We enjoyed a few fun days post Rehoboth right in our hood but speaking of hoods…LFG and I stopped for lunch in Annapolis on the way home the other day. There’s a quaint little enclave on a hill overlooking the river, above the Naval Academy. LFG’s mom and I almost bought a house there years ago...this house. I drove LFG by the house and told her how her mom and I almost lived there years ago, before she was born. We speculated about how fun it would have been to live there and how pretty the little hilltop patch is today. Funny, I can engage in this banter with LFG but I can’t even darken the street of our marital neighborhood. Shut up.
So here’s just a quick flurry of randomness and I suppose that I’d better address the associated title of this post before I lose you. LFG and I spent the day Saturday with one of my business partners and his little daughter, LPS, who is three months older than LFG. We swam at their pool and then the four of us went to the Saturday evening handlin’. LPS's mommy was out of town for the weekend so it was a father-daughter exclusive. LFG giggles when I tell her that she was in mommy’s tummy when her mom and I picked up LPS and her new parents from National Airport. LPS was adopted through a stellar outreach program for unwed mothers based in Utah.
Here’s a post pool picture of LFG and LPS that lives on my fridge. They are pruny-post pool waterlogged three year olds. Dig the LPS-LFG necklace creations.
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I snapped a photo of these ten year olds in the same spot the other day. Time…where’s it going?
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Ah, the utility of shell cordovan penny loafers. Poolside one moment and church the next. It’s all good.
I wore my Flusser seersucker sans tie…I should wear more of my suits this way…I’d get more use out of them. Sunday handlin’ always leaves much to be desired sartorially but the Saturday extravaganza is a sartorial goat-rodeo. I’m not judging--yes I am. The Man cares not what you wear to fellowship. I on the other hand…I do.
And a couple of miscellaneous closers. LFG is currently assessing her color options for the bedroom re-do. She’s declared the Hello Kitty themed, Pepto-Bismol pink girl cave…passé. Stay tuned.
ADG and LFG
35 comments:
You are really putting out some great posts this summer. I am right with you regarding the fleeting time with an only child. To my 13 yr old son, I have slipped from demi-god to merely tolerable. I see the ghost of invisibility around the corner. But they tell me I'll at least come back to tolerable. Eventually.
ML
mlanesepic.blogspot.com
She truly is lovely. And my daddy would have mentioned that a seam ripper is what the tailor uses to make your skirt hem longer, but then you have a few years for that. ;)
Yes, Mr Lane is right. They do return to see you as a guide to life's many bumpy roads. A certain amount of respect mingles with their love that takes you to a new and enjoyable place. But it is not the same as scooping up a teary child and,while spindly arms embrace your neck,you make it all better. It's all a journey I know. There is such a mix of emotions to revisit the stops along the way. Thank God I have them to enjoy as my own journey ambles on. You will have this bittersweet joy as well. "It's all good!"
*sigh* I will only ever have one child and every day he changes. I have a death grip on time right now.
I suggest the 70/25/5 % rule for decorating - pick the main colour, accent colour and small touch colour to keep things in balance.
Enjoy every moment while you can! My eldest is 17 and she will be a senior this year. Just typing this brings tears to my eyes, this time next year she will be starting her 'new' life. A life where I cannot always keep her from poor decisions or the dangers of the world. On the other hand, when I look at her a see the extraordinary young woman she has become and think of all the wonders that are before her.... well that just brings me back to tears (of happiness).
"She’s declared the Hello Kitty themed, Pepto-Bismol pink girl cave…passé"
I approve of this sentence. I approve of the Flusser Sucker
Posts like this remind me that you're possibly my favourite online diarist. If you happen to see yesterday's Mode Parade entry, it's very possible that I arranged for you to be namechecked in a future international publication
All best,
B
Damn all of y’all and your sappy sentiments. This past week with LFG delivered a chrystal clear message that she’s not a baby anymore. I’m desperately holding on to the needy little spurts of longing that she has…to sit in my lap…for me to pick her up…to formally ask, out loud, for me to come and cuddle with her. The time intervals between those flurries are ever more protracted. As M.Lane is experiencing...I'm not quite as cool anymore.
Parents who’ve lost a child or parents with special needs kids I’m sure, rightfully roll their eyes at this, my level of petit heartache. But it’s now beginning to resonate more profoundly that all of my eggs in this one emotional basket is not healthy. I’m thinking I oughta get a wife. NOT.
Barima…thanks for the props man. And…I’ve long pondered doing a post about you. May I lift some pictures from your blog?
