Awesome news- Nana is moving to Bothell!! In April! I am thrilled!
Let's all take a moment to brag on Mom for helping Nana manage her finances and negotiating a great entry price for her to move to Bothell. Nana's big move is tied to a lot of big and small decisions, so it was really helpful that she and mom had been keeping a nice worksheet of all her expenditures for the last year, so it was pretty apparent what would work for Nana. But the awesome part came as we were getting ready to finalize these things. All three of us were sitting down the the gal at the Chateau, and Mom says very evenly, "I'm responsible for keeping Nana in good financial shape, and I just need to know that she is getting this apartment at the best price she can." And the gal said, sure, I understand, would you rather pay $100 less for the apartment? "...Yes. That will work for us."
I'm not sure how, but I've got to try this tactic soon.
The apartment Nana picked is a spacious studio that looks towards the slough with a view dominated by greenspace. The Chateau Bothell Landing is a great community full of mostly active and interesting folks, which has a fun calender of activities and yummy menu. They are also quickly accessible to her church AND reading room, to the senior center, to the Library (where Nana already has a library card and hopes to work with the Friends of the Library). Although the Chateau would drive her to any of these places, she has walked back and forth between most of them plenty of times already. The community isn't far off the highway, which makes it feel not distant for many of the regional cousins and friends who are looking forward to seeing her more often. I'm pleased with her decision, since I think will open up a lot of great opportunities for Nana in her retirement (not the least of which is me getting to hang out with her).
Nana has a very busy month ahead of her, packing up her things in Spokane, and getting ready to head West. We've got teams of cousins on both sides of the mountains poised to help pack, load the truck, unload the truck, toast the arriving matriach and generally enjoy having Nana living in the West. In the meantime, Nana has plenty more small choices to make (what to pack, what to leave, what awesome activities to do first when she arrives....), and I am sure she would appreciate some encouraging phone calls over the next month as she tries to work through downsizing and getting ready to sell her house.
For those who might be around, we are planning a "Welcome Home" party in late April, which will include lots of family and smiles (although I'll be lobbying for cookies as well). Let me know if you'd be interested to attend, so I can loop you into the emails.
Showing posts with label Spokane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spokane. Show all posts
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Making my house more home-y
Matt and I got to share the weekend with Nana in Spokane. It's awesome to be so close that we can just drive over without much ado. On Friday night, we took down Nana's Christmas decorations, on Saturday she showed me some basics of stitching and mending that will come in handy as I embark on my new future as the owner of a sewing machine (yeah, I feel like this is a major upgrade in my identity). And all the while we were constantly sorting stuff. By the end of the weekend, we'd worked out a nice little system with bags and envelopes with various relatives names on them which were stuffed with photos, Christmas ornaments and the et cetera that you tend to find on these occasions. Matt was very helpful, adding 120 lbs of salt to the water softener, and doing other tall/strong tasks, as well as helping in the kitchen with a rendition of Noel's Monkey Bread (YUM).
Nana is very cheerfully jettisoning anything and everything that can possibly find a good home- and I will say that is probably her one big slow down. Once she's decided "I don't need this" it's not just a quick trip to the dump. Figuring out which relative might treasure things, or friend might still get some use out of it, or perhaps if it is only suitable for Goodwill or a pending estate sale. I do think that as the momentum builds that she'll make quick work of all this, though. We decided to pack the family photos to my house for safe keeping until Nana and I can sit down and digitize those of interest and possibly trim down those that aren't. With those out of the way, there are only a couple armloads of stuff left in the basement bedroom besides the furniture.
Our car drove back across the pass loaded down with Nana's bran muffins and cookies, all the photo albums I could get my hands on, some garden pots, Dad's cool coffee table from the basement, some of Mom's weavings, a lot of Papa's baskets, Nana's sewing table and a starter kit of fabrics, threads and awesome tools. Getting those set up at my house makes it seem instantly cozier here. Sure, we've had most of that Ikea furniture for years, but I still don't have as much affection for it as the coffee table that now sits in the living room, or the basket that now holds my remotes. It makes the house feel a lot more like a place I want to be- something I didn't realize was missing from the last decade of apartment living. You guys should all come and visit me so you know what I am talking about.
