Already Missing the Northwest

On Tuesday I returned from a week long trip to Washington (the state, not the District of Colombia) and I have been trying to find the appropriate words to share the experience with the world ever since. You'll have to settle for this, I guess.

My vacation appears chock full of activity on the surface, and it is. I could go on and on about all the things I did while there, but that wouldn't begin to capture the essence of this trip. I treated myself to a belated birthday present with this trip, and I got to see my brother John, his wife Amy, and their kids Jacob, 14, Jessica, 10, and Jenna, 6. It was the first time I had seen any of them in 7 years (and the first time I'd EVER seen Jenna) and I couldn't wait. For the record, we put more than 800 miles on the mini-van (that doesn't include my flight from Chicago or the ferry ride we took once I got there). We jumped on a big trampoline. Visited the Experience Music Project and Sci-Fi Museum. Saw the whole Northwest from the top of the Space Needle. Stopped for coffee about 15 times. Waded in a lagoon. Hiked the trails of a few state parks. Skipped stones across a river. Stayed in a three bedroom family suite on the ocean. Watched the sunset on the Pacific. Hunted for rocks. Ate big pickles. Watched Mount St. Helens erupt. Lost money at a casino. Discovered what can only be described as blue Pacific aliens. Sang and played around a bonfire. Rode a giant ferry. Witnessed public urination. Played some cards. Whew! I did more in a week than I'm used to doing in a year! But like I said, none of this begins to capture the essence of the trip.

Someone once said the greatest gifts are the ones you give yourself. This one certainly will go down as one of the best. What made it great wasn't that I made it there after 7 years, though. No, what made it so incomparably wonderful was the ever present love that permeated everything we did.

Let me start with this: I was convinced that it would take some time for these kids to warm up to me. Jacob is old enough, I figure he could fake it pretty well. The two girls, though, I was certain would be a little--bashful? I may be family, but I'm also a stranger, you know? I couldn't have been more wrong! When I arrived at the house all of the kids were in school. The first one home was Jacob and, of course, he's too cool for affection. But we hugged anyway. My God, it was good to see him! We talked a little bit and warmed up to each other. Before long it was time to meet the girls at the bus stop. When the door to the bus opened and Jenna stepped off, there wasn't a moment's hesitation from her. She didn't have to look at her mom and dad to figure out what to do and she wasn't reluctant at all. She took one look at me and walked straight up to me with her arms out and gave me the biggest, most perfect hug ever! My newly minted 28-year-old eyes could barely keep from welling up. When Jessica followed a few steps behind, I could see she wasn't going to wait patiently. I freed one arm and she climbed up my body like a monkey and made the world's greatest hug even better! I didn't want to let either of them go and there was no indication that they were planning to do so, either. I carried them halfway back to the house before finally returning them to their feet. For the rest of the trip I would spend barely a minute without one or both of them either holding my hand or sitting on my lap or with their arms wrapped around my neck or whatever.

Then later on, quite spontaneously, little Jenna (who I had only just met, mind you) looked at me and said, "Guess what." When I replied "What?" she simply said, "I love you." Actually, it came out more like "I wuv you" but that just made it more endearing. In all, those words must have been exchanged a hundred thousand times between us all in those 7 days, yet when I returned to Chicago I couldn't shake the feeling that I hadn't said it quite enough. Really, how much is too much?

It wasn't just Jenna. Jacob complimented my sideburns and he gave me a hand braided rope to wear around my arm. He shared his interest in the hippie culture with me and when I began to call him "Spicoli" (as per his request, from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High") I could tell he was pleased. I got to see him skate (as in skateboard) and WOW is he good! I have a whole new appreciation for skating as a sport (and how hard it is to get better at it when everywhere you go prohibits it).

And then there's Jessica. In this ten-year-old girl beats one of the biggest hearts I have ever had the pleasure of being loved by. I can't close my eyes without seeing that beautiful smile of hers. When I would sing to her, the look of adoration in her eyes was worth every cent I'll spend paying off my student loans (though I was informed that her dad is a better singer because "he's famous"). She has a particular passion for making home movies and I suspect that she will be a top movie director or cinematographer one day. Such great instincts and steady hands behind the lens. But I digress.

What I'm saying with all of this, I guess, is that I could have spent more money, gone somewhere more exotic, taken some time to myself, but nothing compares to being genuinely and unconditionally loved like I was on this trip. My brother and his wife have three amazing children. And, of course, it starts with them--they deserve most of the credit. They're pretty amazing people themselves. Leaving them all after a week was heartbreaking for me (and for them, I'm told).

I returned from my trip and immediately things went haywire. My half hour trip from the airport took two hours. I had a parking ticket and an "abandoned vehicle" notice stuck to my car. My work clothes I found still damp in the washing machine and smelling of mold. My toilet was still broken. Let's just say I could have used one of those big hugs. When I got home from work the next day, the first order of business was to call and talk to those kids. 36 hours without them suddenly seemed too long. There's no way I'll let another 7 years go by without seeing them this time.

My God I love those kids.

Evolution

Thank you to everyone who wrote or called yesterday (and throughout the week) to wish me a happy birthday. It feels good to be remembered!

Yesterday was just the beginning of what is going to be a great year, I think. At least the first three days look pretty good.

Today is May 9th. Paul Simon has released his first album in 5 and a half years today and I went over to Borders and bought the very first copy, moments after the store opened. I'm listening to it now. God, I love Paul Simon!

You want to know how music evolves, you don't look at the people who are just breaking into the scene today and compare them to the Beatles or Mozart or whoever. I mean, that music hasn't so much "evolved" as it has just...appeared. To really grasp how music has evolved, you have to look (or listen, rather) to those people who've been making it for decades and hear how different it is now than it was when they started. Listen to Paul McCartney's new music and hear how it is far and away different--and still distinctly Paul McCartney--than his early days with the Beatles and then with Wings. Listen to John Mellencamp's newer stuff and compare it to "Jack and Diane" or "Little Pink Houses". Just not the same. That's how music evolves.

Music has evolved once more with today's release of Paul Simon's "Surprise". Gone are the floating harmonies with Art Garfunkel. Gone is the drone of Ladysmith Black Mambazo in the background. Gone is the Puerto Rican flare of "Capeman". But none of it is really gone. It's all here. Each is a part to the whole that is Paul Simon. No one can make recitative sound so effortless or inject a creeping guitar line like Paul Simon. And his lyrics are still flawless! (Whether you think they're political or not, he finds just the perfect words to express what he wants to say.)

Do yourself a favor and buy "Surprise" and own a piece of the evolution of Paul Simon. Hear where music comes from and where it's going.

Speaking of which, the Experience Music Museum in Seattle...prepare yourself. I'm on my way! That's right folks, that's day three of DAN28. I leave for Washington state tomorrow morning and I'll be gone for a whole week. It's a little birthday present to myself. I get to visit my brother, his wife, and their three children. I've not seen any of them in seven years! They've got plans for me to climb mountains, swim in the Pacific, and experience the booming cultural center that is Seattle...including a trip to the Experience Music Museum (I think that's what it's called) of which I've heard so much about.

I'll be back in a week and tell you all about it then.