Michigan and Waterloo

Way back in October, we took M. on a big road trip: first, we visited Ann Arbor, our old haunt:

Few of our friends still remain, but we could catch up with collaborators and former mentors – and now my cousin David is there. It was a disorienting feeling, to see the ways in which everything has changed, yet are pretty much the same. College town life!

We headed further west for a stop at Hope College, where I was invited to give a talk at a World Languages conference. My best friend from high school, now also a language professor, co-organized the conference, and it was such a treat both to see him in his element and to visit with his beautiful family.

From Holland, MI, we drove east across the border to visit my family in Waterloo, Ontario. We stayed with my aunt and uncle and got to spend precious time with my Ye-ye in the nursing home where he now resides:

I feel so sad that my Grandma didn't get to spend more time with M. She would be so tickled by M.'s enjoyment of books and her constant, tuneful humming. My Ye-ye doesn't know who we are anymore, and he won't remember a thing about our visit, but that's okay. Having a baby has taught me that every day is a special gift to be cherished for what it is, and these were definitely days together to be cherished.

Saying goodbye

Last Thursday, my Grandma (my dad's mom) passed away. I had rushed to Ottawa by plane on Wednesday evening, arriving at midnight, and I was so relieved that I got to say my goodbyes in person and be with her at the end. It all seemed to happen so fast: my parents were visiting in late March, and two days later she had a minor heart attack. She called an ambulance—the neighbors saw and called my dad—and went to the hospital. We all expected her to recover and be moved to a retirement home for cardiac rehab. In fact, my visit was planned for two weeks later so that I could perhaps help with the move from the hospital to rehab. But instead, her condition deteriorated. She never the left the hospital again. It's still a shock to me, though I suppose she was 89 years old. But she had been in pretty decent health—or so we had thought, not knowing about the extent of her heart disease—and still living independently with my grandfather in their own home. Now she is gone, and my Ye-Ye is living alone in a retirement home with a memory unit.

A classic photo hanging in the study of my grandparents' house:

Grandma always made us wear these bucket hats when we went out in the sun, and we always thought they were dumb. Haha!

There are a lot of things I can say about Grandma. First of all, I'm named after her! So I always felt a special connection. I also always thought that if I had a daughter, I'd name her after my mom. But...well, Mom, you got the middle name! Grandma was a poet and painter. She loved nature and sunsets and the sea and flowers, and she nurtured our appreciation for all of those things. She used to send me her poems in my birthday card. That's how I first learned that poems are a gift! And now I study Greek poetry for a living. Here's a poem she wrote that is hanging in their living room:

Her funeral and memorial service will be the first weekend in May. I think I'll continue posting here about my thoughts and memories of Grandma. I miss you already, Grandma, and I love you!

Trip to Ottawa

Last weekend, we gathered with my dad's side of the family to celebrate my grandfather's 90th birthday – in Ottawa, Canada! This led to a number of milestones for Madeleine: first international trip, first time to Canada, first time meeting her great-grandparents and our relatives from Waterloo and her Uncle Peter. It was quite eventful!

M. and my cousin Stephanie

Happy with Uncle Peter!

We drove up to Ottawa, family roadtrip style: Dave, Maddie, and I joined Grace, A., and M. in their minivan, and the six of us braved the journey together (Stephen traveled separately because of his work schedule). The kids were really quite good, with only one period of total meltdown on each leg of the trip!

(N.B.: my dad restraining M. by the collar so he doesn't plunge face-first into the cake! Haha)

Our actual time in Ottawa was very brief, but it felt so special to see Maddie with my grandparents! I have so many memories of their house, too, so it was precious to bring our little baby there. We went out for dim sum lunch and Chinese seafood dinner in Chinatown, and posed for family pictures to commemorate the moment.

My Ye-ye is pretty out of it these days. I'm not sure whether he recognizes me or knows that I'm his oldest son's daughter, and I'm quite certain he doesn't know whom Maddie belongs to. But when he sees Maddie, he instinctively reaches out to her and bends in close to make eye contact, smiling and chuckling and singing her little songs.

It was so moving to see those two together! Praying for more opportunities and more years to spend together!

O, Canada!

I leave on Wednesday for several weeks in New York City, so we decided to go on a final summer adventure this weekend. The Destination:

Even after all these years, I had never visited Windsor, Ontario, just across the river from Detroit, despite its reputation for good dim sum and...gambling. So off we went:

We managed to get the world's nosiest customs agent at the border. The best question he asked us was, "Other than the personal clothes on your body, what are you bringing into the country?" Well, a lot of things, I guess, sir: there's the car we're sitting in, which also contains my purse with hand sanitizer in it, and here's a water bottle, and my sun hat. Should I mention the old ipod in the glove compartment? I guess we are bringing a frisbee in the trunk, along with spare grocery bags. Is that what you meant?

Our favorite dim sum place in Ann Arbor recently closed up shop, essentially in the middle of the night. So we hit up May Wah Inn, where the dim sum is carried by the staff on a cafeteria tray past each table. Canadian-style?

Then we unpacked the bikes and hit the riverfront biking path, which links several beautiful parks.

From across the river, does this really look like the largest city to file for bankruptcy in U.S. history?

Our favorite part was probably the Windsor Sculpture Park.

Ready to join the traveling circus!

Before dinner in Little Italy, we strolled around historic Walkerville. The areas that looked safe were also quite charming:

We returned to America after dinner and made a quick stop at the Renaissance Center, the headquarters for GM in downtown Detroit. It was only okay, but no one broke into our car while we went inside, so we were happy.

Hard to believe that summer is coming to an end...

(Feedback sought: I'm experimenting with the photo collage trend. Yea or nay?)