A SPECTACULAR START TO 2012

With the holiday season behind us, I find relief in being able to return to my boring, boring life.  But that's the way I like it!  There's nothing wrong with a change of pace, I just like to know it's coming!  For example, I like to go shopping.  I don't like to go when I didn't plan to.  (And as I typed that I realized I forgot to get milk when I went out earlier this morning -- on a trip I planned.)  I thoroughly enjoy traveling, but I also like to do it after several days to plan my agenda:  when to pack, what to pack, when to leave for the airport.  Time to stop newspaper and mail delivery.  But once on the road, my heart's in 100%. But as I was saying, my daily agenda at the present time is boring.

The year started off routinely.  Dawn, Bob and the kids came over New Year's Day for our traditional meal: pork roast, sauerkraut, molded pear salad (referred to as green Jell-O salad) replacing the healthier but not eaten greens, black-eyed peas and cornbread.  We also took pictures that will be included in the calendar for 2013 -- the cover photo with Dawn, Bob, Brandon and Sophia and one, for January, of Sophia and Brandon only.

The kids were back in school on January 3, just in time for a day off the end of the week. Without snow to play in, the Wii has filled many leisurely hours and the family has instituted a "family night" at home.  When homework is done, they play games.  The other day I was introduced to Golf when there was no school in observance of MLK Day.  I'll just say I didn't do very well and the kids had a ball witnessing my failure to grasp the concept.



Sophia's dental work is under way.  The back story - one day when she was 4, she was jumping on her bed, fell and hit her right incisor on the bedside table.  It was certain Sophia would lose the tooth, but miraculously, it reseated itself.  It did so so well that when it was time, and then past the time it should be pushed out by the permanent tooth, it wasn't. X-rays showed that the permanent tooth was there, but had failed to drop down.  And the baby tooth was becoming longer, as though it wanted to come out ... maybe.  The dentist pulled it over a year ago and the reason it had remained in place was probably due to the fact that it had grown longer.  But even without the tooth, the permanent incisor failed to come down.


Eventually she was taken to visit a pediatric dentist who determined that the permanent tooth bud had been damaged in the accident.  The tooth had developed but was upside down with the back of the tooth facing forward.  As a result, Sophia has spent the last couple months having the lateral incisor moved to its proper position to make room for the central incisor.  The surgeon has since operated to expose the bottom (and back) of the tooth and attached a "chain" which will be gradually tightened, pulling the top of the tooth down like a drawbridge.  At a certain point the chain will be moved to the front of the tooth to complete the repositioning. 

Dawn and Bob are doing fine.  Last winter Brandon began stripping bathroom wallpaper in anticipation of Dawn's redoing the room.  That's finally happened and the 70's-style decor has been moved into the current century with ice-blue paint on rough-plastered walls.  Bob, every woman's dream of an all-around handyman, installed a new combination ceiling fan and light fixture and moved the wall switch to just inside the bathroom door rather than its former site half way into the room.

Early in January Brett mentioned that their jobs might make it necessary that he and Michelle would move to Los Angeles.  Brett indicated that they could use my help during the transition since they both would need to be elsewhere than at home several days a week and the dogs would need a sitter.  The follow-up call came the end of January.  Brett was taking a position in the corporate office in Los Angeles and Michelle  had accepted an offer from a company in Burbank. Three days later I was in San Francisco.

I spent February helping pack and keeping the dogs company while Brett and Michelle devoted their time to finding housing in LA when not in their offices.  Plans fell into place and even the hiccups that are inevitable were overcome.   The moving company was selected after bids were received and the date for the move was set.  Packing was finished on Monday, February 20, the van loaded on Tuesday, the drive down  done on Wednesday and goods were off-loaded on Thursday.  Michelle's parents arrived Thursday afternoon to help with unpacking and I flew back to Ohio on Friday.

