August 5: Yo, Adrienne!

Today's post is dedicated to Debi Hewitt. Debi was the school office manager at Crescent Elementary in Anaheim, California for 100 years. Not really - I just know it was a long time. She was the best. Like me, she retired this year. And, like me, she has lost loved ones. She one of the strongest women I know. I hope she thoroughly enjoyed her trip to Europe. She deserves all the happiness and fun that she can take.

" Strength grows in the moments when you think you can't go on but you keep going anyway." - YourTango

"She was brave and strong and broken all at once." - Anna Funder

This guy again

Going back into Philadelphia

This is Jean-Luc with his tongue out and we haven't even been up the step once. He's getting old.

There are the steps in front of the Museum of Modern Art

They need water, but they're patiently waiting for the Cheese Steak sandwich.

Those sweats are way too big and my clothes are on underneath it.

Just a pretty sculpture in front of my parking space. I took this while I was on the phone with Wells Fargo.

This is how you eat when you've only had a banana today and it's almost 3:00.

They are so tired of posing. I thought Jean-Luc wanted to go in the water the way he kept staring at it, but when given the opportunity, he just ran away. Chicken.

He is a French Shepherd.

Today I went back to Philadelphia to go to the Museum of Modern Art to run up the Rocky steps. My sister-in-law, Yvette dared me to dress in gray sweats to run up the steps, like Rocky. Most people who know me, know that if you dare me, I may not like it, but I have to do it. Unless it involves eating something gross. I planned to run the steps anyway, but the sweats were Yvette's idea. This has been the toughest year of my life and it just keeps getting better. Today Wells Fargo called to tell me that my bank did my pay off a day late and so I was being charged a $3000 interest fee. Well I guess it was appropriate for them to call right before I was to make my triumphant run to the top of the steps. It was another thing to overcome. I registered a complaint with Wells Fargo - so f-ed up to charge that kind of interest for being one day late, which wasn't even my fault. I called my bank and told them what happened and said that I was not going to handle it, they were and they should let me know how it turns out.

I was going to leave the dogs in the car, but I just couldn't do it. So, we ran the steps together, 3 times. The first time, I forgot to turn on the camera. The second time we had to stop because the dogs had to bark at another dog. Third time's the charm. I'll have to put it all together before I can post it. Running up the steps wasn't hard even 3 times, but it was fun and it was very warm-being dressed in sweats. Then we had our picture taken with the Rocky statue - bought a t-shirt and some original Philly cheese steak sandwiches. They were huge, so we had half for lunch and half for dinner. Soo good. Steak isn't my favorite food, but that sandwich was the bomb.

When I got back to the truck, a very nice lady, Julie called me from Wells Fargo. She said that she heard about my year and the charges to my account and that she would resolve it favorably for me by my birthday. Well yes, Virginia there really are nice, feeling people working at banks. Who knew?

Last day in New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tomorrow I'm headed through Baltimore to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia, DC, and I'll stay in Virginia for a couple of days.