January/February Weekend Fun

My son Dan had to travel for business to southern and middle California at the end of last week, so he tacked on a visit to Frank and me on the weekend. He arrived Friday night, January 31st and left Sunday February 2nd around noon. His younger brother Alex also spent Saturday night with us. We were busy.

Friday night, shortly after his arrival, Dan sheepishly asked if we could play Monopoly, a favorite of his and his dad. Dan located our deluxe version, a gift several Christmases ago from Dan and his sister Robin. After the set up, Dan texted his wife Carrie to let her know what he was up to. He typed in, "We're playing Monopoly!". She answered back quickly and briefly "My worst nightmare!". She is not a strong gamer plus one year, when we played at Dan's house for his birthday, the game went on until 2:00 am since neither Dan nor his Dad were willing to declare bankruptcy and be the loser. This time however, the first game went quickly, unlike those usual marathons. Dan and I made a deal before all the properties were sold, much to Frank's protests. I was able to win ... a very rare feat for me in Monopoly. Frank grumbled that it was because Dan and I traded before Frank had enough properties and therefore had no opportunity to get a full set and build. And what goes with Monopoly? Pizza Rolls of course! Dan had eaten supper on the road on his trip up and so this was his second (and preferred) dinner.

Since the Monopoly game was short enough, it was not too late to watch a movie. Dan suggested a weird movie with Will Ferrell titled Stranger than Fiction (2006). Will Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, an IRS auditor who suddenly starts hearing a voice. This unseen voice belongs to an author who is writing a book and whatever she writes is what happens to Harold Crick. All her books are tragedies and end in the death of the hero. Harold is trying to change this narrative and its associated ending which could affect his own life. Stranger than Fiction was curious and interesting. I liked the quirkiness. Per IMDB it was rated 7.6/10.

During the day on Saturday, we played another round of Monopoly. Dan helped out Frank and me with some tasks. Dan changed out the burnt out flood light illuminating our back yard by climbing out Alex's  window onto the walkway above the deck cover. He also ferried eleven boxes of patterns from the attic and one of the bedrooms to downstairs. I am donating these to my quilt guild's fabric sale. Child labor  — from a grown child — is great!

Saturday night Frank, Alex, and I had tickets to a 7:00 pm performance of Fraggle Rock Live at our local Bankhead Theatre. I initially felt bad that while Dan was here we would be out, but the situation worked out well. Dan met up with a classmate from Cal Poly and the two of them went out for a fancy steak dinner while Frank, Alex, and I went to Fraggle Rock Live. The plot was straightforward. The Fraggles' celebration stone had broken into four pieces and those sections had been scattered. It was up to the Fraggles to gather the pieces and assemble them so that celebrations could once again happen.

The show was fun as I listened to the peppy music, remembering some of the songs I'd heard, many, many, many times a day while Alex was growing up. Alex, too, smiled at those tunes that were familiar to him. A one minute YouTube video of the Fraggles' opening sequence may jog my readers' memories as well. Frank and I were amazed when earlier that afternoon, before the show, Dan sang the entire opening number for us. He had not forgotten, either.

The staging was amusing, also. Five life size characters for the main Fraggle characters — (left to right) Red, Mokey, Gobo, Boober, and Wembley — were front stage and behind them was a projection screen with images of the Fraggle caves and lots and lots of other Fraggles. In the between stage area, in front of the screen and behind the five main characters, were other three dimensional muppets, so the distinction between 3D and 2D was somewhat blurred. One scene featured a humongous three dimensional Marjory the Trash Heap. Marjory took up almost all of the stage area and required several stage hands to move her into position. Her arms were so widespread there must have been at least two puppeteers inside her, manipulating her arm motions. Another scene featured a projected giant-size image of Junior Gorg. Afterward, a huge three dimensional Gorg hand emerged from behind the curtains at the side of the stage.

Another nice perk of Dan's visit was that his suitcase was not overly full so he could bring back a couple items for his kids. Lillian is horse-crazy, same as Robin was as a child, and so we passed on Robin's horse jacket. Yes, Lillian has a bit of growing to do before it fits her, but she loved it. At least since she lives in Colorado now, rather than southern California, so the weather will be cold enough for her to get good use out of it — once it fits her. I hope she gets larger before her interest in horses gets smaller.

