Pamper Time
~Friday, August 13, 2021~
Day 425
Sunny morning so let’s cross our fingers that the flooded zones have some relief for the remainder of the weekend before rain returns all next week. At least that’s what’s forecasted for now.
Wrapped up a few things at the trailer before getting together with Hannah. Grandpa volunteered to watch Carson for a few hours while Hannah and I went out for some pampering.
We both can’t remember the last time we had gotten a manicure, so it was time. Plus, this kind of thing is a perfect mother/daughter outing. After a few “Carson instructions”, we were on our way. A very nice, LARGE salon and quite busy. We had chosen to do only manicures. Hannah picked out a neutral light shade where I went with a fun blue/gray shade. The girls who worked on us spoke very little English, so I didn’t get to do my normal interaction. Darn! Many of the nail salons I’ve noticed over the years employ Vietnamese (men too), so I had to do a little digging to find out why this is such a popular industry for those people. So here are a few interesting facts:
The nail industry is worth $8 billion
80% of nail technicians worldwide are Vietnamese (51% in the U.S.)
Actress Tippi Hedren, who starred in the Alfred Hitchcock film, The Birds, became the cornerstone in helping many Vietnamese refugees develop skills/trades after losing so much. Before her visit to Hope Village, a Vietnamese refugee camp near Sacramento, CA, she tried to think of ways these women could support themselves. When she met with the group, they were learning skills such as typing and seamstressing. But noticed and became enamored by Tippi’s manicure. Hedren flew in her own team of beauticians to teach 20 or so women about how to execute the perfect manicure. These women, after their training, later settled in Southern California, offering their services for far less than the competition. Many of them are direct descendents of the 20 women Hedren met with that fateful day in Sacramento.
After our nail service was done (and they look fabulous by the way), the owner offered us an opportunity for a pedicure due to a few cancellations that she just had. I declined, but offered it to Hannah. After a little hesitancy, she gave in. It was nice seeing her get a little more pampered since she rarely does anything for herself (still searching for that perfect balance being a busy momma).
Devin had just gotten off work, so it was nice for Jeff and Devin to have some one on one before we got back. Carson had a great time with Grandpa, building blocks, pulling out all the pots and pans to create his own drum kit, and messing around in the dirt. We were a little pressed for time since we had a 7:30 dinner reservation at SilverCreek (a steak and seafood restaurant) in the university town of Urbana.
The restaurant was lovely with an outdoor patio for dining right next to a bubbling brook (which nearly flooded yesterday), but there was also a choice of dining in a nice air-conditioned glass atrium.
Though the weather was beautiful, we opted for the atrium since the only seating left on the patio was next to the folk guitarist keeping everyone entertained. Carson also joined us and actually did very well. Except for the few loud vocal bursts of “yi, yi, yi”, he was plenty entertained with people watching, bread eating and key playing. Our dinners were delicious. Jeff had a Ribeye, Hannah a Salmon Salad, Devin had a prime rib sandwich, and me a Salmon Wellington. I’ve never had fish prepared quite this way. With Carson next to me, I offered a few samples of salmon and broccoli but on the other side was dad offering a few bites of prime rib and french fried potatoes. Which side do you think Carson went for? I think he eventually tried salmon but completely by accident as he reached for a piece of daddy’s food.
Sad that we only have one day left with the kids, but looking forward to a sunshiny day at our campsite tomorrow for a little cornhole tossing and bbq.