On The Road Again Round 1

Since last Saturday, I have been in my own bed twice … to San Diego on Saturday, January 21, and back to Sacramento on Sunday, January 22, arriving home near mid night Sunday night. I left again Tuesday morning for Reno on business, and arrived home today about 2 pm. It’s been a great week!

Saturday’s journey, Round 1, was with my 16-year old grandson to attend my brother & sister-in-law’s 48th anniversary celebration. I haven’t seen them in 3 years. Keeping this connection is critical to me since our parents are now all gone, and we see or talk to each other not often enough. TO complicate things further, they are currently spending most of their time somewhere south of Tijuana at her mother’s adobe ranch house – no phone, no cell service, no internet. It was great to see them!

At 71, my brother is more a clone of our dad every day – physically, body language, mannerisms … uncanny.  My sister-in-law, a few years older than he, is adorable and crazy!  They have probably six kids between them (a 60’s blended family), a gaggle of grandchildren and an ever-growing population of great grandchildren.  I think there may even be a great great on the way.  My grandson was amazed to meet so many cousins! He knows his great Auntie and Uncle and a few of the cousins, but he met more 2nd and 3rd cousins than he ever knew existed.

Sunday morning we were back on the road to Santa Monica where my darling daughter-in-law is in a Helen Hunt production of Thornton Wilder‘s “Our Town”.  She performed in an Off-Broadway production in New York at Barrow Street Theater  a few years ago which turned out to be the longest running production of the play ever.  The Director, David Cromer, has his own interpretation of the script.  Helen Hunt played the role of Stage Manager for a few months in New York and loved the production so much that she brought it and much of the cast to Santa Monica’s College Of Performing Arts Broad Stage (click to see article in LA Weekly).   My was visiting last weekend as well (missing his sweetie) so we got to visit him too!  Lunch before Sunday matinée …. then a walk down Pacific Palisades Park … then on to the Theater for the play.  It’s always so fun to see Daughter In Law perform.  She has a very minor role, to be sure, but is also understudy for two of the main female leads.  Since most of her work is in New York or the East Coast region, seeing her so close to home was grand!

Itty Bitty, Son & Daughter-In-Law

Itty Bitty and Thing 1 Pacific Palisades

We hit the road back to Sacramento at 4:30 pm, arriving home at 11:00 pm.  We listened to an audio book version of The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo on the way down and back – um… had to skip parts of a few chapters that were not quite appropriate for a 16-year old, but the overall story was enthralling and passed the long drive much quicker!

It was a perfect weekend! Amazingly good time with my grandson, Thing 1 – he is so bright, funny, engaging, easygoing – having his company made the trip even more fun!  In a day and age when so many teenagers are aptly named “MEAN-AGERS”, he has his moments, but not one occurred in the 2 days we spent together!   It’s always fun and reaffirming to see my siblings, and I’ll never miss the opportunity to spend time with my son.  New York City is so far away and visits are often far between.

Exhausted … but happy … we’ll do it again soon!  Reno and On The Road Again Round 2 is next – and soon …

Where have you been lately?