Dan also brought back a 1-2-3 Go! game that is age appropriate for four year old Irene. She liked it. I also sent a book called The Great Escape by Natalie Hayes. I think the snarkiness of the lead character cat will appeal to the three older kids. Technically it is not a young adult book but I liked it enough per my 1/17/2019 blog post about it.

 

This past weekend on the cusp of January and February 2025 was very busy and we greatly enjoyed it. Here are some parting photos of our two sons for posterity. We also captured one picture each for Frank and me with Dan and Alex.

After a last parting hug, I captured a final snapshot of my handsome son before he drove off.

Ponder: The Grey Wolf

The Grey Wolf ©2024 is Louise Penny's 19th novel. The story of The Grey Wolf follows an unspecified threat to the national safety of the Canadian people. Finding out that threat, and the extent of it, is the plot driver. The intricacies of the plot are entrenched in determining who among the upper echelons of government can be trusted or are complicit in the pending threat. I have read all of Penny's Inspector Armand Gamache novels and greatly enjoyed the majority of them to varying degrees, giving them four or five stars for the most part. Penny is one of my favorite authors but I am sad to say I did not enjoy this book, giving it only two stars. Why?

I find that when I watch television series I am more drawn to the backstory rather that the main plot. Those behind-the-scene situations are what lure me back for the next episode, curious to see what develops. In a medical show, what personal struggles do the doctors and interns battle and still be good at attending to the various maladies and afflictions of their patients? In a crime drama, what do the investigators have going on in their private lives and relationships?  Similarly, in the Louise Penny Inspector Armand Gamache series, I feel an attachment to Armand's family, his co-workers Jean-Guy and Isabelle, and his neighbors within the village of Three Pines. These close familial relations played only a minor role in The Grey Wolf. There are a few small glimpses into the endearing antics of six children under the age of ten at the Gamache's home in Three Pines, but these few scenes are merely a passing nod to the families and the Three Pines characters. 

The setting takes place in many locations:  a bistro, a monastery (several visits), the Vatican, Italy, Montreal, Washington D.C. — and other venues I may have already forgotten. Three Pines plays only a minor role. The three investigators — Armand, Jean-Guy, and Isabella — need to be at different locations simultaneously to discover the threat and neutralize it. I missed the camaraderie of the three inspectors working together, side-by-side. By contrast, in The Grey Wolf they must employ an expeditious divide-and-conquer approach necessary for resolution of this crisis. The actions and discoveries of each inspector are not disclosed in different chapters but rather in different paragraphs of a same chapter, making it hard, for me at least, to follow and digest the rapid transitions between characters and locations.

Despite my disappointment, The Grey Wolf is not going to deter me from reading Louise Penny's future novels. For those readers considering this author, the following image and chart summarize the covers and my rating of her past Inspector Armand Gamache novels. (I never read #18 State of Terror which Louise Penny co-wrote with Hillary Clinton; but that is not an Inspector Armand Gamache novel.)  

If the intent of this book was to create an ambience of confusion, shifting allegiances, and urgency, it succeeded, but at the expense of me failing to grasp the overall sequence of the novel. The climactic scene near the end was chaotic enough that I had trouble following it, also. This book gave me little pleasure in its reading. It made me feel stupid — hence my relatively low rating.

★★☆☆☆ Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished it

Ponder: The Hunter

The Hunter ©2024 is the second book in the Cal Hooper mystery series by Tana French. Reading the first book in the series The Searcher (1/15/25 post) before reading this one was the optimum way to enjoy the character development. Trey, the kid from the first book has aged a couple years and is now fifteen, with all the accompanying typical mannerisms of a teenager. Just as the disappearance of Trey's older brother Brendan is the driver in the first mystery, the return of Trey's father, Johnny, after a four year absence, is the driver in this second mystery. It is no spoiler to learn early on that Trey's father is a ne'er do well who is always quick with a made up story; he routinely reprises the role of an operator out to make a quick buck euro via some scam scheme.

Cal Hooper, the former Chicago cop, is settling into his life in his refurbished bungalow in Ireland. His relationship with Trey has grown closer; together they repair and refinish antique furniture. Cal's female neighbor Lena play a larger role in this second book in the series. Her behaviors, mannerisms, and unique insights add a good deal of character depth to the novel. The interactions among Cal, Trey, and Lena are to be savored. Trey's relationship with her "eejit" of a father is complicated and Trey plays her duplicitous role with Johnny very well. Other characters, such as the rooks who roost near Cal's house, inject rather humorous notes throughout and provide some comic relief. Per Wikipedia, rooks are "intelligent birds with complex behavioural traits and an ability to solve simple problems".

