Day 4, Sunday, December 19th:
Cora Lee was up at 7:30am to shower before nudging me awake at just after 8:00am. I teetered into the bathroom and stood under the hottest water I could stand, soaking my fuzzy head! Feeling more human, I dressed and joined the waiting throng in the living room, reading the morning papers. Fuelled with a hefty jolt of Vinnie’s wonderful java, I carried what was left of the case of Zichichi, (Only 8 bottles left after I presented Cactus with a Zin. When Keatings had delivered case, a year or so ago, I had told David to take a bottle for his birthday. He had not done so, believing his storage responsibilities to be sacrosanct, unlike many other of my temporary wine cellar keepers in the Pacific Northwest. Most recently, on the evening we arrived, Marilyn confessed, blurting out, unable to contain her guilt and shame, that she had purloined a Pinot Grigio from our stash. She had, however, kept the empty so that she would be able to replace it, coming as it did form an Oregon winery. Pathetically apologetic, she protested that her intentions were honourable but she just hadn’t gotten around to finding time to visit winery in question. Delighted to have some leverage over her, I absolved her of her shocking, nay heinous, crime, as she kissed my feet in abject gratitude. In fact, I was simply delighted that she had enjoyed the wine. It was but a mere trifle weighed against the magnanimous hospitality that she and Michaelo have lavished upon us and a wide circle of our friends, over the years we have stayed and stored.), down to TG and started the process of repacking.
It was still raining steadily so I tried to rearrange baggage as quickly as possible. Few minutes later, Sherpa Davey arrived with more bags and I stowed them on the passenger seat as I still had to make room for the cooler and CL’s overnight case. Back up the hill and down again, laden with last bits and pieces. TG ready to go, I returned to house to collect my thermos, now filled with wonderful java, and munch a banana. We embraced our dear, dear friends, sorry to leave but happy to know they plan to visit, probably this July. Waving goodbye at the door, it was raining far too heavily for them to venture outside, unnecessarily, we trekked down the steep driveway, careful not to loose our footing on the gravel which had been washed over much of the surface, to the waiting chariot. Upon opening her door, Cora Lee let out a squeal of dismay: “My seat is wet!” I knew that this hysterical utterance would be the first thing that she would rail on about as soon as I noticed the moisture, which had obviously dripped from a number of the rain wet cases I had had to shift from back to front in the earlier rearrangement process. Dismissing her selfish complaint, (She had not volunteered to help carry anything down but sat sipping raspberry tea while I braved the stormy elements!), with a glare, I was about to clamber into driver’s seat when I realized I had forgotten to take my thermos from the kitchen, after all. Back up the slope to open the door to find all three, (Cactus, Donna Florida and Marcus Aurelius, a delightful stray tabby that has recently attached himself to the household, [At dinner, the previous evening, he hopped up onto Cora Lee’s lap, where he napped, one paw over his eyes, and purred contentedly for sometime. This, of course, would have made Maggie insanely jealous, had she known of such blatant violation of her territory!]), in a semi-circle, just beyond the threshold, Cactus with proffered thermos in hand, (They knew I’d be back!), chortling! I shrugged my shoulders, laughed sheepishly and nodded goodbye.
Back in TG, I belted up and we were away by 9:30am. Connections to get to I5 from their place are remarkably easy and straightforward. Having used the same route many times, over the years, also helps, of course. Right onto Tunnel Road until spot where one can make a U-turn to go back up TR to join State Route 13 at crest of hill. SR 13 turns into SR 24 which in turn becomes I 580 as one heads south towards San Leandro and Haywood. There one heads east towards Livermore. In spite of the fact that we knew where we were going, (not always a given, Dear Reader, in the mare’s nest of freeways which strangle the Bay Area),
the drive to LA on Sunday morn was one of most terrifying of my life and this without the slighted bit of exaggeration or hyperbole. Once we reached I 580 it was pelting so heavily that I had wipers on at full blast much of time, particularly as we passed exit to Livermore, almost swimming through car wash-like torrents of spray as I threaded my way around semis hurtling through the murk. As if that wasn't unnerving enough, at times I-580 freeway had pooled water across four lanes and even at reduced speeds the horror of aquaplaning was always lurking, like a maniacally grinning, red-eyed devil, in the back of my mind! Fortunately, for everyone's peace of mind, (Memories of being embraced, when we arrived, much, much later than expected, in Portland, by our frantic hosts, whose litany, "We're so glad you're not dead!", kept running through our heads in an endless, maddening loop), both traffic and rain abated, slightly, (I could actually turn down wipers a notch), once we neared turnoff to connector which would take us to I 5.
