Jack London's Ranch...

     About 35 miles northeast of my friend Judi's house, just outside of the little village of Glenn Ellen, California, sits a beautiful ranch, called "Beauty" that Jack London built up for his wife, Charmian.  It has everything from wooded hills to acres of grape orchards.  Most of it is in ruins now, but Charmian's house, now the Museum and the ranch house are still maintained.  Charmian was the love of his life, and he intended to build her a castle here.

     We spent more than four hours touring first the Museum, then walking down a long road to the ruins of the house that Jack was building for his sweetheart.  It was supposed to last forever, but just days before they were to move into it, it was destroyed by fire.  It is said that there were some rags lying about soaked with linseed oil that the workers were using on the interior wood.  They spontaneously combusted and started the fire.  After a nice picnic lunch, we drove to the parking lot and walked another road to the house where Jack and Charmian lived together and he did much of his writing.  We looked at the ruins of the workers quarters and then walked down another road to the "Pig Palace" and 2 huge silos.

      Charmian called the house that she built, after Jack's untimely death, "The House of Happy Walls." I thought it a curious name for a house, but as you walk through it, on many of the walls are tapestries that they brought back from their adventures to the South Pacific Islands. Tapa cloth and spears and reed mats are everywhere. And, I assume these gave her fond memories of the adventurous part of their life together.

The Dining Room in Charmian's House

 

      Early in their married life, Jack decided to build himself a ship and the two of them could sail around the world. He did build the ship, and they did, in fact, sail all around the South Pacific. He became violently ill, however, so they had to sell the ship and find passage back home. 

   

 

The Snark model

     I thought it interesting that the valley where the ranch is, is called "Valley of the Moon" and Jack was fondly referred to as "The Wolf." Jack was only 40 years old, when he died of renal failure, November 22, 1916. At that time, they were living in the main house.

Dean, looking out over the vinyards

     After spending much time in the Museum, we walked probably a quarter of a mile to see the little grave plot, where Jack and Charmian are burried. Jack chose this spot, because nearby there are two other graves of the Greenlaw children that they found. Jack wanted to be cremated and his ashes were placed under a huge rock. When Charmian died, her ashes were also placed there.

The rock, under whick are the ashes of Jack and Chaimian

One of the headstones of the Greenlaw children

    We continued our walk, and came to the site of the mansion that was consumed by fire. Most of the walls and chimneys are still standing (with some help with braces), but the interior is completely gone. It was supposed to be absolutely fireproof, and would stand forever. There was an eery feeling about the place...like "death" and "loss." Something in Jack died with the loss of that house, and he went into a deep depression.

The front of the ruins of the "Wolf House."

Another view

An artists rendering of what the house was to be...such a shame

      After lunch we visited the main house. It was a lovely place. I loved the "office" where Jack sought seclusion for his writing. It is lined with shelf after shelf of books. There are literally thousands of books in that room. Writing consumed him. He wrote more than 1,000 words a day, and he wrote it all by hand. Charmian was his typist, and it was she who transcribed all of his writing into typed form.

The house Jack and Charmian lived in...and where he died

Jack's writing room

     We left the house and walked down yet another road, past the acres and acres of grape vinyards (still producing, but owned by others now) to what Jack lovingly called "The Pig Palace." He loved his pigs and built them their own space to live. Nearby, were his silos. Not sure what he stored in them...perhaps feed for the pigs or for his horses.

The "Pig Palace"

The two silos

 

     All in all, it was an educational journey through history, and a side-trip that I am glad we got to take.

One Last Vacation For The Year, 2012...

Beautiful blue-green Pacific in Drake Bay, California

 

     Planning our November vacation started several months ago.  (Dean always has to plan a whole year in advance for his time off at work, so they can work out their schedules.  It drives us both crazy, but works out well with our Time Share planning, as we have to book our Condos at least a year in advance!)

