Back in the Falls
30/12/13 09:15
Another year just about by the boards. I'm sitting here in Starbucks in Queensbury, NY, while the family does what they do up back at the hotel. To be precise, Evan is fast asleep and Nancy is using the treadmill after she and I had a little breakfast down in the Adirondack room. With the emphasis on little, I might add. I had high hopes for a cheese omelet and was not happy to find that the only eggs they had were hard, cold, and without a lick of cheese. So much for my carb fixation on this fine frigid morning in the Adirondacks. Nancy found some oatmeal that appealed to her and had a small styrofoam bowl full before we called it quits.
As benign as that experience sounds, we had a few laughs as we talked about the germans sitting close by with their pickles and hummus, and Nancy even noted that there was another party of folks sitting not far off that had brought their own cups. How novel, I thought. Bring your own breakfast...hmmm. Not a bad idea. Give me some halfway decent ingredients and I might have occupied myself making something of interest instead of sucking down the obligatory hard boiled eggs just to put something in my stomach. And then there was the little girl with the stoney face who would stare at us but wouldn't crack a smile for all the funny faces that we couldn't muster.
What a joy she'll be when she gets older, I thought to myself. She will probably grow up to be a comedienne and I'll see her name in the headlines without ever remembering the morning we had breakfast together in some far off hotel in the Adirondacks in late December in the year 2013. Well, almost together. Of course, I was determined to wipe that pissey little look off her face as lovable as she may have been to her parents and associates. I reached into my bag of tricks and remembered the little trick that worked so well in my youth. With a look that was equally icy, I stared into her black little eyes and pulled my ears away from my head at 45 degree angles with my hands. That stoney little stare quickly gave way to a warm and loving smile that just melted my heart. There was a child in there after all and all of that nonsense about exorcists and demons was nothing but piddle. Piddle paddle piddle paddle. I saved the best for last and as I was leaving our table I donned one of the little styrofoam cereal bowls atop my head and tipped it as though I were tipping my hat which released another small avalanche of smiles that I just wanted to carry away with me like a pocketful of sweet sentiment. She couldn't have been more than four but knew the power of expression. Something I learned long ago.
But these trips are cathartic if nothing else. It gives the lot of a chance to remove ourselves from an environment that is replete with the usual cues just to see if we have any natural spontaneity left with which to respond to the world around us. This is where I grew up so I may have less to work with than Nancy and Evan but perhaps they can lead by example. This is their time as well. Evan, for all of his oddball proclivities, elected not to bring his phone. He is typically not separated from his phone for any reason so not bringing it suggests a certain conscious decision on his part to try and break from that tradition for reasons I'm not sure I understand and reasons that he is not wanting to articulate. Maybe this is his way of taking a break from all the tethers in his life be they good or bad habits, positive or negative inclinations, proclivities one way or the other, or something infinitely more simplistic.
Nancy too seems to be wanting and needed this trip to take her away to a place different enough to be exotic but familiar enough to be inspirational. There are places she wants to go, people she wants to visit, and things she wants to do. I should remember that we are here for a reason although it is not the sole reason for our being here. Yes, we have a holiday party to attend at Uncle Wally's where the family gets together every year to celebrate family, holiday, good food and good company, and to raise our collective glasses to the year 2014 which we all hope will bring more promise that the year before. We have a bagful of presents to bring and a little something for most everybody I think. That was the intent anyway. The grab gift this year is a recycled set of Wolfgang Puck knives that Mrs G found on the Home Shopping Network. A fitting gift for a son-in-law no doubt so many thanks to Mrs G for her thoughtful gift. Little does she know that I have great appreciation for fine cutlery and know all too well the intrinsic and practical value of a good chef's knife. I can only hope that they will find a good and suitable home as they are roundly viewed by the many good folks participating in the grab exchange. I might rather have a good box of chocolates than a set of knives that I might never use.
