Grandma Visits - Julie, Matt, Owen & Maddie

The first thing on the agenda was to attend a walk - a -thon at Owen (age 4) and Maddie's (age 3) school.  They are scheduled to walk as a fund raiser for the school.  Sadly, Owen caught the flu that was going around and could not attend due to "spitty ups" the night before.  Welcome to Indiana :-).

Julie, Maddie and I arrive at the school under cloudy skies.  The parking lot is all laid out for the walk-a-thon.  Maddie goes to class to await her turn to walk.  Julie and I make signs that will join others that will be hung up around the track.

Soon the walkers appear to applause from parents, grandparents and friends.  Maddie grabs my hand and off we go around the track.  She is #1 so we are first to start the fun.  On the second or third time around I suggest we run.  She looks up at me and says, very seriously, Grandma this is a WALK-a-thon :-).  Sigh! Julie takes over and they go around several times.  By the end Maddie is running anyway.

Maddie admiring one of her signs

One morning Maddie and I and Crissy (their nanny) go to gymnastics class for Maddie.  Owen is on a field trip - he is fully recovered.  Maddie listens intently to her teacher and then does the circuit of activities.  She is so cute.  You can tell which parts she likes and which she doesn't.  Maddie has a stubborn streak a mile wide and will do it her way or else.  But her little dimpled face is so adorable you tend to forgive her anything.

The highlight of the visit was Grandma Memory Day.  On this day Owen, Maddie and I go off together to ride the train!  The train is going to Atlanta (yes, there is an Atlanta, Indiana).  It is a historic train and the car we ride in dates to 1936.  After 20 minutes we are there.  A festival is in full swing - well, sort of.  It would be in full swing if wasn't raining cats and dogs!

The first place we head is to the caboose ride.  We can wait inside for the caboose to return and then we will get on it and spend another 20 minutes out of the rain on a caboose.  We board the caboose and find that it has a coupala, which means it has an upstairs accessed by VERY STEEP steps.  Owen rides on one side and Maddie and I on the other.  Once up in the coupala we see way off in the distance.  I think this is the highlight of their day.

Owen in the Coupala

Once off the caboose, we head to the pizza wagon for lunch.  Behind the wagon is a small tent with two chairs and a table.  The pizza lady brings out a towel to wipe off the chairs and the policeman sets up the table.  Voila!  A dry place to have lunch.:-).  It pays to have little ones along for more than one reason.

I get them a can of 7-UP to share not know that they have NEVER had soda before!  Owen loves it but says it is "spicy" (the bubbles).  Maddie takes a couple of sips and asks for water :).

Back out in the rain we walk along killing time until the return train arrives.  Back on the train and home with new experiences and memories made.

Sharing an Umbrella in the rain

Visit With Scott, Sarah, Zac, Griffin and Devlin McDougall

Murdoch Playing With His "Toy" Puka 

After a respite at "The Shore" it is time to spend the weekend with the McDougalls in Hampton New Jersey.  First on the agenda is soccer!!!  Griffin and Devlin are playing soccer on Saturday morning.  Since they are on separate teams at two different fields, it will be a balancing act to attend both games.

Griffin's game is first at a park quite close to their house.  The day is crisp and clear and smelling of fall.  The leaves are getting the first tinge of change, but even though the air has a chill the sun is warm.  All in all a perfect day for a game.

Griffin is fast - really fast and he is in there to get the ball and take it down the field.  He is in a forward position.  Which one, I'm not sure, because they are all bunched up with few exceptions.  One of the hardest things to learn is to stay in your position when all the action is elsewhere.  Both teams are like little packs of animals running wherever the ball is located.  It is really cute.

Griffin makes several attempts on goal and comes really close to scoring.  A great effort on his part.  Sarah and I are the yellers on the sideline to "go Finn go" and "stay in your positions", etc.  All of the spectator parents are very supportive of all action on the field.

We have to leave for Devlin's game before Griffin's is over.  Scott is filling in for the coach so he will finish this game and bring Finn to the next game.  Sarah in her effort to watch as much of the game as she can is driving down the road with her head turned to the right.  I have visions of hitting a tree, but she looks around in time to avoid any collision.

Devlin's game is being played on a very sophisticated multi-field soccer complex.  It comes complete with snack bar.  Devlin and his teammates are in the 7 year old division.  After watching 9 year olds this is a whole different game.  They are so cute and really out there trying their best.  Devlin is put in as goalie and the first time he misses the ball which results in a score, he is devastated.  Soon he is in the fray on the field and he is like a little bullet too.

We return home to await the arrival of Zac and his girlfriend Sam.  They live close to New York and are taking the bus.  It is great to see them.  We chat and catch up and then it is time to go to dinner.  after dinner I head back to Marsha and Alan Mufsons where I am staying about an hour away.

