Tuesday, April 21, 2009

More trip notes

After wine country, we headed up to the Mendocino Coast to gather with the clan on my father's side in honor of my grandmother's 85th birthday. We did a similar thing on the Oregon coast five years ago. Serge and I picked up the keys for our house and went over to open up. We had rented two houses about 5 minutes apart. I was in the smoker's house (everyone did their thing outside though) and had a couple urges, but I made it through pretty easily.

Our house is just out of frame on the right. There were very rough seas and high winds the first couple days up there and the sea was mesmerizing.

The light of this lighthouse shone in our window. It was about 3 inlets down the coast from our house. Here, it's this one.

One day as I was going down the little road to our house, I passed these guys. It took a moment for my brain to register, "Hey wait, were they real?" So I stopped the car and backed up and took a picture of their frozenness. The camera sound scared them and then they bolted.

Here's me and the guest of honor for the week. She is my only living grandparent and to quote my 12 year old cousin AJ, even though she says she doesn't want to live to a hundred, I hope she does.

Serge and I down at the tidepools.

Here's a sort of funny thing that happened the second day there. My cousin AJ asked for a piggyback ride while we were visiting the cutsie little town of Mendocino. I told him that if he wanted a ride, he'd have to ride on my shoulders. He was game and hopped on up. Then I started to fake that I was losing my balance and saying "Whoa, whoa, whoa," to scare him a little and he was laughing so I kept it up and lurched forward. Only that time he didn't lean back, he leaned forward with me and that was it, we were going down. So many things run through your mind at that point. Mostly, I didn't want AJ to get hurt, I mean his mom was right there and she'd kill me if I cracked her kid's head open. I fell squarely on my knees and wrists and he tumbled off after I broke the fall. I decided I'm not going to do that anymore!

Okay one last funny thing. On the first day my aunt just had to play me a recording she had taken with her cell phone. She was absolutely giddy about it and played if for my dad too. It was of a particularly noisy dump in the bathroom that she had taken. Yeah, that's my blood right there.

15 comments:

lattégirl said...

Brings cell phone to bathroom. Thinks to record own dump. Words fail me.

The deer were pretty in their immobility.

Birdie said...

Didn't anyone say, "Someone's going to get hurt!"? I'll bet you're AJ's favorite cousin. My sister's the fun one in our family. All the kids can't wait to see her.

As for that recording, I'm slackjawed. No, no, no.

Joel A. said...

When my nephew was about three, I put him on my shoulders and then proceeded to walk under an arch between rooms -- without ducking down to allow his head to clear. KLONK! Oops.

Rox said...

I LOVE that your Aunt recorded her noisy emissions! Fantastic!

You look like your grandma. You have the same eyes. Kind, yet full of spunk!

I LOVE the lighthouse picture! And the sea looks breathtaking!

GayProf said...

It's all fun and games until a nephew ends up in the ER.

Phronk said...

Aww what a cute couple.

The deer, I mean.

Your aunt is the coolest aunt ever.

dpaste said...

There is something to be said about consistency in family traits. In your family's case, that something just happens to be "poop."

Summer said...

When my son was 6 months old my sister dropped him on his head at the St. Patricks's Day parade. Lucky for him he was bundled up in a thick knit hat. How nice that you have a grandparent. As for your aunt, well the apple doesn't fall from the tree does it?

Mark in DE said...

LOL - sounds like a perfectly lovely time!

A Lewis said...

Don't you typically charge boys for a ride? I mean, I always offer to pay....even if I end up not having to.

Java said...

Is that AJ's nose peeking from between you and your grandmother? She looks great! She looks spunky, and younger than 85.

The sea looks mesmerizing. I'd like to go just for the wind and the sea.

em said...

Lord. You did that with a 12 year old? I fell carrying Boy when he was 2 and it nearly killed me. Oh and then there was the moment when I tripped in front of Trader Joe's and managed to save him from injury but peed all over myself. Good times.

Also, the dump recording thing cracks me up. But if she were *really* your blood you would have a link to it on your site.

em said...

Also, your grandma looks wonderful. I always want to go out to lunch with her and your mom, but as you know I'm terribly shy.

Rick Bettencourt said...

Yes, definitely in the blood.

Victor said...

How lucky you are to have a grandparent still alive.

Only one of my four grandparents was still alive in my lifetime and she died back in 1967.