Fears

We all have fears or phobias. Mine are fire and deep water.

Rachel shares my fear of fire. That's a healthy fear.

Thunder also rattles her. Again, understood. I have to remember to tell her what my father told me, that it's a bunch of guys bowling up there.

Like I was at her age, she doesn't like sleeping in the dark. Like Motel 6, we leave the light on for her.

She has two other fears I never experienced. One is a fear of someone getting left behind in an elevator or being caught in the door. Whenever we get in an elevator, she urges everyone to get in quickly, almost in a panic.

We think this fear arose from my uncle's assisted living home. One day, as the 87-year-old slowly made his way out, Rachel was on one side of the doors and I was on the other as the doors tried to close repeatedly. I fear she'll be scarred by that for some time.

Rachel also fears escalators. Watch that first step, it's a doozy. We were at the mall today and she screamed in panic a couple times as it drew near, demanding that I pick her up, which I did. But it was hard not to smile as she yelled twice, "I'm starting to freak out here!" Poor baby! I love my child.

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Speaking of the mall, she was able to read "Back to School Sale" on a sign today. Her reading skills are really picking up.

She remains a rather rambunctious child at times. All of a sudden at dinner tonight, she headbutted me in the nose. It was raining outside, but the stars came out early inside!

And there has been a second incident of the chocolate eyeliner as described in another entry below. This time she diversified to a Hershey's Kiss.

Mommy wears makeup rarely. She is a proponent of the natural look. Rachel is going to be into makeup, shoes and accessories. She made a beeline to Stride Rite today. I'd better start saving money now!

She Has A Chipper Jones

I awoke from a nap the other day and walked out to see what number one daughter was up to. I noticed something new around her eyes.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Eye makeup," she replied.

"Rachel, did you get into mommy's eye makeup?" I asked worriedly.

"Noooooooo!" she answered in an irritated tone.

"Well, what is it?" I pressed.

"Chocolate chip cookie," she replied.

Yes, while the rest of the world is spending millions on makeup, my industrious 5-year-old is achieving her look with the chips from chocolate chip cookies.

"Pardon me, ma'am- is that Maybelline?"

"No, Chips Ahoy!"

Watch What You Say!

I had a couple of quick errands to run yesterday, quick being a relative term when you're with a 5-year-old.

The first task was to mail 32 pages of something I found to my stepmother. Fortunately, there are some Legos in one corner of the store so Rachel could entertain herself while I filled out the envelope and paid postage. When I finished, Rachel was in the process of completingconstruction of a rather elaborate house.

I decided not to interrupt the creative process and told her we could leave for the grocery store whenever she finished. I had to remind her three or four times, because she kept making improvements. Ultimately, she put a skateboard ramp on top of the house and left a window for the occupants.

Right before we went to that store, we had finished lunch. I had drunk quite a bit of lemonade and my kidneys and bladder were starting to pester me. Since the shopping center was two blocks from home, I thought I could hold it.

At last, I coaxed her to leave and we went to our next destination, two or three stores down the sidewalk. We went to the Bank of America Branch inside Kroger so I could cash a couple of checks.

While we were in line, a girl younger than Rachel handed her a plastic ball about the size of a volleyball, all colorful and pink, which of course, matched Rachel's outfit. Rachel bounced it and pushed it on the bank line restraining rope until it rebounded into her face, which she found funny.

After daddy got his money and Rachel received a lollipop, she asked whether she could have the ball. I told her "no" and instructed her to put it back. She found the "cage" it was in, pulled apart the ropes and went inside to play with all the balls.

My situation wasn't getting any better. Finally, I urged her,"Rachel, you need to get out! If you don't get out now, I'm gonna tt on the floor!"

Wrong tactic.

"TT on the floor, daddy! TT on the floor!" she laughed lustily.

I had to resort to counting to three. As usual, she was out by the time I started counting "two.'

As we walked out of the store holding hands, she was still saying, "TT on the floor, daddy! TT on the floor!"...plenty loud enough for others to hear.

Rachel Loves The Beach

Gulf Shores, Alabama

Rebecca drove us all night from Hempstead, TX to Gulf Shores, Alabama. We got in just around sunrise and then couldn't find a place to stay. Rebecca had been up all night. I had slept an hour and a half. Rachel slept ten hours.