The matter of Evan's skin came up this morning at breakfast and we were wondering what, if anything, he might like to do about it. He seems to care less and less about his appearance at time goes by and one has to wonder where that comes from. It may well go hand in hand with his apparent disinterest in doing much of anything about anything. It's almost frightening. He disappears here and there and stays out all night from time to time and with whom we'll never know. He is no more inclined to discuss these matters with us than the man in the moon and when pressed he becomes even more recalcitrant in his attitude and objections. I think a little tetracyline might go a long way towards clearing up his skin but he seems not to care. Not only does he not care, but he has not for one moment expressed a desire to do anything while he is home for the month-long vacation from school. One might take from this that he is depressed or otherwise compromised but that does not seem to be the case. In summary, this is just more of the same? I think so. Maybe we can take something from the grades that he gets from school after the first semester. If we knew what they were, we might. As it is, we know nothing. What else is new...that is a rhetorical question.
The music is nice here at the Starbucks and the voices around me are getting more and more animated as the hours go by. The breakfast crowd is in full swing now although I have never seen anything appetizing enough to actually want to eat so I am happy that the two meager eggs that I consumed earlier this morning are fulfilling their promise. There is nothing like pure unadulterated protein to keep your appetite at bay and your energy in check. The only thing I might have added was a shake or two of pepper but didn't pursue that for whatever reason. Did I mention that Lise has an iPad mini? Good for her! I think she has wanted access to the internet for some time but that never quite came about for whatever reason. And now, the world is her oyster. Figuratively speaking, of course. I do think she will be happy to know that there are plenty of apps out there which may well appeal to her. A scanner app, for one. With that in mind, we picked up an iTunes gift card for her and I will work with her to take full advantage of it given half a chance. I really am just tickled for her so let the games begin. Oh, and if she doesn't smoke any longer, she will be rewarded with something more practical than a tankful or two of Sunoco gasoline. Cash is a always good thing.
Sunday, the day after
Oh, it feels like my fingers are going to cooperate this morning. That's good. Well, the party at Uncle Wally's was a lot of fun. It is always is as a matter of fact. Seeing everyone in one place during the holidays is truly a treat. The only bro missing was Jimbo and he called in from afar. Just couldn't make it this year as was the case. He has a lot going on in his life so it's difficult at best for him to get away. He sounded great and that is always a welcome sign. Everyone was happy to speak to him and the phone was passed from person to person until he had spoken to literally everyone in the group. Until next year then.
Everyone brought something to the party so there was a lot to eat and no one went home hungry. Some folks left with leftovers and that was a good thing since there was plenty of food left at the end of the night. Mostly lasagna, I would say but there were cookies, ham, deviled eggs, and lots of desserts left on platters throughout the house. Sister Den did a good job with her lasagna as usual although I did get her to admit that she used gluten free noodles and hunts tomato sauce when throwing together her concoction. Did I tell you that she made both a meatless and a meat version of her dish? That girl really does aim to please. She and I talked plenty as well about her career and where she thought it might be heading in the coming years now that she is no longer at the hospital in GF. We agreed that pushing back the dates on her resume to reveal more of her experience was a good thing and pursuing new careers at her age was a decision that did not come easy. She looked wonderful though and clearly the weight of recent events was not weighing on her as one might expect. That is a good thing.
Sister Leesey was looking good as well. I had seen her earlier this year when I took the girls out to dinner at the place we like in Cleverdale. Leesey's latest fascination is the iPad mini which she brought to the party and was clearly enjoying her new toy. It was in and out of the box all night long and she was looking up friends on Facebook, taking video of family and friends even in the low light of the room, snapping pictures here and there, and never once losing sight of it in the crowded venue. I gave Leesey a gift certificate to iTunes and we added some apps to the device and left her with a few dollars on her account with which to make purchases in the future. It is always fun spending time with Leesey as she lives squarely in the moment and you just can't say that about most folks. I told her that I stopped by her place of employment earlier in the day and that the doors were locked even though the place had been open already for two hours. She chuckled and said something about the fact that it would have never happened had she been working. That is Leesey in a nutshell.
We talked about cheerleading and charm bracelets with Uncle Wally's daughter who is looking like a tall glass of water these days. She was proud of the fact that she had a varsity letter for her efforts and that is a good thing. It cannot be overstated that she loves her pets and cuddled seemingly the entire night with one pet or another when she wasn't entertaining the two youngest girls attending the event. I have to say that there were a few times when she needled her dad and knew just the right words to use. Where does one learn that sort of thing? He gave as good as he got and that may well answer the question I'm posing. She gets it from her dad! Mom is far too gracious to indulge in such nonsense and she spent the better part of the night being the perfect hostess, mother, and wife. She and I had a rather interesting little sidebar about alcohol and such and the wine flowed freely for those interested in such things. To uncle Wally's relief, and perhaps mine as well, it never devolved into a swill-fest and that may well portend good things for future get togethers. Besides, how much trouble can you get into with wine?
