Window on Wentworth

And Life Does Go On!

2011-12-29T21:34:00.000-05:00

Now I think you thought that perhaps everything just stopped after the wedding- that it was so perfect in every way that from that moment on we'd just stay in a state of euphoria thinking about what a wonderful time we had. Well, I suppose we did for a bit- a very bit.... But it wasn't long until we were BUSY! AGAIN!

Now we're going to cover A LOT of territory with this blog- but like I said we were busy! And I kept meaning to start... First it was going to be "About Fall" but then next thing I know it's Thanksgiving and then Christmas- and Christmas just isn't "fall". Christmas is decidedly "winter". So we're just going to ramble through the last weeks. Maybe you can keep up with us- I'm not sure we did!

Now since I've made a career of procrastination you might know I have quite a collection of "excuses," but trust me for this blog I have a MAJOR EXCUSE- in fact- THREE MAJOR EXCUSES! I started- and even more importantly finished- hand done Christmas Stockings for Brandy, Will and Mikayla. Oh yeah- this might be the best excuse I'll ever have. For the weeks I was working on the stockings I didn't do anything but stockings- well almost anything... But more on that later...I must say that excuses are fueled by procrastination. It's not like the instructions didn't say that each of these stockings should take a person 40-50 hours to complete, and you have to know that was an optimistic opinion most likely based on someone who had done them before and knew the process. And, as Max will explain later, those kits didn't just arrive this fall, nor did Brandy suggest this specific style - Max suggested them and just asked Brandy to pick out which ones they wanted.

Just ask Don if this didn't absolutely take over for those weeks as he did EVERYTHING but work on the stockings. From time to time Don would just shake his head and mutter- "you'll finish them by Christmas- just not sure which Christmas". You must understand that Max partitions procrastination both on a short term basis and a long term basis. She did work on these projects for 7-8 hours a day over the last few weeks, but getting started on a daily basis follows an hour or so with me in the mornings drinking coffee, a rather long shower and getting dressed process that includes breaks to scan the internet and read the news, breakfast with the NY Times, reading more news and eventually being fully prepared to start the day around noon.

But before I lay too much at the feet of these stockings it's only fair to say that though I started working on them in early November I didn't get serious, real serious, until mid November. And since the wedding was the first of October, there is a rather long unexplained 6 week gap...Well, not really explainable.

We began after the wedding with a great fun with the GRANDBABIES! Marianne, Reeder, Hayes and Weiler stayed on in Cincinnati for a couple of weeks after wedding and what fun we had.
There was a trip to the Children's Museum....

And there was a trip to "Parky's Farm"...

And we even had "Sleepovers"- Reeder spent overnight on one night- and then Hayes another! Weiler is still a tad too little, so he'd just come visit when Marianne was here as well! And of course Anthony was over to join the fun!

And we made a trip to Bluffton for "Friday Night Lights" Bluffton style- and then a volleyball ball game for Darby...I think on Friday Night Lights, the local football wins lots of games. That's just not the case for Bluffton this past year. I think we left just after halftime, when a cold wind was blowing and the Bluffton Pirates were behind about 40 points. That's Darby below #2 and her Mom (coach Mom) in the red in the background.

There were plenty of cheering for Darby's team!

Sarah, Deseree and Anthony came along for the fun...

Bailey and her Dad!

Kelly and her new nephew!

And we even made a trip to the pumpkin patch!

Now before you settle into thinking maybe I'll be staying home for a while. WRONG! I was off to Oklahoma for the 40th Reunion of my University of Oklahoma College of Nursing graduating class. Yep you heard it right- 40 years- 40 BIG YEARS! Of course this provided additional reasons for delay. It seems a lot of these 60 something nurses haven't really adopted technology like Max has. So she took it upon herself to contact her whole class (about 40) and personally invite each one of them. Max searched for these folks every night for over a week trying to find email addresses, telephone numbers or places of employment. I only wish she had told me what problems she was facing so I could have given her my OU Alumni Directory.

I drove from here to St. Louis where I met up with Susan, Ada and Rosemary- three of my college roommates.

Now we actually graduated in Oklahoma City at the OU Health Science Center- but of course we made a trip to Norman where we had spent our freshman and sophomore year. We visited the library- probably my favorite place on campus- and in the great hall and the "stacks" the least changed...

And then here I am with Mary- my roommate BEFORE I was roommates with Susan, Rosemary and Ada...

And in case you're thinking that this must be the end of my roommate list- well you'd be wrong...

Here's the whole group of roommates- not that this is ALL of my roommates- just all at the reunion.
(PS- Don't forget that Gay was my very first roommate!)

Well I had a great time- and came home quite exhausted- but so glad I'd gone. Of course we predate email- and facebook- and twitter- and blogs- and we'd long ago lost addresses with all the moving about we did before we finally settled- so this was a true REUNION- of friends- and dear friends- who hadn't seen each other for 40 years!

And while I was off to OKC and the 40th Reunion of the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing graduating class! Don took some great pictures of the beauty of an Autumn in Ohio- if you're not too busy to notice!

Since this was going to be a Fall blog, we would be remiss not to add some pictures of Fall colors. About 2 miles from our house is a 335 acre county park called Glenwood Gardens. On my daily walks with Brutus (our mostly Lab) we often go to that park, so I took my camera for some pictures.

Oak Leaf Hydrangea

Bald Cypress

Staghorn Sumac

I just liked this picture of the mist rising over the meadow.

Three Maples

Not sure what this is, but I do like it.

And finally at our house:

The red oak outside my desk window

The Ginko beside the front porch

Now it was right about here that I thought- I suppose it's about time to begin working on the Christmas stockings for Brandy, Will and Mikayla. They had been safely living in the original packages in my work room since last winter. Now don't get me wrong- from time to time I'd think that perhaps I ought to at least take them out of the packaging and read the instructions. But somehow didn't quite fit into my "retirement" schedule.... But of course November is getting mighty close to Christmas so it didn't seem too early too begin preparations. I started by reserving a couple hours a day... I started with Mikayla's...

Well by the middle of November I realized I was NEVER going to finish even Mikayla's stocking- much less Will's and Brandy's if I didn't rather dramatically increase the "stocking time commitment"! I had Mikayla's almost finished by Thanksgiving and was starting Will's- the "killer" stocking- over 140 individual felt pieces to be cut out and sewn on- many with sequins and embroidery!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Will's stocking was only in it's very beginning stages when THANKSGIVING arrived!

THE NEWLYWEDS ARRIVED! Amber and Evan came down from Chicago and we had our first opportunity to entertain just a couple of "old married folks"!

They started Thanksgiving morning with the Annual Cincinnati Thanksgiving Day 10K, one of the oldest and largest races in the country. This was the 102nd year of the race! Our racers did terrific!

And in addition to Amber and Evan from "out of town", Gay and Amy came up from Florida to celebrate with us. It was their first Thanksgiving with us but we sure hope it won't be their last. It was so much fun having them- and I might mention that Gay more than paid her way with all the work she did in the kitchen!

Don and Amy...

Amy, Gay and Don...

And of course these pictures wouldn't be complete without another picture of our newlyweds!

Now it's about here that you'd expect a whole bunch of pictures of Thanksgiving Day dinner- the food, the guests, the decorations. Well you're just not going to get it! After all that time cooking I'm afraid that neither Don or I had much time to grab a camera- and the couple of pictures Don did take were taken in the kitchen AFTER the disaster and didn't make the day particularly inviting at all. And should I mention the fire.... Well because you asked. Don and Amy decided to take the Brutus and Winnie (Amy and Gay's black lab) for a walk- after all the day was gorgeous and I said "sure no problem, I can baste the turkey while you're gone". Well I wasn't very careful so the "turkey juice" dripped to the bottom of the oven. And then add in the little detail that Gay and I overfilled the the casseroles so they bubbled over when they started really cooking in the oven. It started with smoke- LOTS OF SMOKE! And of course every smoke alarm in the house was wailing- and I might mention that in addition to the battery operated alarms (those you can silence by taking the battery out) we also have several connected to our home alarm system and there is no silencing that one except getting rid of the smoke! So Don brought up fans- many fans- from the basement (now you can imagine the effect of whirling fans and open windows have on a "resting" turkey waiting to be sliced!) And of course we had to stop this alarm or soon we'd be visited by the Fire Department! Well it was about this time the grease in the oven started flaming and I yelled "GET DON QUICK!" and we started taking those casseroles out of the oven before the oven and the casseroles burned to a crisp- and shut that oven off! Well- as you might guess- this just isn't an environment that is particularly conducive to taking all those "pretty" food pictures you see in the magazines!
So you'll just have to take my word for it- we did have a highly successful Thanksgiving- despite the excitement!

Now before we could settle in complete to our QUIET retirement life of working on Christmas stockings we were off again.

First we made it up to Bluffton for quite a show! I went with Kelly to Darby's Dance Recital...

And while I was watching Darby Dance! Don was over with Pat watching Bailey play basketball!

My great niece Bailey has some great potential in basketball. She lettered last year as a Freshman and should have started most of the games. She is tall, strong, left handed and works very hard. Here are some action shots her getting baskets during the game.

Oh, I almost forgot- in between Thanksgiving- and the beginning of our travels to Bluffton and then to Oklahoma (more on that later!) ANTHONY TURNED FOUR!

So we took off in the car for Oklahoma- and a wonderful visit with family and friends. Every minute was packed with a visit with a special person- family in Tulsa- friends in OKC/Norman! A good time was had by all- well I don't know about "all" but I had a great time!
THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL WAS SPENDING TIME WITH DAD AND FAY!

And Nancy and Bub invited us all out for a Saturday brunch. I might mention that Nancy's cooking is fantastic. If given an opportunity to eat her food snap it up quick before anyone has a chance to snatch it out of your hand!

And then we enjoyed the spectacular hospitality of our close friends in OKC, Clare and Oliver!

They even hosted a wine and cheese party before we all headed for dinner at a wonderful restaurant in OKC!
Oliver, Bruce Parker and Clare...

Don and Sharon Parker...

Mary and John Holter...

And at dinner...

And we spent a day with Kathy and TH Milby in Norman!

Kathy and I left the "boys" behind and went out to lunch with Earline at Victoria's Pasta Shop...

And then Kathy and I just had to stop at the French bakery before we went back to the boys!

And did I mention that this was TH's 85th birthday!

Well I know now I've made you real, real tired reading this very long saga of life after THE WEDDING! But in case you've lost the train of some of the story line it's probably here that I should tell you that yes indeed the stockings were finished by Christmas...

And then "overnighted" to Niceville, Florida where they were hung by the chimney with care!

Now if you'll hang in there just a bit more I'll take us all the way to Christmas. And then the story of "what I did with my post wedding vacation" will end!

Our only BIG CELEBRATION was with Michael and Liz and Sarah and Deseree and Anthony on Monday the 26th!

And of course there were presents!

And my favorite present: Michael came over early and "rewired" the kitchen so now I have internet in the kitchen! I am connected! This old house of our has plaster walls and my study and the kitchen are the newer parts of the house, they have metal mesh lath under the plaster instead of wood. Unfortunately, our wireless router is in the front of the house and one floor up and we just couldn't get a good wireless signal to the kitchen. I did the first wiring and got the cables from the router to the kitchen and my study. But to get cables long enough, I had to buy a roll and that means the wires didn't have the computer fitting on the ends. I bought the tool and the fittings, but there are 8 tiny wires in the cable and they have to be pushed into tiny holes in a very specific order. Unfortunately, I failed cable fittings, but Michael is a wiz at this sort of thing and actually likes doing it. In less than an hour he had all four fitting on and the kitchen and my study are now both hardwired.