Having reached the I 5, driving ordeal, however, was still far, far from over, as traffic remained extremely heavy, semi after semi clogging right lane. Constant rain made passing slow and difficult so left lane backed up as well. Added to this unnerving brew, high winds buffeted us, the extreme gusts sending tumbleweed hurtling across the highway as we struggled along, battered and buffered. At one point, we just missed a plant the size of quite a large, four foot shrub, as it came out of nowhere, scudding, in seeming slow motion, right in front of us. I don’t imagine it would have resulted in anything catastrophic, (at least I would like to believe it wouldn’t have), but really didn’t want to have to deal with such a high speed entanglement, at any time, let alone under the current circumstances. This state of almost bumper to bumper continued, pretty much all the way to exit for Bakersfield, roughly 100 miles north of LA. At this point I could actually engage cruise control and pry my white, cramped knuckles from the steering wheel! For about forty minutes only needed to swipe windshield intermittently but downpours started just as we approached The Grapvine, the hill country about 70 miles from city. However, by this time traffic was so heavy that sheer volume reduced traveling speed so driving was relatively pleasant and not the adrenalin pumping, silent scream, nerve wracking gauntlet we had endured for past four or five hours. Much to our collective relief, we inched our way towards our final destination without mishap.
At about 3:30pm we approached the Truck Route off I 5 but I made a wrong turn which landed us back on I 5. Taking the first exit off that freeway, it was difficult to get back on course and we were soon on Lassen heading to Zelzah. Once across the street from L’Apartmento de Los Horridos, Cora Lee called Ayn to learn she was close to home, having just picked up Xavierino at LAX who had flown to town from Colorado Springs. As it turned out, Alejandro, The Dark Prince, came home from work before the other Tinsel Towners and he opened the gate to allow us to park in Ayn’s garage to unload. We had just started unpacking when Micro-Managing Mama and Pierre arrived and we all embraced before they went upstairs to have a tearful reunion with Super Nana! With the help of The Lost Burritos, it didn’t take too, too long to unpack. After everything that needed to go upstairs was upstairs, I spent a bit of time rearranging the items we wouldn’t need until Mexico so that they would be ready to load before our departure. Finally, put back seats in place, along with their headrests, as we would need carrying capacity over days we would be in city, for shopping, movies and airport runs.
Back upstairs, I moved our luggage, (simply dumped, haphazardly, by grumpy, refractory mules), so that we had room to move around. Although we were quite comfortably ensconced in Alejandro’s bedroom, (he was destined for living room floor for the duration of our stay), he still required access to his clothes and such, so we needed to use what space we had as economically as possible. Furthermore, MMM had decreed that all of Chloë’s bags were to be stashed in our room, once she arrived and while she remained in town, since she already had to contend with Pierre’s baggage!
Bedroom management accomplished, I set up my shoulder exercise system and proceeded with my workout, using the door to Ayn’s bedroom, while Los Horridos played Pierre’s NBA Basketball video game on the huge wide screen, 55”, Melvin had given Alex for his 20th birthday. Half-way through my exercises, Pierre’s close friend, Jonathon, came to visit, and he joined lads, watching their heated game. He is a marvelous young man and it was terrific to see him again, not having done so for a number of years. Workout finished, I went downstairs to select a number of bottles of wine for dinner and then had a quick shower. Cora Lee and Ayn had left to do some shopping at Trader Joe’s as well as to pick up Christmas tree just after Jonathon knocked on the door. They arrived while I was still in bathroom and Alex and Pierre collected tree from roof of car and had it set up in stand by time I was finished showering. The Goils were busy in the kitchen when I returned to living room, squeaky clean and smelling oh so good! While we snacked on houmus and crackers, I opened a 2007 Coffaro Zin, 15.6%, a real bruiser but silky smooth, dark cherry and spice, and configured my laptop to their Ethernet as WiFi is not yet available at #111-9700 Zelzah! Ayn brought out the tree lights and other Christmas ornaments and charged Nana with deciding how tree was to be decorated while the remaining supper ingredients were readied.
Jonathon joined us for a delicious dinner of spicy chicken and/or fried hamburger mince tacos, garnished with cilantro, grated cheese, sour cream and mango chutney. To pair with spicy offerings, I opened another 2007 Coffaro Petite Sirah since we’d enjoyed one at Oliver’s so much and after the wonderful food, we sat around the table and chatted to the lads about their university classes and experiences. Jonathon attends a small college in Thousand Oaks and coaches the junior basketball team at his, and the boys’, former high school. It was fascinating to hear about everyone’s classes and learn more about Pierre’s time in Pueblo, not only as far as school was concerned but also about the basketball team and coaching staff. After they had endured as much grilling as they could take for moment, Pierre and Jonathon went to visit mutual friends.
After we said goodbye, Alejandro and Nana finished trimming the tree. Poifect to have a 6’ 7” grandson to hold tree lights while one is draping them through and around boughs. Coitenly no need for a step-stool! Once tree was finished, Nana arranged Nativity scene, very attractive, traditional wooden figures and animals surrounding the crèche figures. Baby Jesus couldn’t have been happier, especially when Nana spilled a drop of her Zin on the hay in his manger. Once Holy Family and adoring shepherds were in place, we watched The Town on Movies on Demand. Ayn was too, too busy putting place back in order after the recent home invasion of thoughtless, inconsiderate relatives so she flitted in and out of living room, complaining about unbelievable disarray or doing dishes so loudly that we had to turn up volume each time she slammed a cupboard or rinsed a dish!
