Advice from a caterpillar: meeting Linda Lou

Who are YOU?' said the Caterpillar.

 In true fashion, the Boo always worries about our personal safety when we visit Sin City. Given our propensity to meet-up with relative strangers (blogging friends), visit places like the Double Down (even in the daylight) and pull all nighters gambling, I guess I can see his point. In reality however, it’s more likely we are the ones your mother warned you about when we paint the town a lovely shade of fuchsia, or so we would like to think.

The residents and visitors of Vegas had no cause for alarm when the LMF and I joined the delightful Linda Lou at Ri Ra at Mandalay Place for lunch. Ok, perhaps I should edit that by saying: by unanimous vote our handsome young server, James (born near Dublin), could have had cause for worry but certainly not the general population. In addition to his charming Irish brogue and lovely smile he could also pour a decent pint of Guinness.

For the uninitiated, Linda Lou could be best describes as a funny, hard working, joyous, red hot granny, as well as, a published author of Bastard Husband: a love story, blogger and an occasional stand-up comic. Definitely a fun loving pistol…who is more charming in person than online, if that is even possible. Her blog is a must read for me.

Linda is also one of my greatest cheerleaders both in life and in my writing. This is no small task given the negative associations Sr. Ann left me with…way back in the day. For the life of me I could never understand and get over the sea of red that was the edited version of what she thought my prose should be. I’m not against constructive criticism and editing but I swear there was nothing left on the page after she was done. Needless to say it’s left me feeling paranoid for the better part of thirty years therefore this blog is huge step for me.

Anyway, the anticipation of meeting Linda Lou was surpassed only by actually meeting her. Our conversation ran the gamut: Vegas, love’s lost and found, travel, music, books, writing and even a smidgen of politics. After four hours and a table full of dead Guinness soldiers the only thing missing was the Irish tune “Whiskey in the Jar” playing in the background. To say we all hit it off would be an understatement; I took it as a good sign when she didn’t outright dismiss coming to see us in the “frozen chosen” months of Jan/Feb for a concert.

The landscape of  Los Vegas is forever changed; as if the LMF and I needed yet another reason to visit.  I can't imagine a future trip without at least a cup of coffee and a good story in the company of Linda Lou involved.  Our only regret, we have no photographic evidence of James or Linda Lou, despite the fact that BOTH of us had cameras with us. I choose to believe it was the hilarity of the company and not the Guinness that created this breech in vacation protocol..that's my story and I'm sticking to it ;-)

As the luck of the Irish would have it, this story has a tidy ending.  While walking back to our hotel, the LMF and I walked by NY, NY's Nine Fine Irishman just as the strains of ”Whiskey in the Jar” could be heard wafting out on Las Vegas Blvd.  Old friends, new friends, a pint or two of Guinness and a song; suddenly you have a memory in the making and a fine one it is indeed.