More trip stuff and what the hell is Elena buying now?

The trips just keep on comin... part two:

They arrived in Atlantic City on Monday in the late afternoon. They went to dinner at a place called the Playground. I’ve never heard of it, but then again I haven’t been to Atlantic City in more than fifteen, twenty years. Last time I went Trump was a harmless crackpot trying to run casinos down there. They went to dinner at ‘The Rainforest Cafe’. I thought they were all gone after it closed down in the Palisades Mall something like twenty years ago around 2004. They dranks some at dinner. After dinner they gambled and if you use Elena math, she left with money, I think. She put in so much, cashed out, put some more in and cashed out. So I don’t really know what she left with. I only know as the expression goes…’The House always wins.’

The next day, a Tuesday, they spent time at the zoo in Cape May. That’s an area I love with all the old houses. Wednesday, they were supposed to go to the beach, but ended up rummaging through antique stores. I used to love doing that when Nyack was chock full with them. They were home Thursday, but she stayed over at Matt’s house until late and went back to work on Friday. Not having spent enough money at Atlantic City, on Saturday Elena buys her bearded dragon a new tank. This is the third one she’d had in her room for him. I don’t believe she’s paid for all of them. There’s still more, as game shows used to say. She also purchased a 55 inch ( far corner to opposite corner) TV set from Best Buy. I don’t know if she did any research before buying it. If it was me at that age, I’d have woken up that morning and thought, “I want a big ass TV!” and went out and purchased it. Come to think of it, she at least thought, maybe even said “I want a big ass TV” and then thought or said, “Along with a new tank for my dragon.

I was drafted to help her with the TV and the tank. We put the tank in the front living room mainly because I didn’t want to take it up the stairs. The TV and the wall hanger we took up to the room. The wall hanger is heavier than the TV. I could have walked her 55 inch set up the stairs by myself. When I was living in a third floor walk up in Stony Point and I woke up one morning and said I wanted a big ass TV or the equivalent in 1989 cool dude. It took me three stops along the short route to catch my breath. Remember this was the thirty-one year old me. That TV was only 36 inches, considered big for the time, but it also had a tube and weighed a ton. I later rolled the set down my front stairs when I tried to move it with a hand truck, thinking I was smart, down the front stairs when I moved into the Nyack House. Teri bought me a replacement for it just as flat screens were getting popular. I rolled the second one sort of down the front stairs when we got our first flat screen. Since it is not my TV I am very careful and read the directions to mount the wall hanger for the TV. I even get the correct size drill bit and use the mounting diagram. It all goes smoothly. The brackets go on the back of the TV and it’s a nice light TV so Elena and I pick it up, a couple of wires and suddenly the room is lit up with that bright fluorescent glow of too much TV right next to her bed. Ahhh, the good old days when I’d do something like this.

The trips just keep on comin...

The trips just keep on comin... The title sounds like the tag line for WCBS-FM from the 80's. The hits just keep on comin. Elena is celebrating her birthday in a big way this year, but she’s doing it with Matt, not Teri and I AND yes, I knew this day would happen, but just like getting old and fat, I didn’t think it would happen so soon.

Her grand plan starts with going to a heavy metal concert in the Meadowlands. Matt and her plan to go by train. After last Friday, if I were Matt, I don’t think I’d want to be far from a car if I’m not close to home, but taking a train is also a great idea too. The only worry is waiting the crowds out to get on a train when the concert is over and you want to go home. The concert starts at 6PM, an odd time to start, but it is a Sunday and people have to go to work the next day, except her. She has the week off until Saturday. She is planning to go to Atlantic City for the week. It’s going to be weird not seeing her for most of the week. It will be the longest she's been away from us, since Teri and I adopted them back in 2009.

Before She left to go to the concert, a concert with Metallica, if I didn’t say, She is asked to send a few pictures. By the time the night is over, it feels like she has live streamed the entire concert. She took a pictures of her and Matt before the concert starts,then she sends little snippets every so often of the music. They arrive at MetLife, well lets just say the two of them must have beat the ushers to the stadium. They arrive about 4:30. The videos of the concert start about 6:20 showing the stadium. And I think Metalica went on around 9PM. Elena’s last concert snippet is about 10:30. She will text she is in Nanuet around 12:20 heading to Matt’s house. (and oh, yes, I’m sure she sleeps in grandma’s bed.) Today, Teri and I both texted her around 7AM telling her to be careful and have fun. She replied bright and early at 10:23.

It started pouring around 6 this morning and if Elena and Matt left when they wanted to they would have been stuck in traffic and the heavy storms.

At 10:47 Elena began complaining Matt was taking too long and she wanted to go. Elena and Teri exchanged texts about her bearded dragon and his desired humidity levels. They left around noon and entered Atlantic City a little after 3PM to blue skies.

Their trip is covering most of this week and God, keep her safe and smart.Just received a picture from her, they are checking in now (4:29)

Another trip already, well, it is summer...

As most strange trips happen, this one showed up out of nowhere, turns on a dime and suddenly I’m not sitting at home in front of dinner watching TV. Wait, I just used that.

How about, it’s summer and the living is… no, wait, did that one too. The trip, the best parts the trip, no damn, used that one several times, all the way back to Russia. Well maybe we can just ease into it by saying I’ve just seen a face, I can’t forget the time or place, she’s just the girl for me and I want all the world to see we’ve met…mmmm… no that’s a Beatles song. Do you know growing up I thought you spelled beetles BEATLES, I didn’t get the play on words for years. (Beat- les, musical beat- les) Well, Teri and I went on a trip Sunday, yesterday and yes, hadn’t I ‘ve gone on enough lately, but this one was important and I thought might be fun. Teri has the possibility of working at a place in the Bronx across the street from the bat near Yankee Stadium. There were so many times I’d meet friends at the refurbished stadium at the bat. Little did I know all these years later after they tore down the ‘House that Ruth built’ I’d be taking distant pictures with my phone (A phone of all things, not a camera!!) of a new stadium…where the Yankees can’t seem to win a World Series.