And of course there was the tree...

And glass of cognac by the fire on Christmas Eve...

May the joy of the holiday color your New Year. We're glad you've shared so much of our life with us.

Amber and Evan got Married!

2011-11-19T22:02:00.000-05:00

The story of this blog actually began over 10 months ago in the wine country north of San Francisco during the holiday season. Amber and Evan were there with Evan's parents to spend the holidays with Evan's sister and her family who lives in Marin. Evan had schemed with his parents and grandmother, gotten an absolutely amazing triangular shaped diamond that had been in his grandmother's ring and had it remounted as an engagement ring. He asked Amber to marry him and offered her that amazing ring, and thus this story began.

Now I believe Amber has been planning her wedding for a long time, well before she ever met Evan or any other possible candidate. If you're the baby of the family, you're no stranger to weddings. Amber's already been a bridesmaid in Marianne/Clint and Brandy/Will weddings, plus again for a college housemate. And I could never, ever keep track of how many weddings Amber has attended- not sure Amber could even keep a real accurate count.. So Amber is rather an expert in weddings- in an experiential sort of way. I'm sure it morphed over time depending on her dreams, but nonetheless, it was a plan in process. When Amber described her dreams to us it involved an outdoor wedding in the fall in the Cincinnati downtown area and involved a museum if possible. While almost everything she had thought she might like in a wedding changed- and especially changed over the last few months, the one thing that she was sure of- she wanted a wedding downtown Cincinnati, she wanted it in the fall, and she wanted it outside. That's where the planning began! When we looked at the possibilities (and I assure you Max examined all of the possibilities) there was only one reasonable location to have this affair: it needed to be in the garden of the Taft Museum http://www.taftmuseum.org/ . Now Max and I knew that the Taft needed to be the choice, but Amber and Evan were determined that this wedding was going to be their wedding, not her mother's idea of the perfect wedding and the most important thing- it must NOT under any circumstance look like one of the siblings weddings- and if you're the baby of 7 there have been lots of weddings. So after a trip to Cincinnati to look at sites and evaluate the Taft, Amber and Evan agreed, the date booked, the down payment provided and the planning was begun.

Now I must insert here that this wedding was Amber's (and Evan- though I think that probably it was mostly Amber that spent all the hours pouring over wedding blogs- and wedding ideas and wedding magazines- I think Evan might have been watching basketball or baseball instead- just saying...) wedding from the word go, although I'm sure she made an effort to involve Evan, regardless of whether or not he happened to be watching the Red Sox play baseball or the Celtics play basketball, or the Bruins play hockey or the Pats play football. Max played a major support role, providing multiple suggestions about dresses, suspenders and bow ties and belts. But the bottom line is that Amber was the architect and Max and I were the enablers. In the end it turned out to be a beautiful wedding that had Amber's and Evan's signature all over it. I believe it was a success. The challenge of a wedding is taking the same ingredients that are used over and over and over again by brides over the whole country and make your particular wedding unique- that ultimately your wedding is unlike any that has been done before. It's not an easy assignment. Amber was amazing. She was absolutely successful. Her and Evan's wedding was absolutely theirs- it was so very personal- so very much theirs! And so absolutely perfect!

Now there are things that involve men at weddings, but they are significantly in the minority. The women seem to need to do lots of stuff in preparation. There needs to be a Bride's lunch involving only women, there needs to be a "spa day" also involving only women, and of course there needs to be a hair and make-up event the morning of the wedding. That's all female stuff and I'll leave the details to Max.

Well there certainly isn't a reason the guys couldn't have had their own Spa/Luncheon day- guess they just didn't think about it. We started with nails!

We did let Weiler come even though he is a guy! Why who can resist his beautiful smile- melts your heart for sure!

And then we were off to lunch at the Iron Horse Inn for the Bride's lunch!

I think probably this is the time to say that Jen- Amber's best friend since I suppose around 4th grade was the most amazing MAID OF HONOR ever! She was always there when we needed her- she was absolutely supportive of Amber- And I understand planned the best bachelorette party ever! An absolutely perfect Maid of Honor for an absolutely perfect wedding!

The evening before we rehearsed for this event. I have heard that dress rehearsals for major plays sometimes are disasters that make you realize the play will never work. Our rehearsal was somewhat similar in some respects. We pretty well figured out what the event would look like, but when you have a 5 "little ones" from 2-5 years old participating as flower girls and ring bearers (although we would never trust a 3 year old with a ring), you never really know how it will work out. And at the rehearsal, only one flower girl (Reeder who is 5 and is actually an "experienced" flower girl) even agreed to walk down the aisle; the other little girls absolutely refused. And the two boys who were going to carry a sign announcing the bride mostly wanted to swing the sign around as though it were a weapon. But we did work out the process involving who was where when, and we came away with a plan. Well since there was not even a little inkling that any of the "little ones" but Reeder would make the trip down the aisle we mostly made a plan for what we would do with the 4 that weren't really showing any signs of walking down that aisle!

Jen, maid of honor, was there beside Amber all the way, providing her experience and expertise in event planning...

The group was all there as we learned and practiced our parts.

So after the rehearsal we were off to the party! Al, Evan's dad, decided he needed to get into character for the upcoming cruise down the river.

Max assumed responsibility for holding Mikayla...

Evan's parents provided the rehearsal dinner which was a 3 hour cruise down the Ohio River on the Yacht Destiny, with a meal of local Cincinnati fare. We had appetizers from La Rosa's Pizza and Skyline Chili and then a meal from Montgomery Inn BBQ. The boat ride was wonderful, the food was delicious and the event exceeded all expectations. I have lived in Cincinnati for 17+ years- never more than 20-30 minutes from the river- but this was the first time I have ever been in a boat- in a boat on the Ohio River. It was absolutely wonderful! What an outstanding way to start the weekend of parties!

This is Amber with Annie- one of her friends from the semester she spent in Spain. It was so much fun to finally meet Annie (and then the next day Natalie)- friends I'd heard so much about but never had the opportunity to meet!

Evan and his best friends from growing up in Las Vegas...

The ride back to the dock with Cincinnati lit up on the banks and the bridges spanning the river in full glory provided a great finish to the ride.

Now while Don was up on deck taking these incredible pictures of Cincinnati I was down below (it was just a bit too chilly for me to spend much time on deck) and I took pictures of some really special people who made this a great party!

Now I want to stop here and talk about the "back story" of this wedding- GETTING MY FATHER TO THE WEDDING! Dad hasn't been in that of great of health this past year- which still is a bit surreal for all of us- Dad just always seemed quite indestructible. In fact he was in the hospital the week before the wedding was scheduled. But I was ABSOLUTELY DETERMINED! Part of the reason for selecting this particular "fall weekend"- October 1- for the wedding- was because it just so happens that my Dad would have his 87th birthday- and my beautiful stepmother her 77th on October 2! And what better place to celebrate than at the wedding brunch on the Sunday morning after the wedding. It was perfect. But then Dad just wasn't feeling well. Finally he perked up about 5 days before the wedding (3 before the flight) and Fay and Dad successfully made the BIG EVENT! Fay tells me that she actually told the doctor that I was so determined that he make the wedding of his youngest granddaughter she thought I might actually bring him here on a stretcher! Well the stretcher wasn't necessary- didn't even need a wheelchair. And he had a great time. And for me- it was PERFECT!

Don with Michael and Liz!

Fouad and Oliver!

Earline- a dear friend from Norman for better than 30 years..

Gay and Marianne! (I would like to mention that Gay was my "maid of honor" and did she ever live up to the responsibilities. I highly recommend that every "mother of the bride" have their very own "maid"!

Mary Ezra (the other half of Fouad) and Will!

Finally, the wedding day, and many thanks to Sarah for all of these pictures. Max and I were a bit busy with other business, and Sarah was on focus to record the events.

Now if you go to this website: http://bhpimages.net/blog/2011/10/13/amber-and-evan/ you can see the preview of the pictures taken by our photographers. Now if you'd like to see more pictures than these then just email me- the photographers took a little of 2000!

This was a bit of an unusual wedding in that it was interdenominational between a Jewish groom and an Episcopalian bride. We were able to find a Rabbi and a Priest, both women, who knew each other and agreed to jointly officiate this wedding. So the wedding was a unique blend of language, tradition, and ceremony.

The actual ceremony took place under a chuppah that incorporated an old lace table cloth from Max's Aunt Annie Mae. I especially love the chuppah (not just because it was so special because of Aunt Annie- but because under this chuppah stood Don and I as well and Evan's parents and Amber and Evan. How very special for parents- much more significant than sitting on the front row.

As you can see, Amber loves sunflowers and they were incorporated throughout the wedding and the reception. The bridesmaids were all beautiful.

This is Adrienne, Evan's sister!

The flower girls performed their petal dropping without any hitches. It seems the secret of encouragement involved the fact that we had a candy buffet for all of the guests to partake of, but the candy remained in our preparation room until after the dinner. Thus the parents of the flower girls and sign bearers were able to leverage the gummy bears, jelly beans, and Swedish fish as rewards for performance in the wedding. Each of these children knew that their parents (who were all groomsmen or bridesmaids) had a supply of treats in their possession awaiting them once they performed their duties.

And although the "ring bearers" weren't trusted with carrying any rings, they did announce the arrival of the Bride.

And finally Max and I brought Amber down the aisle for the hand off to Evan. I would be remiss if I did not add that the Bride was absolutely stunning in a dress of ivory lace. Amber was absolutely the most beautiful bride ever- and of course I am an absolutely impartial judge of that!

And Evan didn't look bad himself, even though he wasn't dressed in the sweater vest he had originally suggested for this affair.

The ceremony that Amber and Even developed with the Rabbi and the Priest turned out to be one that people actually listened to and appreciated. It was a wonderful combination of the two customs and perfectly reflected who these two young people are. It was uniquely them.

Rings were placed on fingers, a unity candle was lighted, wine was shared, a glass was stomped on and the bond was completed. Then the party began. The bar opened, hors d'oeuves were passed, the photo booth was opened for business, and lots of pictures were taken.

There were traditional first dances...

Cupcakes of four different flavors from our favorite (and local) bakery- the Wyoming Pastry Shop (you've seen them before when we take our "little ones" for the cookies! and our own local Graeter's Ice Cream were provided in place of the traditional usually flavorless white wedding cake.

And there was the traditional Hora which had Amber and Evan wondering if they were riding a roller coaster as they held onto their chairs while being lifted above the crowd. We probably should have planned the Hora a little better by balancing the size of the lifters on the front and back of the chairs, but they both held on to the finish and maintained their positions without the use of seat belts.

As it got later, the party went on even though some of the little ones didn't.

And we finally sent the newlyweds off in their horse drawn carriage after exiting through a gauntlet of sparklers.

