Tuesday, September 10, 2013

My Dad


My dad, Felix A. Rosario, passed away on 2 September 2013 after complications of his heart. He had been in ICU for just about two weeks after having open heart and by-pass surgery. One valve, normally the size of a 1/2 dollar was the size of a pin hole, so had difficulty breathing; and blockage of the LAD.

Surgery had gone well, or so it seemed. Doctors told us it was a day to day situation. When I saw him last week, he seemed fine and had been doing his breathing exercises. He couldn't talk because of the breathing tube and feeding tube down his throat but he understood my questions and comments and I even read him some get well cards.

On Sunday (September 1st), Tony and went to visit dad and he had taken a turn for the worse. About seven people were in the room trying to figure out what was going wrong. They eventually stabilized him and once we knew he was okay we left.

Later that evening my brother Charlie called to say he had gotten worse so I asked him to check with the doctor to see if I should be there, as I wanted to say goodbye to dad.  Yes.

A couple came to visit Dad (his neighbors) for a while and we all sat with the doctor as he explained that nothing further could be done. Dad had taken too many steps backwards.  He heart was in bad shape and would not withstand any further procedures. He had been placed back on “critical care” and his heart was not beating properly, along with his blood pressure very high.

I asked for a Chaplain to give dad his last rites with us at his bedside. His friends said their goodbyes and left Charlie and me alone with dad. We quietly played opera music in hopes of giving him a little something that he loved as he drifted from this world, which he did: Pain-free, peacefully, and with Charlie and me at his bedside.

Charlie and I made all the arrangements for dad’s funeral, which went well yesterday (9 September 2013). About 50 people attended, including my friends Christine and Paul from Toms River NJ and Carolyn and Mark from Columbia MD. Their attendance meant the world to me.

After Deacon Moore read my letter to dad (below), several of dad’s friends spent a few minutes telling stories.



Following the internment at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Annapolis, we had the repast at dad’s house with way too much food. Not everyone from the funeral services attended, but we had a nice number of people who sat around reminiscing about dad.












Dad and I had a lot in common and we shared many wonderful times together.

Dad had a full and wonderful life, from struggles to many accomplishments. His government career spanned 45 years. I followed suit, almost 30 years now, thanks to his assistance in getting my foot in the door.

Having lived around the world, Dad, Mom, Charlie and I experienced different cultures, food, art, music, and local traditions.  My passion for traveling grew from this, which dad always enjoyed reading my journals and saw the world with me through my photography. 

Dad and I enjoyed our lunch dates and it was always fun to watch him charm and flirt with the waitresses who smiled in return.

He gave advice and support when I needed it, and times when I didn’t. He appreciated my accomplishments and was also proud of Tony and me of our accomplishments together.

I was so always amused by his emails, as they were colorful, dramatic, or funny, that I told him he should write a book of his life. He loved the movies and could have been a movie critic.

I’ll miss our conversations, his stories, his cooking, even the self-portraits he took sitting at his computer before going to a concert.

Thanksgiving was always special with Dad, Charlie, and Tony’s family, Millie, Aldo, Ken, and others; or at his house for Christmas. I will miss Dad the most at Thanksgiving. He would sit next to me indulging on a huge turkey leg and all the foods that Tony and I prepared, while sharing a bottle of wine that he brought for just the two of us.

I love you Dad.

Monica



PS: Dad was dressed in his tux, just as he would when he went to the opera.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Hummingbird

A couple of weeks ago while sitting on my deck a hummingbird buzzed by me. I went out and bought a feeder. He's been around and I've been enjoying taking pictures. He's pretty fast, so I'm still trying to get the hang of it with all the camera settings and figuring out which is best; but this is a start.





Tuesday, July 30, 2013

My Outdoor Pet




This little fella has been hanging out on my deck and eating the bird food.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Setlist for the Paul McCartney Concert

I couldn't remember all of the songs that were sung at Paul McCartney's concert so I did a google search and found this web site: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/paul-mccartney/2013/nationals-park-washington-dc-7bd956d4.html

As I stated in my blog about the concert (see below), I was amazed at Paul's performance. What energy! What stamina! My friend Michael B. said to me, "At his age, 38 songs puts younger artists to shame."

Songlist:
Let Me Roll It (Wings song) (with "Foxy Lady" coda)

Encore:
Hi, Hi, Hi (Wings song)

Encore 2:

* "Another Day" is a song recorded by Paul McCartney in New York in 1970, during the sessions for his album Ram. Although it was the first single of McCartney's solo career, "Another Day" was actually written and previewed during The Beatles' Let It Be Sessions in 1969. It was officially released on 19 February 1971 in the UK, with "Oh Woman, Oh Why" as the B-side. Neither song was included on the original pressings of Ram. [Wikipedia.org].


Monday, July 15, 2013

Paul McCartney in Concert!

I splurged for a field seat ticket (section 3, row 27, seat 16) for a birthday gift to myself (which is on Friday) to see Paul McCartney in concert (July 12, 2013). I’ve always wanted to see him in concert but never had the opportunity. I missed out a few years ago.

When I heard about the pre-sale tickets for AMEX members, I bought one on the first day they were being sold. It was nerve-racking because once you enter the ticket site to select an area of the stadium, you have just a few minutes to finish the transaction. I was having credit card problems so it took quite a while.

I took the metro from Shady Grove to the Nationals Park in Washington DC, changing at the Gallery place metro station. Outside the stadium was just a block away. Easy! Lots of people were already gathering around the area and gates.

I arrived around 4:40pm to enjoy some VIP perks. I received an email invitation for those in the field for food, drink, live entertainment, early check in, etc. In one spot were comfortable chairs so I sat next to a couple (Rob and Angie) from Fredericksburg VA sipping a glass of wine. They were a nice couple and we had a good time talking. I also ran into a co-worker and her husband. He surprised her with tickets for her birthday.

Later I met up with a friend and her daughter and we had some dinner - I had a combo of jerk chicken, ribs, delicious potato salad and rice/beans. We stood near one wall (seats were taken) and ate our food while listening to Paul do his sound check inside the stadium. I was getting excited!

What an incredible show! This concert lasted three hours and we were lucky that it didn’t rain during the entire show (it had sprinkled every once in a while before the show).

The show was absolutely fabulous! Paul and his band performed three hours, to include two encores. They took no breaks except for the two-three minutes between the encores. I was amazed at Paul’s energetic performance for his age (71). His voice sounded great, he was upbeat, and you could tell he loves to play music and perform in front of a live audience.

Paul played a wonderful variety of music that spanned 50 years of his musical career: Eight Days a Week (opening song), Lady Madonna, Let it Be, Lovely Rita, Hey Jude, No More Lonely Nights, Silly Love Songs, Maybe I'm Amazed, Back in the USSR, Band on the Run, Something, and an incredible Live and Let Die with fireworks; and other songs. At the end, there were more fireworks, along with red, white, and blue confetti floating down from the sky.

This was one of the best night's of my life!

You can see all of my photos from the concert on this link (I used a Canon PowerShot HS SX280 camera):
http://www.pileggiphotography.com/Other/Paul-McCartney/30535517_qFvR6S#!i=2634252752&k=hdNPMvv