Back Post - Summer Trip Tik Day #3

Seeing my favorite roommate of all-time (my grandmother) and going to a game during the final season at the old Yankee Stadium... who could ask for a better day?

Tradition has it that I take my Nan to the 84 Diner for lunch every time I visit Fishkill. I have been going to this diner since the days of night club dancing with my cousin Donna, when we would dance until the clubs closed at 4 am, go to the diner for breakfast, go home to shower to be to work on time. That was a loooonnnnng time ago. But the diner is still cookin, with about a million items on the menu and every single one of them oversized and done just right. We had a great time with Nan and my Aunt Ann, and after we ate, hung out at Wingate where my Nan resides. Just hanging out for an hour in a nursing home lobby is pure entertainment in and of itself. Ann is my grandmother's sister-in-law and best friend and visits multiple times per week, so she has the low-down on all the residents... and might I say, the patience of a saint. The big event that day - an ice cream social with music by Tito in the big dining room. And, the conversion went like this, "What's going on in there?" My aunt, "An ice cream social." "What time?" "2:30pm". Same resident, "Do you know what's going on in there?" My aunt, "Yes, an ice cream social" "What Time?" "2:30pm" Again, "What are they doing in there?" My aunt, "Getting ready for an ice cream social." "Oh, what time?" "2:30" and so on and so on. My dear aunt just smiled and answered the same question (to the same people) about every 5  minutes. God Bless her. I was reminded of 10 second Tom in the movie 50 First Dates. My grandmother just mumbled under her breath about the other residents (okay maybe not so under her breathe) until my aunt would gently hit her leg and tell her to hush. They were so cute together I couldn't stand it. I won't even mention how hard it was to leave her at the end of our visit. Brutal.

But the Yankees were waiting for me. My first and last time at the old stadium (yes, I'm a New Yorker who has never been to a Yankee game). A big beer for me, my sister-in-law Lynne, and niece Angela and we were ready to hit the nose-bleed section. Really it wasn't bad. Being there, getting a hot dog from a vendor passing by, and watching A-Rod hit a homer. What else could you ask for? Okay, maybe if they won it could have been a tad bit better. But it doesn't matter, Yankee fans are not fair weather friends. Another highlight, when the wave made it ALL the way around the stadium and back.