La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
I’ve been seeing beautiful flowering trees around town that remind me of San Geraldo’s mother, Alice. So I thought I’d share an old story I’ve told before but perhaps not quite as succinctly (I’ve tried) and not, also, in Spanish.
We flew Alice out for a visit every year wherever we lived. Her first trip to see us together was in 1983 to Washington, D.C. We drove about 3 hours south to Williamsburg, Virginia. As we drove out of Georgetown, Alice noticed a small tree with an incredible display of pink flowers. “What’s that tree?” she asked.
We had no idea.
We arrived in Williamsburg, checked into our hotel, and began walking around the historic colonial park. As we entered the park, Alice exclaimed excitedly, “There’s that tree again! I’m going to ask one of those guides if they know what it is.”
She hustled over to two young women in 18th-century dress and then came hustling back to us.
“It’s crepe myrtle,” she said. But after a quick pause, “Or was it Grape Myrtle. Oh, shoot!” And she hustled back to the guides and asked again.
“Crepe Myrtle,” she confirmed. She now knew both of the guides by name.
We continued our walking tour, visiting each historic building along the way. The trees were everywhere. “What’s the name of that tree, again?” Alice asked every single time we spotted one. I finally said, “Alice, maybe you just should use some kind of trick to remember it.”
She said, “Good idea. It’s a fabric and a woman I bowl with.” A few minutes later, we passed another tree. “What’s that tree again?” asked Alice.
“What was your trick?” I asked. “I don’t remember,” she said with a smile.
“It’s a fabric and a woman you bowl with. And don’t tell me polyester Ethel.”
San Geraldo said, “Mother, why don’t you just write it down.” She did.
The next day, during our drive back to Washington, D.C., we could hear Alice in the backseat frantically searching her bag. “Oh, shoot!”
“What’s the matter?” Jerry asked.
“I threw out that empty box of film I wrote the name of that tree on!”
TWELVE YEARS LATER, ALICE WAS visiting us in San Diego. SG and I spent most weekends landscaping our new-to-us house. Our favorite nursery was Simpson’s, about 20 minutes outside San Diego in the town of Jamul (pronounced Ha-MOOL). The place was so huge that you would drive the lanes of trees and shrubs, load up your car, and then drive up front to pay. We were looking for a smallish tree for out front. We drove up one row and Alice spotted a tree she liked. “What’s that one?” she asked excitedly. Jerry pulled up so I could read the tag, but before I did we burst out laughing and Alice said, “Oh no!” Crepe myrtle.
He estado viendo hermosos árboles en flor por el pueblo que me recuerdan a Alice, la madre de San Geraldo. Así que pensé en compartir una vieja historia que ya he contado antes, aunque quizás no de forma tan sucinta (lo he intentado) y, además, no en español.
Todos los años, adonde viviéramos, Alice volaba para visitarnos. Su primer viaje para vernos juntos fue en 1983 a Washington, D.C. Condujimos unas 3 horas al sur, hasta Williamsburg, Virginia. Al salir de Georgetown, Alice notó un pequeño árbol con una increíble floración rosada. “¿Qué árbol es ese?”, preguntó.
No teníamos ni idea.
Llegamos a Williamsburg, nos registramos en el hotel y comenzamos a caminar por el histórico parque colonial. Al entrar, Alice exclamó emocionada: “¡Ahí está ese árbol otra vez! Voy a preguntarle a uno de esos guías si sabe qué es.”
Se acercó a dos mujeres jóvenes con trajes del siglo XVIII y luego regresó a toda prisa con nosotros.
“Es mirto crepe”, dijo. Pero tras una breve pausa, “¿O era mirto uva [grape en inglés, que rima con crepe]?”. ¡Rayos!”. Y se apresuró a volver con los guías y volvió a preguntar.
“Mirto crepe”, confirmó. Ahora conocía a las dos guías por sus nombres.
Continuamos nuestro recorrido a pie, visitando cada edificio histórico por el camino. Los árboles estaban por todas partes. “¿Cómo se llama ese árbol?”, preguntaba Alice cada vez que veíamos uno. Finalmente dije: “Alice, quizás deberías usar algún truco para recordarlo”.
Me dijo: “Buena idea. Es una tela y una mujer con la que juego a los bolos”. Unos minutos después, pasamos por otro árbol. “¿Qué árbol era ese?”, preguntó Alice.
“¿Cuál era tu truco?” le dice. “No me acuerdo”, dijo con una sonrisa.
“Es una tela y una mujer con la que juegas los bolos. Y no me digas que eres Poliéster Ethel.”
San Geraldo dijo: “Mamá, ¿por qué no lo anotas?”. Lo hizo.
Al día siguiente, durante el viaje de vuelta a Washington, D.C., oímos a Alice en el asiento trasero buscando frenéticamente en su bolso. “¡Maldita sea!”.
“¿Qué pasa?”, preguntó Jerry.
