Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, style, and food. Hope you have a nice stay!
All in Family
My mom’s memorial service was this weekend. I have another page which contains parts of the service (a life history, a slideshow, my memories of my mom through letters, me playing her favorite piano piece, and images of the program), but I’ve included the slide show below. While I have a lot memories I could write about, there are certainly too many for here; I think the ones I shared during the service cover a good cross-section.
I was in Southern California last month for my cousin Charlie's memorial service, who passed away in April. He was married to Sherry (the oldest of us first cousins), and next year would have been their 60th wedding anniversary. They have three children (and spouses) and eight grandchildren (with three spouses).
It’s that time of year for me to record a piano piece for my mom’s birthday. This one is a Chopin Etude, Op. 28, No. 9 in E.
Melody signed up for a literary translation conference in Tucson, so I tagged along. We went a few days early so she could also play tourist for at least part of the time. Melody hadn't been to Tucson before, while it's been about 40 years since I was last in the city.
This year’s recording for my mom’s birthday is the first movement, Modéré, of Ravel’s Sonatine in f# minor.
It’s my mom’s birthday again, so here’s another stab at recording my piano playing.
One night last month, Melody’s mom left a message. We found that she had done the same with Melody’s brother and sister, but no one was able to reach her. Melody finally connected and found out that Jean’s husband Ron had leukemia and didn’t have long to live. He passed away not long after, with all of his kids around him.
The day started with a relaxing morning and a loop going across the Rhine. We then went to the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, relaxed at a café, then went a bit out of the city to a party.
For our first full day in Cologne, we met up with Kellen and Noël to go through the Museum Ludwig, grabbed some lunch, did a short walking tour through the city, and got to chat with a friend of Noël's.
This year’s big trip is to visit Kellen and Noël who have been living in Germany for the past year and a half. After spending time with them in Cologne, we’ll head to the Alps, Munich, Salzburg, and Berlin. It’s been almost a quarter-century since Melody has been to Germany and over 40 years for me.
A while ago my dad let me scan some photos he had of his family from when he was young. The one I always go back to from 1936 has the most people, most of them old enough that I can easily tell who is who. I ran the picture through a colorizing service full well knowing it would be only a best guess at what colors went where. The result evoked a surprisingly strong reaction. I thought it would be appropriate to share since tomorrow would have been my grandparents' 107th wedding anniversary.
It’s become a tradition for me to record something for my mom’s birthday, and this year it’s a Chopin Prelude, Opus 28, No. 6, Lento Assai, in in B minor.
Traditions can come and go, but one that has been going for more than a half-century is my family gathering to make mochi for the new year. Melody and I also manage to play tourist for a day, and this year we walked along Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards.
Celeste being in town, we drove across the state to Spokane to visit Neal, their uncle. Rockwood had changed quite a bit the last time we were there, so we were looking forward to how much else was different.
Melody's sister Celeste came into town, so one of the things we decided to do was spend a few days in Vancouver to give her a taste of the city. It was a packed trip.
My dad’s family started doing family reunions a while ago, and each time it’s great to see everyone. At the last one, I was talking with one of my cousins about having a get-together with the cousins, which would be a smaller group. We could plan a long weekend and recapture the bond the cousins have had since we were all younger. Everything came together and this past weekend seventeen of us gathered in Chicago, spending time together and reconnecting during our first Cousins Retreat.
It's that time of year again. Today is my mom's birthday, so here's me playing Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum, the first piece in Debussy's Children's Corner.
This past Sunday was mostly taken up with spending time with Kellen and Noël before their move to Germany. Saturday, though, was a whirlwind of activity for us. We left the house mid-morning, and didn't get back home until late at night. In between we went to a food festival, saw giant boots, took a café break, wandered through sculptures, dropped by to see how Kellen and Noël were doing with packing, had dinner, and went to a concert (complete with pre– and post–concert activities).
As time goes on, I realize how much I do things like my dad. Several times when we were staying over, we would wake up to him having breakfast ready to be cooked. Just so, this morning I had waffles and bacon ready to cook once Kellen and Noël wake up after a long, hard day; they finished clearing out their apartment yesterday and are hanging out here for a couple nights before moving to Germany.
We once again made the annual trek to Southern California to be with family and play tourist for a bit, this time at Exposition Park. We also get the opportunity to thaw out a bit in the warmer weather.
