#FLAG DOWN AN ICE CREAM TRUCK OR PLAY IN THE PARK ANYTHING
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Some of yall really need to stop projecting personal issues onto fictional ships
#shipping#discourse#yes this is about that spiderman anon lol#GO OUTSIDE AND TOUCH SOME GRASS#FLAG DOWN AN ICE CREAM TRUCK OR PLAY IN THE PARK ANYTHING
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Happy Freedom Festival, Main Edition (2/2)
((<==back))
((Well this got......a bit long for myself. So yeah. Anyway, here’s the second half, that took longer to finish than I expected because Life Ensues. Also now it’s obvious I just really fucking wanted to make up an Independence Day festival because fuck you that’s why))
It took them longer than he’d ever like to admit to get ready. First off was the matter of Dontoc having to dig through his clothing to find something he deemed appropriate, and finding that pretty much none of his clothing would look appropriately “lowblood-esque”. In theory, he could certainly go with just a dress shirt, vest and slacks, but he felt naked outside without it, sweltering heat be damned. And with all his suits being tailor-made by Aisral, each one was temperature controlled so the only issue he would have to worry about is aesthetic.
The minute Pallia was ready, she even tried to expedite matters. Dontoc allowed her in his room immediately - already switched into appropriate pants, and any theoretical assistance to his dilemma outweighed any other possible consequences. She sat on his sleeping pad, giving constant reassurances that it would be fine and anyone who might generally say something will probably keep it minimal due to his caste. Highbloods were one thing. Seadwellers were another entirely.
Eventually, he ended up forgoing the vest and switching out the bowtie for a regular tie. He didn’t look much dressed down, but to him, he at least dropped down a few castes if it weren’t for the distinct southern-coastal, impossible to hide in any fashion, fins. Or the violet eyes. Certainly the violet accents on his jacket didn’t help matters either. But the attempt was made (however poorly it was in his increasingly aware mind), and the attempt took at least a solid five minutes of nothing but digging through a closet of neatly pressed suits, so he wasn’t going to get any more content than he currently was.
The coffee they ended up leaving in the kitchen. “Mayola drank it,” Pallia said.
“Are you sure? She did seem rather disinterested once you said it was only for us,” he said. He paused, then shook his head. “Then again...I suppose the inability to predict Mayola does make this a challenge to counter-argue.”
Pallia smirked. “Oh no, Mayola’s incredibly easy to predict. You’re just not used to her. And I can tell you she drank that coffee.” She hopped off his sleeping pad, her sandals making loud clacks on the tile floor. “Ready?”
He looked down at himself, fully dressed with a black suit and tie, then over at herself, in a thin-strapped white summer dress, hair still down around her shoulders. “Well, I still feel overdressed,” he admitted, “however I do not think we can rectify the situation more than we have.”
Pallia beamed. “Let’sssss go then!!”
In another timeline, she probably would have grabbed his hand and dragged him out of their hive. Instead, she rushed out his room and down the stairs, leaving him to hurriedly follow shortly behind. She didn’t slow down until she was outside, at which point she waited just outside the double glass doors of her hive, bouncing on her feet.
“Excited?” he asked dryly as she locked the doors behind him.
“Oh no, I’m just like this all the time,” she said. The two started on down the empty paved road out towards Sandyhorn, the only one from her position that actually led out of to the city. Were there passerby, they might have made a bit of an odd pairing - a tall, yet twig-like seadweller dressed to the nine and a tealblood a solid foot smaller than him in weather-appropriate clothing - but there were few hives down this road, and fewer trolls who ventured down the road.
(Really, if he had to think about it, the only ones he knew regularly traveled down here were the residents of the hive, Mayola, Volcor, Zanchi and Vodnik. Glacin and Valeba didn’t live close by, and Careen seemed to dislike the few times she came down to pick him up, going out of her way to complain each time. Dontoc had just gotten to the point he agreed to meet her somewhere else.)
Dontoc laughed. “You know, if I did not know you any better, that would have been a believable statement.”
“And the fact you know it’s not a believable statement means you’ve spent way too much time around me,” she said.
“Is that not what happens when you live with someone?”
“Point taken.”
He smiled. “I would not worry too much about such a thing.” He paused right as a warm breeze hit him square in the face. It was hot. Even with the automatic cooling system Aisral built inside his suit, the heat hung in the air like a weighted blanket - not moving, just omnipresent. “Instead we should be worrying about this heat. Are you sure you will be okay in it? I know the highblood immediate on-call transit system is still in Sandyhorn. You may not be a highblood, but I can call them.”
Pallia’s eyes went wide for a brief second before retreating, replaced instead with her vigorously shaking her head. “Are you hot?” she asked worriedly.
“Ah...no...but…”
“Then we’ll be fine. Sssorry, but I don’t even think thosse run tonight. You don’t have to worry about me. Done this walk hundreds of times in worse heat.” She gave him a soft, playful nudge. “Unless you’re worried about getting another sunburn?”
Dontoc let out an undignified snort. “Hardly. I just…” he sighed. “You are hardly wrong. I worry about you. Not because you are a tealblood, or a landdweller, or anything else. I just do.”
“Anxiety?”
“Something along those lines, yes.”
“Well.” She stopped briefly, putting her hand on his arm. “I’ve got like three other trolls doing that. You’ve got enough on your plate. So if that helps…”
“It does,” he said. It was true, somewhat. His general anxiety certainly did play a constant part in his worry of everyone around him- not just her specifically - and her explicitly giving a valid reason as to why he can stay calm quieted said anxiety. Anything outside of that was completely outside of her realm of help, but there was no need to bring that up.
“Good,” she said. With an awkward chuckle, she added, “I didn’t actually think it would.”
They walked for a while longer, all the way downtown, nearby the park. A long walk, certainly, but not a bad one by any means. In part helped by the company, that much he was certain, but nevertheless anything to make the walk better was welcome.
They didn’t even need to get downtown to begin seeing the festivities. The minute the paved road turned to the broken-down cobblestone of Sandyhorn’s exterior streets, he was greeted by streamers in reds, yellows and greens coupled with the faintest hint of unfamiliar loud music playing in the distance. Strings of lights wound around the pre-existing street lamps, lighting up the roads in all the lower colors of the hemospectrum. The official artwork and murals of Careen or the current Empress, Her Imperious Beguiler, remained relatively untouched. However, next to them were scrawled pictures of other trolls. A few of them he recognized from pictures in books, but most of them looked completely unfamiliar to him.
“How decorated,” he marveled. “It was not this fancy at the other festival.”
“We’re not even in the main portion,” she said. “Wait until you see that.”
She led him through the twisting alleyways of the city, deftly maneuvering paths he didn’t even know existed. Delicious aromas of breakfast hung in the air from all the trolls cooking, and those with small bird lusii chirped at the strangers coming through. The decorations were minimal here, but any troll that had a window pointing out to these areas had a flag, or strips of fabric, or anything hanging out of open windows in their blood color.
The alleys managed to pop themselves straight into downtown with little trouble at all. The smell of greasy breakfast foods sizzling on grills in brightly colored food trucks greeted them instantly. Pop-up tents and overhangs made rainbows on the streets for vendors to sell whatever they wanted. The music was louder now, and he could even make out words overtop the sound of fiddles and harmonicas that played on a makeshift stage. It brought out couples of all castes (though all landdwelling) to listen, some even going out of their way to dance however they knew how. In the distance, he could just make out a few easy-to-set-up games and rides, but their unfortunate association with carnivals might have dissuaded them from setting them up.
“Oh,” he breathed, careful to keep his voice loud enough so she could hear. “It’s…wow.”
“Glad you like it,” she said. “Because we need to get actual food before it gets any busier.” She started her way toward a food truck donned in dark red with vibrant green windows, Dontoc keeping pace up next to her.
“It...it is going to get busier?”
“Well yeah.” She looked at him and frowned. “Is that going to be a problem? I’ll be here the whole time, but I know Valeba won’t and --”
“Pallia, if it becomes a problem, you will be the first to know,” he said gently. He looked around. It made sense that it was going to only get busier. While there was a crowd, the crowd around them was still sporadic enough that aside from clumps of people around the vendors and music, large gaps between others indicated the crowd wasn’t too bad yet. “Why do you ask?”
“Well I...I kinda wanna stay for the fireworks and those aren’t going to be until later tonight,” she said. “If that’s okay.”
“It is more than okay. It sounds absolutely fantastic. Honestly dear, I am flattered you even thought to ask to go with me,” he said.
He could’ve sworn there was a light tint of teal on her cheeks, but she turned away before he could confirm or deny it in any fashion, putting all of her focus instead on ordering food. They settled on two cups of coffee and two giant plates of waffles covered in a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream dyed to look red and yellow. Breakfast in the absolute loosest sense of the word, but he didn’t care. He was hungry, and with the near sweltering temperature, ice cream looked more delicious than usual.
The two sat down at a picnic table further away from the majority of the crowd to eat, not that it took either of them especially long. The ice cream tasted perfect for the weather, even managing to make drinking hot coffee at this time of day seem like a smarter decision. That was ignoring just how well cooked the waffle itself was: crispy at the edges, but warm and impossibly soft in the middle. At some point he’d have to figure out what exactly made their food so much better than anything he’s ever had in Sindaria, but right now wasn’t the time. Now was the time to just savor the food.
The band playing music ended their song, followed by claps from all around. The singer, a bronzeblood with short horns that curled outwards and a buzzcut, stepped forward up towards a standing microphone.
“Good morning Sandyhorn!” he called out. “Are y’all having a good time?”
Most of the crowd in close proximity let out loud cheers. Some even threw in a few loud whistles or more animalistic-noises that vaguely matched some of the lusii in the area. The bronzeblood beamed, and Dontoc could clearly see the numerous gaps in his teeth.
“Yeah! Great! Then let’s get this event really going with some great local music!” He backed away from the microphone, over towards an electric guitar on a stand. The drummer in the back clicked off a beat and the band swung into a frenzy, immediately playing a high tempo song. The fiddle soared above the rest of the song, quickly becoming the focus of the whole song.
Then, finally, the other instruments quieted down so you could hear the singer, singing angrily about his matesprit being culled by drones and the havoc it’s caused him. He actually felt bad that the song was so uptempo and catchy he would want to dance to if he actually knew how to dance properly, which is to say, could do much at all aside from basic ballroom dancing he taught himself to look proper at Careen’s parties. The food on his plate kept him relatively grounded to the table too, of course.
Not that it mattered. Listeners and dancers crowded around the stage. Those who didn’t have partners bobbed up and down, fists in the air. Some trolls previously over at a vendor even went over to join in. He glanced over at Pallia, little more than scraps on the paper plate, who swayed slightly in her seat as she mouthed out the words.
“Know the song?” he asked.
She nodded vigorously. “They perform it every sweep since they came. It’s an old favorite.”
About midway through the song, the instruments dropped off, leaving nothing but the fiddle playing a vaguely familiar tune that Dontoc swore was some folk song he’s heard played on the streets before. Listeners clapped in time as the melody sped up and swelled. Dancers twirled around each other in a flurry of burgundy skirts. It drew him in, making him want to just abandon their spot and learn how to move like they did…to spin and twirl and dance like water on the shore...
With a final cymbal hit, everything abruptly ended. The song, the dancers, everything. Pallia looked between their now-empty plates and cups and gathered them up. Dontoc was about to insist on throwing everything away, but by the time he shook himself out of his stupor completely, she had already returned.
“So? Wanna check out the shops?”
“You do not even have to ask me, dear,” he said. “Although I cannot imagine it would not take very long to get through all of them. Sandyhorn is large but ah, well, it is not Sindaria.”
With a sharp laugh, Pallia rolled her eyes. “We’ll ssssee about that.”
He quickly learned how wrong he was. The popups went on for far longer than was initially visible, and they sold anything and everything sellable. Tealbloods in business suits handed out business cards rubber banded to water balls as they quietly tried to encourage him to find something requiring financial compensation. Rust and bronzebloods had showcases of homemade jewelry and clothing homespun from the natural fibers around them. Winemakers and beer brewers offered free samples of their product, some others even offering it for sale. Pallia tried a few, only going for the ones labeled from sweet fruits. Occasionally she’d offer a sample to him, asking if he wanted any for the hive. A few he was mildly interested in, but only a couple stood out. One, an expensive strawberry wine that when he watched it light up her eyes, he purchased it the minute she wasn’t paying attention. A present for the holiday, he told himself. Nothing more.
At the end of the wine popups, a strong arm abruptly pulled him aside, spinning him so he faced her. She was a yellowblood, shorter than him with horns that seemed to match the yellow diamond carefully embroidered into her floor length dress. Her filled in eyes indicated her age, and the lack of bifurcation indicated her usefulness to society. Long, poker straight hair pooled around her waist. It did nothing to hide the plastic, fake extra points on her ears to make her look like she stepped out of a Eastern Alternian Fantasy Animation.
“Hello,” she said smoothly. “I am she called the Great Silkfoot. And you look like you could do for some of my wines.”
Dontoc stared at her blankly. “I...I ah….”
She gave him a sly smile, eyes flitting between him and the crowd beyond them. “Oh please, there is no reason to act embarrassed around me, milord. I’m merely a pleasant peasant woman selling tonics to the mm….tension between you and your friend.” His fins twitched violently at the way she said tension. And friend. There was no friend the way she said it. His face was probably hot, but it was hard to feel when such a warm body was this close to himself.
“I...look, I...I assure you Ms., uh, Silkfoot…” Dontoc trailed off, swallowing harshly and steadying his breath before continuing. His hands shook quietly, but he did his best to fight off the rising panic attack at the sudden touching, “there is no tension between us. And we are friends. Not...well, friends or however you said it.”
“Hm. Then perhaps Silkfoot could offer a more personal fix for your tension?” She ran a hand up his arm and he shuddered involuntarily. “You really are just so tense, and I could most certainly fix just so very easily.”
“My...my tension would not be assisted by you,” he muttered darkly.
“Nonsense!” She said brightly. “I know what a good violetblood lord needs and what they need is --”
“Gadung!” Pallia’s voice rang through the air. In an instant, Gadung released Dontoc, scowling quite noticeably at Pallia. “What the hell are you doing?!”
“Why, selling my product. What does it look like?” she asked. The honeyed tone from earlier was dead and replaced with a far sharper, more venomous one.
“It lookss like ssomething I will gladly report to your FLARP queen,” Pallia hissed. “I know through Mayola you don’t get to play the trapdoor spider outside the game.”
“Oh please. Silkfoot isn't playing her character,’ she scoffed, pushing her hair over her shoulder dramatically. Gadung’s hand went down to the bottle holding the covered bottle of wine, tracing the knuckles. Dontoc tensed up, but she didn't seem to notice. “I'm merely selling my high quality wine as a permanent fix to real Alternian issues.”
“You're fondling the matesprit of the Heiress,” she said flatly.
“I am--!” She stopped, side-eyeing him. “Wait...but you look far too straight-laced to impress my queen.”
“The heiresssss,” Pallia said. “The big one.”
The hand on his jerked away as if it were on fire. However, her smile returned. “Well. This adds quite the dynamic,” she said smoothly.
Pallia sighed. “The only thing it adds is a valid reason for you to let us go,” she said. “And if you keep this up, I will stop purchasing from your queen.”
Gadung scowled again, showing off the barest hint of jagged teeth. “Fine. Good evening, tealblood.” She winked at Dontoc. “And milord.”
Pallia rolled her eyes again as she briskly walked off. Dontoc hurried behind her.
“She seemed...interesting,” Dontoc said. “If a bit touchy for me.”
“She’s a trapdoor spider.”
Dontoc raised his eyebrows. “How informative. Soon you may be speaking in nothing but grunts.”
“They're trolls in Darkwood that get others plastered and pail them. Gadung...is notorious. I only put up with her because she's a good brewer.” Pallia groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “And for her to jump on you of all trolls! The obvious anxious one. It's just sleazy, really. I should've lied and told her I was your matesprit, but Careen’s holds weight.”
He swallowed harshly, throat dry, and shook his head.“Such would not have been necessary. You diffused the situation perfectly fine without,” he said, fins fluttering softly. “But I do thank you. I doubt I would have gotten out of there alone.”
“You're a friend and she's a self-important troll sleeping her way to the top,” she said. “Don't worry about it.”
They left it at that. Pallia was careful to stay close to him for the rest of their time together, even as trolls kept their distance. They avoided the games and rides section altogether, on Dontoc's request. Not that it took Pallia much convincing: she hardly seemed like she wanted to go that way anyway, and was more than happy to lead the two of them away. She promised it was almost time anyway for the best part anyway.
With a mischievous grin, she led him away from the largest part of the slowly-thinning crowd, all the way towards the far-end of the park, where the path stopped and the shrubbery turned wild. A few trolls - all lowbloods, he noticed, they were the only two past yellow - hung around, taking seats in the grass. Pallia did the same, finding a spot for them just past a few trees.