“¡Tiré la caja vacía de película donde escribí el nombre de ese árbol!”.
DOCE AÑOS DESPUÉS, ALICE nos visitaba en San Diego. SG y yo pasábamos la mayoría de los fines de semana arreglando el jardín de nuestra nueva casa. Nuestro vivero favorito era Simpson’s, a unos 20 minutos de la ciudad, en el pueblo de Jamul. El lugar era tan grande que uno conducía por los senderos de árboles y arbustos, cargaba el coche y luego se acercaba a pagar. Buscábamos un árbol pequeño para la entrada. Nos acercamos a una fila y Alice vio un árbol que le gustó. “¿Cuál es ese?”, preguntó emocionada. Jerry se detuvo para que pudiera leer la etiqueta, pero antes de que pudiera hacerlo nos echamos a reír y Alice dijo: “¡Oh, no!” Crepe mirto.
• Plaza de España, Sevilla, cuando solicitamos nuestras visas de residencia.
• A la vuelta de la esquina en Fuengirola. (Pero gracias a Ellen en Texas, ahora sé que era un redbud.)
• A la vuelta de la esquina en Córdoba.
• With Alice in Colonial Williamsburg. 1983. Have I mentioned how much I loved her?
• Con Alice en Williamsburg colonial. 1983. ¿Te he dicho lo mucho que la amaba?
Grape Myrtle. That’s priceless! I love the photo of you with her. 😊
Kelly:
She was a joy.
What a wonderful story! I thought “polyester Ethel” was hilarious too! And just look at your handsome baby self with your mother-in-law!
Better than corduroy Elizabeth.
Will Jay
Will Jay:
I’m trying to imagine what a tree called Corduroy Elizabeth would look like. Then again, Crepe Myrtle is kind of an odd name itself.
Debra:
I worshiped and adored her, and learned so much from her.
Are we thinking we know where sg gets it from..she sounds lovely. Denim Denise. Boud
Boud:
SG’s best traits come from his mother. She was so loving, kind, generous, fun-loving, down-to-earth, and hilarious. Knowing her changed my life.
That’s a great story and they are stunning trees when in full bloom, however your second picture is not a crepe myrtle but a redbud tree. Crepe myrtles are abundant here and come in white, light pink, dark pink, medium pink, purple.
Haven’t quite got the hang of this I guess since I’ve commented as anonymous again. Ellen in Texas.
Ellen in Texas:
Sorry I got the tree wrong in Fuengirola. I always thought those were crepe myrtles.
We have Crepe Myrtles all over town and even several in our yard and it never fails that Carlos calls them Crate Myrtle.
I am partial to Polesyeter Ethel, myself.
Bob^^^
Of course the Carlos would have given it way!
Bob:
Oh, yeah, Carlos gave it away. He would have confused Alice even more.
Great story. And since it’s a tree I never heard of before, I’ll probably forget.
Kirk:
I had never seen it until I moved to D.C. They were often giant balls of pinks. Beautiful.
So was it Crepe Myrtle in the front yard in San Diego?
Jssw:
Nope, didn’t buy it. We bought an ornamental olive instead.
Laughing out loud!! That photo of you and Alice is just wonderful!
Jim:
I said that in many ways my life began when I met Alice. I adored her.
Oh, I love Crepe Myrtle! What a great story 🙂
Judy C:
I do, too. You would loved Alice.
What a pretty shrub/tree………..looked them up and it seems they don’t grow very well here, which would explain why I haven’t heard of them!
Frances
Frances:
I had never heard of them until that time with Alice.
“Polyester Ethel” — LOL!
Steve:
I knew how Alice thought.
Most people don’t luck out in the mother-in-law department, but you sure did! Alice sounds delightful!
Tundra Bunny:
She was the best in the world. Treated me like a son… and like the dearest friend.
I love that photo of you with SG’s mother. She sounds like she was an incredible mother-in-law. I remember when I first moved to Virginia, there were crepe myrtle trees all over. I had no idea what they were. I asked someone and they looked at me as if I was from Mars. Basically with the expression, “How could you not know what these trees are?” But we had nothing like them at all in Northern NY. We have three crepe myrtle trees in our yard, and I love them.
Michael:
They are stunning trees when in bloom. I had noticed the one Alice first commented on (I walked by it every day for work) but never wondered what kind of tree it was. Leave it to Alice. She was an incredible person, wise, responsible, caring, kind, and she never truly grew up. We always had fun. She died too young in 1999. But thinking of her always makes me smile.
A chapter in the book of your life. How sweet.
David:
Alice was amazing. A most important chapter in my book and her influence has stayed with me.
That picture has made me cry. In the sweetest way possible. The story may have had something to do with it too. I feel like I know exactly who Alice was now. And I love her.
Ms. Moon
Ms. Moon:
You would have adored Alice and she you. The best kind of human being and so much joy.
we should all be so lucky to have an Alice in our lives.
Urspo:
Yes, we should. She changed mine.