Lumpy's Mom's Obituary

http://www.legacy.com/DemocratAndChronicle/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=104088111

Austin, Jane L.Greece: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at age 86. Predeceased by her husband, Raymond Austin. Survived by her loving children, Patti (Jay) Robinson and Gary (Kathleen) Austin; grandchildren, Brittany Bower and Jodi Robinson; brothers-in-law, Frank (Nancy) Austin and John Gluck; sister-in-law, Joan Austin; many nieces and nephews; many great-nieces and great-nephews; dear cousins, Mary and Teresa Leene.Friends may call Saturday (March 1) 1-3 PM at the Vay-Schleich & Meeson Funeral Home 1075 Long Pond Road. Her Funeral Service will follow calling at 3 PM in the chapel of the Funeral Home. Private Interment, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. In Lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association or to the Alzheimer's Association in her memory. For more information or to sign Jane's guestbook, please visit www.MeesonFamily.com.

RIP...Lady Jane

Back in ROC again tonite after a long trek home from the West Coast. Got word that my mom died this week, so had to cut plans short.

I'll update the blog from recent trips and such after we get the wake taken care of. Sad day for the Lump...two parents down, none to go...

Orphan Lumpy out

On To The Sunshine Coast

NOTE: Not Florida...
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We left this afternoon for Sarasota, on the (Gulf) Sunshine Coast. It's called that because it's sunny almost every single day of the year.


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We, of course, arrived in the midst of a monsoon-like downpour. Something like 6 inches of rain fell, everything was flooded, the roads were a disaster, seagulls were even scrambling for cover. We got to the condo, droped off our bags, and rented a canoe so we could get to the grocery.


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5 minutes after we finish shopping (and literally 2 hours after arriving in Sarasota) I get a call from my sister that my mom has taken serious ill with pneunomia. So, we grab the first flight home in the morning, and attend to matters there. So I got no good sunshine coast stories for you...


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More to come when we return to FL in a few weeks.


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Got No Sunshine in Rochester Lumpy out

Adios Lady Lake, You Done Us Well

The Lady Lake marina, looking southbound. A lovely few days with Sid and Jane, and we wish them the best to continued health, wealth, and happiness.
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Now, if he would just loose a damned card game!

1-2-3 knee replacements, you're out, at the old ball game

TOP: Softball at it's finest, as the "Knoxville Knee Replacements" take on the "Pittsburgh Enlarged Prostates" in major league softball action.

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2nd: Warmups. A hitter sends line drives into the groin area of the infielders to insure that they stay awake for the entire inning.

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3rd: Jane, Kathy, and Sid enjoying the action. Sid is basically just waiting for the sausage shack to open up in the 3rd inning. You Yankee fans, please take note of Kathy's "World Champion Boston Red Sox" ballcap. In case you haven't seen one before...

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We spent our last morning at a softball game...it was great fun. The league adds in a bunch of "older player" rules which make the game still playable for the guys. Rules included:

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- anyone can use a designated runner, even from the batters box, and still remain in the game

- there were 2 home plates, so that there was never a "catcher on runner" play at the plate. The catcher played towards the "real" plate, the runner ran to the secondary plate

- pitchers wear a catchers mask, catchers wear no mask. I think this was because the pitchers cannot react fast enough anymore to line shots up the middle. The catcher is usually choosen as he's closest to death, so they don't care if he gets hit by a foul ball or not. He's probably not going to survive the afternoon anyways.

- You must wear one supportive device. Most players wore at least one knee brace (18/20 players had at least one on). Some players wore elbow braces. Some work ankle braces. Some wore cups on the outside..that was interesting, but very fashionable. It looked like Iraq veterans returning from the front.

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What I found most interesting from a baseball fan standpoint, was that many of the guys had not lost their hitting power. There were still a number of home runs hit, on a pretty good size field, and many hard shots through the infield. So, you had hard balls hit, but infielders couldn't move or react quick enough to field many of them, and outfielders couldn't run enough to get to pop flys. I think I found me a game!!!! Now, if I can just keep hitting the batting cages weekly for the next 30 years, I'm FINALLY going to make a team!

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All-in-all, a great experience. I can only hope I have that much energy left when I make 60, much less 80.

