A View of Carbondale

It felt really good to be sitting at McDonnell's again. While I'm sure I've been here in recent years, I hearken back to my youth when we first tried the Peanut Butter Pie. Michael requested some of Aunt Gert's famous cheeseballs. I'm sure we harbor fond memories of eating at Aunt Gert's house and enjoying cheeseballs and pasta on an exquisitely prepared table. It was good to visit with our McDonnell cousins (okay, there was only one---young Robert).
 

 
Fortunately, all of our destinations were within walking distance. After lunch we journeyed over to Ben-Mar; a restaurant and bar just down the street from McDonnell's. Our cousins Pat and Marina Whittington operate the Ben-Mar; unfortunately, Pat was out of town that day. Marina was quite excited to see all of us and very delighted to receive the completed Whittington Family 2010 book. We had several drinks at the Ben-Mar as we visited and introduced ourselves. Marina recently emailed me to express her gratitude for the book and meeting her Moran cousins.
 

 
Danielle desired to visit one of Gerard's favorite haunts in Carbondale. Sisko's is a small, but quite the perfect small town bar with a wonderful owner and clientele who loved and adored Gerard. I can't remember her name (sorry Danielle), but she was very nice nonetheless. So who were we (at least Mary and I) to turn down the chance for another drink? We stumbled down the street to Sisko's to enjoy company with Gerard's friends.
 

 
By this time (late afternoon and several stiff drinks and beers), we had exhausted the downtown haunts and made our way to the haunt near Gerard's house---Orazzi's. The place was closed, but Art used his name and prestige to persuade the owner to open up for us (Art told him there were many, many thirsty Myers'). Even Bob McDonnell was able to stop in  for a drink and a visit. We shared much laughter and good drink at Orazzi's before retiring back to our hotel where we went swimming with the kids (Gracie and Michael). I wisely decided to drink Iced Tea the rest of the evening. Afterall, this was only Friday; I had at least two full days of gluttony before I went home.
 

Mass Service and Funeral Ceremony

 
We all attended a mass service at St Rose of Lima Church in Carbondale on Friday May 28.  There was quite a showing of our Moran Family in attendance, as shown in the first photograph (don't mind the laughing buffoons in the rear). After the mass, we gathered at Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery for the funeral ceremony. Dad led us in prayer as we laid Mom to rest with Grandma and Grandpa. It was a beautiful ceremony.
 

Earlier that morning, we met Uncle Art and the cousins to visit the graves of our family members that have also been buried at the cemetery. The Myers' traditionally come to the cemetery on Memorial Day to lay flowers and touch-up the plots.  I took many photos of various headstones and gravestones, but there are too many to insert here.  Shown below is Danielle touching up Gerard's gravestone, as well as a pretty flower pot painted by the Myers grandchildren for their Grandmother Patricia.



 From the cemetery, we gathered at McDonnell's Restaurant in Carbondale for a nice lunch and a chance to reconnoiter with distant relatives.

Granting Mom's Final Wish

As you all know, several members of our family traveled to Carbondale, PA to lay Mom's ashes at Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery with her parents. We all met in Carbondale over Memorial Day weekend, which was appropriate in my opinion. After a mass service at St Rose of Lima Church on Friday (May 28), we laid Mom to rest with Grandma and Grandpa Myers. It was a memorable trip with tears and much laughter with our distant relatives. We also had the pleasure of meeting new acquaintances like Marina Whittington, for whom one of the Whittington books was prepared for. There are too many stories and pictures to insert into one post. So for those of you who read this regularly, I will publish posts over the next couple of weeks.

For those who have publishing privileges (oh wait, that's every damn one of you!!!!), please feel free to publish your posts as well. A wonderful evening to all of you. I look forward to sharing the wonderful memories of our trip to all of you.

An Unusual Dedication for Mom

Whitney Grey is a good friend of mine; I've known him for almost 15 years. He lives on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation in the east valley (he's a Pima). Since I've known him, he's been a very sick man. He has so many ailments, I couldn't possibly describe them to you. I always joke with him that he'll never die.

Whitney is also a well-known artist, at least to those with an interest in Native American art. His works are in water color, with abstract themes using various symbols and designs of his people. The images he paints always come to him, he says, in dreams or spontaneously. I've wondered aloud if he gets his visions the same way Edgar Allen Poe got his story ideas; he just laughs. His work is in demand these days. He has been commissioned by Marriott to complete a series of paintings for the new casino hotel. He just finished three that will fetch about $3500.00. He may even get to work on a very large wall mural in the casino.

I called him the weekend after Mom died to let him know. He did what he could, saying prayers to his God. Some weeks later, he presented me with a painting he had done for the Jones Family as a memorial to Mom. It's presented below. I especially love how he used green on the painting. The painting is approximately 12in X 15in. When Mary gets time, I'll have her frame it. I know some of you are looking at this and thinking, what's the big deal?

But hey, in this day and age when someone can pee in a jar and stick in a crucifix, or insert an American flag in a toilet and get reviews from it, I would consider this to be a genuine work from a real artist. I thanked him profusely for his work.