Chicago

Rain, rain, rain. A beautiful view from the 53rd floor. The first day was just cloudy, the second day rained all day, and we had work to do at the ASBDC. I was told that Leo especially loved the Science and Art museum, which was full of trains.

Then I went home and they went to Maine.

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Strange weather for Chicago in the first week of September.

Thanksgiving 2007

I intend to post links to pictures later. We weren’t the most photogenic group on this holiday, to be truthful. The four of us drove over to Bend Wednesday, and the Parsons drove over with Katherine, and Lupe and Luis flew to Redmond and rented a car, to join us. Rodrigo came with us.Timmy and Leon

The skiing was tough. Bachelor had barely enough snow to open, even with its snowmaking equipment, and I ran over rocks hidden in a thin veneer of snow and fell flat on my face. No damages, just looked dumb, right at the top of the Pine Martens lift. Timmy and Noah skied more than the rest of us, Megan and I got four runs, but our rental skiis were not the easiest and the slopes were dicy. Sabrina skied almost as much as Noah and Timmy, and Luis and Rodrigo skied (well, Luis was on his board, impeccably outfitted, of course).

Meanwhile, back at the lodge, it was sunny and beautiful unless you were Leo, who wasn’t feeling all that great.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at Sunriver Lodge.

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Paul and Milena and Eva went to CanCun, and Laura stayed in Eugene.

Photos will be on Amiglia soon, in parsons.amiglia.com and berrys.amiglia.com.

A Week in Bend

June 29 through July 8, 2007

With thanks to Paul and Milena for taking the initiative, we had family in Bend. For me it was a really good 10 days, a chance to get to know Eva better and spend time with Paul and Milena too. Paul and Milena and Eva left New York in the wee hours of Friday morning, and I took off from Eugene about midday. Noah and Sabrina and Timmy and Leo came that evening.

Days were a mix of house looking, hiking, the boat park, etc.

The first and second picture here are at Nancy P’s, just down the hill from the Parson’s house, which became the place of record for breakfast and lunch.


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10 Days in Bend

Thanks mainly to Paul and Milena, we were in Bend from June 29 through July 8, 2007, staying mostly at Noah and Sabrina’s house. The Parsons came for both weekends, Vange and Megan came from Tuesday through Sunday, and I was there with them the whole time. It was a really good vacation for me, and I got to know Eva like I hadn’t had a chance to before. We saw some houses for sale, hiked along the Deschutes River.
Click here for the Amiglia album Bend June-July 2007
Click here for the Picasa album Bend June-July 2007

Sabrina: Oct. 6, 1973

UPI Mexico City bureau at night. I’d look out the window at the corner of Avenida Morelos and Paseo de la Reforma, city lights, traffic, the car downstairs; talk to Benjamin the “office boy;” look at the afternoon papers, scanning for news. It was fun when there was news.

That particular night there wasn’t news until Vange called, about 9 pm. “Nothing,” she said; nothing was up. “I just wanted to make sure you were there.”

I thought about that one for about a second, told the office boy I was leaving, and took off for home. We didn’t have cellphones in those days. There might not be a second chance. Vange was plenty due with Sabrina.

By the time I was home she knew I was on my way because she’d called the office several times. We had to hurry. Contractions were coming too fast and too hard. Eva would meet us at the hospital.

The drive, at about 10:30 at night on a weeknight, didn’t take long. We were relatively close, from San Jose Insurgentes it was up the Periferico to the Hospital Engles. I remember very well the topes, how much they seemed to hurt.

The hospital worked quickly. Jaime was there. Eva was there shortly. There was a short time in the preparation, then into the delivery room. I waited on the inside of the doors now, where I could hear everything, but they still didn’t let the fathers inside the delivery room itself.

There was struggle, effort, and then, in just a few minutes,

“Otra nina guera.”

It was Vange’s voice, full of happiness. Sabrina had arrived, slightly smaller than Laura at 7 lbs 8 ounces, with a twisted nose, and beautiful from the first glance.

The twisted nose became a funny story because we, young parents that we were, worried about it for days. Dr. Lasky just teased us, “don’t worry, surgery for that will be easy later on.” Of course it’s common and went away.