Birthday Weekend
Oct. 5th, 2004 09:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lillibetI had a lovely weekend, despite some rain on my parade.
On Friday, I drove B. and I across the Berkshires--not so much foliage yet, but enough to be interesting and it was a gorgeous day. We stopped at the outlet mall in Lee--didn't find much, but got some very nice socks--and then proceeded to my parents' home in Upstate New York. On the way in, B. suggested that we stop at the grocery store and pick up a cake. She asked if she should call Mom first, knowing that she would say "Oh, you don't need to go there. We have everything we need here at home!" I said to go ahead and we were amused when she met our expectations fairly precisely. Despite that, we stopped and got a lovely cake (white cake, filled with rasperry stuff, surrounded by ladyfingers and topped with whipped cream and raspberries) and candles and some flowers and a balloon bearing the appropriate greeting "Happy Birthday Mom". We stopped in the driveway to light the candles and went in singing "Happy Birthday." Mom was amused and pleased.
She made us veal parmiagiana, one of our favorites, and we had a nice meal together. She loves to go shopping with us and I am looking for a dress to wear to a wedding at New Year's, so we went to a couple of stores in the mall after dinner. Their mall is kind of scary--most of the non-anchor stores are shuttered up--and I didn't find a dress, but I did find three sweaters at good prices.
The room designated as "mine" in their split-level ranch is the one in the basement and over the years it has gotten increasingly moldy. I'm never sure that I can stand it, but when I get between the clean, antique sheets and settle down into the wonderfully soft mattress with a big, heavy feather pillow beneath my head, I'm always asleep in seconds.
On Saturday we left the house shortly after nine, heading to the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, VT. The trip should have taken ninety minutes, but we spent quite a while roaming in circles on sweet little country roads with gorgeous old farmhouses and pretty lakes. Finally we got straightened around and made it to our destination in time for our twelve-thirty reservation for lunch.
I was driving the MINI, with Dad riding shotgun, while Mom drove the new car they bought this week--a Chrysler 300--with B. in the passenger seat. She had forgotten to bring her CPAP machine, without which she really doesn't sleep, and her drugs, so she was kind of a mess, but really bore up under it all. Dad and I had an interesting conversation about all sorts of topics, but when I asked what they'd talked about in the other car, they both said "How lost we were!"
It was a cool day, but there was no breeze, and the waitstaff convinced us we would be fine out on the porch of the cafe. We had a nice meal of soups and special sandwiches and a very tasty apple crisp. It was just right in being special, without being overwhelming--not so much to make my mother fret about the expense and the effort and tell us we shouldn't have until it feels like she really means it, as happens so often. And she was wearing the very fetching jacket that I gave her, that looked just as wonderful on her as I hoped it would. The view wasn't as nice as it would have been on a sunny day, but it was still beautiful to look out on the mountain as we ate.
After the meal we strolled through their ten galleries of art--mostly painting with a few sculptures and other decorative pieces--by local artists. Much of it is for sale at quite reasonable prices for that sort of thing, but fortunately we have so many things on our walls I wasn't really tempted by something new. My father did the downstairs section, but balked at the stairs, so he went back to the car for a short nap while we explored the upper halls.
Finally, it was time to part. We gave Mom extra-special birthday hugs and headed back down Mount Equinox and on our separate ways.
B. was tired of the little roads, so we took 7 to 9 to 91 and made it to Northampton by four-thirty.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bookly met us and we went for a little drive around Smith College, so B. could see what was new and we could all enjoy the view of Paradise Pond. Then we wandered Bridge Street for a while, scoping out various dinner options before settling on Spoleto, where we had an excellent meal. It was great to see bookly and hear about her adventures in linguistics and laugh over yummy pasta and pumpkin cheesecake. But B. was very tired and it was starting to rain, so after a brief stop to see bookly's new pad, we hopped back on the highway and, despite pouring rain, were back at my house within two hours.
Unfortunately, by the time I got home, I was not going anywhere, so I missedscholargipsy's farewell party, about which I hear many fun things.
I was grumpy the next day--it felt as if the weekend had gone on forever and I hadn't gotten anything done in days--but dragged myself out of the house to go togilana's birthday luau. That was a very fun gathering, with lots of kids--I got to read two stories!--and we spent a relaxed afternoon hanging out. I was incredibly impressed with gilana's skill, grace and bravery in performing for the assembled crowd a hula she had been practicing--keep your eyes on the hands! Eventually we decided that more substantial food was in order, so jason237 and I picked up a pie from Cafe Rossini and headed home to enjoy our feast in front of the TV together and catch up on each other.