We plan to leave the house at 10, Teri time and opposed to Muller time we leave at 10. Before we leave she puts the address in her GPS unit and it gives her three routes to take. And like deja vu all over again I’m questioning the program again. Could this be where skynet really becomes sentient (You better be getting the Terminator reference!!) The program keeps mentioning the McCombs Dam Bridge, the same one I crossed over on the previous Friday (There’s no toll, I’ll cross over it as often as I can.) but we don’t need to go into Manhattan. I keep pointing this out to Teri and she keeps not understanding what I’m saying. It gets more fun when we cross the Tappan Zee Bridge (Don’t even go there, we had this discussion during Friday’s trip) and I tell her to just follow the directions. She replies, and in hindsight, I understand, “ You told me not to follow the directions to the McCombs Dam Bridge.” Somehow we get started. We cross the bridge (Yes, I’m leaving it alone this time) Teri asks me if she is to follow 87 or 287? I don’t know numbers and I also see an opportunity to tell her about the time Elena and I approached this same intersection and how I told her how they had changed the way the road is built to reflect how traffic has changed. I think she told me to stop before she fell asleep, if she didn’t I’m sure she was thinking that. I get past the 87, 287 and the reconfigured exit 6 drama and are headed toward the Bronx. We see signs for Stew Leonard. I told her about the time I went to that store and they were giving out free chocolate chip cookies. It was a short story, I think she appreciated that. We calculated the price of tolls if she was to take this job at about $2,000.00 a year in current tolls. They're going up some time in the future.

We take exit 5 off the Major Deegan drive along deserted parking lots and at some point don’t make a turn which causes us to have to turn around. We find the location. It’s within a few hundred yards of the bat. Surrounded by parking garages. We park on an empty street. There’s no, well almost no one. A red Toyota is parked. We park behind it, so no one will notice us parked behind the red Toyota, on the empty street with all the ‘no parking signs’. We walk to the building, find the front door. It has a solid roll down gate with a camera, a reminder that this is still the Bronx. We find the correct parking lot she might park in if she accepts the job. I take those pictures of the bat, the empty street and the far away stadium. We’re there for maybe ten minutes. She’s done all the reconnaissance she needs to do. She wants to go. I ask her if she wants to approach the company and not make the wrong turn again, she says, “No, she is fine, she wants to go.” So we go. She drove so conservatively going down to the Bronx, I was very concerned if she could drive to this job without issues. On the way home, it’ll all different. She didn’t touch the third lane going down and was reluctant to pass anyone, she drove like an old person, (Yes, like an old lady!!) On the way home it was all 180 degrees different. I asked her about it and she admitted to being nervous. She said she’d be more comfortable going down to Newark at 7AM because she’d driven that route so often before, than going to the Bronx, right now. We have a late breakfast, brunch at the old Hogan’s Diner in Nyack, now just the Nyack Diner and we were home before Elena is out of bed. At 1PM her mother wakes her up by getting into bed with her.

A long strange trip

As most strange trips happen, this one showed up out of nowhere, turns on a dime and suddenly I’m not sitting at home in front of dinner watching TV. I was going to visit my mom yesterday when Teri called me and asked me to stop off at Rite Aid to pick up a prescription for Amanda. I told Teri okay and made a right turn to head toward Rite Aid instead of my mom’s. On occasions like this I alway hope that skipping seeing her is not a mistake. Yes, I’m being positive she would never intentionally leave, but some things are beyond everyone's control. Tonight, Friday I decided to again go see my mom. Lately she and Bruce are alway in front of the TV. It being too hot to do much outside. I arrive around twenty after five. I sit and the three of us start talking about random things. She asks about Teri and her job hunt, the girls and their boyfriends. Earlier in the day, about 4:17, Elena texts that Matt might be joining us for dinner.Teri says, “That’s fine, I’m making meatballs. At 5:10 she texts she is not home for dinner. Something came up with Matt and she is going to get him. At 5:16,Teri asks where she is getting him from? She doesn’t answer. Seven minutes pass and I look at the texts. Something is up and I ask her where she is going to pick him up? She answers, Long Island. I immediately get on the phone to call her. She picks up quickly. I’m guessing she was hoping someone would go with her. I ask her what is going on and why she is going to Long Island to pick him up. She gives me an answer I have trouble comprehending. I hear the words, but they don’t have meaning.I tell her to come to Grammy’s and pick me up, she can’t go alone. I did expect her to fight about it, but while writing this I realize she wanted someone to go with her. While I wait for her to show up My mom keeps telling me to sit down and relax. I tell her I can't. I'm so angry. Teri calls and I tell her what I can. I don’t know at this point how Matt got out there and why he has no car to get home with. Teri tells me not to be angry with Elena, or Matt. And I’m really not angry at them. I’m angry that it is Friday at 5:45, we need to cross the Tappan Zee Bridge (Just stop, there is no Cuomo Bridge!) go the Cross Westchester Expressway, cross the Throgs Neck Bridge, and then transverse Long Island all the way to Amityville (yes, this is a horror- come on now the movie, Amityville Horror. It may have aged poorly, but at one time…!!Just like the Exorcist!!) This trip we’re taking is going to get us back home at 10:00, if we’re lucky and don’t hit traffic. She pulls up a little before 6:00 and off we go. Elena has programmed her phone to tell us how to go. In the old days I reach into my milk case of tri-state maps and select the relevant maps to guide us on our journey. Well since Google Maps and the internet, I’ve thrown all my maps away. That’s not completely true. I saved them in my garage for ten years just to make sure I didn’t need them and I threw them out just recently.. Whatever program she is using has us going over the George Washington Bridge. I tell Elena,at $16.00 we’ll cross the Tappan Zee Bridge (Don’t get me started again!) Her map program adjusts quickly and it is just as happy to guide us going over the Tappan Zee Bridge. I do believe the map program really doesn’t care we saved somewhere around $10.00 just on a left turn down RT 59 instead of up RT 59 toward the Palisades Parkway.

