Blake Steck

Elk medallions with blackberry and wine sauce, morel mushroom gravy atop mash tonight. Lo ate it (no, I didn’t disclose what it was beforehand).

Meet Chuck. We’re 6 feet apart but we’re also the only patrons having lunch in this particular restaurant so we chose to sit together. Chuck is 80 years old and worked at Lockheed Martin for 34 years with a top secret clearance. His wife of 33 years, Gayle, died in September and he is alone. He met Gayle on his birthday at a restaurant where he was celebrating his birthday and she was celebrating Mother’s Day with her family. He was hesitant to try and talk to her because she was “out of his league and always will be” but he took a chance and never looked back. He talks about her every day and showed me his favorite pictures of them together and told me about how they toured 48 states. He is beyond proud of his grandson, who is a local firefighter, and he cried telling me about the award he won and how he got the transfer he had been working for, which he starts this Monday. Chuck is going to Biloxi, Mississippi next week to the casinos because before Gayle passed she told him that if played the casinos there in May he will be OK and she’ll make sure he wins so he won’t have to worry about money anymore. I don’t know it Chuck will win at the casinos in Biloxi but I know two things for sure. 1. Buying Chuck’s lunch was the best money I’ve ever spent and 2. Chuck has already won, whether he knows it or not. https://www.instagram.com/p/CA0lUkFpy-i/?igshid=16qkc16lxdjy1

It’s Friday. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_8TPUCJDmD/?igshid=1q9iir3xlqj4j

Watching me trying to trim his sister’s hair. If you’ve ever wondered what a chihuahua that’s terrified he’s next looks like, you saw it here first, folks. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_yDmA4JKEk/?igshid=10bs6o0hr7luc

Welcome to Thunderdome! Two shall enter, yet only one shall emerge! https://www.instagram.com/p/BtRutBBH8-T/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1v0sk77uzqyoy

Breakfast time https://www.instagram.com/p/BsQWTiMgYN8/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=mfj1g938y1la

First ballet field trip! https://www.instagram.com/p/BrSarQpAcBw/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=fzypj9ft6jpf

Let’s do this! #GoBolts (at Amalie Arena) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp3AVa1AjcI/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16zm042zq19h0

DMV. Happy Halloween. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpmv6M1gCvM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1g22wxn700pmm

Ready for her school Halloween parade. https://www.instagram.com/p/BpmV_wqgVpX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=dqo3xpixud0

My little longhorn. ❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/BpAp3ofgz_x/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=18lq47ujy9y6h

Unintentional matching. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo1SsOXA0H_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=jitnm8nvi364

Unintentional matching. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo1SsOXA0H_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=qwsqx8wthtyo

Finally got my Plux wireless charger for phone, watch and AirPods I bought on @indiegogo in April. Took a while but I can’t complain about how it works. https://www.instagram.com/p/Boz0MW2A4ug/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1byllq6aqv41h