     We wanted to go somewhere within a day or two's driving time.  We haven't taken a car trip for ages.  We thought about Canada, but we've been there.  We thought about Washington, but we go there a lot.  We thought about Idaho, but want to save that for another time.  That left Oregon or California.  For some reason, we didn't want to go anywhere in Oregon, so we put our heads together, checked out our Wyndham and WorldMark books and zeroed in on Clear Lake, California.  It sounded like a beautiful place to go for a fall vacation.

     Well, that got me to thinking that Clear Lake isn't that far from Napa Valley, Sausalito, or the Oakland area, so we could make it a tour of the Wine Country and see a friend of mine (Judi Colby-Forman), who lives in Nicasio Valley, which is practically next door to Sausalito; and Dean could see an old friend of his from Taos (Israel Stein), who lives right over the Richmond bridge near Oakland.  And, so we began planning our trip.

     It was fun to be doing a car trip again.  We could take our time and actually "see" the countryside, up close and personal, instead of flying over it!  We began our journey on Thursday, November 8th, and drove through as far as Redding, California.  We were reminded that the last time we were here was about 4 years ago to attend a Michael W. Smith Christmas Concert.  Amazing memories!  This time, we were just stopping over night on our way south along I-5..

     We checked into our Howard Johnson motel, got a little rest, then walked up the street to one of the best restaurants ever!  We ordered 1/2 a rack of the most delicious ribs we have had in ages.  After dinner we walked back to the motel.  (We needed that walk after that dinner!)  Then, we tried to decide whether or not we were too tired to go to the midnight showing of "Skyfall," the newest 007 movie due to be released in theaters the next night.  It wasn't a hard decision, and we opted to go.  I have to say, it was worth staying up all night to see!  We got back to the motel at 3:00 a.m.

     Needless to say, we were really, really tired when we got up @ 9:00 a.m. to get some breakfast, shower, check out and get back on the road to head south.  Dean opted for coffee and I opted for Dr. Pepper to keep us "alive!"  Driving south was so beautiful.  I drove this time (because it was daylight) and though I took the "long way around" to get to my friend, Judi's house, it was certainly scenic!  Neither one of us had been in this part of California before.

Acres of Grape vines at Robert Mondavi Winery

 



     We stopped in Napa Valley, along the way, and visited the amazing Robert Mondavi Winery.  It was a new experience for me, but Dean had been on these kinds of tours before.  We took a tour and saw the rows and rows of grape vines, wearinig their beautiful fall foliage.  Next, we went into where they press, mix and age the wine.  That is quite a process.  I hadn't realized that they use yeast to help the distilling process, just like they do in beer or ale or whiskey.  All I could smell was the very distinct odor of the yeast.  The last part of the tour, took us into a "tasting" room.  I was apprehensive about this part, but rather than turn my glasses upside down, I let the tour guide pour it, did all of the "sniffing," "whirling," and when it came to tasting, I stuck my tongue in it and said, "Yuck!"  I don't know whether or not I offended the guy or not, but I did the same with two other wines.  I'm sorry, folks, drinker or not, I think any wine is yucky.  There is a distinct yeast taste to it, and for the life of me, I don't know what the big deal is about it--at all!

Dean inside Winery Processing Area

Hundreds of barrells of aging wine.

Dean in front of fountain, entrance to Winery.

     We arrived at Judy's home about dinner time and were welcomed with open arms.  She and George were so gracious, first to have us there, and second to feed us such wonderful food, provide a room and bathroom of our own, and lastly plan our activities for the next day!  I hardly know Judi, but she is quickly becoming a dear friend.

Beginning of our 5+ mile hike.

Raccoon paw prints on the beach.

     On Saturday morning, we woke up early, had a great breakfast and headed out to hike in a seashore preserve called Point Reyes National Preserve.  We walked along the beautiful beach that lies along Drake Bay.  Oh, the beauty of this hike.  It was a 5 1/4 mile round trip.  I can honestly say, I enjoyed every mile of it and only started getting rubbery legs the last 1/2 mile.

Judi and Lori, walking the beach.

Catching some sun reys near the end of our hike.

