When Grampa Drank and Spanked

This is my last day to waste philosophizing and thinking about the way things might have been, since tomorrow my mind will be occupied full-time with first grade and meditating on the eternal truths of addition, subtraction, decimals and fractions. Although I never met my grampa, I was just thinking he must have been something, to have had half a dozen great kids like my aunt, uncles, and Daddy. Of course, he had a few beers sometimes and smacked Daddy once or twice with his belt when little Uncle Tom cried, but isn't that an admirable quality, to defend the weak, defenseless little brothers of the world? I'm sure his life would have been better if he had lived long enough to know me. I could have taken him to Burger King for a Whopper, and Century 20 to see the Clash of the Titans. He would have helped me cheer on the Cardinals against the Giants, and taken me to Alcatraz and to ride on the cablecar. He would have helped me learn Latin, but I'd still have trouble with some of the dinosaur names, since they also derive from Greek. Triceratops, for example, comes from "tri-" (Latin for 3), "cerat-" (Greek for horn), and "ops" (Greek for "face gives the name for"). Daddy still remembers his first day of first grade at All Saints, when he entered the big kid entrance with the stampeding second thru eighth graders, instead of the quiet, orderly entrance reserved for the little first graders. Good that he lived to tell about it, but as I'm sure Grampa would say if he were still alive, "omnia in bonum" (Latin for "all things work together unto good for those that love God" - St. Paul, Rom 8:28).

Paleontologist or Radiologist

I can't believe there's only one day of summer vacation left...where does the time go? I hope I'm in 1A this year. That would make it easy for me to get to clubhouse...it's right next door! I'm hoping I can get Aaron to sign up for AYSO this year. It's so fun to get out there and kick some grass...you just have to be careful you don't trip over one of those gopher holes. I still can't decide whether to be a paleontologist or a radiologist. I guess I could specialize in CT scans of prehistoric bones...there are so many options! Sometimes it's hard to decide...Burger King or McDonald's? The Giants or the Cardinals? Rocky Road or sherbert? Anyway, condolences to Abee and Leander, who lost their grandma recently...well, they didn't lose her lose her...she passed away to that great Disneyland in the sky. Tomorrow's her funeral mass...may she rest in eternal peace and joy!

California, Here I Come!

We were pretty much able to keep the clouds south of us as we travelled west thru Wyoming and Utah. We stopped at Travel America to quench the van's thirst for gas, buy a few gifts, and get some ice cream. We passed the anti-snow drift fences and some cows, and that pipe sticking out of the ground with the flame coming out the top. We passed a lake with some boats, passed Sinclair and all the other exits. Mr. Squiggles and I expected to be exiting at Salt Lake City, but Daddy surprised us by exiting at Park City, where the rest of our family had vacationed before I was born, a long, long time ago. We pulled into the Waldorf-Astoria, which only had valet parking. The lobby was really nice, with some deer statues and a large fireplace. Our room was amazing...a big, modern kitchen, big dining table, Philips TVs (even in the bathroom), fireplaces, jacuzzi, etc. Outside our patio was a large bonfire, like the fire at the opening of the Olympics. It was hands-down the nicest hotel we had stayed at. While it was still sunny, we headed over to Main St., where Ate Dee and Ate reminisced about the last time they were here, and we took a picture with the grizzly bear sitting on the bench. We had dinner at the Saigon restaurant where we noticed the workers were speaking Tagalog. After we got back to the hotel, we all went for a swim. The pool was so beautiful and peaceful until I started doing my cannonballs! The water was warm, but when I got out to go to the hot tub, the air was chilly. We also checked out the workout room where Mommy and Daddy did the treadmill. In the morning, we had a wonderful breakast with so many antlered skulls hanging on the wall. I wasn't too fond of the Irish oatmeal, so the waiter and his assistant brought me some delicious Belgian waffles that were to die for. The fresh squeezed orange juice was great; it was too bad we had to hurry and leave and spend the next 12 hours driving across the deserts of Utah and Nevada before crossing the mountains at Tahoe to get back home to our little house by the ocean. If it wasn't for Mommy's upcoming birthday and the upcoming Paul McCartney concert at AT&T Park, we could have taken our time and maybe even have stopped by the Grand Canyon to stand in awe of nature once again, but that wasn't to be. It was dark when we got home, but Mama had cooked some nice food for us, and we showed her my dinosaur blanket and told her what a great time we had had traveling to Aunt Janet's, Chicago, and down to St. Louis to see Grandma and my Uncle Don, Uncle Tom, Uncle Bill and Aunt Judy. I can't believe school's starting next Wednesday. If only I could be like Phineas and Ferb, and have it be summer forever, and never be hungry, and never get old and gray. Anyway, start spreading the news...first grade here I come!