It was a night we will all remember, and most likely the last big party celebrated by this nuclear family. Amber was our last one to get married and weddings are events that bring families together for celebrations. I'm not sure what we could have done to make this a better celebration. We celebrated with family and friends, young and old, from nearby and from far away. This new family has been established and they will start a new limb on this family tree. Amber is a perfectionist- always has been- always will be. But life isn't perfect- it's often messy and cluttered- but for Amber time stood still- life wasn't as it is ordinarily- and for Amber it was indeed a perfect wedding. Every detail was arranged- her thoughtfulness was amazing- and on that day she and Evan were the most relaxed of brides and grooms- and happy- that deep, come from the soul happiness. And I had the most amazing time. Sometimes I feel a little sad- I'd like to go back- just for awhile to that perfect moment... But then I just go back in my memories and feel so very lucky- to have such a beautiful daughter- and her wonderful new husband- and our amazing family- and friends- and I realize how very, very lucky I am- even when I'm not back in that perfect moment again.

But if all of this was not enough, we had a birthday to celebrate on the next day. We had a brunch at our home and invited all of the wedding guests to come and see the wedding couple one more time before heading to their homes. Max's father and step mom both had birthdays on the next day so we had birthday cake and balloons along with our wedding brunch.

We are always grateful to our close friends (and honorary family members) Fouad and Mary Ezra who always pitch in to help us celebrate. Fouad is always in charge of the balloons and he never fails to have a circle of children around him.

So in our quite exhaustive state- we finished that beautiful weekend celebrating my father- Seems quite appropriate don't you think...

Summer Vacation

2011-08-10T14:26:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure I'd even notice summer- other than the heat- if it weren't for the week when the kids come to visit and suddenly it is summer vacation. So when Brandy and Mikayla (we missed you Will!!!!!!) made their way up from Florida and then Amber and Evan came down from Chicago summer began for me. Now this year it was a both "summer" and "wedding"- so this year's summer vacation was extra special.

Now you're going to notice that an awfully lot (shall we say most) of the pictures include Mikayla. There are several reasons for that- one she doesn't complain much when I try to take her picture- or should I say multiple pictures, and then there's the fact that other than when she was sleeping she was always close at hand. It didn't take her long to realize that if you want someone to pretty much do whatever you want them to do, going straight to Grandma is probably the best approach. And of course she is cuter than cute so the camera just loves to take her picture- again and again and again. You'll see other folks as well- but well, you're going to see a LOT of Mikayla.

Now I think I'll start with where we spent the most time- THE POOL! After all it is blazing hot this summer and in the afternoon if you wanted to be outside the only way it was going to happen without immediate heat stroke was at the pool. So most every afternoon you found us POOLSIDE! I don't necessarily agree with Max that summer started when guests arrive. I found it to be summer in early July when the temperatures started soaring into the triple digits and the humidity started in the 90's and only dropped to the 60's during the afternoon. I don't really know how she missed all of that, because it was really hot. Consequently, a good many of these pictures were taken at the pool.

Watching Mommy DIVE!

And then there were dinners at home...

And the trip to Wyoming Pastry Shop... I don't think there are any rules that cookies have to be eaten using ones hands.

And the trip to the Children's Museum at the Museum Center...

And a trip to my favorite- the Cincinnati Zoo!

And of course Cousin Love...

Anthony still asks if Mikayla is here every time he comes over.

And a fairy come to visit- or what a minute- that's Mikayla!

But certainly the BIG HIGHLIGHT was the great Bridal Shower that my dear friend Mary Jo Peairs gave for Amber. The food was amazing- and the company was wonderful! Thank you Mary Jo!

And of course the fantastic presents for the bride who was able to succesfully unwrap them with much help from her niece...

I so want to mention that because Brandy and Mikayla flew in to Louisville (a lot cheaper than flying into Cincinnati) we started the vacation with a special day with Will's sister, Anne and her husband, Sean and adorable son Braxton! What a treat!

After our Summer Vacation here in Cincinnati, Brandy, Mikayla and I headed for the drive to Florida in the minivan (that minivan is sure logging the miles this year!). Brandy was scheduled for her very last chemotherapy and I wasn't about to miss the celebration- And we did celebrate! They crowned her QUEEN for her last day!

And I'll mention I'd drive all the way to Florida to eat Will's fantastic cooking- Impressive!

And Will helped Mikayla learn to ride her "new" bike that Reeder handed down...

And then there was the celebration dinner at the restaurant of Brandy's choice...

And bubbles...

And books....

And the beach- though I must be honest and tell you that though Mikayla LOVES the pool, and LOVES the bubbles, and LOVES the library, Mikayla DOES NOT LOVE the beach... Grandma made her go...

20 Days and 4675 miles in 3 parts, Part 3

2011-07-16T22:13:00.000-04:00

Utah, Hiking, Anne Peairs Wedding, and the drive home
Leaving Twentynine Palms we drove back through the Mojave Desert, past Las Vegas, into and out of Arizona and into Utah where our destination was Bryce Canyon. The drive started in the hot dry desert with temperatures over 100, eventually passed through a mountain pass with snow along the side of the road and ended in the high, dry plateau at Bryce. Bryce Canyon is an amazing example of the effects of wind, rain, and freezing temperatures on a red limestone depost that is nearly1000 feet thick. The result is one of the most amazing displays of erosion and the beauty of nature. I just have to say how absolutely stunning Utah is! Don and I had been to Zion Park just a few years back with Brandy and Will (pre Mikayla) but we had never been to Bryce Canyon. This was our chance. And what a beautiful treat!

Upon arrival at the park, Max and I were able to buy our Senior Pass for access to all U.S. National parklands. Best of all the pass only costs $10.00 and it is good for the rest of our life. There are some advantages to reaching the ripe old age of 62. I'm going to order a book on Amazon that includes all the National Parks in the country. I figure we're going to get the most out of this pass. Maybe we'll start putting tacks into our map in Don's office for "visits" to national parks on our Senior Pass!

When we first arrived we had plenty of time to explore the rim of this canyon. The top of the canyon is at an elevation of about 8,000 feet, and the park provides view points at 5 different places along the rim. There is a hiking trail you can take along the rim, but you are also allowed to drive to each of the points and walk a short distance to the most beautiful views we have seen since Grand Canyon. Now my heart will always belong to the Grand Canyon- it was love at first sight (just like San Francisco!)- but Bryce Canyon needs to be on everyone's "bucket list". It is absolutely breathtaking. Because we arrived in the early evening, we drove instead of hiking the 3 mile rim walk, especially since we had plans to hike into the canyon the next day. I was amazed to find that these formations are not red sandstone, but rather limestone that was formed around 35-50 million years ago when this area was a very large inland lake. Sediments from the surrounding mountains that drained into the lake contained significant amounts of iron and thus the reason these rocks are red instead of the usual gray color of limestone.

Below are a few pictures taken from the rim. For significantly more pictures, you can look at the a comprehensive photo album at: https://picasaweb.google.com/dsl2949/BryceCanyon?authkey=Gv1sRgCOCG7LLSvLvqnAE
You really must visit Don's pictures they are well worth the time!

This view was a perfect occasion to use my fisheye lens.

I talked to the Ranger at the information desk and picked out a hike for the next day. I told him we could do a moderately difficult hike of 5-7 miles and he suggested one that fit that description. Now I really should have been paying close attention here- but I wasn't- rather wandering about the visitor center while Don discussed hiking the canyon. I should have AT LEAST read about the hikes that evening in the information that the ranger gave us about the canyon. But I didn't- that was a mistake. See- we could do a "moderately difficult" hike because Don has the stamina to do a "difficult" hike- and I can do an "easy" hike and Don thought probably "moderately difficult" was a rather nice compromise. WRONG! This hike was a KILLER! I stopped so many times- in fact- later Don commented how much "shade" had been on the hike- and I gently told him there really wasn't that much "shade" but since I stopped at every single tiny bit of shade the entire hike it just "seemed" like there was a lot of "shade".

One factor that must be considered is that you start this hike at an elevation of 8000 feet where the air is already pretty thin and drop about 600 feet into the floor of the canyon. It was beautiful going down, but one must remember that you have to climb back up at the end. More on that later. Here are some pictures of the way down. It was called Wall Street, not because it dealt in stocks and bonds, but because it was a path cut out out of a wall and was between two more vertical walls.

Once we reached the bottom, we hiked a short distance to a trail called Peek-a-boo. We had no idea why it had that name, but just that it was a 3 mile hike through some beautiful geology. I also want to mention here that if I had bothered to read the hiking information I would have known that this particular 3 mile hike was listed as very strenuous! As we hiked that 3 mile trail we found that we kept going up to near the top of the canyon and then back down again and repeated this about 4 different times resulting in a change in elevation of 1631 feet by the time we got to the end . And it became obvious that the name, "Peek-a-boo", was coined because each time we arrived at the top of a climb, we rounded a corner or walked through a short tunnel in the rock to see just another unbelieveable view that sprang up in front of us.

We did make it back up to the top after about five and a half hours and just as we were running out of water. I finally just flat out told Don that if he wanted to get me to the top he was going to have to do just a bit of pulling. So let it be recorded that I was rather pulled out of the canyon by Don! It was a very difficult walk for two folks that got into the park on a Senior Pass, and I'm not sure Max would have made it back without a lot of encouragement, but my goodness, it was beautiful.

From Bryce we drove 70 miles further northwest to Boulder, Utah where we checked into the Boulder Inn. This was the site of the wedding of Jason Weaver and Anne Peairs, daughter of our good friends, Mary Jo and Don Peairs. Mary Jo was Michael's kindergarten teacher when we first moved into our home in Wyoming, OH, and they have become wonderful friends. Anne and Jason live in Salt Lake and since they are both avid outdoors people they chose this Inn for their wedding. Below is the view from our room.

The Inn is in the small town of Boulder that has a population of about 180 people who are mostly involved in farming. Surprisingly, the resturant at the Inn (called Hell's Backbone Kitchen) is run by two entrepreneur women who have organized the local farmers to supply them with fresh, locally grown food. The food at this restaurant (that we enjoyed at the rehearsal dinner, the wedding reception and breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday) was the best food I had eaten on this trip- and competes easily the the wonderful food we had in Philly as well as Chicago. This place was amazing. Of course I now have the cookbook! You can check it out at Hells Backbone Grill! That first evening they hosted an informal rehearsal dinner with food provided by the restaurant. Anne and Jason seemed awfully relaxed.

As I said, Anne and Jason love the out of doors, so we weren't too surprised that on their wedding day the two of them started off the day with an easy 3 mile run (the elevation here is about 7000 ft). After breakfast, what else but a choice of three different organized hikes into the canyons around Boulder. It was very nice that the three hikes represented three different levels of difficultly. Most of us "older" hikers chose the "easy" hike that simply covered about 3 miles along the rim of the canyon instead of delving down to the bottom and then back up again. Below is the more rigorous group heading down into the canyon.

And below are the more "senior" hikers with their guide leading the way. That's Max in the pink top and big hat right behind our guide. This was my first "guided" hike and what a treat! Our guide had spent his whole life in National Parks (his father was a forest ranger as well) and he really knew his stuff. On top of that he was an amazing flute player. How lucky we were! You can hear our guide play his flute at Hiking Guide Playing the Flute.

And here are some scenes of the canyon.

Those younger hikers who descended to the canyon bottom climbed back out and met us at our half-way vista. Here are Anne and Jason after the early morning run and now a hike down the canyon and back up again.

Of course the wedding was held outside that evening with a beautiful view of the mountains in the background. The thirty odd family members and close friends who attended the wedding were treated to a strolling guitar player, beautiful weather, beautiful views, and what seems to be an absolutely appropriate wedding for these two. The bride was escorted across the lawn by her dad. Ann walked in barefoot looking absolutely stunning!