Starring Ben Affleck, also the director, The Town, short for Charlestown, is the gripping tale of four men, thieves, rivals and lifelong friends, being hunted through the streets of Boston by a tenacious FBI agent, (think of Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive), looking to bring this ruthless crew down. As he plans his next job, Doug MacRay, the de facto leader, tries to understand and reconcile his feelings for a bank manager, (superbly played by Rebecca Hall), connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as to his almost genetic loyalty to his fellow bank robbers and the Irish Mafia boss who controls their lives. I have never been particularly fond of Affleck, or at least of the roles and the movies he has done but I must say, I think this is a truly remarkable film. The script is intelligent, economical and biting, capturing the dark underbelly of the Charlestown community and the lives of desperation forced upon those of the inhabitants caught in the web of criminality and drug abuse. All of the cast are superb, whether as leads or in supporting roles. Affleck does a masterful job as director and is to be applauded for dealing with such a charged subject as deftly, as sensitively, as courageously as he does. All his characters live and breathe, their motivations are real and their actions are understandable, almost inevitable, given their makeup and the forces which have molded them and continue to strangle their freedom, whether that be economic or emotional or familial. This is, perhaps, more a riveting psychological thriller, a coming of age story, tightly wrapped in a series of heists gone wrong where the bad guys are very, very bad and the good guys not much better, using those trapped and drowning for their own questionable ends. A very powerful story, wonderfully realized. Bravo Ben and thank you!!!
Poor Cora Lee fell asleep before movie was over but Ayn assured her that she could watch ending on the morrow as terms of rental make it available for 48 hours, I believe. She stumbled into bathroom to brush and floss while I chatted with Alexander and Ayn. Once we had discussed everybody’s plans for following day, said goodnight and attended to my own dental hygiene. Coriandre was reading in bed when I came into bedroom. Having slept for almost an hour she was now wide awake and insisted on reading, the light shining in my eyes, no matter how I attempted to configure pillows! Tossing and turning, gnashing my teeth in frustration, I finally managed to drop off, vowing to shine a 1,000,000 lumen spotlight into her eyes at the first opportunity!
You only have power over people as long as you don't take everything away from them. But when you've robbed a man of everything, he's no longer in your power -- he's free again. -Alexander Solzhenitsyn, novelist, Nobel laureate (1918-2008)
Day 5, Monday, December 20th:
Lazy, lazy sleep-in until almost 9:30am. Cora Lee had been up since 7:00am, reading in kitchen so that she would not wake Alejandro in living room. Pierino had stayed overnight at Jonathon’s. Nice to know that Ueber Nana was concerned about light in her grandson’s eyes but not in mine! At any rate, I made myself a cup of instant, using the Starbucks Via Ready Brew, one of the Mocha sachets I’d brought along from Vancouver, knowing, from bitter, past experience, that real java would not be available at #111, since Ayn didn’t drink coffee. Pleased to find that the result was quite acceptable, I beavered away at The Tequila Diaries, (TD), until just after noon, Cora Lee happily watching her beloved The Young and The Restless as well as breaking news about all the rain induced flooding, mud slides, tree topplings and road washouts. After a bite to eat, I went through my first set of shoulder exercises and then showered and changed. We had planned to go to the Post Office, (I needed post card stamps), en route to Costco, where we wanted to buy staples and some of the Christmas fare. We remarked to each other, en route to Costco, what a coincidence it was that most of the household staples, toilette paper, dishwasher and laundry detergent, paper towels, liquid soap and serviettes, always seemed to run out just before we arrived in town!
Following Alex’s directions, we found Post Office and I ran inside for stamps. Returned almost immediately as line-up was horrendous, everyone intent on mailing Christmas packages. On to Costco where we parked in first available spot, (place was very, very busy), and hoofed it through the small lake of a parking lot to shelter of the store. (It had been raining, non-stop, ever since we arrived from Berkeley!) Didn’t take us long to buy what was on the list and we were back home shortly after 3:00pm. Put away everything that needed to go in fridge and stashed staples in appropriate cupboards around apartment. This done, I went back to CD and Cora Lee to reading and watching TV. Just before 5:00pm lads returned and immediately started an NBA rematch while I did my second set of shoulder exercises. After I was done, I readied potatoes we were having for dinner and to shower and change. Back in kitchen, I made a lettuce, tomatoe, red onion salad, topped with feta before I opened a 2006 Coffaro Tannat, 13.8%, dark cherry and raspberry with a nice tannic bite, which I really like, on the finish. Coriandre had already put porkchops, (using David’s recipe), into the oven and as soon as we knew, via cellular technology, approximately when Ayn would be home, (traffic and weather being the unknown variables), I planned to put spuds in as well.
We snacked on dip and cheese and crackers, lads texting or videoing until CL was ready to watch The Town. Pierre had not seen it so he watched with her until Ayn came home, while Alex preferred to talk on his cell, having stayed awake with me the previous night! Film was almost over by time Micro-Managing-Mama walked in the door and then she proceeded to fuss around house, tidying up what didn’t need tidying, nibbling on salad, despite repeated warnings, by the salad maker, not to do so, and complaining that she had had a very stressful day at work while we had just lazed about, strewing clothes and other possessions everywhere! After The Town was over, we had about thirty minutes to wait until everything was ready so Cora Lee steamed a bunch of white asparagus. In order to let it breathe, I opened a 2007 Coffaro Escuro, 15.2%, (deep and dark with some delicious plum fruit and a little leather, mid-palate, quite a complex and pleasingly tannic wine.), and returned to the CD, sipping my Tannat.
