Just another weekend at the Hamptons
7/25/2013
My mom went to visit my brother and his family at their summer home in Westhampton, New York this past weekend. (No fears, this is not going to be the first issue of "what I did during my summer vacation"). As my mom informed me, East Hampton is where the "movie people are" about an hour away from my brother's home.
My mom (aka Grammy) enjoyed the beautiful beach on the west side until Sunday afternoon. My five-year-old niece had been invited to a birthday party of one of her little friends whose daddy happens to be a movie actor that we have all seen. My brother's whole family, Grammy included, piled into the family SUV and drove to the site of the East Hampton birthday party.
As they arrived, said father (the actor) of the birthday girl was heading to the store to pick up some more wine; following a warm greeting he told my family to go on in to the party. There were several families already in attendance , some no-names and several other actors that we would all recognize. Grammy reported that it was a simple home; the kids were all playing in the backyard while the adults snacked on prepared salads and chicken from the local grocer. It wasn't over the top or crazy fancy, it was the kind of party any of us would have in our own backyard. She also noted that everyone, actresses included, were dressed in shorts and tee shirts, bare faced and pony tails without any red carpet make-up or gowns.
While my brother and his wife ran after their kids, Grammy mingled with some of the other adults. She watched one actor argue with his six-year-old over what to eat; apparently he didn't like the chicken nor did he hesitate to make his opinion known. She then found herself joined in conversation with that actor and another actress (a beautiful woman that we have all seen). They were discussing that they used the same contractor for their homes in California and had many mutual friends. Grammy just took it all in. The actress mentioned that her mother, also a well-known actress, was performing this summer and that was taking time away from her spending time with the grandchildren. The irony didn’t escape Grammy; these famous people were kvetching (whining) over the same things that we mere mortals all vent about on a daily basis. Life, kids, parents, work, contractors; we ALL do it, rich and famous too.
As Grammy reminded me, we all put our pants on one foot at a time (some may be slipping into $350 size 0 pants, nevertheless it is still one foot at a time). We often gawk at celebrities and romanticize their glamorous lives, and yet they are human too. We hear about their publicized addictions, divorces and arrests, but they also have every day joys and troubles just like all of us.
My son just had to hear the story first hand from his grandmother so he picked up the phone to get the scoop. As they were saying their good-byes, I heard him say to Grammy "Keep partying with the famous people"; not a sentence I ever expected to hear from his mouth to her ears