Memories Through the Grief

 

unfortunately somewhat of a short post.  unfortunate because of lack of contact.

 

               Before starting my senior year in high school I had gone to San Francisco to visit my Grandma Mary.  Uncle Bruce picked me up at the airport.  I hadn’t seen him for quite some time and wasn’t even certain that it was him.  I got in the car with him anyway.

         I remember spending one day with his wife and son.  They had two cats.  I remember Joe had used two different methods of discipline one for each cat.  I also remember holding him when he was a baby.

         When Jaime was two or three she received a child sleeping bag from one of the neighbors.  Bruce was visiting my mom and I happened to have the sleeping bag in the car.  I was having problems rolling it up and asked Bruce if he could show me as I knew he was an experienced camper.  Jaime unrolled the bed at least twice while he was there.  I think she thought it was a game.

         I remember my other uncle having an upright piano in his house.  It had been painted bright orange.

         I remember having listened to his record collection without realizing that it was his. He had served as a police officer and said the mission district was his least favorite.  I remember Grandma having put me on the train at the mission underground.  I got off at a station above ground.  I remember meeting my uncle at the transport system in Lafayette. I spent a Sunday with the family.  I do not recall our interaction with one another.

        When my uncle returned me to the train station in Lafayette he gave me specific instructions not to go upstairs once I arrived at the mission but to wait for grandma to come and get me.  I related this to my mom after my trip was over.  My smiled at the thought on how I was to wait underground for a little old lady to come and save me.

         I met my cousin’s wife when we had gone to Salem for a convention.  Our visit with them was an hour or so.  Same with the convention. Richard, Jaime and I were the only non-staff who attended.  We won the two door prizes that were offered.  They had tons of food and told us to take as much as we wanted.  I called my cousin and his wife and gave the address and told them to bring containers.  They did not come. And we had a three hour drive so we didn’t take any food. What a waste.

         My mom seemed to be close with each of her brothers.  I do not believe they were close to each other.

Disneyland

         Disneyland did not offer the cooling stations that Universal had.  But I think Disneyland park was less crowded than Universal had been. We took the tram from downtown Disneyland to the park.  

        It seems like the very first ride we went on was Jungle Cruise.  Jai had pulled up phrazel so that we could play while we were in line.  There was no line.  Jaime and Sam rode ten rides in less than two hours.  How awesome is that? 

       Richard and I took it easy and rode tame rides such as the Mark Twain and the train.  I didn’t want to be in Fantasy Land or Tomorrow Land.  I think Toon Town was closed as it wasn’t highlighted on the map.  Toon Town is cute, but I have already seen it.  Thankfully it wasn’t a destination. 

       I hadn’t cared about New Orleans either.  I can no longer do the Pirates of Carrabin as squatting down just to sit in the boat is uncomfortable.  Nor did I have the desire for the haunted mansion – which is the only outside line that I had seen.  But we must have ended up there as Richard and I had ordered food.  He got jambalaya – which I was totally NOT in the mood for.  I ended up with a corn chowder in a bread bowl.  It was delicious.  Unfortunately my choice of lunch and the 107 degree heat (still cooler than Universal by eight degrees – but somehow felt warmer) was not a good combination.  We rode the train around three times I believe before I decided I could stand without being queasy about it.

       We did not have the option of taking the Monorail back to downtown as the heat was too drastic for it to run.  Go figure.  It’s a different monorail than the one offered several decades ago – a different monorail that ran the length of the park. There were tracks running through the hotel – I remember seeing that when I was a kid.  How cool would that be? 

for monorail history see this post 

       The hotel is not even the same as what I had seen as a kid – not that we ever stayed there.  It is now a resort made up of at least three different buildings for lodging and a plaza (where we had done laundry) and restaurants maybe?  I think there were six buildings in all – though I know I did not take the time to go inside of all of them.    Even downtown is not the same.  Not a disappointment exactly, but definitely not what I had imagined.

       The pool is awesomely large – the largest I have ever seen.  We never took advantage of it though as there were always more people than water.  Guests trying to cool off.  Too many people in my opinion. 

       Once again I was so grateful that Sam had come with us.  This may be the last year of Disneyland for me.  What a whimp I have turned out to be.      

Two Hours is Too Long

On the day that my oldest nephew was married

Jenna and I had lunch and played in the park

with my youngest niece and her brother

who used to be the youngest

but another brother will be born

I’m guessing in July. 

Kayla’s due date is August 2^nd

but she looks like

she’s ready to pop

any minute.

We both believe that B.J. is on his side.

Kayla says he moves around

much more than the other two

Anna and Garrett (we call him Gary)

are replicas of their mother

at least they LOOK like Kayla

I bet their brother looks like Bill

and has Bill’s personality.

Hence my nickname for him –

B.J. = Bill Junior

Today we could not meet in the park for lunch. 

This afternoon

Jenna and I took a bus out to their house

and took them back to the same bus stop

and rode to the next TRAX station

where we boarded the train

Gary was especially awed

by this new sensation.

We took the train back to

where Jenna and I had started out. 

The kids played in the fountain

while we waited

for the bus to come.

We boarded the bus that took us

back to their house.

We had completed a wide circle.

Too wide.  They were tired.

