This past Saturday was the one-year anniversary of my departure from Oregon and my responsibility-light lifestyle as a poor college student. Perhaps I suffer from a dissociative disorder, because there are very few people that I really missed. Those few that I did, I have been able to see while here on medical leave. Except for one couple that I’ve known since before I could legally drink: Mr. and Mrs. Gin & Tonic. They have been a very important force in my life, often providing laundry facilities, meals, an education in strip clubs and beer (without which I would not be the person I am today), and one ex-boyfriend (that they warned me against—totally should have listened).
Their life has significantly changed since my first visit to their home, a Halloween overnight visit where upon first meeting Mr. G&T, I told him that he reminded me of Chandler from Friends. Strong friendships can survive a great deal, proven often by my thoughtless comments. They now have children. (A continued shock to my system every time I think about it.) I’ve kept up with their new life via emails, photographs, and blog posts…but this past weekend, I got to see it in person.
On Saturday I was invited to ride along during a “Daddy-Boo Adventure Day.” Mr. G&T and his daughter Boo met me in Salem where I was told that the plan was to experience the joy of Salem and then make our way up 99E toward their home. Nominally a day to show Boo new/exciting things, in actuality it was an excuse for Mr. G&T to take pictures of Boo with his super sexy camera. A sort of “Boo Out of Context” photo shoot.
There isn’t much happiness to be found in the capitol city, but there is a hand-carved carousel near the waterfront. To a two year old, it can’t get much better. Except Daddy kept confusing the issue at hand—glistening, vibrantly hued animals moving in a circle—by trying to take away her attention with a photo shoot.
When Daddy was done (though Boo wasn’t), we made our way to the mighty Willamette for some wind-strewn hair photographs.
Clearly, Boo doesn’t yet grasp the necessary narcissism inherent in a Boo photo shoot.
When I helpfully suggested she look at Daddy, she looked at me. Which really made sense, as I was the one speaking with her, and she’s savvy enough to understand that people appreciate eye contact and attention when you’re having a conversation.
After the undoubted success of the Riverfront photos, we made our way to the “Eco-Earth Globe.” I remembered it as a big eyesore in its previous incarnation as a pressurized acid tank used by Boise Cascade, and, I’m not sure it’s changed that much in that respect… Apparently it took five years to make it a work of public art (and I won’t even start about my feelings on the “One Percent for Art,” which might be surprising coming from an art major). Luckily for Boo it had a protective fence, which allowed for climbing.
Daddy continued the photo shoot…
Boo suitably ignored him, and imagined a life behind bars:
FINALLY, Boo was allowed to have fun on the playground. 
Daddy sat on the bench and showcased his purse, sure to lure the most distrusting child.
Upon realizing that he hadn’t taken a single photograph with his deliciously phallic camera (I’m totally jealous, on a number of levels) for more than three-and-a-half minutes, he went back to the task at hand.
Boo continued to oblige him.
After play time was over, we went on a side task for Daddy, and while he was occupied, I had a little fashion shoot of my own.
Suddenly I heard the strains of “Fat guy in a little coat…” Which led to Boo sporting my shades—because if they obscured most of MY adult-sized face, surely it would be far more entertaining to see her wearing them. (While they had originally been purchased for 70s night onboard, I realized that I liked them beyond their capacity as a costume).
At this point I felt underdressed for an adventure day. Luckily, we were in close proximity to my mother’s residence and I needed to make an amendment to my wardrobe. After all, for once in my life, I too had boots. While nothing in comparison to Boo’s pink shit-kickers, they could probably do some damage if necessary. We were then entertained with “You have brown boots, Boo has PINK BOOTS!” I could not challenge her logic. She’s a very smart girl. Gets it from her mother, no doubt.
Del Taco was to be had…and apparently they have WiFi. Who knew? While Mr. G&T thinks their food is manna from the gods, Boo did not seem suitably impressed. Either that or she’s on a diet. After all, she is a successful model, and there are certain expectations…
We then took our photo safari to more exotic locales. Silver Creek Falls. A place that I have never actually been before, which is probably pretty wrong considering I’ve been in and out of Oregon since 1992.
Mr. G&T continued to demonstrate his abilities as an art director and photographer, keeping Boo enrapt with his suggestions of “Look at Daddy.”
While Boo may not give her all in front of the camera, she did enjoy humoring our attempts at photography. “Show Boo! I wanna see Boo!”
We decided that we’d seen the falls (albeit from afar), and that would be that. Two year olds and hiking aren’t really a great combination. Kind of like the words Menudo and reunion.
We took the scenic route.
But Richard Blade was spinning the classics, so it wasn’t all bad. Boo chose to take a nap. After all, Rock Stars need their energy too.
Other things happened, and we eventually made our way to our final destination. The boat. Promised throughout the day, the boat was the golden Mecca: the enticement to leave all other activities throughout the day. Mr. G&T hadn’t bothered to check the operating times for the Canby Ferry, and periodically muttered to himself, “It better be open, or I am so screwed.” Apparently his reaming was scheduled for another day, because we successfully parked the car on a ferry for our four-minute ride across the river. Molly was incredibly impressed, as she demonstrated for our commemorative photo.
6 comments:
Thank you for not posting the unfortunate one.
yeah, but she does have email
Now thats how to write a blog. Brian should never never ever wear shorts again. What the hell, is there no sun in Oregon? Sounds like a fun day, del taco is pretty crappy but you learn to get used to it. Since when did Brian become a camera geek?
I actually thought that Brian had quite muscular legs. Which led to me thinking, "When the hell did that happen? How is that even possible with his lifestyle?" Then I remembered that a lot of tubby men with huge bellies have muscular legs, because of all that strain and the load that they have to carry. I should know, because I love tubby bitches.
hey, wait!
Aww, poor Brian..
Amanda, you're one funny bitch
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