“Have you ever seen fireworks?” she asked curiously as she sat down on her knees.
Dontoc followed suit, shoulders just touching for the briefest second before he shuffled away. “I lived underwater or in isolation for so long, things exploding in the sky for amusement would not be a common commodity,” he said.
“Huh. I figured Careen liked the extravagance,” she said. “Guess not.”
“But I will get to see them now,” he said warmly. “Whenever they start.”
In the distance, he heard a loud boom, pulling the conversation away. Dontoc looked up to the sky just in time to see it light up in bright white sparkles, crackling as they fell to the ground. Smoke hung in its wake, a light gray against the star-filled sky.
“Was that…”
“Yeah,” she breathed. “Pretty cool right?”
He nodded wordlessly, enraptured. Another one shot towards upwards, whistling as it skyrocketed upwards and bloomed like a flower, making a big circle of bright yellow outlining dark red. As soon as the first one faded, two more booms sent off vibrant circles of green and blue adjacent to the space where the first two fell.
Then another, this one making smoke swirls in the sky, exploded in a shower of hazy jade and fell in lines of jade. He glanced over at Pallia, face illuminated by the firework, and she smiled.
“Happy Freedom Festival,” she said. Then, so softly he could barely hear it, she muttered, “Thanks for coming.”
He smiled back, turning away at the sound of the next firework exploding to hopefully hide the creeping blush. It probably failed, but for once in his life, Dontoc didn't care. Not when the night went like this. “Happy Freedom Festival, dear.” He didn’t speak again until the next firework exploded, letting his thank you for everything die in the noise.
((Like what I write? Buy me a coffee!))
#fantroll#fantrolls#homestuck#hiveswap#fanfiction#my writing#dontoc#pallia#the calm before the careen storm tbh#after this is when she starts to really start pulling her bs#but that's for another oneshot
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1+2p Hetalia High {Ch.5}
(Kat)
I no longer know what is happening in this story.
ALSO THIS IS MY 900TH POST WOOHOO--
Alright, on with the story.
3rd Person's POV
I ran into my house and locked everything.
This... This is still in first person.
I caught my breath when I was done. So now I have 2p!'s after me. Great. Just great. I leaned on the wall and sighed. It's been a long day and i'm tired. I decided to just relax upstairs on my computer and not do anything else today.
(Time skip to Sunday)
I was woken up by my phone ringing. It was an unknown number so I was hesitant to answer it. I decided to just answer. "Hello?" I asked sleepily. "H-Hey {Kat} it's Matthew." Matthew said. "Oh hey Matthew. How did you get my number?" I asked suspiciously. "I-It was on your fridge. A-Alfred thought it would be a good idea to have your number."
...
Why in the world would I put my own phone number on my fridge?
Matthew said. I chuckled and rolled my eyes. That was exactly something Alfred would do. "So why'd you call?" I asked. "I-I was wondering if you wanted to go ice skating with m-me today." Matthew asked. Ice skating with the master of hockey? Heck yea. "I'd love to Matt!" I said. "T-That's great! I'll pick you up at around 11?"
I like ice skating.
Matthew asked. "Sure! See you then." I said hanging up. I got out of bed and stretched. I checked the time. It was 9:00. I rummaged through my clothes and decided to wear my maroon canada flag shirt,
I don’t have one of those.
bright teal jeans, and some {purple} sneakers. I also got my ice skates out of my closet. (Outfit in my profile)
There was no link.
It just looked like this:
I went into my bathroom and brushed my and hair and teeth. I went downstairs and checked the time again. It was 10:30 so I had half an hour to eat and make breakfast. I decided to just heat up something the countries brought over yesterday. I heated up some of the crepes Francis made.
I love crépes.
They were so good! I finished them off and put the plate in the sink. My doorbell rang. "Oh he's here!" I said running over to the door. I opened the door to be face to face with the blushing Canadian. "A-Are you ready to go?" he asked. I nodded and locked the door behind me. Matthew and I walked over to his red pickup truck.
Okay then.
Thanks for that unnecessary detail.
He opened the door for me and I put my purse and ice skates in and sat down.
I do not own ice skates.
He closed the door and and went over to the driver's seat. He got in and started up the truck. We drove to the skating rink and parked. We walked in together.
Fast scene change.
I’m kind of partial to more detail, but that’s just me, and I’m picky.
We both had skates so we only had to pay for the entrance fee. We laced up the skates and Matthew gracefully went onto the ice. He was doing spins and axles while I was sticking to the sides trying not to fall on my butt. Matthew skated over to me "Do you need help {Kat}?" he asked. I nodded and said "I haven't skated for a while." as he pried my hands off the sides. "Just relax {Kat}" he said as he guided me across the ice.
He put his hands around me to steady me and make sure I don't fall. I could feel his blush. He and I glided around for a little. "Okay now i'm going to slowly let go. You try to do it by yourself." he said slowly letting go of me.
RThat sentence was very redundant.
I tried to keep my balance but started to fall. I waved my arms frantically trying to stay up. Matthew stabilized me then let go again. I started to get the hang of it. "I'm doing it!" I said excitedly. I eased into going faster. Matthew smiled. I started to go towards him but was bumped by someone. I knew I was going to fall. Matthew reached out to me but ended up falling. I landed on the ice kind of hard. Ow. That didn't hurt much but it still hurt. I felt something on top of me and looked up to see Matthew. Matthew realized he was top of me and blushed profusely. "Looks like we both fell on our butts huh Matt?"
I don’t want to be forced to use that gif of Megara again.
Although this is sort of cute.
I said chuckling. Matthew scrambled to get off me "I-I'm s-so sorry!" he said getting up. "It's fine Matt. Accidents happen!" I said smiling. He held a hand out to help me up. It was hard since we were both wearing ice skates. He helped me up and we continued to skate. After about an hour we decided to stop. I unlaced my skates and out my sneakers back on.
I dunno about you guys but my ankles always hurt after a long time skating.
"That was really fun Matt. I had a great time!" I said as I waited for Matt to put his shoes back on. Matthew blushed again "I'm glad you liked it {Kat}." Matthew said as he finished putting his shoes on. I noticed a concession stand selling F/F ice cream.
Cookie dough.
"Do you want to get some ice cream {Kat}?" Matthew asked standing next to me. I nodded and we walked over to the stand. "Two ice creams please." Matthew asked the man running the stand. (Get the reference get an internet cookie)
Do you think I live under a rock?
I pulled out my wallet but Matt payed the man before I could hand him my money. "It's okay {Kat} I got this." he said smiling.
"You didn't have to Matt!" I said as he handed me the ice cream. "I asked you out didn't I? It's my treat."
We didn’t even specify what flavor we wanted.
Matthew said blushing. I smiled and ate my ice cream. Suddenly an older woman said "Aww you two make an adorable couple!" while staring at us. It was my turn to blush. I've never actually had a boyfriend before. I tried to tell her we weren't a couple but she had walked away. Matthew walked closer to me. "F-Funny how s-she thought we were a couple huh?" Matthew said. "Y-Yea."
IT’S TOO C L I C H É
I said. We finished our ice cream and walked back to his car. He drove me home. We walked with me to my front door. "S-So this is it." Matthew said. "Yea I guess!" I said smiling. "I-I'll see you at school tomorrow." he said very slowly walking away. "Bye Matt!" I said. I went up to him and gave him a peck on the cheek then went inside.
Matthew's POV
I stood there surprised as she went inside. She kissed my cheek. I held where she kissed it with my hand. {Kat} kissed my cheek. I quickly went to my car and and drove off. When I got far enough away from her house I had a little freak out.
When {Kat} had noticed me the first day of school my heart had fluttered. She was so pretty just sitting there with her beautiful {Brown} hair and her dazzling {Green} eyes. She even got Ivan off of me. It had taken all of my courage just to call her. I was almost certain she wouldn't remember who I was. I was even more sure she would've said no, but she did both. My heart was doing back flips when she said yes. When I watched her skate she looked so graceful.
I looked like a walrus trying to fly, most likely.
Smiling on the ice rink with her perfect smile. She even kissed me before she went inside. I am the luckiest man in the world. I drove home happily. When I got home and I walked in with a skip in my step. I put my keys on the rack. "Hey Mattie! Where were you!?"
By the front door, idiot.
Alfred asked playing video games on the couch. "I went out with someone." I said joyfully. Alfred paused his game and turned towards me "Seriously dude!? What's her name!?" Alfred said smirking and smiling. "It was {Kat}." I said. Alfred frowned. "Really?" he said with a far away look. "What's wrong?" I asked worried. "N-Nothing. Good for you bro." Alfred said going back to his game. I was worried but left him alone.
Alfred's POV
I can't believe Matt went out with Y/N. I don't think he knew but...I have a huge crush on her.
I EXPECT NOTHING ELSE.
I’ll see you guys later.
~Kat
#OhNoHetaliaSues#mod kat#Mod Kat reviews things#Mod Kat reviews stuff#Axis Powers Hetalia#aph hetalia#bad fanfiction#bad hetalia fanfiction#Hetalia Fanfiction#APH Hetalia fanfiction#Help me understand#why#kat is screaming#bad fanfictions r us#When Bad Fanfictions Attack#x reader#hetalia x reader#APH Canada#APH America
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Dragged Kicking and Screaming ( 15/ 22)
Title: Dragged Kicking and Screaming
Or How Burt Hummel Mashed the Hummels and Hudsons Into One Functioning Family.
Characters(s): Kurt, Burt, Carole, Finn, with short appearances by the New Directions guys and various ops who mostly take up space.
Rating: PG13
Summary: Somehow the Hummel household and the Hudson household had to come together…
Chapter Nine Chapter Ten
Chapter eleven Chapter twelve Chapter thirteen Chapter fourteen
15.
“We dye eggs and eat deviled eggs and make each other baskets for Easter.” Kurt said. “And sometimes Dad might hide eggs for me but not always.”
Carole looked at Burt.
“We go to church.” Carole said.
“We haven’t gone to church since I was in fourth grade.” Finn said.
“Finn, stop lying. We go to church.” Carole repeated.
“When did we go last year or the year before or at any time since I was in fourth grade? Was that the place we went to see the Easter bunny and you got the bottle of wine after talking to the curly haired guy that almost looked like Mr. Shue and who you spent time giggling with last year?” Finn asked.
“No, that was the Easter Egg hunt at the court house, Finn.”
“Then we haven’t been to church in ages and ages.” Finn said. “Mom makes a big dinner with Ham and potatoes and invites over other ladies she works with and they bring salads and stuff and everyone brings enough Easter eggs for each person there of some type and then everyone hides their eggs in different sections of the place and when mom shouts go we have to find eggs from each person. Last year Nola brought eggs that had little lipsticks stuffed in them for everyone though. That wasn’t cool. Karen puts dollar bills in her eggs, though, every year.”
“Carole, will you be wanting to do this party with the girls you work with?” Burt asked.
“We decided to move it to Karen’s house since she moved into a nice house over by the Fabrays. I’ll be going there for Easter dinner. Oh, and we all decided no kids. Those of us with little kids will do early Easter hunts and those of us with older kids will not have to worry.”
“So, Finn, what would you like to do for Easter?” Burt asked.
“I think that egg dying stuff sounds good…and can we at least have ham?” Finn asked. “And maybe find some eggs? I liked the egg hunting part, even if mom’s co-workers sometimes put weird stuff in them.”
Burt nodded. “We can…Kurt write down Ham and potatoes and deviled eggs for dinner and egg hunt and dying eggs and baskets of some sort, even if we just get them to gather eggs in. Now, Kurt start pages for Mother’s day and Memorial day and Father’s day and Flag day.”
Kurt listed those holidays on the top of pages in the notebook while Finn watched.
“Finn, what do you guys do for Mother’s day?” Burt asked.
Finn shrugged.
“Do you take your mother out to eat?” Burt asked.
“I don’t think so.” Finn said.
“Get her a card?” Burt asked.
“No. I only get mom a card for her Birthday…if I remember.”
“We go out to eat.” Carole said. “And I get flowers.”
“You get flowers?” Finn asked. “From who?”
Carole rolled her eyes. “I buy them for myself.”
“Okaaay,” Burt said. “For Mother’s day we will take Carole out to dinner. Kurt and Finn will pay. Kurt will remind Finn to save up for this. Finn will buy his mom a card…Kurt will help him. And Carole will get flowers that she won’t buy for herself. Got it?”
“Got it, Dad.”
“While on that topic. I don’t want flowers, but I would like to see a card and dinner out for Father’s day. Anything else done for Finn’s dad will be fine. Likewise, Kurt and I will keep our Mother’s day traditions for his mom.”
Kurt nodded. That was written on the page for Father’s Day.
“You boys will put up and take down the flag properly on flag day.” Burt said. “Finn, Kurt will make sure you know how to do this if you don’t remember how from cub scouts. Also write down our half year safety review. That gets us to memorial day.”
“When is that one?” Finn asked.
“The end of May,” Kurt said. “Near my birthday. On Memorial Day we go and put flowers on the gravesite of Dad’s mentor and two of his friends who’d been in Vietnam. We don’t do Mom’s because we just put some out for Mother’s day and then we go the start of June on the day she died and put some out. If we time it right we watch the people do the ceremony at the graveyard. One guy plays Taps on his bugle and the POW motorcycles are there. Then we have a big barbecue with the people who work in the shop in the backyard and fire up the grill for the first time for the season.”
“I think we go swimming.” Finn said. “Or stay home and try to get the work I need done to pass for the year finished.”
“Yeah,” Burt said. “That had better not be a problem this year, because that means you didn’t do your homework right after school like you were supposed to. Where do you go swimming?”
“The big water park…with the slides.” Carole answered. “We generally do that Sunday, though.”
“Nice. We can do all of it then. Do you do anything special for Finn’s dad?” Burt asked.
Carole glared at him.
Burt sighed.
“Fine. For Kurt’s Birthday, I will be taking him out. We will either go to a movie or a play. We may do both. We also go out to dinner, just Kurt and I. If he has a Birthday Party it is always the Saturday or Sunday closest to his birthday. Sometimes his party is combined with the Memorial Day barbecue.”
“What about gifts?” Carole asked.
“What about gifts?” Burt asked back.
“What kind of gifts are you going to get him? How much are you going to spend on him?”
“I’ll decide that closer to his Birthday unless I see something in the after Christmas sales to buy for it.” Burt said. “Furthermore, I don’t see how it matters. Kurt may or may not get something big, he may or may not get a few small things, and he may or may not get things more geared towards experiences. Kurt will tell me what he’d like or need at some point and then I’ll look at what he mentioned and decide if it is something I get him. Last year he got a new laptop after the one he’d had for four years died and four extra new pairs of pants because he’d grown several inches really fast. One year he got an iPod.”
“What about his car?” Finn said. “He said he got his SUV for his birthday.”
“He did but not like you seem to be thinking. We bought it after it had been in a wreck and after being assured that it was safely fixable. Kurt and I did all the repair work and Kurt paid for the inspections to reassure me of its safety. He didn’t just get it.”
“But…”
“Well, Finn expects big items…none of this experience stuff. TVs, Video game systems, a truck.” Carole said. “He needs things like that for holidays and his birthday.”
“We’ll see. I won’t buy new stuff just for kicks and giggles. We don’t play the ‘newest and biggest’ game in this house. If he needs it, or his is so old it isn’t useable, maybe. And until I have been convinced Finn should legally be driving, I’m not buying him a truck, not even the way I bought Kurt his vehicle.”
“Burt, that is not fair. I hope you don’t expect me to follow that. Finn is used to getting good stuff for his birthday. I don’t plan on changing that. You will give him good stuff, too. Nothing silly like an experience. I won’t allow you to treat him like that. You will get him whatever he asks for, even if he just got a new whatever he wants a week before. That is how it works. Stop being so stupid about this.” Carole said.
“ You know what Kurt’s ‘experience’ was last…” Burt started.
“Dad, just don’t. It’s all good.” Kurt said. “I started a page called Birthdays…under Kurt it says things stay the same…find out what is expected for Carole and Finn please.”
“Kurt…”
“Dad, later.” Kurt said. “We need to finish this.”
“Fine. Finn, what do you do for your birthday?”
“I have a huge party and get lots of presents and mom takes me out to eat someplace cool sometime near that day. We eat ice cream and cake and pizza.” Finn said. “This year, Mom paid for a DJ to come and it was awesome and then she headed out to her date with you and she stayed out really late and there was like no real grownups there and Nelson brought some…umm…never mind.”
Burt was looking at Carole and writing down things and Kurt was writing down notes.
“Yeah, that isn’t happening at my house.” Burt said. “However, we can write down Birthday party for Finn with cake and ice cream and pizza. Any specifics?”
“Huh?” Finn asked.
“Do you always have the same kind of cake, Finn? Or Ice cream?” Kurt said.
“Oh…chocolate cake and like ice cream sundaes.”
“Carole?” Burt asked.