Other news- I am leaving tomorrow for 4 days in New York at the New York Hall of Science. I am hoping to be able to so some editing/writing for two separate contracts while traveling, as well as meeting some of the super awesome people who will also be at this meeting. I am way behind on my algae work, but unicorn money only gets so much priority. I had a great day on campus meeting with old professors and making some new contacts- much to follow up on there in the coming weeks. And once things settle down from my current contracts, I am gong to spend 2 weeks trying to learn to code in Python, as a test of whether I have the mentality for computer program. If so, I might learn MatLab, as a highly relevant job skill for a modern biologist- and if not, I'll focus on some of the other job skills I already have.
Nana is very cheerfully jettisoning anything and everything that can possibly find a good home- and I will say that is probably her one big slow down. Once she's decided "I don't need this" it's not just a quick trip to the dump. Figuring out which relative might treasure things, or friend might still get some use out of it, or perhaps if it is only suitable for Goodwill or a pending estate sale. I do think that as the momentum builds that she'll make quick work of all this, though. We decided to pack the family photos to my house for safe keeping until Nana and I can sit down and digitize those of interest and possibly trim down those that aren't. With those out of the way, there are only a couple armloads of stuff left in the basement bedroom besides the furniture.
Our car drove back across the pass loaded down with Nana's bran muffins and cookies, all the photo albums I could get my hands on, some garden pots, Dad's cool coffee table from the basement, some of Mom's weavings, a lot of Papa's baskets, Nana's sewing table and a starter kit of fabrics, threads and awesome tools. Getting those set up at my house makes it seem instantly cozier here. Sure, we've had most of that Ikea furniture for years, but I still don't have as much affection for it as the coffee table that now sits in the living room, or the basket that now holds my remotes. It makes the house feel a lot more like a place I want to be- something I didn't realize was missing from the last decade of apartment living. You guys should all come and visit me so you know what I am talking about.
Other news- I am leaving tomorrow for 4 days in New York at the New York Hall of Science. I am hoping to be able to so some editing/writing for two separate contracts while traveling, as well as meeting some of the super awesome people who will also be at this meeting. I am way behind on my algae work, but unicorn money only gets so much priority. I had a great day on campus meeting with old professors and making some new contacts- much to follow up on there in the coming weeks. And once things settle down from my current contracts, I am gong to spend 2 weeks trying to learn to code in Python, as a test of whether I have the mentality for computer program. If so, I might learn MatLab, as a highly relevant job skill for a modern biologist- and if not, I'll focus on some of the other job skills I already have.
Friday, December 2, 2011
I am visiting Nana=Awesome
Boohoo, woe is me. I don't have a job so the only thing I have to fill my time with is visiting my family and fantastic adventures. Pity me.
This week, the pity party is in Spokane, where Nana and I are gearing up for the Christmas season, for her visit to Seattle and her pending move out of the house. She is in really good spirits about a move (although having a Christmas tree up has that affect on most of us). We've been talking about it a lot, what the possibilities are, what she hopes for, how it all might work. It's actually kind of exciting, although there is a lot of legwork remaining to be done. But I keep trying to tell Nana I want her to move across the mountains for selfish reasons: because I want to hang out with her more. I might escalate this argument to saying aggregation the family will have a more magnetic draw on great-grandbabies from TX, if you catch my drift.