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Swingin' for the Fences Lumpy out

Visitin' the Card Sharks

TOP: The card cheats, er, winners basking in the glory of their crushing poor jane and gary

2nd: Views of the golf course, a 509 yard walk from the homestead

3rd: The homestead, with the obligatory Buick in the carport

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Following a few more days R&R in Orlando, we mosey'd on up to Lady Lake to visit Sid and Jane. They are very old friends, both chronologically and in tenure; I grew up with their daughter (who is now 50, in case anybody is keeping track), and Sid was for a time my boss at Kodak, before they went bankrupt...but really, Sid had nothing to do with that....nor the cold war tension with China, even though it coincidently started when they sent him over there on a commerce mission.

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Anyhow, I digress. We spent a few days with them, playing cards, golfing, walks along the lake, and basketball. Yes, basketball...as the knee replaced, 82 year old Sid hammered me at every opportunity. Never seen a guy that short and hobbled dunk before...quite an outstanding sight! One game he beat me something like 126-13. And that was just in a 15 minute pickup game. Perhaps hoops is just not my strong suit...

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We also golfed, on their lovely par 3-4 course directly across the street from their homestead. I lost there too....as Jane outdrove me 7 of 9 holes, and I lost 3 balls...this on totally flat, wide open, 200-250 yard fairways. I think maybe turkey vultures ate the damned balls in flight or something. Kathy also played an outstanding 8 holes...unfortunatly the round was 9 holes, and on the last hole she hit for 27 strokes. Something about lying down and taking a nap on the fairway. Or, maybe it was the 12 put. It's always something...

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We spent a looooong evening playing "Pig It and Hog It", a varient on euchre, where you basically play to 52 and can go both up and down in scoring. One night we played a single game for over 4 hours...at one point Jane and I had 51, and Sid and Kathy had -38...they still beat us.

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OK, 0 for 3; hoops, golf, cards. Maybe I can beat Sid at installing a dishwasher so HIS POOR WIFE DOESN'T HAVE TO WASH DISHES BY HAND EVERY MEAL!!!!! Yup, I could win that contest.

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On our last day there, we went to see a softball game...next post.

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Looser Lumpy dejected and out...

Man, I hate that stupid mouse....

TOP: Judy in her "natural state"

2nd: Mel eating an entire bowl of whipped cream. Her garbage can size bowl of ice cream is hidden in this photo

3rd: The marathoner finishers: Shorty, Happy, Grumpy, and Hairy (best family hair)

4th: The 1/2 marathon finishers (The well-adjusted crew) Karen, Mel, and Joanne. ED NOTE: Joanne feeds me at all major holidays, so I have to make special mention of how absolutely wonderful she looked finishing!

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After hanging in Orlando for a few days, our friends, the Wisotzke girls, finally arrive for the big Disney Marathon. There are 7 sisters, all about a year in age, an inch of height, and 10 decibles of volume apart. Tremendous dispositions also, all the time. Never hear a bad word out of their mouths...mainly because you go deaf if you get too close. All are great athletes also, except for Karen (the ancient one), who apparently went to school in the era before Title IX, or maybe that was before women had the right to vote. One of those.

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They all did a magnificent job at the race, everyone finishing their respective classes. Between them I think they had something like 7 age groups: Judy the youngest in the 20-24 class (you owe me), and Karen, the oldest, in the 70+ class (Judy told me to write that). I was of course disappointed that family matriarch Rita didn't run also, but it's always so embarrasing when your mom puts you to shame.

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An even more impressive achievement was seen at the Giardilli's ice cream shop following the race, and Lactose Judy and the sisterhood put a hurting on their ice cream stocks like never seen before. They actually ran out of whipped cream (thanks to Mel), and it took 4 clean up guys to empty the table when they were done. Even the gods were impressed, treating us to a massive t-storm light display, with lightning bolts every time another vat of ice cream was finished.

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Now that's they've made this great achievement, I'll put the bar out there for them all to do a triathlon next year...Nancy and Judy a half Ironman, Susan, Mel, and Diane an Olympic distance one, and Joanne and Karen a sprint tri.

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Glad I'm over that running crap Lumpy out...