A Sentimental Journey - Part II

 

In as much as the first part of this blog was about my friend, Inger, this second part focuses on her daughter, Marika and her life. When we parted in San Francisco, the three grandsons went to the airport to meet two more friends from Sweden, Eric and Sara, rent their own car and set off for adventures in Oakland and eventually Los Angeles. Inger, Marika and Brit-Marie travel inland to Vicki’s home and visit her mother, who had been very kind to Inger years ago.

Then they made their way to Huntington Beach for ten days. These three days in San Francisco had not been enough for me with the family so I decide to fly down spent another six days with them. John Wayne Airport seems nearest to them so off I go.
Inger and Brit-Marie are waiting in airport while Marika circles the airport. We find the car and I see this bright-eyed friendly face from the back of the red SUV–it is Tracy; Marika’s long lost sister from Washington State. She had flown down the day before. So much, I must discover about them. The next few days I feel like an investigative journalist or detective, continually asking questions about how and why.  

The first question I ask is why are we in Huntington Beach?  I learn that Marika’s father Derek, had immigrated to California from England in 1951 when he was fourteen year old ago with his parents and sisters. When Inger’s children, Kenneth, Marika and Marcus were in their teens, they spent six months visiting their grandparents; so this was home. This was very interesting to me as an anthropologist: a complete reversal of my experience. My home is England and my adopted home the USA. Marika’s home is California and her adopted home is Sweden.

Next question, how did Marika and Tracy find each other? Tracy was a daughter from Derek’s first marriage and never saw her father from about the age of two years. Around the year 2000, Tracy decided to look for her father and family and she traced them to the Los Angeles area and found her father was living in Seattle. This led to her finding Marika and her brothers in Sweden. I had known from Inger that Marika had found a sister in Washington. It was such a joy to see these two sisters interact with each other and find so much pleasure in sharing notes and catching up with their lives.

Time for lunch, the girls have picked out a charming place and so we record this moment 

Then it is time to explore and shop at Balboa and Newport Beach and finally to the charming house on Newland Road.

 

 

The next day is Marika’s birthday and so we are off to I Hop on Beach Blvd. to meet the young people for breakfast. This particular I HOP had been Marika’s a favorite haunt of her grandfather. We are a big group now, five young people and five ladies. I meet Eric and Sara, who are friends with of Michael since childhood.

  Then to Venice Beach; such a lot of interesting characters, it is a long time since I visited this beach. The young people love it. Inger and I met a young student from Boston who tells us about her experience coming to California a year ago and attending college.

We pass this information to Dennis. On the 405 freeway at 4:30 pm-it takes 2 hours to get home. Big rush as we are meeting Marka’s cousin Michelle for dinner at the Cheese Factory. Now we are a party of eleven. Michelle’s mother, Sandy is the sister of Derek. Another new friend!  It is beautiful warm evening with a gentle breeze and we eat outside.

It is Saturday and we are taking it quietly. A trip down to Huntington Beach and we walk on the pier. Marika has been talking to Markus, her brother in Sweden, she learns there is web cam set up transmitting to Sweden, and so we all wave frantically at the camera so Markus can share in our lovely day. Have lunch at Sandys  

 

 

Go shopping at Kohls

Sunday and we are all going to Universal studios  We enjoy the tour around the sets and the young people go on all the rides.

Monday. The young people and Brit-Marie are off to Las Vegas for the day and returning the next day. Dennis, who is only twenty has to hang out with two grandmothers and two aunts. He is very patient.  We drive to Long Beach, San Pedro where Inger and the children had lived in two different houses.

 Then we drive up to Santa Monica and have lunch on the pier at 

Have a charming walk around this gracious city.

Dennis found an apartment and new friends and so he is off in his new life. Marika met up with the rest of Michelle’s family and shopped till they dropped. They flew home........

 

Enough of my Swedish interlude.  Peter Mac, as Judy, next week.