And Nana has been working very consistently on paring down the house. I am taking a suitcase full of stuff back to my house this weekend. I mention this because I know my siblings/cousins feel a little squeamish about vulturing over Nana's stuff. But people, this is Nana- she is utterly unattached to her "mortal possessions." This means, Noel, that if she happens to mention a book, or a table cloth, or a set of candlesticks that you might like, that is basically it's last stop before goodwill. There isn't a phone tree in action over these things, and most of the the things that she thinks of as "her things" (ie: not from her Mom, or sister or grandmother), she is very happy to part with. You can all expect, after the holidays, a box with your Christmas ornaments, and possibly childhood portraits which she is ready to part with. But otherwise, if you wanted to help her get stuff out of her house, I think she would be grateful. She is getting rid of it in one way or another. My luggage from this trip has some gardening books, a wooly blanket from Wales, and the "kid's toys" that Nana has had on hand for when kids come to her house (you may remember some of these children. I was once one of them).
Nana and I went to see a fantastic performance of a Christmas Carol last night at the Civic Theatre, which prompted us to think about the season tickets we would buy together for a West side theatre. And we made oodles of Candy, some of which will go with us to the Raku firing later today, which is a potluck event at this studio. We are also going in for pedicures a little later, and Saturday we are headed to My House in Kirkland for continued adventuring.
This week, the pity party is in Spokane, where Nana and I are gearing up for the Christmas season, for her visit to Seattle and her pending move out of the house. She is in really good spirits about a move (although having a Christmas tree up has that affect on most of us). We've been talking about it a lot, what the possibilities are, what she hopes for, how it all might work. It's actually kind of exciting, although there is a lot of legwork remaining to be done. But I keep trying to tell Nana I want her to move across the mountains for selfish reasons: because I want to hang out with her more. I might escalate this argument to saying aggregation the family will have a more magnetic draw on great-grandbabies from TX, if you catch my drift.
And Nana has been working very consistently on paring down the house. I am taking a suitcase full of stuff back to my house this weekend. I mention this because I know my siblings/cousins feel a little squeamish about vulturing over Nana's stuff. But people, this is Nana- she is utterly unattached to her "mortal possessions." This means, Noel, that if she happens to mention a book, or a table cloth, or a set of candlesticks that you might like, that is basically it's last stop before goodwill. There isn't a phone tree in action over these things, and most of the the things that she thinks of as "her things" (ie: not from her Mom, or sister or grandmother), she is very happy to part with. You can all expect, after the holidays, a box with your Christmas ornaments, and possibly childhood portraits which she is ready to part with. But otherwise, if you wanted to help her get stuff out of her house, I think she would be grateful. She is getting rid of it in one way or another. My luggage from this trip has some gardening books, a wooly blanket from Wales, and the "kid's toys" that Nana has had on hand for when kids come to her house (you may remember some of these children. I was once one of them).
Nana and I went to see a fantastic performance of a Christmas Carol last night at the Civic Theatre, which prompted us to think about the season tickets we would buy together for a West side theatre. And we made oodles of Candy, some of which will go with us to the Raku firing later today, which is a potluck event at this studio. We are also going in for pedicures a little later, and Saturday we are headed to My House in Kirkland for continued adventuring.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
These are family heirlooms
Nana and I have been springing around Spokane, having all kinds of grand adventures. Today we checked out a Raku firing workshop, hanging around potters all day was a nice warm up to going to see the Prohibition era Perfectly Modern Millie, full of great dancing and Fabulous Costumes- such fun!
But in between adventures, Nana unearthed a folder of letters she had written to her mother during their time in Alaska. Yup, onion skin, type writer pages, that her Mom thoughtfully dated for when they became family heirlooms. (Guess thoughtful mothering runs in the family!) We are bringing it to share with Dad and Bart on our mini family reunion- well surprise them, I hope. If I can get their permission (their childhood antics being the main feature of the letters), I might try and copy some highlights to the blog. There are some fantastic Papa stories, early pioneer adventures and childhood shenanigans never previously discussed.
The adventure continues in Seattle at 0'dark thirty tomorrow, so I'm off to bed. Just needed to brag a little more about how much fun Nana and I are having.
