October 31
Today the party is over. Oktoberfest 2009 will be history. We gave it quite a run.
Up with chickens around 5:30 we swung by the “Golden Arches” for good old American coffee and a breakfast sandwich, then we drove to the Georgetown monastery for 8:00 Mass. Fr. Tom was surprised to see us as he set up the altar. He celebrated a Mass in honor of Our Lady, a great opportunity to give thanks to God directly and through her for a wonderful October. After Mass, Fr. Tom was tied up with a visitor, so we took some time for a second breakfast at Georgetown Café and a quick visit to the post office. We tossed a mountain of mail on the back seat then drove back to see Fr. Tom. We brought him a souvenir from Lourdes, a statue of Mary which changes colors depending on the room temperature. Then we exchanged stories about our experiences in Europe, especially at the spot in Paris where the Carmelite nuns were guillotined and buried. Lots of laughs later, we dropped off some holy cards for the nuns, peaked inside the caretakers’ home (our replacements hadn’t arrived yet), and headed for Yuba City.
Maggie and Carson welcomed us at the front door. Jason was grocery shopping. I pulled out the lap top again to share some pictures. Maggie was ready to retire on the spot. Carson was more interested in seeing how the GPS that he saw a month ago works. He likes to set up pretend dialogs with family and friends in imaginary places. I think he enjoys how the GPS lady talks with him. As we were leaving, Jason pulled in from his shopping chores. We’ll share the edited pictures with him another time. We took a picture of Carson in his GI Joe Halloween costume, waved goodbye, and headed for Chico.
Home at last in Joe’s old apartment. Small as it is, it is gigantic by Paris standards. For a few hours we unpacked suitcases and backpacks, and sorted through the mail to see if someone wanted to put us in jail for missing a payment. Putting the most urgent threatening letters in one pile, we drove across town to Jeff and Shane’s for a Halloween party.
Jeff was barbecuing tri-tip while Shane was putting the rest of the party together. The invasion had already started. Grandpa John and Grandma Phyllis (despite her recent hip replacement) were helping with the pandemonium as Barbara and I walked in. Mikayla and Tori were running around with cousin Cameron and friends. Decibels were rising by the minute. A quick dinner muted the noise for a short time, and then the kids rushed out the door for trick or treating.
The family dog, Trixie, joined the excitement as the tribe from the party made the rounds of the neighborhood. An hour or so later, weighed down with candy treasures, the children invaded again.
Time for a sugar rush, more noise, and some final pictures. Grandpa John hugged Mikayla and Tori on the couch next to us. But visiting was impossible in the din. So we gave a few hugs and headed for the car. Back at Joe’s apartment it was about 10:00. Jet lagged, we were oblivious of the Chico parties all around us and conked out. Oktoberfest was over. A final toast to a great October:
Auf wiedersehen