Yep. I’ve met the humble, yet esteemed, brilliant, funny Patrick Mead. And what a joy that was!! Well, on my part, anyway. I have no idea what Patrick thought of moi.
Friday afternoon about 4 p.m., Tom & I both got to meet Patrick, whom I have long considered one of my dearest blog buddies (see “Patrick Mead” & “Tentpegs“), ranked right up there with you, Greg (see “why, soitenly“). I just wish (1) you could have been there, too, Greg, (2) y’all’s wives could have come, (3) that the four of you were coming to our house, and (4) last, but not least, we could have all sat out by the fire pit on our deck Friday night listening to you both play your guitars. Now, that my friends, would be heaven!
Tom & I first met up at the Gulfport airport, just down the road about 40 minutes away, with our “neighbor” Les Ferguson, Jr.. Les is a fellow blogger, too, author of “A Wayfarer’s Trek.” He is the minister of the Orange Grove Church of Christ in Gulfport. I was really happy to meet Les, too, as we’ve been “following” each other ever since our early blogging days, for me, some five+ years now. We found we had a lot in common. For one thing, Les had written a weekly religion newspaper column for several years for the Vicksburg, Mississippi daily paper, even after moving over to Laurel, Mississippi. So, he and Tom hit it off and knew newspaper people in common.
Les was there to pick up Patrick to take him over to the Gulf Coast Bible Camp near Lucedale, Mississippi, a small town about the size of Picayune, but the other direction from Gulfport – northeast instead of northwest. Patrick was going to be speaking to a group of teens at a weekend retreat the camp was hosting. Tom & I didn’t figure we could pass for teens so didn’t try to break up the party.
The four of us only got visit for a few minutes there in the airport, but it was fun. Tom was SO sweet to take off work Friday afternoon to take me over. It was a gorgeous day. About 74 degrees, bright and sunny, with a good wind for sailing, if Tom had had his boat in the water. (It’s here next to the house on its trailer.) We went on down by the water in Long Beach to visit with friends, then gathered more friends to all ate dinner together at a great little Italian place. Quite a lovely afternoon and evening.
Oh yeah . . . we remembered our camera, so here’s PROOF POSITIVE of our Patrick Mead/Les Ferguson sighting in coastal Mississippi on a bright, nearly spring, day:
Patrick, me & Les.
Patrick & me.
And, last, but not least, Patrick, me and Tom.
Y’all come on down/over/up – whichever way – to see us, too, okay?! Would love to have each and every one of you over for a visit. There’s lots of fun stuff to do around here and you cannot beat the company you’ll be keeping. 
Cheers! And many blessings to each of you today! Dee
P. S. Next time I’ll get back to the conclusion of our Arkansas Memories Tour of Nov. 2009, so don’t miss it, ya hear?!
I guess Patrick and Les will do since Greg couldn’t get a visa out of SoCal.
where’e Bobby?
Would have loved to have been there, but honestly, the offer to sit on your back porch and pick guitars is even more tempting. A grilled steak from Tom would just about seal the deal!! Glad you got to meet Patrick in person. He is, indeed, a good friend I’ve yet to meet.
Dee!! I had to put my sunglasses on to look at your pictures; you are absolutely beaming!
I too am looking forward to meeting Patrick and other of our blogger friends at the Tulsa Workshop in about 10 days. Trey Morgan, John Dobbs, Steve Tucker, Amanda Sanders, Steve Tucker I’m not sure who else I will get to meet. I am certainly looking forward to it. I really, really wish Greg was going to be there too. Since you got to meet Patrick first I guess I will have to be first to meet Greg, and I agree, sitting around the fire and listening to them playing guitar would be a guaranteed good time.
Oops, see what happens when I don’t proof read what I write. Didn’t mean to put Steve in there twice. Sigh…another senior moment.
One of my dreams is to meet in person my blogging family! Glad you got to put some of you together!
It was great meeting you and Tom, Dee. When I heard you were coming to meet me at the airport, I asked my wife why anyone would want to do that. She gave me “that look” which I’ve seen for 30+ years and never successfully interpreted.
And remember, friends – the camera adds 30 pounds. And I think there were three cameras involved. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
Patrick, it is 50 pounds. Get it right. The camera adds 50 pounds… lol!