But in between adventures, Nana unearthed a folder of letters she had written to her mother during their time in Alaska. Yup, onion skin, type writer pages, that her Mom thoughtfully dated for when they became family heirlooms. (Guess thoughtful mothering runs in the family!) We are bringing it to share with Dad and Bart on our mini family reunion- well surprise them, I hope. If I can get their permission (their childhood antics being the main feature of the letters), I might try and copy some highlights to the blog. There are some fantastic Papa stories, early pioneer adventures and childhood shenanigans never previously discussed.
The adventure continues in Seattle at 0'dark thirty tomorrow, so I'm off to bed. Just needed to brag a little more about how much fun Nana and I are having.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Moving to Seattle!
By now, you probably all know that Matt has accepted a job (is dream job too strong?), and that we'll be relocating to Kirkland WA for him to start work in November. He has given two weeks notice, we've told our landlord, and... the rest we need to decide. In the meantime, though, I am in Spokane celebrating with Nana. And who better to celebrate with than Nana? Unlike our friends back home who were happy for us in a "but that means you are leaving" kind of way, she and I are just blissed out, thinking of all the cool ways that this changes our lives for the better. Like, I can come visit for long weekends. Or she can come visit me! Or, it's no big deal to get the whole family together. Or to wait out time changes for phone calls. I'm going to try and convince her to move West for my sake, but really, being in the same time zone will be SOO much nicer. There are so many way this is great news!
And can I brag on Matt for a little? He made me swear to secrecy about this whole affair, from his application, to the interview he was flown to Seattle for, even through the negotiations and the final offer. He is very private, he didn't want a whiff of this to hit his current employer, and he didn't want to have to deal with any public disappointment. Even when all signs were pointing towards "THEY LOVE YOU," he was cautious. They flew him across the country, put him up in a hotel and rented him a car to go and visit his Mom in, and he didn't want me to say anything. They gave him an offer letter, which he signed, and the movers had called us, and he didn't want me to say anything until his references reported back. But Friday he got the final green light from the new job, and we are thrilled with the result. He'll be working as a design engineer at major truck company, who recognize both his years of experience, as well as his fancy degree from Western. It's a promotion in both title and pay, and it's much more in line with what he always wanted to use his eduction for. I'm so happy for him to get a chance to think about cars all day, since that is what he'd be doing if he didn't have to work anyway. It's a great offer, which he absolutely deserved!
Yes, so very exciting times. Nana and I are going to celebrate the excitement by meeting up with Mom and Dad in Seattle this weekend (see how close Spokane and Seattle are?) to be giddy with excitement some more, and also maybe all daydream about the future together. So glamourous. Yes, I have unfortunately left Matt to shoulder the burden of the anxiety about the move for the rest of the week, but I promise I'll be back in full force next week! Sorry honey!
And can I brag on Matt for a little? He made me swear to secrecy about this whole affair, from his application, to the interview he was flown to Seattle for, even through the negotiations and the final offer. He is very private, he didn't want a whiff of this to hit his current employer, and he didn't want to have to deal with any public disappointment. Even when all signs were pointing towards "THEY LOVE YOU," he was cautious. They flew him across the country, put him up in a hotel and rented him a car to go and visit his Mom in, and he didn't want me to say anything. They gave him an offer letter, which he signed, and the movers had called us, and he didn't want me to say anything until his references reported back. But Friday he got the final green light from the new job, and we are thrilled with the result. He'll be working as a design engineer at major truck company, who recognize both his years of experience, as well as his fancy degree from Western. It's a promotion in both title and pay, and it's much more in line with what he always wanted to use his eduction for. I'm so happy for him to get a chance to think about cars all day, since that is what he'd be doing if he didn't have to work anyway. It's a great offer, which he absolutely deserved!
Yes, so very exciting times. Nana and I are going to celebrate the excitement by meeting up with Mom and Dad in Seattle this weekend (see how close Spokane and Seattle are?) to be giddy with excitement some more, and also maybe all daydream about the future together. So glamourous. Yes, I have unfortunately left Matt to shoulder the burden of the anxiety about the move for the rest of the week, but I promise I'll be back in full force next week! Sorry honey!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
So much to tell!