     After the hike, we went to a nice restaurant in Fairfax that the Forman's recommended.  It was called PunJabe's Burritos. It was Indian food served in their flat bread, rolled up like a burrito.  It was very good.  After lunch, 4 very tired hikers were ready for visiting, a delicious dinner, prepared by Judy and George, and then, off to bed.  We had a wonderful day.

Lori, in front of a wonderful gallery in Sausalito.

The fountain in the center of the park.

Dean, posing with an R.C. Gorman painting in background.

     On Sunday, Dean had planned to drive over the Richmond Bridge, to Oakland, where he wanted to visit with his old Taos buddy, Israel (Izzy) Stein.  Israel is now a Cantor in his Synagogue and so he has asked us not to call him "Izzy!"  Before traveling over the bridge to see Israel and Sue, we took a side trip to Sausalito.  I have always wanted to go there, and I wasn't disappointed.  It is an artsy community, much like Taos!  In fact, there is a little shop there, called Kokopelli Gallery, that has Southwestern artifacts and jewelry...and low, and behold, the owner, Johathan Lucero, is from Taos.  Small world.  We also visited a gallery that featured an artist by the name of Rodney Lough.  He is a photographer, par excellance!  He is a BYU Grad, and makes his home in Happy Valley, Oregon!  We keep finding out just how small our world really is!

Israel Stein and wife, Susan.

Dean and Israel (Izzy).

     Our visit with Israel was very interesting.  When he left Taos, he went back to New York, where he studied to become a Steinway Piano re-builder.  He has his own business in the basement of their tiny little home.  He had a full-sized Steinway Grand piano in his garage, with the "guts" taken out of it, and he is in the process of re-building it.  Amazing what one can do with an old piano.  We had a nice visit, and at its end, said our good-byes and went back to Judi's house.  We stopped on the way to get a bite to eat, because we were starved.  We stopped again in Fairfax.

     One little side note...Judi and George live on Lucas Road, in Lucas Valley.  And, yes, it is named after none other than, George Lucas.  He happens to own nearly all of the valley, and has a huge, fenced off estate, complete with recording and movie studio on the property.  We stopped there on our way out of town to takes some pictures of the fence, pastures, and gate.  (He's not liked very much there, something about water rights!  Sort of reminds me of another actor I know, namely Robert Redford, in Provo Canyon, Utah!)

     Monday morning early, we posed for some pictures with Judi and George, said good-bye, thanked them for their wonderful hospitality, and went on our way to go look for Jack London"s "Valley of the Moon" Museum and the grounds of his amazing ranch.  It didn't take much to find it, and we were so very glad that we came.  We took so many pictures, that it makes me wonder if I should do a separate writing on this part of our trip.  In fact, I think I will break this vacation up into three parts.  This will conclude the first part, and part two will be our visit to Jack London's Ranch.  Last, I will cover our trip to Clear Lake, which was a highlight of our vacation.

     Ta-Ta for now...

The Empty Swing...

 

 

It was just a swing on the playground, swinging empty now, back and forth, back and forth as the soft breezes blew.  Once it knew the laughter of children at play.  Once it felt the joy of being pushed to and fro by happy hands or feeling the up and back of pumping feet.  Once it heard a child say, sweetly, “I’m six years old and I can swing high enough to touch the clouds!”

 

Now the swing sways empty.  Gone are the children who loved to play.  Gone are the children who loved to dance.  Gone are the children who loved to sing.  And, gone are the children who loved to swing.

They’ve gone to meet Jesus and Heavenly Father, to live with them in their heavenly home.  We ask, “Why?” but we have no answers.  Perhaps He needed their playful spirits to cheer Him through the heavy trials of His creation, His World, gone astray.  Perhaps He needed to hear the laughter of the little ones on His playground. Perhaps He needed them to dance especially for Him.  Perhaps He needed their angel voices in His heavenly choir.  Or perhaps He needed them to swing on His swing.

