Wednesday, December 21, 2011

In Northfield before Aaron's Graduation



6/10: we came back to Nfield the next day, hung out in Sayles “great space”. Cold grey day, but not rainy except for mist & sprinkles. Much back & forth because the dinner resv A had made (rest called Crave) wasn’t in the Mall of America, but in a more upscale mall nearby, but he hadn’t told me, so Beth & Leon, who were joining us there, didn’t know.

Once A got out of commencement practice, he came over to get us. Meanwhile, S had encountered two Carl parents who had been his students at Swat & were now litigators. They had twin sons, once a Swattie & the other a Carl (we’d met the Swattie at a dinner for J students earlier in the year) and one a carl.

On the way to lunch was when A disclosed Edee’s existence – we met her for lunch. She lives on a horse farm to the west of Minneapolis. Her father’s family has been Carls for generations. Her Mom’s a CIO for a childrens’hosp in Minneapolis. She breeds & trains horses in the summers. A gang of her friends helps her Mom do the work on the farm when she’s away @ school. Invited her to dinner @ Crave. V. nice, v. pretty & well spoken.

(6/10/11 cont’d) Mom, Edee & I started off on tour of campus guided by A, but hadn’t gone far when Ryan’s family, grilling bratwurst, hailed him to come help consume, so we settled there for a while. We toddled onward to the patio where the math/stat reception would be – Mom got to sit down.

S talked a good deal to math faculty, of course. It emerged that none knew A hadn’t gotten into math grad school anywhere.

We went to on to the history reception – Mom sat at a picnic table & read -- & talked to the prof who’d taught A’s freshman seminar – Black slaves, white masters – abt how he saw his role to get freshmen on the right track. Talked to the head of dept who’d had A’s comps course – I had to own I hadn’t read A’s comps paper, even tho he’d sent it to me.

Collected Mom – it was v. chilly day-- & took her back to B&B so she could lie down.

Read Little Bee, which Mom lent me – pretty harrowing.

Drove Mom back to Nfield, we all crammed into A’s car (so I could drink wine & not drive home – S not being a legal driver on our rental car) & hurried off to Crave, where L, Beth, Sofia, and Alex had arrived earlier. We ate vast amts of vg sushi & Alex took me by the hand to a nearby toy store, where I bought him a leggos set for 7-12 yr olds. Sofia v. animated & happy.

A alternately teased Edee abt MN & discussed w/ S where he could get control of his Vanguard accts. Alex consumed some noodles, & was tired, ditto Beth (who’d been called to the hosp till the wee hours of the AM), so she set off w/ him, leaving Leon to bring back Sofia, once she’d had dessert.

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