The wedding was officiated by a friend of Anne's from her Peace Corps experience in Africa. Anne was there 3 years before she came back and completed a graduate engineering degree before being hired by a firm in Salt Lake City! Impressive young woman! Rachel, the friend from Africa just finished seminary in time to marry Anne and Jason- perfect timing!

And the bride was beautiful!

We left Boulder Sunday morning enroute to Denver, CO, for our next leg of the trip. The drive through the Rockies on I-70 east to Denver is another beautiful trip, though by now we'd seen "lots of beautiful" and were mostly just ready to get home and sleep in our own beds! We had about an hour delay due to construction on the western side of the Rockies and then made very good time until just after we passed through the Eisenhower Tunnel and began our decent into Denver. Who would have guessed that "rush hour" in Denver is at its very worst on Sunday evening on the drive down the from the mountains into Denver? It took us 2 hours to drive about 50 miles on the interstate highway. I guess we should have guessed it when all of the cars were either pulling boats, carrying bicycles or kayaks, pulling campers, and loaded down with what was obviously camping gear. The real rush hour in Denver is the one coming home after a weekend in the mountains.

Our final two legs of this trip were not nearly as interesting. From Denver we drove to Kansas City and then the next day to Cincinnati, completing our 20 days and 4675 miles on the road. Now I do want to mention that we made very good use of our time in the car when the view wasn't so "beautiful". We listened to 26 cds of "John Adams" by David McCullough and then finished 10 of the cds of "Franklin and Lucy" by Joseph Persico. So we came back "smarter" than when we left as well.

I don't believe we will ever repeat this specific journey, but who knows. We were glad to get home, sleep in our own beds, use our own shower in the morning, and especially to not have an agenda for the next day.

20 days and 4675 miles in 3 parts. Part 2:

2011-07-07T21:42:00.001-04:00

West to Twentynine Palms, CA
Twentynine Palms, CA is about 1200 miles straight west from Oklahoma City. Since we started a little late after having breakfast with my cousin Vicki, we chose to take our time and make this trip with two stops so our arrival into Twentynine Palms on the third day would be fairly early. We stopped first in Albuquerque and then the second night in Flagstaff. This gave us an easy 4.5 hour drive on our last day. The further west we went the hotter it got. When we crossed the Colorado River into California, our car thermometer read 109. But the drive across the Mojave was uneventful, mostly because there really isn't anything to speak of once you leave Kingman, AZ. We arrived at the gate for the base where Marianne met us and got us our pass so we could drive onto the base. From there it was just a couple miles to their new base housing.

With the arrival of Weiler, the Kappels were now worthy of a four bedroom house on the base. The place is really very nice with a fenced back yard, patio area, garage, and a good air conditioner (the best part). The first action was to unload the piano from the back of the van. Michael had helped me load it in Cincinnati, but even better help showed up to lug it out of the car and into the house. The Marines landed!! Clint and three of his friends showed up to do the heavy work, allowing me to only look like I was helping. Don't let Don kid you- he couldn't resist "helping" so with all these strapping Marines to help, Don was still in the middle "pulling his weight!" These Marines by the way are the Lieutenants that served under Clint in Afghanistan. What a fine looking group! Gotta admit, it made me proud just to be holding onto the piano with those four Marines.

And it wasn't too long before Reeder was playing "Grandma", her recital song.

Our arrival was only a couple of days after the movers had arrived with all of their stuff. Consequently, our visit provided not only the main object of this trip (to see Clint), but also provided Marianne with some help in moving in, unpacking, putting away, putting together, fixing, painting, and taking care of kids (the last part almost entirely done by Max). I don't think I saw Don "resting" for even a moment. In addition to painting four rooms, putting together two bikes, a barbq grill (the toughest of his assisngments- but he finished in time for us to cook steaks for supper!), shelving, cabinets.... (I bet it isn't hard for you to decide which color Reeder picked and which color Hayes picked...)

After a nights sleep our first assignment was something more official. The Colonel in charge of Clint's Battalion was transferring and a change of command was needed. Now the Marines take these things very seriously and include a lot of pomp and circumstance. They brought out their vehicles (below is a Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) that they use in their job. The change of command was really impressive- makes you so proud- proud of my son, proud of the Marines and proud of my country!

Next came the men under the Colonel's command (although since it was really hot, they only marched out 30 from each of the five Companies instead of all 120 men that make up a company). Below is Clint leading his Company in the parade and the Company "at ease" while the outgoing and incoming Colonels said a "few words".

And they even marched a few horses around the parade grounds.

Best of all we got our first family picture that included Weiler!

But everything wasn't just work and parades. We did take a little time for some fun. Marianne and I blew up the inflatable pool so the kids could cool off. Unfortunately the pump to inflate the pools was still packed in one of those boxes piled in the house.

And Clint's "coming home" present to Hayes was.... Drum roll please....

And Reeder and Hayes both got new bicycles to ride.

Hayes and I were out "riding" a couple of times and he would always slow when he passed this BIG BIKE!

I asked Hayes if he might want to take a closer look. He was excited.

Then he told me, "Grama, when I get big I will ride in the middle seat and you'll ride on the back seat." I do think I might have to decline that- even from this charmer!

And Weiler simply enjoyed being there with everybody and smiling.

And Clint got a brand new grill although the picture below was pre-new grill. Nonetheless grilling out in the back yard was an almost daily event.

One real downside of the trip was that Clint didn't have a lot of free time. One would think that after spending several months working 20 hour days getting ready to go to Afghanistan and then spending 7 months over there working essentially 24 hours a day, the Marines could give a guy a little time off. Two unfortunate things happened to prevent this: 1) Clint got a new assignment and a new Colonel when he returned and 2) his replacement for his old assignment wasn't due to show up for another month or so. Consequently, Clint was working two jobs while we were there in preparation of a much needed vacation with his family. But I might mention that Clint started this "vacation" by climbing Mt. Rainer! How's that for taking a break!

He did get some time to catch up on sleep and holding his new son.

And Clint and I even squeezed a trip in to the park!

So Max and I focused on helping put the house in order and spending some time with Marianne and the Kids. One morning before temperatures got too high we even ventured out to Joshua Tree National Park for a little hiking and rock climbing. Reeder and Hayes love to climb on the rocks and they are getting really good at it for kids that are 3 and 5 years old.

OK, so Hayes isn't climbing in this picture, but I couldn't resist this smile. Not sure anyone can resist this smile!

Weiler wasn't quite ready to try out his climbing shoes, but he enjoyed the show and got to climb with Mom.

Weiler even got a good bit of cuddling from Grandma Max.

Part 3 coming next: Bryce Canyon, Boulder, Utah and Anne Peair's wedding, then home.

20 days and 4675 miles in 3 parts. Part 1:

2011-07-05T21:14:00.000-04:00

On June 9 Max and I left Cincinnati on a car trip originally planned with a specific intent of seeing Clint, who just returned from 7 months in Afghanistan and is based in Twentynine Palms, CA. Planning began back in the winter months as Max tried to get as much out of this trip as possible. After much rescheduling and replanning we decided to include seeing family and friends in Arkansas and Oklahoma, visit Clint, Marianne and the grandkids in Twentynine Palms, spend two days at Bryce Canyon (reasons provided later), attend a wedding of our friends Don and Mary Joe Peairs' daughter in Boulder Utah, have dinner with Elaine's (ex-sister-in-law sister Boopie in Denver and then drive home.

Part 1 of this blog will focus on the first 5 days in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Our first stop was in Springdale, AR at our niece Tracy's house. That first night Tracy fixed us a wonderful dinner of beef stroganoff (My Mom's recipe) and a great evening of conversation with her and her two beautiful daughters, Jess and Katie. We had just returned from Philly when we started this trip so having a wonderful home cooked meal was a real treat- and of course an evening with Tracy and her girls is always a welcome evening.

This was followed up the next morning with the absolute best breakfast of the whole trip. Tracy made sausage gravy, biscuits, and sausage that must be described as the best I have ever had. I had intended to take a picture of this wonderful breakfast, but it seems the priority was in actually eating it instead of photographing it- so didn't get the picture until most of it was gone. Well I managed to photograph it before Don "cleaned" the platter! I understand now why he makes me promise I will never start cooking him sausage gravy- he can't stop himself!

We left Springdale the next day and drove to Tulsa for time with Max's family. It still feels just a bit off center to visit Tulsa- and not see Don's Mom- or his brother. I always feel their loss more acutely while we visit there.
We stayed in Downtown Tulsa at the Hyatt - my stepbrother Steve had made his "reservation" to stay at Dad and Fay's before we were making any real plans- but it worked out just as well. Now I have to tell you- I'm a big fan of Priceline- THANK YOU SHARON- it saves us mucho money! and spent a little time that first day walking around the downtown area. Tulsa has a number of beautiful art deco buildings so Max snapped a few while we took a walk on the streets in the near 100 degree weather.

And I sure didn't remember the Casa Laredo Latin Grill and Tequila Bar, serving Tulsa for three generations. Actually we spent most of our "dining" experiences at Ken's Pizza or El Charrito's....

We also spent some time walking along the Arkansas River. Tulsa has done a wonderful job developing Riverside into a 7 mile long park with walking/biking paths, artwork and even converted an old train tressel into a pedesterian bridge just above a low water dam that transforms the river into something that looks like water instead of random sandbars. When we last lived in Tulsa in the late 60's it was just a wild overgrown area that smelled of the refineries located across the river. The picture below is down stream from the dam and it is difficult to see, but the shallow areas were populated by numerous herons and egrets.

But this trip wasn't about seeing the sights of Tulsa- even as enjoyable as this is- but this visit was seeing family- and see family we did!

Me and my Dad!

Add in my brother, Bub and Fay, my step Mom!

Now add in my sister-in-law Nancy!

And finally Dad and Fay with my stepbrother Steve! We're looking forward to adding in my sister Mary at Amber's wedding this fall!

But this was a "quick trip" so we were off on Sunday for Oklahoma City to see first Clare...

We missed Oliver because he wasn't back from Ireland yet- and he was missed- but we had seen him when they recently visited here in Cincinnati. An added treat always is to stay in Clare and Oliver's beautiful home!

We spent the next day with our dear friends Kathy and TH. Kathy actually hired me into my first teaching position when Clint was 2 years old!

Kathy and I left the "boys" behind and we joined another dear friend Sharon Parker for lunch at my very favorite restaurant in Norman called Victoria's!

We stopped the next morning for breakfast with Don's cousin Vicki on our way out of town...

And then we were off for the drive that would eventually land us in 29 Palms- and CLINT!

(If you're feeling just a bit breathless imagine how we were feeling and the trip was barely at it's beginning!)

