family time
Jun. 13th, 2009 10:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
astroaztecMeeting two intense deadlines with telescopes is an altered state of consciousness, some parts of self get shut down. Driving all the way to Orange County is also an altered state of consciousness, ditto. Along I-5 was an impressive dust devil. That prompted me to recall the tornados I saw as a kid, and another story about driving through a dust devil. The girls wanted to know more immediately, but I said those were stories of Mom and my stepdad, and they would have to wait until later.
It had proved infeasible to attend Athena's graduation, but the girls and I arrived in time for lunch afterwards at Acapulco Diamond Bar. Artemis has been in town for days, so she was there, too. (I'm still trying to decide what she was trying to say about how the chile relleno I got could not possibly compare to the ones at El Cholo La Habra.) Alas, Athena was heading off with F to celebrate a one-year wedding anniversary, and Mom's plane was not to land until hours later, so not everyone was together all at once.
Once Mom arrived we headed to Artemis' choice for dinner, Polly's Pies Fullerton. I was subjected to samples of both kinds of chocolate pie from the girls, and (in a non-beverage-form reminder of the way my mimosa glass kept refilling itself at Athena's wedding shower last year) Artemis presented me with a hunk of her piece of berry pie. The conversation was wonderful, and that left the girls utterly mystified.
They did listen as Mom recounted the three tornados that passed next to our house, including the one which left her trapped outside as it passed over. I contributed my part, which was that while 6 year old me was taking cover in the basement the phone rang. My evaluation of the priorities led me to run up the stairs, answer, find that it was for Mom, hang up, and run back down to the basement -- but not until after I had reported "she can't talk right now she's outside in the tornado."
My stepdad then contributed what happened when he decided to drive into a dust devil that was crossing the highway near him. He was in a VW beetle. It ripped up the trunk in front of him so he could not see, and it almost rolled him. He had to stomp on the trunk to get it back down, and then tie it so it would stay down for the rest of his drive.
Eventually the girls literally dragged me from my seat to return to the motel. They think they're here for Disneyland. I'm here for the people. I hope that somehow they take notice of that and internalize it.
It had proved infeasible to attend Athena's graduation, but the girls and I arrived in time for lunch afterwards at Acapulco Diamond Bar. Artemis has been in town for days, so she was there, too. (I'm still trying to decide what she was trying to say about how the chile relleno I got could not possibly compare to the ones at El Cholo La Habra.) Alas, Athena was heading off with F to celebrate a one-year wedding anniversary, and Mom's plane was not to land until hours later, so not everyone was together all at once.
Once Mom arrived we headed to Artemis' choice for dinner, Polly's Pies Fullerton. I was subjected to samples of both kinds of chocolate pie from the girls, and (in a non-beverage-form reminder of the way my mimosa glass kept refilling itself at Athena's wedding shower last year) Artemis presented me with a hunk of her piece of berry pie. The conversation was wonderful, and that left the girls utterly mystified.
They did listen as Mom recounted the three tornados that passed next to our house, including the one which left her trapped outside as it passed over. I contributed my part, which was that while 6 year old me was taking cover in the basement the phone rang. My evaluation of the priorities led me to run up the stairs, answer, find that it was for Mom, hang up, and run back down to the basement -- but not until after I had reported "she can't talk right now she's outside in the tornado."
My stepdad then contributed what happened when he decided to drive into a dust devil that was crossing the highway near him. He was in a VW beetle. It ripped up the trunk in front of him so he could not see, and it almost rolled him. He had to stomp on the trunk to get it back down, and then tie it so it would stay down for the rest of his drive.
Eventually the girls literally dragged me from my seat to return to the motel. They think they're here for Disneyland. I'm here for the people. I hope that somehow they take notice of that and internalize it.
chile relleno
Date: 2009-07-14 12:38 am (UTC)It's one of those childhood things. El Cholo = Mom = special good times = nothing else can possibly be as good.
Plus, El Cholo really does have excellent Mexican food.
Thanks for coming to lunch. Thanks for lunch. Thanks for being my friend.
Athena