How was dinner?


Jodi

Jodi,

I was thinking of starting a thread and then thinking I would wait until tomorrow...and Kathy is playing the paino beautifully as i type so i knew she was not reporting in...but since you asked....

Where were you anyway? I thought you were coming. We had a lobster (with clams and corn and red potato and butter) for you......

Plays and Mr. Plays arrived promptly at 6 in a spiffy Honda. Maine had several days of rain and fog, but today was hot and humid. Kathy made sure the house was tidy, James painted the porch, and I sweated in the yard, mowing the lawn with my blades on right and weeding the garden one last time. I must have downed three gallons of water today to replenish....shower at 5:30 and just in time i got out in the yard as they drove up.

I have to say, meeting pixel people in the flesh is always SO VERY fun and the most interesting thing is not the visual but the voice. It never occured to me from the pixel Plays that she would have that wonderful southern i-am-from-Virginia lilt in her voice. But of course!

We had a grand time. Touring the house and yard, playing the piano (Plays, Kathy and Peter and Peter), and eating lobsties. First wine bottle was Villa Maria New Zealand Chardonnay followed by Bonny Doon Vinyard Reisling. KathyK homemade special blueberry and raspberry pies with vanilla ice cream for desert.

Lots of piano and good conversation. Mr. Plays was right up on PF stuff and was a good sport listening to our PF chatter.

Sophie, age 9, charmed everyone as usual.

Lots of fun.

I do not have pictures but I think Plays does. It will be at least two days before she is home and sees this and can post.

And the invitation stands for all of you...come to Maine and we will feed you lobsters.

(Any takers, TomK and Improv?)

Pixel people are fun but 3D is more interesting. Jodi, I wish you had been here!!!

jf

Jack, if all goes well, we will be visiting in May. Steve's college reunion at Bowdoin, and I told him he HAD to take me.

Thanks for the recap, I look forward to the pictures!

Jodi

May.....really?

I hope you will find time to visit. We are 25 minutes from Bowdoin and my garden looks really good in May!

jf

Sounds like a wonderful menu and a great time.

[Note: Quoted portion in hommage to the "Stupid Things" thread. I doubt anyone could list a stupid thing they've done that I have not also done. That being one of them, discovered after a year or two.]

One of us might--I doubt we both could make it.

Well, we had a wonderful time. Plays and her husband, Chris were a delight, and as has been my experience twice now with real life PF encounters, there have been surprises. One thing for sure, the pixelated image I conjure of various members I've met to date has almost always been very different from the flesh and blood image.

Plays,however, was just as gracious and charming in real life as she is on the forum. And she filled the the house with lovely strains of Beethoven.

Chris was a good sport who I must say, fits right into the PF culture. In fact, I had this deja vu feeling with him . . he reminded me a lot of my brother-in-law and, well . . maybe Plays or even Chris will elaborate.

These events have served as challenge for me to "come out" and play for others. I'm fine playing the organ in church, since I know no one is ever really paying attention to me, but when all focus is on me, I become totally rattled. Thus, these last three events have helped me convince myself that I won't fall apart in the process (although I still have a long way to come). I admit, however, I do tend to find the moments when everyone is engaged in conversation to do my thing. Anyway, what a great opportunity this passion for piano.

Unfortunately, I got no pictures. I seem to have lost my camera in Michigan (damnation!) and JF had his out, but apparently got side-tracked with flower talk. So . . . hopefully, Plays will have a few to share.

Jodi, can't wait to meet you next May.

A spiffy *Honda Civic hybrid* to be exact.


And here's one of Kathy's surprise moments as she opens an envelope with a piece of paper inside.




What was written on that paper in the envelope?




The good news is, Kathy let me live!!!

And I am still in shock!

I think that Chris is really TomK...that's what I think...TomK is the puppet...must be...!

jf

Now THAT is REALLY low-down!
TomK, how COULD you?


Ok, just to make sure I've got this straight.

