A Funny Thing Happened Yesterday
During midday family nap time the doorbell rang. Cal had climbed into bed with us a few minutes earlier and looked like he was about to go right back to sleep, so we ignored it. It rang again a minute later and David answered it, "You used to live here? Oh, you were born here?" He was speaking English to them. I was intrigued. "Let them in!" I said.
A moment later our house was filled with three generations of Californians. Enormous blond, Dutch-looking Californians. A couple in their 60s, their son and his three kids. The grandfather was born in our house and lived here until he was two before the family emigrated to California.
As the grandfather came huffing up the stairs, he drawled, "Yep, my mother said these stairs were tough, especially with a buggy."
"We can talk about that," I replied as I let them in.
The man's name was Theo, and so was his son and grandson's. The family has had a business selling dairy machinery since they arrived in California in 1949. Our house and apartment has probably not changed a lot since his mother and father lived here and with Cal running around our feet they could probably imagine what it would have been like for his parents 67 years ago with their two year old (and other children as well I think). I could tell him about how the house would have been so cold in the winter for his parents, but how when the sun does shine it streams in all day.
When they left the man gave us his business card and told us to come drop in on them sometime in California. David and I looked them up online and found this sweet (small) picture of the family the year after they left Amsterdam. It was so lovely having them in the house. I've always wondered about all the people who lived here before, who perhaps also despised the way the cold seeps in through those big windows, but wouldn't swap it for that view of the canal that catches the colours of the clouds all day.
A moment later our house was filled with three generations of Californians. Enormous blond, Dutch-looking Californians. A couple in their 60s, their son and his three kids. The grandfather was born in our house and lived here until he was two before the family emigrated to California.
As the grandfather came huffing up the stairs, he drawled, "Yep, my mother said these stairs were tough, especially with a buggy."
"We can talk about that," I replied as I let them in.
The man's name was Theo, and so was his son and grandson's. The family has had a business selling dairy machinery since they arrived in California in 1949. Our house and apartment has probably not changed a lot since his mother and father lived here and with Cal running around our feet they could probably imagine what it would have been like for his parents 67 years ago with their two year old (and other children as well I think). I could tell him about how the house would have been so cold in the winter for his parents, but how when the sun does shine it streams in all day.
When they left the man gave us his business card and told us to come drop in on them sometime in California. David and I looked them up online and found this sweet (small) picture of the family the year after they left Amsterdam. It was so lovely having them in the house. I've always wondered about all the people who lived here before, who perhaps also despised the way the cold seeps in through those big windows, but wouldn't swap it for that view of the canal that catches the colours of the clouds all day.
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| The Albers Family with Cal and I, 2014 |
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| And the year after they emigrated to California. I guess the littlest boy on the left holding his Dad's hand is Theo Snr who was born in our house. |
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