Just before 8:00pm we gathered at the table and tucked into the wonderful meal. As we enjoyed the feast, we talked about everyone’s day and discovered what people had been up to and accomplished, in spite of fact that Ayn felt we had done nothing but slouch in front of the TV and watch trashy shows! After the lengthy, delicious meal, Los Horridos both went out. We cleared table and when we were looking for something to watch on MOD, we noticed, to our utter delight, that Winter’s Bone was available. Not believing our good fortune, we settled on the couch, putting up our feet, filing our wine glasses but could not convince Ayn to join us. She insisted that she wasn’t in a movie watching mood, especially since the house was still in a shambles and Nana had used every dish in the kitchen to prepare the meal. Shrugging our shoulders, we started the movie and watched, spell-bound as, according to Wikipedia, “17-year-old Ree Dolly, the sole responsible "adult" in her impoverished Ozark family, a younger brother and sister and an incapacitated mother, finds herself forced to track her fugitive father, a longtime crystal meth maker, through the most hardcore of the local criminal network after she learns that he has put their home up as his bail bond.” Another viscerally powerful, frighteningly difficult film to watch since its subject matter is so painfully close to the reality of the lives of so many of the desperately impoverished families found throughout so much of the Ozarks, at least according to the author whose book is the basis for the film. Quite an eye-opener and another take on crime in a rural setting. Fascinating to have seen it, back-to-back with The Town. Though the latter takes place in an urban environment, the external forces which control the lives of the protagonists are quite similar: lack of economic opportunity and “easy” drug money/related criminal activity vie with questions of personal morality and family loyalty. Both are refreshingly honest and uncompromising explorations of lives lived under desperate circumstances Both celebrate the human spirit and its amazing capacity for love and caring and compassion in the face of crushing odds. See them both if you can!
Cora Lee was still awake by movie’s end so she made her way to the bedroom to change into her jams while I brushed and flossed. Ayn was still doing dishes when I went into kitchen to say goodnight to her, still muttering under her breath about the number of pots and pans and utensils Nana had used! I bade her goodnight and climbed into bed to read a few chapters of Lie Down With the Devil. Soon realized that I would have to re-read book from beginning as I simply could not remember important plot and character connections. Oh well, plenty of time on beach once in Mexico!!!
Day 6, Tuesday, December 21st:
Didn’t clamber out of bed until 9:30am. No question that I am becoming a real lazy bones! Neither of the Lost Burritos had come home, so living room was empty, except for CL watching TV, and Ayn had already left for work. I did a few dishes while I waited for my Starbucks instanto to ready itself in microwave and then I started right in on the TD. I slaved away until just before noon when I helped myself to some overlefts and then went right back to the keyboard. Cora Lee showered and once she was fashion and make-up approved, she took off for a walk, planning to do a bit of shopping while out, now that rain was just a light sprinkle/mist. I dedicated myself to my albatross until Coriandre returned around 3:30pm. Xavierino and Alejandro had made it home about half an hour earlier and after showering and changing they went out again to post parcels and do some Christmas shopping. I had started my shoulder exercises just as they were leaving and when I had finished, I took the fob for the small gym next to the outdoor pool in the center of the apartment complex where I wanted to ride the stationary bike. It is a recumbent machine and reminded me of ones I had used on Norwegian Sun, on our 2008 cruise around The Horn. Enjoyed cycling, even if it was indoors. Rain was still pelting down so any hopes I had for cycling the streets were put on hold for next few days, at earliest. I toiled away, watching a local ABC news channel’s coverage of the devastating effects of the current deluge.
After an hour I had what was a reasonable workout so went back to the apartmento to have a shower and change. Back in the kitchen I made another salad, similar to last evening’s effort and then returned to the laptop, trying to get the monkey off my back. Coriandre had put a wrapped breast of turkey into the oven and was waiting for the return of MMMM, (Micro-Managing-Manipulative-Mama), to put the orzo on the boil. Los Horridos were back by then and Pierre busied himself with showering and changing as he was out to a party being thrown in his honour. For his part, Alejandro deigned to stay at home to dine with his grandparents and mother. Ayn arrived close to 8:45pm, having had loads to do before shutting up her office for hols. Food was ready and waiting on the table once she had changed out of her work clothes and we sat down to enjoy the meal, listening to all the gossip from our Disney mole. Alejandro left once dinner was over and while we wanted to watch Salt, (CL had picked up video at Target, on her walkabout, earlier that afternoon), but Ayn insisted we just sit and visit. No argument form her parents so we did just that and, among other things, roughly sketched out what we needed to do over next few days to ready household for Christmas. BY 10:30pm or so, Cora lee was ready for bed and CD were as far along as I was going to take them, so we bade goodnight to MMMM, Micro-Managing-Manipulative-Marijuana-Mama), and repaired to bathroom to perform our dental ablutions.
