Family Ties

What a lovely phone call I just received from my daughter-in-law, Tammy! I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the times she has called me in their six years of marriage, so that’s one reason it was special. A consummate career woman who is very conscientious toward her job, she rarely has time for anything but paying devoted attention to her small daughters and husband when she is home. But now she is on a two-month hiatus from work, and they are on vacation. So, knowing we are very interested and concerned about their whereabouts on this ambitious jaunt along the entire west coast, she wanted to touch base with us.

Tammy described in vivid detail their day in Seattle, making it easy to envision the famous Pike Place Market they visited. As she talked, I could see the flowers, the fish mongers, the craft stalls and the live music with banjo players. “You guys would love it!” she exclaimed, then told me they visited the original Starbucks where they bought Dad a coffee mug. “We’ll get it mailed to you,” she promised.

Including warm, funny vignettes about my granddaughters, their mother told me of 2-year-old Maddie’s reaction to the fish market. “Eew!” she had blurted, “That’s disgusting!” when her sensitive little nose picked up the fishy smell of the stalls.

Anne-Marie, 4, had ordered a cup of hot chocolate at Starbucks (the temperatures there are in the 60’s), and they wrote her name on the ticket. When she heard the order pick-up call for “Anne-Marie” , she said in surprise, “How did they know my name? Have we been here before?”

Friends had told Jamie and Tammy to be sure to ride a ferry while in Seattle, so they chose a 1 1/2 hour cruise. Maddie especially loved it. Tammy assured me they kept their hands on the children at all times, even though there were safety guardrails. The whole family enjoyed an on-board meal, which helped pass the time.

Now they were headed down the green, picturesque drive to Portland, where among other things they will go to a Science and History Museum with features for children and a gigantic book store. A part of the trip the kids like is the hotel accommodations where they can relax and play around. Tammy said last night Anne-Marie surprised them with a page of carefully written alphabet letters she had worked on in a rare moment of quiet.

This was their first full day of vacation. I hope they continue to keep us posted with regular updates during the next two weeks. There is nothing dearer to a mother’s (and grandmother’s) heart. Thanks, Tammy!