« two memes because I'm a lazy blogger | Main | Living Beyond Yourself, Week 6 »
Monday, May 08, 2006
Mother's Day, early
We had a really nice weekend, the highlight of which was a day trip to Monterey, a Mother's Day present for me. (Yes, I know, Mother's Day is next weekend, but next weekend T will be up to his elbows and a few other body parts in the engine compartment of a car whose engine he's replacing as a side job.) We had a really wonderful time, in spite of the fact that like so many major outings, the whole thing started with everyone bickering with everyone else (Are we the only people who do this? There has got to be some deep-seated psychological thing at work here). Once the air had cleared of that icky not-getting-along feeling, things were fine. I spent the time in the car alternating between reading out loud to everyone else from Tales From Watership Down -- which does not compare AT ALL with the original, but T likes it, because he likes Watership Down even more than I do, and he's grateful just to hear the characters' names again -- and reading quietly to myself from The Tenth Circle. We forgot (again) how far it is from the wharf to the end of Cannery Row where the aquarium is, so we parked at the wharf to walk even though T's back was tired and I was carrying approximately fifteen pounds of camera etc. on my shoulder. On the way C had her first encounter with the organ grinder and his monkey, and ever since if anyone brings up Monterey she will repeat her affectionate effusions about how the cute little soft monkey put his little paw like this on the back of her hand and it was so soft and so small and SO CUTE (it's a different organ grinder and of course a different monkey than were there when I was a child, but they were always my favorite thing about trips to Monterey too).
The aquarium was fabulous. Worth the $100 we paid for a year's membership. Worth the atrocious amount of money we spent on gas to get to Monterey. Worth sore feet and sore shoulders (see above re: 15-lb camera bag) and dealing with crowds. Worth not getting home till nearly eleven and being so tired we skipped Sunday school the next day. I hadn't been there since 1992. We will not make that same mistake again. :)
And of course I took a few pictures.
Yesterday we hung around home and recovered. We slept in until we felt like getting up around nine. I did a lot of laundry (the aforementioned bickering on Saturday had begun when C could not find any clean underwear, even though she was supposed to have laid all her clothes out the night before), while T worked on his car project. I cooked both lunch and dinner to make up for not having cooked since Wednesday. I used the clothesline for the first time this year. After everyone was in bed I read the new Jennifer Crusie book. All of it. That made two sizable books I'd read in their entirety in one weekend. Which is fun, in a sleep-deprived bleary-eyed rebellious-feeling sort of way.
And now it's back to real life. Even though I had pie for breakfast.
Comments
Early is good -- perhaps it was less crowded since the other moms will be going NEXT weekend! What a fabulous weekend, I think. Everything sounds so fun and that's a GOOD kind of tired. Looking forward to more pictures! Oh, and the pie for breakfast was the tail-end of the weekend; it does not count as Real Life.
Did you see any sea otters floating along outside the aquarium? We did when we were there and that was the highlight of my trip. :) I do not remember seeing an organ grinder and his monkey so that's a shame.
Also, next time you go to LA (and Jenn, this should be YOUR day-trip that you mentioned in Rachel's photo blog comments), go to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach (right across from the Queen Mary!). We actually thought it was nicer than Monterey and bought a yearly pass for it. LOTS of neat stuff to see there, including a huge tank of sea turtles, which are my husband's favorite.
Posted by: mary at May 8, 2006 11:54 AM
You are not the only one who starts out trips bickering! When you see us at MB this year. You should say "Hi! what was today's fight about" LOLOL!
I am glad you had a great time.
Posted by: debi at May 8, 2006 01:32 PM
Sounds like a great weekend! :o)
Your description of C's reaction to the organ grinder's monkey was so cute. Does she want a little monkey of her very own, now? ;o)
The bickering associated with trips-- very, very familiar.
Posted by: Michael at May 8, 2006 04:17 PM
You havnt been to church since 1992?? ;)
Thats what it reads like!!
Glad you and your family had such a nice day out!
I assume there'll be shots of the aquarium on your photo blog--goody!
Posted by: judystrudel at May 8, 2006 05:09 PM
Judy, ha! I hadn't thought of THAT angle. In reading it later I thought it sounded like I was saying we wouldn't make the mistake of going to the aquarium again, but I didn't see the 'ditching Sunday School since 1992' angle. For the record: it's the 14-year gap between aquarium visits that we're hoping not to duplicate. :)
Posted by: Rachel at May 8, 2006 05:11 PM
Sounds like a blast, bickering and all...And what is up with the monkey and organ grinder? I thought that was all like in France or Indiana Jones! I don't remember any monkey in Monterey, neat...
Posted by: jenn at May 9, 2006 03:48 PM
