Los Angeles: Monday, June 22

I wanted to do something special today for my last day in LA.

My Mom, the kids and I all loaded into the car and motored out to Marina Del Rey.

It’s just a quiet little beach that most folks know little about. But for me, it is a page torn right out of my childhood. You see…Back in the day, my Ma used to bring me to this beach (via bus) so I could splash and play at little risk from high surf due to the breakwater. We were frequent visitors to this spot up until my teenage years, when I foolishly became “too cool” to go to the beach with my Mom.

God, I was such a dumb-ass.

For my Mom, she had related to me an anecdote about dreaming herself onto our special beach to take her away from the pains of cancer treatment and chemotherapy. It was a small solace to her that was nearly crushed by her frail constitution. At her worst, Mom thought she would never see our little patch of seashore again.

This was true…until today.

We went.

We went and my children splashed and played.

We went and Mom got her feet wet again.

And while Amelia was somewhat distraught by the vastness of the ocean, she was able to conquer her initial fear of the waves with my Mom at her side.

It was a magical moment and easily the highlight of the trip.

At around 2pm, the lot of us went to the Fisherman’s Village to gnosh on some authentic fish ‘n chips and enjoy a cold beer. It was the perfect cap to the perfect day.

Or so I thought.

When we got home, my sister called up and told us she would be able to visit tonight along with my niece and her beau. That was great fun, considering my kids got along with her so well. Best of all, Vince got a free haircut thanks to the shearing prowess of his cousin!

Sadly, I was in a bit of a sour mood because I was trying to pack my suitcases to save time tomorrow.

But my sister’s visit was just like my brother’s in regards to the quiet gloom of inevitable separation.

Theirs too was a teary departure.

Now all that’s left is saying goodbye to my folks and making the “goodbye” trip to the airport with my bro.

Then it’s good ol’ SLC again and back to work. Yay.

Los Angeles: Sunday, June 21 (Father's Day)

Visits occurring close to departure dates tend to be pretty weird. There always seems to be this aura of quiet desperation where everyone is making that final attempt to be close to loved ones and make memorable moments. I usually find this to be pretty depressing, yet I always end up participating in the activities.

We spent Father’s Day in this manner. My nieces and nephew played as hard as they could with Vincent and Amelia in order to engrain themselves into their psyche. I played around and cracked jokes in hopes of covering up the quiet depression that wells up inside of me at the thought of saying goodbye. My parents, my brother and my sister-in-law view this all from behind eyes that are accepting of life’s jabs and shortcomings. Such is their wisdom.

What’s to say about Father’s Day? I received a great gift from my generous brother and ate more than my fill of my Mom’s shrimp ceviche. The rest of the time was spent laughing, playing, talking and listening as we all waited for that final moment when we would have to say goodbye.

And come it did…all too quickly.

The memory is still vivid in my mind.

The black beast is pulling away with some of the most loving people I know inside. My daughter waves shiningly at her cousins, oblivious of the hiatus to come but genuine in her projection of affection.

And Vince? Well, Vince watches his extended family leave with the usual wretched, but quiet resignation that comes from watching the people he loves fade away once more into conceptual distance and photographs. Any other child would be in tears at this moment, but not my son.

It’s no matter. I cry for him.

Tomorrow will be my last full day in Los Angeles.

I shall endeavor to make it a memorable one.

Los Angeles: Saturday, June 20

We were big homebodies today and decided to hang out at the house in order to greet my sister, who was traveling in from Pasadena. When she arrived the two of us chatted the time away, catching up on work, children and all the little things that make life interesting. Best of all, both Amy and Vince were very affectionate in my sister’s company and were even comfortable enough to give big goodbye kisses and hugs to their Tia. My kids can be real champs sometimes.

After giving my sis a lift to the bus stop, I motored around my little burg to find a wifi hot spot I could use to check e-mail and post tweets. My first step was to check the local Starbucks. (You know, there just aren’t enough of those places!) Can you believe those knuckleheads CHARGE for the privilege of using their wifi?!? It’s like $25 for a year’s worth of use or something. Preposterous!!!

Thankfully, there was a Staples nearby that offered free wifi and I was eager to accept their generosity!

Tweets posted and e-mails checked!

