The Pompton Queen

One of the best—and most unique—things about New Jersey is the diner. If you’ve never been to NJ, you may think you know what a diner is, but trust me: you probably don’t. The only place outside NJ that truly deserves the “diner” moniker is in Lafayette, on the corner of SR52 and SR26. It was formerly known as Nirvana, then reopened under new ownership as The Four Seasons. (The guy that owned Nirvana did reopen in a new location, a few months ago, using the name “Nirvanas”; unfortunately, Nirvanas closed down last month, so that’s the end of that.) ☹

Anyway, the true diners are quite ubiquitous in New Jersey. The best have been around for the better part of a century, and most have been open 24/7 for decades—long before that became so popular. While a few national chains (e.g. Denny’s, IHOP) have tried to capture the feel, it’s just not there. There’s a certain kind of food, a certain kind of ambience; if you don’t have both, it’s just not a diner. In short, identifying a true diner is like the famous quote about pornography: you can’t quite describe it, but you know it when you see it.

So now that that background’s out of the way, tomorrow is Grandma’s 60th birthday, so Pop orchestrated a phenomenal party for her at a local restaurant called the Manor. It’s a great place—all buffet style—but we’re talking prime rib, lobster, all high-end stuff. It’s like $50 a head, so goodness knows they don’t go there very often, much less invite Grandma’s entire family. (There were like twenty of us there, plus Pop paid to fly us out for it. You do the math.)

Our flight, unfortunately, was delayed by three hours, which actually turned out to be a bit of a good thing: Leah got sick and was able to puke all over the airport floor instead of on the plane, thank goodness. But by the time we landed—around 10:30 at night—she was feeling much better and we were all hungry. So where do we go? (One guess. You have been paying attention, haven’t you?) Yes, that’s right: the diner. Specifically, Pequannock’s long-time staple of a diner, the Pompton Queen. We called Jaci and Justin from Pop’s cell, had them meet us there—never mind that it was after midnight; at the diner, that’s standard fare. There were probably another 20-30 people there, just chilling out, having a midnight meal, watching some TV, maybe splitting a dozen silver-dollar pancakes (which is what Leah and David did, although I think they only ate one each; the rest are still left over, in the fridge). In short, it was just like I remembered it, and after sleeping on the plane, the kids were more than up for it, despite the late hour.

Oh, and we took a bunch of pics!

Family Album

Daddy’s here to announce a major change in the way we’re going to be doing things, from now on. For those of you that have been paying attention, the Photos page has been woefully behind for quite a while, now—arguably since the switch from OurLittleLeah.com to Drakelings.com, but probably even before that. At the same time, the Movies section has completely gone to waste, with highly occasional uploads in an attempt to rebuild it, but virtually nothing since the end of 2006.

So here’s the deal: if you look at the top of your screen, you’ll notice a new link: “Family Album.” Mommy and Daddy have made the executive decision that movies can just be lumped in with the appropriate photo shoots. It’ll still be a while before the old ones make it into place, but at least we can stop worrying about two things and get our little Drakelings out there in all their animated glory!

The Birthday Party

Well, David’s party was a bit more sparsely attended than expected. What with Uncle Eddie’s and Aunt Becca’s families living out of state, Uncle Ben’s family visiting other family out of state, Ashante working (and Liz and Alicia also unavailable), and three of Aubrey’s kids home sick, we had a grand total of twelve people in attendance—just a third of the Queens, plus Grandma, Pop, and Aunt Jaci. Still, we know they were thinking of him—several let us know as much—and when you come right down to it, let’s face it: there was cake, there was ice cream, there were plenty of presents. What more does a one-year-old need? ☺

Swim Class!

In addition to David’s first birthday party (more on that, later), yesterday was also the kids’ very first swim class at the YMCA. Grandma, Pop, and Jaci were all able to arrive in time to see it, so there’s plenty of pictures from the bleachers.

David, it must be said, has always been a natural in the water. From his very first time in the big-boy bathtub, he’s had the greatest time splashing his sister, his parents, his toys, the walls, etc., and that huge bathtub that his family calls a “pool,” of all things, sees exactly the same behavior. While some of the other kids (including big sister) clutched at their parents’ necks for dear life, David splashed and kicked with impunity, clearing the area within about five feet of his undiscriminating shower.

For the record, Leah did eventually get into it. She still loves “wimming” (as she calls it); she just wants to make absolutely sure she doesn’t get gagged. They say it’s the difference between one- and two-year-olds, but I’m sure the contrast between Leah’s active temperament and David’s intense placidity has a lot to do with it, too. They’re both having fun, and as long as they’re safe, that’s what’s ultimately important. ☺