Harper's Ferry and Philly

2011-07-03T20:50:00.000-04:00

In early June Max and I took one of our road trips, this time to visit with Matthew and Sharon in Philly. We've gone to Philadelphia every spring since Matthew and Sharon moved, and it is one of my favorite trips. Not only are Matthew and Sharon perfect host and hostess, Philadelphia has great restaurants (we're working our way through them) and even more interesting- there are some incredibly beautiful gardens. I'm not sure we've made our way through the list yet- but it will be fun to start again!
Since we have a plan of trying to spend at least one night in every state, this year we focused on West Virginia. Now I'm not sure we'll make every state before our "wings are clipped"- and for now we have only remote plans for Hawaii (I spent three years there and would love to go back to visit my old haunts) or Alaska- but we have at least preliminary plans for the others. But for this year it was WEST VIRGINIA! We have driven through West Virginia any number of times on trips to Philly, or Virginia, or North Carolina, or New York (you get the picture), but we had never really stopped there. Since we wanted to be close to Philly so we could drive in easily on a Friday, we chose Harpers Ferry, a town of a somewhat reputation concerning the Civil War, but also about as close to Philly as you can get and still be in West Virginia.

You have all heard of the famous raid made by John Brown on the U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry that was one of the factors that sped the country toward the Civil War. The interesting thing is that Harpers Ferry sits at the confluence of and between the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers and the government used the water power provided by those rivers to make rifles and stored them in the arsenals there. Now I think that probably the Civil (nothing "civil" about that war) War was inevitable, it did strike me as rather odd that the act of a "crazy" John Brown attacking a United States aresenal was such a catalyst for the tragedy.

Max found a wonderful Bed and Breakfast there called the Ledge which sits high on a bluff overlooking the confluence of the rivers. Consequently we had a great view from our deck outside our room.

We ventured out after our arrival to explore the area and were advised by our host to cut through the old cemetery across the road for a trail down to the site of the raid and the river banks. The cemetery was the original cemetery for the town and had some graves dating to the 1700’s.

Just below the cemetery is the ruins of the first church built at Harpers Ferry, but all that is left are parts of the stone walls. It turns out that the trail we were told to find is part of the Appalachian Trail that wanders between Georgia and Maine and we seemed to be right about the middle of it.

There was a railroad bridge that had one of the tracks converted into a walking bridge and as we crossed the bridge (well I didn't actually cross the bridge- while Don was crossing the bridge I was talking on the phone- and when I finished Don said he was a bit windy and he thought I could just skip the experience...) it was obvious to see the mixing of the waters of the two rivers. The Potomac was muddy and brown and the Shenandoah was green. If you look close at the following picture you can see the line of mixing where they come together.

So we now have marked off West Virginia as a place visited and are ready to add the few states that we still have not been to together. You'll just have to wait and see which states they are- though I might mention that on our most recent trip we spent nights in 8 states and none were "new".

The next morning we drove the short distance to Philly and Matthew’s and Sharon’s condo. Two of our favorite things to do in Philly are to eat at some of Philly’s interesting restaurants and to visit some of Philly’s wonderful gardens. So on Saturday we set out to visit Chanticleer Gardens- http://www.chanticleergarden.org/. I wish that we had "gardens" in Cincinnati, but we just don't. Our conservatory is one of the best in the country- and our zoo hosts an amazing botanical garden- and of course we have many parks- but gardens we just don't have. Traveling to Philly is always such a treat!

This was the estate of Adolph Rosengarten whose pharmaceutical company later became part of Merck Pharmaceuticals. Not only were the gardens beautiful, but the current grounds keepers were also quite gifted wood workers made chairs and benches that were located around the grounds and and property. We all took available opportunities to sit and just view nature at its best.

Of course the gardens also had some wonderful plants and water features too, including a large pond where I found this lazy turtle who posed for me.

The Southern Magnolias were in bloom...

And there were a few beautiful lillies here and there....

And streams with little waterfalls...

And reflecting pools...

On Saturday night we ate at the White Dog Cafe (http://whitedog.com/about.html). Sharon and Matthew took Clare and me to this restaurant last August when we stopped after our piano camp, and I was anxious to return. It did not disappoint!

On Sunday we headed out to brunch at Terrain which is part of a nursery/gift shop/cute things store. The place was beautiful, but I have to say that they were very proud of their products and food and consequently demanded high value for them. I'm not sure I've ever spent more and gotten less food at any other place. I didn't even know that it was possible to cook a one egg omelette, but it really is. You're not going to gain weight certainly. On that account they are surely in first place. By example in the picture below is my helping of potatoes - all of it. I did manage to find a new cookbook (not that Don would think I need a new cookbook) that I ordered- on the spot from my phone from Amazon for half what they were charging! It was waiting for me when I got home!

From Brunch we went to Tyler Arboretum, 650 acres of land that was part of lease of land from William Penn to Thomas Winshall in 1681 http://www.tylerarboretum.org/ . We weren't sure that the auboretum had quite decided what its future will be. A good part of the land was decorated with little "fairy villages" complete with gobblins and gnomes and appeared to be ideal for parties for young children. And because of their focus on fairies I'm now the proud owner of wings and tutu and tiara- all for any visiting fairy that might come to call here in Cincy!

Another part contains some magnificent trees planted in the 1830's by decendents of Winshall. There is even a Giant Sequoia that although is small compared to the ones in Califronia, is impressive nonetheless.

Sunday evening kept us in Philly in the City Center area at the Farm and Fisherman. You can check it out if you're interested at http://www.thefarmandfisherman.com/.

It had great food and great wine (which we brought-love those BYOB places- it does save money!) and capped off the evening with some great food.

So as you see- we had a wonderful time! And I feel certain that Matthew and Sharon will plan another great adventure for our next trip east!

MIKAYLA IS TWO!

2011-06-16T00:17:00.000-04:00

MIKAYLA TURNED TWO! Don and I made a May trip to Florida to celebrate Mikayla's second birthday and what fun we had. It was non-stop party center! Well maybe not non-stop- but a wonderful time was had by all! We arrived on Thursday- and spent most of Friday getting ready for THE PARTY on Saturday. Brandy had everything all planned out- and most things ordered so there really wasn't that much for us to do other than a trip to Party City- but we were delighted to be able to help even a little with the preparation.

But enough of that- and on to the party! Sunglasses were the party favors and they were well used.

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!

And her friends!

And of course CAKE!

And rest assured this little one LOVES PRESENTS!

This purple dinosaur was a favorite ride.

Now not all was PARTY TIME! And one of the favorite things Brandy, Mikayla and I loved to do was sit under the tree in their side yard- and most importantly I do believe that was the only place in Florida that always seemed shaded and always had a breeze- and was cool enough to sit outside in the afternoon. So everyday we'd walk to the shade and wait for the neighbors to pay a visit. It was a fairly big Live Oak tree and it did have acorns, but they were the size pea. Mikayla liked to collect them.

We always took a baby!

More acorns...

And occasionally a squirrel in the tree...

And then out to eat at a great restaurant on the Bay just a short drive from Brandy and Will's home... We sat on the patio outside next to the water... Ahhhh....

Then of course there was a trip to the beach! Mikayla really got into this sand and ocean adventure!

Note that the photographers put all risk aside to get these shots.

A few yoga positions were also needed at various times on the beach

Those big waves were awfully scary, but sitting on the edge with mommy and daddy seemed to give some reassurance.

Even Grandma got her feet wet.

Family pic on the beach

And even a foot rub for Mommy in the surf and sand.

On our last day we started with our favorite coffee shop- and of course a cinnamon roll (have I mentioned HOW MUCH Don LOVES cinnamon rolls!)... Who would believe that our first trip there Max ordered one roll for the whole table. This table needs at least two or maybe three of those cinnamon rolls.

And then we were off for an adventure at the park next to the Bay...

This calm, shallow warm water was much less scary than the surf at the beach and the playground had lots of things to do.

There were even pine cones to collect

We finished our adventure by taking Mikayla for her very first haircut. She sat absolutely still. Brandy said she thought she was so still because we'd absolutely exhausted her with all the celebrations!

The visit of course ended too quick... But it was time to head back and pack for our next trip- to Chicago to meet Evan's parents- and then to Philadelphia to see Matthew and Sharon. So have van, will travel! We were off!

Spring, in between trips

2011-06-01T22:14:00.000-04:00

This Spring has been a very busy one for us. We have put a lot of miles on the car and still have more to do this summer, but we were also pretty busy here on Wentworth. It's been a bit difficult just catching our breathe in between all the trips. But then when we look back in pictures our life here on Wentworth takes on much more definition. Every week that we are in town we spend a day a week with Hayes, and then one with Reeder. Anthony comes for a visit one evening a week while Sarah goes to class. And if that isn't enough excitement this year Deseree delighted us by taking up track at Wyoming Middle School. She was fantastic! Who would have guessed that our beautiful "couch potato" could run like the wind? Why we had never seen her do anything athletic
So mostly with photographs, we will recount our days of this Cincinnati Spring.

First, Krohn Conservatory brought in the annual butterfly show. This year they were butterflies from Brazil. I took the Kappel's for a big day!

I took Sarah and Anthony on a Thursday morning, a choice that was a bit of a mistake. As we drove up to the Conservatory, I was surprised to see the yellow school busses that were also arriving. One of the rural school districts nearby was bringing 5 big bus loads of young children at the same time we were arriving. Sometimes that happens, but we did get to experience the butterflies even though it was awfully crowded and LOUD.

Reeder had some great experiences this Spring. First, she took Ballet through a school connected with the Cincinnati Ballet Company. We all went down to watch the recital which was held in the same theater that the Ballet performs. We were not allowed to take any pictures, but we did get this one post-preformance picture of Reeder with her flowers.

And she also took piano lesson this Spring! We gave Reeder Max's old piano that Max's parents gave her over 35 years ago. Reeder took lessons at our house from the same piano teacher that is teaching Max as well. So Reeder had a piano recital. Below she is performing one of her two songs she learned.

And here she is playing on Grandma Max's piano. Her first real song she learned and the one she played at the recital is entitled "Grandma".

This year also gave Anthony and Hayes a chance to get to know each other. Well, at first it was a little rough since two two year olds aren't really very good a sharing. But before the Spring was over, these two had become great friends and really enjoyed spending time together. Tuesday was our day to keep Hayes and then Tuesday night Anthony always joined us, so the overlap made just about the right amount of time for them to be together.

They helped me with Spring planting

We read books.

And feeding the fish in the ponds was always on the agenda.

Blowing bubbles also became one of their favorites.

For some reason, blowing bubbles at the fish in the pond was really special.

And of course Grandma was always the provider of things to do.

But I think their favorite thing to do came as a bit of a surprise to us. After dinner and just before we took Hayes home, it was time for a bath. They both had a great time in the tub and always asked when it was going to be bath time.

On our last day to keep Reeder and Hayes, we took them to the Zoo. The animals were interesting, but the real interesting thing seemed to be the snack at the the end. It was ice cream for Reeder and Cotton Candy for Hayes.

I did mention that Deseree ran track. Max and I went to all of her track meets that we could. Deseree ended up running the 4X100 relay and the 4X200 relay. She had a great relay team that came in 2nd and 3rd in the conference in the 4X100 and 4X200 respectively. She ended up with 5 medals for the season. We are all looking forward to watching her run next year in high school. Here are some action shots:

But not all of our Spring was spent with grandchildren, even though it really does seem like it was. Our good friends the Delaney's from Oklahoma City came to visit for a long weekend. Here are Claire and Max sharing some time on the double rocker.

And here are Claire and Oliver with Reeder.

We took them to the Cleopatra exhibit at the Museum Center. If you get a chance to see this exhibit either here- or in other locations- you should definately go. Impressive for sure.

Of course, Max planned a dinner with Sarah and Marianne plus all the kids.

And we did have some great meals while there were here.

