Our feet crunched on the frosty grass in the early morning as we loaded up the car for the drive to Calgary, but we were met with a blast of hot, humid air as we stepped over the threshold from the plane to the airport terminal in Florida just shy of midnight on the same day. I immediately realized that I had overestimated our need for long-sleeved shirts and jackets.
The next couple of days were spent getting settled into our home-away-from-home. My parents have lived in the same house since I was 4 years old, and the familiarity is like a big, warm blanket wrapped around you that makes you feel safe. The landscape is ever-changing--my mom confesses that she moves plants more often than she moves her furniture. The oranges on her orange tree aren't ripe yet, but Q likes to pick the green ones that have fallen on the ground and throw them into the backyard marsh. There are shrimp plants, plants with wide, green leaves as big as elephant ears, and of course, the ancient, towering oaks that have remained unchanged since my childhood.
Q and I shared a room, which was an exciting novelty for her. Every morning, she would climb up into my big bed for a cuddle. She slept on a single-size mattress right underneath the window, and sometimes at night, she could see the moonlight glittering through the tree leaves above her. I used to love as a child in the summertime when the moonlight would flood through the window and make elaborate latticework patterns across my bed.
One of Q's favorite things to do at Gaga's house was make bread. She helped pour the ground grain into the mixer and watched as the metal arms slowly swirled in a circle to make the dough. She was then given her own little mound of dough and stood on a stepping stool by the counter kneading it quite a bit more than was necessary. The cross section of one of her little loaves looked strikingly like a bunny!
Speaking of bunnies, Q got to pet a real, live bunny for the first time at Gaga's friend's house. He was quite old for a bunny, but his fur was still surprisingly soft. Q was reticent, as is her custom, but both bunny and toddler were gentle with each other. She also had great fun looking at the chickens that were also housed in the same yard.
One of our first stops in Florida was, of course, the beach. Q finds it equally delightful each time she goes, and is thankfully past the eating sand phase (but just barely). As is tradition, she held onto both Gaga's and Papa's hands as they all let the little waves wash over their toes. Later in the trip, we visited the beach with Uncle Tom. The tide had just gone out, and Q loved splashing in all the little, warm tide pools with the soft sand that your feet sink right into. She also loved it when her uncle tossed her above his head.
The first week into my visit, a very dear, old friend flew down to visit me from Washington D.C. She and I have maintained a friendship for a very impressive 29ish years! She was Q's favorite kind of adult--one that didn't make a big deal about whether Q liked her or not. So of course Q liked her. Q even asked her to get into bed and cuddle with her. And she was particularly enthused by the photos of M's two cats, Toaster and Plumley. We made an expedition to the colossal, 4-story downtown library (complete with security guards who check your purse when you come in) and collected an impressive selection of children's books before playing around the fountain in the inner courtyard. There was a small sculpture garden located directly across the street, so we paused for a photo op on the way out. We also visited the carousel in St. Augustine, took M to eat my parents' favorite fish tacos at a play called Sid and Linda's, and perused the Riverside Art Market with Tom, where we sampled a variety of international foods ranging from truffle fries to stuffed grape leaves.
The rest, I suppose, were mostly little snapshots from the trip that I don't want to forget: the time Q fell asleep in the car and Papa sat out in the driveway "babysitting" her so I could take a nap. Mom and I painting The Wheat Room. The honey grenade. The pumpkin patch. The homemade sandbox set on top of two crates on the back porch where Q made sand castles and stuck leaves and flowers in them for flags. Q being introduced my some of my old dolls and spending hours playing with the furniture and pretend food (and leaving "fresh vegetables on the stairs," a la There's An Alligator Under My Bed). A peaceful play-date with Malakai (I wish we'd had more!). Doing make-up with Gaga in the morning. Her second haircut from Ms. Donna (the woman who gave me my first haircut at 6 months!).
And, of course, the incestuous mama bird at the zoo who the zookeepers were shooing off her nest with a giant broom so that they could replace her real eggs with fake, pre-warmed eggs made out of FORMER real eggs to prevent her from laying more eggs with her brother-lover too quickly. For real.