Riding Thru a Nowhere Land

So after watching Dinosaur Train at breakfast, we piled back in the van and headed toward Colorado Springs. Most normal people would probably stick to highway 70, but Daddy wanted to take the road less travelled (albeit the straightest), so we got onto highway 40, a narrow road with little to see but fields, a few cows, land, and more land. We seemed to drive for days without seeing any signs of life, but in the distance we began to see some tiny mountains, which grew larger as the hours passed. In the middle of nowhere land, we bought some gas and I played a racing video game, where I crashed about 50 times, but kept on driving until I reached the finish line. Finally, we arrived back at Aunt Janet's. She still had the elephant puppet that I picked up for her in Wyoming. Then...the highlight of my vacation, Aunt Janet gave me a dinosaur quilt that she had made for me while I was gallivanting around the midwest!!! It was the best present I ever received...I just couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it! Needless to say, I was in a fine mood while every one enjoyed the barbeque. We met Alex and Carson's mom, who had been away in Vermont when we were in Colorado earlier. Ate and Daddy climbed up Aunt Janet's backyard to see what they could see. There was no sign of Adolph or the other deer, but they had a nice view of the gathering storm off to the west in the Rockies. While I was dozing off, I think I heard Uncle Michael explaining to Ate why it wasn't a good idea for her to become a psychologist, but that might just be a dream. When rosy-fingered Dawn woke me in the morning, I hugged my dinosaur quilt, then had a wonderful breakfast, and we bravely strapped ourselves into the van and headed up 25 to highway 287, another less traveled and wet road thru The Buttes (population 31) and on to Laramie, Wyoming, where the sun reappeared for us. Netflix sent us Furry Vengeance, so I'm sorry but I've got to go. Maybe you could put on some Sgt. Pepper while you're waiting for the final episode of my saga thru the west. Adieu!

Tropical Storm Alex Strikes Kansas!

We left St. Louis in the sunshine, but it started clouding up before we hit Kansas City. Crossing into Kansas, we met Alex, but it wasn't Ate Dee's friend in Colorado Springs. It was tropical storm Alex, rampaging up from the Gulf of Mexico. The big drops of rain started splashing on the windshield, a few at first, and then by the bucket! Luckily we survived the wettest hour of our sojourn so far, and we made it back to the land of sunshine. Remember when it was raining salt? That would be something, wouldn't it? Thankful that we survived Alex, Daddy pulled over in Walker, Kansas to say a prayer at St. Anne's, but it was locked. We were praying at a little shrine on the side, when an old man came with a key and said he just got back to town. He opened the church for us, and we said our prayers, and continued our trip. Did you know my sister gave my other sister a haircut today (Aug. 15, 2010)? It looks nice! Anyway, we made it to Salina, Kansas, where we spent the night. I'll tell you about Tuesday's trip to Colorado and the road through nowhere land tomorrow, if I can find the time. Maybe after Dinosaur Train but before Spongebob. Ciao for now!

