Hello,
It may seem such a simple thing to do:
"Oh, why don't you take your grandson on a whale watching trip!" DOING that sort of thing is quite another effort all together ... for me.
First off, the idea received a luke warm welcome in September of last year. Then I wanted more assurances before I began making the reservations for the entire affair in March. Still no assurances by the 15 year-old teenager.
So, with this uncertainty I took the plunge anyway:
Airplane tickets on line; car reservations - the least expensive one; a hotel seen on the internet - at best a stab in the dark, no matter what the customer comments tell me; getting Zeppelin (15) here and arranging for his return trip ... well, you get the idea and I grew pretty nervous toward the actual travel date.
How do I start a sensible conversation? What questions do I avoid asking(sex and acts of puberty)? Do I give him the freedom to do ... whatever, after all he is Jaap and Jennifer's only son?
We planned to be together from Sunday pm through the Thursday following. Upon his arrival he didn't waste time dropping a "small" bomb in my lap:
"Opa, don't argue with me - just tell me your opinion: What would you say to me if I wanted to change my last name to Pennink!"
Go for it! was my short and sweet comment. Upon reflection he might best do this in a few years when parental advice is no longer required.
On Monday it took Z. forever to get out of bed and he, therefore, missed breakfast at Bruegger's. With a solid threat of leaving him behind, he consumed his sandwich and coffee on the way to the airport. At "check-in" I suddenly got this angst that he would not be allowed through without proper ID. He didn't need any! With all the exhausting security measures in place that seems pretty weird.
Zeppelin and I had made a deal, that he would be in charge of the entire expense account. I told him that I had reserved a total amount of $ xxxx for the entire trip.
If he could stay below that, the difference would be deposited in a new savings account, while being allowed to withdraw monthly 10% of the balance. He wasn't wild about it, but he said OK. He isn't even enthused about figuring the tip on any of the meals we consumed, but that became "old hat"!
On the uneventful plane ride to Boston, MA, Zeppelin was pretty quiet and he dozed off in the middle seat - he would have preferred a window position. We rented a Ford Focus for $43/day and after turning down the $65 extra insurance coverage, we drove off the lot north direction route 1A and Gloucester, MA.
That's when Zeppelin started to open up ... in a big way.
He told stories about himself, his impossible step sisters, the ignorant mostly class mates and the great history teacher he had this year. The stories were sweet and direct. He didn't wound around any subject - he went straight to the point and I laughed hard and with enthusiasm. This guy is funny - he has a good, healthy sense of humor. None of the stories were mean spirited. His insight and the language he used made the tales wonderful - in some way a stand-up comedian couldn't have done much better.
So, the ice was broken and suddenly this was promising to become a great time together.
Yes, it did help that the weather was nice, that Gloucester looked friendly and quaint and that the hotel (Cape Ann Motor Inn) was located in a super location - off a tiny bay where surfers were congregating in large numbers. The sound of the pounding waves through the sliding bed room doors gave a soothing feeling. After checking in, we took the car (with a very irritating screaming alarm system) on an inspection tour through the town and we located the 7 Seas Whale Watch dock, so we didn't have to waste time on Tuesday where we were asked to report at 8 am - Zeppelin wasn't looking forward to an early rise.
We ate dinner across the street from the wharf (OK food), took a walk at the hotel beach and settled in for the night. By the way, any time you want to cross the street in Gloucester all drivers slow down and allow all pedestrians to make their move. Try that here!
See, now you want to hear about the whale watching experience, but that was definitely not the high light of the trip. That honor was strictly reserved for our ability to communicate. My nervousness evaporated and he kept talking about his life, his parents, being a teenager and the troubles that period seems to present to him (well yes, to me also, be it in the distant past). He felt a heavy burden for all of the world's problems. Did I relief him of that weight? You have to ask him, but I think it helped when I tried to put it all in a little easier perspective.
I told him about my past and indicated that these teenage years in particular are packed with heavy "stuff", stuff all kids his age probably experience, though others may be troubled about totally different aspects in and of life.
So, yes, we saw whales: two Fin whales, 7 Humpback whales and a small, harmless nursing shark over a two day period, and we had to travel on a fast 100 ft diesel powered boat an average of 27 miles out onto the ocean to see these giants. The first day was surprisingly cool - low sixties and the next one the temperatures reached the nineties, though on the ocean it was considerably cooler.
The whales: none of them made jumps and hoops, but they showed puffs of air from their nostrils, showed their tell-tale tails with markings through which they can be named and more easily identified. One mother was named Kangeroo and siblings less than a year old do not have names yet.
The "bio"-guide was informative and he had a good story on the history of Gloucester and the lives of fishermen in the area. After the sight seeing was done and over with, most of the younger spectators went soundly to sleep on the steel deck, including Zeppelin, though he chose a softer bench cushion inside the cabin.
That was it for the whale watching.
What other things did we do?
Every time I came up with a plan Z. responded with muted enthusiasm and then when the museum (The Beauport Museum - Sleeper McCann House) visit was over, the walk on the peer was complete or the very best EVER shake was consumed he expressed without exception great enthusiasm for the event. So, I asked him to consider saying "Yes!" more frequently, because it makes me coming up with a plan sooo much more inviting.
The last evening, he took a very long walk and my nervousness reared "its head" again, so also when he asked if swimming in the dark was a good idea. My response?
Zeppelin, go for it! You are a guy with a good set of brains with a good sense of responsibility, so, yes! go for it. Take a towel for when you really decide to get wet!
That very evening after a lengthy conversation with his Mom - a great conversation (he really loves to have these with his parents) we laid on our individual beds and we had a deep and intense talk among ourselves. I learned a great deal from him and I hope he did from my experiences. So, that's about all!
Oh yeah, the name of the shop where one can purchase THE best shake - a frozen hot chocolate shake(???):"The Last Stop", to be found on the way to the Beauport Museum.
We returned the car to the rental place at Logan Airport and the return flight was smooth with Jaap waiting in the cell phone lot at Douglas Airport.
In conclusion: This is what Zeppelin texted to me on his way to Black Mountain:
"Well I might as well get this done on the way
back, but I really do want to thank you. Especially,
for listening to me even if some of the conversations
didn't make sense. If the whales are not here in 50 years,
then I'm glad that I saw them with my grandfather when
I was a teenager. That's something that most people
cannot say. I appreciate that you took me on the trip,
even though you were nervous to take me.
The budget may not have been the most fun, but it did
raise some awareness and I will use it in the future.
Thanks again, I really did have a lot of fun."
So, now you know most of what happened, and if you plan something similar with your grand children or youngsters in your life, I'll cheer you on.
MJP
