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doing it all for the redhead, part one
July 30, 2012
The above is the mantra Spouse and I repeated endlessly over the weekend. The redhead
in question being my cousin (Dr. Cousin) from Phoenix, and the past weekend being the
memorial for her dad, my late, beloved Uncle. Her mom and her aunt from Springfield
were unwell and unable to come, but Dr. Cousin (DC from here on in), her husband, her
11-yr-old son, and her aunt from San Diego came back to Iowa for it.
It was wonderful to see them, even with the overlay of sadness. We need each other so
much because of said sadness that it made it even more special. We got there late
evening on Thursday, touched base (in a freaky-yet-typical way for us, I got off the
elevator to take the luggage cart back to the lobby, and there was DC!) and then we all
crashed after a long travel day.
Friday, Spouse and I woke early. Well, he woke up at four and proceeded to blast the TV
untilo I got up as well. I'd only had about 3 or 4 hours of sleep, so I wasn't pleased. At 6,
I hit the pool for my workout--had it all deliciously to myself, and it was a great pool.
Then we got cleaned up and went down for our complimentary breakfast before calling
the folks (they stayed 30 miles down the road in my hometown) to see what was up.
They getting ready to head out to our hotel, and we were waiting for the Westerners to
roll out of the sack, so we jumped in the car and ran down the street to check out the
casino. It was smoky-stinky, so we didn't stay long. It is the tiniest little pocket casino I've
ever seen! When I saw that room, my first thought was that it is about the floor space of
a good-sized mall store! As I said, we just stayed for a few minutes and then came back
to the hotel. My folks were there by then and the gang was gathered in the (closed)
restaurant to gab. We knew we were going out to dinner Friday night, but (so normal
for my family) they didn't have a clue how they were going to spend the day.
Since they were willing to wing it, and the weather was gorgeous for once--not too
hot--Spouse and I sprung our idea on them: we had a cooler and a grill in the trunk of
the Ford, and how about a picnic in the park, with brats on the grill?
They thought that was about the most fiendishly clever thing they had ever heard.
MUCH enthusiasm! So Spouse and I borrowed the Boy and ran to the Hy-Vee (grocery
store) for provisions: deli salads, bottled waters, bratwurst & buns with catsup and spicy
mustard, Sterzing's Potato Chips (local manna-from-heaven) and a watermelon, plus
some disposable plates, silverware, paper towels, and some utensils, since I forgot to pack
tongs or a knife. Grand total for more than enough to feed and serve 8 people: $63.95. I
thought that was getting off pretty cheap. And of course, since this is the check-grabby
side of the family, we got back to the hotel and practically had a slap fight over it. Ended
up splitting roughly it three ways, so everybody won.
Honestly...we all had such an enjoyable day. It is such a neat old park, and so very much
the same as it was when I was a kid, and even when my mom went there as a kid, we
just felt like we were home. We talked and walked and explored and grilled and
ate and played on the swings, and took family pictures in from the statue of the civil war
general, because that was the preferred photo spot for several generations of Mom's
family. And when we packed up, we drove down to the other end of the park, where
there is an overlook with a gorgeous view of the Mississippi. And an old log cabin, and a
bandshell, and a fountain, and a big old outdoor fireplace, and two old anti-aircraft guns
that constitute a War Memorial, and even a commemorative plaque marking the spot
where Zebulon Pike unfurled the Stars and Stripes for the first time west of the
Mississippi, or something. As my cousing noted--I've never seen a park with so many
things in it!
By that time, it was mid-afternoon it was getting very hot, and Spouse and I were
exhausted, having gotten very little sleep the night before. DC and her gang were headed
to see some old family friend, the 'rents were off to the cemetery to visit dead relatives,
and me and the husband decided to go back to the hotel for a nap before it was time to
go to dinner. We all parted ways, and as soon as I got back I hit the pool for about ten
minutes (still deserted! YAY!) to get my core temp down, and then went back to the
room, slipped into my nightie, and sat down with my SD card & laptop to email my dear
Auntie the photos from the picnic. We live in such a wonderful age, why not take
advantage, right? I figured I'd get that off and lay down for a couple hours' snooze.
Yeah. Well. Best-laid plans, and all that. Dad calls my cell: "Your poor mother is about
wiped out--can I bring her over there to cool off and rest?" Well, way to hit all the right
buttons, Dad. How am I going to say no to that? Told him yes, fine, not problem, come
on over. So much for a nap! Threw some clothes on, tidied up the room, apologized
profusely to my husband, and there they were. Mom, Dad...and the dog.
Well of course I'm going to let the dog in. I'm not going to make that poor old thing
suffer in a hot truck! Anyway, my hotel was pet-friendly and didn't care. I ran some
water into the ice bucket and set it on the floor, and she was fine with it. We had a big
room with a sitting area, so they all plopped down, and Dad & Brissie proceeded to take
our nap FOR us, while we chatted with Mom. We did kick them out at a certain point,
though, so we could get ready to go out for dinner.
Which we weren't looking forward to, despite having picked the place ourselves. We
were worn out and grumpy and had very little patience for the unpleasant prospect of
dining with my brothers.
