WWQP Bulletin Board Chat

VISIT OF THE GRANDS

I hope this isn't repetitious. It seemed familiar as I drafted it on Word but here goes.

Hi everyone. I haven’t commented on the DGSs’ visit although I have drafted a post in my head several times. The visit left me behind in a lot of ways so it’s taking a while to get caught up. I don’t seem to be managing that very well.

The boys (twins, age 15) arrived by air in Asheville, 70 miles away for me. The first thing that morning DD called from Rochester saying their flight was delayed 2 hrs so the connecting flight from Charlotte had a different number than the one I had. Then of course, as usual, when I left the house I had no time to spare. Less than halfway there I ran into a two lane backup due to an accident involving a semi quite a few miles down Interstate 40. On top of that there is a major road construction job in the same area so I sat there moving now and then from 4 to 10 mph. As the arrival time for their flight was close I called one of them on the cell phone leaving a message telling them they’d best just get something to eat and to cool it in the baggage pick up area. As soon as they hit the airport, fortunately, they checked the phones and called me back acknowledging receipt of the call. This was a bit after 2PM. When the traffic jam cleared a long time later I had to stop at a bathroom and got there (the bathroom, that is) just in the nick of time. Emerging from there I called them with an estimated time of arrival. They were waiting for me outside at the pick up so I didn’t have to park. They were in splendid spirits so we went merrily on our way home. That was the first time in my life I thought the possession of a cell phone served any useful purpose in the four or five years I’ve had one.

The visit was a delight. I only had two excursions planned and they insisted that suited them just fine. They stayed up late and slept late as teenagers are wont to do but they rarely get the chance. The two of them spent a lot of time playing cribbage (a two handed game taught to them years ago by Al). When I suggested that they could do that at home they pointed out that they never do so as they never have time to just chill out. Then, at the hottest part of the day they decided to get their exercise. Neighbors had offered the use of their top of the line mountain bikes. Greg, who was recovering from a stress fracture in a foot, was under orders not to run til August so he road that bite nine miles down the road and the same back up quite a steep grade the likes of which does not exist in their part of the country. Pete was at the same time running about half way and back. They have the cross country season coming up and were under orders to start getting into shape. They also run the mile in track which season is in the spring. There was considerable target practice in the yard with an old .22 revolver of Al’s and a much lighter new short barreled on of mine. They went through the recycle basket to get shampoo bottle and some other plastic containers and set them up against a bank. After shutting up the dog for her own safety they had a ball. I joined them in one of their sessions and Pete challenged me to a contest. We are currently tied and he says he’s keeping the score for the next visit. My house is fairly isolated and far, far out of range for this practice to create any threat of danger to anyone else. I’m almost a half mile off the public road.

We went to see “Unto These Hills”, a drama presented by the Cherokee Nation up in Cherokee during the summer. I’d heard great things about it for years and never got around to seeing it. I’d also heard that it had been “updated” last year and again this year. Boo. I was a huge disappointment to me. I don’t consider the synthesizer a traditional Cherokee instrument. The performance is out doors in and amphitheater and the sound effects and music must be amplified but it was all produced by artificial means. There was a little dancing but none of the colorful ceremonial ones I expected and that I know had been part of the show in the past. The acting was a bit wooden but that didn’t surprise me. There was a pretty good narrator who took us through several hundred years of their history most of which I’d already read. The boys didn’t know the history so it had some interest for them.

The other planned activity was attendance at a chamber music performance I was determined to attend with or without them. It was devoted to wind ensembles. One of the pieces I had never heard before and I was afraid to tell them about in advance for fear they would consider it beneath them. It was a professionally read performance of the first in the Babar the Elephant series beloved by pre-schoolers world wide. Francis Poulenc, a 20th century French composer has written incidental piano music to be performed with Babar. I’m somewhat familiar with a few of Poulenc’s works and knew it would be lively and witty. It turned out to be the absolute favorite of the entire audience including yours truly and the kids. They loved the whole concert. The performance was ideal. Afterward we went out for a lovely dinner at a nearby place that serves on a very large covered deck. The concert had been at 5 so at 7:30 it was still light out but comfortably cooled off. BOY, can those boys eat!! This place offers rather fine food and was worth every nickel. I never dreamed the kids and I would have such a spontaneously happy time together.

The night before the concert of course, was the date of the midnight release of the last of the Harry Potter series. Pete had hounded me all day to go to the 10 – midnight party scheduled party at a local book store. I put my foot down on that and promised him we’d be at the book store at the crack of dawn to pick up the copy I’d ordered for myself. Each of their parents, now divorced, had ordered a copy so it’s not as if there wouldn’t be two copies waiting for them in Rochester. I did say I wanted to see the recently released movie of one of the earlier books. There was a showing at 6:40 and 9:40 and I insisted that the late show was just about past my bedtime. They dawdled around so that of course we couldn’t make the early show. I knew I was being had. After more begging and manipulating when I suggested we skip the movie a chink was made in my armor so I suggested that we draw cards from the cribbage deck and that the high card would decide. Guess who won the draw, with an ace yet. Sooo, being the good sport that I am we went to the late show which JUST HAPPENED to finish at midnight. I’m sure that the theater owner was in cahoots with the bookstore owner. Off we went to the book store and Peter was out of the car before I had it parked. I’d already paid by credit card so all he had to do was pick it up. I’m so glad we went. The whole store staff was in costume and there were mobs of excited kids, most of them in the same age range as my guys. They are known by the store people as that is a must stop whenever they come here. We got home at 1 AM. (I’m 20 very mountainous miles from town). That was Friday, Saturday was the concert and by fairly early Sunday afternoon Peter had finished it. Oh how I wish I could read at half his speed. I attribute their love of reading (and that of their sister) partly do to what they have in the way of intellectual raw material but possibly more to the fact that their parents have from day one severely restricted TV and computer time. They have always made reading a family affair and until the past few years read every evening taking turns between them reading out loud. DD still refuses to have cable and DSIL has it but uses it primarily for news, business programs and sports. Despite marital problems they have done a fantastic job with these kids. That Sunday as we hugged good bye in the airport I had a few tears in the eye and had no sensation of having been serving a prison term as I thought I would. I’ve never enjoyed them so much. The thank you notes I received both mentioned the chamber music as the favorite activity and the age of the audience. Greg said that aside from the two toddlers he saw he and Pete were the only two audience members under the age of 60. Pete said “despite all the old people....”.I couldn’t wait to share that with the regular season ticket holders with whom I’ve become acquainted. Both boys’ observations on the average age there were a bit exaggerated.

Now I have to figure out a way to get their sister here alone or with them next summer. They are always here in April with one parent or the other. The boys will be working no doubt and have driving permits then. Yikes!

Enough for now. Will post a much briefer report on other stuff at a later time.

Jane in NC

posted by Jane in NC @ 4:34 PM