Baby Boomer Banter

My part time babysitting duties at Bri and Jake's is slowly coming to an end. In retrospect I think we have done pretty well. I do think at the beginning , it was the hardest on everyone. Bri and Jake learning how to be parents, and then me putting in my two cents here and there. I think that's what grandparents do. Although it was 27 years ago and our memories are somewhat blurred over the years, so I know we all tend to either romanticize the experience of parenthood or dramatize the traumas. I tend to do both. I know kids take everything I say cut it in half, and do what they want anyways. I expect them to do that.
My perspective on the whole thing has made me reflect on how different our generations are. I know I must have made my mother feel ancient whenever she gave advice. If anyone had experience in parenting it was surely my mother having eight children. Living with them 3 to 4 days a week is a little close contact , I mean the baby goes to bed at 7:30, so that leaves the evening with Bri and Jake. I am so glad that they are laid back and easy to be around. I enjoy Jake's stories about school and Bri's meetings with her executives. Other than the baby I really have nothing to share with them. I think that's okay, I spend a lot of time on the phone with my sisters . Their lives are crazy busy and I like hearing about them. But I think my brain is turning to moosh. We got this reality TV thing happening, and I like the entertainment shows with singing and dancing but I cannot handle the Lesbian workout chick, or the mean girls whatever that show is, or the hair cutting stupid show that puts a jewelry box on the head and call it artsy.
I am sure that many people enjoy it and as Bri says it's a diversion and mindless. Which I am sure she needs in her busy life. Her other reasoning is feeling better about your own life? Well, I don't know.
I look in the mirror every morning and I see this person that doesn't look like me at all. I see this old bag face that is somewhat familiar. Oh I know it's my mother's face. I live with two young people that eat right and exercise just about every week, and they complain how they don't like their looks. Okay you two you both look awesome, you have no lines on your face, you don't have to color your hair, unless you want to , and you can remember shit. All three big fat pluses.
WE were watching a movie the other day, again I do not remember the name, Taxi cab maybe. It has Queen Latifa in it and the cute guy from SNL. Okay, the actress that played his mother, .......was ? Here's the conversation.
Oh my God that's, that's that's someone famous.
Brianne: Who?
You know , she was in Bye,bye Birdie....
Bri : I have never seen that movie.
She was in Tommy.
Bri: Mom, I don't know who she is
She was in some Elvis movies too.
Bri: Blank face.

Here's another scenario,
the baby is crawling everywhere now. He crawled near the window where the sun was shining through on the carpet. The baby was looking and studying the sun coming through the blinds.
Look the baby is like Trixie playing with the sunbeam.
Bri looked at me ,
what?
You know Trixie from Hi and Lo.
Bri : High and Low?
You know the funny papers.
Bri: Do you mean Hi and Lois from the comics?
Both she and Jake roared with laughter. Funny papers? What the hell, see my brain is moosh, "I'll see you in the funny papers," isn't that from a cheesy 1947 movie. That's something Dick Tracy would say. See senility is a tuff thing.

Oh by the way, the actress in that movie....Ann freaking Margaret!
I remembered it the next day. I have seen my future as an 80 year old, and my happy ass is going to a nursing home. Not because I don't think my kids will take good care of me, I know they will. I just need to be around my peers, so we all can remember who the actress is together, it may take us 20 minutes, but it won't be the next day.

Awe!!!!! Key West

Spring break arrived and we wanted to make sure that we did not have a repeat of two years ago when we had such bad weather , so we decided to go closer to the Gulf and more south, hence Key West.

It was exactly what we needed and more.

Beautiful weather, live music , great food and very friendly people. Of course how can you be in a bad mood there. I guess that's why Earnest Hemingway decided to stay there after his honeymoon. Every place we went was a outdoor guitar party. The music reminded me of all our backyard parties, except the performers actually knew the words and played the songs all the way till the end.

Right outside our balcony, across the street on a rooftop was live music every night. We sat out there and had our own concerts before bedtime.
Our resort had a tiny beach, but we go to OBX for the beach experience. The beach was our area to play a game of "Real or Not Real" describing many of the ladies that shared our little oasis. I couldn't help myself from people watching. You see it all there. I loved choosing the trophy wife, second and first wive's club, honeymooners, and dating couples.
We enjoyed the pool also. Lot's more kids at the pool. There was a little boy who seemed to be bratty and ignoring his screaming Mommy, until he turned around and said, Mom I can't hear you , I have earplugs in! I cracked up.

There were lots of Dads with their phones in their ears. One guy stood knee high in the water for over 20 minutes talking on the phone. Come on , what the hell....go back to work if that's what's needed. I felt bad for his family. Is that what they call family time?
A lady actually approached a Mom that was sunbathing with her teenage daughter and friend, asked how old the girls were , 15 by the way, and stated that they had three teenage boys that were looking for girls to hang with. The boys go to the pool and hot tub at night while the adults go out. Rob and I looked at each other, and do you believe that? Yea I'd set up my teenage girls with your unsupervised guys that we will never see again. It really seemed like she was trying to pimp them off on these girls. Anywho after 3 Pierhouse punches,(which consisted of Rum, and rum and rum) I didn't care about anyone on that beach, except me, and Big Daddy of course, and my book. There actually was a topless beach at our resort. That was fun. It usually consisted of the over 70 crowd, who needed to have some shade or wanted to stay clear of kids kicking up sand as they run by.
The restaurants were all great, the sunset view was the entertainment every night. The Mallory Square activities of street performers and vendors is a must do at least once. Our favorite was the music and meeting people. Our pictures consist of mostly sunsets, but actually we loved planning our days around just that. It was breathtaking. My favorite was from a catamaran sail boat.
We can not wait to go back, we talked to several people who said that they visit every year for the last 15 years. Kind of like us at the OBX. Although our trip to OBX is for sure a wonderful family trip, this was more adult time and geared for us to have couple time. Isn't that fun that after almost 32 years together, that we still enjoy that. I think so.