...but the hearts are still in San Francisco! We'd go back in a heartbeat. Thank you, Mom and Dad Blackman, for sharing that awesome rental house in a neighborhood (how nice to spread the girls' energies over 2 floors & a fenced back yard. Not to mention getting a feel for LIVING there.) And thank you, dear Amy, for driving from Portland to spend some of those days with us. We watched sunsets, walked miles of streets (seems like there's a view from every hilltop), and hit all the hot tot lots. Amy said she'd never spent so much time on playgrounds. Golden Gate Park (you'd need weeks to actually exhaust it), China Beach, Land's End, the Presidio (where we found an Andy Goldsworthy work of art--one of our favorite artists!), Coit Tower, curvy Lombard Street, a cable car ride, and MORE! Amy watched the girls one night so we could take my in-laws out for birthday and Father's Day celebrations, and then my in-laws watched the girls so Alan and I could go see Christian McBride (jazz bass player--very entertaining!) in Oakland on our 11th anniversary. Sigh. It was SOOOOOOOOOOO much fun!
My new year's resolution (inspired by Alyson) was to date my husband once a month. So far so good, and in May we had an extra special treat. Alan's good friend, Steve (a drummer and the "Barke" of the "Blackman/Barke Quartet"; also in our wedding) turned 40, and his brother gave him 4 GREAT tickets to a Washington Nationals/Orioles game, and Steve & his girlfriend, Sandy, invited US!
Let's just say it was AWESOME. I really enjoy baseball games, and Sandy does, too (which means we all watched the game!), besides, if any of us had NOT paid attention, we'd have been in danger of a concussion from a foul ball. (I don't have a baseball glove, but I was prepared to catch a fly ball in my purse! I told this to my dad, and he chuckled and said, "Maybe you should just duck.")
Finally, when Alan saw these pictures he said, "Did you REALLY have your sunglasses on OVER your regular glasses?" I had, but I honestly thought that no one could tell, and I spent the whole day feeling quite attractive, to be honest, since it had been a while since I'd worn sunglasses. (What is it about sunglasses that has this effect on me?) It was kind of like thinking you're a hot mama and then finding out you've got a huge booger on your face or your zipper is down. Oh well, at least when you have good friends who are turning 40 you're old enough to laugh at yourself and just move on! Thanks, Steve and Sandy, for a wonderful May date!
The drive home! We took a desultory route and I stopped on whims. One of those was a roadside ice cream shop and where we had our favorite diner fare--soft serve and french fries. I figure, if you're going to eat at a diner, why bother trying to locate the one healthy thing on the menu and make yourself and your kids eat it? (It will probably have come from a can or a head of iceberg lettuce anyway!) So we just enjoyed the "good" stuff as the icing on Amelia's birthday trip.
We got home really late, went to bed, and in the morning Alan revealed that the rose bush had exploded with blooms! He and the girls blissfully cut bowls of them--a nice time of reuniting with daddy and a wonderful welcome.
And, two and a half weeks later, we JUST took the camping stuff out of the trunk and the hideous mess of toys out of the back seat, which simply means it is incredibly obvious that we let our kids eat in the car and do not vacuum regularly. Well, as my dad always said, "Don't major on the minors," so I will chuck the temptation to be grossed out with myself and just feel happy that we have a REALLY great string of memories (and the camping stuff is finally in its place!)
...that REALLY melt a mother's heart! (Typed at EXACTLY the same moment as the eruption of a gigantic screaming match over who was playing with the Barbie in the yellow dress. Glad this life is full of such a good balance.) This was caught the first morning at Josh & Laura's...totally unsolicited.
"But love one another deeply, from the heart." (I Peter 1:22)
It's a good thing we had 2 nights in the tent. The first night was rough--I kept waking up wondering if the girls were warm enough (it dipped below freezing!) They were fine, so I slept much better the 2nd night. Josh & Laura'd had a 4-5 day string of friends and family working on the house when we arrived as the cheering section. Our visit coincided with Josh's good friend, Diego's, who'd stayed w/us during Public Moves last October. It was a nice reunion, and he brought his 11 years of Habitat for Humanity experience to the renovation. Diego got the toilet functioning (his personal mission) and he & Josh got water running in the kitchen, requiring some spelunking in minimalist basement spaces (wish I'd taken pictures!)
Amelia took a four hour nap on Josh & Laura's bed during which Evelyn and I were able to help a bit. I washed dishes and Evelyn "swept" while Josh, Laura, and Diego did all the real work--hanging drywall. Amazingly, even while working that hard, they cooked delicious meals using a propane camping stove, a toaster oven, and a mini grill. The evening meals were eaten around a set table, otherwise folks ate wherever they could find a spot to park: the bottom rung of the ladder or the top step of the back porch.
We look forward to following the progress of the house, and we LOVED being "in" on it! I can't even try to describe the beauty of the landscape or the joy of seeing the girls playing with such ease and thrill all over the place. Here's to more upstate NY camping trips!