And finally Spring brought wild life back to our yard. Marianne's gift of a gourd bird house finally got some use from one of our favorites birds, the Carolina Wren. They are still on the nest, but expecting to see little ones soon.

And the deer are back again enjoying the unmowed grass of our next door neighbor's lawn. The doe had twins this year.

And just this week a pair of Mallards thought my pond might make a good home. I did have to chase them away since they also seemed to believe the my fish in the pond we theirs for the taking.

TEAM BRANDY!

2011-05-08T21:40:00.214-04:00

We are so very proud of Will and Anne (Will's sister and Brandy's sister-in-law)! When they set their mind to something there is just no stopping them. The last weekend in April we traveled to Louisville for the CELEBRATION of TEAM BRANDY at the Derby Festival Mini-Marathon. They ran as part of the The American Cancer Society DetermiNation Team. But before I get ahead of myself- let me start at the beginning of our weekend. The chemo kicked in BIG TIME before the weekend- first with a plunge in Brandy's white blood count- and then the beginning of the "a little too dramatic" hair loss. Brandy went for a haircut before they arrived in Louisville. Maggie (Brandy's mother-in-law) and I decided that this was the perfect time to go shopping for a wig and hats and scarfs for the duration of the chemotherapy- and recovery time. Anne found the The Wig Shoppe and we began the weekend shopping!

And we found SUCCESS! This weekend was off to a great start. It's not that we don't think that Will has INCREDIBLE talents- but Maggie and I just decided that probably "beauty consultant" wasn't one of them- no offense Will! Anne and Maggie brought their expertise to the table!

Then Friday evening we were off to the American Cancer Society DetermiNation Awards dinner. Team Brandy! was the top fund raising team- Team Brandy! raised over $17,000 for the American Cancer Society! Will was the top individual fund raiser with Anne coming in a close second. And if that wasn't enough, Will was asked to be the speaker for the event. I am so very proud of all that Will and Anne have done! Will was amazing in his speech- he moved the crowd to tears- and then laughter- and then to practical suggestions for using social networks in fundraising. What an amazing experience of family!

TEAM BRANDY!

And a beautiful picture of a beautiful family!

THE BIG DAY: TEAM BRANDY! RACES:

But enough of this preparation- we were all there to either race (Will and Anne) or watch the race (Don, me, Brandy, Sean, Maggie, Mikayla and Braxton). I'm not sure any of us got much sleep the night before the race. Our alarms were set for 4:30 am (I actually consider that still "night" not "morning")- and were all a bit anxious about getting started on time. Will and Anne wanted to arrive at the race in downtown Louisville at 6:30 am to warm up before the 7:30 am start. WE WERE ON TIME!

The American Cancer Society DetermiNation had a nice gathering booth with plenty of water etc. They'd even arranged for our very own porta-potty so our racers (and cheering squad) didn't have to wait in any lines- they'd even hired a security guard so nobody could "abuse" our special privilege!

And of course we had our own special "cheerleaders"!

TEAM BRANDY!

With 11,000+ runners, even though we were lined up watching the runners start (it was a staggered start with "chips" that started the official time for each runner when they crossed the starting line), it was so crowded Don and I didn't see Will cross in front of us. All I saw was was Will running away from me when Brandy and Maggie yelled "There he is! There he is!". I missed it. We waited for Anne to cross the starting line but because of the number of runners, it took her 10 minutes to actually get to the start and run by us. Then we started walking toward what was billed as a couple of blocks to "mile 4" where we hoped to see both Will and and Anne run by - We were rushing it, But we were slowed just a tad by Mikayla- or maybe Mikayla was slowed just a tad by her Grandma pushing the stroller that Mikayla was not riding...In reality the walk was over a mile and given that we waited 10 minutes after the start to see Anne, as well as the 20 minute walk to get to the 4 mile viewing place, we missed seeing Will run by about 4 minutes.

So we finally made it to "mile 4" but not in time to see Will turn this corner. So we waited for Anne to cross. Meanwhile we did just a bit of "prettying up" for the day...

I started getting a bit worried that we might miss Will cross the finish line- he is fast, so Don, Brandy, Mikayla and I left Maggie, Sean and Braxton to watch for Anne and we headed back to the finish. Those "2 blocks" turned out to be at least a mile away! Of course Anne raced by 2 minutes after we left. So far I was spending a lot more time this day "looking" for Will and Anne running and not much time "watching" Will and Anne run!

Mikayla and I took up our spot at the finish line and started our wait for her Daddy to cross. She waited with anxious anticipation...

And our wait was rewarded!

NOW IT'S TIME FOR SOME FLAT OUT BRAGGING! WILL IS FAST- AND I MEAN REALLY, REALLY FAST. HE FINISHED THE HALF MARATHON (13.1 MILES) IN 1 HOUR AND 25 MINUTES WHICH IS UNDER 6.5 MINUTE MILES! AND OUT OF 9,423 HALF MARATHON RACE FINISHERS, WILL WAS 79! I TOLD YOU HE WAS FAST! Will's goal was to run 1:25 and his real time was 1:25:10. Not bad at all! Ten whole seconds slower than his hoped for run. But I have to tell you that I fully expected Will to make his goal. While we were in Niceville during Brandy's surgery, Will was preparing for this race with a determination that was truly amazing. He did his work outs in the morning before we ever woke up. He was often up at 3:30 either running, biking, or pumping weights for a couple of hours before going to work. I pretty much knew what was motivating him and that he would certainly achieve his goal.

Since Mikayla and I had front row "standing" spots, we just kept our place a waited to cheer Anne across the Finish Line. Again our wait was rewarded! And we cheered (well I cheered- Mikayla was still "resting her eyes" as Grandpa would say)!

And here is post race Team Brandy!

And of course everyone wants their picture with Will! And can you blame her!

Way to go TEAM BRANDY!

Spring Celebrations

2011-04-26T21:08:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of things to celebrate in Spring. The snow has finally melted and we are hopeful it won't come back; the spring bulbs are all in bloom; the trees are all sprouting leaves and flowers; and baseball season has finally started. And of course Spring brings special celebrations each year with family and friends. This year we first enjoyed one of our favorite celebrations, a Passover Seder, with our dear friends, Fouad and Mary. Fouad and Mary never fail to make this evening one that we always remember. The food is wonderful, the tradition has meaning, and Fouad always incorporates a new adventure into the evening. How could you not know that it is going to be a special evening when you are met at the door by Moses?

Those of you who know Fouad understand that he is a Pied Piper for children. Regardless of the occasion, Fouad has the children around him.

Now Moses doesn't just look good. Moses provides us with some traditional events like a ceremonial lighting of candles by all of the attending families.

Fouad and Mary!

The Kappels, Marianne, Hayes and Reeder!

Linda, Fouad's Sister from New Jersey!

Sarah and Anthony!

But next Fouad shows us he really isn't kidding about this Moses things. We all know exactly what Moses looks like, Charleston Helton with long hair and a big beard, plus carrying a big stick.

OK, so he can look a lot like Moses, but can he really make the Red Sea part so we can all walk across on dry land into the promise land? Sure he can.

OK, so the Red Sea does look like a green carpet, but Moses wacked it with the stick and we all crossed into the promise land (well some of us danced and skipped over the parted sea).

Another of the Ezra's traditions is protecting us from the plagues that were cast upon the "Egyptians" before "we" were released by Pharaoh. At the Ezra's house we protect ourselves by holding a "tent" over the Seder table while we repeat each of the plagues. You might also note fingers in the wine glasses. We dip into the wine and flick it onto the plate with the wine representing the plagues that we cast away as we say them, and flicking the wine onto the plate is a way to get rid of it.

Hand washing is also one of the traditions of the Seder, and Fouad loves to get the children involved in the celebrations. Here Reeder and Alexa (granddaughter of one of our P&G friends, retired) pass the water bowl and help us with the towel.

And for the second wash it was Anthony (the little guy is behind Fouad's arm) and his mom, Sarah.

And of course, at Fouad and Mary's house, the children never leave without something special for them. This year it was a bag with some goodies. Reeder and Alexa became friends quite quickly and enjoyed the chocolate together on the big overstuffed chair.

And finally, it would be terrible not to mention the Passover meal itself. Mary prepares this meal every year by herself and the table is open to as many as can come. Mary makes the best roasted lamb that forces me to overeat every year. And of course Mary also makes the very best Matzo Ball Soup- And my favorite the pistachio cookies!
Now Don has done a perfect job explaining the special joy that is Passover with Mary and Fouad. It is always an evening filled with new friends and old, good food and much laughter- and of course hope- hope for that promised land as we repeat the many blessings for the richness of our life in this our Cincinnati home.

Passover week also always falls about the same time as Easter (amazing coincidence) every Spring and Easter is another opportunity to get together with family. I might mention as an aside that there is not a single religion- or culture- that does not celebrate the arrival of spring- and the eggs (fertility of course) predates much of the religious significance that has been layered on this spring rite. We feel especially fortunate to celebrate in both the Jewish and the Christian traditions each year. This year we celebrated Easter with Marianne, Reeder, Hayes and Weiler, Marianne's parents Jerry and Marcia and special guests from Florida, Shannon and Wyatt (Marianne's good friend from Florida and her son), as well as Anthony and Deseree accompanied by two of Deseree's friends Selena and Sierra. And what better way to celebrate Easter than with a BRUNCH! It was Max's turn to cook and it was a breakfast that even an eggnostic could enjoy.

But first there was a tradition that Max started last year. Since Easter baskets are pretty common and not very useful once the goodies are gone, Max decided that the holiday needed Easter bags, cloth bags with drawstrings filled with appropriate goodies. Below Reeder and Anthony are showing off their bags of loot.

Weiler had a special request since he was already pretty full of Easter candy that had already been processed by Marianne. Weiler likes to hold things in his hands when he goes to sleep and blankets are just a little to mature for this little guy. So Max knitted him some mini-blankets to satisfy his need for security.

While Weiler was being cuddled by Shannon, the other kids had an Easter egg hunt in the house. It has been raining for about 3 weeks now and who wants to hunt eggs in the mud? OK, so of course Hayes would love to hunt eggs in the mud, but that just wasn't going to happen.

The plants in our sun room provided lots of hiding places...

And as Anthony shows below, eggs were found.

But the purpose of this brunch was brunching. Max made two wonderful egg caseroles and this spectacular fruit salad.

But the real hit (at least in my opinion) was the home made cinnamon rolls.

They were absolutely as good as this close up shows. All of that wonderful stuff in the center is just heavenly - sugar, butter and cinnamon.

But if you are a three year old boy that has spent a good bit of the morning taking advantage of the goodies from baskets and bags, you might not be very hungry for egg casseroles. I do believe these are my favorite pictures of both celebrations as Hayes desperately pleaded- "more candy please".

You might just rather have one more of those chocolate eggs, or just a few more peeps. Who wants to each brunch stuff when that bag holds such better things?

It's Always About Mikaya

2011-04-17T21:49:00.000-04:00

One of the really nice things about being mostly retired is that your schedule is very flexible, and you can go anywhere you want to go, any time. Sometimes this may mean something as minor as taking in an afternoon baseball game and sometimes it may mean helping your family when they need it. You have all read and heard about Brandy's recent surgery and the very positive outcome that we all expect so I will not expound further on that subject.