"Improviso, with the geezer avatar sleeps regularly with Plays?"
No no wait, that might not be specific enough. hmmm...
"Improviso, with the geezer avatar and assumed by some to be a TomK SP, is in fact the husband of our beloved and oft-hit upon Plays? ! !"
In short "Improviso = Mr. Plays? "

That is pretty nifty, though I suppose I'll have to go back and edit a bunch of my posts if I ever hope to visit Richmond and leave alive.

Welcome Chris!

And KathyK, you're a Good Sport!

Bob

Jack Frost and Kathy are delightful, gracious hosts that made Chris and me feel relaxed and welcome from the minute we rolled into their driveway.

JFs yard labor certainly was appreciated by yours truly. The garden areas are well tended and thoughtfully placed. Here are some photos I snapped:





JF also has a great sense of humor, as evidenced in this picture of his new shade garden:



and here's the handsome host, on his front porch, with the back of Sophie's head in the corner:



Did I mention how much we enjoyed our visit?

The house is a beautiful, restored Victorian with lots of character and lovely details. The Seiler piano in the living room has an amazing sound quality with a rich bass and gorgeous singing treble, and of course Kathy and her son Peter made it come alive with Brahms, Chopin and Bach. Both of them are quite musical and I was very content to play two token pieces and then enjoy listening to the true talent in the house! I envy JFs proximity to all that beautiful music.

I was very impressed with Peter -- talent, charm, good looks and intelligence. I could listen to him play the piano for hours.

Sophie is quite the lovely young lady, with many interests. I was charmed by her outgoing manner and willingness to share the attention of her beautiful kitty with me.

Anyone going to Maine should definitely take them up on their invitation to drop by -- the company, music, food and surroundings are all five star! Thanks again for such a fine evening!

Don't you just love surprises?

Sounds like a fun time was had by all.

Plays and Improv, glad to hear you made it to Maine ahead of Charley!

how cute...! and how jealous I am of Mr. and Mrs. Plays. I would Sooooo like to go to Maine....

Jack - we have different definitions of the word 'Bohemian'

Kathy - who is standing next to you holding that sign?

That is Improv.

jf

am I dumb or what? :rolleyes:

I was under the impression that he was an ancient Viagra Plus candidate,,, not that stunning example of virility and rompishiness. He looks like a barrel of fun.

The avatar really does not do him justice....

jf

Holy ****!

So, like, how LONG have you guys been planning this little surprise?!

Oh to have been standing on that porch and seen kathy's face. jf's too. (Note to self: good reason to NEVER gossip about other forum members at piano parties, as you have no idea who you are REALLY talking to...)

Zowies.

(oh, and nice pictures, Plays! Improv is WAY cuter than his avatar)

jodi

plus he didn't titilate us all for 2 or 3 weeks with a 64 page teaser thread like JF did.

No, he didn't. That thread was just about my favorite of all time, though.

Jodi

Jodi! Such language. From you, of all people.


Well, that first picture *trys* to capture her expression at precisely that moment.


Remember the recent thread where I was trying to get Kathy to invite me to Maine? Well, that didn't pan out. Plays really wanted to see Maine (so did I) and Kathy invited her. So, what the heck, off to Maine.

I thought, how am I going to break this *gently* to her? I mean, if I don't do this correctly, I could find myself pinned down on the front lawn with 2 hands around my throat and the life being squeezed out of me. The sign in the envelope idea gave me a way to break the news and still allow me a head start in the opposite direction if I needed it.

The expression on her face was *priceless* when she realized what I was telling her. Jack is off getting the lobsta's when all of this is going on. So, we get to do it all over again to him when he gets back. I believe his first words were something about never guessing it in a million years. They were both such great sports about it.

In spite of my teasing both Jack and Kathy over the months, they were both great hosts and I enjoyed their company very much. They are a delight to know and both Kathy and Peter were very impressive on the piano. It was nice to hear a different style of playing from what I hear at home.

So the cats out of the bag. Everything I have posted over the last several months is me. The only thing I left out was *who* I was married to. Plays picked up on it about 6 weeks after I showed up and badgered me for about 4 or 5 weeks to tell her I was Improv. She even tried to smoke me out with a PM. She told me, "If it's not you, then you've got a twin out there". I finally took her to a restaurant one evening and said, "Yes, it's me".