“We go out to eat and Finn buys me a card and I get myself a gift from him.”
Kurt turned to Finn with wide eyes. “Your mother has to buy her own Birthday gift to herself from you?”
“Well…gifts cost money, Kurt.” Finn said.
“And she gave you a huge allowance, Finn.” Kurt said.
“But that money was for me and my stuff.”
“Are you kidding me?” Kurt said. “Finn will buy you a gift. Do you want dad to take you out or Finn?”
“Both should take me out. Somewhere real nice on your dad’s and my date and then Finn and I on my actual birthday. Oh, I also want a cake, something nice. Big. With a filling and decorated.”
“On her last birthday her cake was like four layers and had all these flowers on it made of icing that she got from that one expensive bakery that does the fancy wedding cakes in town and mom’s friends came over and ate it and brought so many wine coolers that there were ones left for when Puck came over the next week so we took them to…”
“Finn!” Carole snapped.
Kurt wrote her wishes down and made notes. “Dad, do you want anything different for your birthday? I expect Carole will treat you to dinner for your date night? So anything different on your birthday dinner?”
“No. “
“What does Burt do for his birthday?” Carole asked.
Kurt rolled his eyes. “Dad fires up the grill for the last time of the season and we have a huge barbecue with everyone from the garage and whoever else shows up and we eat cupcakes of all sorts. Everything but the meat is pot luck. Then the nearest weekend after Dad’s birthday we clean the grill and pack it away for the winter. This year we missed it. I cleaned the grill right before Dad asked you to marry him. You didn’t even give him a card or gift or anything.”
“That’s not fair,” Carole said. “I wanted him to take me out for dinner but he couldn’t, so I decided we’d wait.”
“Shouldn’t you take HIM out for dinner for HIS birthday?” Kurt asked. “And that does NOT explain away the lack of gift or card.”
“Women don’t take men out.” Carole said.
Kurt rolled his eyes. “Sure they do. Especially decent and good and kind women who have giving and loving hearts. My mom took my dad out all the time to celebrate things…and she did so with whatever she made giving piano lessons or taking in a seamstress job or even going and cleaning someone’s house for a few bucks. Furthermore in modern couples most share the financial burden of date nights. I can find you multiple articles on that. All the important and beautiful people are doing it that way now-a-days.”
“Kurt…” Burt warned.
Kurt pushed his lips together and just started writing again. “Ok…Fine…I think we are to the 4th of July.”
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NEW YORK
8 Sep 2020 (Tue) – We spent yesterday getting ready to move. We drove to the lawyer’s office in Port Jefferson to sign a temporary Power of Attorney for Travis. Since we won’t be here for the closing on his house, we are giving him authority to sign for us. That was debacle! First, the secretary asked for ID with a picture and our address on it. We gave her our New York driver licenses. They have our Texas mailing address on them. She said that was no good. She then instructed us to send her copies of our passports. When we got back home, I did that. She said Paul’s passport said New York but mine said New Jersey. I had to explain that there is no residential address on a passport; that the states are where we were born. She then asked for a Costco card or some other ID that had a picture and New York address on it. When we couldn’t provide any, she mumbled something about having to do a tax form for Texas. We are certainly hopeful that Travis & Sam don’t have to pay taxes to Texas!
After the lawyer’s office, we drove into Port Jefferson and had lunch at one of the many restaurants in this charming port town. The waiter gave us the menus, stated that he was the only one working today, and he would come when called. The tables were set up outside on the parking lot. There were about 6 tables he had to serve. The service was very slow but the meal was good.
We invited Caiden to come over for dinner. He enjoyed it. Unfortunately, we got a message saying my nephew’s funeral will be on Saturday. We were expecting it to take place next Saturday. We were going to camp in PA for a week, then drive to Rhode Island/Massachusetts. Now, we had to call campgrounds and move things around. Fortunately, we were able to get 5 days at a Navy campground in Newport, RI, as well as move the days we were going to PA. Whew. Otherwise, we would have lost our deposit at the PA campground.
6 Sep 2020 (Sun) – It’s been a busy week. Kenny went to the clinic and had his arm looked at. The doctor said he has a second degree burn but didn’t do anything with the injury. Just told him to keep it clean and dry.
I started physical therapy on my Achilles tendon. I went for therapy on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. They start with heat and stimulation, then I do some exercises, and it ends with ice and stimulation. They also do some ultrasound. The place is big and it kind of feels like an assembly line operation. Oh, well. I won’t be there for long.
Miranda’s car had the thermostat and rheostat replaced as well as three coils in the engine. It cost $900. Our next door neighbor, Dave, owns an auto body shop and did the work for us. We brought the car back to Miranda and Kenny and told them that’s it. No more money will be spent on that car. Dave suggested we put it in a lot, douse it in gasoline, and set it on fire. It’s basically shot.
We took Caiden and went over Susan & Bill’s house on Saturday. It was our last swim for the summer. He had a great time. We are all a little sad to see the season end. Earlier in the week, Susan and I went to West Hampton for lunch. They recently renovated the town and she wanted to look it over. It was very new looking.
After church today, we went over Travis & Sam’s. Today is Travis’ 39th birthday. We enjoyed a barbecue and ice cream cake. We gave him a storage device with all our photo albums scanned on it. Hope he likes it.
30 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. Attendance is still sparse but the way the pews are chained off, it’s probably for the best. After church, we stopped at Bagel Boss for bagels. The deli counter had 6 people on line and the bagel line only had 1 person so I opted for the bagel line. What. A. Mistake. The girl who waited on me was so new that she had to ask another worker what a rye and garlic bagel looked like. She was sooooooo slow that everyone in the deli line not only went through but several people after where I would have been had I gotten on that line. Serves me right for being in a hurry.
After church, we drove to Travis & Sam’s, stopping at a couple of furniture stores on the way to look for new recliners. We are limited by the size of the space that the recliners would fit into. The kids are growing fast. The baby is such a happy little guy. Big smiles and laughs all the time. Paul and I picked up KFC chicken for dinner. It was a nice visit.
Miranda borrowed the truck at 7:30 to go pick Kenny up at work. Their car is not working right now. There is some kind of blockage in the cooling system. Caiden and I played a few games. When Kenny got home, Miranda changed the dressing on his arm from the scalding he took yesterday. He has a very large blister and a lot of redness on his arm. Miranda and I convinced him to go to the clinic tomorrow. He probably should have the blister drained and get put on an antibiotic.
29 Aug 2020 (Sat) – We went to church today to attend a memorial service for June Wertz, a friend of ours. Her husband, Bob, invited us to join their travel club some years ago. One of the members of their club had passed away just before the small group was going to camp out at Wildwood State Park. They invited us to take his camping spot. During the 8-10 years we camped with them, it was always on Long Island. The members were all up in years and didn’t go off-Island to camp. It was a fun group and I wish we could have known them in their younger, traveling days. At any rate, we certainly enjoyed the time we spent with Bob & June and the rest of them.
Miranda and Kenny had a serious incident yesterday. They were at KFC when they noticed smoke coming from the engine. They popped the hood, looked around, and opened the radiator cap. Both of them were scalded, Kenny pretty badly. They are monitoring his condition to determine whether his burns are bad enough to seek medical help.
28 Aug 2020 (Fri) – I drove to Ronkonkoma to visit with my cousin, Claude, today. He has been experiencing medical issues for a while now. He has gone from 220 lbs. to 175 lbs. He is looking old and sick. I fear for his well-being. I visited for about an hour then the nurse came in to see him so I left.
Paul spent the day repairing the steps to the back deck. He poured some concrete at the base a few days ago and had Caiden put his name, date, and footprint in it.
27 Aug 2020 (Thu) – I drove out to Southampton today. It was almost an hour and a half drive. When I arrived for my 10:30 a.m. appointment, the receptionist told me I was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. The dentist didn’t get me in until almost 12 noon. I was seeing him for a consultation. He is an endodontist who specializes in root canals and oral surgery. He didn’t see anything that needs immediate attention. Furthermore, he said that he conforms to the recommendations of the American Dental Association and doesn’t believe that metal in the mouth or root canals are inherently bad. He suggested that I leave everything as it is unless I am in pain. It was a disappointing consult.
I stopped at CVS to pick up my prescriptions from the dermatologist, the neurologist to get copies of the test results for my records, and at Shop Rite for some groceries. I got home in time to put everything away and turn around to make my 4:00 p.m. appointment for physical therapy. That was also a somewhat disappointing experience. I was brought in, asked a bunch of questions by someone who said she was a physical therapist, and advised that I would get some exercises to do. Today’s appointment was just heat and stimulation. An aide put the electrodes on my foot and wrapped it in a hot towel. She said the therapist would be in to turn on the stim. After 15 minutes, I flagged down a passing therapist to see if she could find the gal that was supposed to turn my stim on. After 5 minutes, she came in and said she thought the aide would turn it on. They seemed very disorganized and uncommunicative. I am scheduled for physical therapy 3 days next week. We’ll see how that goes.
When I came out of the office, I crossed the street to pick up a few things at Best Market that I didn’t get at ShopRite. It was a full day of running around. Whew!
26 Aug 2020 (Wed) – I went to the dermatologist this morning. The oncologist told me that the chemo can cause skin cancer and to get a skin exam once a year. So, here I am at my one-year check. The exam went well and I was given a clean bill of health.
At 1:50 p.m. I went to see the orthopedist that I was referred to by the podiatrist. I have an interstitial tear in the Achilles heel fiber, not the tendon. There are three ways to handle it – by physical therapy, by surgery, or by an experimental program that takes your blood, mixes platelets with it then injects it in the injury site. Insurance will not cover the cost. I opted for physical therapy. He gave me a script and I made an appointment with a nearby therapist.
We went out for dinner to Texas Roadhouse. The food was good. We forgot our leftovers. That must happen at least half the time we plan to take leftovers home. Aaaarrgh!
25 Aug 2020 (Tue) – No doctors today! I ordered dulse flakes from Amazon. Travis called to ask for help. He was turned down for a rental because a credit report stated they had been late on their last 8 mortgage payments. This is incorrect. I went on the webpage and saw that their payments were on time. Samantha called Equifax to correct the report but was told they only reported what the mortgage company gave them. She called the mortgage company and was told Equifax had to correct the record. A big, fat bureaucratic run around!
I spent a good part of the day on the phone with the mortgage company trying to get a letter that simply stated that their payments have been on time all year. The last agent I spoke with told me they are restricted in free-form correspondence because of a contract they have with USAA. They can only send certain forms. He did offer to send a transaction record that showed all payments were made. Unfortunately, it does not say the payments were on time.
In the meantime, I was trying to get an appointment with the dentist and getting a refill for Paul for a medication. I finally landed an appointment with the dentist for Monday and the doctor’s office placed the refill order directly with CVS. I did get to finish burning one box of records. Only 5 more to go!
Travis called later and told me he offered to pay one year’s rent up front and was waiting for the rental agent’s reply. He’s got a job offer and the new boss said he would look into putting the money up until Travis sold the house. If he does that, Travis better give this guy 110%. He doesn’t know Travis from a stranger on the street and is willing to put up $23,000? We will see.
Miranda and Kenny went out tonight. I offered to watch Caiden so they could have a date night out somewhere. It isn't much but I’m sure they haven’t had a chance for private time since this whole COVID-thing started. Kenny’s mother and grandmother are keeping their distance and they have no other childcare set up.
24 Aug 2020 (Mon) – We went food shopping this morning. I did laundry in the house. At 1:45 p.m., I left for an appointment with the biological dentist in Manhasset. On the way there, the office called to say the dentist was running late and to come in at 4 p.m. So I detoured and stopped at Sherry’s Market in Babylon. I wanted to pick up some barley grass juice powder and dulse flakes. They did not have the dulse. The clerk said I might find it in Wild by Nature down the road in West Islip. So I drove down John Street and into the strip mall. They had dulse granules but no flakes. Not sure if that was OK, I didn’t buy it.
Finally, it was time to stop dawdling and drive to the dentist. I got there at 3:50 p.m. and called the office to let them know I was there. They told me to come right up. I didn’t wait 10 minutes (BIG difference from last visit) and was shown into the exam room. The first dentist, Dr. Golden, popped in while Dr. Blum was reviewing my 3D scan. They discussed my case and what they recommended I do. Then they sent the money gal in. She described the procedure they would use – do a root canal on two teeth and put in ceramic posts with a bridge. Giving me a discount on the bridge, it would only cost $12,000. I could buy a frickin’ car for that much money!!! I told her I would think about it and left.
I called my sister to see if I could get in to see her biological dentist. She gave me his number but the office was closed. I’ll have to call them tomorrow.
23 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. Everyone is still wearing masks and the pews are roped off to keep people distanced from one another. After church, we gathered up most of the stuff we have been collecting for the yard sale and brought it back to the church. They are trying to have an outdoor thrift shop sale on the front lawn. We don’t know how that’s going to work. It was all clothes they had outside and anyone shopping would lift the clothes to look at them. Now they’ve been touched. What next?
At 3 p.m. we drove to our friend’s house, Bob. He used to be my brother’s father-in-law (before they got divorced). Bob managed an A&P store in the day and he catered many parties. Any time he’s making a meal, it’s worth going. He’s a great cook. He made ribs, roast potatoes, and corn on the cob. We had a very nice visit.
22 Aug 2020 (Sat) – We gathered up Caiden and drove to my sister’s house. Susan is celebrating her 65th birthday today. As expected, Caiden never wanted to get out of the pool. Our brothers, Dennis and Chris, also came to the party. We gave Denis some old baseball cards we found in the back room during our clearing out maneuvers. He seemed to be pleased with the gift (his birthday is next week). It was a fun day.
21 Aug 2020 (Fri) – We went to the Oconee Diner for lunch then took a ride to Target to get a few things. We picked up some clothes for Caiden and ourselves. After we returned home, we spent the rest of the day cleaning out the back room. I burned more military records. Thirty-one years of military history – GONE! Up in smoke! I was surprised to see that I had every pay record I ever got during my service.
20 Aug 2020 (Thu) – It was a confusing day at the cardiologist. First, Paul went to the office for a 9 a.m. appointment only to be turned away. They said he had an appointment at 3:45 and I had one at 2:30 p.m. When he got home and told me, I stated that the office had called yesterday and confirmed the 9 a.m. time. I also had my appointment time entered in my calendar as 2:15 p.m. Just as we were perplexing over these times, the doctor’s office called to say he was called to the hospital and they had to reschedule our appointments. We managed to get us in at 11:30 and 11:45 respectively. That ensured we got in together.
The doctor was prompt and entertaining. He checked us both over. Reviewed our bloodwork and tests and declared us in good health. My cholesterol is a little elevated so he wants to see me back in 3 months. If the numbers are still up, he will put me on a drug (he thinks).
We drove over to Travis & Sam’s tonight for dinner. Turned out we had to buy the dinner (surprise!). We stopped at Chili’s and picked up 6 meals then drove to Trap’s where we enjoyed our dinner together. Travis got a job offer at a construction company in North Carolina. They will also help them to get into a rental home. It sounds very good.
19 Aug 2020 (Wed) – I went to a biological dentist today to get an assessment of all the dental work in my mouth. I have been reading several books about alternative medicine. One book by Dr. Simon Yu states that disease is the result of 4 causes. The three top causes are dental problems, heavy metals, and parasites. It was 2 hours before the dentist came in to see me and we spent an hour talking about the research and alternatives. She sent me to get a 3D x-ray to see if there are any infections in my mouth. Although there was no “pathology,” she did identify 4 incomplete root canals. She recommended I see the surgeon in the office. I made an appointment for Monday.
On the way home, I stopped by Sherry’s Market, a health food store in Babylon. It was expensive!
18 Aug 2020 (Tue) – I went to the neurologist this morning to get all the electrodes disconnected. I tried to schedule a follow up visit with the doctor but his earliest appointment is October. How do you discuss what they found with all these tests?
I drove to East Islip to the podiatrist’s office to pick up a copy of the MRI report stating I have an interstitial tear in my right foot. The receptionist offered to call the radiology office to see if I could get a copy of the MRI pictures. Then I walked over to their office and got the disk.
Paul spent the day working around the yard. I spent the day burning files. I have so many military files to burn. How in the world did I get so many in my possession???
17 Aug 2020 (Mon) – I went to the neurologist this morning and was wired up for a 24-hour EEG. They attached 23 electrodes to my head and 3 to my chest. I have to wear a machine to register brain activity for 24 hours. All this just to reassure Paul that I am OK and can go hiking in the woods again.
When I got home, Paul went food shopping. I was NOT going out with all the wires hanging off my head. When he got back, we had lunch, then went to work on getting rid of old files and boxes. I have tons of old military books and material that has to be burned. It can’t just be thrown in the garbage. I sat in front of the fire pit for 2 hours and only got through 1 box. I have 5 more to go.
