Not Just Another Vacation

This is Day 16 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Vacation. Please visit the other participants for more stories. 

Be an explorer. The universe is filled with wonder and magical things. - Flavia


Whether it is across the globe or in your own back yard, the world is a fascinating and wonderful place. Go check it out!

Photo credit: Ashley Morris

This was indeed a wonderful and magical experience. You can see the video and read about my experience in Linda Meets the Manatee. 



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Murder in the Warehouse

This is Day 15 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Can you hear me? Please visit the other participants for more stories. 

The investigation into Jenna's kidnapping continues.

After being briefed by the local PD, Charlie and Alex checked into the hotel, and even though it was 1 a.m., their minds were thoroughly engaged in the case. Alex got some sodas, chips and candy bars from the vending machine. 

"How's that going to look on the expense report?" chortled Charlie. "Eating junk food in New York."

"Well I'm hungry and it's a little late for room service. Besides it's better than the bar for case work, although maybe I could get some wings to go. What'd ya think?"

"Whatever cranks your tractor" cracked Charlie. "But seriously, let's lay out our plan and then get some sleep so we can hit the streets first thing." 

"According to her cell phone records, her last phone call was made from here," said Alex, pointing to the map laid out across the table. "The security camera showed her heading South along 8th Avenue. I suspect he grabbed her as she was coming out of one of the theaters. It looks like the bulk of the theaters are from 40th and 54th streets between 8th Avenue, and the Avenue of the Americas. That's a lot of ground to cover." 

"The local PD will be helping canvas, and I gave them a stack of photos of Jenna, with our hotline number on them to pass out. Actually the night shift is already on this, asking around in bars and clubs, and basically anyone who might have seen or heard anything." Charlie stretched "That's it for now, let's hit the sack."

"Great!" said Alex, suppressing a yawn. "A few zzz's and I'll be ready to go." His head hit the pillow and two minutes later the snoring started. Charlie sighed. "I hope for Jenna's sake and mine that this case is solved quickly." he muttered, as he pulled a pillow over his head.

A few hours later Charlie's cell phone rang. "Yes, we'll meet you there in 30. C'mon Alex, we just have time to clean up and grab some coffee and danish and get to the precinct."

The sergeant in charge led them to a conference room where he had a map on the wall and the case file open. "We got a tip from one of our CIs who frequents places where the mafia hang out. He hasn't seen Jenna, but he heard someone named Donato talking about locating a 'piece of scum with the brains of a cockroach'. They think he may be holed up in an old warehouse near the generating plant on the other side of the East River between 38th and 40th Avenues. Why is it always a warehouse?" questioned the sergeant rhetorically.

"Okay," said Charlie, "We need to move now. I need two officers with me. "Alex, you and the Sergeant take a couple men and move in from the North, we'll go in from the South. Listen everyone, no sirens or lights. We need to keep a low profile."

At the warehouse they work in pairs to quietly clear the perimeter and check the entrances. There is a broken out window and Alex climbs through, gun drawn and flashlight beaming around the room. Charlie and his crew are working the other side. Alex spots a storage closet and on a gut feeling, tries the knob. Locked. He radios for Charlie and looks around for something to pry the door open. 

"Alex, what's with the closet?" inquired Charlie. "Did you see any signs of our perp?" 

"Nope, I just have a hunch," as he pries the door open. There on the floor on an old blanket was Jenna. She was drugged, but she appeared to be otherwise unharmed. "Call for an ambulance," Alex requested as he tried to wake her.

"Jenna, can you hear me? It's Alex."

They searched the rest of the warehouse and found the kidnapper with a single gunshot wound to the head, execution style. 

"I guess Jenna was fortunate this time. Her kidnapper actually saved her life by knocking her out and locking her in the closet." Charlie grinned. "We all got lucky with that CI's tip. 

"Now do we investigate the murder?"

"Nope, it's a local thing" said Charlie. "The NYPD will be working that case. Let's go home."

For more adventures of Charlie and Alex:

Risky Business

Aliens, Really?
The Colombians
The Key
Stranded
The Last Laugh
The Morning After

Bears, Beans and Beer

Kidnapped

Jenna's Misfortune

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A Million Bucks

This is Day 14 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is If I had a million dollars. Please visit the other participants for more stories. Better late than never.

It would be nice to have a million dollars just to play with. I'd probably start with my dream house. A two-story house with a full basement and walk up attic (I love storage space) on at least ten acres with an attached two-car garage with bonus room, and a huge workshop for hubby with heat and A/C, partitions for different tasks (electronics, metal working, miscellaneous tinkering), a bathroom and refrigerator. Save the beer for after working with the power tools, please.

There would be a wrap around porch, an upper level deck with an outdoor kitchen, and a stone fireplace in the backyard, all excellent for entertaining.