Wait a minute! Let's back up. I'm afraid I can't just breeze by the last 9 weeks and 6 days with a "you have all read and heard about Brandy's surgery..." It just doesn't happen that way for me. See 9 weeks and 6 days ago I entered some weird alternate reality in which I still wander. It all began with a CT scan that said, "HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS OF OVARIAN CANCER". I exited the world as I know it- and trust it- and entered the Land of Oz- for surely "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." The earth stopped moving on it's axis- time slowed to almost a standstill as we waited first for the appointment with the Gynecological Oncologist (took two long, long, long weeks for that) and then another two weeks and 2 days for the surgery to actually take place and then the 8 hours sitting in the waiting room waiting for information on how the surgery was going and then the agonizing wait for the results of the pathology reports- had to wait on that twice- first the "local" take- and then the "experts" from University of Florida- and of course two body and mind numbing weeks in the hospital while Brandy recovered from what was originally billed as a "3-5 day stay". And then 9 weeks and 2 days after that first earth stopping CT scan Brandy has now started what will be 6 doses of chemotherapy- Taxol and Carboplatin if you're inclined to the details.
See in my reality the NEXT BIG HEALTH EVENT was not one of our children- or grandchildren- it was Don or me. After all we're the ones that are entering that "almost elderly" category- we're the ones that count out the pills for morning- and then again for evening to stave off the boogie men of the aged. That's how the world works- I know it! You're not suddenly blind sided by an ovarian cancer in your beautiful 35 year old daughter (epithelial mucinous ovarian cancer for those interested in the details- stage 1C- poorly differentiated). Now I can probably fathom say gall bladder disease- or a hernia- or broken bones. BUT OVARIAN CANCER!

Just an aside- cancer in the young adult- age 21-39- is increasing- the experts don't know why- they just know it is... Somehow I don't think this is the time we ought to be "watering down" our environmental protections- just saying...

I wish to interrupt this blog with a PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT. Will and Anne (Will's sister and Brandy's sister-in-law) will be running in a half marathon at the end of this month to raise money for the American Cancer Society on TEAM BRANDY. Many of you have donated- and please know how much this is appreciated. So please check out the website at TEAM BRANDY for more information!

But given that we were there to support Brandy during and after her hospital stay it also provided Max and me the opportunity to spend significant time with Mikayla. Mikayla is a jewel of a little girl, and from pictures I've seen of Brandy when she was that age, Mikayla is a spitting image of her mother. Mikayla looks so much like Brandy that sometimes I'm transported across time- and I actually see my beautiful little blond curly headed daughter. But then Brandy was brown eyed- and Mikayla has huge blue eyes- and Mikayla definitely has her Daddy's ears- and can hear as well as he can (Will would hear my "alarm" for my dinner pills go off two rooms away while I sat quite oblivious to the "noise"). Mikayla does not like "noise"- hair dryers- blenders.... So I see Brandy in Mikayla but it's fleeting- mostly I just see my beautiful little blond curly headed granddaughter.

Early in the hospitalization it became apparent that the ONLY WAY to bring a genuine smile to Brandy's face was to show her a "real time" picture of Mikayla. So that's exactly what Don and I would do! How grateful I am to technology and SMART PHONES! Don would take a picture with his phone when he was with Mikayla and send it to me on my smart phone- and I'd show it to Brandy. And absolutely 100% of the time a big smile would break across her face- regardless of how miserable that particular day was. And then when I was with Mikayla I'd take the pictures and send them to Don's phone- and he'd show them to Brandy. Eventually when Brandy was feeling better- and actually sitting up looking at her computer- we'd send the pictures straight to Brandy's email. So when you look at each of the following pictures know that each brought a smile to Brandy- the only real smiles in fact until she finally made the back trip home. Behind each of these pictures is a smiling Brandy!

I have to say that we were a bit apprehensive about how Mikayla would react to having her Mommy gone and being taken care of by Grama and Grandpa who have had little experience with her. But this little girl just accepted us like it was normal. We did get to spend one full day with Mikayla before Brandy left for the hospital, so we were well briefed on Mikayla's standard day, from waking up (7:00 a.m.) to going to bed at night (7:00 p.m.). Since Brandy's surgery was scheduled for early morning and the drive was 75 miles to the hospital, Will, Brandy and Max left for the hospital at about 4:30 a.m. That first day it was just me and Mikayla and guess who decided to wake up at 05:00am on that first morning? I need to add here- that Don always pulled the "duty" with the least amount of sleep allowed- he was the one home when Mikayla got up EARLY- both times. He was the one at the hospital when the night staff somehow decided that no one needed sleep that night- Brandy or Don! But I did know the process and ad libbed until time to take her to her day care at 08:00. Max didn't get back until later that night, but Mikayla and I did quite well getting through our first day. Our second day after school I took her to a park to get a little change of scenery.

The swings were fun, for a while, but Mikayla wanted to go home. One nice distraction at the house is the two large tangelo trees in their back yard. Mikayla loves to eat the tangelos, so we spent time picking and eating the fruit right off the trees.

Now let me interject here the pattern of our days- the pattern of our days for 14 days. Don and I rotated between spending the night with Brandy at the hospital- and spending the night with Mikayla. Will went back and forth between the two places- trying to spend at least one afternoon with Brandy- and then the next evening with Mikayla. I also might mention that Will also returned to work so he wouldn't have to use all of his vacation time during this hospitalization. He might need some later- like maybe to take a vacation with his beautiful family! For a picture of the "hospital" side of this adventure this is probably the best...

And of course reading books was always high on Mikayla's list of favorite things to do.

And of course, eating "a little snack" ranks high on the list too.

She certainly showed us her range of expressions while sitting in her high chair and snacking.

St. Patrick's day was celebrated while we were there and Brandy was still in the hospital. Mikayla was happy to get into the spirit of the day and enjoyed the new stuff sent to her by her Auntie Anne. and Grammy Maggie.

For a while we were afraid to even mention Brandy to Mikayla because we didn't know how Mikayla might respond, but then as the hospital stay got longer and longer we decided the silence wasn't a good idea. We started talking with Mikayla about how Mommy was in the hospital with a BIG "OWIE". Mikayla would ask from time to time if Mommy was still in the hospital with the "owie" and we'd say yes that Mommy was still in the hospital with the "owie".

The day Brandy was to come home, Max showed her a picture from her cell phone of "Mommy". Mikayla hadn't seen her mother for two weeks and her first response to the picture was to kiss it.

And then it was time for the HOMECOMING!

When Mommy finally did come home Mikayla was never more than a step away from her.

We stayed one more week just to help Brandy with Mikayla. Lifting her was not an approved function for Brandy just yet, so Max got the job of doing all of the "heavy lifting" and Mikayla adjusted to the process like it was second nature.

Now for me this week was as close to sheer joy as I can get for awhile. Just watching Brandy and Mikayla is food for the soul. What a beautiful sight they are together!

We focused on doing fun things that week. We went to the "Gulfarium" Ft. Walton Beach http://www.gulfarium.com/ and watched the sea lion and dolphin shows.

We went to the beach at Destin and played a little before having a seafood dinner with a view of the Gulf.

Sitting at a table in the restaurant was great fun.

We also spent some time at a park not too far away from their house.

And of course Mikayla loves to go to the library.

And back at home she worked on her art portfolio.

And finally before leaving we put in our Spring garden of tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, herbs and a few flowers. Mikayla decided that her job was doing the watering.

So now we're back in Cincinnati. Maggie and Peter (Will's Mom and Stepdad aka Grammy and Grandpa Peter) arrived the day we left Florida- and Maggie is still there doing the "heavy lifting". We've been so very grateful for all the support, love, prayers from family and friends during these past weeks. Words can never express how very grateful we are.

As for me, I'm still waiting for the world to shift into it's new normal. For now I'll just have to wander around in Oz for a while longer.

A little Family Time

2011-04-08T22:04:00.000-04:00

One of the nice things about our family is that it is pretty big and provides lots of opportunities to see different people at different times in different places. We are spread out all over this country from Florida to Minnesota to California to Philadelphia to Alaska and numerous places in between. This last weekend Tracy (our niece) from Springdale Arkansas and her daughter Jess from Anchorage, Alaska came for a weekend visit. We get to see Tracy so seldom and having her and Jess come to the house was a real treat. And when out of towners come in, we gather those around us to join in. Kelly came down from Bluffton, OH (Tracy's younger sister who got to see her first) and her daughter, Shelby, a student at University of Cincinnati, joined us (and of course her boyfriend Aaron) along with Sarah, Deseree, Anthony, Marianne, Reeder, Hayes, Weiler, Michael and Liz. Didn't take long before we had a crowd!

Tracy was the first born of our nieces to my oldest brother Bill. The last time we were together was at Bill's funeral last summer, a sad and difficult time for all of us. Consequently, we were so pleased that Tracy spent a little time with us here in Cincinnati last week.

Tracy

Tracy, Jess and our newest family member, Weiler -Clint and Marianne's new son. Jess took an immediate liking to Weiler and he seemed to feel the same way. You just can't beat cuddling with a beautiful baby boy!

Our Niece Kelly from Bluffton!

Reeder and her MOM, Marianne

One thing about 5 year old girls these days (actually little girls have loved "dress up" as long as there has been "little girls!) seems to the fascination with Princesses, especially those popularized by Disney. And of course if you happen to have a supply of costumes and a little time to spend before dinner, then what could be better than to dress up as Princess. Reeder was our first Princess!

But it didn't take long before all our girls were dressing up as a Princess. Reeder provided the creative design! First came Marianne...

And then there was Princess Tracy...

Followed by Princess Kelly. And Kelly is of course her usual serious self...

And Princess Shelby wasn't spared...

And of course why not make little brother Weiler into a princess...

But the best part of the whole evening was just getting together with family, as many as could come. And we missed the others- others that couldn't be here from Philly and Chicago and Saint Paul and Florida and Oklahoma and Afghanistan. We're hoping to see each of them sometime this summer though probably smaller groups- and look forward to having everyone together in October to celebrate Amber and Evan's wedding.

"T" is for "Tea" and for "Train"

2011-04-05T14:27:00.000-04:00

Though we've missed Clint so much these past months while he is deployed in Afghanistan, we have so enjoyed having Marianne and our beautiful grandchildren, Reeder, Hayes and Weiler, so very close. There is such joy in sharing the day-to-day.... And the special days... Wild dinners when everyone comes.... And quiet days when it's just one grandchild and two doting grandparents. Clint comes home at the end of May- and it can't get here quick enough for all of us- and especially for Marianne and our beautiful babies- though we will miss having them so close.
(Last night I was talking with Reeder about being sad- and I said that perhaps sometimes she feels sad. She quickly responded that yes- first she said quite loudly that she is sad when she fights with her brother, then her voice got very, very quiet- almost a whisper- and she looked up at me and said, "I'm sad when I am missing my Daddy..." )
So Clint just can't get here quick enough to suit all of us on this side of the world.

But as I said- having Marianne and our babes so close means that when it comes time for a birthday we're all just across town- and arranging a day just with the "birthday babe" and us is really quite easy. For Reeder it was a tea party- For Hayes it was trains.

We made reservations to celebrate Reeder's birthday at The Bonbonerie Cafe! We knew she was in for a real treat. I have to say that this was my first "Tea" and little did I realize just how formal one of these occasions can be. But in reality, what can be better than your own pot of tea and the three plate tier of fruit and scones, finger sandwiches (PBJ for Reeder) and fancy desserts all served on nice china dishes.

