Fifty Percent Californian

Jonan and his cousin Paxton on Fourth of July

As we were driving to the airport to leave San Jose, I saw a license plate frame that said 100% Californian.  Well, I used to be that, but after fifteen years on the East Coast, I have to admit that I am now only fifty percent Californian.  Oh but what an important half of my identity and history it is.  Jonah proudly identifies himself as half Californian and half Puerto Rican.

As synchronicity would have it, one of my favorite blogs, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, did a piece yesterday on happy memories of a place associated with your grandparents.  As I look back on the five weeks that we have spent in California, I can’t help but think about what great memories my kids are forming of their grandparents.  My ex says that this is why he selflessly agrees to have me bring Jonah and Layla here for so long (even though he misses them terribly).  He knows how much they adore their Papa Bear and Po and what a great time they have here.

Here are some of the highlights of the trip and the memories that will live on in my kids’ minds.

Me at the drum circle with Layla in the foreground.

The Fourth of July.  My parent’s block shuts down and has a big party that begins at 9 am and ends well past dark.  They kids enjoyed the parade, the water balloon sling shots, swimming at a neighbor’s pool, the drum circle, the fire crackers (Mexico’s finest!), and roasting marshmallows at the bon fire.  It was an amazing day, and they are already asking to do it again next year.

Santa Cruz. One day we went with my parents to a special beach that allows dogs to run free.  And run free they do.  It was a lot of fun having different dogs and their owners come visit our blanket as the dogs frolicked all over the place.  The next day we went to the Boardwalk with my sister and her family and had a blast on the rides.  The third day Jonah insisted on coming back to the beach right by the Boardwalk to swim in a shallow pool that is formed at the confluence of the San Lorenzo River and the Pacific Ocean.  He loves to swim even in the cold ocean water.

Grass Valley Vaulting. My niece Bodhi is a horse vaulter, which is basically a combination of yoga and gymnastics on a moving horse (I know!  You have to hold your breath while watching it).  Jonah became enamored with the sport and wants to find a place in our area (it doesn’t look like there is one).  My bro-in-law rented us a great log cabin that had a creek in the back with a swimming hole, a rope swing, and lots of fishing opportunities (if you like catching crawdads).

Road Trip to LA. My parents were originally scheduled to travel to Los Angeles and promised my sister that they would pick Bodhi up from her summer camp down there.  Their plans changed at the last minute so they decided to make the five to six hour drive with Jonah along as an excited passenger.  They picked up Bodhi and headed to Will Rogers Beach in Pacific Palisades where my parents took my sister and me almost every Sunday of our youth (oh the nostalgia!).  They returned the very same day, arriving at the same time that I did after my baseball date, all of us laughing about our fun adventures.

San Francisco. One Saturday my parents, my kids and I went to Golden Gate Park and Chinatown for the afternoon.  We had a panoramic view of the city from the top of the DeYoung Museum, saw a dragon parade and ate great food at the House of Nanking, and rode a cable car.  As we drove home on highway 280 with a full moon hanging in a lavender sky and the fog creeping over the mountains, we were reminded how incredibly beautiful the San Francisco Bay Area is.

Layla’s birthday.  This kid has had more birthday celebrations as we had a party with her friends back home before we left and then had two more in California.  She especially loved the shopping and manicure date that she had with Po, the banner of photos of her that Papa Bear strung across the living room, and the clothes that her cousin Bodhi picked out for her.

Sundays. Every Sunday we went to my parents non-denominational church, the Center for Spiritual Living, had lunch with family and friends at a great Tex-Mex restaurant called Aqui, and then headed to a candy store across the street called Powell’s (Papa Bear started that tradition).  Jonah tells me that he always looks forward to Sundays in California, mainly for the candy, but he’s awfully fond of Reverend David too.

There were lots of other fun rituals that the kids now associate with San Jose.  Every night they joined Papa Bear in his bowl (or two) of ice cream.  That led to a discussion about the size of Papa Bear’s belly.  He also cooked bacon for their breakfast on the gas grill almost every morning.  I know I am a meanie, but I will not be perpetuating these rituals back home.

They also loved playing on my parents’ quiet street, eating family dinners (fish and corn were their favorites), cuddling with my parents’ dog Sugar Brown, watching Harry Potter movies, dressing up in Po’s clothes, and participating in my parents’ full moon ceremonies (where no butts were revealed).  These memories, plus the relationships that they are forming with their cousins, will last a lifetime.  You can see why we are leaving San Jose with full, but also heavy, hearts.  However, as I appreciate the last few weeks in California, I remind myself that I am also fifty percent Northamptoner (friends, is there a better word for this?).  So I also look forward to my return to my friends and community in the proverbial Happy Valley.  Friends, you’ll be catching my laugh downtown soon enough.

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