The In-Laws are coming!

Palace of Fine Arts

 

I took a couple extra days off this weekend to prepare for the festivities. I knew it would be a long weekend filled with family, lots of food, disagreements about food, and long discussions about respect and these damn youngsters. I like to sit back and observe. It's always best to stay out of the way while your elders are at play. We hosted a lunch and figured out our maximum capacity was 12 as the apartment was filled with family. I made my famous chicken dish, the secret is simple, chicken roasted with Achiote paste. After we took them to explore our local neighborhoods. The lights were bright and the air was calm as we walked along the Mission district. Boo Thing's aunt was shocked by all the homeless sleeping near city buildings and even under ATM machines. She got asked for change and when she refused the panhandler asked for her phone number instead, we all had a laugh but the panhandler was deeply hurt and rejected. We were bombarded by hipsters and local drunks yelling across the street at other intoxicated pedestrians rather than having a face to face conversation. I was hoping not to run into any nudist on the street since we would never hear the end of why we choose to move to such a god forsaken place. I enjoyed the stories of their past and how they envisioned their lives would be at this stage and the praises to god for their fortunes and even misfortunes as it got them to be were they are today. The next day we went to Pac Heights for lunch at my favorite place, Pizzeria Delfina--try the mozzarella in carozza. We also checked out a local vintage shop. If you can imagine my mother in law and Boo Thing's Aunt and Uncle who are pretty conservatively dressed and in the retirement stage looking at 'hipster garb', leather coats, and funky eye wear. At one point we both looked at each other in amazement as they really seemed to be enjoying themselves. We actually had to drag out Boo Thing's uncle as he was on the hunt for a vintage leather jacket attempting to relive his youth. Our last stop was the Palace of Fine Arts, we took a stroll through the massive dome and watched the ducks play. I got scolded for not bringing chai or foreseeing that we might need it at some point in the afternoon excursion (Damn Mexican in-laws). As we left the Palace of Fine Arts and drove through the Castro I spotted a lone nudist walking up a hill with a leather cowboy hat as my mother in law looked in the same direction, I held my breath watching her not noticing him, phew close call.  A sense of calm came over me as I watched the nudist walk off into the sunset, it was in some way the culmination of the trip. They all thanked Boo Thang and I for the lovely tour of truly one of the best cities in the world (I would like to take most credit, being a native of the Bay). "Anytime", I said, letting the words slip from my lips and my Boo Thang glaring at me with the look he gets when his favorite team loses some sports final. The in-laws are coming. Till next time.