I can really appreciate a man that wears brown shoes with his seersucker suit. Here in the south, seersucker is pretty common in my field of work but most wear the suits with black shoes. Yuck! I absolutely have nightmares about seing pale blue mixed with black. I always opt for either my saddle oxfords, white bucks, spectators with leather or canvas, or simply brown shoes. I also like the peach shirt you are wearing, and I often pair it with my seersucker suit. However, like you, I find it looks best without a tie. Finding a tie to mix with peach can be a challenge.
ADG, you absolutely may. I'd be more than honoured
Are you not inundated with offers from women who love single fathers? Obviously, you've never said so, but one does ponder whilst reading this site...
Although not a parent myself, I've found from my observations that though daughters may curtail certain bonding moments with their dads, they still hold them in high esteem. I'd not worry much if I were you
B
I'm with you on how time flies - can't believe how quickly the kiddos grow up! The paint samples made me laugh b/c my little girl and I were browsing through swatches I picked up the other day. She definitely wants pink - we'll see where she is when she's LFG's age. :)
Oh, look at those little doll faces! LPS has changed more than LFG.
Maybe instead of a wife, you could get a puppy!
What is about the onset of double-digit years that brings about a complete hatred of Pepto Bismol pink rooms - I recall the same change in preferences myself when I turned 10. And it was back to the paint store to get every single paint chip color (but no neutrals) from every brand stocked.
And ADG, I hope you took LFG to McGarvey's when you visited Annapolis - that's where I first felt like I was a grownup when we lunched there.
My own daughter is approaching 13 in September, which has its own associated melancholy for me...I am also dreading the too swift passing of time.
And, I was so happy to see the disappointment with what people will insist on wearing on to Church. I did a post about it some months ago and landed in some pretty hot water with a few folks. But most people agree that ripped jeans and sweatshirts just don't make the cut.
x
As a mother who HAS lost a child (and is beyond blessed to still have 2 with her) you are within every right to feel wispy about LFG. She will be married before you know it - NOW HOLD ON - I have a point with all of this, so 'simma down'. I am merely using this as a segue to let you know that 'all of this' with LFG is good, but you still are not on the highest plain. No, sir. Just wait til you have grandchildren. It's like nothing you've ever experienced. Go ahead, tell me you can't look that far ahead, but right now as you read this I want you to stop and look at your watch. Stop. Right now. What time is it? What is the date? Because in about 15 or 20 years you will look back and remember that on this day I 'told you so.'
And please don't judge the parishioners by what they're wearing. I almost always dress for church, but on the night's I keep Sophia? There will be no primping the next morning.
ADG, Denial and shell cordovans have both worked for me so far, so I am sticking with them! As a father of a young man and young lady both in their early 20's I understand your sentiments. One is special needs and I don't roll my eyes at all.
RTS
I apologize for the sappy comment.I tend to get that way about children. I will refrain in the future.You may be right about my lack of objectivity.
I’m a little late to the party, but your post including LFG’s “…Jackie Rogers thangs” cracked me up so much I almost peed my pants!!! I’m here to tell you to wake up and smell the leather (Bonanno’s leather that is), just where in the hell do you think she got her taste in shoes???????? The little apple didn’t fall far from the tree Mr. much-photographed-in-Belgians!! And I have to take issue with you for the “fake (ersatz) crocs” and “ersatz Liberty of London rain boots”. Who in the hell buys crocs for their kids unless they are out pulling weeds and/or growing a 4-H garden? (My rubber Belgians never leave my property line and are caked in mud from much use). LFG has great taste - well her mother does and just prepare yourself, there’s more to come. I personally have 10 pairs of Bonanno’s and counting . . . fortunately, my feet have stopped growing. Would you like a little cheese with that whine?
Don't you just love seeing your and her luggage together? Yes, all is right with the world.
The seersucker suit looks fab.
No worries about LFG getting older. Little girls NEVER tire of their daddies.
Are you giving LFG Carte Blanche with her room redo? Do so. :-) xoxo
ADG - Those aren't Farrow & Ball colours! I'd have thought any child of yours would have inherited at least a modicum of taste and discernment! Show her Sugared Almond, Elephant's Breath or Potted Shrimp. And every room needs a touch of Bible Black.
Nice loafers, A-Dawg.
Just wait until the college years, old sport. We're just starting, and it's already wild (but good).
