Petroleum Club - part II

The view from our boardroom... on the 39th floor:









You've got to know my Aunt to know why we all wound up at The Petroleum Club.

Johnnie Benson is a wonderful woman that most of Texas can tell you about...

She's been written about in more newspapers than I'll ever be able to count. And she was an entrepreneur long before I knew what that word mean't. Long before I was born, I'm sure. Johnnie Benson is all that... and more.

Not quite 80, Johnnie Benson has just announced tonight that she is now semi-retired. Not retired, but semi-retired. When pressed to explain, that means that she is no longer working 75 hour weeks... but has cut back to working only 40 hours a week. And that ain't no lie.

You see, Johnnie Benson is the true definition of a workaholic, without any of the negative connotations that that word implies. The name 'Johnnie Benson' is also synonymous with health care. With nursing homes. With assisted living. And I don't have the time or energy to list everything here, so suffice it to say that this was a woman with a dream. A dream to own and operate a nursing home... which blossomed into many... in Texas and Oklahoma.

And she's my Aunt.

And she was the hostess of our Thanksgiving feast at... The Petroleum Club.

With that tiny biography in mind (which I know doesn't do her even a spec of justice) here's our Thanksgiving meal in a little picture fest:



I didn't expect to see her name up on the marquee...




And this is the boardroom. Separate from the main eating room that the other "members" of the club ate their Thanksgiving feast in. I didn't expect us to have our own "wing!"





And this is Johnnie Benson. My Aunt Johnnie. She was the host of this wonderful afternoon.




We met folks at this event that we didn't know... but knew would become fast friends. This is Rendy and Elizabeth. Rendy and Liz talked movie industry talk for the entire afternoon. Rendy is Elizabeth's new mentor of sorts.




Chandler and Elizabeth. Chandler and Liz are cousins. Chandler is Johnnie's granddaughter.


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The Kahles posed for a Christmas card shot. Help me decide which photo will work best...


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And that was Thanksgiving for the Kahles. We've been invited back next year... and I polled my little family about what they wanted to do. Have me cook or join the family at The Petroleum Club? Gee, guess which one won? Yeah, the Petroleum Club won hands down. I'm sure it had nothing to do with my cooking...
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