I'm in a hotel room in Kerrville, TX, which is about as opposite from a castle in New York as one can be. [censored] and I are struggling with the air conditioner, since the knob comes off in your hand and you don't know whether you've successfully hit the desired temperature or if you've somehow awakened a fire demon or a frosty hellbeast. And it's only been thirty-six hours since I left behind all my writer friends (and, accidentally, three of my bras), but it feels like forever....
But yesterday was a relatively smooth travel day - I got up, showered, packed, said my goodbyes, and drove me and Monica to Newark. I was there early enough to have a tasty steak salad and a glass of wine before boarding, and I spent the flight napping and finishing A COURT OF WINGS A RUIN. It tied things up a bit too neatly for my tastes, but I enjoyed it, so yay for that.
When I got to San Antonio, I got my rental car, parked it in short term parking, and then met my parents in the airport. I was supposed to wait around for [censored], who was coming from [censored], but the flight was [censored] and I didn't want to deal with it. So we spoke to the charming man at Enterprise, who let us put my parents' car in [censored]'s name so [censored] could pick it up later, and I drove my parents out to Kerrville. When we got here, we had dinner with Uncle Mark and Aunt Kathy at Billy Gene's, which we've eaten at before - I know this town way too well considering that I've never lived here and have no desire to. [censored] got in not too late, which was a pleasant surprise, and I went to bed and nearly froze to death, which would have been an exciting way to die in Texas in June.
Today, though, was pretty perfect if you like funerals. We had breakfast with the parents at the hotel, and then we drove out to the ranch (in two vehicles - car sickness runs in the family and none of us can handle sitting in the backseat on winding, rutted roads). The entrance to the ranch is 35min outside of town, and the driveway is another 20min of driving beyond that, filled with deer, cows, horses, wild turkeys, and the occasional jackrabbit. It's a gorgeous spot, and we got out there in time for lunch (barbecued pork, baked beans, and coleslaw).
But the afternoon turned into a funeral (this was not a surprise, since it was well-planned) - Wendell's wife Barbara passed away in January, so we had a memorial service for her. It was a ways up the road from where we have the reunion, including a shortcut through a field that was just a pair of ruts (my rental car agreement probably doesn't include burning the car up in a field of grass, but it didn't happen, so that was all good). They've put a tombstone under an old oak tree on a hill, which was gorgeous, and their neighbors had set up chairs and refreshments, which was super nice of them.
It was all fairly emotional, despite being lovely - Wendell is the last Wampler of his generation (his sister and a first cousin are still alive, but he's the last male), and he was in the same generation as my granddad....and in some ways it felt and sounded like I was hearing my granddad give a eulogy, since they have some things in common. His stoicism broke my heart. His remaining sons also spoke (other heartbreak: one of his sons died unexpectedly this spring), and it was all lovely and sad all at once.
Then we drank champagne and looked out over the hills, and then we drove back to the ranch, where my immediately family was in charge of dinner for tonight. So we took care of that, enjoyed the food, and finished the night by watching a massive fireworks display. And then [censored] and I drove back through many and varied hazards on the road, both alive and in our memories, and now it's time for bed - goodnight!
But yesterday was a relatively smooth travel day - I got up, showered, packed, said my goodbyes, and drove me and Monica to Newark. I was there early enough to have a tasty steak salad and a glass of wine before boarding, and I spent the flight napping and finishing A COURT OF WINGS A RUIN. It tied things up a bit too neatly for my tastes, but I enjoyed it, so yay for that.
When I got to San Antonio, I got my rental car, parked it in short term parking, and then met my parents in the airport. I was supposed to wait around for [censored], who was coming from [censored], but the flight was [censored] and I didn't want to deal with it. So we spoke to the charming man at Enterprise, who let us put my parents' car in [censored]'s name so [censored] could pick it up later, and I drove my parents out to Kerrville. When we got here, we had dinner with Uncle Mark and Aunt Kathy at Billy Gene's, which we've eaten at before - I know this town way too well considering that I've never lived here and have no desire to. [censored] got in not too late, which was a pleasant surprise, and I went to bed and nearly froze to death, which would have been an exciting way to die in Texas in June.
Today, though, was pretty perfect if you like funerals. We had breakfast with the parents at the hotel, and then we drove out to the ranch (in two vehicles - car sickness runs in the family and none of us can handle sitting in the backseat on winding, rutted roads). The entrance to the ranch is 35min outside of town, and the driveway is another 20min of driving beyond that, filled with deer, cows, horses, wild turkeys, and the occasional jackrabbit. It's a gorgeous spot, and we got out there in time for lunch (barbecued pork, baked beans, and coleslaw).
But the afternoon turned into a funeral (this was not a surprise, since it was well-planned) - Wendell's wife Barbara passed away in January, so we had a memorial service for her. It was a ways up the road from where we have the reunion, including a shortcut through a field that was just a pair of ruts (my rental car agreement probably doesn't include burning the car up in a field of grass, but it didn't happen, so that was all good). They've put a tombstone under an old oak tree on a hill, which was gorgeous, and their neighbors had set up chairs and refreshments, which was super nice of them.
It was all fairly emotional, despite being lovely - Wendell is the last Wampler of his generation (his sister and a first cousin are still alive, but he's the last male), and he was in the same generation as my granddad....and in some ways it felt and sounded like I was hearing my granddad give a eulogy, since they have some things in common. His stoicism broke my heart. His remaining sons also spoke (other heartbreak: one of his sons died unexpectedly this spring), and it was all lovely and sad all at once.
Then we drank champagne and looked out over the hills, and then we drove back to the ranch, where my immediately family was in charge of dinner for tonight. So we took care of that, enjoyed the food, and finished the night by watching a massive fireworks display. And then [censored] and I drove back through many and varied hazards on the road, both alive and in our memories, and now it's time for bed - goodnight!
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