Ford called to say they replaced the fuel pump on the truck and everything seems to be alright. I took the rental car, drove Paul to Sayville Ford to drop him off, drove to Islip Airport to drop off the rental car where Paul picked me up and we drove back home.
16 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We borrowed Kenny’s truck and drove to church this morning. It rained all day. We spent most of the day inside watching TV or working on the computer.
15 Aug 2020 (Sat) – Spent the day working around the property. Kenny went to work at 4 and I went into the house to watch Caiden. He came out to the camper and had dinner with us, then we went back inside and I gave him a bath. We had a pillow fight and played with his transformers. He finally went to bed at 9 p.m. I think that is too late for a 6 year old but his parents are night owls and I guess he’s becoming one also.
14 Aug 2020 (Fri) – The tech from Sayville Ford called and said the diagnostics was telling him the truck needs a fuel pump. No amount of arguing that the last service station messed something up. We finally authorized the part. Maybe they can get to it on Monday. Ugh.
Miranda’s truck was finished at 4 p.m. Turned out to be the alternator. I was going to take the rental car since we have no vehicle but I let her take the truck to Philly given the cruddy condition of her truck. We weren’t sure it would make it there and back. It really is on its last legs.
We were supposed to ride out to Indian Island to join the Long Islanders for camping this weekend. Since we don’t have the truck to pull the camper, we will miss the campout. This was very disappointing.
13 Aug 2020 (Thu) – Miranda’s car suddenly gave up the ghost today. It was clicking, wouldn’t start, and all kind of diagnostic warnings were flashing on her dashboard. She was able to drop it off at the service station. This is really bad timing because she is preparing to go to Philly this weekend to coordinate a concert for her camp. We looked around and was able to reserve a rental car just in case the car isn’t back tomorrow.
Paul and I rode our bicycles to Best Buy this afternoon. It’s been giving me trouble and there’s some kind of program on there that we didn’t load in but keeps trying to update drivers. I had them take it off. They were very understaffed and the tech wasn’t really interested in working with me on anything else. I had wanted help in getting videos off the computer. I’ll have to wait until things get back to normal.
Paul took an Uber to the cardiologist this afternoon for a stress test. They injected him with something and then put him in an MRI machine. He said it was quick and easy.
12 Aug 2020 (Wed) – It was a quiet day all around. Paul picked up the truck. Not only was it making the humming noise, but the dashboard was lighting up like a Christmas tree! Low fuel pressure! Low engine pressure! The service station told us they couldn’t find anything wrong and the noise was gone. Boy, were they wrong. Paul called Sayville Ford and we were able to get it into the service bay today. Hope they didn’t break the engine. L
11 Aug 2020 (Tue) – I went to the radiologist today for an MRI of my right foot. We worked around the property, cleaning out old files and boxes. Sent out for pizza for dinner.
10 Aug 2020 (Mon) – Paul brought the truck back to the service station this morning. They kept the truck and dropped him off back at home. At 1 p.m. I went to the doctor for an echo cardiogram. I had to borrow Miranda’s car to get there and back.
We called the service station at 3:30 p.m. The tech told us that they had to call a friend at Ford to ask about the fuel pump. The guy told them they had to replace the entire assembly, not just the fuel pump. Paul was annoyed! I think we will have to make sure in the future that (1) only Ford does the work and, (2) that the mechanic is a certified diesel mechanic. Hopefully, we will get the truck back tomorrow. They were going to send out for the item, which will cost us over $400. This is after already being charged $170 to put the fuel pump on before they broke it.
9 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. I think it was the most people we’ve seen there since we came back. Everyone is still wearing masks and there are seats roped off. Hand sanitizer stations have been set up around the building. They announce that the thrift shop will open for 2 hours on Sunday afternoon in an outdoor setting. That means folks attending the service will be asked to help bring things outside and set up, then take it back downstairs when done. I hope it works. The thrift shop is a major revenue source for the church and it has really been hurt with the closure.
After church, we went to the Clamside Bar & Grill at the East Islip Marina. The waitress was soooooo slow. Paul ordered Belgian waffles and they came out cold. My food was lukewarm. He sent his waffles back. The next service was also cool. Paul wound up not eating his meal. It was a disappointing experience and we probably won’t go back there for a while.
8 Aug 2020 (Sat) – We gathered up Caiden and drove to Sue & Bill’s for the day. The day started out overcast but the clouds soon cleared away and we had a delightful day in the pool.
7 Aug 2020 (Fri) – I went to the neurologist this morning. The first test was a Neurotrax. It was a cognitive test to see if I’ve had any brain damage from the TGA back in March. Following that, I had an EEG. A technician glues 23 nodes to your head and then has you sit in a chair with your eyes closed most of the time. He flashes a light on your closed eyes, then says “Open Your Eyes” for like 30 seconds then close them again. Weird.
Paul has been working hard in the yard, cleaning up after the storm. The oblivious neighbor did a stupid thing. A tree in his yard came down into our yard. It was straddling the fence with the root ball in the neighbor’s yard and the tree branches supporting the tree in our yard. The neighbor brought his chain saw out and cut the tree. No longer balanced between the tree branches and the root ball, the tree crushed our fence.
I went to the podiatrist today to check out the painful lump on my Achilles tendon. The doctor took an x-ray and said I have a bone spur that could be causing the problem. She also criticized my flip flops, saying I needed more support for my feet. She gave me some heel inserts to wear in a closed shoe. She also sent me to the radiologist to get an MRI. I made an appointment for Tuesday.
6 Aug 2020 (Thu) – Paul brought the truck to the service station to get it inspected. When he got back, he complained that he could hear a humming from the fuel pump. That happened to us once before. A non-qualified mechanic had tried to mount the fuel pump on the rail and broke it. Apparently, a certified diesel mechanic needs to do the job. Paul called and was told to bring the truck back in on Monday.
We brought Bonnie to the vet at 2 p.m. The ultrasound shows she has some abnormal liver issues. The vet wants to do a biopsy but Bonnie has to get a blood test first to see if she has a clotting factor. If so, then she can have the biopsy. If not, then we can’t do it.
5 Aug 2020 (Wed) – I had a check with the nurse at the cardiologist’s office today. They wanted to check and make sure there were no problems with the loop recorder. She said I had a bit of a reaction to the medical tape but everything looked OK. I should just let the tape fall off when it wants.
After the doctor, I brought some containers to Travis. He is now in contract on his house and beginning to pack things up. I brought him 9 containers. Then I drove to Sayville and met my sister, Susan, and her daughter, Shay, for lunch at Cornucopia. It is a kind of health food supermarket with a great deli counter where we all ordered lunch. We then sat outside to enjoy our meal. Following that, we took a walk along Main Street, looking in the shop windows. When we came upon an India shop, we went in. Susan & Bill follow the religion of Ashananda and the shop owner had been to one of their meetings out in the Hamptons. She spoke for a while with the clerks (the shop owner wasn’t there).
We went over Trap’s tonight to sign the contract for the sale of their house. Since we are listed as co-owners on the house, we have to sign the contract as well. While there, Trap dug out the chain saw for Paul.
4 August 2020 (Tue) – Things have been so busy and technology has been so challenging that I have not been able to keep up with the blog. I have an appointment with Best Buy on the 13th. Hopefully, that will get things back on the road.
Let’s see. I have been to the cardiologist and had an internal cardiac monitor (ICM) installed in my chest. It is a device that tracks heart activity and at night, when I am sleeping, it uploads the day’s activities to the doctor’s office. It’s been 5 days and the site still itches like crazy. Ugh.
I had to go to the lab and get a COVID test before getting the ICM installed. The nurse stuck a Cutip so far up my nose that my eyes teared. And I had an earache for the rest of the day. That dam thing was painful! I will not do that again.
We took Caiden to Sue & Bill’s last Wednesday. Their daughter, Shay, and her boyfriend, Pat, are up from South Carolina. We all swam and munched on delicious vegan foods. It was fun.
I went to the doctor’s office to see what is wrong with my heel. The PA saw me (the doctor was busy). He thinks I have a cyst on my Achilles tendon and referred me to a podiatrist.
Miranda was back in Pennsylvania this weekend so we watched Caiden a good part of the time when Kenny wasn’t working.
We got to visit with Travis & Sam yesterday. The baby is walking pretty good now. He’s always so happy. He immediately lights up when he sees you and waves his little hand hello. Trap got an offer on the house and we signed the contract with the realtor. He’s a little freaked out. They have now signed a contract to sell their house. They have to be out in a month. They want to move to South Carolina but neither of them has a job or a place to stay. In addition, they’re not going to be able to keep as much of the money from the sale of the house that they had counted on. The realtor gets $16,400 alone! Wow!
Today, Paul had an appointment with the dentist. This was a follow up to checkups we had two weeks ago where the dentist found a cavity. He went in to day to get it filled. Afterward, we went to WalMart to pick up a few items. Later in the day, Tropical Storm Isaias blew through. Another tree from the neighbor’s yard came down across our fence. Also, one of our trees came down and landed on the deck. It just missed the roof and back doors. This was dejavu! Same thing happened last year when we were here. Paul will have to dig out the chain saw. The entire neighborhood is digging out. Two trees went down on Saxon Avenue, the next block over, and the road was closed. Thousands of people were without power. We lost power on and off all day long but not for very long. Our neighbor a few doors down had a tree go down and take all his electrical lines with it. The fire department came and cut up the tree and pulled it out into the road.
25 July 2020 (Sat) – We went to Nicky’s on the Bay for lunch. The tables were spaced apart. Lots of them were out on the deck. All the wait staff was wearing face masks. Our waitress was very slow and unsure about herself. She might have been new. While we were eating, a waitress came running through the restaurant asking if there was a doctor, an EMT, or a nurse in the place. Apparently, something happened at the marine fuel site out on the deck. We couldn’t see what happened but an ambulance did roll up.
The cost of the meal was very high. It don’t know if it is because Nicky’s is a seasonal place and is trying to make its money during the summer or if they jacked the prices up because they can’t have as many people in the place. Either way, it was over $60 for a wrap and a sandwich. Ouch!
24 July 2020 (Fri) – Finally! A day with no doctors. Whew! Paul got up early and took the truck to WalMart to get an oil change. He said it looks like WalMart is going out of business. The shelves are all half stocked. If you stop to think about it, they get most of their products from China. The pandemic has affected shipments worldwide. In addition, the U.S. is angry with China for keeping the Coronavirus a secret and has instituted sanctions against them. WalMart must really be hurting.
After Paul got home, we went to Home Depot to get a container. One of our two batteries went bad and Paul bought two new ones. Now he wants a container to put them in to keep the area more organized. Home Depot didn’t have much of a selection at all. On the way out, we stopped by the tile area and picked out a tile to do a backsplash in the bathroom. We couldn’t decide, so we picked up three samples to see which we would like best.
When I was entering the costs into the budget, Paul discovered that WalMart charged him for the oil that he actually provided. So he got in the truck and drove back to WalMart to get his $12.47 refunded.
Miranda is teaching in Pennsylvania again this weekend. They took Caiden into Queens to stay with his grandmother. Kenny borrows his mother’s car so Miranda can take their car. I will miss Caiden.
23 July 2020 (Thu) – Today was my visit with the oncologist. It was so disheartening! My appointment was at 4:15 p.m. I checked in then after a brief wait, a tech brought me into an exam room and took my vitals. Thank goodness; no blood draw. Then I went upstairs and checked in with the receptionist. I waited about a half hour before the doctor’s admin assistant came and led me to the exam room. I sat there for another half hour before the nurse came in and went over my case. He spent a lot of time complaining about patients calling and asking for visits or pain medication when they should be going to their primary care physicians. Then he asked me who my PCP was. I felt like it was some kind of criticism. Was I supposed to be going to a different doctor?
The nurse left and it was another 20 minutes before the doctor came in wearing a face mask and a full face shield. He seemed detached and didn’t really hear my complaints. He said the medication sometimes causes blisters on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. Was I having any of those? He also said the medication can cause AFIB and that the cardiologist should check me for that. It seems like every visit to the oncologist results in him telling me something else that can happen with this chemo therapy. He seemed preoccupied and in a hurry to get out. I felt like I got the bum’s rush. I came home and started crying. Which is kind of stupid because the CT scan shows that I am responding to the medication very well. All the lymph nodes are continuing to shrink. So what’s my problem?
22 July 2020 (Wed) – I went to the Good Sam Sleep Center this morning. I had to sit in the parking lot and call the office to tell them I was waiting. They called me when the previous patient was done. When I walked into the doctor’s office after checking in, he excused himself and began to dictate the results of his visit with the previous patient. He stated the patient’s name, the issue, and his diagnosis, all in front of me. Hasn’t he been briefed on this whole patient privacy thing? I thought that I should probably step out of the room but with the whole COVID thing, they don’t want people wandering around unsupervised. When he was done, I told him that I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in 15 years. The cardiologist recommended I do a sleep study because poor sleep can affect heart function and weight. The doctor said we probably wouldn’t find anything but said he would do the study anyway. How encouraging is that???
21 July 2020 (Tue) – I went to the eye doctor today. I arrived at 9:30 a.m. When I checked in, I found my appointment was for 10:45 a.m. It looks like I made the appointment while we were in Alabama and my calendar recorded the appointment as central time, not eastern time. So the clerk sent me to sit out in my car till it was my turn or the doctor became available sooner. They called me at 9:50 to come in and brought me right to a test station where they blew air into my eye. Then she took me to an exam room where I sat for over a half hour. The doctor came in, put drops in my eyes, and said I am developing glaucoma. Come back in six months. Then he was gone. No discussion, no explanation, no anything. I complained about some eye discharge and irritation so he prescribed an ointment to put in my eye at bedtime but, again, no explanation or discussion of what the problem is. It was a very annoying visit. The doctor was very dismissive.
Paul put together a 3-minute video of upstate New York. I posted it on You Tube then contacted SMART with the link. They posted it on the website next to the description of our New York caravan.
I went in at 4 p.m. to keep an eye on Caiden while Miranda went to the store. Paul is still grousing about yesterday’s argument. I have to find a way to get him to lighten up. Ugh.
20 July 2020 (Mon) – I had a CT Scan with contrast today. I dropped off a urine sample for Sheba at the vet, then drove to Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I checked in at the front desk and asked if my doctor or his nurse was available to see me. The receptionist said she would contact Dr. Rodriguez and see what he said. I then went into the imaging area and had the CT scan. That’s such a weird test. They inject an iodine based solution and it gives a flushed, very warm feeling in the back of the throat and in the crotch. It feels like I wet myself. The test isn’t very long and I was out of the machine within 10 minutes.
I returned to the front desk to see about the doctor. The receptionist said Dr. Rodriguez would change my telehealth appointment for Thursday to an in-person appointment or I could see someone in triage today. I said I would meet with the doctor on Thursday.
I got home to find Paul working around the RV. He was installing a switch for the water pump in the bathroom. The switch on the main panel stopped working some time ago and Paul installed a switch down in the basement. That has turned out to be somewhat inconvenient so he moved the switch up into the bathroom. That should work better for when we have to use the onboard tank for fresh water.
While we were outside, Paul and Miranda got into a nasty fight. That was very upsetting for me. Then we left and went over Travis’ house to help him with some projects. He has finally gotten an offer for his house and the inspector will be over on Thursday. He wants to clear up a few little things before the inspector arrives. Paul and Travis worked on repairing a leak in the kitchen sink and on the thermostat for his burner. I played with the boys then we all enjoyed a meal that Sam prepared. It was a pleasant evening.
19 July 2020 (Sun) – We didn’t think Caiden would be able to sit for an hour in church with a mask on so we didn’t go. At 11:30 a.m. we drove to the Bayside Clam Bar for brunch. Afterward, we walked along the boardwalk and looked at all the boats in the marina. There was a dog at one end that the owner let go down on a little spit of sand. Caiden climbed down and followed the dog around. We took his shoes off so he could step in the water. The dog was an older black lab and very friendly. Her name was Sandy.
After our meal and walk, we returned to the house and I watched Caiden while Paul worked around the house and yard. Kenny got home at 7:30 p.m.
18 July 2020 (Sat) – We got Caiden at 10:30 a.m. and then drove to Sue & Bill’s house in the Hamptons for a day of swimming in the pool and barbecuing. Despite the fact that I put sunscreen on Caiden twice, he still burned. So did I. His mother will never let me take him to the beach again. Aaarrgghh!
After we got back, I stayed with Caiden until his father came home at 10:30 p.m.
17 July 2020 (Fri) – We both went to the dentist today. The chairs in the office were taped off to ensure adequate spacing between patients. It only left 4 chairs to use. The secretary took our temperature and went through a checklist (like the tech did yesterday). Then we had our teeth cleaned and xrays taken. I got an excellent rating; Paul has a cavity and has to come back to get it filled.
