Scottsdale, AZ 
January 11, 2009 

Brahas & Harrills in Scottsdale


This story starts two months ago, when our family's most recent American citizen, Pauline Angelina Josephine Vella Braha, colloquially referred to as "Mom" or "Pauline", rarely "Mrs. Braha" and now in high-pitched voices: "Nunna", initiated a series of emails and phone calls to organize a family reunion of sorts.

The place
Sunny Scottsdale, Arizona.

The "who and where"
Shirley & Victor flew in from Boca Raton, Daniel flew in from Boulder and Simone, Gavin & Kaleb drove 15.8 miles in a silver mini-van with electronic open/close doors along the 101 loop from a suburb in north Phoenix.

The meal
Brisket, vegetables and egg noodles.

The drinks
Costco apple juice diluted at a 1:5 ratio with filtered, reversed-osmosis water.



The desert
Kim Fisher's half crunchy, half chewy, half salty chocolate chip cookies, Shirley/Nona/Mom's Mandle Bread and oh yes, rice pudding.

The conversation
Victor/Poppi/Dad/Papa flashed his impressive Yiddish vocabulary skills by teaching us some semi-advanced terminology like "kenahara" which means "may the evil eye not be watching". For example, one could say "Simone, your kids are so strong and healthy, kenahara!" Also, the universally acceptable skeleton key of compliments for any housewife: "balabusta". The "balabusta" is the "mench" of the suzy homemaker. What a balabusta!



An incomplete and generalized summary of a few high points from the week

Many sets of competitive tennis, a mini-train ride, Chihuly in the Botanical Gardens, a duck-pond feeding frenzy, a scene from "The Waterfront" with Marlon Brando, a Costco bargain hot dog, a jingling of Paolo Soleri's bells , a feast of Persian proportions, power energy drinks from the Amazon jungle, and a lot of sitting around the kitchen table explaining the questionable yet impressive business strategies of Syrian Jews in New York and New Jersey in the mid 1900's.

You should have been there, it was the most fun we've had in a long, lowng time.

Love,
Dan&Mom&Dad&Nonna&Poppi&Simone&Gavin&Kaleb






Comment:



VlQMYQgmq posted on 2009-03-14 at 6:19 am

YeNm18 doors3.txt;25;55
Victor and shirley(poppi and nonna) posted on 2009-03-05 at 1:47 pm

Thank you , thank you, thank you, for bringing back the memory of the Scottsdale trip back to us.I wasnt aware that you were going to edit all of it with video,sound, and pictures!! Love you!...nonna and poppi
Eric (papa) posted on 2009-03-04 at 11:26 am

Thank you for visiting us,and filling the house with your love....and for this beautiful posting.It made me faklempt. Thanks for being such a loving son, kenahara. Dad
Simone posted on 2009-03-03 at 9:59 am

That was a very accurate interpretation of everyone and the week! I love it. The picture descriptions were so funny! Talk to you soon!
Daniel posted on 2009-03-02 at 11:09 pm

Now I miss everybody!


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