The best thing I did in preparation for post-committee meeting celebration was to plan to take a trip to Spokane to visit Nana and Papa. I just got back from a nearly 4 day hiatus with them (aahhh). Nana kept us just the right amount of busy. On Saturday, the whole family went to the the Community Quilters Meeting, and then enjoyed the Spokane Potter's Guild empty bowls fundraiser. For those unfamiliar, the potters make bowls, you pick one which gets filled with chili (and corn bread, and fry-bread, and anything else you stuff in it), and you get to eat the chili and keep the bowl. Brilliant! Nana also took me to the Community Theater performance of Steel Magnolias (*sniffle*), and to the library's brown bag book sale- because despite what Papa says, she does like to spoil me. The weather was beautiful, the grandparents are in good health and I got a lot of sleep- which is Papa's way of spoiling me. I may have gone overboard trying to explain the process of committee meetings, defense and matriculation to Papa- and I know I lost him when I started talking about my career plans (What are you going to use a PhD in Biology for in policy??). Maybe I'll address this in a future post- like when I've got it figured out. Speaking of future posts, I did get a couple more Papa stories- due out, well, soon.
But man, what a great weekend. And just in time- things that I found acutely irritating last week suddenly seem manageable, and I am ready to jump back on the wagon (or leap out from under it).
And getting back into life post-committee meeting, Matt and I went to see Rodrigo y Gabriela live at the Byham Theater tonight. For those who aren't already devoted fans- Rodrigo y Gabriela DON'T play flamenco music- they are from Mexico City for crying out lout- but I think you could be forgiven for saying their unique rock is highly reminiscent of it. In the second half of the show, cameras were added to the scroll so you could watch the UNBELIEVABLY FAST finger work and knuckle drumming. It was still a bit too fast to see, but I got a better appreciation for what my eyes could not resolve. Very talented pair, very energetic show.
But man, what a great weekend. And just in time- things that I found acutely irritating last week suddenly seem manageable, and I am ready to jump back on the wagon (or leap out from under it).
And getting back into life post-committee meeting, Matt and I went to see Rodrigo y Gabriela live at the Byham Theater tonight. For those who aren't already devoted fans- Rodrigo y Gabriela DON'T play flamenco music- they are from Mexico City for crying out lout- but I think you could be forgiven for saying their unique rock is highly reminiscent of it. In the second half of the show, cameras were added to the scroll so you could watch the UNBELIEVABLY FAST finger work and knuckle drumming. It was still a bit too fast to see, but I got a better appreciation for what my eyes could not resolve. Very talented pair, very energetic show.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Grandparent round up
I wanted to round out the notes from the weekend. For starters, everyone is in great health and humor and the old family homestead is in great shape. Papa indulged me by spending a lot of time with my NEW digital voice recorder (Thanks, Noel!) helping to record some family stories. Once I make up my mind about which software to use on these files, I'll work on compiling some of these to share. I've got some classics here- and some new and interesting stuff too.
We celebrated Papa's birthday at the Down River Grille, a classy restaurant where Nana and Papa are TOTALLY regulars. They even brought out a piece of chocolate cake to celebrate Papa being 92- Papa wants everyone to know that he needed Nana's help to blow out the candle. Like he said "I couldn't have done it without her."
Nana kept us busy, day dreaming about craft projects with Betty, dinking around in the garden and puttering through the kitchen. We didn't cook as much this weekend- what with all the celebrations- but Nana did concede to let Matt air out his fool-proof meatloaf. The secret is Italian Sausage. They will probably be eating Meatloaf and Chocolate Zucchini Break (Cake!) until Thanksgiving.
Matt and I had an uneventful return trip from Spokane, and I am already trying to sort out when I can go back. It was fun to combo visit with Betty- I am sure I could be urged to combo visit with someone else. Who is headed to Spokane next?
