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Visito, visitas, visita, visitamos, visitan
We went to Cleveland last week. I now have 34 hours worth of corgi hair in the back seat of my car. It does not matter that we covered the seats with a sheet - corgi hair knows no bounds.
I learned a few things on the trip:
1) I need to stop for the bathroom more than the dogs.
2) My friend Ellen does not like peas and carrots (who knew!).
3) The corgis love carrots, but will not eat them in a moving car.
4) My husband knows the words to more than a dozen country music songs.
5) My uncle Yoshio, who has been in the US for more than 35 years, seems every bit the Japanese gentleman as when he arrived.
6) The barbacoa at Chipotle is very authentic.
7) Marc's discount store still has the greatest buys.
8) Math really is everywhere - I heard two different people mention the distance formula within 18 hours.
9) You can be ordained a minister via the internet - no need to buy a Rolling Stone.
10) It really is the humidity, not the heat.
It was a great visit. I saw all my cousins, my aunts, uncles, parents, friends, everyone except my brother. It helps that we timed our visit for a family wedding because that ensures a good turn out of relatives. Due to the slow pace of the catering at my cousin's Dylan's reception, the rest of the cousins and I, all sitting at the cousins table, had plenty of time to catch up. I don't think that all of us had been in the same place in six years. At Dylan's last wedding Deborah was in India, and I don't think that anyone except Deborah went to Sarah's wedding. We had a bit of catching up to do. Sarah and I were both divorced since the last time we saw each other, and Deborah has gotten engaged to her girlfriend Sara. Fortunately they live near Massachusetts so a legal wedding will happen soon. I also met Dylan's stepbrother Billy and his new wife.
I explained to Papi, my husband, that in large cities in the North, there are people from all over the world. This was his first trip out of the South and I wanted him to know that nobody would look at the color of his skin for a second or pretend that they could not understand his accent. When we arrived we went out and he couldn't believe it. I think I heard him on the phone saying, no really there are black, white, brown, and pink. Nobody cares. There are multiracial couples. Nobody cares. People greeted us on the street. Young black guys, who don't say anything to you here in the South unless you were their sixth grade teacher, gave him a head toss and a, hey what's up man. I was really proud of Cleveland Heights.
When Papi saw Billy and his wife he thought they were Latinos. Nothing I could say would convince him otherwise. Papi pointed to his eye, then at Billy, Latinos nos sabemos, we Latinos know each other. Billy, like Dylan is half Japanese (Yoshio and his Japanese wife each married Americans before finding eachother). Admittedly, Billy could pass, just as Indian men keep walking up to Papi and speaking Hindi to him. I'm sure a few of them were surprised that he only spoke Spanish and English. A few days later when Ellen's mom came over to visit with us and found out we were cooking dinner for Ellen and Andy that night, she asked what Indian dish we were making. Papi stopped insisiting that Billy was Latino.
I learned a few things on the trip:
1) I need to stop for the bathroom more than the dogs.
2) My friend Ellen does not like peas and carrots (who knew!).
3) The corgis love carrots, but will not eat them in a moving car.
4) My husband knows the words to more than a dozen country music songs.
5) My uncle Yoshio, who has been in the US for more than 35 years, seems every bit the Japanese gentleman as when he arrived.
6) The barbacoa at Chipotle is very authentic.
7) Marc's discount store still has the greatest buys.
8) Math really is everywhere - I heard two different people mention the distance formula within 18 hours.
9) You can be ordained a minister via the internet - no need to buy a Rolling Stone.
10) It really is the humidity, not the heat.
It was a great visit. I saw all my cousins, my aunts, uncles, parents, friends, everyone except my brother. It helps that we timed our visit for a family wedding because that ensures a good turn out of relatives. Due to the slow pace of the catering at my cousin's Dylan's reception, the rest of the cousins and I, all sitting at the cousins table, had plenty of time to catch up. I don't think that all of us had been in the same place in six years. At Dylan's last wedding Deborah was in India, and I don't think that anyone except Deborah went to Sarah's wedding. We had a bit of catching up to do. Sarah and I were both divorced since the last time we saw each other, and Deborah has gotten engaged to her girlfriend Sara. Fortunately they live near Massachusetts so a legal wedding will happen soon. I also met Dylan's stepbrother Billy and his new wife.
I explained to Papi, my husband, that in large cities in the North, there are people from all over the world. This was his first trip out of the South and I wanted him to know that nobody would look at the color of his skin for a second or pretend that they could not understand his accent. When we arrived we went out and he couldn't believe it. I think I heard him on the phone saying, no really there are black, white, brown, and pink. Nobody cares. There are multiracial couples. Nobody cares. People greeted us on the street. Young black guys, who don't say anything to you here in the South unless you were their sixth grade teacher, gave him a head toss and a, hey what's up man. I was really proud of Cleveland Heights.
When Papi saw Billy and his wife he thought they were Latinos. Nothing I could say would convince him otherwise. Papi pointed to his eye, then at Billy, Latinos nos sabemos, we Latinos know each other. Billy, like Dylan is half Japanese (Yoshio and his Japanese wife each married Americans before finding eachother). Admittedly, Billy could pass, just as Indian men keep walking up to Papi and speaking Hindi to him. I'm sure a few of them were surprised that he only spoke Spanish and English. A few days later when Ellen's mom came over to visit with us and found out we were cooking dinner for Ellen and Andy that night, she asked what Indian dish we were making. Papi stopped insisiting that Billy was Latino.
Sarah's wedding in New Hampshire - not Massachusets
Watched Sarah, rather ill at the time, suffer while her hubby-to-be did absolutely nothing except lie around and drink...a real prince among _____.
The house was old on a very small lot with a damaged fence which could not keep in the dog. Did Chris fix it? Of course not. Was it a simple fix? Believe it. An hours work would have had it secured. Was it fun looking for the dog when he got loose and ran those narrow, winding streets? No.
Your cousin Deb (Sarah's sister) and their father had done some wonderful wall (color choice and labor) painting on the 2nd floor and your Uncle Bill was trying to make other much needed repairs. But not a finger lift from the groom-to-be.
The neighborhood was similar to Tremont in Cleveland except winding streets, street parking on both sides of the narrow roads and very little parking at that. But it lacked the character of Tremont. Perhaps because the lots were so very postage stamp sized that it made people more reserved protecting their "space."
Thanks to Bill & Deb, the house sold very well (I was amazed and astonished when I heard the selling price) when Chris decided to change jobs and move to Buffalo, NY.
Now I'm trying to remember if your Aunt Jan was there also. I should remember her being there but I don't. So I guess that she didn't go. I took a direct flight rather than make the drive. Stayed at a less expensive motel so that I could rent a car. My cousins, Flossy & Denny did attend. They flew in via a flight from Cleveland to Detroit - their money saving option which proved to be similarly priced tickets as mine but their flight took longer. I saw them at the airport in Cleveland but was already at the chapel to watch the rehearsal when they arrived in New England.
The wedding was in an old college chapel and the reception was at the Sheraton where most everyone else was staying. But I was close to a T J Maxx where I found wonderfully warm socks for Sarah who was also having trouble with cold feet. Literally, not about the marriage.
The chapel where they were married wasn't used much as I recall but it was in the middle of the college town and it did have character.