Once over the bridge and yes Elena is driving I explain, like a guide on a New York City bus tour how originally the road went toward the Bronx and how now the exit look more like where the road goes because most people want to go to White Plains and not the Bronx.I’ll get into the Bronx later. If I had my handy maps with me I’d have gone the Cross Westchester to I95 to The Throgs Neck Bridge. No, not modern technology. Now it may have saved us time sitting in traffic, or it may have wanted us to sample a little bit of all the roads between Rockland County and Amityville and oh yes, the horror of it all! We go, Cross Westchester, to Sprain Brook, where I relate to Elena the fascinating story how when I was her age the Sprain Brook ended just after where we got on and the road would alway be empty, so we’d take it to Yankee games. Or I wanted to avoid boring her and said the road used to end back there. I don’t remember. We head down the Sprain, hit a little traffic and the program tells us it is time to embark on a quick scenic trip of the Cross Bronx Expressway. And hey, it gave me a chance to tell one of my Bronx stories( See I told you, I’d get back to the Bronx.) My story she is not so impressed with. It is a tale of empty burned out building in the 70’s and how it was an eerie waste land reminiscent of a science ficton or horror film (oh, the horror of it all) After a few minutes we exit the Bronx and head toward the Cross Island Parkway. I tell her my story about trailering my boat on the Cross Island, a road where only cars are allowed and how I was taking a girl out on my boat I liked, want to impress and the cops got on their loud speaker and threw us off the road. I made a mistake. We crossed The Throgs Neck Bridge, then took the Cross Island to the Long Island Expressway. I expected us to stay on that road, but nooooo, the program sent us to a connecting road and we ended up on the Southern State Parkway. It’s a road that didn’t prompt a story so much as a cautionary tail, or maybe a proverb, definitely not a haiku. Whatever it was I told her this was another old road built for less traffic going at a slower speed and over the years they have added lanes to make it even more dangerous.So she should be careful. This whole trip she has driven like a pro. She has been careful and patient. She honks her horn when someone cuts in front of her, but this is New York, so it’s expected. Sometime around 7:30 we pull onto this quiet side street just past some brand new right on the street, in your face condos. I’m sure they’ll go for over a million each (All you future people, at one time a million dollars was a lot of money, not what you use to tip your waiter in your time) We pass the right turn we need to make, but a second one appears that is just as good. We ask a guy walking (me ask a guy for directions? Yeah, Elena told me to do it otherwise I might still be looking for building 11) In front of building 11, standing there, waiting for the last several hours is Matt. Elena gives him a Forest Gump wave, you know when Forest is on his boat and sees lieutenant Dan on the dock.(Future people, you better know that movie, it’s a classic!)

Matt works as security in a hospital in upper Manhattan. He is having issues with his boss and as an outsider looking in with limited information, it looks to me like they want to get him to quit. He is told to ride with the ambulance crew who is taking a person to another hospital in Amityville. When they drop off the person the crew tells him they are not allowed to have passengers in the ambulance and can not take him back to the hospital in Upper Manhattan. Matt calls his boss who tells him he is on his own. So he calls Elena, who looks like she is very much in love with Matt and who was willing to drive all the way to Amityville on Long Island to get him.The people inside the Amityville hospital are just as kind as the people who stranded Matt and have locked the door so I can’t use the bathroom. (No problem,I dealt with it, no, I didn’t find a tree, I waited.) The program (sounds like the bad guy in a low budget horror film (and yet again, Oh, the horror) you’d think would send us back the way we came at least most of the way before we veered toward Manhattan, BUT NOOOOO!!!! It starts out the same.Rt 110 to Southern…then suddenly the Wantagh and other words Elena could not pronounce who is now doing my job, tech support and is reading the directions. I won’t bore you with all the roads we take. Lets just say if we didn’t drive on them coming down, we did on the way back. We end up back at Matt’s job sometime after 8:30. He gets out and Elena and I head home. She tells me in an aside that she needs to stop because she has her period. I'm okay with hearing that, I mean she is a girl and Nastia doesn’t not talk about hers. It is a little surprising when Elena talks about hers. The bigger surprise is when she says she was getting a little nervous because it was late. Now Elena admitting to femine issues is one thing but her in an asside to me that she is sexually active is like BigFoot. There are reports about it, but they can neither be confirmed or denied. Still when I was her age all I wanted to do was have sex, so I’ve tried to be cool about their sex lives. If I got upset about it,they’d just hide it.So I accept it. At moments like this when she admits something like this I always think back to the abuse they suffered in Russia. I know some of what Nastia suffered and I know there were four tramas Elena’s therapist wanted her to talk about, so I tell her I am happy she is having sex and I hope she is enjoying it and is being safe. She says she is. We then talk about soaking, and something disgusting that I won’t talk about. I’ve probably said too much anyway. We get home, after a stop at McDonalds to eat a little before ten. Yes, what a long, strange trip it's been.

A movie, and going drinking with their Dad while Sean's on a cruise.

It’s summertime still, and the living is easy still, depending on where you live. In Phoenix, the temperature is over 117 this week. Around here each day, mostly, you get rain. It is bad upstate where a storm washed roads away. I have an orange bucket and it looks like five, six inches or more of rain this month have filled it. Up until yesterday, only Elena had been in the pool and that was back around July 4th. Teri went to dinner with some friends. Her friend Michelle is retiring and it is a cause to celebrate. They went to Bonefish Grill. That left dinner up to me. I wanted Yankee Tower Meatloaf, but Elena wasn’t home (She’s out with that man(?) Matt again. So that left Nastia and Sean for dinner with me. I switched gears after a text from Teri and decided to make tacos.

Nastia and Sean went swimming. I didn’t mind, it left me to cook by myself in peace and quiet. It also gave Nastia time to wear her brand new thong bikini. I asked her later if her mother knew she had it? She said no. I might have noted when we were at the beach last week or so ago I asked Teri after seeing a lot of cheeks at the beach, what would she do if Nastia wore a thong? I thought her answer was a shrug and what could we do? I did mention the thong later that night to Teri and she complained about Nastia’s lack of cash to pay her debts, but not directly about the thong. Sean, Nastia and I ate dinner at about seven thirty. Tacos came out good and we almost polished off two pounds of meat, a bit of a surprise. Sean is going on a cruise for the next week, so the three of us sat and watched Guardians of the Galaxy. Sean left about 9 Pm to get home to leave the next day. Sean left on Thursday. On Saturday we go to the movies. The girls join us. Teri thinks it would be fun to take a gummy before the movie. I’m the driver, so I don’t. Plus that crap doesn’t do anything to me except make me uptight these days. I remind Teri to take only a half. The other half?? I guess you’ll never know. I’ve been asked not to say. It’s an eight O’Clock movie. I’ve been invited to go to a bar with the girls after the movie. Most nights I would not be in the mood to go. On the way to drop off Nancy and head home. Teri gets a little silly. I’m not supposed to tell anyone what she’s done because not everyone knows about it. At home I ask Teri if she is okay for me to go with the girls. She says she is fine. It’s about 11 PM as we head out. I’m thinking it’ll be a short night. The way Nastia talks about The Last Chance Saloon, it doesn’t stay open late. We walk in and the bartender walks around from the bar and gives Nastia a big hug as she asks him how he is and what happened to him to keep him out of work.

