The Weirdest Day

While Dave was in St. George swimming and tubing with Lisa, Kirsten, Bryce and Alyssa during the weekend of August 3-4, I was in SLC, welcoming the rest of the Flindts--Kyle, Spencer, and Grant.  The three of them drove from Seattle for the Flindt family reunion.  That left only Michael at home in Seattle, working for the Panera sandwich shop.

Kyle invited me to spend Saturday, August 4, with Spencer, since Spencer would be at the Flindt reunion the entire following week, and drive directly from the reunion back to Seattle.   After I enthusiastically agreed, Kyle mentioned that Spencer's initial reaction was, "But won't that be weird--spending an entire day alone with Grandma?"  I thought that over, and then told Spencer this was a great opportunity for both of us--"You may never have another time, in your entire life, to spend a day alone with me."  I was willing to take a chance on the experience being "weird." It turned out to be a magical time, at least for me.  It was a time to chat unhurriedly about high school, college, friends, careers--all the things grandmas are too rushed to do with their teenage grandchildren.  Spencer, thank you!

I made a list of all the things I thought a 16-year-old boy might be interested in, Spencer ranked his choices, and we were off to visit as many places as we could.  First stop was The Leonardo, the new art, science, and invention museum in downtown SLC.  We rode the escalator past Philip Beesley's "Hylozoic Veil," a feathery sculpture that reacts to passersby.

We wandered through an exhibit on water, with a gurgling fountain and many dramatic photographs of people interacting with water around the world.

 

 

 

Spencer used animation equipment to make a video, and he explored the art center, with its several stations filled with art supplies.

 

 

Spencer also participated in a U of U-sponsored experiment at the Leonardo on the genetic basis of multi-tasking.  The researchers were searching for extremely good multitaskers, whose DNA they would screen to see if that skill was genetic.  Spencer donated saliva filled with his DNA and then scored in the 90th percentile on multitasking.  It was a high enough score to qualify him for further participation in the study. 

 

 

Spencer and I paused at The Corner Bakery for soup, sandwiches, and a shared lemon bar.

Next stop was the new Utah Museum of Natural History, housed in a copper-clad building with a deep "canyon" atrium with shapes of trees projected onto its high walls.  The museum exhibits focus on Utah, with a splendid dinosaur and prehistoric mammal collection.

 

 

 

 

Spencer and I then spent an hour at Hogle's Zoo.  We enjoyed the elephants, but spent most of our time at the new Rocky Shores polar bear and seal exhibit.  A seal was basking so close to the window we were peeking through that we could count the hairs in his eyebrows!  The polar bear made leaps through his pool over and over, rising through the surface right in front of the glass windows, with a huge splash.

 

 

 

 

 

 At 6:30, we met Kyle and Grant at Texas Roadhouse for dinner. They had been in Provo, visiting Grant's friend.  As always, the peanuts, hot rolls, and barbecued ribs were our favorites!  Since this was Kyle's first visit to Texas Roadhouse, we were showered with coupons and extra attention.

 

 

 

We finished the evening at Total Recall, a new science fiction movie that involved the hero riding a shuttle through the middle of the earth as he recovered from brain re-imaging.  It was a totally macho show, with guns blazing and knives slitting, even though it was rated PG-13.  I felt guilty to subject my grandchildren to all the violence.  On the other hand, Total Recall was also the perfect, over-the-top finale to a perfect, over-the-top (though not weird) day! 

Getting Soggy in Southern Utah

It was all about getting wet.  After driving from L.A. through the Mohave Desert to St.George in a car with no air conditioning, Lisa and her tribe were ready to cool off.  Our St. George home was an oasis, from August 3 through 5, where the kids could drink gallons of water and swim in the pool.  Dave had the air conditioner turned up high when they arrived at noon on Friday, August 3.  Lisa and the kids left Southern California at 5 in the morning, to make it through the desert before it got really hot.

 

 

 

Grandpa was lots of fun, in the water and out.

 

The second water hole in which Dave and the Flindts wallowed was the Virgin River.  They rented innertubes and floated downstream.   On the way to the river, they stopped at the Spendlove graves in the Hurricane Cemetery for a bit of family history.

 

In Springdale, near Zions Park, Dave rented innertubes and a shuttle ride to the river.

 

 

Dave had planned a strategy for floating down the river--Lisa first, then the kids, with Dave pulling up the rear.  As soon as they got into the river, Alyssa and Bryce were so light that they fairly skidded through the water, like smooth stones, out ahead of everyone.  Luckily, they knew where to get out, and didn't go floating down towards the Colorado.

 

The big people trailed behind. 

A good time was had by all.

 

Disneyland and Newport Beach

Lisa's month-long adventure began with a drive down the Pacific coast, staying overnight in the Redwoods and then meeting me for four days at Lake Arrowhead.  Next stop was Newport Beach and Disneyland.

Lisa spent a week at Newport Beach as her East High senior trip. Camille also recommended some adventures there, since she attends the Ebert family reunion in Newport Beach every other year.  Lisa, Kirsten, Bryce, and Alyssa put all those suggestions together, and relaxed on the beach by the pier.   The kids built sand castles and played in the surf.

 

 

 Bryce found some pelicans.

 

 



Lisa and the kids had supper on the pier.

 

 

 Next stop was Disneyland.  Lisa and her tribe were in the parking lot by 7:30 a.m., as Camille had recommended, and they stayed all day and until 9 at night.  They started on Disneyland's Main Street.

 

 

 The Flindts tried out the coasters at the Matterhorn and Splash Mountain.  In fact, they rode on all but four of the rides in the entire park!

 

Fantasyland was a favorite place, with its castles and princesses.

 

 

 

 

 

It was a very happy day!