Pascal’s Corner
As the clock at my school struck 12:00, all of us exploded out the door and into the open, free world which we had striven for so long. Our summer plans in order, we ran to fulfill them. After days of friends and fun, it was time to pack for the biggest trip of the year, my two month summer trip with my aunt and her family.
As I awoke early in the morning, drinking my Arizona Iced Tea and trying to wake up, I was anticipating my trip to California to see my family again as well as go to the US Open. After many hours of flying, I finally landed in Monterey airport and was greeted by friends and family. Little did I know that 9 people were staying at my aunts’ house. Every bed was taken and every possible spot filled. As the two oldest, me and my friend were forced to sleep on the floor in my uncle’s office.
The US Open was filled with people from all over the world. Every area was packed and it got worse whenever the group following Tiger Woods passed you. The first day, I bought a beautiful hat that cost me about a third of my summer money. The first day, we walked and walked, enjoying the moment, but the second day, we stayed on the 18th hole grandstands for over 9 hours. We saw the scoreboard, the hole, the ocean and all the players. We saw Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and many more. I was even on TV and people back in Pittsburgh saw me. When the trophy was presented to Graham McDowell, it turns out my Uncle was on TV for ten minutes. That night, so many people were calling, texting and emailing him to congratulate him.
Early the next morning, we packedxxs our things in the back of our car and headed to the San Jose Airport before the sun even rose. We boarded a plane and took it straight to Maui, Hawaii. When we landed, we were greeted by a warm, moist wave of air, and friendly faces and smiles. Once we reached the hotel, we immediately sprinted for the crisp, clear ocean. The cool water simmered down the stress and really made me realize that summer had begun.
The next week melted by and blurred faster than imagined. With such great food, exciting events and a laid back lifestyle, it was hard to grasp that the week was almost over. Before we left, we went on a boat and went scuba diving. There were amazing fish that followed us, incredibly large sea turtles that circled us and the coral structures that spirled into amazing sights.
But once we surfaced and headed back to the dock, the wind picked up and the captain decided to raise the sail. As the wind became stronger, I walked out onto the deck with my guava tonic and I could feel my hat slipping. I reached my hand back and my US Open hat, that I spent $50 on) flew off my head and into the crisp ocean water. It went farther and farther and I didn’t think to ask the captain to help until it was too late. I shouldn’t have been wearing it on the boat anyway. In Hawaii, I learned to surf, scuba dive, how to work an I Pad and to fully appreciate a hammock.
Once we left Maui, we headed for Oregon. Our farmhouse was just as we left it…..clean. But not for long. Within days, sheets and blankets were torn away from beds, food and its packaging strewn everywhere and dishes were piling up event faster. Only a couple of days till order is returned, once my uncle comes for the 4th of July.
Within the next couple of days, the 4th of July closed in. The day before, we went to the Saint Paul Rodeo. We ate food and watched the events fly by with friends and family. The finale was the fireworks show and we parted ways and made plans for the next night.
The morning was like any other but later in the day was met with friends, family, great food and drinks. Later in the night, my job had started. Sparks went flying as I lit fireworks. One after another, multiple at a time, the sky was bright with light. Once the smoke cleared, and everyone made it to the deck, the real fireworks show had begun. With our view on a clear day, we can see Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Adams. With all the towns in our view, we could literally see hundreds of firework shows across the valley. As well as the fireworks, many shooting stars were witnessed. As the 4th of July came to a close, we all left with a little sadness knowing my Uncle David was leaving within a few days.
After my Uncle left, our summer became busier with wine tastings and chores but soon we would my cousin Emily and I would head to Pebble Beach for a week. Our time in Pebble was relaxing and enjoyful. The weather was slightly cold but sunny. We enjoyed our time by going down to the beach often.
After a week, we packed our car full of luggage and took the long trip to San Diego. Once we arrived with my cousins and my Uncle David’s sister, Susan, her husband, Chris and their girls—Ashleigh (16) and Maranda (14), we made our way through the house and to the beach. We swam in the cold frigid waters becoming numb. We didn’t spend much time in the ocean that day because of the temperature of the water. The next day, we were informed that we could have wetsuits. Once we returned from the store, we had a new way to combat the ocean. After spending hour after hour in the cold frigid ocean, it was time to leave San Diego. We said our goodbyes and remembered the times we bonded.
As we started to desend into Portland, warm sunshine bounded through the windows warming us. After more days of rest and relaxation, we packed up the car and headed to Roseburg to see our 93 year old great grandmother, Betty Brooks. She was nice and lunch was really good but it was much better just to see her. We said our goodbyes and headed for the Oregon coast.
We headed west towards Cannon Beach, stopping at the sand dunes, sea lion caves and Cascade Head. Our trip was wonderful and it was great to see the Oregon coast one more time.
As we returned home, it was cold and foggy and felt like fall in Oregon but we were happy with the weather because the year before, it was hot. As we enjoyed the cool, calm air, we awaited for the arrival of our friends from New York. Once they would arrive, summer in Oregon would almost be over and soon I would return to friends and family it Pittsburgh. Once our friends arrived, we had a large party in the vineyard filled with grilled food from Dustin at Wildwood, smores and wine (but I didn’t have any).
Within the course of a day or two, we packed our bags for good. We left early in the morning and headed to Portland. Before we stopped at the airport, we went to VooDoo donuts. I had a really good donut shaped like a person and it was even filled with red jelly like blood. My cousin Ryan got a donut bigger than my head!
At the airport, after we got through security, we gave hugs and parted ways. I boarded my plane, flew to Pittsburgh and wrote this on the way. Thank you for reading and being on the Brooks mailing list and thank you for drinking Brooks!
Cheers,
Pascal Brooks
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GREAT SCORES!!
2009 Janus recommended
by the SF Chronicle!
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Double Gold Awards for 2008 Rastaban and 2008 Ara Riesling!!
