All Aboard!
Today is my mother's 60th birthday. She did not want a big party, but she wanted to do something special and be (somewhat) surprised. So my dad, my brother, and me are taking her to Cape Cod. We will meet in Hyannis (my brother and I are taking the bus), and then depart on a three-hour "elegant dinner train" voyage. The train travels along the coast while a really fancy dinner is served. When I made the reservations, I was reminded that men need to wear "jackets or ties" and women need to wear "dresses or dress slacks."
My brother just graduated from college. He works in the music industry. He sure as hell doesn't own either a jacket or a tie. He was deeply annoyed when I told him about the dress code (admittedly, too late for him to go shopping). So my dad will bring one of his shirts and ties for him to wear. When we talked last night about the plans, he expressed my own thoughts: "I'm not sure if this is going to be fun."
Here's why. After the elegant dinner train, the four of us will be staying overnight on the Cape, and then spending Sunday morning doing Charming Cape Cod Things. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to find cute B&B-style accommodations online, and I found a place with a suite, in which all of us could comfortably stay, and partake in Cape Cod Charm. My dad nixed this idea in favor of an AAA and AARP-discounted chain hotel, since we're really just sleeping there and it costs roughly half as much. While I acknowledge his reasoning, the idea of spending a night with my family in a chain hotel isn't so appealing.
All four of us haven't taken a trip together in probably over a decade. While I traveled with my parents a few times in college, and accompanied them to Italy last winter, my brother with his ADD and my dad with his anxiety don't mesh so well. They are perfectly nice and polite and to each other, and genuinely affectionate, but the undercurrent of tension has made my brother (wisely, I think) decline to participate in participate in family trips. Whenever we are all together for meals or holidays, my mom and I try to dilute or ignore the tension, which is stressful in itself.
So this should be very interesting. All aboard!
Posted by Dori at 9:06 AM
2 Comments
I am in the throes of planning my mother's 60th birthday party. She didn't want a party, but I felt she should have one. Since I'm in MI and she's in NY, it will be interesting to see if I can accomplish all the prep in the three days I've allotted myself pre-party. Plus I'm planning with a neighbor to surprise her with my brother from LA. Stress abounds. Luckily, 60 only comes once! Hope you had a great party!
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