Hey, Everyone! So, last time, I had us at DQ having a bit of lunch. After that, the day went quickly. We went to Lowes and got groceries for everybody and then returned to the AirBnB. The kids played for a bit and then David made dinner.
He’s an excellent cook, by the way. Both he and Emily are, and I think they could have been restauranteurs had they wished to. When David was younger, when he was still in high school and just afterwards, when he was working as a barista, I sincerely thought he was headed for a career in the food services industry. And, yes, I’d already checked out culinary arts schools near Boston.(1)
I had a vision of him beginning a charming bistro that offered chic but hearty and wholesome fare someplace on the New England coast where, of course, I could visit frequently...and eat way too much...and eventually weigh slightly more than a “handymix” geared bulk ore carrier ship on a bad day. And to make any sense of all that, see the footnote.(2) Instead, though, he decided to be an architect, which was probably a good thing in that I now am not as massive as the aforesaid ore carrier. Maybe a barge. But not a carrier.
So, anyway, he made dinner, and it was terrific. And then, after playing a bit, the grandkids went off to bed. After that, David and Emily stepped out for a drink and we looked after the home front...nervously, fearing that Miles would wake up and rattle the windowpanes again, but he didn’t...whew!...and then finally we all headed off to bed around midnight.
The next morning, we got up bright and early and then David did breakfast for us. As before, delicious. Then, us three guys got together...David, Miles, and me...and we all took a walk around the neighborhood, leaving the womenfolk at home ...to, ah, er, deal with Hazel and the bounding Mooey. (I don’t think Martha’s quite forgiven me yet. But, give it time. A couple more years, and we’ll be just fine.)
About the photos: Four today. First, this is another shot of the backroads of Marfa. I took this photograph on my walk with David and Miles. Second and third: want a house in Marfa? This cool looking dual house (or possibly a duplex) was up for sale near our AirBnB.
Fourth and finally, my obligatory photo that has nothing to do with the story but I just kind of like it. Here’s a photo of Martha in front of one of Lady Bird’s gown’s at the LBJ Library in Austin. This was on our trip there in 2022.
Anyway, we had a long walk, and it was fascinating to listen to David talk -- about the town, about its history, about the artists and artworks you could find here, about the field of architecture and what was happening there and why, about what he and Emily hoped for in the long run, and the short.
You don’t often get a chance to listen to your adult children talking about their lives in such detail. I was grateful... to him, and to circumstances.
We returned to the AirBnB and there followed some various little adventures. Martha and I ended up going (again) to Lowes for (more) supplies. The kids and g’kids went out to meet some friends they known from years before, and hadn’t seen in ages, but who...surprise!...happened to be in town. We all got back to the house shortly after lunch.
And then...we had...we had...
The Gingerbread House fiasco. (Insert ominous music here. Sort of The Exorcist meets Hell’s Kitchen.)
Okay, you know what a gingerbread house is, right? Of course you do. Everybody and their dog knows what a gingerbread house is. But, just in case, Wikipedia defines it as “ a novelty confectionery shaped like a building that is made of cookie dough, cut and baked into appropriate components like walls and roofing. The usual base material is crisp gingerbread, hence the name.” (3)
Hence, indeed. Anyway, Martha had found a Gingerbread House kit and thought it would make a great Christmas gift for the g’kids. So, we wrapped it up and gave it to them. Then, we thought, that afternoon would be the perfect time for Martha and the kids to assemble it. They began their happy labors.
Except...except...it just wouldn’t work. The pieces of the gingerbread house were supposed to be held together by a white sugar frosting that came in a little bag that was with the rest of the house kit. But, for some reason, the frosting wouldn’t hold. Each time they put down a layer of the stuff, the gingerbread pieces would just fall apart. The poor little house collapsed faster than J.D. Vance’s reputation for witty repartee in a donut shop.
And so, finally, after a couple of hours, during which Miles drifted away and Hazel grew increasingly restless, Martha finally threw in the towel. The frosting/adhesive was just ineffective. The gingerbread house kit had been, at best, a scam. At worst, a waste.
But then...
I glanced up. I realized that David was eying the remains of the gingerbread house.
And then I remembered...oh!...that he was both a chef and an architect.
More to come.
Footnotes:
1. If you’re interested, here’s a recent list of ten respected culinary arts schools in the United States today. This is from something called HospitalityManagementDegrees.net. I honestly don’t know anything about this organization, and frankly I’m a little wary of them. Still, they do list Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park (CIA) and Johnson and Wales University, both of which I’m told are excellent schools.
2. That’s a reference to ships meant to carry heavy ore and other loose cargoes. A “handymax” is a smaller ship rated at 40,000 to 50,000 Deadweight tonnage (DWT). I employed the term because I was looking for a funny way to describe my own obesity. Like I say, I thought it would be funny. I was wrong. But I’m big enough to admit that. It’s the kind of decent, honest, heroic guy I am.
3. Gingerbread House, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gingerbread_house
Copyright©2024 Michael Jay Tucker
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