The Romeo group met this month at Café Madrid in Chelmsford, MA. You can view the menu etc. at the link …. http://www.cafemadridchelmsford.com/
The eight Romeos in attendance were Joe Balsama, Joe Pignatiello, Joe Loduca, Joe Lapiana, Jim Terlizzi, Ed Deshuytner, Steve Winter, and Mark Ryan. We all arrived at about 12 noon with a few late birds. I was a little late because I looked at the directions and took the wrong exit 34 on Rte 3 instead of on Rte 495. Jim Terlizzi with Joe Balsama got stuck on Rte 128 due to a construction project. While we waited, drinks were served all around from Pepsi, to wine to Beer.
The waiter then announced the specials for the day and we all made are choices from the menu. There was a variety of salads, hot and cold sandwiches, Paellas and Tapas. Most of us ordered the Paellas with sea food or with pork on a bed of yellow Spanish saffron rice. Others ordered the special half sandwich (pastrami) and soup.
The meal was served in very short order with plenty of drink refills. Everyone enjoyed their meal choices and commented that it was tasty and filling. After dinner we all ordered coffee, espresso or cappuccino and Flan Espanol (vanilla and egg caramel custard) dessert to share.
Accidentally, one of the Joes (I’m not telling who) moved their chair back a bit and hit the floor partition which knocked against a folded louver door room separator that toppled over making a loud crash. All the patrons in the restaurant were quiet as a mouse for a split second with mouths all opened. Since there was no real damage and no one was hurt we all continued our conversation as the waiter picked up the partition. A Romeo will do just about anything to get attention.
As we ate, the conversation bounced around the table. Joe Lapiana talked about some TV he likes to watch (Two And A Half Men & The Big Bang). Joe Piganatiello told us that he was hospitalized during Christmas with two clots in his lungs. He has recovered and on some medication to dissolve the clot and thin the blood. Joe Loduca had been in the hospital last month to change his heart defibulator (pace maker) and is now A-OK. His doctor in the hospital asked if he could lift his sheet and check the catheter and after commented that the cold room temperature sure has caused some shrinkage.
Joe P. said that he would have to cancel his season ski pass to Wachusett’s Mt. due to his health. However, Joe Lapiana said he had only been able to go once so far to Wachusetts because it has been too cold. Steve Winter said he was planning to go skiing up north next week if the weather gets a little warmer.
Joe Balsama passed out his annual calendars to everyone from Swampscott Historical Society. The calendars show weather data that he has obtained from the New England Climate Service and the U.S. Naval Observatory. There are many interesting historical photos of places in Swampscott from 1830 to 1969.
The historical photos reminded me of some that I saw from Wilmington, MA where I live. I told Joe P. and Joe B. that there used to be a three story ice house on the shores of Silver Lake in Wilmington in the 1800s. In the winter they would cut out blocks of ice, stored them in the ice house and later transported it by train to Boston and Lowell. This was before refrigeration.
I also told Joe B. that I had a plastic rain gauge at my house that cracked with ice this winter. Joe said he has a metal rain gauge that doesn’t crack and that he measures snow depth with a snow yard stick and keeps daily weather data. I told him that I have used my snow blower 6 times this winter and had looked up the snow depths on AccuWeather.com. I’m sure that we will be snow blowing a few more times before winter is over.
Across the table, Joe Loduca talked about some baseball trivia. He seems to know a lot about it and quoted some sayings from Yogi Berra. I can’t remember exactly what he said so I looked some up on the web. You can find them at the link … http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/y/yogi_berra.html
Two Yogi quotes are “He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious.” And
“Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.” We all had a good belly laugh.
Ed D., Steve W. and Jim T. all tried to tally the bill. As Ed worked it out with pencil and paper, Steve quickly did it in his head and Joe Lapiana rounded off the figures and gave his answer. It sounded like a TV Quiz show. Eventually they all agreed and we divided the bill equally.
Next month we will meet on February 25th (Ash Wednesday) at Stelli’s in Billerica. Joe Loduca will give us a special dispensation. Joe T. will send info by email.