You should have seen the model that Uncle Wally had of dad's boat of days past. It was really quite amazing. It was a scaled down version of the Century crafted of wood, varnished up good, and looking every bit as good as the real thing but just smaller. It must have been 3-4 feet long and encased in a beautiful see-through display case and sitting pretty as could be all illuminated by recessed LED lights and seemingly enshrined for ever more. He, Leesey, and I just stood there in the darkness of their bedroom, yes I said bedroom, admiring the boat and all the memories that it brought along with it to anyone wanting to go down that road. Truth of the matter is that dad loved that boat but worked on it endlessly for whatever reason. All I ever remember is giving him a screwdriver when he asked for an Allen wrench and giving him an Allen wrench when he asked for a Phillips screwdriver. I just couldn't get it right for whatever reason. I was more into the aesthetics than the nuts and bolts of such things but I will admit to feeling a little inadequate when falling flat in fulfilling my dad's requests. What son doesn't want to be there for his dad? Keep in mind that I was competing with brothers and probably sisters who knew better than I about such things but we'll leave that alone. Suffice it to say that I know the difference today.
Sister Kat was looking good as she always does and made an effort to include children who might have otherwise been left behind. It was nice to hear the giggles of little girls and the pitter patter of their feet and they chased each other around the house in stocking feet. We tried as we might to get them to smile for the camera and they reluctantly lit up the room with their smiles albeit for a brief few seconds. Kat was cool with whatever they decided to do or not to do and that is her style. Kathy's twins stopped by with their respective beau's and added splendor and pizzazz to the gathering with their youthful exuberance. Perhaps less so with one more than the other due to a lingering ailment, but she was doing her level best to keep up appearances despite it all. It was hard to tell if their significant others were there because they wanted to be there or, perhaps more to the point, they weren't given much of a choice. Uncle Wally's get-togethers are legendary so my take is that they were there of their own volition and were happy to have an invitation.
That should do it for now. We're back home after a nice trip through the states of Vermont and NH and with a quick stop at the Vermont Country Store. We'll look forward to next years extravaganza. So long, 2013.
As benign as that experience sounds, we had a few laughs as we talked about the germans sitting close by with their pickles and hummus, and Nancy even noted that there was another party of folks sitting not far off that had brought their own cups. How novel, I thought. Bring your own breakfast...hmmm. Not a bad idea. Give me some halfway decent ingredients and I might have occupied myself making something of interest instead of sucking down the obligatory hard boiled eggs just to put something in my stomach. And then there was the little girl with the stoney face who would stare at us but wouldn't crack a smile for all the funny faces that we couldn't muster.
What a joy she'll be when she gets older, I thought to myself. She will probably grow up to be a comedienne and I'll see her name in the headlines without ever remembering the morning we had breakfast together in some far off hotel in the Adirondacks in late December in the year 2013. Well, almost together. Of course, I was determined to wipe that pissey little look off her face as lovable as she may have been to her parents and associates. I reached into my bag of tricks and remembered the little trick that worked so well in my youth. With a look that was equally icy, I stared into her black little eyes and pulled my ears away from my head at 45 degree angles with my hands. That stoney little stare quickly gave way to a warm and loving smile that just melted my heart. There was a child in there after all and all of that nonsense about exorcists and demons was nothing but piddle. Piddle paddle piddle paddle. I saved the best for last and as I was leaving our table I donned one of the little styrofoam cereal bowls atop my head and tipped it as though I were tipping my hat which released another small avalanche of smiles that I just wanted to carry away with me like a pocketful of sweet sentiment. She couldn't have been more than four but knew the power of expression. Something I learned long ago.
