upState of Mind

Upon returning upstate, we visited Frank's grandparents, his Aunt Shirley, and Uncle Leroy.  Frank's grandparents are like his second set of parents.  He grew up next door to them, two houses away, and has fond memories of spending time there.  His grandfather taught him to work with his hands at a young age, giving him the foundation for the skill set he now has.   He also taught Frank how to fish and hunt.  His grandfather grew up in extreme poverty and was forced to be self-sufficient.  Him and his brothers often had to rely only on what they caught or killed for food, whether it be squirrels or robins eggs.  His stories of living in poverty makes me grateful for the luxuries I take for granted.  

His grandma and Aunt Shirley prepared a Thanksgiving-esque feast of turkey, ham and cabbage, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other goodies. Since neither one of us celebrated Christmas or Thanksgiving this year, it was great to get to spend some time with family over a nice meal.

Since we've been running back and forth between the city and upstate trying to see everyone we can, we have been utterly exhausted.  We decided to treat ourselves to some alone time after dinner to something we used to do all the time...go to a Drive-In movie.  2 of the only 356 Drive-Ins in the US are located close to where Frank's mother lives.  Before knowing Frank, I had never been to one.  The greatest thing about these is not only do you get to enjoy a movie from the comfort of your car, be it curled up in a blanket lounging in the back or simply reclining in the front seats; but you also get TWO movies for the price of one.  We watched Red 2 (meh...) and Wolverine (I have a soft spot for Marvel Comics).  The sound for the movie is broadcast from a designated radio station nowadays, however when Frank was little, he remembers there being posts with speakers that you would hang inside your window.  Drive-Ins are a novel thing these days with a steep decline from the 4000+ active drive-in theaters in the 50s.   The first theater opened in New Jersey in 1933, which may be the only good thing besides, Bruce Springsteen, to come out of there :P  

Foot long Hot Dog!