Sunday, August 31, 2008

8/31/08 The neighborhood

We went to a Labor Day party today, hosted by some unexpected neighbors. My father has "hooked up" with a lady in the lovely home where he's living now, a lady who's at about the same stage of dementia as he is. Their hookup has meant a lot to us, as well as her family, since they're both very happy and spend every second of the day together. They've even moved into the same room now, facilitated by one of the lady's two daughters, Cindy, who lives nearby in Massachusetts.

We thought it was ironic when Dad's lady's other daughter, Cathy, also lives in California, but were all blown away when it turned out to be the same exact city! Just one zip code over. And, Cathy and Larry happened to be visiting back East at the same time we were, so we met them at Cindy's house, and much of the rest of the family, last July. They're all such nice, generous, interesting people.

So Cathy and her husband Larry -- a professional chef, lucky me -- invited us to an annual Labor Day bash at their house today. I was touched by their invitation, and was really looking forward to seeing them, so we all went this afternoon.

It was very risky arriving anywhere at 1pm with Katrina before her nap, but we took two cars and were completely prepared to bail. Actually, she did really well for about an hour, and Dave took her home without disgrace for once. The boys played with another 4-year-old Aidan for a long time too.

Their house is stunning, beautifully remodeled, decorated and landscaped, not a hair out of place. But still comfortable and relaxed, not formal at all, with various touches around the house that come from Cathy's partial upbringing in Hong Kong. I took a few photos before my camera battery died, and this is probably the least attractive one, but, I want this pantry!

Not only are Cathy and Larry very nice and interesting people, but so are all their friends. Many of them live in our same city too, and I had a great time getting to know so many neighbors. Many families with young children arrived as well, so there were no shortage of other parents to exchange war stories with and playmates for the boys. Cathy is a very serious cyclist, so there was a big athlete contingent as well.

Friends, neighbors, backyards, parties, gatherings...community!

8/31/08

1 comment:

MommaWriter said...

That's a microwave in the pantry, isnt' it? Oh, how I'd love a walk-in pantry where I could stow a microwave. That would be awesome!
S.