). Thanks, Lord!

THE BEGINNING!

SUMMERTIME SYNERGY

Last Monday morning, the 26th, Pat and I loaded up the ol' RAV4 (we never travel "lite"!) and took off for Kennedy to p/u Mike, Kay and l'il Good. All the way in from Portland! Ever fly a baby on your lap from coast to coast! That's l-o-v-e! Actually, all three looked in pretty good shape as we groped our way out the Southern State during the Mon. evening rush hour. Spent that nite at Kelly and Mike T.'s house out in East Islip. About 20-plus extended family showed up for a great dinner/picnic get-together.

Good likes direct eye contact! Especially with his Viking Father, Thor!

Great backyard 'hero' party, Kel and Mike!

Hey! That's Wolfie!

Hi, Kelly Girl!

Kim and Andy...all the way from Jersey!

Kay and Mike...all the way from OR!

Elizabeth, all the way from Huntington!

Tues. AM we stowed Mike and Kay's gear in the RAV and headed on down to Cape May to spend four days with Joe and Pat, Kelly and Mike, Kim, Mike and Kay, Damien and Shannon. ASnd the beautiful babies.

Thanks, Pat and Joe for hosting a great mini-vacation for all of us.

Pat always feels 'young again' when she gets anywhere near the beach!

Three generations of the Dimino-Christopher guys. Hi yaa', Rome and Good!

Hey, dude Rome, like that hair, man!

Good laughs/smiles easily. Good sense of humor!

"Hey, mom! Let go a' me! Gotta crawl! Gotta crawl!





Last week whizzed by. Mike and Kay are back on the Coast. They closed on their new home yesterday. Congrats!

Send a link when you get a chance!