Smilin' Jack: Sizzler

Or - This Is Just My Day Job…

Every story begins with that first step…and our first step takes us by our tomatoes.

Looking good, eh? Damn skippy, they are.

There's more than we can eat and so we've had the fun of giving them away. If you need a few, give me a call.

Then, naturally, our next step is to REI. I was looking for a metal detector. Don't ask.

And then over to Bed, Bath and Beyond cuz, well, it was there.

And I saw this and it struck a chord. I'm ready to sail the Seas…to parts unknown.

I've even checked in to riding along on a tanker or freighter but, man, they're almost as expensive as taking a luxury cruiser. And by almost we're only talking a few dollars shy of the cruiser.

But, still, the young boy in me still feels the pull of adventure.

So after B,B & B, we jaywalked across the street to the Barnes and Noble. Still a lot of fun browsing through a book store. My favorite is the Bargain Table books. I could spend a lot of money there. A lot.

Coming back to the car, we used the crosswalk. And, while we were waiting for the light to change, I noticed these...

Pretty nice, eh? You can see the wear and tear of living by the busy intersection. Urban grit on the petals.

And then…

EXTREME CLOSE-UP!!!

Isn't that cool!?! The little stars that you can't really see in the bigger picture!! The little flowers within the flowers.

Love my little camera.

And, next to those flowers, were these. Even on the corner of a busy intersection…

Hahaha, I wax philosophical.

And then…

another…

EXTREME CLOSE-UP!!

Woo, woo, y'all!!

Well, that was fun.

Now to the real task at hand. Putting on the feed bag at Sizzler!!

Mmmmmmm, already I was salivating!!

Just a friendly little ol' National Chain Restaurant. With a homey touch.

Hahaha, spent a few minutes in front of this bad boy.

it's tough figuring out what you're gonna eat…especially when you have a gift card and the meal is already paid for!!

Oh, what to get!?!?!

Tough choices…but I wisely decided to go with the New York Cut with a Baked Potato. Oh, and don't forget the mushrooms!!

Mmmmmmm…

Here's the little lady that took our order…and kept smiling regardless of all the nonsense I threw her way…and, believe me, I threw a lot.

Here she is with our gift card.

I don't know if it was me or not, but shortly after I left her, there were two less beers in that bucket on her left.

Hmmmmmm, Cause meet Effect?

And we were ready!!

I must be honest, I was excited. It's been a long time since I chowed down on a steak!!

A looooooong time!!

And then we got to meet our server, DeDe.

The first thing I noticed was her name tag and I had to ask her about that and, in-between doing her job, she told us the story behind the tag.

Here she is, Mrs. Seahawk. With her baseball card.

She and her husband, Mr. Seahawk, are, surprisingly, HUGE Seahawks fans. They have season tickets in the end zone on the South end of Century-Link and they're there EVERY game day.

They knew each other in high school and, after school, he moved away while she stayed in the area. After about 10 years, he moved back and looked her up. They discovered a common love of the Seahawks and they've been together ever since.

It's not an ordinary love. Oh, no, they are TOTAL Hawks. They were married on the 50-yard line of the old Kingdome in front of a sold-out crowd. And, they were the first couple inducted into the Hall of Fans in Canton, Ohio's Pro Football Hall of Fame.

There's an interview on the Net where they go inside Mr. & Mrs. Seahawk's home and, Good Golly!! They decorated the whole house in Seahawk stuff.

They are fans. All the way.