But these trips are cathartic if nothing else. It gives the lot of a chance to remove ourselves from an environment that is replete with the usual cues just to see if we have any natural spontaneity left with which to respond to the world around us. This is where I grew up so I may have less to work with than Nancy and Evan but perhaps they can lead by example. This is their time as well. Evan, for all of his oddball proclivities, elected not to bring his phone. He is typically not separated from his phone for any reason so not bringing it suggests a certain conscious decision on his part to try and break from that tradition for reasons I'm not sure I understand and reasons that he is not wanting to articulate. Maybe this is his way of taking a break from all the tethers in his life be they good or bad habits, positive or negative inclinations, proclivities one way or the other, or something infinitely more simplistic.
Nancy too seems to be wanting and needed this trip to take her away to a place different enough to be exotic but familiar enough to be inspirational. There are places she wants to go, people she wants to visit, and things she wants to do. I should remember that we are here for a reason although it is not the sole reason for our being here. Yes, we have a holiday party to attend at Uncle Wally's where the family gets together every year to celebrate family, holiday, good food and good company, and to raise our collective glasses to the year 2014 which we all hope will bring more promise that the year before. We have a bagful of presents to bring and a little something for most everybody I think. That was the intent anyway. The grab gift this year is a recycled set of Wolfgang Puck knives that Mrs G found on the Home Shopping Network. A fitting gift for a son-in-law no doubt so many thanks to Mrs G for her thoughtful gift. Little does she know that I have great appreciation for fine cutlery and know all too well the intrinsic and practical value of a good chef's knife. I can only hope that they will find a good and suitable home as they are roundly viewed by the many good folks participating in the grab exchange. I might rather have a good box of chocolates than a set of knives that I might never use.
The matter of Evan's skin came up this morning at breakfast and we were wondering what, if anything, he might like to do about it. He seems to care less and less about his appearance at time goes by and one has to wonder where that comes from. It may well go hand in hand with his apparent disinterest in doing much of anything about anything. It's almost frightening. He disappears here and there and stays out all night from time to time and with whom we'll never know. He is no more inclined to discuss these matters with us than the man in the moon and when pressed he becomes even more recalcitrant in his attitude and objections. I think a little tetracyline might go a long way towards clearing up his skin but he seems not to care. Not only does he not care, but he has not for one moment expressed a desire to do anything while he is home for the month-long vacation from school. One might take from this that he is depressed or otherwise compromised but that does not seem to be the case. In summary, this is just more of the same? I think so. Maybe we can take something from the grades that he gets from school after the first semester. If we knew what they were, we might. As it is, we know nothing. What else is new...that is a rhetorical question.
The music is nice here at the Starbucks and the voices around me are getting more and more animated as the hours go by. The breakfast crowd is in full swing now although I have never seen anything appetizing enough to actually want to eat so I am happy that the two meager eggs that I consumed earlier this morning are fulfilling their promise. There is nothing like pure unadulterated protein to keep your appetite at bay and your energy in check. The only thing I might have added was a shake or two of pepper but didn't pursue that for whatever reason. Did I mention that Lise has an iPad mini? Good for her! I think she has wanted access to the internet for some time but that never quite came about for whatever reason. And now, the world is her oyster. Figuratively speaking, of course. I do think she will be happy to know that there are plenty of apps out there which may well appeal to her. A scanner app, for one. With that in mind, we picked up an iTunes gift card for her and I will work with her to take full advantage of it given half a chance. I really am just tickled for her so let the games begin. Oh, and if she doesn't smoke any longer, she will be rewarded with something more practical than a tankful or two of Sunoco gasoline. Cash is a always good thing.
Sunday, the day after
Oh, it feels like my fingers are going to cooperate this morning. That's good. Well, the party at Uncle Wally's was a lot of fun. It is always is as a matter of fact. Seeing everyone in one place during the holidays is truly a treat. The only bro missing was Jimbo and he called in from afar. Just couldn't make it this year as was the case. He has a lot going on in his life so it's difficult at best for him to get away. He sounded great and that is always a welcome sign. Everyone was happy to speak to him and the phone was passed from person to person until he had spoken to literally everyone in the group. Until next year then.