Nastia has this ability to make anyone she wants be her best friend. She did it with the women at the pizza palor and now Joe, the bartender at the Last Chance Saloon.Nastia and I get seats at the bar, Elena prefers a table close by, but far enough away to talk to her boyfriend, Matt. Nastia and I talk about this and that while Elena talks to Matt. I order a screwdriver, Nastia tastes it and orders Vodka and Pineapple juice after giving a face telling me she doesn’t like it.

Nastia asks me if I’d like to play pool. I haven’t played pool in about as long as I haven’t hung around in bars, I say yes. Nastia grabs a dollar and goes over to the table. Like the price of drinks, the price of playing pool has gone up since I’ve played. Back at the West Nyack Inn, playing pool was 50 cents and drinks like I ordered were not $7.00. We play a game and I do well, but forget to call the eight ball and sink the cue ball also, so I lose. A guy sitting at the bar talking to Nastia offers to play two on two. We played a couple of games. Elena started the night not drinking anything but the Mountain Dew she bought with her. She asks what I’m drinking and wants one. After one taste she is pouring Mountain Dew into it saying it is not that good, better with Mountain Dew in it. She switches to what looks like cranberry juice.

It’s now after one, quickly heading toward two. Nastia has ordered another drink. To me she seems like she has had too much. Whenever she goes up to play pool, I drink some of it. She finally notices it. The bartender, whose name is also Joe and the barfly playing with us, say they know nothing about it. Before drinking most of her drink I’d had four screwdrivers and I don’t drink alot at one sitting any more. I know it is time to leave when no one can sink a ball on the table. Plus the four of us and the bartender are the only ones there. We leave. I have my arm around Nastia. She is either really drunk or acting. Sometimes it’s a little difficult to tell. She is a small person and I imagine it doesn’t take much to get her drunk. We walk up the street talking. Elena tells me as we get closer we have to follow her into the house because she used to sneak out late at night to go visit Matt at the park. Nastia tells Elena she told me that story already and I know. The truck driver's mouth in Elena comes out and she has a few choice words for her sister.

When we reach the property, Nastia makes a production of climbing the little hill on the north lot going down on her hands and feet to climb it. I help her up the slight incline because that is who I am and it’s also how some women, Nastia, have me twisted around their finger. We go quietly through the side gate and attempt to open the back door. We are being very quiet. The door creaks a little, but no Mesha barking. I don’t know what sets the dog off, but she starts barking once we are inside. Elena and Nastia head upstairs, still trying to be quiet, I go down to the basement to change. Nastia wanders down to the cellar to say good night to me. I hug her and suddenly she goes limp in my arms. I’m wondering if she is ok. I lean in and put an ear next to her nose to hear if she is breathing. She quietly is breathing. I straighten up and wonder where to go from here, when she gives out a sudden gasp, surprising me. I ask quickly if she is ok. I don’t think she realized she fell asleep or passed out. Whatever it was, I doubt she remembers it. She goes up and I follow just a few minutes before the clock touches two AM. I crawl into bed, Teri doesn’t move. I shut off theTV and for me, the odd night out drinking with my daughters ends. Will I do it again, maybe, I didn’t think I’d do it this night.

Elena and Matt again venture south, while Nastia and Sean head to the great northern territories of Orange County

It’s summertime and the living is easy. Oh to live in summer ten months a year, with a week of Fall, a week of Winter and two weeks of Spring. Short of that we’ll just have to take what we get. Everyone is going to some place because it is high summer, you know, reread the first sentence.

Elena decided to go to the beach with Matt. They wanted to go to the beach today, Thursday July 13th, but the weather said it was going to be cloudy and overcast with a chance of thunderstorms. THe weather people got it wrong, it's great out. Yesterday was good too, so they didn’t sacrifice anything going yesterday. Elena stayed up a little later on Tuesday getting everything together for the trip. She had a cooler bag and whatever else together for the trip. Oh, yes her tent (see previous beach day for how great the tent is.) She’d planned to leave at 7:30 and get to the beach early. Plans didn’t go as planned. They kind of Muller timed on her, you know. She wanted to get there at 9:30 and ended up leaving about then, yeah, Muller time.

She was driving. Teri and I had asked her to be careful driving down there the night before and she gave a sarcastic reply. I then said to her, “Even if you don’t mean it, please say it like you do.” surprisingly she did. We both know she will be careful driving down there. We just need to hear her say it so we can feel we've done our parenting best to keep her safe. Even though at this point in life we are just influencers. You know those annoying people usually online with opinions that for some reason people listen to. She left, just a little late, picked up Matt (got to speak to that boy about being a man a little more and doing things like driving more. You know, he needs to be a twentieth century man, like me. Yes, it’s a joke, but only halfly(Spell check says ‘halfly’ isn’t a word. It should be. It means there is some truth to it, but I’m hiding it in humor. Or according to my family, I’m just writing a lot of words because it’s not funny or subtle)) Again new paragraph, back to the subject at hand. She picks Matt up, they stop at an ATM and then and only then get on the road. They hit traffic, yes, in the Oranges, don’t we all. And they are down there at about 11. The weather is nice. I assume they set up her tent, go in the water, and eat some lunch. I don’t know because the book of Elena doesn’t open to those pages. It will open up with a text about 4:54 when Teri will text asking what time they will be home. A positive ‘not sure, just packing the car.’ is texted back. Elena’s mother falls for her trap when she asks, “should I feed the dog?” If you’re not a big fan, she blows hot and cold toward the dogs, what would you say to that? Ah, you’d say , no. So, YES, like in a New York minute she does.