The Dinoquest Continues

I'm not sure how far I can get, since I still need to go to church and head over to the kindergarten reunion in Foster City, but I unloaded my toys at Uncle Tom's, and we went to visit Grandma. I brought my new tiger to see her, too. We took her for a short walk with her walker, then we went to the noon mass at the New Cathedral/Basilica. Uncle Bill and Aunt Judy invited us over to their house for a barbeque, which Grandma really enjoyed. The ribs were great, and I had fun chasing the dogs around the yard. It's too bad Alex and Carson weren't there, but they were able to visit a few weeks after us. We took the dogs for a walk to the park, but in the alley on the way back I tripped over some sticks and Ellie dragged me along, so I got a scratch on my tummy. Daddy was busy moving the van into the alley to pick up Grandma when it happened, so he was surprised to see me crying. Anyway, he had to back out and come around from the other side, because a neighbor was washing his shiny red cruiser in the alley, which Ate pretended to drive for her photo shoot. Mommy pretended to be the papa, papa, paparazzi, then we loaded Grandma and tucked her in at Ackert Park, then drove down to the Arch to see the fireworks. It looked like everyone was having a good time at Mike Shannon's, but we were stuck in traffic with a big building blocking our view of the fireworks. We were more successful the following night with Uncle Don. We found a parking garage a little north of the Arch, and walked over to watch the show. The view wasn't bad from on top of my dad's shoulders. Earlier that day, we took Grandma to All Saints, where she was able to chit-chat a little with some old friends. Daddy's old school building is still there, but the school closed after he finished 3rd grade with Sister Emily, aka Sister Enemy, back in '68. We wer hoping to bring Grandma and Uncle Tom (famous from Daddy's Mom & Tom series of comics) with us to see the hidden dinosaurs at the Missouri Botanical Gardens (aka Shaw's Gardens back in the old days), but they decided to spend the afternoon at the old homestead on Crest reminiscing about the good old days when we used to walk up to Wash U. to watch the fireworks on the 4th of July. Meanwhile, Uncle Don and we rode the tram at the gardens, then we got off and entered the climatron, where most of the dinosaurs were hiding in the jungle. I have a few photos, I think, on Picasa (just search for Cellphone2010). After the Climatron and a few photos with the raccoons, Ate Dee and I chased some ducks around over in the tranquil Japanese tea garden. We weren't as fast as Mommy, however, when she saw the garden snake slithering through the stone sculpture over at the Chinese garden! Daddy picked up some garden bookmarks in the air-conditioned garden information center. After we finished the gift shop, we took Grandma back to the nursing home, hugged her good-bye, and promised to write and send pictures. Before we left town in the morning, Uncle Don gave me a golf club and a golf ball, and he told me to play like Tiger (on the golf course, not off!). Then we packed up the van, said farewell, and we started driving. Day 6 of driving! I'm off to Our Lady of Mercy. Back soon and very soon!

Ascent of the Sears Tower (aka Willis Watchtower)

Now where was I...oh, yeah! We passed the Taste of Chicago, and I caught me first glimpse of dinosaurs, a banner covering the front of the Field Museum, where they house all the dinosaurs. I tried to get confirmation from Daddy that we'd be going there, but he would neither affirm nor deny. Finally, we made it to the parking lot behind the Sears Tower, found the entrance for the skydeck, paid our money, passed the Arch image, waited, got in the elevator, waited, then someone pressed the right button, and we catapulted to the top of the Sears Tower, where I picked up Mr. Squiggles, who's normally blue, but lights up in various colors when you squeeze him just so. Towards the east we saw Lake Michigan again, to the north we saw Northwestern and the Luneta look-alike, and on the west side we found the ledge! I ventured to the edge of the ledge, which was closer to it than my dad was, and after seeing that no one was plummeting to their death, I moved totally onto the glass floor, 1300 feet above the tiny cars and people below. It looked like maybe I could land in the Chicago River, but I didn't want to take a chance. Eventually everyone dared to stand on the ledge, even Ate, then we moved to the other ledge to pose for a family photo. Finally, I got everyone out of the tower and into the Field Museum, where we quickly purchased a family membership and went to see Sue, their prehistoric T-Rex, looming in the lobby. We saw more dinosaurs than I had ever seen, watched the 3-D movie, and headed to the southside to see Daddy's business school at the University of Chicago. Singing "All My Loving" along with the Beatles as we drove along the midway, we finally made it to the freeway and headed south to St. Louis. We stopped at the Love's/McDonalds for gas and a hotdog, then drove thru the darkness, passing the Arch and konking out at Uncle Tom's cabin, I mean, house. Excuse me, I need to go rest my fingers for a bit.