Everyone brought something to the party so there was a lot to eat and no one went home hungry. Some folks left with leftovers and that was a good thing since there was plenty of food left at the end of the night. Mostly lasagna, I would say but there were cookies, ham, deviled eggs, and lots of desserts left on platters throughout the house. Sister Den did a good job with her lasagna as usual although I did get her to admit that she used gluten free noodles and hunts tomato sauce when throwing together her concoction. Did I tell you that she made both a meatless and a meat version of her dish? That girl really does aim to please. She and I talked plenty as well about her career and where she thought it might be heading in the coming years now that she is no longer at the hospital in GF. We agreed that pushing back the dates on her resume to reveal more of her experience was a good thing and pursuing new careers at her age was a decision that did not come easy. She looked wonderful though and clearly the weight of recent events was not weighing on her as one might expect. That is a good thing.
Sister Leesey was looking good as well. I had seen her earlier this year when I took the girls out to dinner at the place we like in Cleverdale. Leesey's latest fascination is the iPad mini which she brought to the party and was clearly enjoying her new toy. It was in and out of the box all night long and she was looking up friends on Facebook, taking video of family and friends even in the low light of the room, snapping pictures here and there, and never once losing sight of it in the crowded venue. I gave Leesey a gift certificate to iTunes and we added some apps to the device and left her with a few dollars on her account with which to make purchases in the future. It is always fun spending time with Leesey as she lives squarely in the moment and you just can't say that about most folks. I told her that I stopped by her place of employment earlier in the day and that the doors were locked even though the place had been open already for two hours. She chuckled and said something about the fact that it would have never happened had she been working. That is Leesey in a nutshell.
We talked about cheerleading and charm bracelets with Uncle Wally's daughter who is looking like a tall glass of water these days. She was proud of the fact that she had a varsity letter for her efforts and that is a good thing. It cannot be overstated that she loves her pets and cuddled seemingly the entire night with one pet or another when she wasn't entertaining the two youngest girls attending the event. I have to say that there were a few times when she needled her dad and knew just the right words to use. Where does one learn that sort of thing? He gave as good as he got and that may well answer the question I'm posing. She gets it from her dad! Mom is far too gracious to indulge in such nonsense and she spent the better part of the night being the perfect hostess, mother, and wife. She and I had a rather interesting little sidebar about alcohol and such and the wine flowed freely for those interested in such things. To uncle Wally's relief, and perhaps mine as well, it never devolved into a swill-fest and that may well portend good things for future get togethers. Besides, how much trouble can you get into with wine?
You should have seen the model that Uncle Wally had of dad's boat of days past. It was really quite amazing. It was a scaled down version of the Century crafted of wood, varnished up good, and looking every bit as good as the real thing but just smaller. It must have been 3-4 feet long and encased in a beautiful see-through display case and sitting pretty as could be all illuminated by recessed LED lights and seemingly enshrined for ever more. He, Leesey, and I just stood there in the darkness of their bedroom, yes I said bedroom, admiring the boat and all the memories that it brought along with it to anyone wanting to go down that road. Truth of the matter is that dad loved that boat but worked on it endlessly for whatever reason. All I ever remember is giving him a screwdriver when he asked for an Allen wrench and giving him an Allen wrench when he asked for a Phillips screwdriver. I just couldn't get it right for whatever reason. I was more into the aesthetics than the nuts and bolts of such things but I will admit to feeling a little inadequate when falling flat in fulfilling my dad's requests. What son doesn't want to be there for his dad? Keep in mind that I was competing with brothers and probably sisters who knew better than I about such things but we'll leave that alone. Suffice it to say that I know the difference today.
Sister Kat was looking good as she always does and made an effort to include children who might have otherwise been left behind. It was nice to hear the giggles of little girls and the pitter patter of their feet and they chased each other around the house in stocking feet. We tried as we might to get them to smile for the camera and they reluctantly lit up the room with their smiles albeit for a brief few seconds. Kat was cool with whatever they decided to do or not to do and that is her style. Kathy's twins stopped by with their respective beau's and added splendor and pizzazz to the gathering with their youthful exuberance. Perhaps less so with one more than the other due to a lingering ailment, but she was doing her level best to keep up appearances despite it all. It was hard to tell if their significant others were there because they wanted to be there or, perhaps more to the point, they weren't given much of a choice. Uncle Wally's get-togethers are legendary so my take is that they were there of their own volition and were happy to have an invitation.
That should do it for now. We're back home after a nice trip through the states of Vermont and NH and with a quick stop at the Vermont Country Store. We'll look forward to next years extravaganza. So long, 2013.