We celebrated Papa's birthday at the Down River Grille, a classy restaurant where Nana and Papa are TOTALLY regulars. They even brought out a piece of chocolate cake to celebrate Papa being 92- Papa wants everyone to know that he needed Nana's help to blow out the candle. Like he said "I couldn't have done it without her."
Nana kept us busy, day dreaming about craft projects with Betty, dinking around in the garden and puttering through the kitchen. We didn't cook as much this weekend- what with all the celebrations- but Nana did concede to let Matt air out his fool-proof meatloaf. The secret is Italian Sausage. They will probably be eating Meatloaf and Chocolate Zucchini Break (Cake!) until Thanksgiving.
Matt and I had an uneventful return trip from Spokane, and I am already trying to sort out when I can go back. It was fun to combo visit with Betty- I am sure I could be urged to combo visit with someone else. Who is headed to Spokane next?
Monday, September 7, 2009
Birthday Bash!
Matt and I are this weekend in Spokane, enjoying a boisterous weekend with the grandparents. Seriously- these two wear me out! I've been collecting some great stories from Papa (did you know he crossed the Panama Canal in his Navy years? Or that the men in his family had all been coal miners? This is why he never thought he'd have a 92nd birthday), and made some valiant efforts in Nana's garden. Matt has been the ultimate Mr. Fix-it, which he LOVES- He's installed new doorbells, showerhead, fixed a bathroom fan, destroyed a hornet's nest and done all the other 'Tall Person' work.
Nana and Papa of course make this more than worthwhile- they invited Matt's mom to join us for the weekend, and we celebrated an early birthday for Matt on Saturday. Sunday, of course, was Papa's big day, and when asked he was going to celebrate he said "Well. I am going to read the paper. I am going to take a nap. We've got dinner plans later, and then I'll watch the Sunday Mystery." Needless to say, his birthday plans went off without a hitch. More updates later- I just wanted to brag about what great time we were having!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Papa's Stories and a CHALLENGE
I just enjoyed the great pleasure of a long weekend in Spokane- believe me, you are all quite jealous. There was a parade of great food, some long naps and stories of old. I also got to read Jean's memoir, which inspired me- and I hope will inspire you too. This is meant to be an update on Papa's behalf. Please be reminded, that Papa tells these stories much better himself- this is more like the movie preview to help you plan your next visit.
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One of the things we did together (besides letting Papa make me breakfast, and watching Netflix) was to go to the DMV, so Papa could turn in his driver's license. Every one was impossibly nice. Papa explained that he wanted to trade in his license for identification card, and the woman was very supportive- nay, complimentary. They did have to re-verify all of Papa's personal info, and this I thought was interesting. When asked for the city and state he was born, he replied Rollins County, Kansas. The woman patiently asked for the CITY in the county, and Papa twice as patiently explained that he wasn't born in the city- he was born on a farm.
After the cards were sorted out we went to celebrate at the Old European, because darn, they make a good breakfast. Over breakfast, I asked Papa about growing up on a farm. He didn't think it was anything special, but I explained, I didn't grow up on a farm. So he told me a story:
During the summers, he would go to help out at his Aunt Lizzie's Farm. Once, when he was 8, his Aunt said "Billy, you like eating chicken. It's time you see how that is done." So she took him down to the coop, where they used a wire to catch a chicken by the leg. He asked her if it was ok- he was eight- and she said 'sure, it's fine' so WHACK, and he did his first chicken.
Papa went on to explain that he spent all of his summers out on his Aunt's farm. When he was older (and by older I believe he meant 10), he used to go out and round up livestock at great distance from the farmhouse, which meant he spent a lot of time on his own. As it was, there weren't other kids on this farm, so he got accustomed to being on his own. That is why he doesn't get the cabin fever Nana gets if he doesn't leave the house a couple days in a row. And that, he explained, is why he wasn't so worried about giving up his license and minimizing his mobility.
---
Papa also told me about the first time he went to New York. He was in the Navy, and thier boat went back to the yard in Brooklyn where it was built. While he was there, Papa tried to get around to see everything he could think of he had ever heard about the City- the stadium, museums, parks- anything that popped into his mind he did. And he had a lot of help- a lot of the guys on the boat were from around the area.