The Irish countryside once again plays a huge part in the ambience and plot advancement of The Hunter. Into what mess, mystery, and mayhem will Johnny leads the villagers of Ardnakelty, a rural community in western Ireland? Is there gold to be found in "them thar hills"? The climax near the end of the novel was gripping.

I enjoyed this book and was more relaxed with reading it as I adjusted to the author's style. What I initially interpreted in the first book as too much landscape description to suit my taste, I began to appreciate more in the second novel as I became aware of how much it added to the story. The Irish language and pub environment were the icing on the cake. The interplay among the characters is well worth the read. As in the first book, there is an unexpected twist to give the reader a bit of a jolt. No spoilers here. You have to read it for yourself to find out. 

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience

Ponder: The Searcher

Joining a book club is an activity I have been considering for quite a while. 

• Disadvantages: 
• Do I mind reading what other people pick instead of my own choices?
• Can I uphold a monthly time commitment?
• Do I want/need a deadline to finish a book?
•  Advantages:
• I would enjoy discussing books I have read with other folks 
• I'd gain what-to-read-next suggestions from real people instead of just a web site; I can still continue to read my own choices as well. 

I just learned our library has a "Good Reads Book Club" that meets every other month on the fourth Thursday at 7:00 PM. A slight downside is that there were two books for January, not just one. Hmm. If they meet every other month perhaps this is the pattern...? The picks for January were of the mystery genre and seemed interesting so I decided to read the first book and see if I wanted to read the second book. If so, I'd attend a meeting to see if I hit it off with the other members. 

On the library website, the blurb for the bookclub  read 

The Searcher and The Hunter by Tana French are the January books for the Good Reads Book Club. The books are the first two installments in Tana French’s Cal Hooper series. Join in person at the Civic Center Library in the Storytime Room on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m.

Unable to get both books in time for the meeting I bought The Searcher used from Amazon and checked out the second, The Hunter, from the library. Surely I can read two books in about 10 days, I hoped. This post is about The Searcher ©2020 by Tana French. I read it in about three days. It has more landscape and environment description than books I usually read, and so the pace is a bit slower; but I really liked the characters. I have tried very hard in my following review to avoid any spoilers.

Cal Hooper is a retired police detective from Chicago who buys and moves into a fixer upper bungalow in a quiet sleepy town in Ireland. He wants a life quieter than the one he had on the job in the city. Cal has a very garrulous neighbor Mart and is visited by a thirteen year old kid Trey who has a missing nineteen year old brother, Brendan. Trey demands Cal investigate and find what happened to Brendan. Cal helps in the search but feels his way about carefully. Cal is also leery about what approaches are acceptable in the country and what might alienate him from making progress. He is missing his forensic technology and high-powered computer backup from when he was officially on the force. Cal relies solely on his own experience and the input information he casually pries from locals. His manner in gleaning information from those he questions is impressive; it showcases his wisdom and people skills. 

The relationship between Cal and Trey is straight forward, no nonsense, and heart warming. The relationship between Cal and Mart is wry, bemusing, and complicated.  Cal is divorced and works hard to maintain a relationship with his adult daughter, still in America. All the relationships in this novel are well developed; they most certainly hold my interest and emotional investment. I will admit that, immediately after completing this book, I peeked into the first pages of the sequel The Hunter to see if the same characters play a role. I surprised myself to see how pleased I was to learn the answer was yes.

The disappearance of Brendan is the driver in this mystery but there is also a smattering of possible illicit drug intrigue, some slaughtered sheep, pilfering, and bodily injury type violence. Some of the violence and drug inferences I found a bit repulsive, but I guess there's gotta be some drama to hold the reader's interest. To divulge more details would hamper the reader's enjoyment as the author Tana French reveals the plot.

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience

Christmas 2024 Reminiscences (2 of 2)

Part 2 of my Christmas 2024 Reminiscences focuses on activities, not things: games we played, an extensive list of tasks Jeremy and Robin generously completed to help out Frank and me, and family gatherings we shared.

