When Senior crafts go wrong

Other than that, Ruth, what seems to be the problem?

Goodbye, log cabin

Full of holes and tear, practically transparent in places, these quilts were loved. Sadly, it's time to go to the Big Bed in the Sky. Sniff!

Dashiki Dad

Cleaning out the attic. What could be more fun? Check out Dad in the dashiki I made for him when he was in graduate school. He's stylin'! Perfect with those pants. Just think Kenny--someday this will be yours.

Late Night Snack

I usually go to bed late (~1:30-2:00) so by 4:00 I am in my first deep sleep. Yesterday, Maureen wakes me up and says: I think your mother is upstairs opening drawers. It takes me a while to wake up and understand what she is saying. I trudge upstairs and she is completely dressed and roaming around in the upstairs main bedroom.
- Mom what are you doing? I say.
- Well, ‘tengo hambre’ I’m hungry, she responds.
- But, mom there is no food there.
- Well, sometimes there is food in my “poorse” but not today.
- Do you know what time it is?
- About 7:30?
- No mom it is 4:22!
I take her to her bedroom and sit her down on the couch; Maureen shows up with tea and cookies. We tell her to eat her snack and go back to bed. We don’t think she ever did, since Julia found her in the kitchen at 6:00 am when she came in. Also, later, we find tortilla chip crumbs in her bedroom.

Whizzer

Transportation in my town was simple and low tech. People walked, rode their bicycles, or hired a coche (most rides were 20 to 40 cents). In my family tio Angel had a three wheeled motorbike that he used to deliver his freshly made bread everyday (like those tut-tuts we see in Thailand or Guatemala), tio Nicolas had a Vespa, and tio Pancho (the rich one) had a woody station wagon. Everyone else had a bicycle, the women did not propel themselves but rode sidesaddle usually on the top tube. In addition to his bicycle, Papi had a red Whizzer, I thought the name was onomatopaeic, it is actually a brand name although its etymology is likely a reference to the sound of its powerful engine! Sometimes papi took the family out on a drive, mami rode in the back, Ruth on top of the gas tank and I balanced on the handlebars – great safety! Nonetheless we never crashed and I do not even remember ever being afraid. I do remember that soon after papi got the whizzer, tio cuco visited and cajoled papi into letting him ride it. We were standing in front of abuela Lola’s house and saw tio Cuco drive away from us and go for about four blocks. He then attempted to make a u-turn and drove into a large chopping block in front of a carniceria (butcher shop). Papi ran down the street while abuela fretted. Tio Cuco ended up with a broken clavicle and because he could do no wrong, abuela blamed papi.

The Great Fall

As I have mentioned before, I was supposed to be a very intelligent child. I don’t know why I kept that reputation in the face of abundance evidence to the contrary, but I did. I don’t remember which story came first but there were two similar incidents that clearly demonstrate my stupidity. There was a popular market/bazaar in town “La Plaza” it was built in 1859 and was crowned with a large cast iron dome. I believe this had been made in a foundry in Maine, I actually found a Maine postcard for sale on e-Bay detailing the dome and giving its provenance but I lost the reference. Anyway this was a cruciform two story market with a balcony around the periphery. Back in the day the place was bustling with activity, not empty like the recent picture shows. Of course it is easier for a market to be busy when it has things for sale! Thank you Fidel, viva la revolucion! Papi often took me there to shop, visit and gossip. One day while he was telling stories, or listening to them, I got away and decided it would be cool to explore the balcony from the outside. Next thing I knew there was a crowd below making a big deal of this little kid climbing around on the outside of the balcony. After what I imagined must have been a while papi came over and rescued me. I don’t know how papi ‘splained this story to mami once we got home.
A more serious incident, took place at the house in San Juan de Dios. The tall barred window was a great place to climb. Note the picture, you can’t see the top, but there is probably a couple more crossbars. In my wisdom I decided that it would be interesting to jump from various heights. This worked out fairly well as long as I was jumping off from the first few crossbars. However, I wanted to set a “world record” and climbed all the way to the top. When I jumped from that height I was not able to stay on my feet, toppled over and must have banged my head on the floor (it was tile.) I remember feebly calling for mami. Next thing it was late that afternoon or maybe the next day and I had no memory of the intervening time – concussion and surely the loss of a few brain cells. I was told about spending most of the day in the emergency room. If I was smart before, which is obviously questionable, I certainly was less smart after the fall. This must have evened the score between mami and papi, as mami was responsible for my care at home.