L, J, V, and Katja at
Skyline Chili
Dear George,
It’s been an
overly long time since December when we last saw our seven-year-old
grandchildren, V and L, so we were excited about their arrival on Thursday
evening for a long weekend. We had some initial trouble retrieving their
carseats at airport baggage, but, the very moment that our son J had arranged
for vouchers from the airline to purchase new ones, the carseats magically
appeared on the conveyor belt. Katja had made lasagna, and we topped it
off with ice cream at our neighborhood Graeter’s. Friday morning we went
to the zoo, watched the baby cheetahs playing, took a zoo tour on the train,
and did the gift shop. Then lunch at Skyline Chili, the children’s
Cincinnati favorite. I did my annual interviews with L and V (see below),
and V drew some cardboard animals to add to my recent arts and craft
project. That evening we saw "Independence Day: Resurgence" at
the Western Hills Cinemark (34% on Rotten Tomatoes is generous), and wound up
at Putz’s Creamy Whip where the children were equally interested in eating
softserve cones and capturing lightning bugs. On Saturday a.m. we went to
a neighborhood yard sale, bought a flower and leaf press, and went to Burnet
Woods to gather interesting leaves to be pressed. After hot dogs and
baked beans, J and I took the children to Sunlite Pool at Coney Island for the
afternoon, the biggest hit of the trip. L persuaded me to stand
under the Typhoon Tower where seeming tons of water cascaded down on our backs
and heads. J asked me to watch V do the diving board at the deep end of
the pool, but, when he and L returned, I’d lost track of V and we couldn’t find
her anywhere. As it turned out, she’d swum away to some unknown
destination. We had pizza at Dewey’s, more ice cream at Graeter’s, and
listened to the rock music at Clifton Plaza while V and a couple of other kids
did a dance at the front of the crowd. Sunday came too quickly, and we
got up at 5:30 a.m. to be at the airport for their early flight. Because
we packed four days’ worth of activities into two and a half, we have lots of
pleasing memories. Probably most grandparents think this, but I'd say
that V and L are remarkable. Not only are they smart, articulate, and
fun, they get along amazingly well and look out for one another. Here’s
what L and V had to say when I interviewed them.
Interview with L
How old are
you now? Seven
If you could
be any age there is, how old would you want to be? Twelve.
Why is
that? Don’t know.
What do you
think it will be like to be a teenager? Fun. Different. Be
grown up.
What do you
think will be different about your new school? I went to visit. It
was good.
What is your
favorite thing about school? Recess.
Why is
that? Play games.
What is the
most difficult thing? Working.
How would you
describe yourself as a student? Smart. Hard-working. I play.
Do you have
any hobbies? No.
Do you
collect anything? No… I collect legos.
Do you
collect Pokemon? No, I’m all done.
Which would
you like most?: To have lots of friends; to make lots of money; to help
children and poor people; to write a Broadway show? Make lots of money.
How much
money? A couple hundred thousand.
What animal
are you most like? Lion.
Would you say
you are more funny or more serious? More funny.
Are you more
good-looking or more intelligent? (pause) More intelligent.
More cautious
or more bold? More bold.
Which is the
best time of life? Babies; young kids; teenagers; adults; old age?
Young kids.
If you could
change one thing about yourself, what it would be? My intelligence.
More
intelligent or less intelligent? More.
What is your
favorite holiday? Christmas.
Why
Christmas? Lots of presents.
What is one
of your earliest memories as a little child? Me holding my mom’s hand for
the first time.
Do you get an
allowance? Yes,
How
much? Five dollars every Saturday.
What do you
use it to buy? Toys.
Do you
like:
Movies?
Yes
Zoo?
Yes.
Going to the
dentist? No
Airplanes?
Yes
Doing
math? No
Watching
sports on TV? No
Tests in
school? No
Roller
skating? Yes
Walking the
dog? No
Have you ever
had a nickname? Yes, Shezong.
What is
something that makes you sad? V kicking me.
If you found
a genie in a bottle who could grant you any wish, what would your wish
be? Having more wishes.
If you could
vote, would you vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? Donald
Trump.
What do you
think makes for a happy life? Being loved by my mom.
Interview with V
How old are
you now? Seven.
If you could
be any age there is, how old would you want to be? One.
Why is
that? I’d be the smallest.
What do you
think it will be like to be a teenager? Fun but scary.
What is your
favorite thing about school? Recess.
What is the
most difficult thing? Working.
Do you have
any hobbies? Gardening.
Aside from
your brother, who is your best friend? Sophia.
What do you
like about her? She’s been my friend since kinder.
Do you ever
get mad at your brother? Yes.
Why? I
don’t want to say.
What do you
want to be in life? A vet.
Which of the
following would you want to be?: An actress; a politician; a soldier; an
airplane pilot; a police officer. A police officer.
Why is
that? Because I can make the world a better place.
Which would
you like most? To have lots of friends; to make lots of money; to help
children and poor people; to write a Broadway show. To help children and
poor people.
What animal
are you most like? A cheetah.
Did you see
the baby cheetah at the zoo today? Yes, they were so cute.
Which would
you like to do the most? End poverty; end cancer; end war; end
blindness? End blindness.
Would you say
you are more funny or more serious? Serious.
Are you more
good-looking or more intelligent? Intelligent.
More cautious
or more bold? Bold.
What is your
favorite sport? Swimming.
If you could
change one thing about yourself, what it would be? Nothing.
Do you
like:
Movies?
Yes
Zoo?
Kind of.
Going to the
dentist? No
Airplanes?
Yes
Doing
math? No
Watching
sports on TV? Yes
Tests in
school? Yes
Roller
skating? Yes
Walking the
dog? Yes
Have you ever
had a nickname? Yes, Nacho.
What is something
that makes you sad? Seeing a puppy die.
If you had a
hundred million dollars, what would you do with it? Help the
homeless.
What is your
favorite possession? My dog Iko.
If you found
a genie in a bottle who could grant you any wish, what would your wish
be? All the animals in the world as a pet.
If you could
vote, would you vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? Hillary
Clinton.
What do you
think makes for a happy life? Seeing other people happy.
Here are a
few photos of our visit.
Love,
Dave
On the train at the zoo
Out for treats at Graeter’s ice
cream parlor
Supper at Dewey’s Pizza
Sunlite Pool, Coney
Island
Yum — Skyline Chili
To the movies at Oakley
Cinemark
At
the airport
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