Bruce Reyes-Chow

A first for the butcher's great-granddaughter

This year there will be no big Thanksgiving family gathering for the Reyes-Chow/Pugh family.  With my Grandfather's death last week, we are honoring the traditions that my grandmother has asked of us, among them, that the family not attend any family celebrations as we all mourn the loss of our grandfather.  While we will miss our big gatherings, we gladly do so for my grandmother and as a nod to our grief and sadness.

Still . . . that does not mean we can't enjoy a good ol' turkey and taters meal.  With a hankering for L-Tryptophan, this evening I went ahead and prepared a turkey for the crew. This year, though, would be a little different.  This is the year that the knife would be passed to the next generation.  While the kids always help prepare the meals, new to the teen years, Eldest, would now inherit the bird carving duties.  I believe strongly in passing down tradition, acknowledging rites of passage and having the next generation begin to grow into new roles and responsibilities.  So after a little internet research and a few pointers, Eldest went at it. With Middle and Youngest fixing the gravy and mashed potatoes in the background, Eldest poked, sliced, ripped and carved that bird until the carcass was clean and the meat ready to eat. 

She did a GREAT job!  I wonder if it is in our genes ;-)  My grandfather after all, was a butcher for most of his life, and while a very small gesture, his oldest great-grandchild carved her first turkey on this day when we were reminded to pause and give thanks for his life so well lived.  This one's for you Gpa!

Rest well Grandpa Chow, March 7, 1922 - November 18, 2009

Yesterday, surrounded by his family, Chuck Chow passed away; a wonderfully peaceful end to a wonderfully full life.

My cousin has posted a beautiful post about Grandpa Chow capturing images and words that gives just a glimpse of the this silent, gentle and firm man.

As with most grandchildren I only saw glimpses of that young feisty version of Grandpa that we heard about so often.  Still, I revel in memories of stories told and passed along: his time as a mah jong pit boss, his work as a butcher at Centro Mart and the war stories he would tell - complete with rifle - fighting for the US in Okinawa.

My fondest memory of Grandpa Chow was when most of us traveled to China to visit the villages of my grandparents in 1992.  The energy and enthusiasm that overtook him as we visited his kindergarten classroom, met school friends, interacted with family and stood with him as he was recognized at a school he helped to build was just too much fun.  It was like we were transported back to when he left China decades before, this time with the son who had returned home.

Still, what I most remember is a gentle man, relaxed in his recliner sort of watching over and reveling in the bustling of his family: Gma Chow, his wife of over 60 years, his four kids, five grandchildren and three great grandchildren. That recliner, where he napped, hung out with Corey, his rice-eating lovebird and watched TV.  Oh the simple and wonderful joys of life.

He was a man of few words, but would get giddy over Chinese soaps, technology and this crazy family that would invade his home whenever we could.  I can only imagine the pride that he felt about this family that, while spread out among professions and geography, were committed to being family and community for one another.  For this gift I am forever grateful.

And now as we move into a time of mourning and remembrance I am again grateful for the traditions that he and my grandmother pass on to the next generations.   Over the next month, we will all mourn, engage in cultural rituals and pay honor to this man who has touched so many.  And, as the moments present themselves, we will celebrate and remember this man who lives on in our stories, our lives and in our family.

Lastly, I simply give thanks that my girls have known their great-grandparents in a way that so is so unique.   What a gift.

We'll miss you grandpa. Rest well and know that your family rests in the knowledge that you watch over us still.

Kontent, Emergent V and a little hip-hop

In order to avoid getting into some of the mundane Monday tasks, here are three quick links that greeted me the morning.

1. I love when people I know in person get some visibility for good work and creativity.  Imagine my surprise to open the paper this AM - yes, I still like reading and actually hand-held paper - to see fellow parent Mark Decena of Kontent Films, featured in the article Directors Make Ads to Engage, Entertain.  Mark made the film Dopamine a few years back and is in the process of releasing the mockumentary, Unflinching Triumph.
2. For those of you who have any connection to the Emergent Village, they are asking for some input about the future of the organization.  Honestly struggling with the future of a postmodern movement that seeks some kind of sustainability, kudos for asking for some input.  It is three questions, so head on over and [TAKE THE SHORT SURVEY].
3. If you need a little hip-hop this AM - and who doesn't? - take a look at this one from Eldest and Middle's dance recital.  Middle in the one on the left with the hat and gloves.  About a minutes in she has a little solo and the crazy lady screaming through the whole thing is my mom.

