Last evening Pat took me to one of the best restaurants in the Valley.. Locals… for Fathers day.  Subsidized by a certificate from my brother and his wife.

Now when I go to a good restaurant..  particularly on a Sunday evening.. and on Fathers Day, I expect to dress up a bit.  Not the suit and tie from our previous generation but at least business casual.

I am no longer shocked when I see guys at this restaurant dining in cut off jeans and tee shirts.  Just not right but what can I do.  To me, if the entrees at a place cost more than $30, you should attempt to dress accordingly.  I always notice that the ladies they are with at least try.

I guess I am just getting older.  Still a wonderful meal at one of the best restaurants situated in an old building with overhead beams and a view over the estuary.

Again this is not what upset me last night.

I am used to having my grandchildren and their generation show up at a dining experience and immediately turn on their smart phones and start rolling through their emails and texting friends, Ignoring the other people at the table.  There is a rule that I demand my grand kids when they show up at our table to put the machines away.  Generally followed.

Imagine my shock when I saw this happen with other people our own age.  A group of four (older than we are) were next to us and as they sat the guys chatted while their spouses brought out their devilish machines and progressed to text and even more shocking, take pictures of the menu, the bottle of wine and the meals as they arrived.

I mean how does anyone older than 25 do that?

Then another old couple were sat behind us and as they were waiting for service (obviously a long married couple that can no longer converse to each other) they brought out their machines and progressed to go through their emails and texts only pausing to order food.

Our generation was the last bastion of good taste and manners…. is it gone???

Pat and I had a great meal and we had no end of things to talk about even after all these years.  We left our cell phone at home…..