So far my summer has been...... interesting. Life has been kind of a whirl since Father's Day. I spent two weeks hanging out at my dad's house in Seattle, with the kiddos of course. I was helping paint my dad's house (Living room and dining room) while the kids did their best to help (staying out of the way).
My father is an artist and his house, that was built in 1901, very clearly reflects this. He is a photographer and likes to paint using oils. His passion for art does not stop there. He has dabbled in sculpting, stain glass, and yesterday, I watched as he made a mystic maiden arise from a stick he started carving on a whim. I make a point to describe his artistic explorations simply to drive two points home. The first being that his keen eye for detail is also expressed in his living areas. There is base board with coordinating skirt rail, chair rail, crown molding door molding, fancy window molding in both rooms as well as a really cool relief (made by the aforementioned artist-took him like 2 years to complete) in one room. The second being that since he has such a discerning eye for detail, it is kind of difficult for it not to spot errors- a lot. To the point that they drive him just a little crazy. So mix that all together and what you get is a lot of different surfaces and edges that all need special, individualized attention, with an eye to knowing what the hell to stay way from (the relief of course). It took me a week to finish the detail work; it was worth it. The rooms smile in a shiny new way that only new hardwood floors and a face lift via a lovingly meticulous couple of coats of paint can make happen.
While we were there, the kids got to go to the zoo, discover the wonders of the International District (China Town), and even how to get a long a little better. I got a master to teach me a thing or two (uh note it is really RE teach) about how to compose a better picture and got some creative ideas that I will try out and hopefully document now that camera issues have been solved. YAY!
Another interesting thing happened while I was out of town. Hubbers drove the kids and I to my dad's house so he could catch a baseball game, but had to leave us to our own devices so that he could go to work. This arrangement suits me just fine as I really don't care to drive in Seattle. I can, just don't wanna. Any how, I figured that maybe the time alone would do him/ us some good. For two weeks he wouldn't have to come home to rowdy kids, or their messes, after a hard day at work. He wouldn't have to deal with my eccentric behaviors. I thought wow, this will really give him a break. The funny thing is, I am not sure he needed it. He missed us right away (or was really super convincing any ways).
One thing I noticed though, is how much I really truly rely on him. for emotional support, back up with the kids, and camaraderie. This may sound odd but I knew I would miss him, I just didn't realise how much. Five years ago, we were a military family and we did pretty well with all of his comings and goings (not that we had a choice lol). I was an Air Force brat and we form attachments a little different than your average person, mainly because at any time, your best friend will have to leave with little notice and chances are once they do, you will never hear from them again. As a kid, you deal with this by learning how to live in the moment which requires not looking back too much 'cause that can kind of sting a little. So that is kind of how I am with my attachments now. I guess unless I am married to you or you are one of my kids. Who knew? Maybe I becoming more sentimental as I age.