As I was wrapping up, my sister-in-law (Eddie’s wife) phoned me up and told me that all the Palmdale Z’s had come to my parents’ house to visit and play with the children. What a pleasant surprise!!! I hurried back to my old place and spent the next four hours playing hacky-sack, ball bump, tag and wrestling with my kids, brother, nieces and nephew. It was rejuvenating! Best of all, my babies were treated to an LA summer staple…a visit to the Ice Cream Truck!!! (Ice cream sandwich for Squirt. Tweetie-bird fruit cream for Pooka. ;-)

As with all good things, the time finally came for the kids to go home. But instead of heading back to the High Desert, they informed me that they’d be staying in town and would be coming to visit tomorrow for Father’s Day! Extra time for playing and fellowship?!? Gimme, gimme!!!

It’s almost time for me to leave, LA. :-(

Be home soon, Love.

Most of these photos are covered in my LA Misc set. Enjoy!

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Los Angeles: Friday, June 19

I had to drop the “nah” to my brother for visiting his place in Palmdale. Sadly, I wasn’t proud of my resolve due to Eddie’s dutiful diligence in picking me up from LAX every trip and his children’s absolute affection for my wilas. Truth be told, I felt terribly guilty.

However, I was consoled of this decision when I saw my kids playing around my old backyard and chasing after my parents. Slowly but surely, Amy is starting to warm up to my P’s. She plays ball with her Grandma and frequently exchanges laughs with my Dad. As usual, Vince keeps to himself. But now he’s starting to seek out my parents for anything he might want and even snuggle up to them when he’s feeling blue. It’s all incredibly heartwarming.

Once we were ready, Mom, the kids and I paid a visit to one of Mom’s closest buddies so she could show the kids off. It was a very cordial and friendly visit. But the highlight for me was when Amy and Vince (once again) switched up their gifts from this lady…and Vince played with the cuddly teddy bear while Amy had her power ranger spin-off figures fight evil and boogie down. I’ve dubbed them “Drilltor” and “Blackhawk.” Amy absolutely loves them. (That’s it! I’m buying Amy some Transformers!)

For our trip, we motored out to beautiful Palos Verdes and the tide pool park near old Ft. Macarthur. It was a perfect day, the sun was hidden behind the clouds and the water was cool and pleasant. Vince and Amy took in the view and waded around the ankle-deep water, tossing stones and chasing hermit crabs. After a while the incoming tide chased the four of us away to the “park” part of the cliffside beach, where we changed the kids’ diapers and clothes, talked about how much we loved traveling and fed the seagulls.

When we returned to the house, it was time for dinner. Mom saw that I was starting to run out of steam and coerced me to take a nap while she and my dad watched and fed the kids. I must’ve been tired because I agreed to do it. That was around five. At about seven-thirty, I awoke to hear Amy and Mom playing ball in the backyard while Vince was playing with the Wiggles. They had behaved the whole time I had slept and met me with smiles and hugs when I woke up. It was such a great feeling that I rewarded them with a nice long flick (Ice Age) and a cool bath before bedtime.

Tomorrow I get to see my sister. I’ve got to make sure I can get to a free wi-fi zone so I can post all my current blog messages, tweets and pics.

We’re enjoying ourselves immensely.

But this would be much nicer if Lisa was here too. :-(

G’night, LA.

Miss you, Baby.

Los Angeles: Thursday, June 18 (Part 2)

Today Mom, the kids and I took a trip to the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits.

It is in West LA on Wilshire Blvd; an area known as The Miracle Mile. The architecture for the area is campy and beautiful. The radiant khaki “art-deco” structures crowned with palm trees reminded me of a sort of 1950s magical Los Angeles where the city gleamed of possibility and progress and anybody could make it big in show biz if they tried. A real Hollywood shine!

As for the museum, just pulling into the parking lot sparked a trip down memory lane. It was full of old elementary school field trips and the (now extinct) La Brea Halloween Festival where I had rolled down the grassy hills so much that I became nauseous and puked…..much to my Ma’s dismay.

Boy, what a bunch of laughs.

Our tour of the museum made new memories. Amy just had to explore every exhibit, but she chose the animatronic mammoth and the dire wolf displays as her favorites. (AH-WOOOOO!!!)

As for Vince, he’s never been big into museums. But he did enjoy the fact that Grandma wasn’t a big museum mover either, so the two would find a bench to cuddle up on in every new area while I chased after Amy. Good times.

After the tour, we ambled over to La Brea Park to look at some of the ongoing digs and take in a shady resting place. Can you believe that there was a tree in that park that I had climbed when I was ten? Now it’s twenty five years later and my children are climbing that very same tree. (And me too, for old time’s sake.)

The tree climbing was a perfect end to our La Brea experience.

We hopped into the car and drove past the LA Farmer’s Market, The Grove mall and all the frou-frou country clubs of West LA. We even saw a movie shoot in progress!

What a busy and wonderful day.

Good night, LA.

Miss you, Baby.