The plan for today is to eat half an omelet at First Watch, go to the Kirkwood Farmer’s Market, and then go somewhere I have never been: The Magic House. It wasn’t around when I was a child, and I wasn’t with Gary when he took our niece and nephew. Will there soon be a photo of Gary touching the Tesla coil? I think there will.
When I last visited the in-laws, they shared with us a story of taking their kids to the Magic House. (Disclaimer: the Magic House wasn’t open until 1979, when Gary was 25 and his sisters were 23 and 21. But that’s okay. Just go with it. They did get the street right, so that suggests it was the Magic House.)
Gary, if I recall, started the conversation by asking why his parents never took him to the Magic House. I started to mention I didn’t know it was THAT old, when Wilma insisted that OF COURSE they took him and his sisters to the Magic House, don’t you remember, they had that awful parking and it was almost impossible to get out? You had to turn on to Lindbergh Boulevard, and they had such trouble? And then the car caught fire?
What?
Wilma laughed and said she hadn’t thought about that in so long, “Ken, remember when the car caught fire when we took the kids to the Magic House?” Ken nodded yes. I assumed it was because his hearing aid was off, but then he said, “It was so hard to get out of there, and then we saw the smoke coming under the hood.”
I asked, “White smoke or black smoke?” because I vaguely remember one just means you have an heater coil problem.
“There were FLAMES on the WINDSHIELD.” Wilma said, so insistently I believed her. “Remember, Ken, we just drove straight across Lindbergh to that gas station, and they were there with buckets of water, like they were expecting us? They saw us coming!”
I laughed, “You drove a flaming car to a gas station?”
“It was right across the street!”
“A gas station? I bet they had buckets of water ready!”
“Oh! We never thought of that!” Ken added. “I just wanted to get the car fixed.”
I can imagine if, my car were on fire, I also would be the type of person determined to drive it across Lindbergh, so it wouldn’t tie up the exit AND so the mechanics at the gas station across the street could explain why it was in fire. The giant tanks of gas below the asphalt gas station parking lot would be my last concern.
13 responses to “Plan for the Day”
Which did you enjoy more, the store and restaurant set up in the old section or the government area in the basement of the new section? I can totally see you rocking the patriotic song karaoke in the legislative room.
yeah um. iffn my car was on fire GODDMAMIITS MY FIRST THOUGHT WOULD BE TO GET OUTTA THE FUCKING CAR!!!
OR DRIVE TO GAS STATION.
which ever comes first.
Well geez, how many opportunities do you get in life to drive a flaming car across Lindbergh?
White smoke means you have a new Pope, silly.
See, I was going say what Becs said, but she beat me to it. Damn.
Caroline – Well, we actually only stayed a short time, I am sad to say. I’m sure he enjoyed it more when he was here 15 years ago with the niece and nephew. But we didn’t make it anywhere but up and down the three flights in the main house.Mrs Hall – Ken must have gone into fight mode, not flight mode. Allison – Few, but I think the in-laws would prefer it that way.Becs – Ooo! Becs hits it out of the park! Mershy – You are Jewish, there was no way you were going to get that before Becs.
All Jews hear “white smoke” and think of the Pope. It’s a thing.
(Trust me, I have a degree in being a Jew)
Sorry Dear Ellen, you have your story incorrect, as usual.They had their grandson with them.Maybe you need to get your ears cleaned out.Just a suggestion.
Tami – Really, Jewish people relate white smoke to the Pope? And did you know graphic designers probably think of the web color table, because White Smoke is the name of the very lightest shade of gray.******* – No, my ears are clean. I wasn’t in the car, just in the living room where the inlaws were relating the story. Gary and I suggested it might have been the grandkids and Wilma shook her head vigorously and said, “No, it was YOU KIDS.” I thought it was strange because the math didn’t add up, but I’m here just to report what I hear in-laws say and do as accurately as possible.
I called my cousin Amy and asked her what she thinks of when she hears the words “white smoke” and she said dry ice, so maybe my theory is completely wrong. *I* think of the Pope when I hear it, though.
Tami – I will always think “broken heater coil” forever. In fact, next time we have a new pope thats what I’ll think of.
I did an independent non-scientific poll this weekend, and 75% of the Jews I asked said, “New Pope”?
Tami – I think the muslims of my acquaintance might not know.