We went over Trap’s to visit. We picked up dinner at Chili’s and brought it to the house. Travis was working on painting the counter top in the upstairs bathroom. They are trying everything they can think of to sell their house. They’ve had lots of lookers but no buyers. The real estate market is so hot today, I can’t figure out why the house hasn’t gone. His in-laws put their house on the market and the first visitor bought the house for $5,000 more than they were asking. The only stipulation was that they had to be out in 30 days.
Miranda’s cat was showing some kind of neurological issue today. It was walking against the side of cabinets like its left side was weak and it couldn’t stand by itself. Miranda contacted us while at Trap’s and asked about bringing her cat, Liath, to the vet. We hurried home to help but the vet said it was not life threatening and to wait until Monday to bring her in. Miranda was concerned because she is leaving tonight for Pennsylvania and will not be back until late Sunday. I promised to keep an eye on the cat.
16 July 2020 (Thu) – We both went to the cardiologist today. I was doing a follow-up to my “incident” in March. Paul went because he has hypertension and should be seen by a cardiologist.
When we arrived, we were met at the door by a tech who asked us a bunch of questions about where we’ve been and who we’ve been near. He took our temperature and then let us pass. We walked in and was processed by a clerk. Then we were brought back to the exam room. The PA came in, went over our medical histories, took our blood pressure, and did EKGs on both of us.
Then the doctor came in. I liked him instantly. He is young – in his late 20s/early 30s. He was upbeat and very friendly, touching elbows as a form of hello. He thinks I had a TIA and felt the neurologist was wrong to think I had a TGA. He recommended I get an EEG, an ambulatory EEG, and have a loop recorder inserted in my chest. He feels it is possible that I have atrial fibrillation (AFib) and the recorder will measure my heartbeat and send messages to the office. I would wear it for 3 or 4 years! I said I had to check that one with my oncologist.
Then it was Paul’s turn. The doctor referred him for a nuclear stress test. He also recommended that Paul resume taking the baby aspirin every day (he stopped a year ago because of a medical report that said baby aspirin didn’t help to prevent strokes.
15 July 2020 (Wed) – We worked around the RV until 11:30 a.m. then we took Sheba to the vet. It was over an hour in which the vet’s office displayed confusion and chaos. First, I called to say we were outside for our appointment. About 20 minutes later, one of the vets came out to gather information then went inside. Ten minutes later he came out to get Sheba. Again, the office was not able to get through to my phone and the vet came out to tell me to call them. I called and spoke with Dr. Thode. She took blood and gave Sheba shots. Dr. Thode also said the blood results were back for Bonnie. She has round worm and a low liver value. She prescribed medicine for the worms and recommended an ultrasound for the liver. After waiting 10 minutes, I called the office to see what was happening. They were just finishing up and would send Sheba out. The vet brought Sheba out, went over the highlights of her exam, and said the office would call to get payment. After another 15 or 20 minutes, I called to make the payment. The clerk took my card number three times because the machine wasn’t working properly. Then the vet tech came out with the paperwork. Paul asked about the medicine for Bonnie. They forgot it so she went back in to get it. She brought it out but stated they had forgotten to charge us for the medicine so I had to call again to give the credit card number. They brought the receipt out along with the stuff to get a urine sample from Sheba. We left but I got a phone call about 10 minutes later saying they forgot to charge us for the bloodwork they did on Sheba so I had to call back again and give the card number again. What a debacle!
Late this afternoon, Caiden came knocking on the door. He came in and played for a while then I made dinner for the three of us. He ate a small part of his meal but seemed to enjoy it. I brought the left overs into the house for Miranda and Kenny, or to keep and reheat for Caiden tomorrow.
14 July 2020 (Tue) – I had an appointment with the neurologist this morning. This was the same doctor that found the tumor in my mother’s brain 36 years ago. He has gotten very personable over the years. I liked him very much. He said the incident I experienced in March was most likely Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). Just to be careful, he recommended three different tests but stated that he doesn’t expect to find anything. Apparently, a TGA can happen at any time and never happen again. Or, it can happen again once or multiple times. If it happens many times then you would have to get checked for seizure activity in the brain. Luckily, I have not had any problems since that one time.
I played with Caiden a little tonight. We didn’t get much time together but it was still fun. He loves battle sequences.
13 July 2020 (Mon) – We took Bonnie to the vet this morning. She needed a refill on her flea and tick medicine. She got a checkup and a couple of shots. It was so weird. When we arrived, we called the office and were instructed to stay in the truck. After about 20 minutes, a vet tech came out. He took down Bonnie’s information and reason for her visit then went back inside. He came back about 10 minutes later and took her inside. We sat in the car until the doctor called. We discussed our concerns and what the doctor found and recommended. Five minutes later, the clerk called to get our credit card number for the bill. A whopping $950!!! After about another 15 minutes, Bonnie was brought back out to us. Then we waited ANOTHER 15 minutes for the clerk to bring out medicine and the bill. What a pain in the butt. And we will have to do it again with Sheba.
Kenny was off of work today, so Caiden stayed in the house nursing his sunburn and playing with his parents. Paul worked around the yard and I did paperwork.
12 July 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. They just reopened after holding services digitally on You Tube and FaceBook for months. There were about 30 people in church. We had to wear our masks the entire time and still try to maintain 6’ distance from each other. They didn’t pass the collection plate. Instead, it sat in the back of the church and the minister asked everyone to drop their donation in the plate when they left.
After church, Paul and I drove to the Clamside Bar & Grill at the East Islip Marina. We both enjoyed a salad. The day was lovely – sunny, but not too hot, with a soft, balmy breeze blowing in off the water. The sun glittering on the bay was beautiful.
When we came home, I gathered up Caiden and he and I went to Heckscher State Park. I figured the beach would be closed but we could walk along the shore, throw stones in the water, build sand castles, and wiggle our toes in the water. Boy, was I surprised to find the beach open, complete with lifeguards. There were many people on the beach and in the water but they still were all keeping a decent distance between each other. The water was so warm; like a bathtub. There was lots of wave action and a delightful breeze kept the heat away. I did not have a bathing suit so I stood on the shore with my feet in the water, getting splashed well up the legs. Caiden went in and had a great time. Unfortunately, I forgot to put sunscreen on him and he got burned. His mother yelled at me.
When we left the beach, I stopped at Carvel and got Caiden some ice cream. The perfect end to a perfect day.
11 July 2020 (Sat) – Paul worked in the yard most of the day. I entertained Caiden a good part of the day. At 4:30 pm, we went over Travis’ house. We shared a salad and pizza then spent two hours playing with Noah and Hudson. The baby is on the verge of walking. He has very good balance.
10 July 2020 (Fri) – It was an overcast day with rain on and off. Tropical Storm Fay was pummeling the Jersey coast today but we didn’t get it too badly. Paul and I went shopping at PetCo for pet food and ShopRite for some groceries. Boy. Was the grocery store crowded! And we forgot to bring our own bags so the cashier charged us for 3 bags. Glad we didn’t buy a lot.
Caiden wanted to come into the trailer so badly today but the weather was lousy and I wasn’t going to put Bonnie out. Caiden came out and we stood outside in the drizzle talking for about an hour. Later, I went into the house and we played for about 2 hours.
9 July 2020 (Thu) – We packed up and left Newburgh at 10:45 am. It took almost 4 hours to drive down to Long Island. We were surprised with all the traffic on the road. We came through the boroughs and had traffic and construction that caused us to creep along through congested spots.
Caiden was so happy to see us! He ran out and gave me a hug, then ran back to the porch to watch us park the rig in the driveway. When Paul had the RV positioned well, I had Caiden help finish the set up by pushing buttons to open the slides. After we were set up, we visited for a bit and watched him swimming in his little pool. After dinner, I took Caiden to Carvel and picked up ice cream for him and Miranda (Kenny was working and Paul and I are on a diet). We brought it back home and they enjoyed the treat out on the back deck.
8 July 2020 (Wed) – Just hung around the campground most of the day. We did run out to fuel the truck and get ready for tomorrow’s move.
7 July 2020 (Tue) – We visited with the sales manager here at the campground. We had interviewed him last year and reconfirmed the amenities and costs. The nightly fee actually went down. He also promised to coordinate a bus tour into New York City for us. He offered to pick up our order for bagels and juice and even stated he could arrange a catered meal right here in the campground.
We came back and did laundry then just hung out for the day.
6 July 2020 (Mon) – We started out for West Point but would up sidetracked to the Historic Huguenot District. It was two blocks of old stone houses built in the late 1600s/early 1700s by early French settlers. The visitor’s center was closed and none of the buildings were open. We walked up and down the street, admiring the architecture from the street.
We then continued on to the West Point Military Academy. The visitor’s center was closed, as well as the tour operations office. There was no one to ask anything of. The day was a loss in that regard.
5 July 2020 (Sun) – We drove over to the Mohonk Mountain House today. Thought we’d check them out for the farewell dinner and then take a hike around the area. Unfortunately, they now have a gatehouse to control access to the place. They have us a brochure to look at and a telephone number to call but wouldn’t let us go in.
Then we drove by another restaurant but they were closed. No signs on the door. We couldn’t tell if they were just closed or if they had gone out of business. Cross them off the list.
We made a quick stop at the grocery store so Paul could pick up milk for his coffee then returned to the campground. We got to enjoy another campfire tonight. Two in a row. Wow.!
We drove into Newburgh and took a stroll on the Walkway Over the Hudson. It was an old railroad trestle over the Hudson River built back in the late 1800s. It was repurposed into a level concrete walkway that stretched for more than a mile and a third. We walked out to the middle, took a selfie, and walked back. The day was lovely. There were lots of people on the bridge – strolling, biking, walking the dog. Almost everyone obeyed the signs and wore a mask. Some people didn’t. It was very warm and my mask was wet from sweat by the time we finished our walk. It was a good time.
We drove to the FDR National Historic Site to look over the presidential library and home. The visitor’s center was closed.
4 July 2020 (Sat) – We were going to drive to the Mohonk Mountain House today but stayed in the campground instead. We had a small BBQ and sat before a delightful campfire. The campground is pretty full with lots of kids. Bonnie is barking at bicycles, skaters, and walkers. The staff came by yesterday passing out flyers about the pool. It was going to be open today from 10 to 4. They were having people sign up for a one-hour block of time. The pool is limited to 25 people but they were thinking they wouldn’t be able to do that and still have people maintain their distance. We didn’t sign up. It seemed better to leave the time slots to the kids. Normally, they would spend the whole day in the pool. This is like a tease. But I suppose it’s better than nothing.
3 July 2020 (Fri) – Things have been quiet. We have been running around trying to line up restaurants for the caravan next year. We are now at the KOA in Newburgh for a week.
30 Jun 2020 (Tue) – We pulled stakes at 9:25 am. It was a white knuckle exercise in getting out of our site. Paul had to ask the guy behind us to move then he backed up the RV to get out. Trees and other RVs and yard “stuff” in the area made it impossible to pull out from our pull-through site. Paul did it perfectly! He is so good in moving our big monster. It’s almost like it’s an extension of his physical being. Just imagine maneuvering 54’ of truck and trailer. I can’t do it!
We arrived at Shadowbrook RV Resort at a little past 11:30 am (it was a very short drive). This campground only has 18 campsites for transients. Again, we’ve been undone by the seasonal campers. After set up, we drove to four separate campgrounds and all gave the same answer – no room at the inn! The last campground we stopped at recommended the KOA up on Route 20. We’ll try them tomorrow.
We drove by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. They are on a limited opening. I left a business card and someone will call me back. I also sent emails to the tour director for the NY Capitol in Albany and the USS Slater. Communications continue with other venues as well.
29 Jun 2020 (Mon) – We drove to another campground this morning to check it out. It turned out to only have 4 available campsites for transients. The rest are filled with seasonals. Too bad. It was a really nice campground right on Saratoga Lake.
On the way back to the campground, we refueled for tomorrow’s trip and picked up chicken and water. Bonnie has diarrhea again. It just seems to be something that she’s going to go through on a regular basis no matter what we give her.
28 Jun 2020 (Sun) – We left Ticonderoga at 9:20 a.m. It rained a little in the three hours it took us to arrive at Adventure Bound RV Resorts & Campground. The campsite we got was very tight while Paul had to maneuver around a parked van, trees, and lawn decorations. This campground, although very large (over 300 campsites), would not suit our group and many campers are seasonal. The RV next to us hasn’t been moved in years.
As soon as we were set up, we headed out. First stop was at Chili’s for lunch. We both had a grilled chicken salad. Tummies full, we drove to four different campgrounds. Two wouldn’t fit the group, one had no one in the office, and the other took our phone number to give to the owner. It was not a very productive day. Hope things get better tomorrow.
On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Hannaford to pick up groceries. It was a nice supermarket. Why can’t we get any of these grocery stores on Long Island?
27 Jun 2020 (Sat) – It was a light day. We just hung out around the campground today. I made some calls and updated the files on what we’ve collected so far. The poor wifi service here is maddening! Even the cell service is poor. I’m glad we won’t be staying here as a group but I worry the other campground might be just as bad. After all, we are now in the mountains.
26 Jun 2020 (Fri) – We drove into Lake Placid today. It is a small town. The Olympics Museum was closed. We decided to have the group explore the museum then go out about the town on their own. There is a lot to see in this little tourist town.
We then drove to Whiteface Mountain. We wanted to drive up the Veterans Memorial Highway to the peak. Unfortunately, it was $25 per car to drive up. I thought that was too much money to go up there and find everything closed (not that there is that much up there to see other than the view). We turned around and left.
Right next to the entrance for Whiteface Mountain is Santa’s North Pole Workshop. We came up here twice with the kids when they were little. The workshop is still there with the post office that will send off a letter or postcard with the North Pole return address. The park was also closed.
We drove to Ausable Chasm, the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks. It was beautiful. We spoke with the sales manager and got information on a walking tour, float trip, and lunch at the center. It will be a nice touch for the group. Up the hill right next to the chasm center is the Underground RR Museum. It is in a beautiful old stone building. It was closed but a woman stepped out of the building to speak with us. The cost to explore the museum is free and the place is very small. Guess we’ll have the group break up into smaller groups to tour the museum.
We also checked out two other campgrounds. The KOA seems like the best option at this point. It would have been nice to stay at the North Pole Hundred Acre Woods Campground but they don’t take groups of more than six rigs. Oh, pooh!
After we got back to the campground, we did the laundry.
25 Jun 2020 (Thu) – Well, we learned today why a scouting trip is so important. We left 1000 Islands CG and headed out to Ticonderoga, 170 miles away. The GPS in the truck tried to route us though Canada. It would have added 100 miles to our trip! Instead, we followed the route on my phone. The trip went through Adirondack Park. We saw mountains but the elevation never got much over 2,000’. The roads were narrow and winding and the driving was slow but we got here safe and sound. The scenery is beautiful with occasional glimpses of the lakes and rivers beside the road.
It turns out that this campground does not have enough campsites for our group – they are mostly for seasonal campers. Paul went through a list and found an alternative campground. In fact, he changed two campgrounds for one and we now have another stop on our itinerary.
After set up, we drove to Brookwood RV Resort and interviewed the owner for a possible stay there. They are a very popular campground and she suggested we get our reservations in ASAP. The only thing we don’t like is that we wouldn’t all be together. Everyone would be spread around the campground.
We drove down the road to another campground owned by the U.S. Forest Service but it was closed. We then drove into the town of Ticonderoga. The Star Trek Museum and Fort Ticonderoga were both closed due to the pandemic. We walked into a luncheonette across the street from the Star Trek Museum to see about a lunch for the group. Our group could go to the museum at 10, go to lunch at 11 (it’s a little early but that’s what they want), then take a tour of the fort. The other option is to wait on lunch until 2 pm, which is kind of late. I don’t like either option.
As we were driving around, we spotted an old stone chapel in a graveyard. We parked and went in to explore it. It reminded me of the Viking church on display in DisneyWorld.
24 Jun 2020 (Wed) – We drove over to Alexandria Bay this morning. We stopped at U.S. Boat Tours which I had emailed to ask about a tour of the Singer and Boldt Castles. We checked at the window to find out what time the shuttles and tours ran. After getting the times, we decided to have the group go to the Boldt Castle at 10 a.m., come back to town, wander the shops, and have lunch. At 2 p.m., we’ll have everyone come back and take the tour to the Singer Castle.
Afterward, we drove around the area, checking out different places. We also drove over to Wellesly Island and looked at the state parks and golf courses there. We also stopped by the ice cream shoppe in front of the campground to find out about an ice cream social. They sell 3-gallon containers of ice cream for $45. The lady suggested butter pecan as an older person’s favorite flavor.
23 Jun 2020 (Tue) – We packed up and left Stow at 9:15 a.m. The drive was easy but took almost 4 hours. When we arrived, the office was closed (we had checked in online), and a note on the door told campers to proceed to their assigned site. After set up, we left a message for the campground manager asking for a meeting.
