Why I Otter…

-
And so, the First Cousins Reunion is in the books.

My sister and I are back home after a five-day get together with our father’s side of the family in Northern California.

During that time, we got a tour of the Monterey Aquarium courtesy of my cousin Erin, explored San Francisco and Sausalito, met a ton of cool people (and a couple of twits) while reconnecting with the West Coast branch of our family.

My cousin got us a bird’s eye view of the otter tank so we could watch the frisky little critters glide through the water with the greatest of ease.

We hadn’t seen each other since my Uncle Joe’s memorial service Los Angeles, prompting my sister to suggest that we should get together for happier occasions.

The fact was underscored in May when we lost our brother Peter. And, oh how I wish he could have been there with us. It still hurts to think I'll never see him again.

We spent a couple of days at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove before heading over to our Cousin Olivia’s in Palo Alto.

It was unseasonably hot in San Francsico (and the rest of California), which had me wishing I had packed a pair of shorts.

And coming back to cold New York weather was a bit of a jolt on Wednesday, but today we’re closing in on 60 degrees.

We’re talking about another reunion next year and I surely do hope we can make that happen.

More later…

Comments

Bijoux said…
What a FUN time you must have had, and with good weather as well! I love all things California, so I'm jealous. I looked up the accommodations, and it looks amazing. And otters are adorable. I'm glad you got away and enjoyed time spent with family.
8:10 AM
Rob Lenihan said…
Thanks so much, Bijoux! We had such a great time. Can't wait to do it again.
11:10 AM
Beatrice P. Boyd said…

Rob, I am catching up on blog reading after a week of being laid low by a stomach bug, and glad to read about the cousins reunion that you and your sister enjoyed. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen most of the few cousins I have in years, sadly as you noted, the last time was at a funeral that of my late mother. Our family was never an especially close one and now that the aunts and uncles and my parents have all passed, there is no interaction between remaining family members.
3:32 AM
Rob Lenihan said…
Dorothy, I'm sorry to hear about the stomach bug. I hope you're feeling better.

I understand perfectly about the lack of interaction among family members.

A couple of my cousins have fallen off the radar screen so to speak for that very reason.

I'm hoping we can keep hooking up with the California bunch again. I would love to make that a tradition.

Get well soon.
7:14 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

‘Permanently Closed’

-
Image
And, so, another local landmark is gone. My sister and I passed by O’Sullivan’s Bar & Grill in Bay Ridge last night during our after-dinner walk and saw nothing but darkness. There were no lights shining from this old Irish saloon that the O’Sullivan family took over in 1934. There were no customers outside taking a cigarette break on Third Avenue; no voices, music or laughter emenating from the corner business on 89th Street. A dark bar on a Saturday night only means one thing, but I didn’t want to accept the grim reality. I had to walk up to the front door, grab hold of the handle and pull back. But the place was locked up tight. This morning I jumped on the Internet in hopes of learning that the owners were on vacation, or that they were renovating the place and would be reopening in grand style any day now. But the bar’s Yelp page was branded with two grisly words at the top: “Permanently Closed.” I’ve been searching around local message boards for any ind...
Read more

The Bystander Effect

-
Image
Winston Moseley knew no one would stop him. “I knew they wouldn't do anything,” he told police after his arrest. “They never do.” Moseley murdered Kitty Genovese in Queens in 1964 in one of the most infamous murder cases in modern times. The horrific crime gained worldwide attention largely because of a New York Times article that said “38 respectable, law-abiding citizens” did nothing while Moseley attacked Kitty Genovese on three separate occasions. The story sparked worldwide condemnation and provided material for writers and composers, including the Phil Ochs song “ Outside of a Small Circle Friends .” There was talk of the Bystander Effect or the Genovese Effect and the words “I didn’t want to get involved” summed up life in the big city. The Kitty Genovese case is the subject of a new documentary called The Witness that explores the mythology surrounding the murder. The film features Kitty’s brother, Bill, who was 16 years old at the time of his sister’s murder. ...
Read more

Lend Me Your Ears

-
Image
The bus driver got on the PA system as we reached Third Avenue on Saturday evening. “We’re now in Bay Ridge,” he told us. “Thank you for letting me take you home this evening.” Wait, what? You’re thanking me? This is New York City, right? I nodded off on the way home, maybe I was still asleep? But, no, this was really happening, and this young man had just provided a fitting end to a perfect day. What it makes it even more remarkable was that the day had fiasco written all over it before turning out to be a real gem. My plans for Saturday fell through at the very last minute and I was supremely bummed. I had this vision of myself sitting in my local park all day and going through the old Netflix and takeout routine that I do far too often. I didn’t want to let that happen this time, so I jumped on Meetup.com and looked around for a last-minute event. There were plenty of intriguing things happening, but nothing grabbed me. And then something caught my eye. The New York Ci...
Read more