In bed by 11:00ish and tried, one more time, to see if I could remember more of Lie Down With the Devil. No such luck so I turned out light, noting that CL had done so a few minutes before. Dropped off thinking how fortunate we were not to be living the lives of those whose day-to-day existence we had had brief glimpses of in the streets of Charlestown and the shacks of the Ozarks.
Day 7, Wednesday, December 22nd:
Not up until 9:10am, a slight improvement over yestermorning. Stumbled into dining room to find Cora Lee sending email, Alex still asleep on light loft/futon cotton mattress on living room floor. MMMMM was still curled up in her bed, enjoying not having to go to work for a week. I made my Starbucks java and kicked CL off laptop and checked my own email, before returning to TD. I was determined that I would be up-to-date by this evening so knew I had to slog away for goodly part of day if I was to was to do just that. Made pretty good headway by noon and then Ayn and Cora Lee put together a terrific lunch of fried potatoes and asparagus omelette. Alejandro joined the three of us and we smacked our lips over the tasty food. After meal, Alex found me an adjustable claw wrench and I took off the shower head in the boy’s bathroom. One side of the part holding the shower head itself had snapped off and this made having a shower rather awkward as the head would periodically fall on one’s shoulder or head, depending on where the showeree was positioned. Next, I unscrewed shower head in Ayn’s bathroom. Theory was that we could find a part to replace broken holder, buy another new complete shower assembly and have two decent working showers at the end of the day. After finding tools, Alex took off to run errands and Goils lit out to shop fro groceries and scope bathroom hardware.
I dedicated myself to the TD until Power Shoppers returned, smiling broadly with success. They plunked purchases down and left immediately, shouting orders for groceries to be put away and new shower heads to be installed forthwith! Not wishing to incur the collective wrath of The Sisterhood, I meekly obeyed, first putting away the groceries and then attaching the new fixtures without much difficulty. My tasks completed, I was about to do my shoulder exercises when Pierre, Alex and Samantha, Alejandro’s girlfriend, came home. I embraced Sam as I’d not seen her for a year or so and asked her about things until Alex whisked her away for more Christmas shopping. Pierre hopped into his mother’s shower so I felt I couldn’t start my shoulder exercises until he was done. Since I’d arrived, I’d used her bathroom door handle to anchor my stretch band so didn’t want to start my set until he was out of bathroom otherwise he would not have been able to open the door, pulling as he would have been, against an irresistible force!
Once he was out and stretched on the couch in front of the TV, I commenced my exercises and by time I was finished, Alejandro was home. I took fob for gym and said goodbye. Before I would be back, Pierre would be off to watch one of Jonathon’s games and Alex was going to work for the evening. I walked to the gym, pleased to note that it had finally stopped raining. The air was luxuriously fresh and it was pleasantly warm, given the fact that I was wearing nothing but a T-shirt and shorts. I replicated my workout of the previous day, clocking 50 calories more before I was finished. From the news coverage I watched during my 16 mile ride, heavy rain was seen to be abating, although there were still flash flood warnings in effect in many jurisdictions. Scenes of mud choked streets and buried automobiles were standard fare, washed out roads and bridges almost normal, uprooted trees bisecting homes and downing power poles as if they were but matchsticks, hardly news anymore. Pleased that devastation was not worse than it certainly could have been, (Hard to imagine how those affected by evacuations and such would spend their Christmas holiday!), I returned to apartmento to find The Sisterhood alive and well and well pleased with my plumbing efforts.
As Ayn was on a laundry run, I quickly stripped off my sopping gear and, much to CL’s disgust, asked her to include it in wash about to be done while I jumped into the shower to test the newly installed shower head. Woiked poifectly, nary a drip nor a leak, and I toweled off, congratulating myself for a job extremely well done. Once changed I returned to my laptop and the TD managing to digitate a fair amount while Ayn continued to do laundry and Cora Lee bbq’s chicken breasts on the deck outside. I decanted another 2007 Escuro because we’d enjoyed the one last night so much and returned to my laptop for a few minutes before Goils brought food to the table. Ayn had “toasted” tacos and pita pouches right on the gas burner of stove and we stuffed them with diced, bbq’d chicken, bought already marinated form the Armenian butcher she frequents, tzatziki and diced tomatoe/onion drenched in lemon juice. Simply wonderful fare and we chatted and chomped to out gustatory delight.
Delicious dinner over, CL made for couch where she commenced working on her cross-stitch, her latest, long-term Christmas Angel project for Chloë, having done Joseph leading Mary and the Christ Child on a donkey, five or so years ago. Ayn continued to be Ueber Laundry Woman and while I opened a 2007 Coffaro Aca Modot, 14.3%, (a felicitous blend of estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon, 38%, Petite Verdot, 21%, Malbec, 17%, Cab Franc, 16%, Merlot, 8%, loads of ripe, dark fruit and a great deal of complexity which bewilders and beguiles to the very last drop, to help me bring the TD to closure.