We drove to Clayton where Main Street was under construction and closed to traffic. We had seen a delightful hotel with a restaurant years ago that boasted the original Thousand Islands dressing had been invented there. Unfortunately, the restaurant went out of business. We spoke with a manager at Bella’s. The restaurant was pleasant but she said they did not want to have a large group in to dine during their peak season. She preferred to cater a meal of assorted wraps, salads and desert and suggested we eat at the Antique Boating Museum.
We drove past both the Thousand Islands Museum and the Antique Boating Museum. They were both closed. I sent emails asking about admission and meals. This is becoming very frustrating. Many of the businesses that I have sent emails to have not answered.
When we got back to the campground, we met with the campground camp host. Whe was very chatty and gave us lots of information about the area. I have to follow up with an email so she can share it with the owner.
22 Jun 2020 (Mon) – We drove to Seneca Falls today, noting the mileage to various areas along the way. Everything we wanted to see was closed. The National Women’s Hall of Fame, although the name was displayed on the front of the building on Main Street, is no longer there. A woman in the visitor center told us it was relocated to a mill across the bridge but the coronavirus had stopped the set-up and opening of the center in its new location. We drove over and saw that it will be 3 stories high and promises to be a good stop. There is also a National Women’s Rights Museum on Main Street and a couple of houses around Seneca Falls that people could tour if they wanted.
Waterloo, birthplace of Memorial Day, is next to Seneca Falls. There is an American Civil War Museum and memorial graveyard in town. I think it would be appropriate to include it in our itinerary but Paul thinks it is too much. If so, we will certainly have to suggest it as a stop on their own.
We stopped at Ventosa Vineyards to see about a group lunch after the Seneca Falls tour. There is a lovely deck area outside overlooking the lake. The woman we spoke with suggested we send an email to the catering manager.
We then stopped at Belhurst Castle. They have a very attractive stone room with an intimate setting for lunch that also looks out at the lake. The man we spoke with gave us a menu and suggested we coordinate with the catering manager. I sent emails out to both managers.
21 Jun 2020 (Sun) – We packed up and left Bath at 9:50 a.m. It was only 95 miles to Red’s Twilight on the Erie RV Resort in Macedon, near Rochester. We arrived about noon. The office was closed. Our registration packet was sitting on a table. As we were preparing to drive to our campsite, the owner pulled up and led us to our place. She was very friendly and gladly agreed to meet with us later.
After set up, we cased the campground while walking the dog (it was too hot to let Sheba out – 90 degrees!) then went to the office and sat down with Barb. She said they would give us 10 percent off for military discount. We were all sitting around the table with our masks on and it got very hot. I was sweating like crazy. I sure was glad when the meeting was over.
We drove into Rochester to the George Eastman Museum. It was closed. We then drove to The Strong Museum of Play. That was also closed. It is a very large museum and looks like it will be fun. We then drove to a restaurant recommended by Barb. It was too far from The Strong to have people walk to it so we will have lunch in the museum then explore the museum. There is a restaurant inside.
On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Wegmans Supermarket. What a huge store! It had to be the largest supermarket we’ve ever been in. And it was neat and clean and attractive. Everyone in the store was wearing a mask and the staff was actively wiping things down and making sure everything was sanitized.
20 Jun 2020 (Sat) – We drove to the Finger Lakes Boating Museum to meet the Administration Assistant and see the wine cellar where they host catered meals. It is a lovely room and we are sure the group would like it. We would probably have the tour of the museum first (there are 3 floors in the museum) then go to the bottom floor for a lunch.
After meeting with Nancy Wightman, we drove back to the KOA to meet with the Office Manager. We sat outside at a picnic table, all in our masks, and discussed what they could offer the caravan next year. Elaine is pregnant and will be out on maternity leave for a while. This could cause a problem with coordination but we will see how it shakes out.
While driving out and about, we stopped at a nearby fish hatchery. It was closed but they had an observation pool with three kinds of trout in it – brown trout, brook trout, and rainbow trout. What is weird is that the brook trout is the only native species to the area, yet the hatchery doesn’t raise them – only the other two species.
We drove around to check out some other places. There is a VA Center and National Cemetery a couple of miles down the road. We rode around the cemetery looking at the gravestones. We also gathered information about other services in the area – RV dealers, hospital, clinic, vets, foodstore, etc.
We had a campfire tonight. There is nothing more intoxicating that the smell of a campfire.
19 Jun 2020 (Fri) – We packed up and left Chautauqua at 9:30. The weather was good and the drive was pleasant. We arrived at the Bath-Hammondsport KOA around noon. They had sent an email asking us to pre-register/check-in. I did that. When we arrived, Paul stayed in the truck while I went in. The clerk confirmed our information and gave us our map and paperwork. This is a lovely campground. We have been here before and am sure the caravan will enjoy the place.
We drove around town, trying to find a restaurant to have a welcome dinner in. The three restaurants we chose were all too small and two of them were still closed. The thirde, the Stone Timber Inn, does catering. We took the chef’s card and left. On the way back to the campground, we stopped at an American Legion post and took a look at their hall. We asked about renting the hall and the bartender gave us the rental agent’s phone number along with the commander’s number.
The campground is working hard to ensure people are having a good time, despite the spacing restriction from the coronavirus. They delivered a packet to make s’mores with. Folks were invited to make s’mores and post pictures on the facebook page. They also gave us free firewood. It made a delightful fire. They also had a cornhole contest where people who had the game in their rig wee encouraged to play and report their results.
18 Jun 2020 (Thu) – We went to the office at 9:30 a.m. to speak with the campground owner. The doors were locked. Some guy came out in to the hall, looked at us at the door then went back into his office. How rude! I then called the office and the owner answered. We sat at the table outside on the deck and interviewed the guy about the facilities and what he would do for the group. Satisfied, we told him we would send a check and wanted to leave him a book. He said he was in his office. When we told him the door was locked, he laughed and said he forgot to open it then stepped out and took the book.
We drove 20 minutes to the Grape Discovery Center to see what it looked like. It was closed. We parked and walked around, peeking in the windows. It looks like it would be a nice experience for our group next year, so we will include it in the itinerary.
We found a laundromat in a house (ah, country life). We put the clothes in the washer then drove to a Mazza’s Winery and had a flight of wines. Then we returned to the laundromat house and put the clothes in the dryer. We walked around the town of Mayville while our clothes tumbled.
After we collected the clothes, we drove to Jamestown to check out the Lucy-Desi Museum and the National Comedy Center. Unfortunately, they, too, were both closed because of the pandemic. This situation is going to make it hard to develop a budget for the caravan.
Paul located a WalMart and we did some food shopping. We are starting a diet and needed to pick up all the right kinds of foods. I just planned 4 days and the frig is chocked full. I will not be able to shop a week at a time, that’s for sure.
The check-in time for this campground is 6 p.m. (check-out is 5 p.m.). We’ve never seen such a late time for check-in. We asked if the owner would put that aside for us when our group comes next year.
17 Jun 2020 (Wed) – We left Marblehead, Ohio, at 8:20 a.m. It was a long drive today so we left early. The drive was over 4 hours and took us along the lakeshore of Lake Erie, through Pennsylvania and into New York. The campground looks like it was a KOA at one time. Our campsite is a pull through with a concrete surface. The campground is on Chautauqua Lake. The pool, the store, and all group centered places are closed due to the pandemic. You have to wear a mask in the office.
After set up, we drove into Mayville to meet with the operations manager of the Chautauqua Belle paddlewheeler. He was a young man who seemed to be coordinating a group tour for the first time. We went over is suggested schedule and agreed on an itinerary. He will draw up a contract and send it to us.
Then we drove down the road to the Chautauqua Institution. It is one of the stops on the itinerary Mike put together and we wanted to look at it. It’s not very clear why we should take a tour of the place. It seems like a private community with very lovely homes on the lake. The roads are very narrow and seem to wind aimlessly around the neighborhood. There is a beautiful old hotel where he suggested we have lunch. We wanted to get some information about the place but the visitor’s center was closed. I’ll have to send an email.
We drove to Jamestown and picked up food at Pet Smart. Then Paul drove up the other side of the lake to the center where the interstate crossed the lake. We got back to the campground at 5 p.m.
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Family Travel Itinerary: A Long Weekend in San Francisco
Last June 2019, our family spent my birthday weekend in San Francisco. In this post I share our long weekend itinerary exploring the City By The Bay.
Family Itinerary: A Long Weekend In San Francisco | This Family Life We Live
Day 1
We arrived on a Friday at about 11:00 am. Went to pick-up our rental car (Got a free upgrade to a Nissan Armada. Wohoo!) and was finally able to get out of the airport by 1:00 pm.
Jollibee
Since hotel check-in was not until 2:00 pm, we decided to have lunch first. First meal in SanFo, Jollibee. #Priorities Born and raised in the Philippines, it brings back good childhood memories.
There are a lot of good restaurants close to the airport though. In my original itinerary we were supposed to have lunch at New England Lobster Market and Eatery.
After lunch, we headed to our hotel to check in. We chose a hotel closer to the airport because they are way cheaper compared to hotels in San Francisco City proper. However, I won’t mention which hotel we stayed at as they didn’t fulfill my expectations. Yes, I matched my expectations to my price point affordability. Yet this hotel still did not manage to get to that level.
Once we we’re checked in and freshened up, we headed back out, this time driving towards San Francisco City proper.
Painted Ladies
First touristy stop, the Painted Ladies. A row of painted Victorian houses, also known as Postcard Row, popularized by the sitcom Full House. The painted ladies are right across Alamo Park where there is a nice playground. So after a couple of pictures, the kids had about an hour playing in the playground. Then a couple more pictures before we headed to Lombard Street.
Lombard Street
This is the most crooked road in North America. Marc parked the car on top of the street and we walked up and down Lombard street for photo ops.
It was the NBA finals at the time we visited, next game is being held in the Chase Centre. There was a red mustang convertible driving down Lombard Street bearing the Raptors flag as we we’re walking back up. I couldn’t help but yell, “Go Raptors!” #CanadianPride The occupants of the car yelled “Go Raptors!” back at least.
Marc wanted to experience driving down Lombard Street, so we piled ourselves back into the car. He drove from the top of the street all the way down. Then it was time to visit the Palace of Fine Arts.
Coit Tower
Another SanFo touristy landmark is the Coit Tower. Anybody watch the movie San Andreas Fault? Yes, that’s The Rock.
We chose to skip this place because I read a recent TripAdvisor review written by a mom, that says she doesn’t feel it was safe for young kids. Marc and I have actually been in the tower before, and yes, I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking Kaeden and Kenzie up there based on previous experience.
I did however take photos of the kids on Lombard Street with the Coit Tower in the background.
Palace of Fine Arts
By the time we got to the Palace of Fine Arts, the kids were already tired from our adventure. Kaeden had a power nap in the car while Kenzie had an extended 30 minute nap on the stroller.
We took a lot of photos while walking around the Palace of Fine Arts. I think this was my favorite part of the trip because we were just having quality time with family while taking in the sights.
Alioto’s Restaurant
For dinner that night, we had reservations at Alioto’s Restaurant, in Fisherman’s Wharf. I made the reservations online about a week before our visit.
Dinner was superb! Nothing can beat eating fresh seafood with a view of the bay in front of you.
Although, in all honestly, Marc and I still had a nightcap of Jollibee Chicken Joy. LOL
Day 2
Another reason we chose the hotel we stayed at was because breakfast was included. Nothing fancy, just your typical continental breakfast buffet spread. It prepared us for the day’s adventure.
Golden Gate Bridge
First stop of the day was Golden Gate Bridge. We left the car in the lower level parking lot and walked all the way up to the bridge. Obviously, also took a lot of pictures along the way.
You can cross to the other side of the bridge through the walkway underneath. The kids had a good time looking at the underside of the bridge. There was also an exhibit explaining the history of the bridge and the engineering design utilized for it.
No tourist tour is complete without visiting at least one gift shop. LOL We browsed but didn’t buy anything. My mom and Dad ended up buying some souvenirs. Did I mention that my mom, dad and brother were with us on this trip?
Barrel House Tavern
After spending almost half the day at the Golden Gate Bridge, we drove to Saulsalito for lunch.
On my original itinerary we were supposed to eat at Scoma’s. I mistakenly did not make reservations, and we didn’t want to wait 45 minutes for a table. So we walked up to Barrel House Tavern and had lunch there instead.
Food and drinks were excellent. Calamari and mussels hit the spot. And the kids had fun sitting on a bar-height table.
Sausalito
After lunch, we walked around this beautiful sea-side town. Marc and I had been here back in 2012. We both remember it being smaller and quaint. Fast forward several years later, it has grown a lot, possibly due to the fact that it accommodates tourists from all over the world.
Lappert’s Ice Cream
A visit to Sausalito would not be complete without trying Lappert’s Ice Cream. We treated ourselves to scoops of ice cream in waffle cones.
I love that they have different flavors inspired by places around the world. The kids definitely enjoyed their scoop of ice cream while looking out to the ocean.
After enjoying our ice cream and a long walk, we piled ourselves back into our Nissan Armada and headed back to San Francisco. The kids enjoyed nap time while in the car.
Ghirardelli Town Square
Since dinner was still a couple of hours away, we spent some time in Ghirardelli Town Square.
There are a lot of things to do here. Several stores have interactive play for kids outside. And did I mention that the Ghirardelli chocolate shop gives generous samples?!
I think the kids went back a couple of times for chocolate. LOL. Marc and I may have also gone back for seconds, we won’t confirm.
After buying some Ghirardelli chocolate packs to take home, it was time to start walking towards Fisherman’s Wharf for dinner.
Parking Tip
Since our rental SUV was quite tall, it was too high for the underground parking at Ghirardelli Town Square. So we opted to park near the park to the left of the square. There are a few spots there. However, parking is only for 2 hours. So just before we headed to dinner, Marc moved the car several spots down. There were more spots open then because our dinner reservation was booked for 7:00 pm.
Cioppino’s
For my actual birthday dinner, I made a reservation at Cioppino’s, an Italian Seafood restaurant. Because seafood and pasta, how can you go wrong?
The service was great but the food was okay. It wasn’t mind-blowingly good. Also the restaurant is slightly dated in appearance.
But the servings are massive. All of us had to take about half of our meals back to the hotel. LOL. But in all honesty the service was excellent. I wish I can remember the name of our server.
Family Itinerary: A Long Weekend In San Francisco | This Family Life We Live
Day 3
We woke up bright and early on Sunday for our day 3 adventure. We were first in line at the breakfast buffet.
Chase Centre
Marc wanted to watch an NBA finals game but ticket prices were ridiculous. So he just opted to drive up to Chase Centre for a photo op.
Security was tight though because of the NBA finals so he didn’t even have a nice photo. But at least he saw the arena. While the kids and I had some time to catch some sleep before we started the day’s adventure.
Cable Car
After we parked the car again in the same area near Ghirardelli Square, we walked over to the Cable Car station. Tickets for a 1-way trip cost $7 per adult.
We rode the cable car down to the downtown area. Kaeden and Kenzie at first were terrified, thinking they would fall off. But then they got the hang of it and enjoyed.
Downtown San Francisco
Once in the downtown area, we stopped by Starbucks for drinks. We walked around a tiny bit. There was a huge event happening, so there were too many people, and we are just not into that.
We took a few pictures and decided to head back to Fisherman’s Wharf. We lined up to take the cable car back. The line up was so long!
Senor Sisig
Luckily we spotted the Senor Sisig food truck near the line up. This is one of the most popular food trucks in San Francisco. Bonus that it’s Filipino cuisine based.
We purchased a couple of orders of sisig and happily ate lunch while lined up. The kids had Burger King chicken nuggets and fries. Everyone was full by the time we boarded the cable car.
Fisherman’s Wharf
We got off the cable car at a different spot where we initially boarded. So we left the kids with my mom & dad in Starbucks, while we walked to the car.
This time we parked the car underground in the building where Ross is. It was a $10 parking fee, but it was a hot day and the fee was for the entire day.
After we met up with my parents and the kids at Starbucks, we headed down to the pier. At the pier we purchased tickets for the Bay Cruise, this is what we plan to do in the afternoon.
Originally we wanted to go on the catamaran cruise, but with the kids, we thought the boat cruise would be less stressful for us adults. LOL.
Since our cruise time was not until 3:30 pm, we decided to walk around the Fisherman’s Wharf area, take some photos, and try the famous fish and chips from The Cod Mother’s Fish and Chips. It’s our linner! The meal between lunch and dinner when you’re on holidays. LOL.
Bay Cruise
At 3:30 pm we lined up for our Bay Cruise. It took us around the bay area, near Alcatraz, under the Golden Gate Bridge and then back to the pier. We took A LOT of photos. Like really a lot!
It was fun to just sit back, relax, and have the boat tour us around. A nice break from all the walking we’ve done so far. The kids certainly enjoyed it!
Note that we specifically did not go to Alcatraz because Kaeden and Kenzie will not appreciate it. They’d probably just be scared if we go in there. The Bay Cruise went close enough that they can see it and we can touch on the subject but not delve too deep into it.
