Palmer Square

Robin, my sister, picked me up from the airport on her way down from Boston and the gabfest commenced. She’s my bestie. I got her up to date on my crazy last few weeks dealing with one issue after the next at Capital Bike. She shared her travails.

An hour later, we arrived at my dad’s house in Jersey.

Dad is 89 and has outlasted his identical twin brother by seven years. His mind is pretty sharp, but he naps a lot. Chris, his wife of more than 45 years, takes good care of him. It was really nice to see them together. Very sweet. I do wonder if this visit will be the last.

Growing up I thought everyone had a piano in their living room. My dad has always loved playing. For most of my childhood I didn’t appreciate it. His music was schmaltzy and the lyrics were hilarious/embarrassing. “She’s an elegant woman. She has style and she has grace. When she comes into a room, it becomes a special place.” See what I mean?

But now he doesn’t like to play. He doesn’t have the dexterity and stamina to sit for long at the keyboard. We did coax him, however, to play a little. The sound was so familiar and familial. It’s hard to see him so heartbroken.

The next day, Michael, my twin brother, and his son, Andrew, arrived for a day trip from New York. Michael is a Jehovah’s Witness (JW) and how. His zealotry creates some family tensions. His son, Andrew is not a Witness. He lives in Harlem and puts together box furniture for a living. This was only the second time I’d seen him since he was 14. I’m not sure what makes him tick yet.

We spent the day on the side patio soaking up the sunshine and trading new and old stories.

Day two we all went to my half-brother, Jeremy and his family’s home. He’s a former JW which accounts for two separate Ginenthal gatherings. Michael and my two stepsisters adhere to the JW shunning rule. It’s pretty cruel really.

Jeremy is a collector and seller of vintage video games. We ended up playing Slicing Fruit. It’s just like it sounds. You stand in front of the screen and try to karate chop the floating fruit that pop up. So silly. I’m not a gamer, but this was interactive and surprisingly fun.

I’m eating too much. I think this whole vacation will be like that.

Three days and four nights jam-packed and fun-filled with all manner of Ginenthals is good and good enough.Read more