We gave our daughter-in-law, Shari, a very unique introduction to our family. On Christmas morning, we all took off for a brief stay in Yosemite National Park. Our daughter, Martha, was driving, and my husband was sitting in the backseat resting his sprained and bandaged ankle on the front console next to Shari. Soon the car started to stop from time-to-time, but we could not find the problem so we limped to the nearby airport to find a rental car. We called all the rental car facilities in the area – only to discover they were closed. What to do?
We were close to our ranch so I called the foreman to ask if we could borrow a car. He didn’t have one, but his girlfriend had a vintage Cadillac with a heater that did not work. They gave us blankets, and we took off once more. Unfortunately, it was so foggy in the foothills that our daughter had to drive with her head out the open window. To put it mildly, Martha and Shari nearly froze.
Although we had planned on a very elegant dinner at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, we had to settle for a very average meal in the motel where we were staying outside of Yosemite Valley. Later, we were to learn that this was not exactly the safest place to stay as soon after the handyman kidnapped and murdered three women who were staying there.
Our visit to Yosemite went well; however, on the way back we noticed something curious. The truck in front of us on the highway had a load of chickens. Somehow, a few of the chickens had gotten loose and were landing on the road in front of us. Bad Karma for them. Our future daughter-in-law was now laughing hysterically at these unusual adventures. But we were not done in making this a memorable excursion for her.
Earlier in the day, I had called close friends who lived by us to say we’d make it back in time to have dinner with them. When we arrived at their door, they were highly surprised as they thought that I’d said we weren’t coming and they had eaten. Nevertheless, the wife soon whipped up a typical gourmet meal of hers for us. Fortunately, all of these events convinced Shari that she had to be a member of this crazy family. And we have loved her for this decision ever since.
aginggratefully 