Shopping
After getting off the boat, we headed back to the car and drove to Red Ribbon. This is a famous bakery for Filipino people. We bought a lot of pastries to take back home. There is no Red Ribbon in Canada yet.
Next stop, Target and Trader Joes. We stocked up on Trader Joe spices – Everything But The Bagel, Chilli Lime, 21 Seasoning Salute, and the coffee rub.
All of us got stopped at airport security, our baggage checked, because it was just full of spice blends. LOL
The kids were allowed to buy a $10 item in Target as a souvenir, obviously they each chose a toy.
Isla Restaurant
For dinner on our last day, we decided to try a popular local Filipino restaurant. We chose Isla Restaurant through a recommendation by my Mom’s friend.
Dinner was excellent! Definitely satisfied my Filipino taste buds. And they gave us a free dish because it was still my birthday week. Gotta love that!
Day 4
Our flight back home was at 12 pm. As usual we had breakfast at the hotel. Did a rejig of our luggage – each of us only brought one carry-on suitcase and a back pack, including the kids. So we had to distribute the pastries and spices accordingly.
Dropped off the rental car and was surprised that there was no line up at security.
We were relaxing inside the airport about an hour and a half before boarding time. So we had time to eat a mini-lunch and let the kids burn off some energy before flying back home.
I hope you enjoyed and picked up a thing or two from our long weekend family itinerary in San Francisco. If you want to see photos of our trip, head on over to our Instagram (@this.family.life.we.live). If you like what you see there, please follow us. We always appreciate new tribe members!
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Starry Eyed // An Archie Andrews imagine
Imagine you and Archie both have disastrous dates, so you decide to enjoy each others company
Content Warning: Implied sexual harassment
“Get off of me Reggie!” You demanded for the third time before finally pushing him off of you and jumping out of the car. You turned around and watched as he smacked the steering wheel, started the car and left.
You had been parked outside Pop’s; The two of you had been supposed to be getting dinner, it was your first date with him. You were wearing a short dress, it was mid novemeber, you were regretting that choice. When you decided to enter the restuarant, you saw your best friend and Reggie’s friend Archie watching you from the other end of the parking lot, hands in the pockets of his varsity jacket.
“Hey Arch,” you called as you walked over.
“Hey (Y/N). What are you doing here?” He asked, despite the fact that you knew he saw the whole ordeal.
“Reggie and I were supposed to have dinner.”
“And he decided a it would be a better time if-”
“Please don’t make me talk about that. I’m pissed and feel violated.”
He smiled sadly. “C'mon, let’s get you inside.”
“So what are you doing here Archie?” The red head sighed and shook his head. He didn’t answer until he had sat down and the ordered hot chocolate for the two of you.
“I was supposed to be coming here with Veronica.”
“Supposed to?”
“She stood me up. Ghosted me basically. We had dinner last Saturday, we had a great time, she texted me last night saying to meet her here at 9, then hasn’t texted me all day.”
“That sucks. What number is this, what five dates?” He nodded. The waitress sat two mugs on the table then left. You wasted no time wrapping your fingers around the cup, enjoying it’s warmth.
“You’ve got to be freezing.” Archie stood up to take his jacket off, before you could object he was draping it over your shoulders. You thanked him as he sat back down. “What exactly made you think a date with Reggie was a good idea?” He inquired.
You shrugged. “He asked, I had nothing better to do.” Archie smiled again, but this time it was hidden by the mug.
“You coming to the game tomorrow night?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Even if it is a two hour drive. You have to promise to win.”
“I promise to win this game.” You rolled your eyes and chuckled. Archie reached for the menu at the end of the booth and flipped it open to the desert section. “Hey, if you want anything just let me know, I’ll get you anything. I don’t want you going home hungry.”
“I’m fine Archie-”
“Do you want to share a banana split?”
“Ice cream? When snow is expected in two hours?”
“Sure, why not.”
“Fine, I’m down.”
“I knew I could count on you.” He flagged the waitress down to order.
An hour and a banana split with the side of two more hot chocolates, Archie put a 20 down on the table and walked out of the building behind you. “Hop in,” he called from the truck.
“I was going to just call my dad.”
“Nah, come on. Like you said earlier, its like 25 degrees out here, the snow is going to start any minute.” You didn’t fight it, the truck was warm and smelled like Archie. The radio station was playing Christmas music, turned down so low you could barely hear it. You curled up against the door and closed your eyes. You were woken up about what felt like seconds later by Archie’s hand nudging your thigh.
“Look.” He said and turned the head lights up. It was snowing, already starting to stick. “Oh god you still have to drive home in this once you kick me out.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“Archie oh my god it’s beautiful. How far from my house are we?”
“Ten, maybe fifteen minutes.”
“D'ya think the bridge is going to be icy?”
“Chances are it will be.”
The rest of the ride was silent besides the radio. When you got home you asked Archie to come in at least until the snow the slowed. You called out to your mom and dad, letting them know you were home and before you were completely in the door they were standing in the living room.
Snowflakes were stuck in your hair and eye lashes. Archie ran a hand through his hair.
“HI Mr and Mrs (Y/L/N).” Your parents greeted Archie warmly.
“(Y/N), honey, I thought you were going out with Reggie.” Your mom pointed out in the kitchen.
“I did for like 20 minutes, it didn’t go well.” She patted your back with an apologetic look on her face.
She brought mugs of mint tea out. You sat on the couch with Archie while your parents occupied to couch opposite. Your mom asked how come Archie brought you home and you explained that the two of you had dinner at Pop’s and he refused to leave you. Your dad thanked him for not leaving his little girl in the cold.
20 minutes later and the snow wasn’t showing signs of stopping.
“Arch, I really don’t want you driving in that.” You admitted when your mother and father went to the kitchen.
“I don’t think I want to either.”
“I’m sure my parents would let you stay the night, until a plow comes through. Right mom?”
Of course she agreed with you. It was decided that you and Archie would each take a couch. Your mom and dad went looking for extra sheets and blankets while you struggled to pull the hideaway bed out. Archie laughed before grabbing the bar and pulling it out in one swift motion. You told him to follow you up to your room, you handed him all of the pillows off your bed, grabbed both the comforter and quilt and made your way, cautiously, down the stairs.
“Do you need something to sleep in?” You asked turning to face Archie. He shrugged. “If you need you can change in my bathroom, I’m going to change in my bed room.” You finished before Archie did so you went down stairs to wait for him, when he finally came out he was just in his boxers and a white undershirt.
“This brings back memories, do you remember your tenth birthday? Betty slept over and in the middle of the night you called my dad and begged him to bring me over because you were having a crisis.”
“We couldn’t figure out why girls liked foot ball players so much.”
“Didjya ever figure the answer out?” You turned to face him. He was watching you closely.
“I think so.” He stepped forward, placed a hand on your cheek. Your heartbeat sped up, he was so close, his body radiating warmth. His brown eyes trailed over your face stopping at your lips.
“Can I?..” You nodded quickly, his lips brushed against yours softly before he stepped back, a light blush on his face. “Good night (Y/N).”
“Good night Archie. Thank you for tonight.” He smiled to himself as he crawled onto the pull out couch.
“Honestly, it was better than the plans I had with Veronica by a long shot.”
#archie andrews#archie andrews imagine#archie andrews x reader#riverdale#riverdale imagines#riverdale one shot#beachbabywrites
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“To lead a better life...”
We went to Bob Windt's rooming house on July 4th. It was on the parade route on Park Avenue in Bridgeport.
What was a rooming house? My parents tried to explain. They don't have these anymore, at least I don't think so, where you rent a room in a house by the week, with the bathroom down the hall. There were always some strange people on the porch, as opposed to the ones we saw all the time. They were the residents. Bob was the tax collector for the city of Stratford, he was the only Republican we knew. His two rooming houses were his supplemental income. Everybody's got a dream, everybody wants something more. And I don't remember much about the parade, other than the Shriner cars, of course, and Mister Softee. We didn't have Mr. Softee in Fairfield, only Good Humour, remember Toasted Almond? But the Mister Softee truck was soft-serve, not that we used that term, I had to move to California to learn it, and you'd get a double cone, one filled with vanilla and one with chocolate. Of course you could get a cone with the same flavor in both holes, but then why get a double? And at this late date I believe we can all agree that vanilla has gotten a bad rap. Yes, the supermarket stuff, the drugstore vanilla, is awful, like licking wallpaper, but ever since Haagen-Dazs invaded America, ever since we've had super-premium ice cream, I've come to realize that when done right, vanilla is exceptional, although I still don't cotton to strawberry, it was my father's favorite, I'll eat it, but it's never my first choice. And one more thing, I remember buying an American flag, with forty nine stars in it, before the following year when Hawaii became a state. Or was it Alaska? Was it the next year? I'm not positive, but that flag is one of my few memories of the fifties.
But the sixties are seared into my brain. That was the decade of possibilities, when we strived to be all we could be. That's right, the Army stole our slogan, just like right-wingers ultimately had long hair, every cultural advance is ultimately adopted by the masses, even Republicans rap. But back then, being against the war, listening to FM radio, that was being on the bleeding edge. We didn't hate America, we just hated some of its policies. But we listened to the tribal drum, the transistor, the Beatles, and we realized, maybe there was another way. We were mortified when we heard the Fab Four smoked dope. But then we did too. And when the San Francisco sound arrived it was us versus them, only every young person was then us, unlike today. But that was the power of the war. You didn't want to get your ass shot off involuntarily, for a cause you could not understand. As for the Domino Theory, it's proven to be about as truthful as the Trickle-Down Theory, the experts always tell us they know best, and I'm not denigrating expertise, I'm just saying they're not always right.
And I remember the Bicentennial. I'm shocked, positively shocked I tell you, that our country is 242 years old. Do we get a celebration at 250? The Bicentennial was kind of a dud. There were the Tall Ships in Long Island Sound, but other than that, we just got fireworks. After Watergate, after the resignation of Nixon, it seemed unseemly to have an over the top celebration, so we didn't, and time marched on. I went to law school. I tried to go straight, it didn't take, and then I no longer recognized the country I was living in.
The eighties were supposed to be the time of prosperity. The nineties even more so. But I'm out of synch with the times. I always do best when everybody else does poorly, and vice versa, and now time is running out of the hourglass. I saw all the kids watching today's parade and I realized it was new to them, they were still optimistic, they didn't know what the future might hold, whereas the sand is running out of my hourglass, and it's so weird. The only bands in the parade were rock, other than the bagpipes, baby boomers playing instruments. I'm not sure young kids do that anymore. Remember when the dream was to be in a band? If you're a boomer, you recall. Now the dream is to become famous. Not that we weren't interested in that either, it's just that you could not be famous for doing nothing, no way, you had to achieve something. Boomers were all about achievement. Before it became about money.
But that's what the millennials do best, make money. They know life is hard, and if you don't fight your way to the top you're going to be left behind. Which is why people all over the world are pissed, they've been left behind. My grandparents came to America with no portfolio. They scraped so my parents could go to school and have a better life. And my dad worked hard so I could be who I wanted to be. Almost no one gets to be who they want to be anymore. Go to a college campus, these are the most practical people on the planet, they don't want to end up with the short end of the stick. But the truth is there's only so much stick to go around, and too many people are being left without. And you can't go backward, as much as I'd like to live in the sixties, globalization is here to stay, but the world is in future shock, the rockers have never recovered from Napster, never mind Spotify, and those who can't make ends meet want to make America Great Again, not knowing that it's only bad for them, and back then wasn't so wonderful, and their best bet is to jet into the future. Kinda like VW and MBZ and BMW. That's right, the EPA may be rolling back emissions regulations, but the Europeans can see the writing on the wall, it's a global business, and the rest of the world is sick of pollution, sick of global warming, but don't tell the left behind Americans this is so. They want the right to drive their SUVs and fill them up with cheap gas when the truth is the jobs are in solar, not coal, and sure, electric cars run on electricity, but the truth is an electric engine is much more efficient, not that facts mean anything in today's world.
So after the parade we went for brunch at the Sebastian. They were roasting a whole pig, I'm a meat eater and proud of it, although cow farts are a problem, but if we all give up meat I'm willing to do so. But you vegetarians and vegans without protein, the joke is on you. It's your health that's in jeopardy. And I'm not saying you can't get enough protein without meat, it's just that it's hard, and most people don't, and my point here is I'm into the greater good, I'm willing to sacrifice, that was the ethos of the sixties, that we're all in it together, but now everyone feels entitled and the joke is on us.
So after a cornhole tournament, which Felice ultimately won, three games to two, we retired to the condo to finish "The Americans." America's greatest strengths, its greatest exports, are entertainment and tech. People are hooked on story, hooked on truth, they want to be taken down a path, the more realistic the better. And I've now streamed six seasons of the show, invested more time than I have on any album this year, because...I like the feeling of a darkened room, suspending disbelief, being carried away, that's why I used to go to the movies, back before all there were were genre flicks. And I'm not giving anything away by saying that the Soviet Union signed weapons treaties, that there were Glasnost and Perestroika, that the Wall fell, and now Mother Russia is run by a dictator. What makes a person want to rule, gain all that power? But the truth is democracy lasted in Russia for a very brief period of time. But when it came...
Everything the spies believed in became untrue, their cause was eviscerated, and thinking about this...this is how life goes, you think you know everything and then you find out you don't, or that someone moved your cheese, the goal is to roll with the changes, as REO so hookily told us to do decades ago.
So...
I don't know if we're at the end, if we had a good run, if it's only downhill from here. We used to be leaders, we used to be compassionate, we used to care, sometimes with an underbelly of an agenda, but if you wanted to know where the world was going, if you wanted hope, if you wanted optimism, you looked to the United States, no longer. Now let me tell you how weird this is. We grew up not only believing we could be all we could be, but that we would be better off than our parents. Meanwhile, almost no one I know has achieved this, their parents did better, in many cases they're living off the financial legacy of their parents. And we believed America was about acceptance, about pushing the envelope, we stopped watching moonshots, we'd seen the trick. Now there are seemingly no tricks left. There just isn't enough money. Taxes are bad, the government is wasteful, so we end up with crashing infrastructure and opportunity for the rich only, meanwhile, there's a religious contingent telling us how to live. God was Dead in the sixties and the irony is he's dead again today, millennials believe less, but a minority is influencing the majority, hell, more people voted for Hillary than Trump, but the Donald believes he's got a mandate, as he lies so much no one can keep track. And I don't care if you're a believer, then again, is it really any different than being a Belieber, or a Durannie, or the fan of any teen phenom? But the truth is America has changed. And to those of us who've been around, it's unrecognizable.
And I feel powerless. Hell, they're gonna confirm a Supreme Court Justice in her forties, someone who can rule for forty years, much longer than I'll be alive. But my sixties ethos survives. I believe we can be better. By coming together. By sacrificing for the greater good. Hell, Jimmy Carter had it right when he said to put on a sweater. He may be out of office, but who can afford to run their A/C full blast anymore? Heat their house to 68, never mind 70?
So I don't know where we're going. But I do know the cynical, those wanting us to jet back to the past, those narcissistic, thinking only about themselves, are not going to lead us to a better future. We know what the truth is, which is why inexperienced 28 year old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beat 56 year old Joseph Crowley, along with doing the work. No one in America wants to do the work anymore, other than, ironically, the immigrants. The Mexicans are some of the hardest working people in America, legal and illegal. They want more, they don't complain, they just put their heads down and do their job. But somehow they're the problem. Once people start pointing fingers, beware, because eventually they're going to point the finger at you. No one is inviolate, no one is immune, no one is protected, and the sooner you realize this, the better society gets.
But society is bad now.
The boomers who believed education was primary are pissed they're only professionals, who make a tiny fraction of the income of financiers and techies. So it's not only the underclass, the opioid-addicted, who feel left behind, it's so many Americans, but we refuse to do the hard work to right the ship. So what I do is turn on the television, to be taken away, to learn about life, to experience truth. And what "The Americans" taught me is true believers ultimately lose, the joke is upon them, the key is to be like the denigrated Muhammad Ali, to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Yes, he was a public enemy before he ultimately became a hero, proving, once again, that life is long and change happens, and you're best to do what's in your heart or you'll be left out in this game of musical chairs.
Somebody moved America's cheese. The raw statement that we're the Greatest Country In The World didn't help us when the world caught up. So now we're blaming not only the Mexicans, but the Chinese and even the Canadians, everybody but us.
But the problem is us.
And the sooner we realize this the faster we can turn this ship, that we're on, around. Don't tell me I can't go from steerage to the upper deck. Don't lie to me and tell me about upward mobility when the American Dream is more achievable in Europe. As a matter of fact, I've stopped listening to you. Your job isn't to hate online, your job is to face facts, to jump into the future, to adjust.