There were three guys onboard who were polish, and they were all called 'Ski. He got to talking to 'Ski one day, and 'Ski thought he would really enjoy going into the City for a big Spaghetti dinner- it was cheap, and good. After their shift, they headed into the city, collecting some fellow sailors en route. All told, there were about 8 guys going along, all of them telling Papa how the subway worked, how to navigate the city and this sort of thing. In that time, before the war, these types of restaurants had a guy who stood up front by the windows and scooped up the Spaghetti. Papa thought it looked good, so all 8 sailors piled in. All 8 guys went on to explain the best part about Italian food- since Papa had never had it- recommending things for him to try. When the waitress, a no-nonsense girl in her thirties, came by to see if they were ready, 'Ski explained that they were just telling Papa about Italian food, since he'd never had it. She just rolled her eyes and said "Oh please, I know a Wop when I see one." Which gives Papa a pretty good laugh to this day.
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This last story is just to remind us all of what a man of mystery our favorite communist spy, part time actor, mountain man extraordinaire is. Nana told me that to make up the difference in wages when the family was living in Juneau, Papa took some accounting courses by mail so he could do some accounting on the side (!). Some years later, this really paid off when he was asked to be on the Auditing Board of his Credit Union. He explained that the Auditors didn't have to audit in 'adding up columns of numbers' sense, they just check in on various features of the bank to keep everyone paying attention. He gestured to a woman's photo on the Credit Union newsletter, and said one day he went in and asked to count the teller's cash. The woman in the photo was the head of the teller's at the time, so she volunteered to count it for him, since she was so quick. And "Zwiip...she counted up all the money. We were just supposed to check in on things like that, let people know we were watching." He had this gig from a few years before he retired to a few years after. He finally quit so he and Nana and Jean could go and spend 3 month living in Oaxaca. The head teller went on to be the President of the Credit Union, so she gets featured on newsletters all the time, but Papa knew her when.
---
Here is the CHALLENGE: These are pretty good stories, but I don't think they are the best. I would challenge my fellow authors and readers to try and remember some of Papa's best stories to be collected here on the blog. Does anyone have the details of Papa's life in espionage? More from the good ol' Navy days? Any that just happen to involve Dad being a goofus? I'll boldly ask Papa to serve as our managing editor, and help us get the details of his storied life correct.
----
One of the things we did together (besides letting Papa make me breakfast, and watching Netflix) was to go to the DMV, so Papa could turn in his driver's license. Every one was impossibly nice. Papa explained that he wanted to trade in his license for identification card, and the woman was very supportive- nay, complimentary. They did have to re-verify all of Papa's personal info, and this I thought was interesting. When asked for the city and state he was born, he replied Rollins County, Kansas. The woman patiently asked for the CITY in the county, and Papa twice as patiently explained that he wasn't born in the city- he was born on a farm.
After the cards were sorted out we went to celebrate at the Old European, because darn, they make a good breakfast. Over breakfast, I asked Papa about growing up on a farm. He didn't think it was anything special, but I explained, I didn't grow up on a farm. So he told me a story:
During the summers, he would go to help out at his Aunt Lizzie's Farm. Once, when he was 8, his Aunt said "Billy, you like eating chicken. It's time you see how that is done." So she took him down to the coop, where they used a wire to catch a chicken by the leg. He asked her if it was ok- he was eight- and she said 'sure, it's fine' so WHACK, and he did his first chicken.
Papa went on to explain that he spent all of his summers out on his Aunt's farm. When he was older (and by older I believe he meant 10), he used to go out and round up livestock at great distance from the farmhouse, which meant he spent a lot of time on his own. As it was, there weren't other kids on this farm, so he got accustomed to being on his own. That is why he doesn't get the cabin fever Nana gets if he doesn't leave the house a couple days in a row. And that, he explained, is why he wasn't so worried about giving up his license and minimizing his mobility.
