Things learned at my grandsons’ house: Don’t poke strange bugs. They probably won’t bite you but they’ll scare you half to death. Write that down.

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[Disneyland] At the hotel, family accommodations consisted of a small bedroom off to the right of a common area—for Kathy and me—and a slightly larger one off to the left, with two queens and a crib, for the Green clan. A kitchenette, with plates and pots and flatware and even a dishwasher was provided; and so we were set.

Except for the thermostat. The one which increasingly threatened to drive a wedge into peaceful family accord. It seems that sliding it up to ensure the comfort of our room, turned theirs into an oven. While sliding it down, which made things more pleasant for them, left our room cold enough to hang meat.

It was surely coincidental that one night, Adam and I met three times getting up for a glass of milk.

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I handed off the big Yukon to daughter Kristi, so she could take it home and outfit it with car seats, dvd players, books, games, anxiety medicine and other various necessities for our Disneyland trip. We leave tonight.

In return, I was awarded the Green family mini-van—a sprightly little thing from which Kris had thoughtfully shoveled a small driver’s area free of sticky candy wrappers, poky toys, Starbucks cups, empty juice cartons, goldfish crackers and busted Crayons. A stray muffin she tossed onto the passenger seat. She said I could have all the change I could find (up to a dollar), and anything else I cared to pry off the floor.

Before she handed over the keys, she paused to offer some additional instruction: Don’t pull the under-dash brake release; it unlatches the hood. Don’t touch any of the toys; they all make noise if you do. Don’t worry about the “Service Engine” light; it’s just a malfunction. The gas gauge is broken but there’s still a quarter-tank; that’s plenty. The little lever there on the side is not the shift; it’s the windshield wipers and squirter. Oh, and don’t get a flat, she concluded, without further elaboration. Then she drove off.

It was a fun trip home…once I found the shift lever and re-latched the hood a couple of times.

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