And we've got a lot of adjusting to do. All of us need to be thinking how good America can be, as opposed to complaining we're not getting enough. The future train is coming down the track. And it'll have a dash of socialism, a safety net for all, and educational opportunities, and if you're denigrating those on welfare, you've missed the point, they're not the problem, you are. Ain't that America, where we never focus on the facts, just the penumbra, let the culture wars decide our future, as if gay marriage would end civilization.
But now I'm getting into the nitty-gritty, and I'm just about worn out with that. Like I said, my optimism is shot. Then again, when I experience great art, when "The Americans" edifies me and entertains me...
I've got hope.
-Bob Lefsetz
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Another Blonde - Is This The End?
After dropping her mom off, I went back to her place. I used the restroom and again, the bathroom was a mess. There were still floaters in the toilet from when her son used the bathroom. I went to wash my hands but found soap and paper towels this time. I actually look a look in the tub and figured to myself there is no way I could take a shower in there. There is no way I’d let my daughter take a bath in there. RED FLAG.
I was still into this girl though. You may find that hard to believe but I really was. Cleaning is something I can do. Yes, I’d like a woman who would take the initiative to do it. I had this issue with my daughter’s mom. It wasn’t a deal breaker, but I bitched about it.
Her son is still a handful. I still get it. We go to the park and he has a power wheel that he got for Christmas. He’s not listening to anything she has to say. I try to play with him at the park. We go to the swing and as I’m pushing him, he hears the ice cream truck. He immediately starts screaming “ICE CREAM! I WANT ICE CREAM!” I tell him that he can’t have any right now and he throws a fit. Starts crying. I stop the swing and let him cry. I tell him that we can go to his mother. He doesn’t want to go. I have to literally pry his hands away from the swing and carry him to his mother. He continues to fight me and throw a fit. At some point I give up and let him go. He drops to the ground and I walk away.
Eventually he calms down. His mother and I continue to talk about our situation. She continues to tell me that I’m the one she wants. I continue to tell her what I need and want. I ask her what she needs and wants. She wants love and to be able to trust the person she’s with. I ask her if I’ve ever given her a reason to doubt me. I tell her that my phone doesn’t have a lock. She able to go through it anytime she wants. She can ask me for any password. I literally have nothing to hide. People who do won’t offer those type of things. I then said that if you take those things from me, then you need to be ready to offer me the same.
We got back to the house, and she fed her son. I wasn’t hungry. Neither was she I guess. He eventually calmed down and got into his tablet while we snuggled on the couch not saying much and not paying much attention to the cartoon that he had on.
She eventually put him to bed and we had a short talk about everything we had talked about earlier. I felt that we had a good understanding of what we both wanted and could move forward from there. Even though we ended the night with some great PROTECTED sex, I was wrong.
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Decoration Day
I have a problem.
I have to spend the weekend with Grandma. Not just any weekend but the three-day Memorial Day weekend. Most kids would look forward to it. Not me. Grandma is short and boring. She likes to read romance novels, listen to classical music, or play Solitaire. She doesn’t have cable. She doesn’t even own a TV. Grandma lives in a one-stoplight town where there’s absolutely nothing to do. I’m going to die.
This town is dead. Grandma made me give her my cell phone and she put it her purse. Since she didn’t have any video games, she tried to get me to join her in a game of Euchre but I said I had to do some writing for school. She believed that just because I used the word “school.” It’s not for school — it’s my journal — but she’ll never know. She gave me tomorrow’s schedule: watch the parade in the morning; visit the cemetery in the afternoon. Woot. Bet I won’t sleep tonight.
I slept like a baby last night. Maybe it was that big, old bed in Grandma’s guest bedroom. Maybe it was because of the grilled hot dogs, potato chips and pecan pie. Whatever. We didn’t have to go far to get to the parade since it went right by Grandma’s house. We sat on the porch next to her big American flag. The sun was shining bright so I moved down to the lawn and caught candy the parade people were throwing. The parade was short. A couple of antique tractors, two motorcycles, a semi, seven clowns, three politicians and a four trucks with t-ball players in the back. Grandma seemed sad but I thought it was ok. Hope we go to out to eat for lunch.
Lunch was in Grandma’s backyard. We had grilled hamburgers. I took off the pickles and ate three burgers. Neither one of us talked much. She did say, “Clowns don’t belong with Decoration Day.” I just listened. She added, “There were lots of flags though.” I nodded and told her I needed a nap. She reminded me, “We will be going to the cemetery soon so make it a short nap”. I could hardly wait. Hope I sleep as well as I did last night.
I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about going to that creepy cemetery. But, you know what? It turned out to be not so creepy. First, we had to pick flowers. Grandma has a yard full of peonies (she calls them “pinies”), lilacs, roses, and a bunch of others I don’t even know the names of. She put the cut flowers in buckets, coffee cans, and canning jars — each one wrapped with foil. I asked her why we needed all these and she said, “We will use them to decorate the graves of our relatives at the cemetery — that is why they call it ‘Decoration Day.’” I helped her load all the flowers in the back of her old car and she drove real slow to Peaceful Valley Cemetery.
She parked near an old pump at the cemetery so we could fill each flower holder with water. The place was full of people putting flower arrangements on graves and planting miniature American flags, too. Grandma knew just where to find my ancestors. I asked her if she would get my cell phone out of her purse and let me use the GPS to locate where we were. “GP what?” she asked. “The Global Positioning System -- GPS.” She dug out my phone and I started locking in latitudes and longitudes. Grandma left some flowers for each relative’s grave. She stood quiet by each one so I didn’t say anything either. We weren’t there very long and Grandma offered to take me for some ice cream when we left. When we got back to her house, I had to pack for my ride home.
While I waited for Mom and Dad to come get me, Grandma and I sat on the front porch in her swing and watched kids in the neighborhood as they played. Grandma was quiet again for awhile and then she started talking.
“I’m glad you got to spend the weekend and I’m also happy that you got to go to the cemetery with me. You know, some of the relatives we had in the cemetery had been killed during wars. Others were just folks, like you and me. We decorate their graves to remember them — that’s why it’s called Memorial Day”.
Then she asked me a question. She wanted to know if I would decorate her grave when she was gone. Not just hers, but all our relatives, too. Before I could say anything, she said, “My grandma told me ‘Those who remember will be remembered.’” She said it again, “Will be remembered.” I didn’t know how to answer. So I pulled out my cell phone and showed her my GPS record for the cemetery. “See? They are all here in my cell phone! I will remember!”
Grandma put both her hands on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye. “No, don’t store them in your phone. Store them in your heart.”
I shut off my phone and put it back in my pocket and then I gave her a big hug — and she hugged me back. We hugged for a long time and then I told her, “I’ll never forget you, Grandma. And I’ll never forget this weekend either.”
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Family Itinerary: A Long Weekend in San Francisco
Last June, our family spent my birthday weekend in San Francisco. In this post I share our long weekend itinerary exploring the City By The Bay.
Day 1
We arrived on a Friday at about 11:00 am. Went to pick-up our rental car (Got a free upgrade to a Nissan Armada. Wohoo!) and was finally able to get out of the airport by 1:00 pm.
Jollibee
Since hotel check-in was not until 2:00 pm, we decided to have lunch first. First meal in SanFo, Jollibee. #Priorities Born and raised in the Philippines, it brings back good childhood memories.
There are a lot of good restaurants close to the airport though. In my original itinerary we were supposed to have lunch at New England Lobster Market and Eatery.
After lunch, we headed to our hotel to check in. We chose a hotel closer to the airport because they are way cheaper compared to hotels in San Francisco City proper. However, I won’t mention which hotel we stayed at as they didn’t fulfill my expectations. Yes, I matched my expectations to my price point affordability. Yet this hotel still did not manage to get to that level.
Once we we’re checked in and freshened up, we headed back out, this time driving towards San Francisco City proper.
Painted Ladies
First touristy stop, the Painted Ladies. A row of painted Victorian houses, also known as Postcard Row, popularized by the sitcom Full House. The painted ladies are right across Alamo Park where there is a nice playground. So after a couple of pictures, the kids had about an hour playing in the playground. Then a couple more pictures before we headed to Lombard Street.
Lombard Street
This is the most crooked road in North America. Marc parked the car on top of the street and we walked up and down Lombard street for photo ops.
It was the NBA finals at the time we visited, next game is being held in the Chase Centre. There was a red mustang convertible driving down Lombard Street bearing the Raptors flag as we we’re walking back up. I couldn’t help but yell, “Go Raptors!” #CanadianPride The occupants of the car yelled “Go Raptors!” back at least.
Marc wanted to experience driving down Lombard Street, so we piled ourselves back into the car. He drove from the top of the street all the way down. Then it was time to visit the Palace of Fine Arts.
Coit Tower
Another SanFo touristy landmark is the Coit Tower. Anybody watch the movie San Andreas Fault? Yes, that’s The Rock.
We chose to skip this place because I read a recent TripAdvisor review written by a mom, that says she doesn’t feel it was safe for young kids. Marc and I have actually been in the tower before, and yes, I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking Kaeden and Kenzie up there based on previous experience.
I did however take photos of the kids on Lombard Street with the Coit Tower in the background.
Palace of Fine Arts
By the time we got to the Palace of Fine Arts, the kids were already tired from our adventure. Kaeden had a power nap in the car while Kenzie had an extended 30 minute nap on the stroller.
We took a lot of photos while walking around the Palace of Fine Arts. I think this was my favorite part of the trip because we were just having quality time with family while taking in the sights.
Alioto’s Restaurant
For dinner that night, we had reservations at Alioto’s Restaurant, in Fisherman’s Wharf. I made the reservations online about a week before our visit.
Dinner was superb! Nothing can beat eating fresh seafood with a view of the bay in front of you.
Although, in all honestly, Marc and I still had a nightcap of Jollibee Chicken Joy. LOL
Day 2
Another reason we chose the hotel we stayed at was because breakfast was included. Nothing fancy, just your typical continental breakfast buffet spread. It prepared us for the day’s adventure.
Golden Gate Bridge
First stop of the day was Golden Gate Bridge. We left the car in the lower level parking lot and walked all the way up to the bridge. Obviously, also took a lot of pictures along the way.
You can cross to the other side of the bridge through the walkway underneath. The kids had a good time looking at the underside of the bridge. There was also an exhibit explaining the history of the bridge and the engineering design utilized for it.
No tourist tour is complete without visiting at least one gift shop. LOL We browsed but didn’t buy anything. My mom and Dad ended up buying some souvenirs. Did I mention that my mom, dad and brother were with us on this trip?
Barrel House Tavern
After spending almost half the day at the Golden Gate Bridge, we drove to Saulsalito for lunch.
On my original itinerary we were supposed to eat at Scoma’s. I mistakenly did not make reservations, and we didn’t want to wait 45 minutes for a table. So we walked up to Barrel House Tavern and had lunch there instead.
Food and drinks were excellent. Calamari and mussels hit the spot. And the kids had fun sitting on a bar-height table.
Sausalito
After lunch, we walked around this beautiful sea-side town. Marc and I had been here back in 2012. We both remember it being smaller and quaint. Fast forward several years later, it has grown a lot, possibly due to the fact that it accommodates tourists from all over the world.
Lappert’s Ice Cream
You can’t visit Sausalito and not make your way to Lappert’s Ice Cream Shop. We treated ourselves to scoops of ice cream in waffle cones.
I love that they have different flavors inspired by places around the world. The kids definitely enjoyed their scoop of ice cream while looking out to the ocean.
After enjoying our ice cream and a long walk, we piled ourselves back into our Nissan Armada and headed back to San Francisco. The kids enjoyed nap time while in the car.
Ghirardelli Town Square
Since dinner was still a couple of hours away, we spent some time in Ghirardelli Town Square.
There are a lot of things to do here. Several stores have interactive play for kids outside. And did I mention that the Ghirardelli chocolate shop gives generous samples?!
I think the kids went back a couple of times for chocolate. LOL. Marc and I may have also gone back for seconds, we won’t confirm.
After buying some Ghirardelli chocolate packs to take home, it was time to start walking towards Fisherman’s Wharf for dinner.
Parking Tip: Since our rental SUV was quite tall, it was too high for the underground parking at Ghirardelli Town Square. So we opted to park near the park to the left of the square. There are a few spots there. However, parking is only for 2 hours. So just before we headed to dinner, Marc moved the car several spots down. There were more spots open then because our dinner reservation was booked for 7:00 pm.
Cioppino’s
For my actual birthday dinner, I made a reservation at Cioppino’s, an Italian Seafood restaurant. Because seafood and pasta, how can you go wrong?
The service was great but the food was okay. It wasn’t mind-blowingly good. Also the restaurant is slightly dated in appearance.
But the servings are massive. All of us had to take about half of our meals back to the hotel. LOL. But in all honesty the service was excellent. I wish I can remember the name of our server.
Day 3
We woke up bright and early on Sunday for our day 3 adventure. We were first in line at the breakfast buffet.
Chase Centre
Marc wanted to watch an NBA finals game but ticket prices were ridiculous. So he just opted to drive up to Chase Centre for a photo op.
Security was tight though because of the NBA finals so he didn’t even have a nice photo. But at least he saw the arena. While the kids and I had some time to catch some sleep before we started the day’s adventure.
Cable Car
After we parked the car again in the same area near Ghirardelli Square, we walked over to the Cable Car station. Tickets for a 1-way trip cost $7 per adult.
We rode the cable car down to the downtown area. Kaeden and Kenzie at first were terrified, thinking they would fall off. But then they got the hang of it and enjoyed.
Downtown San Francisco
Once in the downtown area, we stopped by Starbucks for drinks. We walked around a tiny bit. There was a huge event happening, so there were too many people, and we are just not into that.
We took a few pictures and decided to head back to Fisherman’s Wharf. We lined up to take the cable car back. The line up was so long!
Senor Sisig
Luckily we spotted the Senor Sisig food truck near the line up. This is one of the most popular food trucks in San Francisco. Bonus that it’s Filipino cuisine based.
We purchased a couple of orders of sisig and happily ate lunch while lined up. The kids had Burger King chicken nuggets and fries. Everyone was full by the time we boarded the cable car.
Fisherman’s Wharf
We got off the cable car at a different spot where we initially boarded. So we left the kids with my mom & dad in Starbucks, while we walked to the car.
This time we parked the car underground in the building where Ross is. It was a $10 parking fee, but it was a hot day and the fee was for the entire day.
After we met up with my parents and the kids at Starbucks, we headed down to the pier. At the pier we purchased tickets for the Bay Cruise, this is what we plan to do in the afternoon.
Originally we wanted to go on the catamaran cruise, but with the kids, we thought the boat cruise would be less stressful for us adults. LOL.
Since our cruise time was not until 3:30 pm, we decided to walk around the Fisherman’s Wharf area, take some photos, and try the famous fish and chips from The Cod Mother’s Fish and Chips. It’s our linner! The meal between lunch and dinner when you’re on holidays. LOL.
Bay Cruise
At 3:30 pm we lined up for our Bay Cruise. It took us around the bay area, near Alcatraz, under the Golden Gate Bridge and then back to the pier. We took A LOT of photos. Like really a lot!
It was fun to just sit back, relax, and have the boat tour us around. A nice break from all the walking we’ve done so far. The kids certainly enjoyed it!
Note that we specifically did not go to Alcatraz because Kaeden and Kenzie will not appreciate it. They’d probably just be scared if we go in there. The Bay Cruise went close enough that they can see it and we can touch on the subject but not delve too deep into it.
Shopping
After getting off the boat, we headed back to the car and drove to Red Ribbon. This is a famous bakery for Filipino people. We bought a lot of pastries to take back home. There is no Red Ribbon in Canada yet.
Next stop, Target and Trader Joes. We stocked up on Trader Joe spices – Everything But The Bagel, Chilli Lime, 21 Seasoning Salute, and the coffee rub.
All of us got stopped at airport security, our baggage checked, because it was just full of spice blends. LOL
The kids were allowed to buy a $10 item in Target as a souvenir, obviously they chose a toy.
Isla Restaurant
For dinner on our last day, we decided to try a popular local Filipino restaurant. We chose Isla Restaurant through a recommendation by my Mom’s friend.
Dinner was excellent! Definitely satisfied my Filipino taste buds. And they gave us a free dish because it was still my birthday week. Gotta love that!
Day 4
Our flight back home was at 12 pm. As usual we had breakfast at the hotel. Did a rejig of our luggage – each of us only brought one carry-on suitcase and a back pack, including the kids. So we had to distribute the pastries and spices accordingly.
Dropped off the rental car and was surprised that there was no line up at security.
We were relaxing inside the airport about an hour and a half before boarding time. So we had time to eat a mini-lunch and let the kids burn off some energy before flying back home.
I hope you enjoyed and picked up a thing or two from our long weekend family itinerary in San Francisco. If you want to see photos of our trip, head on over to our Instagram (@this.family.life.we.live). If you like what you see there, please follow us. We always appreciate new tribe members!
The post Family Itinerary: A Long Weekend in San Francisco appeared first on This Family Life We Live.
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