You can see photos at the link below …
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/RomeoLunch11309
The eight Romeos in attendance were Joe Balsama, Joe Pignatiello, Joe Loduca, Joe Lapiana, Jim Terlizzi, Ed Deshuytner, Steve Winter, and Mark Ryan. We all arrived at about 12 noon with a few late birds. I was a little late because I looked at the directions and took the wrong exit 34 on Rte 3 instead of on Rte 495. Jim Terlizzi with Joe Balsama got stuck on Rte 128 due to a construction project. While we waited, drinks were served all around from Pepsi, to wine to Beer.
The waiter then announced the specials for the day and we all made are choices from the menu. There was a variety of salads, hot and cold sandwiches, Paellas and Tapas. Most of us ordered the Paellas with sea food or with pork on a bed of yellow Spanish saffron rice. Others ordered the special half sandwich (pastrami) and soup.
The meal was served in very short order with plenty of drink refills. Everyone enjoyed their meal choices and commented that it was tasty and filling. After dinner we all ordered coffee, espresso or cappuccino and Flan Espanol (vanilla and egg caramel custard) dessert to share.
Accidentally, one of the Joes (I’m not telling who) moved their chair back a bit and hit the floor partition which knocked against a folded louver door room separator that toppled over making a loud crash. All the patrons in the restaurant were quiet as a mouse for a split second with mouths all opened. Since there was no real damage and no one was hurt we all continued our conversation as the waiter picked up the partition. A Romeo will do just about anything to get attention.
As we ate, the conversation bounced around the table. Joe Lapiana talked about some TV he likes to watch (Two And A Half Men & The Big Bang). Joe Piganatiello told us that he was hospitalized during Christmas with two clots in his lungs. He has recovered and on some medication to dissolve the clot and thin the blood. Joe Loduca had been in the hospital last month to change his heart defibulator (pace maker) and is now A-OK. His doctor in the hospital asked if he could lift his sheet and check the catheter and after commented that the cold room temperature sure has caused some shrinkage.
Joe P. said that he would have to cancel his season ski pass to Wachusett’s Mt. due to his health. However, Joe Lapiana said he had only been able to go once so far to Wachusetts because it has been too cold. Steve Winter said he was planning to go skiing up north next week if the weather gets a little warmer.
Joe Balsama passed out his annual calendars to everyone from Swampscott Historical Society. The calendars show weather data that he has obtained from the New England Climate Service and the U.S. Naval Observatory. There are many interesting historical photos of places in Swampscott from 1830 to 1969.
The historical photos reminded me of some that I saw from Wilmington, MA where I live. I told Joe P. and Joe B. that there used to be a three story ice house on the shores of Silver Lake in Wilmington in the 1800s. In the winter they would cut out blocks of ice, stored them in the ice house and later transported it by train to Boston and Lowell. This was before refrigeration.
I also told Joe B. that I had a plastic rain gauge at my house that cracked with ice this winter. Joe said he has a metal rain gauge that doesn’t crack and that he measures snow depth with a snow yard stick and keeps daily weather data. I told him that I have used my snow blower 6 times this winter and had looked up the snow depths on AccuWeather.com. I’m sure that we will be snow blowing a few more times before winter is over.
Across the table, Joe Loduca talked about some baseball trivia. He seems to know a lot about it and quoted some sayings from Yogi Berra. I can’t remember exactly what he said so I looked some up on the web. You can find them at the link … http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/y/yogi_berra.html
Two Yogi quotes are “He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious.” And
“Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.” We all had a good belly laugh.
Ed D., Steve W. and Jim T. all tried to tally the bill. As Ed worked it out with pencil and paper, Steve quickly did it in his head and Joe Lapiana rounded off the figures and gave his answer. It sounded like a TV Quiz show. Eventually they all agreed and we divided the bill equally.
Next month we will meet on February 25th (Ash Wednesday) at Stelli’s in Billerica. Joe Loduca will give us a special dispensation. Joe T. will send info by email.
You can see photos at the link below …
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/RomeoLunch11309
