Tim

When I think back to my childhood at 15 Glengarry Rd, I have so many fond memories. The house was always filled with energy, laughter, and most importantly, love. It was wonderful to have 3 brothers to share experiences with as well as Gung Gung (Baba’s dad) for a relatively short period of my life and Pua Pua, who I believe lived with us throughout my entire childhood.

The first thing that came to mind when I thought back to that time of my life was food. Baba was an AMAZING cook and I loved every single dish that he cooked. A few of my favorites were: Sichuan Chicken, Beef & Onions, Beef & Broccoli, Strange Flavored Chicken, Whiskey Shrimp, Steamed Fish, Steamed Egg, Bon Bon Chicken, Hot and Sour Soup, Peking Noodles, and Zuesar Salad. Mom didn’t cook as frequently but she also often made some of my favorites, including: Beef Stroganoff, Rossian Casserole, and Beef Stew. What was also amazing to me was that no matter what was going on at work or in their lives, they always had dinner ready at 6pm spread out on the “Lazy Susan” on our round dining room table and we would hear “chi fan lou!” which meant it was time to eat. When I think about my experience as a parent my family almost NEVER ate dinner together and certainly not as a routine at the same time. This tradition was very important to Mom & Baba because it allowed the family to share aspects about their day and converse with each other. And I have fond memories of Pua Pua also cooking, particularly after school when she would take care of us while Mom & Baba were at work. My favorites from her cooking repertoire were mantou, English muffin pizzas, and cha siu bao (steamed pork bun).

Speaking of those afternoons at 15 Glengarry, for me and my friends (and Cory’s after me) our house was the gathering place for all of us to hang out after school. We played video games (Nintendo and Sega Genesis), wiffleball, basketball in the driveway, or built forts in the woods near Wedge Pond.

I was always allowed to have friends over and they all loved hanging out at our house. Our back fridge was always filled with Snapple and other snacks were devoured when we were hungry. And when I got older in high school the house continued to be a gathering place as we were allowed to host small parties and drink beer. Mom & Baba believed that high school kids were going to find a way to drink (which was true) and preferred to allow us to drink with our friends in our house under their supervision (making sure no one drank too much or drank and drove), instead of drinking in the woods and driving drunk. And this ended up working as no one was ever hurt by drinking too much or drinking and driving.

I also have so many fond memories hanging out with Mike, Greg and Cory. We went canoeing on Wedge Pond (it was so great to have access to the pond across the street) and would search for worms under rocks to use as bait for fishing. My most clear memories of Mike and Greg were of them tinkering with things or experimenting with things, which they both still do to this day. I remember when they built a go-kart from scratch using materials they found at the dump (the engine was from a lawn mower) and Mike also loved showing us the Van de Graaff generator (which I recently saw at the Museum of Science and it reminded me of this). And I have a vivid memory of learning to play quarters with Greg and his friends one night at one of his social gatherings, but of course using milk instead of beer. I recall being pretty good at that game (and loving it too).

While I am on the topic of my brothers, I wanted to write about my relationship with Cory. My relationship with Mike and Greg was always positive, but I felt an even closer connection to Cory. We were 5 years apart in age but I have so many fond memories hanging out with him. Whether it was playing video games, playing sports, hanging out on vacations, or doing so many other things, he was a built in “best friend” that was always there for me.

Another fond memory from 15 Glengarry Rd was celebrating birthdays, and with 4 kids and 2 grandparents there were a lot of them. Mom would make her layered cake (I forget if it had a name) with raw spaghetti to make sure it didn’t fall apart, and we would sing Happy Birthday very energetically. When I was looking at old photos I saw so many of smiling kids and parents celebrating birthdays together.

Another topic that was a huge part of my childhood (and has been throughout my entire life) is sports. I loved playing sports and watching sports on TV. I have such fond memories of watching sports with the family, but particularly sharing that experience with Baba. The Celtics were really good in the 1980’s and often played their rival the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals (and won two NBA championships during that time) and I remember watching all of those playoff games from our TV room with Baba. I also remember playing basketball in our driveway with Baba. I was usually Dennis Johnson (DJ, because he was the point guard), but also loved the entire starting lineup of that generation which included Robert Parish (the Chief), Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, and of course Larry Bird.

