32 Years Ago

On October 20, 1990:

• The price of gasoline was $1.33 per gallon
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 2,520.79
• The median household income was $36,659
• #1 Country Song was "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks
• George H. W. Bush was President of the United States

In other news, on October 20th of that year, Tricia and I were married in Corpus Christi, Texas.  We are simple people who are easily amused and entertained.  When I asked what Tricia wanted to do to celebrate our 32nd year of marriage, she had an idea.  She wanted to go together to Lafayette, LA, which is a 45 minute drive east and both go shopping in a specialty grocery store that has a lot of fancy shmancy upscale food items.  We were to pick out a bunch of things to fill a picnic basket and then go to a park and picnic and celebrate.  That's exactly what we did!

For our appetizer, we had artichoke parmesan dip and crackers with brie cheese and mushrooms on the side.  In addition, we had cold tail-on shrimp marinated in garlic and butter

We had organic fermented sparkling ginger ale to wash it all down

For the main meal, we had an Italian panini with bleu cheese potato salad and Mediterranean pasta salad

For dessert, we had a Tuxedo chocolate cake

On a nice secluded spot on a hillside next to some water, we laid out some blankets and unpacked the basket of food and started enjoying our meal and the great weather.

The food was decadent and delicious.  I was digging the shrimp!

Then it was time to eat cake.  The tuxedo cake had dark chocolate layers and vanilla layers and was rich and tasty.

We didn't rush through the meal, but savored the time, enjoying the company and the food.  We finished most of the food and were stuffed!

We were treated to a beautiful sunset in the west as we looked out over the water.  It was then that we counted five alligators that launched out into the water from the marsh grass you see in the foreground.  We were wondering if they'd flank us and devour us for a fancy meal of their own, so we decided it was time to leave.

On the way back to the vehicle I had Tricia stand by an ancient live oak tree that was lit up in lights.

The old tree has stood the test of time, just as we're committing our marriage to do.  Happy Anniversary, Tricia!