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!

.

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.

Los Angeles: Thursday, June 18

My Mom has an incredible green thumb. No foolin’, she could get a toothpick to sprout. This morning, I took a walk around her austere, yet beautiful garden to admire the love and effort she puts into her gardening. It is simply stunning. It’s like Huntington Park has an arboretum and an aviary especially for our family.

See for yourself.

Best of all is that my Dad has become an unofficial helper of my mother’s gardening endeavors. Thanks to an early retirement and his continuing impetus to work, he has landscaped much of the backyard and worked on several bird-keeping and decoration projects that have added to the “urban beauty” of the space.

Sure, it’s not the Huntington Library. It’s so much more than that. It’s been a foreign planet for my Star Wars figs, the jungles of South America for my GI Joes and a quiet hangout for my buddies and me while growing up.

Best of all, it’s now a backyard arboreal playground for my two beautiful children.

Man, I love my Mom’s garden.

Los Angeles: Wednesday, June 17

The trip from SLC to LA went very smoothly considering the plane was slammed full and my children and I were seated away from a window (with Amy on my lap). Sadly, this fact had little to do with my baby-girl’s behavior and was more due to the portable DVD player that I fired up as soon as we were airborne. Nonetheless, the minutes breezed on by in tune with the lyrical masterpieces of The Wiggles.

Once off the plane at LAX, we trooped on down to the baggage claim and met up with my brother, Eddie, and his family. Christ, it felt so wonderful to see them. After that, the kids and I were treated to some genuine rush hour traffic and a cruise down Central Blvd…aka “Cripville.” Ah, it was sooo nostalgic. I love LA.

When we finally arrived at my old home (about an hour and a half after we landed), the family reunion began. It was completely inspiring to see my parents laughing, joking and ogling over my little girl. Mom was thrilled to be recognized by Amy and Vince. And Dad….well…Dad was just happy to meet his brand new granddaughter. The stove fired up, the food came out and the catching up began. The occasion was doubly improved with the arrival of my sister, my niece and her beau. Yes, yes…hugs and kisses all around.

Unfortunately, there were some hang-ups that reminded me that I was a solo parent visiting LA with two children. Towards the end of the day, Vince broke down into tears and could only be consoled by some quiet time with me. I surmised that it was the sudden change in venue and Lisa’s absence that may have caused the outburst. I expected to see this during the trip. I really did. What struck me was that I had not expected to see this stuff until later on after the excitement and newness wore off. It was a bad sign. Bad enough that my instinct warned me not to break up Vince’s routine by visiting my brother’s house in the high desert for a couple of days. Needless to say, I was apologetic and remorseful. But my brother’s no dope. He knows that this trip is mostly for the benefit of my parents and graciously accepted my decline with the understanding and dignity that I have come to admire in him. As usual, he is all that is best in men.

The last hurdle for the night was getting the kids to bed. I gave them both a bath and some milk and put them to bed in my parent’s old bedroom. They were both ready to pass out, but Amy let loose with a litany of curses, cries and screams that curdled her grandparents’ blood and nearly worried me to death about Vince’s comfort. Then after five minutes, she crashed into a deep slumber. KO, just like that.

Now I’m writing this….waiting for the midnight hour to take Squirt to the bathroom so he won’t wet the bed. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll be able to secure some internet access to post this message. But if not, I’ll hang on to this journal on a word file and just post it when I get back. Here’s to hoping.

Good night, Los Angeles.

Miss you, Lisa.

Gearing up for L.A.

Well...I'm packing my stuff for our trip to Los Angeles, my awesome home town. Sadly, I'm a little nervous about what I'll see when I get there.

If you've been keeping up with my updates (you dutiful readers, you), you'd know that my siblings have been dropping rather fearful hints about the health of my Dad.

I'm hoping that much of their foreboding has been due to lost context on my part or theatrics on theirs. But my "Spidey Sense" is saying otherwise.

Needless to say, I'm not expecting a palliative and bedridden couple on the edge of transcendence. They would've never agreed to let us visit if that was the case. But I am worried that I'll find an old bickering pair of gaffers who'll try to leverage our company against each other. Yeah, they've been married that long.