Don’t cry mothers.  Don’t cry fathers.  Don’t cry brothers or sisters.  Your precious little ones have gone to be with Jesus—and He is pushing them now.  Your arms will be empty for just a little while.  One day, you will be able to hold them close again, and they will answer all of your questions.  God will bless you and God will bless the little ones who fill the empty swing.

                                                                                    …Florene Mickelson

                              Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother of many 6-year-olds!



My 55th High School Reunion (I Can't Believe It)...

   

Santa Monica High School, as it looks today.



    My, how the years have flown by!  June 14th marked the 55th Anniversary since I graduated from Santa Monica High School in (yes, same name) Santa Monica, California.  I attended the ten year reunion with Gerry, when he was alive, in 1967.  It was held on the Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor.  It was a lot of fun to see lots of friends.

     In 1997, I attended our fortieth reunion in Santa Monica.  I was single then, and attended with my friends, Barbara (Atwood) and Marilen (Ede).  We also had a very good time.  I wanted to attend the fiftieth reunion in 2007, but for one reason or another, I couldn't go.

     This year, I was determined to make the trip all the way down there, so I contacted some of the girls on the committee and made arrangements to attend.  On Friday, June 1st, I flew to Burbank Airport, where I was met by former classmate, Vicki (Richardson).  She drove me to her beautiful home in Simi Valley, where I would spend one night with her.  I met her husband, too.  He is a great person and a nice match for Vicki.

     Vicki and I had a lot of catching up to do, and we did it over putting together flower arrangements for the tables at the Reunion, and a delicious fish dinner (which her husband prepared).  There is a lot to talk about when there has been a fifty-five year gap since high school!

      On Saturday morning, we got up quite early for the drive from her house to Playa Del Rey to deliver the flowers to the venue where the reunion would be held in the evening. Then, it was on to Santa Monica to attend the All-Class Picnic on "Samohi's" campus. I had never been to one of those. It was a wonderful memory jogger for me. The campus looks nothing like it used to. Oh, well, the main building is still there (the one where I took all of my Math classes and my Typing Class, and Psychology and Spanish), but it is no longer the Administration Building. It is completely used for housing class rooms now.

Some Alumni from another class.

     We met with a lot of our former classmates on the stairs in the front of the school. We took pictures, ate lunch and many of us got re-acquainted. I couldn't believe how many friends from the past were there. Some of the friends I talked to were Lynette( Galusha) Komarik (who lives in Cedar City, Utah now); Fred Harvey (who was in the Senior Class Presidency); Jules Resnik, Alice (Gomez), Julia (Martinez), Gretchen (Myers) Doeringer, Sally (Richardson) Scholz, Barbara (Doughrty), Steve McBeth, Chuck Hanson, and Judi (Shearer) Colby-Forman. Wow, what a lot of memories!

Julia (Martinez), talking to Lynette (Galusha).

Gretchen (Myers), one of my roomies!

     I took a "solo" walking tour of the campus and saw, in my mind's eye, myself walking those same halls as a teenager, carrying my books from class to class.  I walked down to the new, fully restored "Barnum Hall," where we held our assemblies and other school meetings and where our Senior Class plays were produced.  When I was younger, I took dance lessons, and we performed many recitals on that stage.  I walked in the front doors and it was like deja vou..  There on the stage were 6 or 7 little girls in costumes, rehearsing for an upcoming dance recital.  I was mesmerized.

The newly restored Barnum Hall.

      At about 2:00 or so, I left the campus with Vicki, who drove me to Marina Del Rey and the hotel where I was going to room with Gretchen and Sally.  We called ourselves "The Old Ladies of the Class of '57."  We had a great time sharing stories of our lives and celebrating this amazing event.

     After we got ready for the Banquet, we drove to the venue where the reunion was going to be held. It was elegant!  The tables looked amazing, and I found Vicki to tell her so.  There were so many friends there and I got to visit with Richard Pinney, Martha (Ronay) Meade, Natalie Crawford (who married my old Math Teacher)  It is amazing how 55 years can be erased in only a moment, and there we were, re-living all those moments in high school.  The food was excellent, the program (planned by Judi) was amazing, and I honestly believe everyone had a wonderful time.