Crossing the Mighty Mississloppy

Let's see...where was I....oh yeah! We were about to cross the Mississippi. Did I mention the restrooms in Iowa have internet? Illinois was nice and sunny! We passed by Daddy's old office in Naperville, paid our tolls, and ran into some big city traffic. We stopped in Skokie on Dempster for some gas, and finally parked on Orrington, in front of the old NU Apartments. We checked into the Hilton, and then headed over to the beach south of campus. After Ate's photo shoot and finding some ladybugs, we passed by a concert on south campus and walked north, stopping before we hit the Bahai Temple. It was cool seeing so many lightning bugs! We also got run over by a stampede of summer campers who were staying in the north quad. Daddy carried me on his shoulders down Sheridan, and finally we made it to Burger King where we picked up our Eclipse vampire wristbands that change color if you venture into the sunlight. After a splendid free breakfast the next morning, we carried our stuff a few blocks thru downtown Evanston to get to the free parking, then visited St. Mary's and the adjacent flower garden. Turning south, we entered sweet home Chicago, passing Loyola and driving down Lake Shore Drive, which reminds Mommy of Luneta. Be back soon...

Chicago, St. Louis, and Salt Lake City and It's all on the Same Street!

Last month I took a road trip with my family, heading east across the west. The first stop was Sacramento, to gas up the Odyssey. We brought lots of DVDs and CDs to keep entertained, in addition to a variety of toy dinosaurs. We stopped again somewhere in Nevada. They were selling Indian jewelry behind the restrooms, along with vases. We made it to our Hilton in downtown Salt Lake City before dark. Had a nice swim, and in the morning, after a nice breakfast, we attended the holy mass at the Cathedral, which was magnificent. After we finished giving thanks, we piled in the Honda and didn't stop till we hit Wyoming. Mom took a nice picture of me and the Sinclair dinosaur. I wanted to come back to Wyoming for my birthday. So many dinosaurs! We took a few photos at the park in Sinclair, Wyoming, before crossing the continental divide and heading south from Cheyenne to Colorado. It was getting dark and wet and we hit a little traffic passing through Denver, but it was dry by the time we arrived at Aunt Janet's. We saw a little rabbit hop up her drive, so we hopped up after it. Aunt Janet introduced Uncle Michael and Penny, who was recovering from surgery. In the morning we met Aunt Janet's squirrels and jays, who came to get the peanuts that my dad and I placed on top of the fence. We met Alex and her brother, who came with us to the Dinosaur Resource Center, which had a nice Allosaurus outside, along with a Styracasaurus. I asked the paleontologist a lot of questions during our tour, which had everything from bambiraptors to Tyrannasaurus Rexes. Later we went swimming at Aunt Janet's club, and Daddy, Mommy, and Ate played a little indoor tennis. The next morning we left again, stopping in Nebraska for gas. I found a nice studded ball that I added to my Christmas list, before we exited highway 80 that evening in Omaha, Nebraska. We walked over to Wendy's to pick up our dinner, and saw a nice rainbow out of our hotel window. Enjoyed a nice swim with Ate Dee and everyone. Watched Dinosaur Train at breakfast, and then we crossed over to Iowa and got some ice cream in Kellogg. The navigator conked out, so we said some Hail Marys, and it started working again after we stopped for lunch at the Iowa Machine Shed, where we played on the tractors. Gotta run now...I'll be back!