Family Visit 07
Despite being parked in by my neighbors, and having to shovel out the back of my driveway, I made it down to Rivendell River Vale in good time. The traffic on CT-15 was stop and go for unexplainable reasons, but I had some albums to listen to (all from the mid to late 90's. Boy do I still like "Kooler than Jesus"). I arrived as the family was about to sit down for dinner.
I talked with David about his experiences working on Into the Wild, and he told the story about driving through a blizzard in Alaska with Sean Penn in the front seat. The dinner wound it's way through the antipasto and the main course (delicious pork simmered in marinara sauce, and baked ziti) and we took a break before dinner to have the first O'Brien family Holiday Texas Hold 'em tournament. My uncle dubbed Gaylord Mitty after I won the first few big hands, but it was David who won the pot in the end.
The next morning was a light breakfast and watching a documentary called Riding Giants about the history of surfing. Now, I've never surfed in my life and can barely stand on a skateboard, but watching that video stirred some deep feeling in me. The idea of a small group of guys living out on the beach, catching their own food, dedicating their entire days to surfing and in the process setting trends that would affect the entire hobby for decades. It was that pioneering spirit, the rush of catching a wave that was though untamable, all that tropical water. My uncle and aunt went to Hawaii last year, now I have another destination to visit.
I spent barely a day down there, but it was as hard to leave as it always is. That's a good feeling, in away.
I talked with David about his experiences working on Into the Wild, and he told the story about driving through a blizzard in Alaska with Sean Penn in the front seat. The dinner wound it's way through the antipasto and the main course (delicious pork simmered in marinara sauce, and baked ziti) and we took a break before dinner to have the first O'Brien family Holiday Texas Hold 'em tournament. My uncle dubbed Gaylord Mitty after I won the first few big hands, but it was David who won the pot in the end.
The next morning was a light breakfast and watching a documentary called Riding Giants about the history of surfing. Now, I've never surfed in my life and can barely stand on a skateboard, but watching that video stirred some deep feeling in me. The idea of a small group of guys living out on the beach, catching their own food, dedicating their entire days to surfing and in the process setting trends that would affect the entire hobby for decades. It was that pioneering spirit, the rush of catching a wave that was though untamable, all that tropical water. My uncle and aunt went to Hawaii last year, now I have another destination to visit.
I spent barely a day down there, but it was as hard to leave as it always is. That's a good feeling, in away.