Friday, April 20, 2012

Beach Week Random Update

We've been at the beach for week but I've only actually made it down to the sand three times.  Whenever Charlie is with me it is a busy experience.  One day a trip inland to see an airplane and visit some friends, another day down to Miami to visit his sister who was in a freak car accident on Easter morning - (Note to everyone:  Always make certain your car is in park with the emergency brake on BEFORE you get out of the car.) We'll make another trip down there tomorrow.  Yesterday we visited another airplane, and today he's off flying around. I'm going to tidy around here because we have a guest arriving Sunday and hope to make it to the beach before the thunderstorms arrive this afternoon.

I've also spent some time calling in favors to help G find a job in Ann Arbor. I only have three good contacts in her field but they are all willing to do what they can for her. If she was in staying in DC/Baltimore this would be easy, but in that case she wouldn't need the job because she already has one!

Yesterday I had the strangest experience where someone thought I was apologizing for our family being Cuban.  I was chatting the the wife of the owner of the airplane Charlie was looking at.  She was very nice and had lived in the Washington area, loved sailing and had a son who loved racing sail boats, etc. We were talking about how our children got interested and so passionate about their sport and as an intro to how my son got his first sailboat I said "We are Cuban.." which was the intro to the explanation that Cuban girls have a Quinceaños (think coming out party for 15 year olds) but boys don't get anything so our son talked us into cheap (almost free) sailboat as his quince años gift.  But as soon as I said, "We are Cuban" this woman said, "That's ok."  I had no idea how to react so, after I blinked a couple of times, I just kept talking.  It's surprising how people's hidden prejudices emerge.

My friend with breast cancer has made it through her first round of chemo.  I'm sorry to not be there but people have picked up the slack and have kept her entertained.  Before I left we had found her a great wig and some nice hats and scarves as soon she will begin losing her hair.  I also got her started knitting a baby blanket for her to-be-born-in-September grandchild and she's making good progress. So far only have one visible mistake that I think we can do a bit of embroidery over to hide.  I'll practice my embroidery skills while I'm here as I haven't done any since I was in my 20's.  I do still remember how to do a french knot so we'll see how it goes.....




2 comments:

Cinderellen said...

That was an odd thing to say, wasn't it? Maybe she thought if you were Cuban his interest in boats came from your whole family being "boat People"? People are so strange.

naomi dagen bloom said...

It would have been so much more appropriate for her to be interested in your being Cuban.

Good luck with the embroidery practice. Besides what you can do with it, I used to like its portability.