Have a great Monday!

She'll appreciate me later, right?

This past weekend I made Eldest help me repair the sink in the bathroom.  It has been a slow-drainer for a while now and finally we could no longer ignore the lagoon that was beginning to form.  Needless to say Eldest was NOT happy, but she was a trooper as I made her snake out the culprit.  I love this pic of her best, "I hate being the eldest!" look on her face.  I told her that her sisters would have their day in the fun soon enough.  Making memories I say!  If you want to see what we pulled out of the pipes [click here].  Nasty.

Three days, 20 fifth-graders and a whole buncha' nature

In about 30 minutes I head to my daughters' school and will join her fifth grade class for their annual camping trip.  Oh joy.  Three dads, three moms and two teachers will hang out with 20 kids that we have know or the past six years up at a camp ground in the woods of Northern California.  Now most of you know that I am not a big nature guy - some say I am not anti-nature, but pro-concrete - , but there was a time when camping and all that nature stuff was a bigger part of my life.  Each year our family used to take a week-long camping trip.  Now it was not sleep-in-a-snow-cave and hunt-for-your-own-food kind of camping, but it was camping nonetheless.  And while my allergies may not be looking for to the next few days and I am pretty sure there could not be a worse time for me to be totally unplugged - "NO COMPUTERS, DAD!" were her exact words - it will be fun to get away and just be Eldest's dad for a while.  She is so excited about the trip and my attendance, it just warms my heart. The funniest thing is that the three Dad's on the trip all have daughters, but we will be in charge of the boys.  Nice.

So farewell for three days.  Wish me luck ;-)

Rock Band Hilarity

We have a NO VIDEO GAME rule in our house.  Not because we have any huge thing against gaming, but we have enough technological distractions in our lives: TIVO, TV, computer, etc.  We just do not need one more thing.  The girls can play all they want in other places, we just don't have them in our home.   I also have never been very tempted, as I am a pretty old school gamer, so all these new fangled controllers just make me seasick.

While I am sure we will NOT get one, Rock Band has really been a great deal of fun to play when we get the chance.  Here is just one example of the fun that ensues.  Everyone is funny in this one.  Yep, that's my seven year-old groovin' to Weezer's Say It Ain't So.

Splash Mountain Video

I am sure I'll post a few more nuggets of fun, but here is one for your viewing pleasure.  This is at the top of Splash Mountain.  And before you think we are just cruel parents, Youngest had been on this ride before and LIKED it.  My favorite part is when Eldest screams just as we are about to go over the edge, "Dad, put it away, put it away!"

You can see more vids including all the jokes we told while standing in line [here].

First reading and now this?

Thanks to Kristen's prompting, last year Eldest participated in the Young Writer's Program of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  She didn't quite get done as we were just getting settled into our new place, but she gave it a valiant effort.  She has been scribbling notes down, writing on google docs and generally developing this story - which she has not shown to the parents who brought her into this world - for about six months now.  Well . . . she saw me working with my MacSpeech Dictate and her typing problems were solved*.  Here she is adding to her novel.  She thinks this is just too cool.

* Don't worry, she will still work on proper typing, but at this point her mind is moving far faster than her fingers can.

Adventures of a semi-vacation

Today we are leaving for Disneyland.

No, you are not crazy . . . we were JUST there.

We return this time with my mom, step-pop and niece, Ava!  That mean momz will have all four of her grandbabies with her.  Hopefully she will get all weepy with joy while we are standing line.  How embarrassing ;-)

I thought about not bringing my computer and totally unplugging, but then figured, "yeah right" it's not like I am going on some outbound mission trip or hiking in some backwoods part of the world.  We are going to have to google some directions at some point for gosh darn sake.  More justification you ask?  I also didn't want to go through that freak-out stressful time before going on vacation.  I have a few things to do for church, but would rather just take a few minutes on Wednesday PM to take care of them rather than cram one more thing into the prep day.  Yeah, I'm hooked.  But in a good way ;-)

I'll probably blog a bit here over the week, but will mostly sit back, relax and be further sucked into the evil empire we know as Disney.

And the reading list for this trip:

• Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
• Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business
• The Overlook

Guns, Food and Family

As the Chow clan gathered to celebrate Grandpa Chow's 86th birthday, we ate, laughed and generally had a grand ol' time as usual.  The gun you ask?  Grandpa Chow told WWII stories and showed off Japanese M1 rifle that he brought back.  Apparently the American soldiers got to bring back "souvenirs" from their service.

[Trina's Post Pic]