I’m back from a two-day visit to Brooklyn to see my daughter Emma (and her husband Jay) and my granddaughter Robin. It was the ritualistic visit from grandpa, I sent several boxes if gifts and books ahead of me so I wouldn’t have to lug them on the subways.

I read to Robin, went to  her day care center, we laughed and tickled each other. It is definitely true that there is a blood connection between grandparents and kids, Robin was happy to see me, and acted as if she knew me well. We had a lot of fun together, it seemed important to everyone, including me, that I go.

Robin is very bright, like her mother, which is not a surprise.

She has a devilish gleam in her eye, she is always ready to mix it up. I started out  the minute I walked in the door saying that I was Robin, and she was grandpa, and she thought this a riot and we went back and forth for two days about it. As I left, I acknowledged that she really was Robin, and she thought that was even funnier.

She is on the cusp of speaking fully, of reading, of knowing music. She loved the toy guitar I got her, and the multi-colored owl that she carried around with her and slept with.

She made some drawings for me. She loved the DVD player that I got her, she can watch movies and listen to music on it. It can also go on trips, which can make traveling much easier for Emma and Jay.

Emma and Jay are both frantically busy, their small apartment is  blanketed with toys and books and stickers, the look any couple with a two-year old has to contend with. There is no untouched or empty space on any surface.

Robin is strong willed. She has a great sense of humor. She likes being the center of attention for as long as possible and for as much as possible. In her day care center – she’s been in day care since she was four months old – she’s learned to handle herself like a Brooklyn kid.

She knows how to push her parents buttons, and also when to stop.

When another two-year old tried to take her chair in the museum lobby, the kid ended up on her butt. It just took one push.

Robin is very cute, and she knows it. She can turn on the charm and manipulate if she needs to.

I can see the strength and confidence that  Emma and Jay – who work day and night in their apartment – have instilled in her. She is a child of entitlement. She can sing Johnny Cash songs and recite lyrics and words from many Disney and Muppet movies.

She misses nothing and ponders everything. I took her to see the Frieda Kahlo exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum (I bought Maria a Tote Bag full of souvenirs).

The exhibit featured a dozen glass displays with some of Kahlo’s well-known clothes.
“That’s Frieda Kahlo!,” exclaimed Robin. “And THAT’s Frida Kahlo! So many Frida Kahlo’s!” There is something precious about the way a child sees the world.

Emma is very happy. She has a great job, a wonderful kid, a husband she adores. She loves Brooklyn and is determined never to leave. And she knows that means paying big bills for the rest of her days. And working hard.

I think it was a good visit. Emma wants me in her life, and so, clearly does Robin. I’m in the way I can be in. We won’t be seeing each other as often as the other grandparents, but Robin is expressing interest in the farm, the donkeys, the chickens and barn cats.

I can see and feel that we already matter to one another. Emma said when I left, Robin told her “it was fun to hang out with Me-paw (her name for me.”

There is talk of driving her up the farm this summer, and Emma is so tired she’s even talking of letting her stay on the farm for a few weeks. I was sorry Emma is so pressed, a demanding job, a precious and willful kid.

The visit to the farm during summers could work.

I much enjoyed spending time with her, and also getting time to talk to Emma, just the two of us. That rarely happens, and it seems to be getting easier with each visit. We have similar ideas about humor and hell-raising. She has the devil’s gleam in her eyes.

I love the energy and intensity of New York, I love meeting surly people of many different colors and faiths, I loved the quality and diversity of the food.

Emma arranged me to rent a sky-high three bedroom apartment with a stunning view of the New York skyline. We had a blast exploring food booths and different foods, an abundance of riches in Brooklyn.

Emma’s new dog Sandy, a mix of many breeds, including Kentucky hound, is a sweetheart and it was uplifting to see her and the other dogs in the morning dog play group. Emma has done a good job raising Robin and training Sandy.

New York dogs are encouraged to chase balls, because that is the quickest way to exercise them quickly.

Brooklyn is overwhelming hip, booming and obsessed with itself. It seems to be replacing Manhattan as the new cultural center of the universe.

Lots of rich stick people, yuppies, obscenely tall buildings, giant indoor malls with $18 sandwiches, writers, media types and hedge fund managers.

I went for several long walks around Brooklyn by myself, took a few photos, went with Emma to  the gorgeous and huge dog part in Fort Greene, just a quarter-of-a mile from her apartment (I’ll write about that later). The dog park was a happy surprise.

We had lunch at a fabulous restaurant, Emma and I, I do miss being able to eat food like that. I walked miles and miles, got a couple of blisters, and very sore legs. I am very happy to be sleeping next to Maria tonight, it is good to be apart, it is  hard to be apart.

It is also hard to be so removed from my daughter’s life, but I have accepted that, and I don’t see it changing.

I think everybody got what they wanted and needed on this trip – me, Emma, Robin. Emma and Jay (and Robin) were extremely nice and hospitable to me. I was glad to, glad to return.

I think Robin knows she has a crazy grandfather. Life goes on. “Taking To Animals,” my radio show, returns to the air tomorrow from one to 2:30 p.m. on WBTNAM1370. you can live stream the show here or on any free radio apple. I use Simple Radio . The show is going to be 90 minutes from now on, I think two hours was too long for me and my voice.

Please call at 802 442 1010 and 866 406 -9286. This is a community radio project, a nearly impossible mission. But it is beginning to jell. If you don’t call or participate, the show can’t work.

Maria and I talked about our lives with animals during the last  half-hour. We are also considering a Bedlam Farm podcast.

You are also free to e-mail me at [email protected] with any questions relating to dogs or other animals.  check my e-mail during the broadcast, but you can e-mail me any time before or after the show, including tonight, with your questions.

I’m happy to be home. Hope to hear from you tomorrow.