Relieved of the thought (hey, she didn’t even give it that.) of having to feed the dogs, she is free to eat out dinner (I’m sure she was going to do it anyway.). They eat dinner at Jumbo’s Bar and Grill on the Boardwalk at the beach. She sends a picture of her sushi nachos. Her mother, envious, askes, “ohhhhh where???” Elena, On the Boardwalk. Very good. The clams were aaammaazzzinng, mmm”. She is being evil as we are eating leftovers trying to get to a town concert with the Amish Outlaws. And yes, some of them are Amish. Teri tells her to save any leftovers. Elena, well satiated (to completely satisfy yourself or a need, especially with food or pleasure, so that you could not have any more) tells her, “No leftovers. I swallowed everything down.” We go off to the concert and on our way home around 9:30, she texts she is home. A big surprise.

Nastia on the other hand gets out of work early, meets up with Sean at the house and takes his car to a relative’s house for a BBQ or maybe just dinner. Nastia is getting a little like Elena. I have to ask if I want information. When I get home and before I change for the concert, I spend time calling her and Sean’s phone. I know they are probably alright, but just like Elena saying she’ll be careful driving, I need to hear it from Nastia. After a while Teri says to give it up. Shortly afterwards Nastia calls. I remained calm and explained to her it would have been nice to receive a text from her letting us know that she got out of work early and she and Sean headed up to Orange County. She says she’s sorry, what else can she say or I do except tell her to be safe and have fun. She arrives home later in the evening then us saying she had fun and everyone there was asking her where she was putting all the food she ate. Nastia went into detail about what she ate. I don’t remember what it was, except it was a long list. At Thursday’s dinner she will talk some about her evening. Elena, she’ll be out with Matt again and come home just before 11. Again, ah, to be young, in love and think you have money, I’m so jealous.

Seaside Rendezvous Song by Queen

It's that time of year again.It’s time to go to the beach. It’s the same, but different now. We all go to the beach, at least for now, as a family. It’s different because now the girls take a separate car. It was supposed to be a group of nine or ten. Sallyann and her family were going, but Katie got sick and they couldn’t make it. So the group was down to seven. The girls still wanted to go on their own. So We said we’ll meet you down there at the parking lot on Hamilton Ave. They arrive first and park on Hamilton. We’re still a half hour away, so I tell them we’ll meet them on the beach. Yes, this opens things up to misunderstandings and all those other good things. We arrive on Hamilton about half an hour later, drive down the road and pull into the lot on the right side of the road. We pay our $15.00, unload the too much stuff to bring to the beach stuff and go towards the closest walkway to the beach. It’s almost straight ahead. Where else would someone who parked on Hamilton go?

Sean goes down Hamilton, but goes to the left side of the road's parking lot. He parks all the way down in the lot toward the next road over. So the closest walkway is not the one closest to where we park. I’m dragging a wheeled cooler,carrying Elena's tent,a chair and an umbrella. Teri has a chair and a bag, maybe two. We over packed considering the ice tea and the Mountain Dew for Elena is never touched. I wanted a gallon of water and lots of ice to fill the rest of the space. Teri had us ditch the beach cart because the wheeled cooler has wheels. In sand it’s more like a bulldozer, it just pushes the sand in front of it. I’m in jeans because I don’t like myself and want to suffer in the 90 degree heat and humidity. It is so foggy I can’t see the water. We trudge through the sand. It feels like we are in a survival movie, lost in the desert. I’m pulling half the beach in front of this cooler. ‘

Before we even stepped on the beach, I call Nastia and Elena. No answer on their phones. I guess you can’t take it in the water. Nancy, good old helpful Nancy had gone ahead, found where they were, stood up and waved. Then sat back down. I guess I can give her a pass, she didn’t know two idiots have over packed for the beach. We arrive where the girls have set up their camp. Teri wants to set up here, she’s tired. I don’t like it. I thought it, but didn’t express it. Yes, I’m getting better,but I think, it's like going to a strip club. Why go if you’re going to sit in the back row. So I want to move closer to the water, Teri is done walking. I say I’m going, she says, good bye. I set up on a little hill where the beach crests toward the water. It’s nice, I like it. Teri joins me and then pesters her sister to join. She wants people she cares about to be around. Finally Nancy moves about half way closer. She’s behind us, but near to the girls and their boyfriends.

The girls don’t consider moving once. I forgot, in all that crap Teri and I hauled was a small pop up tent Elena forgot to bring. She sets it up and she and Matt get comfortable inside it. I set up the two chairs, trying to make Teri a little more comfortable because she did move for me. I try to use the beach umbrella stand. First time it goes in rough and it’s in the wrong place. The second time it goes in better, but again it’s in the wrong place. I give up and jam the umbrella into the sand and sit down in my chair. I drenched with perspiration. I try to dry off. Teri is sitting next to me, the girls and their boyfriends are in the water.

About an hour later Nastia and Elena are looking for food. Teri tells them they were responsible for their own stuff and should have brought some. She then gives them her potato chips. They finish off most of them. Teri notices Nastia's top is inside out. Nastia puts on Teri's beach cover which is incidently also inside out and goes through the process of flipping her top right side out. Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a girl on the beach with her top on inside out, so Nastia, I love her.

Later we go onto the broadwalk looking for a place to eat. Usually that leads to a place whose name I forget. They have okay food that is pricey. I lean over to Teri and tell her this. Walking south we encounter a new place. There are no menus in the windows and no one is sure whether to go in. Someone, most likely Teri says lets try it and we go in. It has a deck overlooking the water, but it is so hot and humid we pick indoors with the air conditioning. The girls and Sean go a little crazy ordering drinks and appetizers. Teri orders a soup and onion rings. I ordered an onion burger with fries. The food is really good. My burger was something like $17.00, but worth it. The girls and their boyfriend want to split the bill and try to get the waiter to do it, but it gets confusing. So each couple and Nancy look at the bill, Teri and I step in when necessary and help them claim their portion of the bill and some tip money. Somewhere it goes haywire because Teri and I are still left with about $100.00 of the bill (total with tip $242.00 for seven people) Teri says at least there was an attempt to do it correctly.

Back on the beach well fed, the girls and their boyfriends go back into the water (what happened to that old wives tail about waiting 45 minutes after eating. Those old wives always have something to say.) Teri and I sit for a while, then walk in to mid calf deep in the water, then go hunt for seashells with Nancy. We return, it’s 4:45 and the kids (that is easier than the girls and their boyfriends, but that makes me the old man I don’t want to be.) are packing up to go get something on the boardwalk and go on a ride at the pier. I’m feeling like that old man suddenly and I’m thinking about all this crap we’ve lugged into the middle of the Sahara desert. I do a very un-Joe Muller thing and ask for help. Sean says they'll contact us shortly to help with all this crap.

