Carrie and Dave came up from Bloomington, IN (home of the Hoosiers, not to be confused with "hosers) to hit up a wedding. Between the rehearsal dinner and Irish-style wedding ceremony, we were all able to fit in two trips to the dog park, brunch with Adrienne and Aaron and a lovely walking tour of Oak Park (to see some Frank Lloyd Wright homes). The fact that the weather cooperated was an added bonus.
Our weekend guests arrived Friday afternoon, enthusiastically greeted by my four-legged princess, Kasia. Stuffed cat in mouth and groaning loudly to noises only likened to that of a gaggle of Ewoks, Kasia was very excited to see her aunt and uncle. They were to be sleeping in the guest room, a.k.a. Kasia's room, so I wasn't too certain of how comfortable or how soundly they would be able to sleep. (My estimates were right; Kasia went into the guest room while Dave and Carrie slept every hour, on the hour, with toys in her mouth ready to play.)
I woke up early on Saturday to make breakfast for the boarders and get a game plan together for the rest of the weekend. The only thing pressing on my To-Do List was "dog park."
So, the whole crew hit up the dog park (please notice Kasia in the background, gliding ever so effortlessly across the grassy savannah). Kasia' best friend Spencer was there, so they played and became very tired. Spencer is a 20-lb. (or so) Shiba Inu/beagle mix with lots of energy and soft ears; Kasia and Spencer wrestle every time they see one another and at the end of the rough housing, they are both covered in spit, grass and other fluids.
All in all, it was a kick-ass weekend. I'm super excited for baby Greta to emerge from Carrie's baby apartment-- I just hope she is super smooshy and fat with a sweet baby mohawk.
On a less happy note, I spent Monday in Detroit visiting my terminally ill godfather. Pepe and I met around lunchtime and drove over to Windsor to see Uncle Frank. I have only met Frank one other time, so I was nervous in not knowing what to expect.
Fortunately, Frank was awake and happy to see us! Although very sick, Frank hasn't lost his witty sense of humor. Pepe (my paternal grandfather) and Frank looked over childhood pictures and shared some laughs about the old neighborhood.
Pepe and Frank are two of seven children. Along with Roger, Miriam, Maxine, Rosalie and Jeannette, the Monforton Crew had a typical childhood in southern Ontario. They attended French school and were brought up strictly Catholic by French Canadian parents. Their neighborhood consisted of mostly Italian immigrants and French families-- Pepe said that front doors were left unlocked and children's bicycles riddled the sidewalks.
Listening to the stories of how things "used to be" was very compelling-- Back then, Detroit and Windsor were a kick-ass cities. Fancy restaurants, large riverboats traveling along the water, live music playing in jazz clubs.... the good old days. Now, Detroit is kind of crappy looking. Actually, Detroit is a beautiful gem with some dirt on it; it just needs a little spiffing up and it'll be shiny again.
It was sad to say goodbye to Uncle Frank. I don't think he is going to be here on Earth much longer. Rather, I hope his trip to Heaven is effortless and delightful. Frank is a stellar guy with lots of people that love him.
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