Nov. 30th Meet Grandpa Stu & Grandma Lin

After more than eight years I am about to see my dad again and he is about to meet his grandchildren for the first time. How exciting is that? Our rental car is completely packed thanks to the professional efforts of an Alamo magician who managed to squeeze 5 suitcases, 7 carry-ons and a didgeridoo into the car while still leaving room for 2 car seats, 3 kids, Mehran and myself. (I'm not sure I could have accomplished that.)

Multiple attempts were made to to locate the 405 freeway, which, at last, we were able to do (all the while staying on the right side of the road, mind you). With many prayers and much anxiety we managed to merge into heavy traffic, change into what we hoped was the right lane and begin our slow crawl towards Lake Isabella, all the while listening to the melodious backdrop of angry horns being honked and frustrated drivers screaming obscenities at one another. Thank heavens for jet lag and for the fact that the children had already fallen asleep.

Thanks also, in small part to the GPS, and mostly - let's face it- to my extraordinary navigational skills, we made it to a small town in the middle of the Mojave dessert (our mid-way point) where we stopped for lunch, where Mehran suffered a series of juice-box induced nervous breakdowns and where Anisa serenaded the toilet using patrons of McDonald's with her personal rendition of This Old Man.

Back on the road we drove through Red Rock Canyon and Walker's Pass admiring the rock formations and rough landscapes offered by this part of the country. I loved the way that the setting sun was filtering it's final rays through the golden leaves and bathing the trees in sheathes of light while the rugged mountains stood like sentinels in the shadows behind them. The contrast was breathtaking. While the kids admired the cactus plants, humongous boulders and hilly peaks Mehran and I tried to find my father's street which was neither on our map nor the GPS. After numerous stops, turn arounds and heaps of help from friendly locals who all insisted it was "about a mile down the road" (regardless of how far we'd driven or from which direction we'd come) we eventually found it. Finally!

Grandpa Stu met us at the gate eager to see us and meet the kids (which was a wonderful surprise because I wasn't sure what to expect health wise.) So amid a shower of hugs, introductions and the barking of dogs we, and all our bags were ushered inside. Grandma Lin had spent the day making a beautiful soup and fixing up the spare room for us. We met all the animals (except the cats) , and got to enjoy just being together and seeing each other again. After all, that's what it's all about.