Miami Weekend Summary
Hi everyone! Sorry I didn’t get in here any sooner but I had a busy day at work yesterday and I just couldn’t find enough time to type up my thoughts on the weekend. When I did get home I then went to see a friend who had her baby 2 weeks ago. I didn’t get home from that visit till 10:30 PM and I just avoided the computer the rest of the night.
Anyway, here is a my weekend update…
Despite the horrors I had heard about airport security and the long lines, I had no trouble at all at the Houston and Miami airports. I took my sandals off, had one bag inspected but overall, I felt the personnel was friendly, professionally and relatively efficient despite the long lines. Even Continental’s check-in was efficient despite the passenger line starting to head out the elevator doors. A Continental employee was directing passengers and we were checked in fast and easy. Once I landed in Miami I quickly found my sister, found my bag and picked up the rental car.
The rest of the weekend was spent driving between our family friend’s house where we were staying, my half-brother’s place and the nursing home where my grandmother was currently staying. As I’ve said in the past, this trip was not a vacation but more a time to check in on my 88 year old “Abuela” as well as to help sort some of her stuff since she was recently moved to a 24-hour care nursing home.
Abuela was very disoriented and it was hard to leave her behind but I felt that the nursing staff was very good and that they are taking good care of her. The facilities were clean and as pleasant as one can hope for in a nursing home and the facilities have a beautiful garden where we spent one afternoon.
While we weren’t with Abuela, we were driving the Miami streets (more on Miami drivers in a separate post), catching up with family friends, eating delicious Cuban food (that’s all I had all weekend) or going through pictures from my grandparent’s earlier years and my father’s childhood. I will try to scan some of the better photographs that I was able to keep that date from early 1940-50’s Habana, Cuba.
I guess I was pleasantly surprised with how much more positive the trip was than I had anticipated. My Spanish flowed easily (and my Cuban accent got stronger) , the laughter was constant and the company was outstanding. Between me, my sister, my half-brother Gerardito and my grandmother’s niece Petra (who we stayed with), a wonderful closeness became apparant and a natural easiness with each other made the harsh reality of my grandmother’s ill state seem a little less harsh since we were all a gathered there out of our love for her. I only wish Abuela could have seen this more but she really wasn’t all there mentally.
It all came to an end a bit sooner than I would have wished but I had to come home so I could continue to pay the bills. I hope that we all see each other more often than we have in the past. If only I could convince Gerardito to follow through on his promise and come down to Texas for a visit…
More quick thoughts on the weekend later today…
The rest of the photo album is here.
Gerardito – if you are reading this – dejame unos saludos en la seccion de “comments” abajo de este parafo…
find me here too
