SMALL SLICES OF LIFE, HIDDEN TREASURES

 

A series of essays….

GAVIN AND GRIMIN WAITING IN THE LOBBY OF THE 
AMWAY GRAND PLAZA HOTEL TO BE SEATED FOR DINNER

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Many of us still enjoy the tasty pleasure of eating a well cut, brilliantly cooked, sizzlingly presented steak. I do. Apologies to my dear vegan and plant based friends. I don’t indulge on a regular basis, but when I do it should meet most of the requirements stated above because it is a special treat for me and fully intended as such.

When we found out that our twelve-year-old grandson, Gavin, was feeling a little bummed by missing a trip to Disney World in May (even though he would not admit it because he’s just so darn sweet and kind), Dan and I decided to ‘cook up’ something totally special just for him. Well, for us, too, but to share it all with Gavin and have him be the center of attention. 

Call it a phase (I can recall many of my own while growing up), but he is so into having steak right now and, if truth be told, could enjoy having it every single day! He’s very picky about his choice of protein which means that mealtime selections can be interesting, as well as the exact preparation of the beef, chicken, turkey, along with his sides. His Mom often finds herself preparing something a little different for him which makes dinner prep more challenging for her. 

I have heard of this kind of eating behavior before having much to do with the texture of various foods and how individuals react to them. If children are hypersensitive to tactile input, they will be less willing to get messy, can be particular about clothing, and could be picky eaters with a strong preference for food of a specific texture only. Hopefully, this too may just be a phase that will change for him, given time.

GAVIN AND PAPA ENJOYING THE POOL

Securing parental permission first, Dan and I decided that a bit of good food and overall pampering in general was in order and made reservations for three at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Grand Rapids. With an overnight stay at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel a must, we coupled it with a ballgame the next day at the LMCU Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, a High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. The three of us were a little pumped for over a month waiting for our mini-excursion in Grand Rapids to begin!

After a long swim in the pool with Papa, the appetite for the upcoming evening meal was enormous. A quick shower and change of clothes for them and we found ourselves being seated promptly at seven for dinner. Our adorable waitress, Jen, asked if we’d eaten there before and quickly discovered that this was a first for Gavin and that he was very excited by the prospect. Well, he swiftly became a pampered young prince for the duration of our meal, getting to select his own steak knife (He chose well: a Laguiole Light Horn Steak Knife made in France with the signature bee motif) and constantly being attended to.

GAVIN IS IN ANTICIPATION MODE

PRESENTATION OF HIS PETIT FILET

YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR IT, GAVIN!

ONE VERY HAPPY YOUNG MAN

Having selected the petit cut filet, cooked medium well, for his meal, Gavin slid into anticipation mode, turning a bit glassy eyed while inhaling the sizzling butter aroma of each and every steak that the staff carried loftily by our table. Dan and I were right there with him. We were told that the steak selections came out on very hot plates ranging up to 500 degrees in order to maintain their sizzle and temperature for a long time. They did not exaggerate. But the accentuated aroma of browned butter and steak perpetuated by the high temperature was indeed music to our ears. We joined him in anticipation mode.

Dinner was, of course, a major success and the salad starter and side of sweet potato casserole made the meal simply devine. After Dan ordered the bread pudding with Bourbon sauce for dessert and Gavin and I declined, spritely Jen brought out a special treat especially for our ‘first timer.’ It consisted of chocolate mousse covered in fresh whipped cream and nestled in an edible chocolate cup with a side of fresh fruit and cream. ‘Congratulations’ handwritten on the plate was his badge of honor and graciously initiated him into the world of delectable but high priced steak with a staff who knew how to make each guest feel like royalty.

GAVIN’S BADGE OF HONOR - A SWEET TREAT

As Dan and I lay in bed listening to Gavin’s satisfied breathing coming from the next bed, we couldn’t help but smile remembering the good-humored banter exchanged throughout the evening and especially before dozing off. If food is love, he was very happy falling into dreamland that night.

