STAR WARS FIGURES & MONSTER HIGH GHOULS

Sometime in the mid-1980s, I walked into the Hayward Toys R Us by myself heading straight to the back aisle. I knew exactly where to find the Star Wars toys. Darrin was in school but since the latest shipment of Star Wars figures was due to arrive about 10 AM, I was on my own. It wasn't the first time I was flying solo on the Star Wars quest & it wouldn't be the last.

Darrin was a huge collector of all things Star Wars. Our family room was home to an X-Wing Fighter, a Millennium Falcon, a Rancor, an AT-AT (All Terrain, Attack Transport), Ewoks & lots more. He was able to recreate many scenes from all three of the original Star Wars movies. The small action figures were often his primary focus since they were affordable & plentiful. I'm sure there were well over 100 of them but many were really difficult to find.

Being an involved, somewhat crazy mom, I embraced the search for hard to find action figures. That is what had me heading to Toys R Us after dropping Darrin off at school. It seemed we would never find a few particular figures. I recall the search for "Lando Calrissian in Skiff Guard Disguise" being the pinnacle of action figure nirvana. Months went by without ever finding that particular action figure.

We knew the days & times that new shipments of Star Wars stuff arrived at Toys R Us. It was so popular that often the store employees just put the cardboard boxes filled with various toys & figures in the aisles. That morning I was there sitting on the floor along with a long haired, nerdy teen-ager (not sure why he wasn't in school) searching through the boxes of action figures.

Many of the older teens & adults were collectors & kept the figures sealed in the original package. It was assumed that the resale value would be much higher way in the future if they ever decided to sell the prized possessions. Darrin, on the other hand, played with all of his Star Wars toys & spent countless hours setting up scenes.

As I thumbed through one box, I saw it!!! Lando Calrissian in Skiff Guard Disguise!!! OH....MY...GOD!!! I let out a shriek & grabbed the cherished figure. The long haired, nerdy guy turned & asked, "What did you find?" I exclaimed, "Lando Calrissian in Skiff Guard Disguise!" "Oh, man", he whined, "Are there more?" as he resumed his search. I'm not sure who was more excited when I picked Darrin up from school with the coveted figure in hand!

I just now checked on eBay & there are three "Lando Calrissian in Skiff Guard Disguise" action figures from 1983, unopened in the package. One is listed for $100, another for $129.99 & the other for $165. That doesn't mean anyone will pay those prices but the vintage figures out of the packages were going for $5 to $10.

Fast forward at least 30 years to Charley & Gaga heading to the same Toys R Us for another Monster High doll. To quote Yogi Berra, "It was deja vu all over again." Every time I go to that Hayward Toys R Us, I am reminded of the long ago search for Star Wars figures.  Last week we found a Monster High doll we didn't know about, "The Toralei Garden Ghoul". Neither Charley or I had heard of Garden Ghouls. Toralei had wings & was pretty cool.

The back of the package showed about 6 or 8 more Garden Ghouls & Charley saved it. She placed an "X" next to Toralei & told me she really, really, really wanted the Twyla Garden Ghoul. Gaga stopped at three stores on her drive home but there were no Twyla Garden Ghouls to be found. I did some online research & found that the Garden Ghouls are brand new. I could order it on Amazon but they didn't have a release date yet. Of course, Gaga ordered it!

Explaining the concept that it isn't manufactured yet to a child who is staring at the picture of the doll isn't easy. Hopefully, it will be shipped soon. Charley gets such enjoyment from all her ghouls - they sing, go ziplining, put on shows, do gymnastics, wear each other's clothes & have a wonderful time together. She feeds them tentacles & spider webs for a midnight snack, puts them to bed & reads them stories. Her imagination is endless when it comes to her Monster High ghouls. I just heard they are putting on a fashion show soon.

I am thankful to be reliving my Star Wars days with Darrin as I embrace the Monster High era with his daughter! Lots of fun for a 67 year old grandma - who knew?!!?!

DAY TRIPPIN'

Yesterday we headed out on what began as the "day trip from hell" but turned out to be an almost magical adventure. My 88 year old father & my mother, who died 26 years ago, loved the Northern California coast. They especially enjoyed spending a week two or three times a year in Bodega Bay or Sea Ranch. We were always invited for a weekend visit.

