Friends of the Bride—Florida

Bram (Cool name, too)
Bram is a friend of the bride. He told me, “My mom and her have been friends forever. Like, for 15 years or something.” Bram’s mom told me that he insisted on going out shopping for his Fedora just for Heather’s wedding. He done good.



Vernell
I sorta took a liking to Vernell. “If I’m going to stand out in a crowd, then I want everyone to really see me,” she told me.
I said, “Well, I think an orange hat will do it every time.”
"That's why my hair is orange, too,” she said. She proudly told me that she’s six-foot-four.



Sunshine
Sunshine was the evening’s entertainer. And a great one he was, too! That man can entertain! He wore more than one hat during the course of the evening. He is also an employee of the bride.


Sunshine rocking the house.


Sunshine dancing.


Sunshine singing a love song.


In the picture below, Vernell really is the tall one; Sunshine was sitting in her lap. They worked the entertainment together.

Our Conductor--Amtrak from Chicago

We recently took a delightful train trip to Chicago and back.

What's a train trip without a Conductor? What's a Conductor without a really cool hat? I'd like one of those.

Mike--Missouri

He's a 14 year old boy. He's an actor. And a good one. He recently played in his high school's production of Les Miserables, a three-hour production. He had a short singing part in the first scene (slaves); and then played different characters in several others scenes.

Here he is as 'Babet,' part of a gang of bad boys. But he was really a good boy that night. And so were all the kids. A night to remember--and the hat helped.


He's our grandson, too!

The Mayor's Granddaughter--Arizona

While we were in Arizona at my high school reunion, we were introduced to Mayor Gomez, his wife and their granddaughter. This picture is a magazine cover, is it not?

The Mayor’s Granddaughter was not feeling well that day, after some days with the flu, but she managed this delicious smile for us, and now all of us are feeling better. If it wasn't for her hat, this picture may not have been so terrific.

Or maybe it's those eyes. Or that smile. Whatever: she's a glamorous little model!

Ying—China, England, Missouri

Many people wear mortar boards at this time of the year. But only one of them is Ying. My First Wife and I love Ying. We’ve known her for four years. Already?! She came to the US for college at the tender age of 17. Alone.

Ying speaks impeccable English—with a British accent. She lived in England for several years where her father was a Chinese government diplomat. While she’s been in the US, she’s made two trips to visit her parents “back home” in Beijing, China. Alone.

This Saturday she graduated—Summa Cum Laude , thank you very much!—from the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC). Next semester, she’ll be at Purdue University to study for a PhD in Pharmacy. Alone.

Ying’s very brave and determined, and quite a lot of fun, too. It’s been our blessing to be a tiny part of this beautiful and special young woman’s career.

And, oh yeah...doesn’t she makes that "hat" look good?

Kohen--Kansas

Kohen is just three months old. Isn't he cute? Yes, he is.
I spied him at my niece's wedding a couple of weeks ago and he let me take his picture.
Kohen'll grow up to be a handsome young man cuz both his folks are really good looking--and nice. His mommy cut me a big piece of wedding cake with thick icing slathered all over it.



I want a beret like Kohen's.

Cowboys--Idaho

What do you do on a peaceful evening in Emmett, Idaho? You rope wild women and you kiss pretty horses. Or you could go to a rodeo.

"Doods"--Missouri

I couldn't resist taking a picture of these "doods." They were at the National Bike Rally, a motorcycle rally featuring about 40,000 people in Kansas City, MO. While they're not really wearing hats, I'm willing to make an exception this time. Of course, they're not really people, either.