The "bar" to the right is about the height of the fridge's freezer

The house Brett and Michelle are renting is in Venice, a beach community west of Los Angeles.  The house is quaint, a one-of-a-kind structure.  Kitchen counters are cement.   The "bar" that the homebuilder installed is nearly five feet above the floor. The owner/ resident was single at the time and didn't sit down for meals, but stood at the counter to eat.






The guest (or hall) bath is plain-jane.  The master  bath, however, is not.  There's a large in-floor tub that two people can sit in comfortably, but access requires one to sit on the floor in order to get into it.  The hand rail on the wall isn't to assist the handicapped, but to enable the occupant to pull himself up and out (if she or he doesn't  simply crawl out onto the floor!). Sliding barn doors separate the third bedroom/office from the dining area and the master bath from the hallway.


This winter has been the winter that wasn't.  Forecasters warned as 2012 approached that  January would be very cold and February, warmer but very snowy.  Wrong.  On both issues.  I believe the overnight temperature dropped into the teens only two or three times in the entire season.  What could have been snow came down as rain because it was too warm for snow.  Daily temperatures in January fell between the mid thirties and low forties.  I was in California in February, but daily temperatures in San Rafael and Ohio paralleled each other.  Sunny skies were common in both areas.  Typical for northern California, but certainly not for northeast Ohio.

March continued the warm trend.  Record highs were set from March 17 to the 24th, ranging from 77 to 82.  By Easter, April 8, ranges were more seasonal, and therefore, cooler.

I enjoyed the time away, relaxing in California while keeping an eye on the dogs. But when I returned home, I vowed to clear the list of tasks I'd left behind.  In November, my brothers, Jason and Jeff, and I had spent a day together, a rare event since Jason and Evie live in Georgia.  I'd brought photo albums of our parents.  Dad's had been put together by our mom.  After she died, I made a similar one of her life.  But neither Jason nor Jeff had any of the pictures and asked that I make copies.  So I spent a weekend copying them and posting on Picasa.  From there they can get prints or just enjoy scrolling through the on-line albums.

About 1944

About 1944

Me - About 1944

About 1964

Parents' 40th Anniversary - 1978

Coincidentally, Dawn has asked questions about our family history, questions I couldn't answer because I hadn't asked similar questions when my parents were alive, or the questions I did ask went unanswered.  We looked at Ancestry.com, but without a subscription, many records were unavailable.  So I enrolled.  There is so much information there, much of the family data already gathered by others and available to the "public"!  And still, there are holes to be filled.  Every few days I go on a search for information , hoping to fill in the blank spaces.

Now that I've shared early 2012 happenings around Park Place, we can move on to spring!  

BRANDON AND SOPHIA - 2011

January

Brandon was 11 in early January.  Sophia was 8 in November 2010.

Just the three of us

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER

As Christmases go, I rank this one in 2011 as one of the best.

It has been our practice since Brandon was old enough to understand the words "Santa" and "presents" that on Christmas Eve I take my pillow, toothbrush, etc. and spent the night at the kids' house.  Otherwise, when the call comes Christmas morning at oh dark thirty that Brandon and Sophia are up and anxious to open their gifts, I would have to quickly get dressed and drive over in freezing temperatures.  Not my favorite way to start the day, let alone Christmas Day.

Early in the evening Brandon began negotiating what time we'd get up in the morning.  He started with 5:00 AM and got an emphatic NO.  Then he moved to 5:30 and Bob compromised with 7:30.  Brandon, 6:00; and Bob told him if he didn't stop, it'd be 9:00.  So Brandon went to 6:30 and Bob, 9:30 with the added question, "You still want to do this?"  I don't think the precise time was ever agreed on.

The kids were in bed at 9:30 and Bob's and Dawn's gifts went under the tree around 10:00.  Santa's followed some time later.  While Dawn prepared for bed, she found Brandon's watch with the alarm set for 6:00 under the armoire in her bedroom.  She disarmed it and hung the watch on the tree.