A while later we are packing up and we get a call to see if we need help, much welcomed help. And Nastia you keep asking if I like Sean! Relieved of much of the crap it’s one trip to the car, then a quick trip for ice cream.

Teri is so pleased with the day she lets me drive home. She comments how I don’t like driving her car. I correct her and tell her I don’t like driving her car when she is in it. She does take the hint and her directions on how to drive and what lane I should be in are minimal. She does get upset when a car pulls in front of us, we’re in the left lane going 80. The car kind of looks like it wants to go back into the center lane. He drifts toward it some, then rides the line between lanes. This pisses me off, I then realize he’s drowsy. I change to the center lane and pull up alongside him and lean on my horn. I then yell at him through the closed window. The horn was for him, to wake him up. The yelling was for me. Teri didn’t like either and tells me so. I pass him. At mile marker 136 traffic slows and stays slow through the Oranges. We arrive home around 8.Immediately the dogs are let out and then Teri and I are in the shower. The others (that doesn’t sound right, sounds like something out of a horror movie) arrive not too long after us. I don’t ask how their trip was. I'm tired and just glad they’re home safe. It was a very hot and humid day, but I enjoyed it and would do it again, just with less crap. Lyrics Seaside, whenever you stroll along with me Merely contemplating what you feel inside Meanwhile, I ask you to be my Clementine You say you will if you could, but you can't I love you madly Let my imagination (run away) with you gladly A brand new angle highly commendable Seaside rendezvous I feel so romantic, can we do it again? Can we do it again some time (I'd like that) Fantastic, c'est la vie mesdames et messieurs And at the peak of the season The Mediterranean This time of year, it's so fashionable I feel like dancing in the rain Can I have a volunteer? (Just keep right on dancing) What a damn jolly good idea It's such a jollification as a matter of fact So tres Charmant, my dear Underneath the moonlight Together, we'll sail across the sea Reminiscing every night Meantime, I ask you to be my valentine You say you'd have to tell your daddy if you can I'll be your Valentino We'll ride upon an omnibus and the casino Get a new facial Start a sensational Seaside rendezvous, so adorable Seaside rendezvous, hu-u-u Seaside rendezvous, give us a kiss

Forth of July and Elena spends more time with Matt.

Every so often I go off the path and go into the weeds of life. You know that place,everyone has it. It’s a place that you know you shouldn’t go, but you do anyway. For me today that weedy patch of ground is pictures. I love to take pictures of the girls to the point that they hate it, sometimes. I’m big into genealogy. My family tree goes back many generations and the oldest picture I have is from the late 1800’s. It’s of that scallywag (definition:a person who behaves badly but in an amusingly mischievous rather than harmful way; a rascal. From the distance of 100 years anyway.), Richard Madison Smith. He married four times, but never bothered to get a divorce and he sold patent medicine (The term "patent medicine" has become particularly associated with drug compounds in the 18th and 19th centuries, sold with colorful names and even more colorful claims.) made mostly of madeira wine. When the girls graduated elementary school there was a moving up day ceremony. During the ceremony pictures of the students were shown on a screen, then a baby picture followed. The problem for the girls was the youngest picture we had of them was Nastia was maybe eight and Elena was maybe seven. It’s one of the saddest thoughts sometimes, you know off in the weeds thoughts.

Elena and Matt are back on again. She is going over to his house. She has slept over his house a couple of times. There is no mention of sleeping in grandma’s bed any more. I asked Teri about the permissive attitude we have raised the girls in since we adopted them. I was heading toward their rough first years of life with my point when she said “They are over twenty-one and they could move out.” I kept my mouth shut. The words ‘our house, our rules’ pushing against my front teeth, waiting for me to open my mouth, but I swallowed first.

The highlight of the weekend might have been the fireworks. I asked Sean to purchase some over in Pennsylvania one day when he was visiting his dad in Port Jervis. I asked for bottle rockets, sky rockets and roman candles, things I remember from my childhood. We shot them off after dark, between rain storms and they were fun, but not very impressive after watching the professional displays. The fourth was a big nothing celebration for us this year. It was small. Nastia and Sean went to an Aunt's house and were back in the late afternoon. Amanda, her baby KJ,Elena, Nancy, Teri and I were the only ones I cooked for. It was just hamburgers, hot dogs and salads, egg and potato on the menu and it rained twice during the day. That night we headed down to the Nyack fireworks. Last year the big memory wasn’t the fireworks, but the girl we saw passed out at the corner of a road we wanted to go down. Paramedics were there and I guess she was ok. They didn’t seem to be stressed out about her. The other memory was leaving the show took twice the time of the fireworks. We parked in the municipal lot and went up main street.

This year Teri parks on a side street in South Nyack. It’s close to Memorial Park and with my 89 year old mother with us a short and easy sort of walk (there was still the hill in Memorial Park.). We sat through the music, talked, or as twenty-first century people looked at our phones. I tended the citronella burner. It’s something we've had at the house for many years and I alway forget to take it out when we have a party. Teri said not to bring it, I said it was ok. This is where the story gets good. I’m lighting it up, getting several places on the coil to burn and from behind us a woman goes, “I hope you don’t mind if I move a bit closer to you guys. You’re so prepared, You have the citronella burning, keeping away the pests” Teri, always the sweet and helpful one, says, “Sure, it’s no problem.” Me, I sat smugly quietly tending the coil and just enjoying the moment.

The show ended a little before 10PM. We walk to the car and I tell Teri, the best way to go is to get on the Thruway, just to the south of where we are and head north. Teri’s not so sure, but does it anyway. It moves slowly south. People are heading in the opposite direction and traffic is moving. During our trip south Teri says,”You know it might have been better to go up North Broadway and hit 9W.” Now that might have been a good idea if you weren’t on the southern side of town and had to go through all of that traffic in town. Even with my expert navigation, it still took us an hour to get out of town. Sean and Nastia got home quicker than we did, while Elena and Matt were later. They’re into each other again so I guess the whole time she is gone was not just driving.