One misty, foggy weekend about 30 years ago, my mother & I took the dog for a walk & discovered a mile long trail near a home they often rented in Sea Ranch, 120 miles north of San Francisco. My dad, my husband at the time & my son had gone out for a day of golfing. Following the hike, my mother & I opened a bottle of wine & settled into the hot tub on the deck. It was one of the best afternoons I had ever shared with my mom. We took the guys on our hike the next day & the whole family made sure to walk that trail each year.

When my mom passed away my dad wanted her ashes scattered along our Sea Ranch trail. With pilots in the family, we easily made that happen. My father has told me often that he wants his ashes scattered along that favorite family trail with her. Darrin & I will make that happen as well when the time comes.

For the first 15 years or so after my mom died, my father made a mini pilgrimage to Sea Ranch to place a flower on the hillside below the trail & get lost in his memories. I went with him often for these day trips along with Darrin or my sister or various friends. His deteriorating health has limited his trips to Sea Ranch these past twelve years.

For the past several years I have been telling him that we would get him up there again but in truth, I was dreading the trip. It is daunting to think about the reality of getting him in & out the car many times, into wheelchair accessible bathrooms & find places he is capable of visiting with his limited mobility.

My incredible son suggested a few days ago that he & Charley could go with me to take him to Sea Ranch. Darrin has wonderful memories of his beloved grandmother & the times they spent together on these frequent mini vacations. My mother's birthday was July 9 - today. To avoid traffic (oh, how naive we were), we planned the day trip for Saturday.

One of my dad's favorite caregivers, John, who lives in Vermont but cared for my dad for two plus years keeps in touch & has made the effort to visit from across the country. It turned out that he was meeting his first grandson in Washington & made the journey south to spend a couple days with my dad. We asked if John was game for a crazy-ass day trip of over 400 miles to Sea Ranch with a 5 year old, an 88 year old & 3 adults - although that term "adults" is debatable. Yep, he was!

Yesterday morning we met Darrin & Charley in Vallejo. After the first of many bathroom breaks, the five of us piled into my dad's 1998 2-door Pontiac Grand Prix. That meant my dad in the front seat with the driver, Charley in her car seat & two others in the back seat. Cozy to say the least - plus the wheelchair, walker & various supplies in the trunk. Charley had some of her Monster High "ghouls", the iPad with movies to watch & assorted toys & snacks. I included towels & garbage bags in case anyone got car sick on the winding coastal roads. Whew, they didn't!

Before even connecting with Darrin & Charley we ran into a decent-sized traffic jam making us 20 minutes late for our rendezvous. It was the first of many. I know that the traffic in the greater Bay Area has definitely gotten worse but I didn't know it extended to Bodega Bay & beyond! I lost count of the number of slow downs & outright stops in the traffic. Ridiculous!

We brought lunch intending to eat it along the coast but Darrin found a park in Petaluma on his iPhone that worked out great. It was already noon & we weren't even halfway there. We had to load up the car, drive two blocks then head into Jack in the Box for a bathroom break. That sounds easy but it is not - piling five people (& four ghouls) into the car & getting everyone's seat belt fastened is not a simple chore. That was when I gave up my original ETA of returning home at 6:30 or 7 PM. 

I was amazed at my motley crew of support on our adventure. My dad was disgusted at the difficulty he was having & sounded ready to say forget it. But Darrin & John really stepped up. Darrin did about 80% of the driving & engaged his Pop in conversations about their memories. John took over getting the wheelchair & walker out of the trunk on every stop & bathroom break. He embraced the job of bathroom help like the true caregiver he is freeing me up to enjoy my time sharing Sea Ranch with Charley.

Since my dad could not climb the few steps up the hillside, we had Charley place the crepe myrtle flower for her great-grandma on the rocks. It was an emotional moment for all. Once we arrived in Sea Ranch, my dad's memories came flooding back & he was in his element. We could tell that he was embracing it all - it didn't matter that many of his recollections were not quite right. We all knew we had done a good thing - a really good thing. We didn't even leave Sea Ranch until 6 PM & none of us cared.

After dinner at McDonald's & dropping Charley & Darrin in Vallejo, we made it back to my dad's around 11 PM - after one more inexplicable traffic jam in Vacaville at 10 PM (WTF?). We had driven 400+ miles & endured a 14-1/2 hour day in cramped quarters. My father was extremely appreciative of what we all did to pull this day off for him. He was truly happy & loved the old memories it brought back for him.