BTW, the hand-wrought buttonholes on that seersucker number are things of beauty. A few billable hours in those, no doubt. Well done,
Scott
AEF & ADG... Dead Salmon and Mouse's Back. F&B has the best colour names. I am sure that LFG could find the perfect shade with the perfect name from their fandeck.
xo
I'm just playing devil's advocate here as I have a little trouble moving on myself, but really, it all gets better. While I stood for what seemed like hours in the Train Store (I'm sure it had a real name) belly bulging with my second, looking down on that flaxen head, I know I thought I could never love him more. But, man, he's fun now, at almost 14. We can talk about music and life and, ok, cars and he makes me laugh out loud at his astute observations of me and the quirky things I do. In a lot of ways, it's better.
There's a Dillard's clearance center in either Arlington or Grand Prairie that's well worth going out of your way to get to.
There are also two nearly identical outlet malls worth visiting -- one in Allen (NE of Dallas) and one right off I-35 in Hillsboro (about 45 min. S of DFW, about halfway between DFW and Waco). Because of the Dallas traffic, the one in Hillsboro is actually quicker and easier to get to and is a much more pleasant drive, unless you're already near Allen.
Big D - Dallas, land of big hair & cufflinks. Too much cabeza grande for me. Enuff said.
"a stellar outreach program for unwed mothers"
How sad that the tradition of hiding a girl's youthful indiscretion by sending her off to "help a sick relative" for a few months--which ended with the girl coming back to her home and a baby going to a new one--has now been almost entirely replaced by the destruction of no less than one life.
"The Man cares not what you wear to fellowship. I on the other hand…I do."
Dressing nicely, in whatever situation, demonstrates respect for others and the activity you are engaged in. Remember the phrase “Sunday best”? It meant wearing your nicest clothes for the most important event of the week: church. Dressing in one’s Sunday best meant that you took the occasion seriously, and that you respected your fellow parishioners, the pastor, his message, and, ultimately, God. The outward manifestation is more important that many people think, and yes, sometimes a book's cover tells you exactly what's inside it.
While I hardly think that the work I do is divine, I do wear a tie to work, every day, because I want to show that I am taking my job seriously. I wear a suit on days I have meetings; odd jackets otherwise. And I’m in academia!
But there’s more than that. Yes, dressing nicely—properly—projects a certain posture, but here’s the big secret: people treat you differently when you dress nicely. I noticed that I (nearly) always get better treatment when I wear a tie, so I wear a tie often.
It sickens me to think that there are companies (allegedly Yahoo and Google) where, if an employee is seen by the Big Cheese wearing a necktie, he is fired on the spot. Even if that’s an urban myth, the fact that it’s believable shows how far in the wrong direction we have gone.
A great post - again.
The seersucker suit is great! I need a seersucker jacket at least - and they are on sale now - my time to buy.
Stay cool!
This will come under the heading "Showing my age"--and no doubt most men will be clueless but I'm appalled by how much cleavage women show. There's not much left for the imagination. And, most of these women are huge. It's not as though we wouldn't have noticed had they not worn that tank top sans bra.
O.k. fellas! You can stop throwing shoes at me.
GailNorCal...There's cleavage and then there's cleavage.
Paul...now's the time!
Fogey....great comments...worthy of me pulling into another post. Thanks.
Johnny...no time to go anywhere. Meetings all day...command performance dinners at night. Caloric intake here is appaling and the martinis are killing me. At least it's not hot here.
Mrs. Blandings...I hear you. I'm just not ready.
MegTown...onliest problem is that it's eighty bucks a gallon.
Scott...indeed. It's all about the button holes...Tom Wolfe wrote a story on button holes.
LagunaTradDawg...thanks mon.
AnonEng...I have Elephants breath.
Preppy101...yes...LFG gets full reign on the redo.
Lisa...don't pee on yourself and throw your rubber belgians away. BTW...the belgians are the cheapest things in my closet.
James...stop it with the apolgies. Silly.
RTS...thanks.
Kathie...I am so sorry for your loss.
Ami...agreed and thanks.
LimeGreenieMeanie...I almost slipped down in some puke at McGarvey's one night. Nope we didn't go there.
Patsy....neither.
JMW...Pink is good.
Barima...thanks!
Richard...madras tie works every time.
We're jonesing here, man. Give us a sartorial fix!
~Hilton
Hilton...hang in there man. I'm busting it do ing real work in Dallas this week.
Anonymous Texan...I with you boss.
A Suit that looks good without a tie is like a car that looks good in white. Good lines account for much.That, my fine feathered friend, is such a suit.
Loved the picture of the Battenkill, L.L. Bean and Vera Bradley. We travel with the same combination.
Muffy....the Battenkill is made by Hulme...the former maker for Orvis. Just ordered another satchel from them. Trying to support US makers.
http://www.jwhulmeco.com/
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