Now I do recognize that the term "in-laws" conjures up some very negative connotations for some people, but not for me. Not only am I blessed with a terrific daughter Leah and my awesome wife Susan, I am also blessed with wonderful in-laws. Susan's mother, Joan, and stepfather, Ralph, live in northern California, near her brother Ben and his wife Erin. For the past three years we have traveled south from Portland to spend the Christmas holiday with them. Susan's father, Ken, and his wife Christine live in Melbourne, Australia - sadly, not somewhere easily accessible by car. Both of them are terrific people as well, along with Christine's son Joel, his wife Melissa, and their daughter Tiia.
But back to my trips to see the California in-laws. Due to my extreme fondness for them, I now get very excited about the Christmas holiday, and that is a tall feat for someone like me who was reared in a Jewish household. So filled with anticipation of great conversation, laughs, wine, and food, I was obsessed with getting my family out of town when Portland was buried under almost nineteen inches of snow. Thanks to some intense weather-monitoring on my part and a bit of luck, we made it out on the 23rd, and found ourselves arriving at Ralph and Joan's house in Bodega Bay in time for Christmas Eve dinner.
What follows are some images from our week there. Two things stand out from this trip, the first being Ralph's gift of an accordion to Joan. They are both accomplished pianists, so Joan had no trouble playing a few tunes after opening up her gift. Immediately recognizing what a cool present she had received, I knew I had to take her picture against the hills behind their home. It was a real "Sound of Music" moment that filled my head. I told them that the upside of having a son-in-law as a photographer was that they get a lot of nice images of their granddaughter. The downside is that I might ask them if I can take portraits of them with accordions or other objects that seem fit for my creative mind.
The other thing that made this trip special was seeing Leah and her grandpa Ralph bond. And I mean a superglue bond, which was nice because at one point when Leah was twelve months old, grandpa Ralph - who was trying to amuse her by sneaking up to the window that Leah was gazing out of - gave her a big "peekaboo," which induced copious amounts of tears and screaming. She was a little apprehensive of grandpa the rest of that trip. But no more. Those two are now soul mates, as you can gather from one of the pictures below.
Joan "Von Trapp" and her accordion.
Leah and grandma Joan.
Grandpa Ralph and Leah having some fun on the beach.
Grandma Joan and her gift to Leah. One of Many!
My lovely wife Susan enjoying the California sun on Christmas day.
Aunt Erin and Leah before eating Christmas dinner.
Uncle Ben gives Leah a ride.
And some more rides.
Oh yes, Ralph's birthday is on Christmas. Happy Birthday. You rock!
Ralph enjoys his ocean view before the presents are opened.
Me and Leah on the beach Christmas day. Photo by grandpa Ralph.
1 comment:
The picture with the accordion and the one on the beach our especially priceless! Well they are all priceless. You certainly do look lucky.
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