Elena slept over Matt's, Nastia goes to the American Dream Mall in the Meadowlands

After missing last year's fishing trip because Elena and I were both starting new jobs, we, I decided to go out again this year. Now Nastia is off from her new job for a couple of weeks starting somewhere around the 19th, 20th and even though I’d rather go out in July, the tides were just about right to go out on the 23rd of June. So even though it was early,we were going. Another change to the tradition, Nastia wanted Sean to go with us. And of course Elena later asked if Matt could come. I knew this day would come, I just hoped it wouldn't be today, you know it’s like they both will get married and eventually leave the house, or maybe just decide to live somewhere else, whichever it is, I worry about it very little, because it isn’t today and maybe not tomorrow. When they do leave I may be glad they are going. You know, have you been around them?

The trip was set for Thursday, June 23rd. I’m a take a Thursday off type of guy. When I had my milk delivery business I’d close the shop on Thursday’s. When I used to think I had money and went to Broadway, I’d go on Thursdays. For some odd reason I always felt Thursdays were looked at as the unloved Fridays of everybody's lives. It was the bridesmaid to every Friday bride. It was close, but it just wasn’t the weekend yet. So I always like to show Thursdays some love and take them off as often as possible. Plus, when you go back to work Friday, you got the weekend to look forward to again. I wasn’t in love with going so early in the fluke season and the summer on our trip. July is prime time, it’s usually warm to hot. Everyone is in bathing suits enjoying their time out on the water and if it’s planned properly the tides are just right to fish a rushing tide the majority of the day, or even a falling tide is ok as long as dead low isn’t too early in the day. I’m sorry Sean, but I think you or the change to June doomed this trip from the beginning. In the few years we've gone out fishing, it’s been just the girls and I. he minute we add a fourth or maybe change the date to June the weather doesn’t cooperate.

The first hint of trouble comes when I check the long range weather forecast. It says rain on my mom’s birthday party. It clears, but it is an ominous warning of wet weather to come. On the Monday before the trip I check the long range forecast, it’s not looking good. 20% chance of rain. Tuesday, it's up to 40% and by Wednesday, after I’ve canceled my day, it's hovering around 90%. I took a picture of the sky off the internet from a weather cam out near Moriches. It’s bad, but not the worst I see during the day. And of course it doesn’t rain a drop in Rockland.

Elena, I believe, still takes her day off and hangs out with Matt the whole day. Doing stuff that only the book of Elena will be privy to. When asked later that evening, she will say, ‘Oh, we just hung out at…” It’s so generic, I don’t even truly remember what she said. All I remember about that part of the day is I believe she spent the day over at Matt’s. I think she went over Matt's after dinner on Wednesday and called to say she was sleeping over his house and then they hung out together the rest of Thursday together. The book of Elena is not open to me like the book of Nastia. If I had the time and a blog I could tell you stories. Oh, wait, that's what I’m doing now. The problem is Elena doesn’t share with me unless she is drunk and then I can get her to talk. Then it gets fun. It’s like an Indiana Jones movie, all kinds of surprises come out. But alas that has only happened once. That previous story is for her grandkids. You know the ones she says in 2023 she’ll never have because she is not having any kids. She’ll be a great mom, even with tattoo’s. Now Nastia wants to have kids, she’ll just forget she has them and her husband (Sean?) will have to remind her or at least take care of them until she remembers she has them. It’s not that she is forgetful, it’s just she needs to grow up some right now before she has a 24/7 responsibility. Boy have I strayed today. Well, the fishing trip was canceled and Elena spent the day at Matts. Boy, the previous paragraph was unnecessary. Nastia and Sean go to the American Dreams Mall for most of the day. It was so much fun I heard nothing about it and Nastia who did s well at the race track taking pictures of cars going straight, making left turns and cars stopped, didn’t take any pictures of the New Jersey disaster that bankrupted at least two companies and was painted at one time the most God awful color. Me,I went to work. At 9 AM, I thought we'd be at the boat, starting to head toward the open sound. Around 2, I thought about eating that sandwich I was planning for the day. At four I thought about standing in the parking lot of Silly Lilies thinking about the great day we had and all the short fish we had to let go. I’d also wonder about all the fish we let go back four-five years ago and where they were and why we didn’t have first dibs on catching them after letting them go back then. Yeah, I know finders, keepers, losers, weepers. Around 6 or so, that night, I thought we’d be home or about home, tired, but happy after a long day of some of the best memories I’d have fishing. I just love to be around those two so much and yes I will be very sad when they move out.

Grammy's 89th Birthday

It’s Tuesday June 20th, Two days after my mom’s birthday BBQ. On June 17th she turned 89, her brother is, ah, 93? Both are doing well for their age. They both have trouble with falling, I’m told. I don’t see my uncle too often and my mom I see her once, twice a week these days, so I’m not too sure.

Some of the down sides to living to be so old, I’ve noticed, besides the falling, is when we tried to think of people to invite to the BBQ, the list is very thin. It starts with Bruce and there are not many people after that.

There are about twenty people who are coming to the party. I tried to plan ahead. I want to make ribs and BBQ shrimp. I have a great rib recipe I haven’t made in years and I’ve never done BBQed shrimp.

The ribs marinated in a vinegar marinade mostly overnight. Nastia and I worked putting together the marinade and a BBQ sauce. I’ve rarely made a BBQ sauce and the directions I copied from a magazine from twenty odd years ago were sparse. We combined the ingredients and it didn’t say to cook down the sauce, but it was thin and things needed to combine. We cooked it down. The next day it was nice and thick with a nice taste to it. We started with two racks, then added a third when I thought that wasn’t enough ribs. The next day, Nastia again helped put the shrimp on skewers. About half way through Elena wanders in and helps. We did two types of shrimp. One in a marinade, that was good. One with bacon and pineapple that needed more of something.

Sunday, Father's day was warm and sunny. Saturday in the afternoon a line of thunder showers rolled through so even though it was Father’s Day, we picked the right day. I sparked up the grill and started with burgers. I felt rusty cooking at a grill for the first time in a few years. I haven’t cooked at a Ladeckero BBQ yet. Everyone mingled, sat around talking. The weather again was nice. Eric went above and beyond fixing up his back yard. The front yard in three years has gotten so much smaller with all the trees and shrubs growing so big in three years. It’d be nice to do it again next year.