Unanimously, it was decided to take a short walk to Panera Bread outside the hotel for breakfast. The morning was warm and sunny; a great day for a baseball game, or so we hoped. I was concerned by the sun and knew we’d packed sunscreen for later. We lost Gavin for a few moments after entering the restaurant when he held back, holding open the tall, heavy doors for a lady going out after picking up her large take-out order. She gave him an enormous smile and a genuine thank you as she slipped by him. Kudos to his parents. They are certainly doing something right.

We had already packed our small bags and left them in the room, so a leisurely walk back to the hotel was in order. Check-out was at eleven with the first pitch of the game slated for one o’clock. 

By the time we got to our designated seats, the sky had turned slate gray and lost any sunshine and pale blue sky we had enjoyed earlier. First pitch — first raindrops. The game went on and everyone sat there through two innings and a tie game of one to one before the distant sound of thunder arrived, forcing us to vacate the seats and move under the slight protection at the top of the stands. 

OH, NOOOO!!

An hour and a half later, with all hope in our hearts of continuing the game lost, the three of us, dejectedly, marched back to our car. They did not call the game for, at least, forty-five minutes after we’d left. But, a little bird had told us earlier (Mom) that Gavin liked playing the indoor games at Dave & Buster’s on 28th Street. As the rain poured in buckets outside, Gavin played to his heart’s content, high and dry, inside. 

HANGING OUT AT DAVE & BUSTER’S

Unfortunately for us, they resumed the ballgame the next day, but we had our own commitments which negated our return to LMCU Ballpark for the finish of the game.

With smiles on our faces, Dan headed back to Kalamazoo. Our beautiful memories of this time with our grandson will live in our hearts, forever. And, we hope, The Little Prince of Ruth’s Chris will tuck back some wonderful memories of his own to pull out and enjoy every now and again. After all — isn’t this what life is all about?

Thank you, Gavin. Papa and Grimin love you!

MOVING ON…..2013-2023

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

Photo copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

A NOSTALGIC GLIMPSE OF MEADOWLARK LEMON

 

A series of essays….

LIVING IN A BLUE HOUSE SHOULD MAKE YOU FEEL HAPPY!

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Many years ago in a land far, far away (actually, it was Chicago) enough magazines and holy trinkets were sold (not intended to be sacrilegious) to offer me the opportunity to attend Sodality and stay at the Conrad Hilton Hotel for four nights and five days. That’s the year I fell madly in love with the Windy City and vowed I would live and work there one day.

The time was the early sixties and we had recently slid out of the Beatnik era, known as the Beat Generation, with its slouchy, dark clothes, open mic poetry reading, and finger snapping.The American youth was gathering social momentum as drugs, free love, and rock & roll (not to mention bell bottoms and the peace symbol) were becoming synonymous as influences and choices for us to take or leave. But the early sixties were kinder, less radical than this, and the Roman Catholic Church was attempting to guide our innocent souls into a world of fellowship, fraternity, and comradeship. 

Sodality was meant to bring us together through its many classes and social gatherings and allow us to discuss the Church and our feelings regarding its teachings and beliefs. Kids from all over the Midwest gathered there and, looking back, it was definitely a coming of age moment in our young lives. I always felt the mindset of the priests and nuns who were responsible for its production were part of a grand recruiting program for potential priests and nuns.

The music of the time captured our attention; we were all still so young and naive. The Beatles had yet to cross the pond to America and songs like Michael Row The Boat Ashore performed by The Highwaymen, If I had a Hammer (The Hammer Song) and Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There Is a Season) both by Pete Seeger, and Judy Collins singing Both Sides Now topped the Best of the Hootenanny charts.

So many kids brought their acoustic guitars to Sodality and the hotel provided perfect carpeted alcoves on each floor near the elevators where we’d sit lotus-style, in a circle, while singing in harmony, for the most part, for hours. For me, this was the true meaning of Sodality; we were like-minded teens who would soon be approaching the backlash of the Vietnam War but, for now, were blending together through the hopefulness of song and camaraderie.

One evening, around twenty of us were deep in song when the elevators opened and out walked eight smiling, gentle giants; very tall men donning short, silken jackets emblazoned with gold stars and red and white stripes on a sea of blue. Towering above, like bright stars in the galaxy, they stopped long enough to sing with us and just long enough for us to read the names of Curly Neal and Goose Tatum. The largest smile was owned by Meadowlark Lemon and time stood still as the Harlem Globetrotters absorbed all of the energy our little gathering had to offer.