Pierre came home about 9:30pm and after brow-beating his mother, she allowed him to take her car, (insurance is an incredibly significant issue in California), four long blocks to a friend’s house, even though it is no longer raining. Ayn returned to folding laundry while CL tucked her needle point away to watch California being washed into Pacific. Girding my loins, I “attacked” the CD, sensing that I would finally be up-to-date! Pounding the keys until 11:36pm, I put the finishing touches to my record of life on the road and toasted myself with a long sup of the stellar Aca Modot. Hardly know what to do with myself now!!!
Finished off the carafe of Aca Modot and the three of us chatted about what we hoped to accomplish on the morrow, trying to schedule last minute shopping, Chloe’s pick-up at LAX and dinner at Kabuki, one of The Sisterhood’s favourite Japanese restaurants, though a chain, in all LA. Ayn and Needle Point Nana wrapped a few gifts after we had decided upon a tentative program for the following day. I washed the decanter and wine glasses and then attended to my wine dark teeth and tongue. After brushing and flossing, I decided to bite the bullet and started to read Lie Down With the Devil from the beginning! Happy to relate, Dear Reader, that my shoulder exercises seem to be helping as I am now sleeping with less discomfort. Who knows where this regimen will lead? Swims across the Sea of Cortez? Wrestling with the Cayman in the bayou? Playing bridge with Branko as a partner? What a life!!!
Day 8, Thursday, December 23rd:
Cora Lee and I were both up at 8:50am to find Los Horridos both asleep in the living room, Xavierino on the couch, Alejandro on the floor. I made my instanto after Coriandre had done her tea in microwave and we both sat at the dining room table, I to finally answer the myriad emails I had not been able to respond to in the manner I deemed acceptable, given the demands of travels and visiting, Cora Lee to read quietly so that she wouldn’t wake her darling grandsons, hung-over as they were! Ayn appeared about 10:30am and we discussed plans for the day. It was decided that Goils would run errands of one sort or another and I would stay home and finish Christmas email then go for ride, day being first without rain since we arrived on Sunday. Pierre and Alex were also running errands and we would meet back at home, in order to leave for the restaurant we were to have dinner at, by 6:30pm. The Power shoppers would tailor their spending needs to coincide with Chloë’s arrival at LAX and then they would head to restaurant.
After the high level negotiations were concluded, Ayn made some delicious grilled cheese sandwiches for brunch and we enjoyed them, (Cora Lee had hers on special rice bread!), with some crunchy dill pickles. With one thing and another, The Mother and Child Reunion Team didn’t actually walk out of the door until after 2:00pm. For my part, I stayed tied to the laptop until 3:00pm and by time I had changed into my cycling gear it was almost 3:30pm. Nonetheless, went for a great ride in spite of the late start. Just cycled streets nearbye but logged 30K by time I was home. Gorgeous afternoon, air washed clean and all the trees and shrubs and lawns freshly laundered! Quite something, for me, to see Christmas decorations, Santas and Frosties and reindeer beside orange trees laden with fruit, palm trees sporting icicle lights or stylized Christmas trees with spirals of lights for boughs set amidst rose bushes covered with gorgeous flowers. Amazing that there are any petals left at all after the heavy, heavy rain. Bit like Christmas in OZ!!!!
By 4:45pm, it was starting to get dark and so I switched on the light on my handlebars, more to alert drivers to my presence than to illuminate roadway. Trundling along, quite happily, when light died a few minutes later. I thought that it had more battery life in it than it obviously did. Fortunately, there was little traffic on the streets I was using and streetlights cast enough light so that it wasn’t really a life threatening situation. Nonetheless, I certainly don’t like to cycle under such circumstances and was happy when the odometer ticked past 30K and I could head home. Stored my bike in garage and came upstairs. Pierre was in bathroom when I walked in the door so I did my overhead pulley and elasto-band exercises before he was finished. I popped into shower once he was out and was ready to go right at agreed upon time. However, Alejandro was a few minutes late, due to traffic, so we didn’t actually leave for restaurant until 6:40pm.
Ayn had called to advise we take surface streets as freeways were very busy so we did just that and had no difficulty at all makng our way to Kabuki, a wonderful Japanese restaurant, part of a chain but truly superlative. Last time I was at one of their spots it was in Pasadena a few years ago, with CL and Ayn. Already had the stands up for Rose Bowl Parade. Tonight we were dining at their Woodlands location, near corner of Ventura Blvd and DeSoto. While Pierre and Alex waited in car for Valet Parking, (only possibility!), I hopped out to search for The Sisterhood. Knew they were inside as had had another phone call to ask about our whereabouts and whether to begin ordering or not. As it turned out, there was quite a crowd at the entrance, (indicative of just how popular place is), waiting to be seated so I had to wade through it before I could scope out tables. I literally walked through entire place before I found The Babes nestled in the booth immediately next to entrance! Crush of people had blocked my view. Joyfully reunited, six of us squeezed into seats, (no easy feat when you are with two gentle giants), and had a brief visit for before wonderful array of food, essentially assorted specialty rolls, began to arrive: spicy tuna salad, shrimp on crispy rice, rainbow rolls, calamari, scallops, and the like. About three extra orders of ginger, for me, and everyone was in Sushi Heaven! Pierre, in particular, as he is really missing the wide variety of restaurant food available in LA compared to Pueblo.