     On Sunday morning, we checked out of our hotel.  I said good-bye to Gretchen and Sally and met Vicki, who drove me to her hotel, where we had an amazing breakfast with Chuck Hanson and his wife, Vicki, Jerriann (Blichfeldt) Hoag, Julia (Martinez), Ebba (Torres), Barbara .(Doughrty), and Judi and George.  We all had so many life stories to share and I was amazed at how many of us had lost our first husbands and most of us had remarried.

View from the Lobby at our Hotel in Playa del Rey.

Another view from the hotel.

Ebba (Torres) and Vicki (Richardson) at the Breakfast.

Julia, Jerriann, and Barbara.

  After the breakfast, Vicki drove me back into Santa Monica and we drove past a lot of childhood memories, including the house I lived in when I was in High School. My, oh my, how things have changed over the years. We then drove down the coast and over the mountains to Vicki's house to visit for a little longer before I had to be at the airport to catch my flight home.

My house on 26th Street, as it looks today!

     All in all, it was an amazing 3 days. It was a bit rushed, to say the least, but those 3 days left me with memories that I will treasure forever, and renewed friendships that warm the soul. Are there going to be any more reunions? That's hard to say. According to Judi, who worked so very hard on this one, she will not be in charge of another one. Will someone else take the reins from her and tackle that huge job? That remains to be seen. Meanwhile, I have wonderful memories of our 55th!

Good-bye, Samohi!  Thanks for the memories.

 

One Special Week for One Special Boy...

 
   May was an incredible month!  Not only was there a wedding in Provo to start off the month, but by the middle of the month, there was an amazing trip to Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  Although it was part vacation/part graduation celebration, it turned out to be a family reunion (of sorts!) for Dean and I.  I know that much of this is a repeat of my last post, but I felt that I had to add more pictures and elaborate more on our wonderful trip.  Please forgive me!

     We flew into Denver, Colorado on May 10th (though it is a beautiful airport, full of fun things to do and see, it was a huge mistake!).  Our whole trip was for the purpose of (1) a vacation, and (2) Eliot's Adam's State College graduation.  On our way to see Eliot, we stopped in Colorado Springs to visit the amazing Focus On The Family Campus.  We were mesmerized by everything we saw there and the amazingly wonderful work they do there to promote families in the world.

Me in the Focus on the Family Visitor's Center.

     We drove next to Alamosa, Colorado, where we found Eliot and spent some time with him and his girlfriend, Tamiya.  We made plans for the graduation celebration in a few days.

Our Condo is the first one on the right.

     Next, we drove to Pagosa Springs, over Wolf Creek Pass (which is a beautiful, scenic drive, by the way) to check into our Time Share at Wyndham Resorts there.  It is the same Time Share property that Dean and I purchased over 28 years ago when we still lived in Taos, New Mexico.  We stayed in an amazing Condo.  The mountain setting couldn't have been more perfect.  Our arrival was badly timed, however, as we arrived at 11:30 p.m.!  We were tired, and it was dark, and it was a little difficult to find our condo.  Once settled, we got a good night's sleep.

     The following day, which was Friday, we settled in, went grocery shopping and drove around Pagosa Springs to get re-acquainted.  The place has certainly changed in the last 28 years!  For starters, the Hot Springs themselves have grown from a simple swimming pool and small hot spring pools along the river, to a full-fledged Spa!  There must be over 20 pools with varrying temperatures to enjoy and rejuvenate tired muscles.  They also have a full-service spa.  Yumm!  Later, rather than cook, we enjoyed a great dinner out at a wonderful Italian place that we found.

A beautiful view of the Hot Springs.

     Early Saturday morning, we made the trip back over Wolf Creek Pass to Alamosa to attend Eliot's graduation.  It was a great ceremony and the proud father teared up when the Suma Cum Laude candidates were announced.  I believe there were two...Eliot and another recipient from another major program.  Good job, Eliot!  After the graduation, all the family and friends gathered at one of Eliot's friends homes for a graduation celebration.  We enjoyed meeting them all.  His mother was there also  and things were pretty cordial.

