Friday, June 11, 2010
Everyone was up bright and early on our last full day in Portland. Off we went to breakfast at our old fave, Petite Provence, and of course, Ayize had his pet spider in tow. And this is what everyone had stopped to look at in the photo...
Yikes! And that thing on the right is apparently a giant roasting vat where they put whole pigs in to cook. Even my (carnivorous) parents were grossed out.
And yet, these beautiful flowers bloomed all along the fence bordering the "Rib Pit", nature's bitter irony. I liked this pretty flower but the strange purple pineapple things behind it were the really cool part.
And into Petite Provence we went! Spider and all.
"Hmmm...what to eat, what to eat?"
Mom and Dad.
Me and Jo.
My sister, Akari, and my nieces, Madison and Sophie, came along a bit later. By that time, our food had arrived and Ayize was happily digging in. I pushed his plate away to take a quick photo of the three of them, and boy, was he unhappy about that...
"Give me back my food!"
LOL
Jo Jo drew the kids a picture on top of his to-go food container.
Ayize embellished it, much to Maddie's delight...
...then pointed to different aspects as he explained to me what they were.
"Horsey."
Mmmm...kay.
Outside, the kids were drawn to the window of this groovy, but very pricey, toy shop next door, Grasshopper.
Super sleepy and doing this thing he does when he's overtired where he plays with people's ears.
Kisses for beloved Grandpa!
Honk! I got this treatment at the Portland Children's Museum the other day, so now it was apparently Grandpa's turn.
Chilling with Jo Jo. This photo struck me as particularly funny because it's Jo Jo (I think) who sometimes quotes these funny Grasshopper phrases from old kung fu movies. On second thought, it might be Jake...or do they both do that?
Anyhow, regardless, I found it funny.
Ayize modeling Grandpa's cap and ogling toy trains through the window.
Back at the hotel, he went down for a short, but very sweet (for me!) nap.
He woke up just in time, as our family was assembling in the lobby in preparation for an awesome outing -- we were headed to Lan Su, Portland's Classical Chinese Garden, to meet up with Bahar's parents and her aunt, hurrah!
This giant sword-emblazoned SUV belonged to some of the Marine Corps band members that were staying in our hotel. They were slated to perform in the Rose Parade that was taking place tomorrow, the day we left town.
Flashback to last night: a posse of Marines chilled in the hot tub, swigging beers and singing drunkenly, while we played in the pool. They were really nice despite their increasingly-intoxicated state. (Even the guy on the far left, in blue swim trunks, with KILL tattooed across his chest in six-inch-tall letters.)
Anyhow, so here we all were in the lobby, awaiting Jo Jo and Bahar's arrival. The kids noticed the Marines' SUV and did a funny pseudo-military march in their honor around the hotel's red carpet after the truck pulled away. Even Ayize got in on the act. He just had trouble knowing when to march and when to halt!
Jo Jo and Bahar arrived and we split up between the cars and took off. En route, we passed some very fancy reserved seating for the parade...
...and some not-so-fancy place holders! It was a nice taste of what was to come when we got home, what with the Fourth of July fast approaching and all. Evanstonians, y'all know what I'm talking about if you've ever driven up and down Central Street in the days prior to the Independence Day parade.
Still sleepy from his short nap. But loving the little kaleidoscope Grandma gave him to play with!
Arrival. The kids run on in ahead, as usual.
Standing on the threshold.
Wait, come back, kids! We gots to take a group portrait!
Finally, we proceeded inside the gate.
Lan Su is absolutely breathtaking. You really have to experience it to believe it. It's a serene, meditative, beautifully-landscaped little piece of peace set squat in the middle of bustling downtown Portland. Literally. As in, it's surrounded by buildings stretching up and away. And yet, it's so masterfully-designed that you actually forget the big picture of where you are, and all that seems to exist is the tranquility of this one square block of heaven on earth.
The gynormous reflective pond is gorgeous from every angle.
Soooo lovely.
Jo Jo kindly pushes the pram while his loyal pal follows close behind.
A bamboo-shrouded, pebble-and-stone path.
Hi, Grandpa!
My dad and Bahar's wonderful father, Abdi, deep in conversation.
Ayize does some jolly high-stepping, Abdi hugs Sophie, and Jo Jo walks with Madison as we wind our way deeper into the garden.
Dad doing his thang.
Dad and I were both obsessed with this beautiful tombow (dragonfly) bronzed bell. The sound it made was glorious. Its resonating melody filled us both with a wonderful internal stillness. We must have rung it ten times; Dad even asked me to film it, which I did (see below), though the video camera's microphone could not do the sound justice.