And of course any childhood memoir wouldn’t be complete without mentioning my love for the Red Sox. I still remember my first time at Fenway as a young boy attending with Baba. I can recall that feeling when you first walk up the vomitory and see that green grass for the first time. I have two other memories of Red Sox games with Baba, the first was a playoff game against the Oakland Athletics when we sat in the bleachers and everyone was chanting “STEROIDS” over and over because Jose Canseco was suspected of doing steroids. I also remember being at a game with Baba and telling him that I wanted to eat one Fenway Frank every inning. Instead of trying to talk me out of this he said “sure let’s try.” And of course after 2.5 hot dogs I gave up and admitted defeat, and Baba was laughing in a playful manner.

My love for sports wasn’t just as a fan, but was as a participant as well. Ever since I can remember I played soccer, baseball, and basketball, and Mom & Baba were always on the sidelines supporting me. Again, they had such busy lives with such busy work schedules, but they always found time to be at my games and cheer me on vociferously.

As it relates to memories outside of Winchester, I have so many fond memories of vacations that we went on together as a family. Similar to dinnertime, Mom & Baba made it a priority to go on vacations regularly, and they took us on some amazing trips, a few of which are highlighted below:

We went to Hawaii as a family together many times. I remember one trip where baba was already in Hawaii (I think because of a work trip to Asia) and mom got sick on the airplane. When we landed Baba had a beautiful flower lei necklace and tried to place it around her neck and because she had just been throwing up she said, “get that thing away from me!” I guess it is the thought that counts. I remember driving up volcanoes (once to see a sunrise I think), visiting black sand beaches (the sand came from lava) and of course the famous fishing trip when we caught so many yellow-fin tuna. It was supposed to just be a half day charter but we ended up extending to a full-day and drove through a school of tuna and every single line caught a tuna. That was the most memorable and most successful fishing trip I ever went on out of many.

Another memorable vacation destination was the many trips out west to visit Mom’s family in Idaho. I remember visiting Yellowstone and other National Parks, as well as visiting the Seneff family antique store many times. And of course I’m sure everyone remembers that time that we got a speeding ticket during a trip out west but Mom and Baba were so mad at the police officer because they thought that he singled them out so we had so much fun with Aunt Jody paying for the ticket with all coins that she had. It took a long time but we were all smiles when we put the final piece of tape on a huge box filled mostly with pennies. Another trip I have fond memories of was when we rented a houseboat on Lake Mead. I remember playing “tag” (in the water) with Uncle Geoff, catching catfish one night after forgetting that we had left the rods in the water, and saving people who had capsized in the boat during a heavy storm.

Other vacations that I have fond memories of were many trips to Cabo San Lucas (Mom and Baba bought a timeshare there so we went often when I was in high school) where we also went fishing often (although never caught a marlin despite multiple times trying). I also remember a trip to Jamaica with Mom, Baba and Cory when I was in college that was a lot of fun. I’m sure there were countless other trips that I haven’t mentioned but the key point is that Mom & Baba always took us on so many trips and adventures and we always had a blast on these vacations.

I also wanted to write a few words about how much Mom and Baba took care of all of us kids whenever we got hurt or needed their help. As a child I sustained a lot of notable injuries, and they were always there for me. I remember getting a concussion when I was in the first grade and Baba dodging traffic left and right while he tried to keep up with the ambulance. I remember needing stitches in my head (one of five times) after falling in the woods and Mom running down the stairs at her work when she heard the news and spraining her own ankle. And of course I have countless memories of them supporting me and caring for me when I have battled several bouts with depression.

Finally, I wanted to close this memoir writing about how much love I have always felt from Mom & Baba. They demonstrated their love each and every day, with how hard they worked to provide us with so many experiences and opportunities, with how much effort they put in to cook meals for us and take care of us, and how they would do anything in their power to make us happy. As I said at the beginning of this memoir, we all had a WONDERFUL childhood, filled with laughter, joy, and most importantly love. And Mom & Baba and their love for each other that they modeled, as well as the importance they placed on family, were the most important aspects of our lives.