And she was!

And of course there was tea- well actually tea for Don and me- hot chocolate for our birthday girl!

Notice how very "correctly" she holds her little pinky!

Sometimes Reeder would remind Grandpa to hold his pinky out just right- but I think more often than not Grandpa would just forget!

But Reeder didn't mind that Grandpa just sometimes forgets important things like that!

And of course, what's a birthday without birthday presents!

Ahhhhhh success.... Yes, Reeder did again hit the Barbie jackpot.

Now as you might imagine the finer point of just exactly how to hold your pinky when drinking tea would be completely lost- and I mean completely lost- on our little redheaded Hayes. Hayes is the best example of a "bull in a china shop" as we have in our little tribe! And besides- Hayes knew exactly where he wanted to spend his birthday! This is a boy who knows his mind. So it was off to the Trains at the Entertrainment Junction, the world's largest indoor model train display! Now it's not that Hayes has never been to the Train Museum before- it's always his first choice of what we do when he spends his day with Grama and Grandpa. But for Hayes birthdays are about favorite things- besides- I'd told him that on his birthday we'd actually STOP at the toy shop and he could pick out his very own birthday present! (PS- Have you noticed how very cleverly all children's museums, gardens etc conveniently place the "gift" shop such that you HAVE to walk through in order to get out... Just noticing....) EnterTRAINment Junction is really an impressive place if you like scale model train displays. There are trains of all ages from the old steam locomotives to modern subways running under the city and visible through little viewing portals. There are passanger trains, coal trains, log trains, boxcar trains, trollys, subways, and light rail trains all moving through impressive landscapes, cities and work sites.

So it was off to the TRAINS with Hayes.

And of course we had plenty of time at the play area...

Now if you're wondering how difficult it is for a 3 year old to pick how THE PERFECT TOY- well let me tell you- It's very difficult! And if you might be wondering how long it might take this 3 year old to pick out THE PERFECT TOY- well- a very long time! But success was obtainable- and Hayes did find THE PERFECT TOY! Drum roll please....

a Playmobil-Road-Maintenance-Truck-Construction complete with a snow plow and salt spreader- and what Hayes called "rocks" which according to the insert were actually "salt". We thought after Hayes very first winter in Cincinnati this was quite the appropriate choice!

The afternoon was spent with Hayes supervising Grandpa in the "construction" of the Road Maintenance Truck. Don't think Grandpa could have done it without him! I must say I was somewhat surprised that this truck came in pieces with several sheets of paper instructions for putting it together. This was the IKEA version of toys.

PERFECT DAY!

A Trip South Part 2: Niceville is, well Niceville is Nice, Really Nice!

2011-03-08T21:52:00.000-05:00

Our final stop was up in the western panhandle of Florida in Niceville, Florida. Will was transferred from Las Vegas, Nevada to Niceville, Florida so Brandy and Mikayla tagged along. This was our first trip to see them.

Now first- location, location, location! Niceville is just north across the Choctawhatchee Bay from Destin, Florida- and of course the Gulf of Mexico and it sits on the southern edge of Eglin Air Force Base. And well- Niceville is just really, really nice. It's filled with great schools, charming neighborhoods, and plenty of OLD TREES! That said- it is NOT south where it is WARM in the winter. So though it certainly isn't COLD like Cincinnati, it is not that BEACH experience one might imagine for Florida in February. Why it gets down in the 30s at night! And I consider that pretty close to COLD.

But we didn't go to Niceville for the weather- or a walk on the beach- though I'm sure we'll have opportunities for those beach strolls on later visits. But this visit was all about Brandy, Will and MIKAYLA! That said this blog is going to be mostly pictures of MIKAYLA- though occasionally she is accompanied by her mother- or her father- or her grandmother. WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!

Now we spent much time playing with the kitchen set that was stowed in the back of the "traveling minivan" with the bicycles. Things were just a wee bit cramped! At least we only hauled the hugh kitchen set box about 2000 miles before extracting it and assembling the new kitchen. But Mikayla loved the kitchen set and I got served amazing meals- and of course tea- multiple times every day!

And then there was the trip to the library! And let me tell you- this was not her first trip! She did know her way around and quickly found plenty of books to read with and without me!

And as is obvious below, she knew some of these books by heart including all of the actions that go with them.

Including even the yawnnnnn

And of course there was a trip to the park. Might I mention that Mikayla LOVES the slide! And her Mommy even took a trip down once!

And if you're with Mikayla you always have to pause for a snack!

And then one evening we all went out to eat across the Bay to a restaurant right on the BEACH!

And a highlight for me is one long afternoon (2 and 1/2 hours) when Mikayla took her nap while I rocked her! Now that is one beautiful way to spend an afternoon!

But most of the time we just "hung out" and enjoyed this beautiful granddaughter and her wonderful Mommy and Daddy!

A Trip South Part 1B: Mary and Bob's Secret Garden

2011-03-08T09:01:00.000-05:00

We were amazed at the beautiful garden that Mary and Bob created around their home. Bob is GARDENER EXTRAORDINAIRE and Mary is an extremely talented sculptress who has created a number of beautiful "heads" of animals and also primitive natives that once lived on Sanibel! We just couldn't get enough! It without a doubt rivals any professional garden we have ever seen in beauty and design (and we have seen A LOT of gardens). So of course we had Don busy with his camera so we might make this SECRET GARDEN just a little bit more public! So wander through the garden as we did and experience the beauty of their art.

Another note about Bob's garden before you get into the pictures. Their back yard backs up to some of Sanibel's nature preserve lands, so where his "garden" ends, nature takes over, although Bob has made the transition a bit fuzzy with his plantings. Also their yard used to have a bit of open space with grass much like the rest of the homes on the island. But Hurricane Charlie blew through Sanibel in 2004 and left it and Captiva Island in ruins. Bob and Mary road out the storm and were lucky in that they live a little way from the Gulf, but they lost a number of large trees, some of which blocked their stairs that lead up to their front door. Even worse, they were without electricity for almost 2 weeks in the heat and humidity of the Gulf Coast. After the storm debris was cleared away Bob started planting his garden with the intent that the yard would be low maintenance, private, and beautiful. Shortly after, Mary started taking sculpturing lessons which has resulted in a large number of busts and the two have now been melded together as you can see below.

These next two are looking away from their screen porch into their back yard.

These next three are looking towards the back porch.

Keep in mind that we were there in Feburary. In the spring and summer many of these plants are in full bloom.

But Mary has added interest with her sculptures that Bob has placed all through this garden.

And here are a few close ups so you can see the quality of Mary's work.

I think the one above is my favorite.

Just as an added note about Mary's art. She sculpts these from clay, hollows them out so that the clay is less than an inch thick, let's them dry for weeks and then fires them in an electric kiln. Once all of that is done, she paints them. I also have to give Bob a lot of credit. His job is to lower these very heavy but also fragile objects into the kiln so they can be fired, and he is also responsible for "bringing them all in" when a hurricane approaches. Did I mention Bob will be 80 years old on his next birthday??

A Trip South: Part 1A

2011-03-06T15:08:00.000-05:00

This winter has been BRRRRR COLD! That by itself would have been enough to get me on a journey south. I should mention though that Don does not share my attitude to the BRRRRR COLD as using his snow blower is one of his very favorite activities- and he's had plenty of time with it this winter. I have found that I can always put on enough clothes to keep warm in the winter. It's just not possible to do the reverse in a Cincinnati summer to stay cool. As for me though I was ready for an escape to WARM. So off we headed south for a trip to family and friends.

Our first stop was in Atlanta to see our dear friend Steve Sizemore- and Don's best friend from junior high and high school. There just isn't anything like catching up with an old friend- and we hadn't seen Steve since we left San Fran. After High School Steve and I saw each other very rarely until one time I was on a business trip to San Francisco and decided to try to find him at Berkeley where he was working. I don't remember the year, but it had been at least 20 years since our last meeting. The amazing thing was during that visit and every one since then it is like we simply take up where we had left off, almost as if it were the week before instead of months or years before.
The first night Steve took us to a Malaysian Restaurant. The food was fantastic!

Now I must tell you that Steve has been essential in my exploration of ethnic foods. The first time we went out to eat with him in San Francisco more than 17 years ago he took us to an Eritrean Restaurant- a first for me. And then while we were living in San Fran he took us to my first Dim Sum Restaurant! What fun! I think pre-Steve my entire range of ethnic food was Mexican. I've come a long way baby!

And then for breakfast he took us to The Original Pancake House in Atlanta. Now there is a breakfast you won't ever forget!

After breakfast with Steve we headed our traveling "minivan" for points further south. Our next stop was St. Pete's Beach and a much needed visit with our dear friend, Gay Madden- my best friend from junior high and high school. Gay had to work late when we arrived on that Friday night- So wha-ta-you-know- We stayed up until 4 in the morning catching up. Now that is way, way, way past my bedtime. But oh my- just couldn't stop myself.

The weather in St. Pete's was glorious- so Saturday we were off to the beach!

And I even got in one of the pictures...

And of course there were plenty of birds posing for a photo-opportunity. I just wish my family were so accommodating!

And need I mention that we found PLENTY of opportunities to sample a bit of the vino...

Next we left Gay and headed south for a visit with my sister in Sanibel. Along our way we first stopped at the The Salvadore Dali Museum in St. Petersburg- I highly recommend the museum. Though we couldn't take any pictures in the museum I did take one looking out of the museum over the garden.

Then we continued south to the The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. We hadn't planned this stop but as we were driving south on I75 on our way to Sanibel our friends Mary Jo and Don Peairs were traveling north on I 75 from Sanibel to Cincinnati. Mary Jo emailed us via "smart phones" and told us about this great swamp to visit. We quickly found it on our "google maps" and we were off! Don't you just love technology- and the opportunities it creates! Corkscrew is a beautiful swamp with a magnificant stand of cypress. It was late afternoon when we walked through on the raised board walkway. The place was almost empty and the quiet of the swamp was wonderful.

And Don even photographed a pileated woodpecker! Now you don't see those often!

And finally we arrived at Mary and Bob (my sister and her husband) for a wonderful stay on Sanibel Island. Their home and garden are beautiful- and it was so special to be able to spend time with them on this beautiful island. Because of Sanibel's residents' commitment to preserving the natural environment over half of the island is actually a wild life preserve.

In addition to our meandering drive through Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge one day, we spent one day riding our bikes through other protected refuges. (PS Thank you Don for packing and unpacking our bikes for this trek across this adventure! We hauled those bikes for 2600 miles so we could ride for 3 hours in Sanibel. In addition to ALLIGATORS, we saw a great variety of birds- and of course Don took great photographs for us to enjoy. This guy was about 12 feet long resting right beside the road.

These next three were laying on the bank on the other side of the water, which made me kind of glad since we were on our bicycles.
This guy was a small 8 feet long

These next two were closer to 10 feet.

But we both loved the birds the best! Nice of this Egret to pose for me.

These Roseate Spoonbills were beautiful

We even had a picnic!

And then we paid a visit to the Sanibel Library where Mary works (she manages all the periodicals!) We even got to see her in action. That should be a lesson to her- even if you're just stopping by to "visit" if you're not careful they'll put you to work!

But as wonderful as exploring the island- and Mary and Bob's beautiful home and garden, the best part of course was spending time with my sister (and her husband)! More on Bob's garden yet to come too in a later post.