Dad looked soooo longingly at this bell when we finally walked away, but its 600-plus dollar price tag (yeowch), not to mention its considerable weight (I'm guessing around 500 pounds??) prohibited any possibility of its purchase!
A quick snapshot of me, Abdi, Akari, and Sophie.
My mom and Bahar's loving, hilarious, generous, passionate mom, Farangis.
View of one of the bridges.
Once on the bridge, Ayize hopped up for a closer view of his beloved fish.
Beautiful orange and white carp swam everywhere! He was overjoyed.
My eagle-eyed insect-spotter was at it again. A roly-poly disappeared into the hole and he was all agog.
"Mama, bug! Bug...GONE!"
This last statement declared with an eyes-wide-open, bug-eyed (pun intended) look, and palms outstretched firmly, to emphasize this extremely mind-boggling event.
My mommy! Standing near these beautiful bonsai.
Meanwhile, Ayize's bug hunt led to a discovery of another sort: these dried seed pods (nuts?) that lay in the pockmarks of a large stone. Before I could stop him...
...my finally-getting-his (better-late-than-never) two-year-molars-toddler had stuck one is his mouth to sample the flavor. These days, I feel like the clock has turned back two years, because EVERY BLESSED THING he comes in contact with goes into the mouth first before any other exploration occurs. It's maddening, and sometimes even dangerous. And it's way harder to stop him in the act now then it was when he was 6 months old, because he's older, autonomous, and fast as the wind.
Luckily, in this case, I saw what he was about to "sample" and let him, knowing it would taste nasty as heck and cure him of the habit. Sure enough, he spit it out and made the craziest face as I almost fell over laughing and told him, "Serves you right...I TOLD you not to!" And it did cure him of sampling strange objects...for a day or two. Then he was right back to his old ways.
And continues to do so, even now, over a month later.
To prove my point, here are two photos from Friday:
Sophia: "Look what I found! A cicada shell!"
Ayize's immediate response. I had to quickly bat my niece's hand away before he had a chance to sample the wares. His godmother Diana would have a heart attack if she knew! One bite, and he would have never gotten kisses from her again!!
But anyway...I digress.
So, nasty stuff tasted and rejected, he dashed off because my nieces were running towards us from where they'd been off checking out another area of the garden. Cue the music as they all ran to one another for a giant three-way hug!
Maddie making fun of Ayize's antics with nonedibles. (Actually, this might well have been an edible item -- in some form -- but none of us knew what it was.)
An employee was leading a group on a guided tour. She looked, acted, and spoke the part exactly...except for her unusual handbag LOL! I surreptitiously caught it on film because I am A Very Bad Person, and wanted to preserve the humorous moment for myself for all eternity.
Jo Jo is so lucky!
Farangis, Jo Jo, Bahar and Abdi posed on a stone bench for a lovely family portrait, but Abdi had to duck to avoid the swinging branches on this low-hanging tree which were blowing about in the breeze and tickling his face!
More "Tut, tut, it looks like rain" action from my peanut gallery.
Grandpa was just smiling and telling Ayize what a good boy he was being, when...
"HIIII-YA!"
Grandpas, I've found, are very good at getting little boys to stop destroying things without yelling, raising their voice, or over-the-top disciplinary action. Especially this grandpa!
Ayize listening seriously as Grandpa kindly explained why we don't kick bonsai trees in the Chinese Gardens before re-directing his energies towards something more productive (spying on these two women LOL, see photo below).
Now why doesn't that work when I do it?!
"I see you!"
My artsy shot of the two trees framed in this doorway.
i.e. "The bathroom is this way."
(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
These tall stones formed a great stepping path across the pond to a wonderful waterfall grotto.
In front of the grotto was this stone bridge.
Ayize stood on it for a closer look.
Bahar, her mom, and her aunt, standing along one side of the waterfall's cavern, which emitted nice cool air.
Heavenly!
As they moved away from the grotto and towards the tea house, I saw this lucky dragonfly clinging to the wall behind them. I thought of the red bell we had just seen and snapped this photo for my dad.
Jus past the waterfall was the traditional Tea House in the Tower of Cosmic Reflections. Ayize helped himself to a stool along the waterfront, where they provide outdoor seating. I took this photo because I thought he looked so cute and serious, just sitting there, but now I realize that with a little more angle, I could have made it look as if he was wearing an elaborate hat!
