SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
A. SPONTANEOUS:
spon-ta'-ne-ous: adjective. Happening or arising without apparent external cause; self-generated. Synonym: impulsive, instinctive. These adjectives mean acting, reacting, or happening without apparent forethought or prompting. (from DICTIONARY.COM)Spontaneous.
If I had to choose a word to describe our long
Fourth of July weekend, it would be
spontaneous.
We didn't really make any special plans. We were expecting my
AUNTIE OLIVE to join us from L.A. but she had to cancel at the last minute.
And then the door bell rang on Friday night, and it was my brother-in-law, Simon, who had a surprise for my husband, LORENZO: their youngest sister, Madel, whom he picked up from their parents' home in Milpitas.
Little did we know it then, but that simple chime would determine our plans for the next three days. That and the unmistakeable ring of my husband's cell phone.
Rrring...(actually a voice recording of Troy when he was two years old)...
It is Simon on the other line. After the initial pleasantries are dispensed with, the brothers get down to business...
LORENZO: Ano'ng plano nyo? (What are your plans?)
SIMON: Wala. (None.)
LORENZO: Daan na lang kayo dito. (Just come over then.)
My husband and his brother had the same conversation on Saturday and Sunday morning, so you could expect the Cast of Characters to be pretty much unchanged for both days. We did, however, switch roles where it was most important, food preparation.
On Saturday, for instance, Simon was the designated head chef, responsible for barbecuing steaks, short ribs, and the most succulent ribs I've had in a long time. I was sous-chef, cooking rice, steaming corn, microwaving mixed vegetables and boiling balut on the side.
I was promoted to head chef on Sunday, proudly producing a turbo-roasted lechon which was crispy on the outside and fork-tender on the inside. I also boiled some more corn to while away the time as Lorenzo and Simon scoured the streets for liver sauce, finally scoring a couple of half-empty bottles of Mang Tomas in Simon's fridge.
And then we got down to the serious business of eating.
The rest of the time was spent swimming, singing karaoke, and watching martial arts movies as Madel and I lined up and eagerly devoured "The House of Flying Daggers", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero".
We also made last-minute plans for a Fourth of July picnic in historic KNIGHTS FERRY, CA.
Knights Ferry is located on the banks of the Stanislaus River. It houses the longest covered bridge in California, built in 1864. It also happens to be one of our favorite picnic and fishing spots, less than an hour away from home.
And so, on Monday morning, the three Sereno siblings, Madel, her kuyas, Simon and Lorenzo, together with their families, motored over to the picturesque town, their vehicles laden with food and picnic gear.
We found a table in the perfect location, right by the river. The men fired up the grill while the rest of us settled in.
Cast of Characters: For this special occasion, the main parts went to the men, Simon and Lorenzo, who alternated in the role of head chef, depending on who had possession of the tongs. Simon's wife, Baby, was sous-chef, bringing out the chips and salsa and chopping up the salad, while I was content in the role of dessert chef, unveiling the creation I made together with my sous-chef, Madel, the day before.
After a delicious repast of steak, polish sausages, roasted corn, salad, and of course, my leche flan, the men set off to find a good fishing spot while the ladies and kids lounged in the shade.
Lance, Troy and Simon's son, Chivas soon found themselves drawn to the water too. After seeing a deer on the opposite bank and yelling "Hi Bambi" at it, it wasn't long before my boys were in the Stanislaus River themselves. Lance even swam in the cold water, under his Daddy's watchful gaze. You could imagine my surprise when I saw my two wet, bedraggled boys walking towards me from the river's edge.
Good thing Daddy had them cleaned and dressed in no time, since they were going fishing next. Reanna was fascinated with Troy's sun gear, but her kuya refused to relinquish his fishing hat.
I followed the boys, who joined their Daddy, Chivas and Uncle Simon in their favorite fishing spot, where they caught a big bucketful of crawdads the last time we went there. And when the boys got bored, I invited them to explore the covered bridge with Reanna and me. We took pictures of the structure's interior and exterior, as well as the spectacular views, as seen from the inside.
Aside from the bridge, we also visited the ruins of the old mill beside it and the mill house across the street. Lance had fun pointing out all the memorial markers, which he read out loud, with Mom's occasional help.
By then it was getting late, and we knew it wouldn't be long before it was time to go. We wanted to head back to Modesto before dusk so we could catch the fireworks display after sunset. The other adults packed up our picnic gear before Lorenzo set out to look for us. He finally caught up with us at the mill house and we were able to take this windblown family picture before we left.
Modesto. Fireworks. Here we come!
B. COMBUSTION
(photo taken by Julia Weeks, MODBEE.COM)
com-bus'-tion: noun. A chemical change, especially oxidation, accompanied by the production of heat and light. (from DICTIONARY.COM)Combustion.
That was just what we were there to see.
The atmosphere at John Thurman field in Modesto was festive as people waited for the fireworks display coming from the stadium. This is where Triple A baseball team the Modesto A's holds their home games, usually capped with spectacular fireworks displays when they win.
We found the perfect parking spot, just beside the entrance to the stadium, and proceeded to unpack our vehicles once more. And then we walked just a short distance on the grass to choose a spot with a full view of the stadium, and of the skies above it.
It wasn't long before we were all set-up again. We were hungry and couldn't wait to tuck into our food, left over from the picnic that afternoon. I never knew nachos topped with steak and salsa could taste so good. It was a little tricky eating my leftover leche flan in the dark, but I heard no one complaining! 
And when the fireworks came, they were spectacular. The display was over much too soon, I thought, and I really wanted to incite my neighbors to stomp their feet and yell "Encore!", but since everyone else was packing up in a mad dash to leave, I figured it was futile.
A quick glance behind me explained the mass exodus. People were trying to avoid the huge traffic jam which usually follows events like these. Unfortunately, everyone else had the same bright idea.
Good thing we were parked in the perfect spot. The police put barricades a few meters behind us, and all the cars behind the barricades had to turn left. We, on the other hand, were the owners of the last two vehicles on the deserted street beyond the barricade, so we were able to pack our belongings at leisure.
And when we were ready to leave, the policeman directing traffic in front of us actually stopped the long line of cars going the other way, in order to let us through.
Boy, did we feel special! It was the perfect end to a glorious day.
A picnic in the park capped by a picnic in the dark...
And the best Fourth of July I've ever experienced by far.
(PLUGGING: Knights Ferry orbs caught on camera in SIGHTINGS, and "Summer Love", Part 1 of a double entry about my childhood summers in ILIGAN on "The Long Way Home" to 87 GENTLE STREET.)