By the time we got a room around 10:30, we were wiped out. We set Rachel up with a Sponge Bob Marathon and slept. We got a little pool time and a delicious dinner at a seafood place called DeSoto's.

It poured while we were at dinner. We got a window between storms Sunday and hit the beach. Both Rachel and I wound up terribly sunburned due to misapplication of sunscreen. Both of us are peeling as I type this.

In fact, I got so much sun, I had to relinquish the wheel on the ride home. I started shivering and my teeth were chattering. I was fine the next day.

Don't Even Think About It!

Rachel kept asking if she could ride the four-wheeler at Uncle Britt's house. Uh,no!

Flowers Outside Blue Bell Plant

Blue Bell!

After Blanco, we drove toward Houston to spend time with Rebecca's brother and his new wife. But we doubled back to do our only tour of the entire trip, the headquarters of Blue Bell Ice Cream in Brenham, Texas.

Not only did we get to see Blue Bell Ice Cream and Yogurt being made, we got free scoops at the end of the tour. Mine was Peaches and Vanilla.

And I did not stage this photo. Rachel was more than willing to make an "udder fool of herself!"

Sheryl

This is Sheryl, who made us feel quite at home in Blanco. Besides providing us with a guest blog and a home-cooked meal, she also gave us homemade ice cream. As always,she was a gracious hostess.

Blanco

Blanco is about 35 minutes north of San Antonio. It used to be my escape from the big city. My friend Sheryl-Smith Rodgers (see guest blog below) used to live in the State Park there. You had to take a river across a bridge to get to her house. I almost lost a camera bag next to the river once because I unknowingly placed it too close to a goose's nest.

Anyway, Sheryl now lives down the road with her new husband, who is exceedingly nice. We'd sit at the breakfast table and watch various species of birds and a squirrel chow down on back yard feeders. They also have an owl, which we didn't get to see.

At dusk, we sat in the front yard and watched the bats migrate from Fredericksburg and Luckenbach 25 miles away. Yes, that Luckenbach. Willie and Waylon and the boys.

Rachel and I spent time in the backyard hammock, enjoying the slower pace. I really enjoy Blanco.

Fast Friends

Rebecca and Rosella bonded, so much so that Rosella drove back 90 miles for another outing with the Ries family two days later. Rosarelli (our contraction of Rosella Saltarelli) also drives a very cool James Bond red Thunderbird.

By the way, the yellow drinks are Mango Margaritas. You must have the Mango!

Recipe for Happiness

Long as there was a playground, everything was cool.

Kappas

These are members of a sorority I hung out with some 28 years ago. Sadly, they never let me join. I did write some satirical music for them and dated one of them.

We gathered for margaritas, mexican food and copious amounts of water in the 412 degree heat of a June Texas afternoon, sitting on a patio as misters tried to overcome the heat.

From left, Kathy Farady (dermatologist and all-around nice person), Lisa Lovering (A T & T exec and aspiring songwriter), Rosella Saltarelli (massage therapist and spiritual center), Rebecca Ries (assistant teacher and awesome wife), Karen Castelli (Texas State employee and world-class eye-roller) and Rachel Ries (#1 daughter and challenger of authority.)

Top Ten List

So I noticed that today is the day for the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. I despise competitive eating. I get sick just watching it.

And then I started wondering. What would be the top ten things you might overhear at today's hot dog eating contest? (Wayne's World dream sequence hand gestures and accompanying noises)



Top Ten Things You Might Overhear At The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest


10.You gonna eat that?

9. I don't care if I win, I just relish the competition!

8. Whatever you do, watch upwind!

7. Does that shirt come in XXXXL?

6. Man, that takes gut!

5. Wait until you see the competitive barfing afterwards!

4. Get a load of the buns in that woman!

3. Is the five second rule in effect?

2. Talk about wiener take all!

1. Nice to see you again, Ms. Alley!

What recession? This is inflation!

When we had lunch with members of a sorority I hung out with in college several decades ago (I had dated one of them), my friend Rosella bought Rachel two balloon monkeys. The artist was incredibly creative.

Unfortunately, as we drove off that evening, I raised the right rear electronic window and the red monkey's tail popped when it caught in the mechanism (likely a sentence I won't type the rest of my life.)

The monkeys didn't take the heat of the car well. The blue one's eye popped halfway home and the red one's head shriveled up by the time we pulled into the driveway, causing daddy to start quoting the end of Beetlejuice. "Hey, this could be a whole new look for me. Hey! Hey!"

