Sunday, August 3, 2008

Ruth's Transcontinental Adventure!!!

This weekend, we're in sunny LA, the city of fallen angels, tinseltown, the boulevard of broken dreams, home of In-n-Out Burger (and, of course Big Kahuna Burger if your pop-culture sense is the same vintage as mine) so that Ruth can meet her great-Grammy Levine (thereby completing the set). Great-Grammy is 94 and sharp as a tack, but it's hard for her to travel East (she came for our wedding, though!).

The plane trip was much-dreaded but really not so bad. Ruth fussed a bit (who wouldn't?) but was mostly pretty chill and even slept a bit. Her sleep schedule is completely wonky with the trip and the newness and the time change, and we're basically just going to roll with it and get her back on a schedule when we hit Charm City again. She even got a "first flight" certificate! (No little wings pin like Delta used to give when I was a kid, but hey)

But, of course, you come to this blog for the cute baby pictures. And we shall oblige, don't worry. For the non-tech savvy, remember you can click on these to embiggen them.

Yesterday (Day 108, for your record-keeping mavens out there), we mostly met up with family at my Aunt Sandy's house and hung out/slept (Melissa and Ruth).


The left-coast family: Grammy Levine, Aunt Sandy, Cousins Brian and Jessica





Grammy Levine and Ruth seemed happy to meet each other.



Three generations. Well, via two families.


Cousin Jessica is known as the "purty one."

Today (that's day 109), we took a walk over to see Grammy Levine's new place, and then went down to Venice beach.


On the way to Grammy's. USA! USA! USA!




Grammy's apartment. My grandmother is still very active and totally on the ball. But she'd fallen a few times in her old place, and even with my Aunt Sandy living nearby, she (and we) were a bit worried that something might happen and no one would get to her in time. So she's moved into a very nice retirement hotel (NOT "assisted living") where she has her own apartment, but has access to medical care on call, and now has a twice/week bridge group right in the building. When I am in a retirement village, I plan to get a twice/week D&D group together. We'll see how that goes.

At Venice Beach, they were having a Hare Krishna festival. It was crowded, but pretty cool.


Lots of pretty colors on the big Hare Krishna wagon.


We couldn't get Ruth to wear the garland. She liked trying to put flowers in her mouth, though. And kicking them out of the stroller.


Hmm. I think that the Jesus Saves guys may be at the wrong festival. They fit with the color scheme, though.


Grammy was happy to wear the garland (it was originally given to her, anyway...).

We also went down the beach so that Ruth could dip her feet in the ocean for the first time.


I don't know, Dad, it looks like a whole lot of water out there.


I like this photo; It makes me look protective.


Still skeptical. Maybe the Atlantic will be more her style.

1 comment:

Chris said...

What happiness this family bonding and photo shoot brings...