After the wonderfully prepared and presented meal, (service was excellent), we returned to our separate vehicles, Goils to do more Christmas shopping and Lads to return home. Back by about 9:00pm yesterday evening, Los Horridos started playing their NBA video game almost before they walked in door and I returned to my beloved diaries! Wrote until just after 10:00pm and then Pierre and I walked down the street to the house of a high school chum, Michael Dacey. A number of years ago we had met Michael at one of the basketball games. He is now studying at college in Flagstaff and was home with his significant other, Sammantha, (also studying there), together with their nine month old daughter, Riley. Michael’s parents, Amy and John, were going away for a few days over hols and Pierre had volunteered to feed their two cats, Sailor Molly, and Malice, a gorgeous black Lab, the size of a small rhino but with the personality of lamb! While Pierre visited with his former high school friends, I chatted with Amy and John. During the course of our conversation, I noticed, for the first time, since arriving, Amy’s white gel nails, (I needed to ask Coriandre for precise technical name, later!), as she waved her hands above the table, emphasizing one point or another, in the conversation. Things clicked into place in my memory banks and I realized that I had remarked upon them when I first met her at basketball game years ago. I hadn’t remembered meeting her when she came to the door earlier but I never forgot those nails!!!
Close to 11:00pm Michael and Samm and baby were ready to leave. They were staying with her parents about 15 minutes away. We said goodbye to Malice and rest of human crew, wishing everyone Happy Holidays, and walked few blocks back home. Lovely night, touch of mist in air, shrouding street lamps but moon was huge and luminous in night sky. Goils were home by now, in their jams, and wrapping presents and doing food prep and visiting and adjusting decorations and watching TV and listening to carols so I sat at dining room table, enjoying drinking everything in and blissfully keyboarded my way into The Tequila Diaries until close to 1:00am when The Sisterhood started to flag. We said goodnight to one another to allow Poor Alejandro to go to sleep. He had to be up at 6:30am as he had to start work at 7:00am! Before I turned out my bedside lamp, I started re-reading Lie Down With the Devil from the very beginning and was glad that I had decided to do so as I was able to appreciate how the story unfolded, able to notice all the telling details and inferences that one is liable to miss on first reading. Almost 1:30am when my eyelids started to droop so put my book down and feel asleep, lullabied by Cora Lee’s gentle snores!
Day 9, Friday, December 24th, Christmas Eve:
After a wonderfully refreshing sleep, I clambered out of bed at 8:00am before anyone was up and about, making for the microwave to zap my instanto. Pierre was asleep on couch after driving Alex to work. He was to chauffeur his Nana and Aunt later in day so needed his brother’s car. (When I was up at 4:30am to go to the bathroom, Pierre had fallen asleep with TV still on, its ghostly light flickering. He was not home when we went to bed, having left about midnight to meet friends, so when he actually came home, I don’t know. No matter what, the amount of sleep he actually had before he drove Alejandro to American Eagle Outfitters couldn’t have been much! Remembering, fondly, what it was like to burn the candle at both ends, I caught up on email, delighting in fact that Tequila Diaries were up-to-date, gloating with glee until Cora Lee reminded me, rather sarcastically, I might add, Dear Reader, that the Canal Barge Diaries remained unfinished, a heavy stone Albatross around my neck!
Around 10:00am, the Sisters emerged from their bedroom and we discussed the day’s plan of attack. Ayn wanted everyone out of the house so she could ready it for the evening’s festivities. This worked well as Chloë and Corinne had last minute errands to accomplish and I wanted to go for a long ride, fitting in a visit to Northridge Mall for stocking stuffers. After Pierre left with his charges, I had some tasty overlefts for breakfast and then suited up for cycling ahead. It was even warmer than it had been yesterday, although bit windier, so I was looking forward to ride. By the time I had eaten and tidied up last of my email, it was just after 1:00pm. Cutting through the Northridge campus, I made my way towards the mall, finding it without any difficulty as I’d driven there on previous visits. Basically, almost due west from where Ayn lives.
Once I reached the mall itself, I asked another shopper in the parking lot if she knew of a store called Utopia. Alex had mentioned that it was a good place to find gifts for under $10 so a good place to begin my search for stocking presents. Thanking my helpful, friendly guide, I followed her directions to the entrance closest to Utopia and, after locking my bike to guardrail, I entered the mall itself. She had led me to believe that the place was absolutely packed with last minute and bargain hunting shoppers but, in actual fact, while busy, it was not at all unpleasantly crowded. I had a great time strolling from store to store, window shopping and going in if I thought there might be something that fit my mental shopping list. I spent a pleasant hour and a half wandering the two levels of the mall, (Even stopped into a jewelry store where chap took a look at my watch as I had noticed a bit of condensation under crystal at times. He thought that the battery had not been screwed in properly so he adjusted it while we chatted about biking in the neighbourhod. I was wearing my helmet so it was rather obvious that I rode. He did as well and so it was fun to talk to a local cyclist about bike trails, etc. He waved me away when I asked to pay. Thanked him for his help and said goodbye, saying I’d see him in the Granada Hills, the start of the mountains just to the north of the Northridge itself, where there were many off road trails!), checking items off, finding domino sets at Utopia, for The Lost Burritos, an 8 gigabyte memory stick for Chloë, (She wanted to download a whack of her nephews’ music!), at Radio Shack and wonderful Martha Stewart bamboo cutting boards, two 7" santoku knives and an 8" chef's knife, the latter included with one of the boards, at unbelievable prices, at Macey’s, for Ayn. Next, I headed for the Mac Store where I bought iTunes gift cards for Los Horridos, an iPhone hard case for Chloë and an iPad keyboard dock for Cora Lee so she could read her email while I was using the laptop for The Tequila Diaries!
