maeve66: (1969)
maeve66 ([personal profile] maeve66) wrote2007-11-21 07:03 pm

It's snowing!

I am about as excited as that three year old in the photo. It's been YEARS since I've been in a snowstorm, and it's beautiful.

I'm in Lake Geneva, where my father and stepmother have rented (for two years, subject to renegotiation) the actual house he grew up in, which is so fucking lovely. It's this tiny place, built in 1880. But as my father says happily, it's been renovated until it's "just like a condo!" It's got up to four possible bedrooms, three of which we're using tonight -- the main bedroom, which was my father's grandmother's room, and now belongs to Mary and him; the next largest bedroom, which was his, and is now mine (they had a futon sofa delivered for it this afternoon), and I am sitting at my father's ancient desk, typing, while looking out on, as I said, snow, and a Civil War era cemetery across the street, and a teeny-tiny bedroom, which had been his uncle's, and is now being used by my mom. I love my mother and father's post-divorce relationship.

I think I am perhaps a tiny bit drunk. We went out for margaritas at one bar, and then a pretty good Mexican dinner at a nice, fairly authentic restaurant -- Mexicans are the fastest growing demographic in Lake Geneva. I think it's kind of hilarious to drink with your parents. Well, my mother doesn't drink. My father and Mary do, though. I also think it's hilarious to go to a bar where boyscouts under fourteen years of age try (successfully) to sell you raffle tickets. Ah, Wisconsin, how I love you.

The ONLY fly in my personal ointment right this second is the horrible light jazz or whatever they call this crap that my father always, always has the radio tuned to. I think as a special concession to my arrival on Monday night, he had an Irish folk show on the car radio when they picked me up at O'Hare. Anyway, though, I can put my own music on, with headphones, if I want to. But I think that first, I am going to call M.

Tomorrow, I get to cook. I love cooking Thanksgiving. It never feels like pressure to me, maybe partly because my father insists on this absolutely unchanging menu dating from 1956, so I know exactly what I'm doing. It's a comforting ritual.

PS -- Evanston was gorgeous, too -- I am going to include some photos from yesterday's foggy walk home to my dad's place.

The view towards the main business street near my dad's house:

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

And the view down the street that leads towards his street:

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Oakland never looks like that, even in the fog. There aren't enough trees for me in the Bay Area.

Oh, and here's me, really blurry:

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Okay. I should quit playing on the internets now.

[identity profile] withoutscene.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
Looks lovely! That's very cool that your dad stays in the house he grew up in! AND the post-divorce relationship too!!! When I read your mother was staying there I totally raised my eyebrows, haha. Happy Thanksgiving!

[identity profile] maeve66.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
Look again; I added me.

Yeah, I love their relationship so much. The three of them have gone on vacation together a few times, too. To Cuba, to Mexico...

[identity profile] withoutscene.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 04:34 am (UTC)(link)
Wow, vacation?!? Does your mom feel like the 3rd wheel?

Still, way cool. Yay for pictures!

[identity profile] maeve66.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 04:42 am (UTC)(link)
I don't think so. I think they're all comfortable with each other. We're all in the same socialist group, too.

[identity profile] springheel-jack.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
ON WISCONSIN
ON WISCONSIN
GRAND OLD BADGER STATE

[identity profile] maeve66.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 04:44 am (UTC)(link)
I like that song.

You've been to LG? When? Why? I think it is an absolutely beautiful small town. Fucking idyllic, in fact, which is a little starry-eyed of me. But I used to spend weeks and weeks up here in the summers as a kid, with my great-aunt and great-uncle.

[identity profile] springheel-jack.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
I lived in milwaukee till I was 11. We went to LG one year as a family vacation thing. Rented a cottage or something. I was quite young.

[identity profile] springheel-jack.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
Perhaps we were there at the same time!

[identity profile] oblomova.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 04:44 am (UTC)(link)
Yup. That's what it's been like here all week.

I kinda like it. Somehow, I feel like this kind of weather gives me permission not to be gung-ho about getting things done. I move at a more deliberate pace, but somehow feel more productive.

[identity profile] maeve66.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
I LOVE that kind of weather. But I love the snowy snow up here, too. God, I miss this in the Bay Area.

[identity profile] fearfuloptimist.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
It looks perfectly beautiful there- evocative in just the right holiday way. Thanks for the photos! I'm so glad I checked-in and saw them tonight.

[identity profile] angel80.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 07:58 am (UTC)(link)
Jesus! I thought you'd suddenly gone to Switzerland (I know it's really Lake Leman).

[identity profile] maeve66.livejournal.com 2007-11-22 02:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, it's NAMED after the lake in Switzerland, or the city, or whatever. I'll try to take some photos of Lake Geneva and the snow today. It's only about an inch. I wish it would snow more. The photos above are actually Evanston, though, not LG.

Yeah. I'm not really a jetsetter. It's been years and years since I've been out of the country. My passport is well out of date. I need to do something about that.

[identity profile] angel80.livejournal.com 2007-11-23 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
It's like somebody saying they're in Moscow and it turns out they're in Idaho or Georgia and it turns out that it's a US state, or Athens, or Paris.... :)