I'm getting to the point where I cannot even tolerate my brothers. They don't seem to
give a shit about anyone but those in their own little worlds. And they have both
excluded my mom, me & Spouse, and the Phoenix end of the family from those little
worlds. The oldest brother allows my dad in, but only because my dad fawns over him,
kisses his ass, buys dinners, and gives his kids practically free cars with free perpetual
maintenance. He hates having my mom around because he won't have anthing to do
with anyone who is old and sick. The other brother treats both parents like shit. He has
a notion that he was sorely abused as a kid, and he has a wife that hates us all and
believes the only family that matters is hers. It's all so fucked up.
I suppose I should be "grateful" that they took the trouble to come to dinner
with us on Friday night. But since #1: They weren't supposed to even be invited (Dad
didn't get the memo, apparently, and went ahead and invited them), #2: they just sat
down on one end of the table in a bunch and barely even spoke to visiting family, and
#3: not one of them even bothered to tell DC they were sorry about Uncle's
passing...well, I DON'T feel particularly grateful. I mean--WTF?
I got some good hugs & conversation from my middle brother's kids, and I finally met
the baby. And the food was pretty good. But that was about the extent of enjoyment
for me. Spouse and DC's husband sat next to each other, quietly being mad at almost
everyone at the table. Auntie's sister was the smart one--she contrived to leave her purse
at behind when they were visiting, and so couldn't come to the dinner because she had
to get her purse back. She is too devout to be devious, but I've no doubt that was a sort
of Freudian Slip. I was quite relieved when it was over and we could go back to the hotel
and go to bed. As you can tell, it was a very long day. But--we were doing it all
for the redhead.
Saturday morning found me still in bed at six, and feeling kind of achy after the long
exertions of the day before. I decided to skip the swim, and Spouse and I did some
research online and laid a plan to take the Westerners all out to a local "joint" for
breakfast. My niece had recommended it the night before as a good breakfast place, and
the reviews on Yelp & Chowhound seemed to back her up. The consensus was that the
service was slow and it was a classic dive diner--but the food was awesome. The
COFFEE, of course, was the typical brown water with powdered coffee whitener you
always get in Southeast Iowa, but they cook up a great "mess", and DC fell in love with
their biscuits & gravy. Aunt G loved it, because it was cheap and because she is always
one to avoid chains and hit the local joints. Another check fight ensued. We didn't fight
too hard when DC got grabby, because breakfast for six, coffee, and a glass of juice
thrown in ran to thirty four bucks. And despite the slow service, when Aunt G realized
there was only one waitress for the whole diner, she left the poor woman a 30% tip. I
think Aunt G is like me--when the check is small, you have a minimum tip you leave
instead of going off a straight percentage. 10 bucks is none too much for a six-top.
Seriously, though--the weak coffee was about the death of me these last two trips Next
time I have to be in Iowa, I'm bringing my own ground coffee and filters with me--and
some real cream--like I did when I went to Kansas. Hotels always have coffeemakers in
the room, so I'll just take matters in had myself. I was reduced to drinking Coke a couple
of mornings, just to get adequately caffeinated!
After breakfast, DC wanted to see a local landmark known as Snake Alley, a contender for
the title of "crookedest street in the world" (Apparently Snake Alley has tighter turns, but
San Fransisco's Lombard Street has more turns, or something like that. So we proceeded
to get a little lost in Downtown Burlington, as is very easy to do, before finding ourselves
at the bottom. Since it is one-way, and runds downhill, we were at the wrong end to
drive it...so Aunt G, The Boy, and DC proceed to start climbing it! Also, believe it or
not--yours truly. Yes, it is true. My bad leg and I hauled my bulk all the way up the
infamous 275 feet of cobblestones that rise an astonishing 58.3 feet up the hill
Washington Street to Columbia Street. (The guys? Oh, the bad back twins stayed behind
and waited for us.)
AND THEN WE WALKED BACK DOWN. Which I am not entirely sure wasn't
harder to do!
Doing it all for the redhead. Couldn't have done it a year and a half ago, I'll tell you that.
And they actually drove around the block and came down it in their rental
car--Something Spouse and I elected to skip, as we weren't driving a rental :).
Although Spouse and I , as well as Auntie G and The Boy, had three nights at our hotel,
but Cousin and her hubby could only get two nights, so they had to go back and check
out before we did any more exploring, so we did that, and then headed back out to
another Roadside America attraction: the enormous spine.
Seriously--if your out-of-state visiter is a chiropractor, and the town you're in sports
sculpture of a giant, anatomically correct human spine...isn't it your duty to bring
them together?
After snapping some pics, we headed over to the grocery store/gas station/flower shop
to get fresh ice for the cooler, gas up the cars, and pick up some pink roses (long,
involved story about Uncle's dying and pink roses. Another time.) before parting ways for
a time--Spouse and I decided to go visit my great-grandparent's graves, and the
Westerners were visiting the family friends again before heading out to where the
memorial was to be held. TO BE CONTINUED...
Reading:"The Carter Girls at WeekEnd Camp" (1917), by Nell Speed.
Also: "The Enchanted Barn" (1917), by Grace Livingston Hill Lutz.
Listening: Bruce Springsteen, Mayer Hawthorne, Tom Petty, Flash & the Pan
Surfing: .
At Random:
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