Games
Games were mainly trying out new Christmas gifts. Alex loved his new manipulative game for dropping circles into a playing board. Technically this was a Bingo line-up 4 and not a Connect 4 but it had two advantages. There was no bar beneath to slide sideways to release the stacked disks. Alex could contently play without inadvertently bumping the release and dumping the disks. He could start playing immediately and not have to check if the toggle bar was positioned correctly. Plus, how could I pass up those bright red and green colors for Christmas? Alex enjoyed it a lot; he enjoyed taking turns with Isaiah to play without the restriction of rules or color preferences. Isaiah, on his own, also liked the color patterns he created in solo play.

Alex loves his dancing Christmas tree. Even Jeremy danced along with Alex and his tree that sings a jazzy version of "Oh, Christmas Tree" while waving its arms, shaking its branches, and wiggling its bottom. You can see the tree performing starting at 2:00 in this YouTube video and ending at 3:01. Jeremy even jigged along with Alex as the tree sang and wiggled. After each performance, Alex is sure to give his tree a love. This tree is not a new 2024 addition, but has been a true Christmas tradition for Alex for many years now. Every year we take it to the St. Denis Home for a few weeks around the holiday to entertain the clients and staff.

We've had this inflatable ringtoss game for a few Christmases now and folks like the challenge. You can see the game in action, included two grandmas inflating it, in a picture from 2022 and in my post for Christmas 2022.

Isaiah and Autumn played several games of Christmas checkers with each other or with a parent or with a grandparent. I bought three of these sets when Robin and Dan were little and each Robin and Dan have a set in their own home. The novelty of Grandma's house makes it a bit more enticing to play here, though.

Friday night, Robin and I took Autumn and Isaiah to Lost Worlds Adventures in Livermore, a dinosaur themed play zone, to blow off some steam. The place was quiet that night and Isaiah had wanted to play laser tag but there were not enough customers to do so. The place was great and rose to fix the situation. Some of the staff joined in as players to fill the gaps so the interested kids could still have the fun experience. 

Sunday was the middle of the visit and we picked up Alex and went bowling. We bowled two games: the first was Oxenford versus Chambers; Robin won with a score of 113. Then we mixed it up and did parents/grandparents versus kiddos. It was a pretty balanced competition but, alas, I have no photo of the final scores. I could never time taking the shot without the orange rectangle overlay.The important thing was that we all had fun, and it was a pair of friendly games. Isaiah got a bit tuckered out a one point. Real nap or fake pose...? I'll never tell.

We had pizza for lunch and then posed in front of the bowling alley's Christmas tree for photos - with Santa of course. I remember taking Vivian and Lillian bowling here one time at Christmas. One ran off in one direction, the other in an opposite direction and in the ensuing chaos somebody knocked over poor Santa. Aaah... memories. These pictures are memorable for another reason. Autumn is smiling and willing to pose. Those pre-teen years often bring about a photo-taking aversion. 

Jeremy, Isaiah, and I played  a few boisterous rounds of The Hot Dog Card Game from Dog Man. It is a fast-paced game of memory and the player who "eats" the most hot dogs wins!

A very popular activity was operating a combination bank/slot machine that I wrapped up as a joint present for Frank and Alex. Alex loves banks so that aspect was for him. When Frank was a child, his mother loved to play the slot machines at the Rod 'N Reel restaurant during their summer vacation at the Chesapeake Bay so I thought that aspect would be nostalgic for him. Frank's family affectionately called the casual eatery the "Rotten Eel". To this day Frank vividly remembers their crab cakes... and the slot machines. This gift soon became solely Frank's, not Alex's; but Frank shared generously with Autumn and Isaiah who also became very engaged in the slot machine operation portion. The slot machine lights up, sounds a bell, and dumps out coins when a "jackpot" is hit. Who'd have thought a last minute $5.99 purchase at a local drug store would have had such an impact. I've included a link to the Rod 'N Reel Resort showing its growth since its establishment in 1946.

One of the jigsaw puzzles we assembled was a 300 piece puzzle called Christmas Stories. The details were really fun to locate and discover. I must reveal, although this was my gift, I did not have the opportunity to participate very much. I was pre-occupied with playing Christmas checkers against various opponents. I will sheepishly admit that after our visitors left, Frank and I did the puzzle again so that I could feel I'd given his gift to me sufficient attention.😉

Another jigsaw puzzle, my gift to Frank, worked out really well as a joint venture. The 400-piece puzzle was arranged as four 100-piece puzzles, one each for a car of the train. They linked together when completed. The LEGO construction of the train added more interest to the image; it also added to each person's incentive to complete his assigned car.