Is this a problem? Nah. I'd like to think that I wouldn't let junk like that bother me. Still, it's a little tough to see these two cardinal figures of my life slowing down. I mean, my Mom's always been able to care for us and give counsel; even after surviving cancer. And my Dad? Well, my old man has done his best to stay busy in the wake of a forced retirement. I think they're both worried about stagnating.

It's not all that bad. My parents are finding their own ways to cope with getting old.
My Ma continues to feed her wanderlust by traveling and visiting her relatives whenever her schedule allows. I think she'd go nuts if she couldn't travel.

As for my Dad, he's undergone an academic renaissance that pushes him to read every book he can get his hands on. I think it enriches him.

Heck, I can't wait to show both of them the Internet.

Anyhow, the wilas and I are on our way to smoggy LA. I'll be sure to make some posts from there to report on how the trip's going. If not on my blog, I'll be sure to drop a note or three on Twitter. My updates post automatically on the upper left hand corner of my blog. It's under the title "Twitterin' Tom." (Provided I can get a reliable connection from somewhere. Hopefully, my folks have a neighbor with an unsecure wireless modem! >:)

OK, here we go!




Wait. What about Lisa?

She'll be alone here in SLC for the next week.
While I'm certain she'll miss us, I bet she'll be catching up on some desperately needed rest and relaxation. Play some video games, Baby. You've earned it!

Winter Break 7

Some images from the ride home from Denver, CO.


The trip through mountainous Colorado was a snowy mess.
Thankfully, the highway was pretty clear.
Three cheers for Snow Plow Drivers!






Once off the highways however, road maintenance fell to the local municipalities....who apparently couldn't kick down some of that fat skiing revenue to buy a decent plow.







Ski towns do have some great g'nosh, though.
This place had some dynamite burgers.

(Backcountry Brewery, Frisco CO)






On the way to Grand Junction, we stopped in a place called Rifle, CO. Whew. Talk about your one-horse towns.








Yep. It's all about priorities in good ol' Rifle.
This shot was too good to let go.

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this in UT. What a boring state!





In GJ, I treated the kids to a nice warm bath.
As much as they may fight like cats n' dogs, they absolutely love to bathe together. It was a trip highlight....and perfect fodder for when they get older! ;-)





On to the videos!

Winter Break 5: Merry Christmas!!!!

Christmas morning was a mad rush to get ready and head over to Ron's place. Mom had planned on taking some actual "portraits."

Sorry, this is as good as it gets with an Autie and a cranky toddler.






As usual, the presents were the biggest highlight for the kids!

A puzzle for my sweetie...







An interactive electronic game for Squirt...









A Little People dump truck for Amy...









And some Mr. Potatohead goodness for Boobaloo...
(a sure-fire win)








Amy's "big gift" was a Radio Flyer Inchworm that she absolutely loved!








No. Really. She...um...loved it!!!









Well. At least Vince got a kick out of it.







After spending the morning with the Watsons, we all loaded up the car and motored off to spend time with the Porches.


We were greeted at the door by Anne's big ol' Golden Lab.









Until finally all the Porches started showing up.
There's crazy Uncle Vince, my Vince's godfather.








Grandma Bea was a firecracker as usual.









Here was the full Porch presence for Christmas '08.
Where's Kevin and Chris?








Even with all the loot he got for Christmas, Vince was still entertained by the smallest things. In this case, Anne's "Dancing Santa" got the MVP. Thanks, Kringle.







Ho-HO! This spot was saved for a picture of Vince and Amy with all their Porch cousins!
But you know what? They IGNORED my kids the whole damned time we were there. Not even a "Hi" or a "Thanks" or a "Koochie-koo" or nothing. I don't think they spoke one damned word to us that I didn't pry out of their mouths. Way to show some love to the family, guys.
Don't mind my little retard.

Fuckers.



But, I refuse to end this post on a low note......

Peek-a-boo, Grandma!!!










Lots of lessons learned on this trip.
Lots of little nuggets of knowledge that I've locked away in my mind for next time.
Man, do I miss my family in CA.

Winter Break 4

The very next day, we took in the sights of beautiful downtown Denver.

Naturally, the political scientist in me was eager to tour the state capital building.











And I'm glad we did!
The legislature chambers were an incredible sight.







So was the view from the front door.

(That's the city-county building over there across the park, btw.)






Vince was pretty jazzed about the state Christmas tree.













