In May, I spoke on brewing history at a homebrewers' dinner and as a door prize picked up two hop cuttings from Norm Soine. The first to sprout I have dubbed Hoppy, and its companion is known inevitably (to fans of Hoppalong Cassidy) as Gabby. From sprouts, they have grown taller than myself, and Hoppy, having climbed up his pole and across a string to the gutter spout, is a huge green burst dangling with hop cones as big as acorns. A thing of beauty.
At Silver Bay, Abbie swam to the raft for the first time in her young life. When she tired, she'd float on her back for a moment. I swam alongside in the event she sank , but she made the ladder in fine style. And when she climbed up and onto the raft, and turned around to see the beach half a world away, the look in her face was wonderful. She sat down, hugging her knees, shivering with excitement, her eyes huge, her smile ethereal. I asked if she wanted to swim back in, and she said, "Not just yet," and stayed a while longer to savor her triumph. I thought I would burst with pride.
At night, while Abbie slept, Laurie and I read by flashlight. I read a Quiller novel and John LeCarre's A Perfect Spy. Love that espionage. During the Emp(loyee) Show, two women sang "Closer to Fine," a tune, I found out later, done by the Indigo Girls, my musical find of the summer.
While we were gone, Blueberry, our parakeet, stayed with friends and learned to say, "Achoo. God bless you."
On the Silver Screen, and in air-conditioned comfort, we saw Rocketeer. When the Rocketeer flew for the first time, I turned to watch Abbie in the changing light from the movie screen. Her mouth was open as wide as it can go, eyes too. We loved the movie, and we loved 101 Dalmatians too.
In the course of making a living, I wrote a jingle called "Wild About Reading" for the Onondaga County Library System, sang it over the phone to Todd Hobin, a musician/producer, who wrote it down, smoothed it out and added harmonies. Then I produced a TV spot to go with it. Abbie's first starring role, taped in a studio outside Rochester, and she was terrific. I was very proud of her, and carry the VHS copy with me everywhere. The spot is running on local TV and has met with a riotous reception.
As usual, two high points of the summer were the Berry Hill Book Sale and the Cazenovia Library Sale. I found treasures at both, including a signed copy of Anthony Adverse, my favorite historical novel.
At a Syracuse Chiefs' game, Abbie's pal Drew Johnson pinwheeled an order of nachos and accented several of our outfits with vivid orange.
During Toni Toland's clambake where I had two dozen steamers before dinner, I was invited out for a ride in Lee Eckel's green 1931 Ford Roadster, once in the front seat, once more in the rumble seat (my first rumble seat ride ever) with Laurie up front. Abbie was off roving with a pack of children and missed the trip, about which she still complains.
Another evening, I had dinner at Ichiban with the president of Sapporo USA, Yoshi Muchida, a very nice man. I asked him why Japanese fans go so wild at baseball games and he said, "We have no hockey." We ate shrimp, filet mignon, sprouts and drank Sapporo, while talking about Japanese beer. I had such a good time that I took Laurie and Abbie the next week; Abbie liked the flaming shrimp the best, and the shrimp tail flipped into the chef's pocket as well.
Speaking of cuisine, Abbie is getting into Happy Meals and Kid's Meals in a big way; she avidly collects the toys that come with them. A decision that used to be based on food is now based on collectibles.
Sean, my nephew, has gone to Japan for his Junior year of college. I look forward to sumo video.
While in Connecticut, I discovered my niece Allyson's Aqua-Fresh for Kids toothpaste, which tastes like bubble gum. Makes you want to brush 10 times a day.
Looming in the immediate future, the State Fair. I look forward to seeing the pigs, some as big as mobile homes.
An afterword: Abbie's TV debut, "Wild About Reading," was picked up by New York State the following year (1992) and played in Times Square all summer on the SONY Jumbotron. My plant Hoppy, twice transplanted and once given up for dead until he reappeared the next spring, flourishes to this day by the side of the house in Skaneateles. My nephew Sean returned to Japan after college, and spent eight years there, sending me sumo video faithfully. I visited him in 1995. Presently in the US for grad school, Sean plans a return to his adopted homeland as soon as possible. My niece Allyson, who introduced me to bubble gum toothpaste, is a nutritionist.