Jo Jo helped Ayize navigate the steps into the tea house.
These people are not playing when it comes to tea, as the following photos of their menu (and this is not even a complete set!) attest:
Enough to make your head spin.
I loved the explanations given throughout the menu. Amazing stuff.
Everyone mulled over the myriad choices.
Meanwhile, I looked over at the newlyweds and my heart filled with happiness all over again! I took a picture of them hand in hand -- they were already holding hands this way because Bahar's aunt was explaining that this would be a traditional post-wedding photo in Iran -- and I never wanted to forget that blissful moment in the serenity of the tea house, our two families together.
I went in for a close-up, then heard a bang! as Ayize dropped (or threw?) his little board book on the floor.
I put away the camera and resigned myself to reality. Little Man was losing his cool. He had admirably restrained himself in the delicate beauty of these gardens but it had been a long day and he was hot, tired, and really hungry. Hot tea was about the last thing he was interested in, and he was even less interested in sitting still and staying quiet while we all refreshed ourselves and chatted, so in short order, he hopped up from the table bench and began racing around, screaming a shrill sound, laughing hysterically, and trying to grab/throw/put in his mouth everything that was not nailed down. Whoa! Zero to sixty in six seconds flat.
The very serious, contemplative, serene crowd at the tea house as not amused, and I was too tired to try to tame his antics any longer, so I headed outside and let him climb around on the stepping stones ad bridge near the waterfall while I called my old pal, Liz. She answered right away and must have heard the desperation in my voice because without hesitation, she responded, "I'll be right there." Have I already said how much I love this chica?? She was my harpist in shining armor, come to my rescue, not once, but like seventeen times during the course of this trip. Lizzy, I cannot thank you enough!
Jo Jo was super sweet, as always, and totally attuned to my rising (though -- I thought -- well-hidden) stress level, so somehow he materialized from out of nowhere and was by my side to help. And not a moment too son, because I was standing outside the tea house, in the heat and direct sunlight, sweating bullets as I watched Ayize almost fall into the reflective pond repeatedly, attempting to ignore glaring garden guests because of his crazy high-decibel sound effects (something he often does when he's overtired), while I tried desperately to stash all our stuff into my diaper bag and stroller. I knew the best solution was simply to stash and dash, but I was so flustered and hot, and so bummed about the abrupt goodbyes I'd been forced to make to Bahar's family (I was loving the outing and really sad to see it end on such a wild note), that I hadn't even thought about needing our car seat.
Fortunately, Jo Jo was there. He picked up Ayize and swung him into the air (much to the little dude's delight) and beat a hasty retreat towards the exit, which was a major help because I was completely lost, despite the whole area being about the size of one city block (I suck with directions and have no inner compass, as anyone who has ever drive with me to a new destination will attest)!
Once we were outside the gates, he headed off to the minivan, fetched Ayize's car seat, and returned to the corner where we were awaiting Liz. The minute it touched the ground, Ayize clambered right in, asked for his water and a "nack" (snack), and settled in for the wait as if he was on a city bench at a bus stop. Several passersby stopped to shower him with compliments on how cute his little sidewalk chair was.
I was relieved to have him "contained" on the corner of this busy city block, and just as thrilled to see that he was rapidly settling himself. Sweet Jo Jo made sure we were good to go before turning on his heel to head back to the tea house. I was so grateful that he had -- as always -- come through for us. I am so blessed!
And even further blessed, because just a moment later, here came Liz's car driving up to the curb. I was filled with gratitude and joy for my fabulous and faithful friend. It had been an awesome outing but I was definitely ready to head back to the hotel and get my little guy some much-needed grub!
Liz totally saved our butts, making not one, but two, stops to accommodate Ayize's raging hunger. First, we went through the kid-friendly Burgerville drive-thru for a veggie burger and apple chips, and then we stopped at Chipotle so I could grab him soft tacos to go.
He devoured almost everything in short order, then -- as if refueled by the food -- he hopped on top of the room's heating/cooling unit and started bouncing around on the windowsill, telling Liz an animated story about the big buildings outside our window (his mouth was kind of full still, though -- yikes).
He found his self-devised hotel window hijinks to be very clever, indeed, and engaged in them with great gusto.
Liz and I hung out talking for a while, but after a bit, my phone rang. It was Jo Jo, calling to say that our family was just leaving the Chinese Gardens and really wanted to make a sunset run to Council Crest.
