I really should have picked better flights. I rushed through the booking, I was flustered, and concerned especially after Saori tried to pay for them but couldn't and then I had to go through the entire search and booking all over again. But what is done is done.
Saturday morning we met up with Grandma Loretta at the airport and transferred over my suitcase and stuff to mail. We caught up at the Cracker Barrel for breakfast and I said my goodbyes to mom and Larry.
Grandma drove us back over to her condo and I checked out the background of some people who were wanting to shoot movie at her empty Blanchard house. I got a name and checked out IMDB. It was a legitimate outfit actually. A small, independant production team which made small dramas and comedies, no clue as to what the outlet for this stuff is. The plot of this movie is that a country girl returns to her stifling childhood home after failure in the city, and then falls for her brother's fiancee. Anyway, we drove out to meet them at the house. They were three californians, younger than I am, who had driven across country and had apparently been in the area for a few weeks rounding up talent and production crews, and scouting for locations. They took a lot of photos and told us they would let us know.
We ran a few errands and then back at her condo, I helped her put up a pegboard wall in the garage to hang her tools. Afterwards, we ran up to Edmond to see Josh, Endera, and thier 7 month old baby, Jett. They live in a nice little suburban tract home. Not quite my kind of thing, but it's close to Jeff and Ashley, and not too far from Andera's parents either.
Jett is a huge, happy baby. At 7 months old, he is above the 95 percentiles for weight and length. He also looks like a pure Perkins: stubby little bear paw hands, those sleepy Perkins eyes, strong square chin, and built like a football player. He is going to be a big guy. Totally regular, totally open and friendly. His parents adore him, perhaps too much. They both admit they still fight over who gets to hold him.
Perk the pig is suffering for the attention. He was locked up in a pen while I was over there, and I imagine he doesn't get out much these days. Andera wants him gone, but Josh is having a hard time getting rid of a pig he raised from a piglet. And what are they going to do? The only one interested in taking on a full sized porker is someone who has sausage casings lying around. The most humane thing they could do to a family raised animal is to put it down. It's still irresponsible, but I too have foisted my animals on friends and family when I moved overseas. Plus, they are doing so much right, its hard to fault them.
Anyway, it was a good visit, and I was really happy they made time to see us. Afterwards, we drove by a long line of chain restaurants along the interstate and I could just not muster up the requisite excitement, so I proposed going back to the BBQ joint close to grandmas. It was really OK this time. Wish I had ordered something else. Anyway, it was something authentic and local.
Back at her house, I re-balanced my luggage. I came to the US with a duffel and a man purse, and returned with a 50 pound suitcase in addition to the stuff I came over with.
The next morning, Grandma took me out to breakfast at Jimmy's Egg and we chatted for a bit before she dropped me off at the airport in Oklahoma City. It was really great to see her. Don't do that often enough.
The trip back was mind-searingly long. I had an hour to kill before my flight out, then there was a five hour layover in Atlanta, followed by a 10 hour flight to Amsterdam, followed by ANOTHER five hour layover before my flight to Stuttgart. I was so exhausted I slept at least five or six hours on the intercontinental flight, which helped a lot with jet lag. Saw a tiny mouse in the Amsterdam airport, and also drank the smallest of Heineken beers at one of the many airport bars. While I was there, I picked up a guide to Amsterdam.
But after a taxi ride and a grueling trek with my 50 pounder up the six flights of stairs, I finally got to set my bag down and take off my shoes and socks. Saori had laid out a plate of cookies and tea for me when I arrived since she was still at work. Seriously good to be home.
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