HR wished to expand the fair as bit this year. More food, more raffles, more activities - there was not going to be an employee picnic this year.
As far as the bbq was concerned - HR not only asked for more food, but they'd pick up the tab. We did about a hundred burgers more this year - people were happy that we'd added turkey burgers and of all things - mayonnaise =)
Saturday, I went to the memorial service for one of my fellow Alt.Trans members. I hadn't even know that she'd been ill.
I've know Holly since I started work with the City. She was the voice and especially the laugh of the fire dept. You could tell Holly was in the building just by her laugh - in fact you could hear that joyful sound out the door, down the street and around the corner =)
There are some really silly memories - I mean if you have to be up at 6:30AM, manning the "Energizer Station" for bike to work week, there's no better pal to share it with. There'd me, Arlene, Holly, and Isolda and we'd be laughing and joking while we passed out coffee and bagels to sleepy commuters. Ramon dressed in a bunny suit beating a drum with his Energizer banner across his chest.
Holly and her hubby Dave would cheerfully teach line dancing at the BBQs and Christmas parties. They didn't need an excuse to dance together.
Holly retired a few years back to take care of Dave who'd been recovering from cancer surgery. When I read her obit, I realized that Dave must have passed away earlier. I hadn't heard.
At her service, one of the battalion chiefs related that when he'd found out that she'd be retiring and that he'd not be able to hear her laugh on a daily basis, he'd set up a tape recorder in her office so he could get his daily fix. He kept a file of it on his phone and he played it for us. It was truly a bitter sweet moment.
I can still hear her laugh.