I heard Brandon get up at least three times during the night, supposedly to use the bathroom.  He wasn't particularly quiet, but he didn't overtly try to wake anyone.  Sophia was restless, but even though she's now nine, she is afraid of Santa in the flesh and wouldn't venture from the bedroom alone.  I know it was difficult for Brandon to go back to bed, because he could easily see two new bikes sitting beside the tree on trips between his room and the bathroom.

Sometime close to 6:30, Brandon couldn't stand the anticipation any longer and he knocked on Dawn's bedroom door.  Sophia, who had slept on a pallet on her floor so I could have her bed,  jumped up to be ready for the rush to the living room.

There were so many special gifts.  Bob had wrapped his gifts for Dawn and Sophia set them on the couch beside him.  The kids distributed presents to the adults while also unwrapping theirs.  Occasionally Bob would give Dawn one he'd gotten for her.  I knew what one of them was and I waited with the camera.

 Midway through the unwrapping, Sophia, to my left, was busy opening a gift and chattering away while wearing an Angry Bird hat that Brandon had given her.  On my right were Dawn and Bob, sitting on the couch.  As Sophia jumped up to show Dawn a gift she'd received from Santa, Bob handed Dawn the littlest package, and as she opened it, he slid from the couch to one knee on the floor.  I couldn't hear what he said because Sophia was jabbering.  

Brandon looked at Sophia and asked, "You don't know what's going on, do you?" and with a puzzled look on her face, she replied, "No, not really."  To whatever Bob had said, Dawn responded, "Yes!"  And thus, they are now engaged! 

 

 

 

Bob is a musician and he once made a comment to Dawn that he used to have a guitar and missed it.  He now has one, a gift from Dawn. 

There were special presents for Brandon and Sophia as well.  In addition to the bikes Bob gave them, there was a Wii for the family and an iPod for Sophia.  Nana and Pap had made a chest for each for their treasures.  Sophia's even has a music box.  And I got what I most wanted:  a storage cabinet for the garage!

 

 

We spent the rest of the day enjoying our gifts.  The Wii controls were passed around as each took a turn.  Brandon, Sophia and I played word games with each other on our Apple iPods and iPad.  And Dawn and Bob smiled a lot.

 

NOVEMBER WEEKEND IN SAN FRANCISCO

It's been two years since Dawn and I visited  Brett in San Francisco.  The three of us try to meet somewhere each November to celebrate Dawn's and Brett's November birthdays, but last year he was in China.  This year, however, Dawn and I, along with her boyfriend, Bob, and Brandon and Sophia flew to San Francisco for a long weekend celebration.

Fortunately, the rain that greeted us on landing Friday was gone by Saturday morning and we had three glorious, cloud-free, sunny days.

 We had an agenda for the weekend.  Our destination on Saturday was Muir Woods National Monument. The trees, some of which have been dated to before 1000 AD, are giants.  Their size dwarfs the people, and visitors walking beneath them converse in quiet tones. 

After leaving Muir Woods, we headed to the top Mt. Tamalpais where we took several pictures of the family.  Brett set up his camera on a tripod and once the first family photo was framed, he raced down the hill to get into the picture before the timer went off.  It took several tries to get an acceptable shot.  On one shot early in the session, Brett didn't get seated well and ended up tumbling down the hill just as the picture was snapped.  Eventually, however, our needs were satisfied.

Sunday was a day for taking in the sights of San Francisco.  We began with a stop at Alamo Square where the opening of the TV series Full House was filmed.  Sophia was disappointed when she learned that the family didn't actually live in one of those homes and therefore, we couldn't visit it as well.  Then it was off to Lombard Street for the short drive down it.  There was barely time to take a picture.  

We parked the car near Pier 39 and took public transportation for the balance of our day.  At Pier 39 we visited the seals and then had lunch at Boudin's, known for their sourdough bread.  Dawn and I relish the clam chowder served in bread bowls and Bob enjoyed chili similarly presented.  Brandon said his grilled cheese, prepared with sourdough bread, was the best he ever had.  (It should have been for $8!!)