Liz walked us down to the hotel lobby and we had a very sad goodbye replete with many, "See you in Septembers!" My family pulled up just as she was leaving, and they, too, shouted many thanks and goodbyes from the minivan as Ayize and I piled in.
Jo Jo drove me, my dad, Ayize, and my nieces in the minivan, and Bahar drove my mom and sister in her car. As soon as we pulled out of the hotel parking lot, we saw more people claiming sidewalk space for the next day's parade. They were really getting geared up, with tents and camping equipment to the nines all up and down Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard. It was a sight to behold!
We drove through downtown Portland, passing a large construction site. These poorly-named portable potties had me in hysterical laughter in the backseat. Truly a case, as Smokey Robinson once said, of "a taste of honey's worse than none at all."
Parked atop Council Crest. Our minivan is in the front, and Bahar's car is just behind it. You can see my dad just starting to make his way up to the viewing platform where I was standing.
Soooo high up. So beautiful!
The kids were excited to stretch their legs on the expansive green field.
This crazy game of tag ensued. I could hardly believe that Ayize had any energy left after our long day and his short nap, but there you have it!
HURRAH! Their first time atop Council Crest as a married couple!
(Yes, I am a dorky romantic at heart...shhhh. Don't want word getting out!)
Mom, Dad, Jo Jo and Madison. Okay, well Mom's back. I just remembered that it was really freaking freezing up there, and so we all kept piling on various articles of available clothes. Hence, Jo Jo's winter hat and summer shorts!
Walking the wall together.
We had a game of hide-and-seek and Ayize got waaaay into it. "Find you!" was his war cry. Too funny.
Ayize insisted on holding hands with both girls to prevent any further hiding, once he'd had enough of the game.
My sister threw a couple quarters into the telescope for the girls. They were a bit too short so they had to make adjustments on the fly! First Madison...
...and then Sophie, who -- being shorter -- had to get even more enterprising!
Beautiful sunset! So hard to believe that our trip was almost over. Time flew.
The kids went back to wall-walking when suddenly Ayize noticed something, hopped off, and threw himself down on the ground to peer into this hole...
...as he shouted to me, "Mouse, Mama!" I didn't see anything, so it might have been just his imagination (which is vivid, and heavily influenced by books we're reading -- in this case, probably a scene from our old fave, Jan Brett's Gingerbread Friends), but regardless, it sent me and my nieces searching alongside him with great excitement. Still, no mouse-like mammals made an appearance, and we gave up after a few minutes.
Mount Hood in the distance. Such a glorious way for the sky to bid us goodbye!
One last portrait of the couple keeping each other warm on this bench by the water tower. It was getting really chilly, though, and Jo Jo was getting eaten by mosquitoes (he seriously seems to have some condition that makes him delectable to any bloodsuckers within a ten-mile radius!), so we all slowly started to make tracks back to our transportation.
I was the last to leave, following Jo Jo and Bahar down the winding path towards our cars. Really sad to see it go.
Back at the hotel, the kids had fun torturing Jo Jo one last time.
Ayize put him in his patented chokehold...
...and was delighted when Jo Jo took revenge!
Gleefully pretending to kick Uncle Jo in the head. After all Jo Jo's help at the Chinese Gardens, this was the thanks he got!
Ayize was now officially overtired, and started -- literally -- climbing the walls.
A second later, he took a mad leap off the sofa and landed on the bed with a resounding thud that scared the living daylights out of me, because I didn't think he could clear such a distance (in my defense, because I can hear Nyika laughing, I just wanna say that as I took this photo, I simply thought his intention was to do some more wall-climbing, NOT across-the-room jumping)!
We said our goodbyes to Jo Jo, Bahar, my parents, Akari, and the girls, and headed off down the hall. It was testimony to just how tired Ayize actually was, that he went docilely, hand in hand with me, with no protest at leaving Funville, AKA Akari's room.
Two seconds after he was in pajamas, he was out like a light.
I, on the other hand, still had all our packing to do -- ugh! I ended up working at that until 2 in the morning: hunting for stuff he stashed all over our room; going through leftover food and snacks from the week trying to get some airplane fare together for him; sorting through our clean and dirty clothes; and carefully packing up the more fragile among our toys and wedding stuff.
And at long last, I was done.
One last shot of Ayize sprawled across our big hotel bed.
Zzzzzzzz. What I needed to be doing!
Finally I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to my chin. I looked out the window, enjoying the view I had seen every night for the past week, and impulsively grabbed my camera so I could snap one more shot.
And then I sank into sweet sleep like a falling stone.
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