I can tell you that I have never been more proud of my family - my son for taking the reins & making this day trip happen, my granddaughter for being a real trooper spending 9+ hours in the car, our friend who has become family for pitching in & my dad for genuinely expressing his gratitude to all of us willing to share his day.

There was something magical that occurred yesterday. It was a long, tiring day but so worth the effort we all put in to make the day a reality for my dad. I know my father feels blessed to have a family that would do this for him. Sure, I had been kind of dreading this day but ended up feeling that together we all accomplished something special that won't soon by forgotten. And I'm pretty sure my mom was looking down with a smile.

ON A MISSION

Do you ever get somewhat obsessed with a relatively small task that seems to snowball into something that absolutely HAS to be done & it has to be done NOW? I sure hope that a few of you do because otherwise I'm going to feel like a complete nutcase if I'm the only one who goes off the deep end trying to accomplish something that really isn't all that important in the overall scheme of things.

Basically, I've been on a mission these past 3 days to find something similar to the long forks that my parents had back when I was a kid. They were used to roast marshmallows or hot dogs over the barbecue or campfire. There was a red, wooden handle about 18" long with a metal fork, also about 18" long, that slid into the handle making a 3 foot long tool to safely roast the perfect marshmallow.

Over the years they were passed down & I ended up with a couple of these forks as an adult. Now, remember, I first recall using them when I was a kid. That would make them close to 60 years old. Even 20 years ago they were showing a lot of wear but they were family relics. My son roasted many marshmallows on those forks, too. Somehow, they have disappeared, or more likely my ex-husband got them in the divorce.

Darrin & Charley are coming up here for a long Fourth of July weekend to swim, play & shoot off fireworks which are legal here in Sacramento. We are all having a pool party on Sunday with my sister, her husband, my father & his caregiver. Charley has discovered that toasting marshmallows is fun & yummy. So, I decided to get the ingredients to make s'mores for dessert. We will roast them over the barbecue to enjoy a delicious all American treat.

BUT we didn't have any long forks like the old, worn out red ones from years past. I had stopped at a couple stores with no luck at all. I would ask the clerk for "a long fork to roast marshmallows so you don't burn yourself or catch something on fire." Everyone knew exactly what I was looking for but no one had them. I looked online but my searches didn't turn up anything close to what I was looking for.

Yesterday, I decided to make this a true mission & went to Home Depot, Target, Walmart, Lowe's & a few other stores with no luck. Last night I sat down at my computer determined to figure out where I could buy these damn long forks that everyone knew about but didn't carry. This was when it became an obsession!

Finally after at least an hour on the internet, I discovered what they are called - "marshmallow roasting sticks"! When you type "marshmallow roasting sticks" in the search bar, suddenly you find all kinds of amazing devices to roast marshmallows. They come in colors! They retract! They have some that can roast several at a time! They have ones with a small knob to rotate with your thumb for even browning! Who knew?

Now, my problem was that I could order any number of super cool marshmallow roasting sticks online but they wouldn't arrive in time for our pool party on Sunday since it was only two days away. I was more determined then ever to find a store at which to buy them. It wasn't like I didn't have at least ten things I needed to get done instead of traipsing all over Sacramento & Placer Counties looking for these things. But I didn't care, I HAD to have those damn sticks for my Charley to roast her marshmallows for s'mores!

After grocery shopping & lunch with a friend today, I decided to let "my fingers do the walking" - remember that ad campaign? This afternoon (Friday) I called REI - theirs were $12.95 each. I don't think so. Big 5 didn't have any. Bass Pro Shop connected me to the camping department where the woman told me they have several different types in stock that range from $4 each to $10 each. Hallelujah! I was on my way in five minutes.

I am now the proud owner of two state of the art marshmallow roasting sticks that have wooden handles, a retracting metal fork & the little knob that allows you to rotate the fork part with your thumb. I have a bag of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers & six Hershey bars at the ready for my entire family to make some kick ass s'mores on Sunday. Hmmm, maybe Charley & I will test them out tomorrow to make sure they taste good. I guess you can roast a marshmallow over an electric stove, right? I'll let you know.

Happy Fourth of July!