Well pleased with my purchases, I returned to my bike and then proceeded to a US Bank on the periphery of the mall where I took out a bundle of cold cash to include in Santa’s envelopes for all the permanently bankrupt members of my family and then made for Zelzah Avenue around 3:00pm. By the time I reached the CSUN campus, I had about 9K on my odometer and since I wanted to clock 35K by end of ride, I decided to stay on the numerous streets that criss-crossed the campus because there was virtually no traffic at this time of year. My cycling plan formulated, I turned down Jacaranda Avenue and started my ride in earnest and since the blocks here in Northridge are about 1K or 2K square it didn’t take all that long to wrack up the mileage. There was a bit of a wind from the north so cycling that direction was a better workout and the slight uphill grade also added to the difficulty. Just before 5:00pm I was at 31K so I crossed Zelzah when I caught a green light at Plummer and chalked up the necessary distance zig-zagging the streets close to our apartment complex.
After stowing my bike, I went upstairs to find the place spic and span, ready for the evening’s festivities. Goils were busy preparing some of the food they had planned for later. I hopped into shower and by time I was out and dressed, three different dips, crackers and cheese had made there way to coffee table in front of TV and we all sat down to watch Salt with Angelina Jolie, a highly improbable, CIA spy/deep Russian mole story, which was so far fetched that it was laughable. Still, not bad entertainment while we were waiting for guests to arrive. About halfway through Angelina’s acrobatic escapes and other feats of derring-do, I opened a 2006 Coffaro Barbera, 15.1% and was absolutely delighted to find it so fruit forward without the acidity which often characterizes this varietal, violets and plum jam with just a whisper of tannin on the glorious finish.
Shortly before Angelina took a swan dive from a helicopter over the Potomac, setting up a sequel, Samantha arrived and a few minutes later, Verneen, Samantha’s mother, arrived as well. We had not seen her since 2008 so we had a pleasant visit as we enjoyed the spicy shrimp that Cora Lee had just taken out of the oven. Next to arrive was Jonathon and then Ayn’s latest squeeze, Ernest. I had been given strict orders not to interrogate him so I was very careful not to ask any embarrassing questions or say anything mildy upsetting. By the time I had talked to Ernest for a few minutes, more appetizers, garlic scallops this time, were available for the taking and everyone oohed and ahhed over them before we started to play the game, Pit, which Verneen had brought along. Basically, a card game with seven sets of commodities, (cocoa, rice gold, silver, platinum, oil and gas), on the cards. Each player is dealt nine cards and once dealer rings a bell, trading starts. One can trade up to four cards at once, hoping to obtain a full set of a given commodity before ringing the bell to halt trading. Into the mix are two other cards, a Bear, the bad card you did not want in your hand if the bell rings, and the Bull, the wild card to help you complete your full house. Sounds unexciting but in fact table becomes a virtual madhouse of shouting and grabbing and clamouring, voices raised in fever pitch until a full house is obtained and lucky trader rigs the bell.
We played about seven or eight rounds until most of us had lost our voices and then we soothed our parched throats with a 2005 August Briggs, Lake County Petite Sirah, 15.3%, wonderful blueberry fruit with dark chocolate and espresso on the roof of the mouth, spice and plenty of tannin on the velvet finish. Ayn had put out a delicious casserole of home-made macaroni and cheese while we were shouting each other down in living room as well as the crock pot of meatballs Cora Lee had put on to simmer at the start of the evening. Everyone heaped their plates and I opened a 2006 Dobra Zemlja Syrah, 16.8%, a truly remarkable Syrah, in my opinion, rivaling the sumptuousity of a McLaren Vale or Barossa Shiraz, dark and rich, coffee and blackberries on the nose and more of the same succulent, ripe fruit on the lingering, slightly peppery finish.
By close to midnight, the guests thanked us and we wished them all Happy Christmas, waving goodnight. While Ayn attacked the kitchen with its mass of platters and dishes, rest of Santa’s Helpers started to fill stockings and assemble previously wrapped gifts under tree. I stuffed stockings after I had brushed and flossed as I was told to make myself scarce while other elves were performing their appointed Xmas tasks. Once I had discharged my duties, I kissed everyone goodnight, thanking them for the lovely Christmas Eve and toddled off to bed, around 1:30am, too, too sleepy and pleasantly tipsy to even consider a page of my book. Don’t even remember Cora Lee coming to bed as I think I feel asleep before my head hit pillow!
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