Fathers' Day

My father's in England right now and the times didn't sync up for me to call him. But I thought of him yesterday and what he's given me. He gave me vivid memories of his own childhood. He shared his sense of childlike wonder and showed me how to keep that wonder into adulthood. He still yells with excitement. He still enjoys a slow walk with Kerensa to examine the rocks in someone's garden. He literally showed me the world. He took me all over the world from the slums of Calcutta to Machu Picchu and many many museums. He explained to me the mythology depicted in art. He always listens intently to me and asks lots of questions. Even the smallest things I do interest him. At my best, I listen to people like him. He's willing to try almost anything once, which has led to lots of interesting adventures. He's both an inspiration and a cautionary tale.

On Fathers' Day, we drove down to SF. Both kids fell asleep on the way down. We put them both in the stroller and walked to the SFMOMA. We found out it was Family Day, so we only paid $2 each. We walked to an arts and crafts activity where you were supposed to add rooms to the Winchester Mystery House using cardboard and fabrics. K slept on, so we just ate the chips and salsa that was provided. Then we went up to the fifth floor and looked at some conceptual art including a DVD montage of altered photographs of the Winchester Mystery House.

The most interesting piece I saw was a room painted with a paint-by number mural of the forest. The sound of flowing water filled the room, but instead of a beautiful fountain, it was a plain utility sink with the taps left on. Underneath was a box of rat bait. Piles of newspapers were scattered throughout the room with various articles on top about freedom and the lack of it. High up was a small window with prison bars. It was both a celebration of nature and a parody of how we celebrate nature.

Then we drove to Ethan's place for a tea tasting. Ethan ordered three tea sampler packs from Les Palais Des Thes a French tea company. The teas came complete with a little booklet that described all the teas. The booklet was the same size and general format of little French guidebooks. It appealed to me, because it fit comfortably in my hand and contained lots of glossy photos of tea. It gave the tea an added air of importance.

The teas had a surprising variety of flavours if you paid close attention. One had the aftertaste of scallions; Sarah said onions. I loved their Grand Lapsang Souchong tea. I hadn't realised Lapsang could be delicate. Everyone else but Simon thought I was crazy. Ethan gave me the tea. I'll try my best to save it until my parents return from overseas. Jasmine Pearls with its fragant delicate scent and taste was a lovely soothing way to end the tasting. After 8 teas, we were all exhausted from tasting and smelling so intently.

We walked a circutious route to avoid the hills over to Tangerine, another Asian-Fusion restaurant. One the way in we ran into Bill a college friend of C's. And he joined us for most of the meal. The food worked a lot better than at Sauce. I had a tender roast duck with delicious yellow curry sauce. It was very much like the Straits dish we used to have before the chef left for another Straits restaurant and things went down hill. C generously traded his duck dish for my rib dish. The waitress said the pork ribs weren't sweet, but in fact they were quite sweet.

We took the tram back to Ethan's house. K exclaimed with excitement at the twists and turns of the tram as it climbed the hill. Of course both kids fell asleep on the way home.

We didn't get back until after 10pm. And we still had a lot to do. We had to change Little T's Broviac dressing, change his tube dressing, insert a new tube, and prepare his formula for his night pump feeding. We also had to take out the garbage and recycling. We weren't finished until just after midnight. Even so C said "It was a good Fathers' Day." I'm so glad.