travelswithalice

July 19, 2005

 

San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles


Back again to Hong Kong to pack for the U.S. and Europe and then I was off to San Francisco for a 3-day slumber party with Margie and Celia. 

  I bought us matching silk nighties on Pedder Street for the occasion.

Then on to Las Vegas for two weeks with Tim and Baby.

 Tim took us to dinners and shows on the strip. We danced ourselves dizzy to live Motown music and screamed gamely as Tom Jones, nearing 70, gyrated and growled and caught ladies’ underwear onstage. There was a provençal dinner where our waiter, a baritone, sang a tenor aria; he told us about opening for Placido Domingo and auditioning for The Phantom of the Opera.

But most of the time, Tim left Baby and me alone “so you sisters can bond,” he said. So we bonded. 

We solved every possible family problem we could think of. We moved around the furniture in the house so much that, to this day, they must still be reeling in confusion. We went on daily explorations of local restaurants and coffee shops, with Baby driving her underused car, and got lost every single time. We horsed around with Pam and Janet, two crazy, lovable cousins who played mahjongg with us and cooked us fabulous meals.

One weekend, Tim drove us to LA so we could spend time with Eileen and Butchie and their families. Through a never-ending parade of food and wine, and a marathon of parlor games, Baby and I reestablished family lines and introduced our generation to the new. 



The weekend was made unforgettable by an incredible set of nephews and nieces. Joseph is a sweet, 13-year-old gentleman-in-the-making and Erin, a tough-talking 9-year-old sweetheart of a cardsharp. 

Between the two of them, they tried and failed to teach Baby and me the finer points of pusoy. We all played Guesstures (a corruption of charades), Scrabble, and inevitably, mahjongg, just the latest addition to these two kids' roster of hustling skills.

Baby and I watched in fascination as Denise, another niece, now suddenly grown up and glamorous, got all gussied up for the prom with her coterie of high school seniors. 

And finally, we marveled at how these two families' unconditional love and laser-focused devotion had made all the difference in the raising of one remarkable child, Ejo.


Labels: ,


posted by Alice Dimalanta Jones  # July 19, 2005




<< Home

Archives

July 2005   September 2005   October 2005   April 2006   July 2006   August 2006   January 2007   February 2007   September 2007   November 2007   February 2008   September 2008   September 2009   May 2010   May 2011   September 2011   July 2012   August 2012   September 2012   October 2012   November 2012   December 2012   January 2013   February 2013   March 2013   April 2013   May 2013   June 2013   July 2013   August 2013   September 2013   October 2013   November 2013   December 2013   January 2014   February 2014   March 2014   April 2014   May 2014   June 2014   August 2014   September 2014   November 2014   December 2014   January 2015   March 2015   April 2015   May 2015   July 2015   August 2015   September 2015   October 2015   March 2016   April 2016   May 2016   June 2016   July 2016   August 2016   September 2016   October 2016   January 2017   February 2017   May 2017   June 2017   July 2017   August 2017   September 2017   February 2018   March 2018   April 2018   May 2018   June 2018   July 2018   August 2018   September 2018   October 2018   December 2018   January 2019   February 2019   March 2019   June 2019   July 2019   August 2019   October 2019   December 2019   January 2020   July 2021   August 2021   September 2021   October 2021   November 2021   December 2021   April 2022   May 2022   June 2022   July 2022   August 2022   April 2023   May 2023   June 2023   July 2023   August 2023   September 2023   October 2023   November 2023   December 2023  

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]