As far as I know, the weather has been pretty decent up and down the East Coast this weekend. It was a beautiful day here in Paradise. Karen and Paris decided they were going to get some plants in the ground, catch a little sun, and then head on out for a playdate with one of Paris’s friends. A Banner Day!
So! Plants are in the ground, Karen and Paris are in their bikinis, and it’s time for the “catch a little sun” part of the day. Karen walks out onto our lanai, and much to her credit she does not scream at the top of her lungs…because up on our pool cage is this guy:
Karen hates snakes. I’m not particularly fond of them either, so I have no idea what kind of snake this was. Problem is…here in Florida, we have all kinds of snakes. We have all kinds of critters. The snakes eat the critters we don’t want sharing our home, so it’s kinda’ a good idea to leave the snakes alone. But this guy was a Big ‘Un…
Each screen section on the pool cage is six feet wide. Our boy here isn’t even stretched out all the way, but he’s taking up a nice chunk of that section. Paris thought he was cool, and as we all watched, Mr. Snake made his way to the palm tree in the background and settled on a frond. He oriented himself so he was facing into the lanai and kept an eye on Karen and Paris all afternoon. Obviously the snake has good taste…
Okay! Enough with the slimy things! We have news from the Naval Academy! This weekend marked the celebration of the Annual International Ball. It’s a time when the Academy celebrates the international members of the USNA community — from professors to midshipmen. It is a huge, formal affair attended by Heads of State and the occasional princess or two. More on that later…
Friday night was the “dining out” part of the affair. The mids dress in their “Dinner Mess Dress” uniforms to look dapper and worthy of a princess:
Here’s Mark and two friends doing what young guys do when they put on something more than blue jeans. Smart, handsome men, wouldn’t you agree? (Oh, for those that don’t know, Mark is in the middle…)
Saturday night was the Ball. The attire is still formal, but a little more summer-appropriate. Nice, huh?
So…maybe you’re wondering about the princess, right?
Way back when, a long time ago, when Paris graduated from preschool, she and her class were asked to tell everyone in attendance what they wanted to be when they grew up. Paris stepped to the microphone and said (with authority) “When I grow up I want to be a real princess.”
So last night, as I was talking to Mark right before he stepped out the door in his smashing white uniform, I asked him to please find a princess at the Ball and get a picture for Paris. I mean, how hard is that? Look at these guys! Any princess in her right mind would love to be photographed with one of these guys!
And I gave him the line! I said “Look Mark, you walk up to a princess, and you introduce yourself by saying ‘Hi, I’m Mark Trunzo. Would you mind if a friend took a photograph of us? I have a six-year-old sister who wants to be a real princess when she grows up. She’ll be thrilled! Do you mind?’”
Honestly, how could that line fail? It couldn’t!
So! Where’s our princess? Mark? Maybe next year.