Wow. The weirdest thing about all this is that he predicted how it would go almost down to the letter. I must say I did a mental double take when Sam told me at Newick's that he had "already posted about our meeting" before leaving work...

> Grishny had to leave around 2:30, so we said our goodbyes and left from there.
>
> Bookstores are a great place to hang out with RinkyDinks. I think that's because we're introspective by nature. We had hung out with Issachar and his wife in the same bookstore and had a lot of fun. We sat at the cafe and chatted, and then, like all good things, they had to end.

Bookstore? Huh? Actually we stayed at the restaurant the whole time and chatted, etc. Probably because we took so long to order our food. I think the waitress forgot about us for a while.

> I had decided not to go back to work that afternoon anyway, so we decided to kill some time by driving over to the new Barnes & Noble to kill some time.

Hey, I would have been up for it if you had suggested it. I love bookstores.

> Needless to say, by the time the check arrived, we were stuffed to the brim, and we could barely waddle out.

Speak for yourself, Sam! "Waddle" is a bit excessive. I don't like to stuff myself, so I usually end up taking food home, as I did this time. The only exception is at a buffet place, where you have to stuff yourself if you want to get your money's worth.

> My haddock sandwich was spectacular, as always, and Leen liked her assorted lobster dishes. New England lobster is the best in the world, and I don't care what anybody says to the contrary. Grishny and Mrs. Grishny also liked their meals, although Little Grishny decided the Steamers were too slimy. It reminded Leen and me of when we made famous try steamers for the first time. The look on her face was priceless.

"Little Grishny" only had the food we brought for him, but "Big Grishny" did try the steamers. Sam said I one-upped famous by actually swallowing the thing. My assessment: edible, but not enjoyable. It was kind of gritty. Leen says I didn't rinse it enough. In my opinion, anything that has to be rinsed AT THE TABLE before you can put it in your mouth and chew it up isn't meant to be food. :oP

> They got us a table near the window, which is the best, because this restaurant sits RIGHT ON the ocean. The waitress took our orders, and we talked about all sorts of things while we were waiting for the food to arrive. Grishny is as congenial and pleasant in person as he is online, if not more so, and we were also delighted to discover that his family is as nice as he is. We had a good time, and again I wish more RinkyDinks lived closer.

For some reason they wouldn't let us sit next to the window because we had an infant. Whatever. Wow Sam, you are right-on and 100% accurate about that "congenial and pleasant" stuff! :oP

> We always like watching people's reactions when we take people to Newick's for the first time. Their reactions at the sheer size of the place are always fun.

> They drove in a few minutes later, and we recognized each other instantly. After the momentary awkwardness of meeting was over, we very quickly got comfortable with each other and wandered into line in the restaurant.
>
> Leen and I arrived at Newick's first, and we hoped the directions we gave were clear enough. But we had our cell phone with us for them to call if they got lost.

We did have to use the number, but it was because we left late, not bad directions. Sam gave me superb directions. The only thing he got wrong was the name of the street that Newick's is on.

> Leen picked me up from work around 12:20ish, and we headed for Newick's. Although we have two vehicles, she dropped me off at work this morning so we could leave to go to my grandparents' house straight from work that afternoon.
>
> At any rate, I'd better sign off now, because Leen should be arriving at any minute. I'll be sure to post the details of our meeting with Grishny and family when it's all over.

For some odd reason, my first impression was, "Huh. Sam and Leen are tall!" They're not, really, just taller than me and my wife. Sam and Leen are as congenial and pleasant in person as they are online, if not more so. Yes, I copied and pasted that sentence, but it's true!

We covered a wide range of topics during our short visit. My wife unintentionally made a funny by asking me if she could order a ginger ale. Of course I said, "only if you promise not to yak it all over yourself." We discussed first meetings and old emails and well, all kinds of things! I wish we could have talked longer than we did. The time flew by very quickly, and before we knew it it was 2:30 and we had to go.

Sam presented me with a new keychain for my collection...A miniature version of the kid's game "Operation." It buzzes and everything! He even made it an official RinkWorks gift by signing it with the magic Sharpie marker! I will treasure it always.

I took a picture of Sam and Leen holding the "semi-official RinkBaby," which of course will be added to Jonathan's photo album in time. He's still only "semi-official"-- Sam hasn't signed him with the magic Sharpie yet. :o)

Sam, we had a great meal and a great visit with you and Leen. We certainly *will* have to do it again someday, especially when we have more time!

Gri"and Mrs. Grishny and Baby Grish too"shny