But I just couldn't get enough of the beautiful architecture.









Neat, no?









We were checking out the little museum on the top floor when an incredible opportunity arose...








...to actually ascend the maintenance stairs and check out the tower balcony!






This was too awesome! The day was clear and beautiful.








That's Pike's Peak in the background.








And here's a shot of the Denver skyline.








To the south, we caught a glimpse of the Denver Cathedral and decided to check that out next.







We thanked our well-informed tour guide and set out on the streets again.







When we arrived to the cathedral, I started snapping photos of anything that looked interesting.












Look at those stained glass windows!








And how about that gorgeous altar?










The pipe organ was a real marvel, too. Sadly, I don't think this image does it justice.








And here's the little nook where I lit a candle for my babies.








After our trip to the church, we drove around to look at some other sights.

This is the house of the unsinkable Molly Brown.









And this is the big blue bear looking into the convention center.

I'm not sure what the point was of putting it there, but admittedly I'm not much of an art guy.




OK, so more winter break pics will be posted shortly!
Adios!

Winter Break 3

Our first night in Denver was a bit rough.
Amy complained quite vociferously about having to go to sleep and Vince was all knees and elbows. (Ouch!)

In the morning, we cleaned up, ate breakfast and motored up to Great Grandma Bea's in Aurora for a visit. I was a little worried about getting lost at first, but Denver's pretty easy to navigate if you just take your time and pre-plan your route.


Bea was as live a wire as ever. She was so happy to see Amy and Vince, she didn't even mind when Amy rifled through all her pretty porcelain knick-knacks and Vince went exploring.

(Before you say anything, I wiped that booger off of Amy's face right after the shot.)







Amy was especially friendly on this trip. She didn't shy away from either of our hosts. In fact, it wasn't long before she had Great Uncle Kerry wrapped around her finger!








Kerry was a champ and let Amy play with this novelty snowman doo-dad that sang and swayed to three different songs every time anybody breathed hard.

Yeah, it was a little annoying...





But the wilas couldn't get enough of it.
It even brought Squirt out of his little hidy-hole to be sociable.
Not too shabby.





After a great Mexican lunch from this little hole-in-the-wall place called El Lucerito, we said our goodbyes to Bea and Kerry (until Xmas) and hooked up with Cheri and Mike again for our next Denver adventure:


Oh, yeah. You know the kids loved this one!




In fact, we were all pretty excited to go on this trip. The exhibits were said to be top-notch and the admissions price had recently dropped from $20 to $13. (How generous.)







Not normally a guy who likes posing for photos, Vince didn't mind mugging with this toothy dude. I think it might have reminded Squirt of this fella.






Not to worry, though. Vince's enthusiasm for modeling quickly dwindled once we got inside.







As with the Glenwood Springs pool, Amy was a little freaked out by all the water....along with all the incredibly large fish inside that could eat her.






Vince on the other hand, got as close as he could to every exhibit.
He's still our big waterbaby.






As always, Lisa played the supermom that held things together. Along with keeping track of Vince, she also coaxed Amy out of her shell and helped her enjoy the exhibits more.







Cheri and Mike were happy to see the kids enjoying the aquarium.
But I think Cheri may have been more scared of the camera than the sharks! ;-)






Here's Grandma and Vince, taking in the scenery.








Lisa got this great shot of a Moray Eel.
Shoot, those things are ug-ly.












She even got this shot of a Nurse Shark taking a break.








But her best shot was of this wary diver keeping an eye on one of the tank's big-boys during a scenery scrub down.

Man, that fish was huuuuge.




I forgot to mention. Lisa offered to take charge of the photography chores while I helped the guys enjoy the show.

Here's Amy and I.






And here's a shot of the three of us at the Tiger exhibit....













That's right. It's an aquarium with a Tiger exhibit.
He looked pretty hungry, too. Gulp!







The shark tank was the real hit of the show.
Vince totally dug it....really.












Another image of Vince, Amy and I taken through Lisa-Vision.
I swear, my wife's really got an eye for photos.

(See how the light reflects off of my bald spot? Timeless.)








At the end of the trip, we decided to take a dessert break at the fancy restaurant inside the facility. $30 a plate? No thanks, I'll have the pie.






This was so much fun.
I can't wait to see what we do tomorrow.