I'd have a spacious kitchen with lots of drawers, cabinets and counter space. A must have would be a walk-in pantry with lots of shelves, drawers and slide outs for canned goods plus a main level laundry with a way to hang up jeans, dry sweaters and storage for laundry supplies - again with the storage.

It would have office space for both of us, plus two master bedrooms, one on each level, and two guestrooms upstairs with an additional bathroom. The main level would also have a powder room. The main living area would be an open floor plan with a big fireplace and lots of natural light.

In reality, if I were handed a million dollars, no strings attached, I would probably donate some, save some, buy hubby a new truck and maybe buy some version of my dream house.

What would you do?



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Tuesday Wines, Wednesday Chores

This is Day 13 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is The day after last night. Please visit the other participants for more stories.

This topic could conjure up all sorts of tales from the truly bizarre to the painfully mundane. Last night was fun but definitely not bizarre, and today leans more toward the mundane.

The third Tuesday of each month is our wine club meeting (American Wine Society). We are currently meeting in a private room in a downtown restaurant, where many of us have dinner first. 

After dinner, we began with a half hour social where we chatted with friends, talking about our cats, the weather and the dreadful parking situation. 

During the meeting, Sara Gutterbock, from Mutual Distributing Co., gave a delightful and educational presentation of Ancient Wines for Modern Times, and we tasted two whites and three reds, all from Italy, as she talked in detail about the varietals, history, locations, and ideal growing conditions for each. 

These were not your run-of-the-mill grocery store wines, not that there is anything wrong with that. That's where most of mine come from, but many of these varietals are rarely found outside their region. For the whites we had a blend of 25% Pinot Blanco, 25% Pinot Grigio and 60% Tocai Friulano (now called Tai) and a 100% Garganega Soave Classico. For the reds, the first was a blend of  90% Monica, 5% Carigano, and 5% Bovale Sardo, followed by two single-grape wines, Nerello Cappuccio and Uva di Troia.

We sampled the wines with a variety of cheese, crackers and salami that complemented the wines, which were all available for order. We enjoyed them all, and ordered some for ourselves.

As for the day after, it begins with watching Netflix and writing this post while hubby has breakfast with a group of amateur radio enthusiasts. Then comes the more mundane task of hand-washing all the tasting glasses from last night, unloading the dishwasher and a host of other daily chores. 

Rumble, rumble, thump -there goes the garbage truck. The recycle truck will be along later -then we'll haul the bins back to the house. The neighbors across the street have a large piece of trench-digging equipment at work in their yard. It is 26 degrees, and I don't envy those working outside as we anticipate the onset of snow showers this afternoon.

Yep, just another Wednesday...the day after Tuesday night.



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Can You See Me Now?

This is Day 12 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Dreaming. Please visit the other participants for a peek into they're dreaming about.

Today we continue Eli's story. The last we knew he was invisible.

Eli left the bar and headed home. He had to walk because a car driving itself would be hard to explain. He knew he had left Paul in a bad spot but there wasn't much he could do. 

"Excuse me," he muttered as he bumped into a fellow pedestrian. The gentleman looked startled. "Really, I have to be more careful and I need to stop talking to myself, I'm in enough trouble as it is. Just got to get home."

Finally he rounds the corner to his house, bolts up the steps, then checks to see if anyone is looking before he opens the door. Safely inside he collapses on the couch. "I must be dreaming. That's it! I'll just lay here and sleep and when I wake up everything will be all right."

Morning dawned bright and sunny, birds chirping, and the paper landed with a thump in the driveway. Eli roused himself from the couch, squinting at the sun streaming in the window. "Why am I on the couch? That must have been some night last night". 

He dragged his groggy butt into the kitchen and made some strong black coffee. "I must have really tied one on. At least it's Sunday so I don't have to go to work. Maybe I'll just get a shower and watch TV all day.

He padded down the hall to the bathroom, gulping down some aspirin with his last swallow of coffee.  He looked in the mirror and then he remembered. Last night he was invisible, and he left his car, not to mention Paul, at the bar. He peered closely at himself. "I look like crap, but at least I'm visible. I guess I was dreaming." 

His shower finished, he pulled on sweatpants and an Aerosmith tee shirt. Suddenly a bird landed on the ledge outside his open window. It was a beautiful bird with a thin gold chain in its beak. The chain fell to the ground as it spoke, "Hear what I say, Eli, you were not dreaming."

Eli's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "What? A talking bird?  Mother...?"


If you want to catch up on Eli's adventures:
Birdman
The Princess
Eli and the Redhead 
The Winged Woman
Meet Eli's Mother
Eli, Where Are You?

Edited to add links to previous posts.

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