Like everybody else, I came in here to see what was so damn interesting that my wife would stay logged in for hours in the evening, days on end, and I got sucked in too.

NaYahh?!!! He just titillated us ALL for the last six months with some 641 posts!!!!

I must say, I can remember few events in my lifetime that have surprised me quite as much as this one. I had EVERY reason to believe that Impro was Tomk (hhhm - maybe JF is onto something - maybe TomK is Impro :p ). And Impro/Chris, you must admit, I did embrace you - as promised. (See Tomk - nothing to be afeard of of.)

I was so surprised I didn't even "get it" for the first minute or so. He presented me with the envelope which I opened to reveal "Hi - I'm Improv." So, I look at it thinking, "oh cute - they want to take a picture of me holding the sign pretending that it's me." So I obligingly hold it up for a pic, laugh, they laugh, they realize - "she doesn't get it." Anyway, after they spelled it out for me, I felt that my whole PF world had been altered.

I can no longer despise Improv!!! He's a nice guy - actually a REALLY nice guy. Yeah, he's said a few obnoxious things here, but it got me thinking. My own brothers have certainly said worse (and continue to ) and yet, we manage to look past the foibles, the quirks, the annoyances and appreciate the positive. Sure, with a sibling, you're more or less stuck with them for life - and with these relationships you can take them or leave them, but I do treasure the relationships I've built here, and so the analogy served as a real lesson for me. People are multi-dimensional, no matter who they are, and there's some good and some bad (hopefully more good than bad)in all of us. But we all have the love of piano as a common (and ever so powerful) bond.

I hope Plays and Improv tell more of the story of the birth of Improv.

Improv, our posts crossed. I forgot to add, the one thing that made me doubt that you were Tomk was when you gave me the most detailed and helpful advice about my bathroom renovation project - including recommendation of a compound miter saw. Tomk as do-it-yourselfer??

I was clueless about Improv at first because I don't always read every thread on the forum, and he made his debut on one I wasn't reading.

After my husband confessed that he was Improv, I wasn't sure I wanted anyone to know this information! After all, Improv was pretty controversial, and like some of you, I, too, was offended by several of his posts. So I sat tight with the knowledge...for about a week. Then I told the one person I thought needed to know this the most -- Tom. Supposedly, we were the only three that knew, but I now understand that isn't the reality.

Anyway, the point of this post is to just say I'm sorry to those friends here who might not appreciate being left out of the loop. You wouldn't believe how bloody my lips got from having to bite them so often. It wasn't personal, I swear!

And Kathy, that is very gracious of you. I look forward to reading more spirited discourse between the two of you in the future...without the malice.

Personally, I like the fact you can keep a secret while at the same time have the ethics to share the info with the one person who should know. It's a fun and unexpected surprise. I don't have a clue what Improv ever said that offended. He got a five from me early on and I never regretted it. I feel I've gotten to know you well and I'm happier to now know I've gotten to know your husband a bit, if unwittingly. (All those trips to the sofa to share ice cream with the "neglected hubby"!! Logging in, logging out and probably sharing the same double dip!) Oh, and about that "Can you arrange for Mr. Plays to be Mr. PlaysDead?" comment--I still stand by it. He might be a guy I like, but it wouldn't have to be an accident that he should take personally or anything...

Jack and Kathy - your yard is beautiful!

Glad everyone had a good time!

Umm, like what? You mean when I was born, the doctor slapped my a$$ and face and said, "Twins"?

Actually chick, when I read that line, I thought it was pretty damn good. Still do.

Jodi took the words right out of my mouth!!

How fun! Kathyk, you must have gotten a great laugh out of the unveiling of Mr. Plays. I'm pretty sure my husband lurks on the forum here, but doubt sincerely if he would ever post. (He's far too busy reading newspapers on-line!).

Welcome to the fold (again), Improv!!

Nina

All I can say is I'm glad it was Liesle I was flirting with....... :p

So am I, Larry!