Last Wednesday Linda and I sojourned to Southern California to meet our cousins. Mom, the second oldest, was followed by Lillian. Aunt Lil married uncle Harry and they had Robert, Richard and Shelly. Richard married Judy and Shelly married Avi.
The characters.
Aunt Lil was organized, controlling and "proper." In fact, their residence on Northlawn Avenue had a special living room. All the seating furniture was covered in plastic and off-limits, except on mystical occasions. On the other hand, uncle Harry was an outgoing prankster. I remember being in the den and on a few Friday evenings watching boxing. Uncle Harry stood near the TV and shadow boxed during the fighting. What a special memory ! The highlight's also occurred at the Whittier theater located on Jefferson Avenue adjacent to Belle Isle and in walking distance to Saunders. There's only one Saunders and many imitators-their hot fudge sundae was supreme.
Attending the theater in those days was a treat because of the two featured films, cartoons, and the world wide news. Uncle Harry would provide us with a large cardboard box filled with popcorn. I remember John Wayne,Kirk Douglas ,Errol Flynn, and of course my favorite Maureen O'Hara. Those were the days. Originally Belle Isle was called Hog Island because the hogs killed all the rattlesnakes that infected the island. Belle Isle was the scene of being at the zoo feeding the elephants peanuts and horses pulling us around the trails in "chariots."
Richard became an attorney and worked in commercial real estate and told us Italian Mafia stories. In fact, he is still working half-time and is the second oldest in the 150 employee company. Richard brings up memories of my pleasantly warm, loving mother and my intelligent father along with sword fighting in our basement with shields and swords. He said this is the last chapter
Judy, although a Trump voter, is outgoing, pleasant and a real honest people pleaser. She originally was a teacher with an MA in guidance and counseling ,and for the last 30 years or so, she sold residential real estate. They just celebrated their 60th anniversary.
Judy talked about losses. She's lost two sisters and both a son and brother in law. Recently. Judy's older sister Harriet was a family law attorney and a bigwig in the GOP. Her husband Norm was a neurosurgeon. In fact, I sent Norm my neck x-rays for a second opinion and talked with him about Linda's shunt procedure. One highlight for Judy was her involvement in Margie's adoption. Margie and Barry adopted a 14 month old child from Russia. Judy accompanied Margie on the second visit and immediately bonded with Hannah on that trip some 22 years ago.
In the past 10 years we've had many cousin reunions that have been coordinated by Judy,Shelly and my sister Bev. We would spend time at a resort on Lake Michigan and in the Detroit area, Judy and Richard would be the host at their residence. I have fond memories of all those reunions, especially when we attended football games at the Big House.
Shelly, another University of Michigan graduate has been involved in Israeli Arab relations for years; an excellent folk dancer and past president of the University of Michigan alumni in Orange County. She also sold residential real estate until she retired. On one occasion Linda and I, Shelly and Avi spent time in Cabo San Lucas. I also took Shelly on her one and only Harley Davidson motorcycle ride when I resided in the Bay Area.
Avi is an Israeli who lived on a kibbutz. While living in Israel, he used to travel through Gaza for swimming. However, that stopped when the "Palestinians" began attacking the Israelis going to the beach. Avi received his veterinary training in Canada and then migrated to the United States. He's very concerned about the political dysfunctioning going on in Israel today. They relocated to Irvine about 20 some years ago.
We had lively and beautiful discussions of our families past, and present, movies, music while dining at the following eateries: 1. Cal Pizza Kitchen 2 Sherman Library and Gardens 3. Pacific Catch 4. Benji's New York deli and 5 Irvine grill. We also visited the Bowers Museum and saw the World of the Terracotta Warriors.
Every morning Linda and I would have breakfast at the hotel and then proceed to the exercise room. I would spend time on the treadmill, the rowing machine and the universal weight machine while Linda focused on the exercise bike. On our way to and from , Linda and I cruised and I decided not to go over 110 mph. The ride is smooth and it's difficult to know or realize that we were traveling that fast. Unfortunately, the time quickly passed on our family reunion.
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