When the party was over, we traveled back to Far Rockaway to Carmen & Eddie's. We needed a good night's sleep. Manny came with us so we could all go to church together. It was a very nice morning.

Even Edgar Rodriguez showed up....now that was a surprise! Probably more to him than to us.

On Saturday evening we enjoyed a wonderful get-together of family members from the tri-state area. It was the perfect evening for an outdoor,evening party, with lots of
old music and great food. The only thing missing was our darling uncle Ismael, or Manuelito, as he is affectionately called. That thing that they say about the best laid plans of mice and men is definitely true. Ramonita, the architect of the festivities, addressed the crowd with Eddie as interpreter just in case. She got lots of help from her wonderful neighbors.

Photos and videos everywhere! On Saturday, we found him much better on a visit from Carmen & Eddie, us, Primo's wife & daughter, and Manny, of course! Tio was more alert that day, being very complimentary of the females, and even introduced us to a doctor that showed up to see him. "This is my family!", with a giant smile.

So you can look at photos and videos because the point is to share them. Later on in the evening, we finally got to Carmen and Eddie's house where we had the best meal ever, the best hospitality ever, and lots of laughs. Carmen could not believe that she had her Tio Cutin visiting her. We could fell the love!!!!

We got in at about 12:30 and went straight to tio's house. We know he's in the hospital and are anxious to see him. We visit with Ramonita and meet some of her friends and neighbors while we wait for Manny to arrive. Once he comes we run out to pick up lunch at White Castle. Yummy! And soon we head to the hospital. Tio did not look good that day. Dad was broken-hearted. But in his own way, tio did recognize his brother. That provided some measure of comfort. Look at the black and blue of his arms from being used as a pincushion. Dora was great with him. And Manny just dotes on him, does everything to make him look good and feel comfortable.

So yes, we get to NYC from the north instead of the south and call Manny for directions. We get lost anyway. But who said New Yorkers are mean? We got help and smiles amidst illegal uturns, cutting off vehicles, etc. We were real New Yorkers by the time we got out of the car. It's a miracle we didn't get ourselves killed, actually.

Okay, I had no clue that this would start at the bottom work it's way up! Sorry about that I suppose. Anyway, this is just for the family as a way to share the photos and videos that I promised I'd send and then had problems with size. So I hope you enjoy!

Oops, how could I forget the man of the hour?

This whole time, Dad was cool, calm and collected. Traveled well - no wonder we're crazy about him. He's easy to take care of. Sat up there with Dora to keep her company. Loved Sirius Radio!

8/14/09 Really, really early!

It was 4 a.m. and we were ready to go. Where's Dora! She what? She just got up! Okay, so we left at 4:30 p.m.

We had a wonderful ride to NYC! I slept mostly 'cause I never went to bed the night before. I had the back to myself, Dora had great music playing and comfy pillows. Perfect!

Breakfast at McDonald's - okay, I suppose. Let me get back to sleep. Oops, I missed the sunrise!

And Dora skipped reading the MapQuest instructions, so we had to ad-lib the gettin' to NYC. We got there, but really had to hustle to get to Unc's house in the Bronx. Good adventure....lots of laughs!