Back on Sunday to visit and go on errands with the family.  There are two new additions since my last visit.  A Ridgeback/Beagle mix named Murdoch and an all black cat named Puka.  Puka was found in the A&P parking lot and brought home to be a plaything for Murdoch.

They are hysterical together.  She will leap out of nowhere onto his back and he will get her down on the ground and poke his nose in her belly and act like he is murdering her.  She lets him and then will hiss and run away.  They are always "attacking" each other.  It is so cute.

One other pet rounds out the household.  Nickie, the boa, and I don't mean feathers.  He has grown a lot since I saw him last year.  It is time for his feeding and we will be getting him two mice just for that purpose.  In the meantime Scott brings him to see me.  His warming pad has come undone and he is coiled up tight trying to get warm.  I hold him in one hand and draw my jacket around him to warm him up.  Soon I can feel his little tongue on the palm of my hand as he wakes up and begins to check out who has him.

Once we return from shopping, it is time to feed Nickie.  We troop up to Griffin's room to watch the proceedings.  First one mouse is put into the cage - whap!  He's toast.  Before Nickie is finished with the process of eating the first mouse, Scott dumps the other one in the cage.  Much to our shock and amusement the second mouse runs in, around and over the snake as he is eating the first mouse!  He even sniffs his counterpart.  He continues to check it all out until it is his turn.  Sarah says she has never seen a mouse do that.  Once I do some editing I will post it on UTube and you'll be able to see what I mean.

Devlin gave me the best invitation I have ever had.  He has decided I need to live with them.  When I said he might get tired of having me there all the time he was certain that would not happen.  Then when I mention that his Dad and Mom might get tired of having me around, he was incredulous "But your his MOM!".  When asked where I will sleep he, without hesitation, said "my bed".  Where will you sleep?  "We'll get out the bunk beds and I'll move into Griffin's room".  WOW! he is willing to give up his own room to have me stay there.  That really touched my heart.

Time At "The Shore" with the Jersey Girls

In the middle of my Grandma journeys I take time out to gather with three of my girl friends from high school in New Jersey.  In the past we have gathered in Hawaii on the Big Island where we are hosted by Monene Bradley (Dick too :)).  We love going to Hawaii, but it was time to give Monene a break from hosting.  In Hawaii we dubbed ourselves the Haualalai Hotties and the Kukio Kuties depending on which property we used on any given day.  The house is in Haualalai, but we also were able to take advantage of the amenities at Kukio next door.  On this trip we will be known as The Jersey Girls.

Mary Jeanne's daughter Wendy owns a house on Long Beach Island, New Jersey and she graciously offered to have us use it.  Mary Jeanne is the official hostess and puts together our trip Down The Shore.  Irene chooses to by pass the island on her trek up the eastern seaboard so all is well and we are set to arrive on September 11.  Oh, for those of you who don't know, going "down the shore" is what everyone in New Jersey calls "going to the beach".  This seems to be unique to New Jersey.

The sun is shining when we arrive in the early afternoon.  The house has 5 bedrooms and two baths with an extra shower in the outside bath house.  It is lovely with an upstairs outside deck, an outside deck in the back and a front sitting area.  Inside boasts a living room, dining room, kitchen and reading room which is a second living room.  It is decorated in a comfortable but elegant beach style.

We are drawn to see the beach which is less than a block away so we head out down the street and onto a wooden walkway that leads to the beach.  The ocean is still showing activity from the recent storms and the waves are crashing on the shore.  Unfolding our beach chairs and stretching out on the beach we begin to bask in the sun and listen to the waves chattering away amongst ourselves just enjoying being together again.

For four of the five nights we each take turns cooking dinner.  Each night brings a delicious and different repast.  The fifth night we go out to an Italian restaurant that Wendy recommends. All in all with the snacks, peanut butter pie( to DIE for), cookies, cheeses, olives and many other goodies I ate WAY too much.

Each morning we take a walk around the neighborhoods and on the beach.  One morning we have yoga instructions at the house that Mary Jeanne arranges.  Alice teaches us line dancing one evening, and I do a guided imagery meditation one afternoon.  We visit the Barnegat  Lighthouse and climb the 217 steps up to the top.  The view is spectacular looking out over the ocean and the land surrounding the lighthouse.  What goes up must come down - 217 steps down.

We beach it everyday.  One day as we are relaxing we hear a clack, clack,clack down where the waves are breaking on the shore.  It is caused by thousands of shells rolling up with the waves and then being sucked out again.  They were not there the day before.  We wander down to investigate and find loads of different shells.  The next day they are gone again!!!

We all agree that this trip was wonderfully relaxing and fun.