Casey

This is Casey. Her dad is a San Antonio Police Officer. As far as my wife and I are concerned, Casey is our angel.

We tried to enjoy Bud's outdoor party in what we later found out was 100-degree heat, but our heads were on constant swivels, not unlike Linda Blair in The Exorcist without the pea soup. The party was at a park pavilion and like many overprotective parents, everyone we didn't know at the nearby playgrounds was a potential predator until proven otherwise.

Almost the entire time her family was there, Casey was not far from Rachel. If Rachel wandered far, Casey was with her. If Rachel wanted a certain swing, Casey gave up her seat and allowed Rachel to climb on.

Casey, we told you that day, but we'll tell you again, thanks from the bottom of our hearts!

(By the way, the container in Rachel's hands holds the sugar candy described in the next entry.)

Smashing Success

At the surprise 70th Fiesta-themed birthday for my friend and former colleague Bud Little, there were plenty of cascarones to go around. For the unitiated, cascarones are confetti eggs that you smash on other people's heads while they smash theirs on yours.

To say the least, Rachel embraced the tradition, so much so that we had to curtail her enthusiasm and remind her others wanted access to the cascarones as well. I'm pretty sure we'll be finding slivers of confetti in her scalp for weeks to come!

There were also soap bubbles to keep her entertained. We absconded with four or five containers, but she remains unaware, as we didn't want bubbles floating inside our Honda like a Lawrence Welk on Wheels Revue as we traveled.

There was also a pinata bashing and Rachel ran around the rest of the afternoon eating copious amounts of sugar candy that fell from he pinata. This led to two to three hours of hyperactivity resembling Daffy Duck at his finest.

Rachel Bat Watching in Austin

Well, we watched. She was bored.

Visit with Aunt Patty

Rachel and Aunt Willa Belle in Tuscaloosa

Guest Blog

Something different today-a guest contribution by my friend Sheryl-Smith Rodgers, a professional writer who lives in Blanco, Texas, north of San Antonio. She and her daughter had their own Rachel stories and mommy and daddy clearly have to do some more work to erase a certain word from Rachel's vocabulary.

Take it away, Sheryl!

One night on their Big Vacation, the Ries gang stayed a night in our home, located not far from the huge, bustling town of Blanco, Texas. (Imagine one traffic light, and that’s Blanco.) Since David enjoys collecting stories about his favorite daughter, Rachel, I thought I’d contribute to his blog. If he’d let me, that is.
You OK with that, David?
Here goes:
So the next morning, Rachel and I wandered outside, where we headed for what’s left of our burned up vegetable garden (this drought is killing us). Rachel wanted to pick something. Finally, I found a tiny cherry tomato.
“Here, you can pick this,” I told her, pointing to the little thing. “If you want to eat it, we’d better wash it first.”
“No, I hate tomatoes” she responded. (Daddy note: yet she loves ketchup, go figure!)
“OK,” I shrugged. “Hey, let’s go over here and sit on this special seat, where we can see the pretty flowers.”
“No, I hate flowers,” Rachel said.
“What? You can’t hate flowers,” I said, after plunking down on the bench. “Come over and let’s talk about it.”
“No!” she exclaimed adamantly. And off she went.
That morning, I’d offered butter with her waffle. NO, I hate butter. Syrup? NO. How about grape jelly on it? NOOO. At lunch, I peeled her a boiled egg and set it on a plate. How about salt? No, I hate salt. Pepper? I hate that, too.
“Well, Rachel, now tell me...what DO you love?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Natural Cheetos.”
“What?”
“Natural Cheetos.”
“Did you say natural and Cheetos?” I asked, geniunely perplexed.
“Yes,” she nodded.
“Ah. And what else do you love?”
“Grapes!”
“Do you have a boyfriend, Rachel?”
She nodded and said his name. Alas, my memory blanks there.
I bet David can take it from there! (Daddy note: Jesse)
* * *
Lindsey Rodgers, my teenaged daughter, also has a Rachel story to contribute:
Rachel dropped by Lindsey’s bedroom, while Lindsey and a friend were watching Lemony Snicket’s. A line in the movie mentioned “dead kids.”
“I don’t like dead kids,” Rachel announced. “Kids should be alive. Bad guys should be dead.”