MEADOWLARK LEMON

                                        Courtesy of Fort Worth Business

Poof! Just like that — they were gone! Flowing down a river of beige carpet, they were lost in the curvature of the meandering corridor while, quietly, tossing a basketball back and forth…stifled giggles lingering in their wake.

All of the memories of this time as a young girl absorbing the wonders of a big city I loved while experiencing life with eyes wide open and on my own terms —  leave me breathless to this day. So, when a friend invited me to her Blue House Poetry and Music gathering, which she decidedly coined “Salon meets Hootenanny”style get together for poets and musicians and their friends and families, I asked Dan if he’d like to join me for the evening.

Arriving at Nancy and Robin’s Blue House, a handsome turn-of-the-century Victorian, well loved and beautifully maintained, I discovered friends not seen for awhile. Dan and I were introduced to Nancy’s family, two charming daughters, Sarah and Emily, and husband, Robin. They were so genteel and accommodating with an abundance of humor all rolled into a complete package that exuded their love and respect for one another.

Nancy’s gardens rivaled many I’ve seen, private and professional, with small  pockets of serenity defined by aging picket fences and studded with comfortable benches nestled among the masses of colorful flowers and grasses. Around the perimeter of the property, mature trees and one ancient catalpa tree in the front yard stand tall and glorious as if protecting the Blue House and her inhabitants. Like my memory of the Harlem Globetrotters that evening in Chicago, these gentle giants offer protection and mark time while observing little girls playing hide-&-seek, young men coming to the front door to pick-up their dates, and young ladies packing their belongings in the car and heading off into their future.

Nancy and I are members of Voices On the Margin, a Kalamazoo poetry group who honors all poets by selecting a poet each month to learn about their background and study their published works. Ultimately, we write our own poems based on the poet’s particular style and use of techniques. We’ve studied poet laureates, poets we have not heard about beforehand, and many Michigan poets who have made their mark in the ever growing and popular genre of poetry. We believe that poetry should move us. Poetry should change us. Poetry should make us see the world in a new and totally original way.

NANCY’S SMILE:
BRILLIANT & SINCERE

Nancy taught poetry within the Portage Public School System in Michigan and has recently retired from Portage Northern High School. She devotes her time between family and continuing her quest to enlighten others drawing from the deep well of her many years of accumulated knowledge. Robin has taught music for many years and has been involved in theater and theater production. Sarah and Emily are artists, musicians, and educators, as well. It was so easy to fall in love with The Incredible and Talented Nott Family.

So, eating amazing food while seated on the pool deck, Robin is creating a huge fire in the stone pit located behind the pool shed. The Hootenanny vibes begin to grow stronger as we all bring our chairs and begin to form a large circle around the blazing fire. Musicians bring out their acoustic guitars, a cello, and handmade wooden flutes. Many vocalists, including Robin and Emily, provide a singalong atmosphere while playing guitar and encouraging everyone to sing along to familiar lyrics. The “Salon meets Hootenanny” theme thrives within a circle of talented people swaying back and forth to the gentle rhythms of timeless music and gentle voices reading and sharing their original poems. One by one — and the circle is complete.

CATCHING THE SUNSET BETWEEN
POETRY READINGS AND SONGS

With the stars lending their concentrated illumination above, rejoicing in the lack of pesky mosquitoes, and savoring the anticipation of driving home and discussing the evening, we felt like kids, once again. We existed, if only for a few hours, within a time warp, caught between our youth and the many memories acquired in one’s lifetime. In true Mitch Miller style, we followed the bouncing ball, read our poetry, sang, and played to or heart’s content; all within the joy and bliss of friendship.

Nancy, Robin, Sarah, and Emily have given credence to the idea that within the shadow of the giant catalpa tree coupled by the engaging smile of Meadowlark Lemon beaming down from the heavens, peace and tranquillity can be found on a beautiful July evening surrounded by family and friends.

Moving On…2013 - 2023

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved