Going to the Beach

We've been to the beach for a few days. It was wonderful! The sky was blue, the ocean was sparkling, the waves were perfect, the air was clear, and the temperature was ideal. The grandkids loved digging in the sand and picking up "pretty rocks." Sure, there were a jillion people there, but that was okay. There was plenty of sand and plenty of water and plenty of room for everyone. Sleeping with the sound of the waves breaking on the beach was soothing - most of the time. We took a couple of side trips to my favorite nurseries - Roger's Gardens and Weidner's Nursery in Leucadia. What a treat it was just to roam through all of the gorgeous plants that love the coast and find our environs just a bit too hot for their liking - begonias & fushias, in particular. Butch survived and I love him for his patience - among other things. Friends whose generosity facilitated this are loved & appreciated & thanked from the bottoms of our sandy hearts.

The Saga of "The Family Picture"

Everyone, or almost everyone, at sometime in her/his life will have the privilege of participating in some sort of family picture. When a far-flung family gets together for a too-rare visit, it often coincides with "The Family Picture." It seems that we all want to capture a particular time in our family's life when new people are added either by marriage or birth. So, one part of a family gathering is "The Picture." Today we shopped for THE perfect shirt that is in keeping with the agreed-upon coordinated clothing. Grandpa Butch's shirt was ixnayed, so he'll be getting a new one. Grandma RoRo's pants don't past muster either, so she's in shopping mode. Is it worth it? You betcha! We'll capture one moment in time with grandparents, parents, children, siblings, cousins, and a whole lot of love. You can't beat that and we'll have the picture to remind us all each time we look at it.

July 4, 2009

July 4th in Claremont is spectacular in so many ways. Not only do we get to celebrate with the community at Memorial Park, but we get to watch a parade or participate in it, if we so choose. I don't think many places will have the wide variety of parade entries that Claremont has nor will they have the loving acceptance these groups get from the onlookers as the various groups express their heartfelt concerns about world and national political, moral, & ecological conditions and situations. Then, you can go to any of a variety of fireworks events in the surrounding area or just listen to the "booms" as you watch on TV the amazing displays from Washington, Boston, and New York. The music is great and the people are obviously having a great time. One question we might consider is this: in today's world, what else could we do with all of that money spent on those fireworks?

Treasure Discovered While Sorting "Memorabilia"

Today I spent some time sorting through things I've saved over the years. My husband regularly asks me to see if I can part with "treasures" I've kept from past events, organizations, and family and friend happenings. In among some family papers was a publication by the United Nations Association of the United States of America. "Vista" was published bi-monthly by UNA-USA. On checking the United Nations website, I found that they now have a number of publications, including a bi-weekly e-newsletter. My "treasure" was published in March-April, 1967. The lead article was "The University and American Foreign Policy by Senator J. William Fulbright. There was also an article, "The Bitterest Disappointment" about "the U.N.'s inability to settle the Vietnam conflict." As we look at the world situation today, we might ask, "How far have we really come?"

Father's Day

Father's Day always brings memories flooding in from celebrations through the years. Today we had our California kids over for dinner, some bike riding, and a game session on the Wii. Our Kansas kids celebrated with their Kansas family and we connected via the phone. It was a wonderful day for young dads and old dads in our families. Everyone was happy except one person who thought her enchilada casserole prepared from a treasured recipe from her mom was "yucky." Hmmm. Got to check out those ingredients and the flavor combination.

Showers of All Sorts - Not the Rain Kind but the Wedding and Baby Kind

Showers of all varieties are really special occasions. Everyone gathers in anticipation of a joyous event and it's fun to share the joy of the bride and groom or of the expectant mom and dad. It's a time of nostalgia and reminiscence and joy and celebration and just plain fun.

All of Your Favorite Sites in One Place

Have you ever found yourself going to Goggle or Bing to find a site? Why have to search? Here's a great link that has all THE best sites categorized with active link icons.