Who Needs Botox???

Grandma Journey 2011

The first leg of my Grandma Journey is over.  The time spent with David and his family was fun and productive.

Clayton, my 11th grandchild, was a bit shy at our first meeting.  David, Clay and Christopher, Barbara’s oldest, came to my hotel to go out to breakfast the first morning.  When Clay saw me he hugged his Daddy and burst into tears!  David was surprised and I laughed. Somehow David thought he would know me since he made the effort to show Clay my picture on the internet.

It isn’t uncommon for a little one to do that when meeting an adult for the first time.   He is 21 months old and cute as a button.  Soon he was giving me half smiles especially when I clowned around as I brushed my teeth.

Later that morning I met Barbara, David’s wife, and found her very friendly and easy to chat with.  She is doing the K-12 home schooling program that is supported and guided by the public school system.  Her other three children are Christopher,13, Cloe,8, and Lucas, 7.  They have just started this program and school was in session for Christopher and Lucas.  Cloe was at the gym for gymnastics.  She is a level 5 gymnast and spends almost all day on Saturday at the gym.

I let Clayton get used to me in his own way and time.  Forcing a relationship doesn’t work and may elongate the “getting to know stage”.  He played around me and once in a while would come over to show me something or just check me out.

Later that afternoon we all went to watch Cloe at the end of her class.  The set up is quite professional.  The team has won some state championships and there are a few girls (no boys at this gym) who are good enough to train for the Olympics. Cloe is very very good.   Watching her brought back memories of Catherine and Amanda when they took gymnastics by our house in Hayward.  In fact the gym here has the same outside look as the one in Hayward.  Complete De Ja Vu.

Our second day was spent at the “McLean House”.  David has spent the last 6 months getting the house up to “snuff” to put it on the market.  He has done a fabulous job of putting in a new kitchen and bath, new landscaping and many other necessary repairs.  They wanted to take me to DC to the Spy Museum, but I wanted to help them get the house done.  It is at the stage of just few things left and cleaning.  Cleaning I can do, so Barbara and I cleaned while David did the outside hauling of debris, electrical (with Barbara’s brother Randy), and power washing the outside.  The house looked really great when we finished the day.

Yesterday we took a trip to West Virginia to a winery.  The wines were great!  All French grapes, some I have never heard of.  Barbara and I tasted wines and then the three of us had a glass with some cheese, sausage and baguettes.  Tres Francois!  In fact, I joined the wine club and bought a bottle to take to the shore in New Jersey.

After the wine tasting we visited Barbara’s mother, Linda, and her Step-Dad, Paul.  Paul is an avid hunter and was watching one of three hunting channels.  He has several trophies, one deer and two bear.  We talked about hunting and the bow vs the rifle, etc.  We talked about fishing too.  While I’m not wild about hunting, I know that many are and it is not up to me to judge one way or the other.

Linda’s home is quite lovely.  It is apparent that she has put a lot time and effort in  decorating.  She served me sweet tea, a southern favorite.  It was delicious.

Dinner together with all of David’s family (the three oldest had spent two days with their father) ended the day.  Well, not quite, if I count my adventure on the way back to my hotel!  By the end of my visit Clay was coming to me and letting me hold him and giving up many of his precious smiles.  It was great meeting and getting to know them all and I look froward to a repeat visit next year.

It was a dark and stormy night......  I missed my exit, got on the wrong side of the road when trying to turn around and got honked at by the oncoming traffic (duh).  There was no way for me to get over in the correct lane because of the divider, so I had to tough it out until I hit the bottom of the hill and was able to make an illegal turn to get back on the side of the road where I belonged.  It was amazing how calm I stayed even though my adrenalin really kicked in.  Yet another opportunity to test out how calm I can stay when put in a potentially frustrating and dangerous situation.  I passed!

I am now in Dulles airport waiting for my flight to New Jersey.  Mary Jeanne told me about the devastation in Denville from Irene. She was without power for almost a week.  The downtown was under 3 feet of water and everything was flooded that is located there.  Even the vault at her bank had two feet of water.  MJ lucked out because her box was above the water line.

BTW I think Dulles is trying to be the Heathrow of America.  It is one of the most convoluted airports ever.  Getting your walking exercise is NO problem :-)  Plus don't even THINK about getting to the airport at the last minute.  You'll miss your flight - guaranteed.

Clay With his two Grandmas

Grandma Journey

Today is the beginning of my yearly grandma journey to visit the grandchildren who do not live in California.  First stop is in Virginia to visit David and my 11th (the 12th lives in San Diego) grandchild, Clay, who I will be meeting for the first time.  Next is New Jersey to see Scott and his family.  Then on to Indiana to visit Julie and her family.

Thought for the day:
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.