Then, at last, I got back to my script and had a chance to block out the rehearsal plan for this week.
On Friday, I drove B. and I across the Berkshires--not so much foliage yet, but enough to be interesting and it was a gorgeous day. We stopped at the outlet mall in Lee--didn't find much, but got some very nice socks--and then proceeded to my parents' home in Upstate New York. On the way in, B. suggested that we stop at the grocery store and pick up a cake. She asked if she should call Mom first, knowing that she would say "Oh, you don't need to go there. We have everything we need here at home!" I said to go ahead and we were amused when she met our expectations fairly precisely. Despite that, we stopped and got a lovely cake (white cake, filled with rasperry stuff, surrounded by ladyfingers and topped with whipped cream and raspberries) and candles and some flowers and a balloon bearing the appropriate greeting "Happy Birthday Mom". We stopped in the driveway to light the candles and went in singing "Happy Birthday." Mom was amused and pleased.
She made us veal parmiagiana, one of our favorites, and we had a nice meal together. She loves to go shopping with us and I am looking for a dress to wear to a wedding at New Year's, so we went to a couple of stores in the mall after dinner. Their mall is kind of scary--most of the non-anchor stores are shuttered up--and I didn't find a dress, but I did find three sweaters at good prices.
The room designated as "mine" in their split-level ranch is the one in the basement and over the years it has gotten increasingly moldy. I'm never sure that I can stand it, but when I get between the clean, antique sheets and settle down into the wonderfully soft mattress with a big, heavy feather pillow beneath my head, I'm always asleep in seconds.
On Saturday we left the house shortly after nine, heading to the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, VT. The trip should have taken ninety minutes, but we spent quite a while roaming in circles on sweet little country roads with gorgeous old farmhouses and pretty lakes. Finally we got straightened around and made it to our destination in time for our twelve-thirty reservation for lunch.
I was driving the MINI, with Dad riding shotgun, while Mom drove the new car they bought this week--a Chrysler 300--with B. in the passenger seat. She had forgotten to bring her CPAP machine, without which she really doesn't sleep, and her drugs, so she was kind of a mess, but really bore up under it all. Dad and I had an interesting conversation about all sorts of topics, but when I asked what they'd talked about in the other car, they both said "How lost we were!"
It was a cool day, but there was no breeze, and the waitstaff convinced us we would be fine out on the porch of the cafe. We had a nice meal of soups and special sandwiches and a very tasty apple crisp. It was just right in being special, without being overwhelming--not so much to make my mother fret about the expense and the effort and tell us we shouldn't have until it feels like she really means it, as happens so often. And she was wearing the very fetching jacket that I gave her, that looked just as wonderful on her as I hoped it would. The view wasn't as nice as it would have been on a sunny day, but it was still beautiful to look out on the mountain as we ate.
After the meal we strolled through their ten galleries of art--mostly painting with a few sculptures and other decorative pieces--by local artists. Much of it is for sale at quite reasonable prices for that sort of thing, but fortunately we have so many things on our walls I wasn't really tempted by something new. My father did the downstairs section, but balked at the stairs, so he went back to the car for a short nap while we explored the upper halls.
Finally, it was time to part. We gave Mom extra-special birthday hugs and headed back down Mount Equinox and on our separate ways.
B. was tired of the little roads, so we took 7 to 9 to 91 and made it to Northampton by four-thirty.
bookly met us and we went for a little drive around Smith College, so B. could see what was new and we could all enjoy the view of Paradise Pond. Then we wandered Bridge Street for a while, scoping out various dinner options before settling on Spoleto, where we had an excellent meal. It was great to see bookly and hear about her adventures in linguistics and laugh over yummy pasta and pumpkin cheesecake. But B. was very tired and it was starting to rain, so after a brief stop to see bookly's new pad, we hopped back on the highway and, despite pouring rain, were back at my house within two hours.Unfortunately, by the time I got home, I was not going anywhere, so I missed
scholargipsy's farewell party, about which I hear many fun things.I was grumpy the next day--it felt as if the weekend had gone on forever and I hadn't gotten anything done in days--but dragged myself out of the house to go to
gilana's birthday luau. That was a very fun gathering, with lots of kids--I got to read two stories!--and we spent a relaxed afternoon hanging out. I was incredibly impressed with gilana's skill, grace and bravery in performing for the assembled crowd a hula she had been practicing--keep your eyes on the hands! Eventually we decided that more substantial food was in order, so jason237 and I picked up a pie from Cafe Rossini and headed home to enjoy our feast in front of the TV together and catch up on each other.Then, at last, I got back to my script and had a chance to block out the rehearsal plan for this week.
