Mike
and I are just back from two days in Spokane where we met daughter Hallie and
her family (husband Nick, their son Silas, and dog Primo). We were also joined
by son Murray to celebrate Silas’ second birthday. We stayed at an Airbnb.
It was wonderful to be together, but the stay did have some problems. While Mike is getting better, he still can’t sit, so I did the driving while he stretched out in the back of the Jeep with Bess, his phone, and a good book. Once at our destination, he was again stretched out on the floor most of the time. Bess was needier than usual and just wouldn’t settle down. Primo has a wound on his side and must wear a cone over his head, making it difficult for him to navigate in confined quarters – or for us to navigate around him.
Hallie and family have had experience with Airbnb, and I guess most of them are quality units. This was not one of those. It was okay, but for Hallie and Nick, who have spent the last ten years or so remodeling a small 1929 Tudor with an eye to quality, this house (a duplex) was shoddy. The neighborhood was also depressed.
But
– we made the best of it and had a good time. Saturday morning Hallie baked
Silas’ birthday cake, and at noon, we gathered round to sing “Happy Birthday,”
watch him open his presents, and eat cake. Of all his gifts, including a set of
big blocks in a carrying case, Silas’ favorite was the set of “Cat” construction
machines that decorated his cake. He also enjoyed playing with the handles on a
chest of drawers and running a penny in a groove on the coffee table. Who needs toys?
 |
| Grandpa Mike & Silas - matching shirts |
Saturday evening, Hallie and Nick left to attend a co-ed baby shower – the reason for the trip to Spokane in the first place – leaving Gramma Kathy in charge. Hah! Silas was in charge. “What will Mommy say when she comes back and you’re still up,” I asked. “You’re getting me into trouble.” He just grinned. But after all, I see him so seldom, and I was happy enough to have the time with him.
Another
highlight was a visit to Riverfront Park where Silas enjoyed playing on the big
red wagon. He’s somewhat fearless and loves tumbling around, but his first
trip down the slide on his own scared us all. Thereafter, he was happy enough
to slide with Hallie or Nick, but he kept sliding.
Mike
and I returned home Sunday afternoon. Murray, who had returned to town Saturday
afternoon, prepared a delicious dinner of stuffed green peppers for us. KW
5 comments:
So glad you got to go! BnB's can be iffy I've heard, but still it provided a place for you all to stay which was good. Love the pictures, the cake, and the matching shirts. Did you ride the merry-go-round at Riverfront Park? It came to Spokane the same year Dan's grandmother moved there--1911 as I recall, and she rode it back then. Our kids loved it and the sense of family history.
Hallie wanted to ride the carousel, but the hours didn't coincide with our activities. She decided that it wasn't so important this trip because Silas is still so young. I read that the carousel is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it's cool that Dan's grandmother rode it when it was new and it's still there to be enjoyed.
Love the cake!! Good job Hallie!
We have stayed at a great many very nice AirBnbs and a few not-so-great ones. It will be hard to be worse than the one that was a converted toolshed that had a padlock on the door and the "bathroom" was a tiny space with a shower curtain for a door. To shower, you would screw a handheld shower wand onto the sink faucet and try not to soak everything. The leaky pipe and black mold is really what secures that ones standing as Worst Stay Ever.
It was a lovely weekend with beautiful, warm, fall weather. The house and my heart felt empty when everyone left. Looking forward to the next visit!
I felt lonely, too, especially Sunday evening, but I still felt that it was best to move our paraphernalia out of the way. It was a good visit. We had a lot of fun.
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