 

Appetites satisfied, we rode a trolley down to Market and Powell and then waited our turn to ride a cable car back north.  

 

Our destination was Chinatown.  After leaving the cable car, we walked a few blocks downhill, east to that neighborhood, and took time for the kids to sample Chinese ice cream and to look at goods being sold.  Neither Brandon nor Sophia thought the fish looked appetizing!

 

Then it was time to cllimb the hill to Coit Tower.  The grade was so steep that steps are available for pedestrians who prefer them to the flat uphill ramp.  Once on top, and after catching their breath, Dawn, Bob and the kids went to the top of the Tower to look at the view.  Then it was a walk back down the hill, where a little girl, who had been walking with her parents, took Sophia's hand for the descent.  A few minutes later we were back at the car where we collapsed for the drive back to San Rafael.

Resting at the foot of Coit Tower

 

A view from the top of Coit Tower

Earlier in the weekend, Brett purchased tickets on-line for the six of us to tour Alcatraz.  We took the ferry from Larkspur to the Ferry Building in the City and then walked a mile to another pier where we caught the Alcatraz ferry.  

All visitors must listen to a welcome presentation before heading off to see the prison.   We entered through the showers, a large, open room with perhaps 50 shower heads  over a wide trough.  I realized then that time spent here as an inmate would be no picnic.  The size of the cells  depressed me as well.  I cannot imagine spending years in a space 5' wide x 9' feet long by x 7' high.  Each single-person cell contained a toilet, sink, cot and two shelves, each about a foot long.  No cells have windows, and although some cells receive daylight, others do not.  After two hours walking through the cell blocks, we returned to the ferry and to the City.

The next morning, Tuesday, we were up at 3:30 AM and headed out the door shortly after 4:00 to return to the airport and fly home.  As I write this, we've been back four days and only now are the muscles in my calves returning to normal.  However, the memories we made during our visit will not fade and there are lots of pictures to keep the memories fresh.

 

THE END OF ANOTHER FOOTBALL SEASON

Football season is about to end.   Both Brandon and Sophia participated, Brandon as a player, Sophia as a cheerleader.  Fall weather is a mixed bag.  The temperature on the field during Brandon's first game early in September when the following photos were taken was 124F.  Two weeks ago, after Brandon's team was out of the playoffs but Sophia's was still in, it was windy and raining and the temperature was in the low 50's.  Absolutely miserable both times.  I couldn't shed enough clothes for the first game and couldn't put on enough for the second!

 Brandon isn't as tall as he appears standing next to Sophia, although he's taller than I am now (probably 5'2" or so).  But Sophia is that tiny, the shortest of the eight girls she cheered with, although no longer the shortest girl in her third grade class.

 

Football season for Brandon's team technically was over several weeks ago. Although they played six games, the Titans were in last place from start to finish.  They just couldn't score, therefore, didn't win a game.  Brandon, quarterback on offense and end on defense, is #42.

 

A team consists of about 15 players and each plays both offensive and defensive positions.  Players at this level (11 and 12 year olds) are drafted.  Picked to play as quarterback because of his passing ability, Brandon felt responsible when they lost.  He put his heart into every play and his frustration at losing brought him to tears early in the season.  Eventually he realized that there were eleven boys on the field and each had a specific responsibility.  Once he accepted that, he was able to play "looser" and enjoy the game.  He didn't like losing any better, but he was happy to be playing a game he loves.

 

 

Then there's L'il Miss Sophia who was a cheerleader.  Her gymnastics training proved worthwhile.  She can tumble.  And she can move with rhythm.  So she had a grand time, and she expected us to watch *her* and not the boys she was cheering for.  On occasion, each of the eight girls on her squad seemed to be moving to her own drummer.  One in particular rarely moved in sync with the others.  She was 1/2 beat behind (or ahead).  If right arms were to go up, it was her left.  If the squad  moved left, she went right.  But they're only 8 and 9, so we just enjoyed the entertainment.