I should have taken pictures

of them sleeping

on the bus.

Next time we will have to

choose another route

and spend only an hour

and a half on the wonder

of UTA –

perhaps just bus and

Fairbourne station

and not do the train.

I think all three

would rather play

in the water than to

ride the train again.

Morning Observations

            Most mornings seem to be routine for me.  I make sure that Jenna is dressed and has breakfast before we leave the house to catch the bus.  I take the bus with her because she doesn’t have the confidence in herself to ride it alone – and truthfully I think I would feel neurotic not knowing if she actually got off the bus or made it to school, etc.

            I walk her to the grounds behind the school and turn around to head back to the bus stop on the other side of the main road.  Occasionally I will take the train somewhere – like the post office or the library.  Usually I just return home except for the one day I went out to see Kayla – which I need to do again.

Jenna always wants to play verbal games as we’re riding the bus.  This morning she asked if I would come up with sentences in English that she could translate into Spanish.  We missed our stop as a result.

No worries.  Three stops after that one is another we can use.  And so that is the way we went this morning.  I returned in the direction of the missed bus stop as there is no cross at the one where we got off. 

On my way to the stop, I saw a duck with feathers sticking out from his beak.  “How odd,” I thought. 

 

1.                             I have never seen a duck on that particular street – even when the puddles bubbled over like rivers and lakes – which have long evaporated.

2.                             Why would he have feathers in his beak?  Is he a cannibal?

3.                             He looks like he’s out of a sci-fi movie – the duck version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  The feather incident happened during the moments when he was Mr. Hyde but now he’s Dr. Jekyll and seems confused by his surroundings.

Of course he’s confused.  I’m confused.  Why is this duck in this neighborhood?  Where does he swim?  Why does this duck look so dazed?

It wouldn’t have mattered which bus stop I had walked to.  I didn’t bother crossing the street.  Though I was headed north, I took the train south as it was headed towards the train station.  Today I actually took it all the way downtown.

The driver seemed somewhat ornery – well compared to the first time I’d ridden with him.  He decided to single me out and make me his friend.  He stopped the bus and announced he was taking a bathroom break but he’d be back.  

He asked me if I was 25.  I don’t know if he was just trying to butter me up, or if he needs glasses or if he just didn’t know.  I mean I do look younger than 52 – but I don’t think 25 plus years younger.  Granted, I did have my hair in pigtails in order to keep the mass amount off my neck, and I did have sunglasses on.  

 

           The driver said he has a son who is 27.  Oh, I would think that would be a let down to his son or even my own boys to think that I might be younger than them.  But I suppose I was flattered that he said I looked that young.

My cousin Michelle is teaching an art class.  I have considered enrolling Jenna, but I wasn’t certain how to get there on the bus and/or train.  I typed the information in the UTA site this morning – normally if there isn’t a stop anywhere of the vicinity of typed address, UTA will give me directions to walk 5-8 blocks to the stop or from stop to destination.  It refused to recognize the address I had typed in.  What the flip? 

UTA isn’t always accurate about commuting advice.  Usually once I have figured out the name of the route I need or have used said transportation, I can figure it out on my own.  My way is most often better than whatever UTA suggests.  There is a street and a building between the TRAX station and the building that I am looking for!  They seriously couldn’t figure that out?!?  Why, because it’s too convenient? I was a bit miffed at the stupidity on their part.

 

On the return, as I waited for a transfer bus, I saw a bunch of kids, maybe junior high age.  The girls were all taller than the boys.  They were on a field trip of some sort.  They all wore tie-dyed tees.  I wonder if they were passed out and worn over whatever shirts they already had on as the colors in the t-shirts really didn’t go with many of the shorts I saw – red/blue tie-dye and brown/green plaid shorts.  Not flattering.

            When I got back off the train and walked to the bus stop, it was the same driver who’d taken me to the station in the first place.  He seemed much happier and friendly after he had relieved himself.

            So that is my day thus far.  Probably not worth making a post over.  Oh, well.

Sunshine and Rain

     Jenna and I got off the bus the other day.  It was raining – not a pouring rain, but the sky had definitely produced more than just a drizzle.  We needed our umbrellas (which we just happened to have).  The weird thing was that I also needed sunglasses.

     It seemed to be raining north of 3300, but once we turned the corner and continued on our way to the south side, we no longer needed our umbrellas.  We were in the house perhaps only ten minutes or so when we could hear a heavy hail beating all around us.  I looked out the window to see the sun shining still.  Weird.

     Yesterday was beautiful – though we started the morning wearing light jackets.  Janna and I took the train to Midvale and walked to the post office and made a stamp purchase and walked over to the library.  On our return I mentioned to Jenna that Ellen and Nate lived close to where we were.  She crossed the street to look at their street name while I tried getting a hold of one of them on the phone.  I didn’t think they’d be home.

     As it turns out, they went hiking with the family and too enjoyed the awesome weather.  The air was crisp but not cold.  I had packed my umbrella just in case.

     Jenna loves standing on the train and bus as they are moving.  She also likes to flirt with the regular bus drivers.  When we came home (with train transfer to the bus) Jenna noticed the afternoon bus driver was/is the same who drives us near our house.

     Last night the sky appeared to be giving us fog.