Nastia goes to her first concert and Elena stays home. Also can't forget the pool.

Nastia goes to her first concert and Elena stays home. That line sounds like the sisters who have only one dress story and both can’t go out on a date at the same time. I don’t remember if it is a song or an old folktale. I do know if it was a dress they both had to share, Elena would walk around naked. She hates dresses. SHe’ll consent to a pair of loose pants that might be mistaken for a dress, if you're not moving. I have a few pictures of her in dresses, but I think the last one might be the time we went to Washington DC to visit the Russian Embassy back when Putin was still considered a human. On the trip down to DC we listened to the search for the Boston Marathon bombers, it was that long ago. You know, pre-tattoos and short hair Elena. Saturday afternoon I’m working outside in the yard. Nastia is hanging out with Arriana. They were at the house for a few minutes before they got bored and went for pizza then went to visit Sean. When they returned suddenly Nastia is going to see Ed Sheeran in the Meadowlands at Metlife Stadium. This is another of those loosening of the apron strings moments and thank God it turns out to be an easier one. I talk to Teri and she says it’s OK. I talk to Nastia and ask who is going? She says it is her, Arrianna and Sean. I say, “And Sean is driving?” She replies, “No Arrianna.” I go again,” And Sean is driving.” She gets it finally and says yes, Sean is driving.

It turns out Arrianna is a good driver, she’s driven down to Virginia to visit her boyfriend, it’s just easier to have Sean drive. They say the concert is at 6PM. I know that is wrong, but I tell them they should leave soon and they do. Travel to the Meadowlands is quick until you can see the stadium, then it takes forever. Their GPS says they are a few miles from the stadium. It takes an hour and a half to cover those few miles. One thing I never experienced was people taking Ubers to the show. When they get stopped in traffic, they get out and walk. Arrianna picks up a group heading to the stadium who pays for parking for them, $40.00. What do these people do after the concert? Walk? Sean, Nsatia and Arrianna get to their seats, in the nosebleed seats just as Ed Sherran is going on. They send a couple of videos and it looks like a great concert. They are home before one AM, maybe even earlier. It’s a Saturday night so it doesn’t matter.

Elena went to dinner with Teri, Nancy and I. We went to a diner in Orangeburg. THe food was good. I know the owner Nick and I’ve only been there a handful of times in the 10-11 years since I left the milk business. Teri shows me a picture the other day and says, “zGuess who was in Nyack the other day? I see the picture and don’t recognize #19 until I read the caption. Mariano Rivera, a retired former Yankee pitcher, was in Nyack at the Strawberry Place.

During the last couple of weeks the cover on the pool was taken off. I knew we needed a new cover, but I didn’t know how bad until the cover was removed and the water looked like a large cup of black coffee. I tried to clean it but gave up after a couple of hours of vacuuming it. Teri agreed and we emptied it. Refilling it took a day and a half and about $200.00 in water from United Water now known as Veolia Water. Everytime I hear the name it reminds me of a joke on Seinfeld. He’s dating a girl and can’t remember her name, but remembers it rhymes with a body part. United Water’s new name sounds like it rhymes with a body part too. Don’t think about it too hard because I don’t think it really does, it just sounds like it should. Well, the pool is open and I tell Sean it is tradition to throw Nastia in first, which he tries and I have to show him how it is done. It’s icy cold and Nastia is the only one to go on that day.

They go in later in the week and I throw two rafts in the pool and yes Nastia gets on one on her hands and knees. Again I tell Sean it is also tradition for Nastia to be pushed off the raft first. I walk over to the pool to show him how when she gets off the raft and into the water before I can push her off. Fun times. Elena doesn’t join them in the pool. I think she and Matt have not talked since around the time she went and got him his dry cleaning. She doesn’t talk about things like Nastia does. I know alot about Nastia, but with me at least Elena is secretive, the book of Elena doesn’t open to me often. I hope she does to Teri. You can tell when she is not with Matt. She’ll smoke or at least have weed (really it’s called pot, and I don’t really want to get into it here) edibles, usually gummies and or she’ll drink Mountain Dew. And as all of us caffeine addicts know, it’s loaded with caffeine, just like orange soda, Coke and Pepsi. I guess Matt doesn’t approve of those things. Maybe that is something they fight over, or maybe not. I don’t know. I’m not privileged to open the book of Elena very often. It’s my mom’s birthday today. She’s eight-nine. Her brother is something like ninety-three. She’s doing pretty good for her age.

Memorial Day 2023

Memorial Day this year is not very memorable. Saturday or Sunday Nastia and Sean head to a family BBQ for his side of the family. She returns saying it was fun. Monday, Memorial Day she heads, this time with Sean, Sean’s father and Uncle to Lime Rock race track to watch a race. Never was a big fan of watching cars make a consistent left turn and end up where they started. I asked Nastia to send pictures and she sent pictures, a lot of pictures. I like when they do. Some Pictures of cars going straight and not making a left turn. Some pictures of cars going fast, some not going fast and some stopped. I even got some pictures of them.

She came back later that night saying she had fun. Sean, after all of that, says ‘good night’ and drives to Orange County. Long day for him. Elena, her highlight of the long weekend, was going to get Matt’s dry cleaning and bring it to his house while he was at work. Wow, she’ll make a great 1950’s housewife, NOT! It was nice of her to do. Either the girls are hiding all the things they are doing (smuggling guns to the Ukrainians? Hopefully not the Russians.) or they are starting to lead very boring lives. I was surprised Elena announced she was making tacos for dinner on Tuesday, without being asked. I didn’t have the heart to tell her Teri and I have stopped forcing them to make dinner. If they want to learn and have the experience of cooking together with one of their parents, we’ll be there. Otherwise, their loss. I’ll miss it, but no more forcing it.

Now if they never stop making dinner once a week, I won’t complain. I get home from work at 5:20 and I don’t have to cook. I must admit, even about two months after Teri lost her job.

I’m a little lost on what to do between 5:15 and dinner. I do a little gardening, or drink beer. Drink beer while gardening. Call people while drinking beer. Call people while drinking beer in the garden, I haven’t tried that yet. Sounds like too much work. I don’t know, maybe on a warn sunny afternoon I’ll try it. If I don’t like it, I could sit in the garden drinking beer while calling people. That I know I can do.