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Papa also told me about the first time he went to New York. He was in the Navy, and thier boat went back to the yard in Brooklyn where it was built. While he was there, Papa tried to get around to see everything he could think of he had ever heard about the City- the stadium, museums, parks- anything that popped into his mind he did. And he had a lot of help- a lot of the guys on the boat were from around the area.
There were three guys onboard who were polish, and they were all called 'Ski. He got to talking to 'Ski one day, and 'Ski thought he would really enjoy going into the City for a big Spaghetti dinner- it was cheap, and good. After their shift, they headed into the city, collecting some fellow sailors en route. All told, there were about 8 guys going along, all of them telling Papa how the subway worked, how to navigate the city and this sort of thing. In that time, before the war, these types of restaurants had a guy who stood up front by the windows and scooped up the Spaghetti. Papa thought it looked good, so all 8 sailors piled in. All 8 guys went on to explain the best part about Italian food- since Papa had never had it- recommending things for him to try. When the waitress, a no-nonsense girl in her thirties, came by to see if they were ready, 'Ski explained that they were just telling Papa about Italian food, since he'd never had it. She just rolled her eyes and said "Oh please, I know a Wop when I see one." Which gives Papa a pretty good laugh to this day.
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This last story is just to remind us all of what a man of mystery our favorite communist spy, part time actor, mountain man extraordinaire is. Nana told me that to make up the difference in wages when the family was living in Juneau, Papa took some accounting courses by mail so he could do some accounting on the side (!). Some years later, this really paid off when he was asked to be on the Auditing Board of his Credit Union. He explained that the Auditors didn't have to audit in 'adding up columns of numbers' sense, they just check in on various features of the bank to keep everyone paying attention. He gestured to a woman's photo on the Credit Union newsletter, and said one day he went in and asked to count the teller's cash. The woman in the photo was the head of the teller's at the time, so she volunteered to count it for him, since she was so quick. And "Zwiip...she counted up all the money. We were just supposed to check in on things like that, let people know we were watching." He had this gig from a few years before he retired to a few years after. He finally quit so he and Nana and Jean could go and spend 3 month living in Oaxaca. The head teller went on to be the President of the Credit Union, so she gets featured on newsletters all the time, but Papa knew her when.
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Here is the CHALLENGE: These are pretty good stories, but I don't think they are the best. I would challenge my fellow authors and readers to try and remember some of Papa's best stories to be collected here on the blog. Does anyone have the details of Papa's life in espionage? More from the good ol' Navy days? Any that just happen to involve Dad being a goofus? I'll boldly ask Papa to serve as our managing editor, and help us get the details of his storied life correct.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Visit to Spokane!
Sorry I didn't post over the weekend. I was visiting my favorite grandparents in Spokane, and we were too busy catching up, watching the Olympics and being spoiled (well, I was at least) to get around to it. Nana and I took a ride on the Gondola over Spokane Falls- which is a spectacular view! I wish I'd remembered a camera. We also went out for Greek food, putzed around in the garden a bit and kept Papa company for the BBC Sunday mystery (Inspector Lindley?). I caught up with Gramma W too, who has decided she would like to make the move to Las Vegas, and I for one am really pleased for her.
I know everyone has been wondering about Papa's health. I think he plans to announce the end of his professional sprinting career soon, but he has enough humor that I think he can overcome the set back, especially with the aide of Nana's great cooking.
It is always nice to be reminded that I have such a great an supportive family, and especially good for the ego to hear grandparents tell you how smart and talented you are. I got in late last night, but I am primed and ready to master some science this week.
I know everyone has been wondering about Papa's health. I think he plans to announce the end of his professional sprinting career soon, but he has enough humor that I think he can overcome the set back, especially with the aide of Nana's great cooking.
It is always nice to be reminded that I have such a great an supportive family, and especially good for the ego to hear grandparents tell you how smart and talented you are. I got in late last night, but I am primed and ready to master some science this week.
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