 

Jeremy, Autumn, Isaiah, and Robin played Guess in 10 the Marvel edition. This card game has the players ask up to 10 questions to help identify the character on the playing card. It is really just a specialized, formalized game of 20 questions. Frank and I knew we would not have a prayer of a chance at knowing any of the answers; we are not of the Marvel world! I did gift Frank a version of the Guess in 10 the Disney edition where there was a finite probability we could be successful. We played it the following week with friends over a zoom call. Since we had the cards and our friends did not, they could only play the role of guessing. Alas, they could not even succeed in getting Mickey Mouse. Frank and I will have to play with each other. Not all gifts are winners...

Working hard

The visit was not all fun and games. Robin and Jeremy worked their buns off doing tasks we suggested we could use help with. Robin had assured us that Jeremy liked feeling useful. We put an optional to-do list on the white board trying to be sure that Jeremy would feel "useful" but not "used". He studied it and then calmly said, "I think we do all that this week". The biggest job was getting all the baby stuff from the attic: a pack 'n ply, a high chair, a car seat, a booster seat, a bouncy chair, and an oak crib complete with frame spring and mattress. It is now in our neighbor's garage awaiting deployment to a needy family in Livermore. There was scope creep I must admit. A set of hard maple bunk beds with associated desk and chair also made from out of our attic, out of our house, and ready for give-away. 

Jeremy made his mark other places as well, figuring out how and changing the light bulb in my sewing machine and in my sewing room ceiling light fixture. In our yard he trimmed the pepper tree and installed sprinkler head protectors and organized the outdoor shed. Amidst all this activity Robin and I managed to squeeze in a visit to my local quilt shop. After their visit, when Frank and I put away Xmas stuff, we were so impressed at how Robin had organized our attic. Today I dropped off lamps and a TV wall mount at Good Will, other treasures that had vacated the attic thanks to the efforts of Robin and Jeremy.

Family Gathering and Meals

Our first night we enjoyed a party pan of Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo I had pre-ordered from Strizzi's. Jeremy, Robin, Autumn and Isaiah had been up early enough to catch a 5:00 am flight from Oklahoma City so I expected them to be close to a zombie state by dinner time, even though we ate early. But the food went over really well. We recalled how a year earlier, when both Robin's and Dan's families had been in Livermore for Thanksgiving 2023, the dish (from Costco this time) had gone over well with one small hitch. The chicken had been layered on top and not mixed throughout. Since the six kids were served first, taking servings from the upper surface, the adults had fettuccine without any chicken. We did better this holiday. The Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (with chicken distributed) lasted two nights and the other nights Robin and Jeremy cooked, or we/they brought in takeout. I was not chief chef at all! 

New Year's Eve we all went to bed before midnight although the sound of mini-explosions made falling asleep difficult for a few. Every one was tired. I thought the pops and whistles were just noises from locals, but apparently the fairground, in the next town over, held fireworks. Autumn was able to watch them from her room, tucked in bed.

January 1st, our final night together we dined on a tilapia recipe Robin had made earlier in the week. It was so good we requested it again. There are two pictures that follow — one taken by Autumn and one taken by Isaiah. We wanted to be sure all were included. Improbable as it seemed with that number of folks, no one had an awful expression. We all seemed pretty happy.

After dinner, the night before they were to leave, rather than traipsing to a movie theater, Frank and I bought a copy of Wicked to view at home. This choice of venue was a smart option. We could take breaks and Autumn could sing along at the top of her lungs without disturbing a movie audience. Frank and I could have captions; we could go back to repeat certain scenes, or misunderstood conversations, or favorite songs. Some of the extravagant dance scenes with their extensive choreography and staging were impressive; we did not feel at a disadvantage since we did not see them on a big screen. Our large flat screen TV was big enough.

It was a great Christmas season. Although Frank and I were both a little under the weather with some temporary medical stuff, for short, intermittent stretches  the Oxenford presence certainly lifted our spirits. The pressure of "houseguests" and "entertaining" was lifted and we all just hung out and enjoyed each other in a low key mode. Yay — what a great start to 2025!