A very proud Eliot and his girl-friend, Tamiya.

     We left the party early to drive back to Pagosa to catch the 6 p.m. showing of "The Avengers."  It was a great movie.

     Sunday was Mother's Day.  I woke up early in the morning remembering my own Mother.  I still have a hard time with this day.  Not only is it a day to revere our mothers, but it marks the 10th anniversary (not the date, but the day) that Mom left this earthly sphere to return home to her Heavenly Father.  I miss her terribly.

     Dean surprised me with flowers and a gift certificate for a massage and soak in one of the mineral pools.  It was amazing!.  At the end of the day, we went out for dinner (again!  Something we both love to do).

     On Monday, Eliot and his friend, Deacon, arrived to stay a few days.  The Wyndham facility was gracious and opened the other half of the Condo, "for free," and so the boys had a place of their own to stay (plus we needed the extra room for when Billy and Ingrid arrived!).  We drove around Pagosa, played miniature golf, and went out to eat at a fun place called "Boss hog's."  They had great ribs.

     On Tuesday Billy finally arrived and I was one grateful mother to see him.  We got to meet Ingrid, Billy's (at this point) friend from Norway.  She is delightful and I love her accent.  She speaks very good English.  We all played miniature golf (again).  After lunch, we all went back to the "ranch" and Billy prepared a wonderful Norwegian dish to surprise Ingrid.  It was going to be our dinner treat.

We rented a brand new Subaru, the boys each have their own.

Truly a Subaru family!

Dean and I and the boys at the Condo.

Ingrid and I at the Condo.

     We then went to the hot springs and enjoyed a good soak in the springs.  I think we overdid our time soaking!  Dean treated himself to a massage, this time.  Afterward, we returned to the Condo to enjoy the meal and celebrated Billy's Birthday (which will be June 14th, but he will be on tour during that time.)  We had a great party.

     Wednesday came all too soon, and we had to say good-bye to the boys and Ingrid.  It is always so sad to end a visit!  Eliot headed back to Alamosa to pack for his move to Colorado Springs, and Billy headed west to continue his tour.  Dean and I stayed behind to clean up the place, getting ready for our check-out.  As we were driving east, toward Denver, we had to make one last stop...for ice cream!

Saying good-bye to the boys and Ingrid.

     I don't know who it was that told us to take a short cut to Denver, but we did, and on the way, Dean passed a speed trap (right after he had passed a car) and got a ticket.  Kind of puts a damper on an otherwise wonderful trip.  And to top things off, it got dark, and we missed our turn to go toward the airport and got lost!  We ended up in the middle of Denver, (near the University of Colorado) and found a little motel to spend the night.

Looking out at the valley from Wolf Creek Pass.

A waterfall in Wolf Creek Pass.

     Thursday morning found Dean calling the airlines, trying to change our flight to an earlier one.  They said the best way to do that was just to go to the airport and try and do it there.  We managed to get on a stand-by status for an earlier flight, but had to wait at the airport for 8 hours.  We had a lot of time to kill!  We saw a lot of fun stuff and even caught a few zzzz's.  It was 2 a.m. on Friday by the time we arrived home in Lincoln City.  The down side was that Dean had to be at work by 9 a.m.  What a trip!  But, looking back, it was all worth it.  We had an amazing time!

The very interesting Hangar at Denver International Airport.

The very interesting VW we saw at the airport.  All of that color is teeny-tiny individual beads glued on by two families in Mexico!

 

Catching Up...

 

 

Before my life's journey was interrupted by an untimely event that sent my brain spinning and my plans  put in a holding pattern, my husband and I took a break from our everyday life and went on a vacation to Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  For us, it was a return to a place in the mountains of Colorado that we grew to love a great deal, more than thirty years ago.

If you've never been to Pagosa Springs, let me recommend that you take your time either in late spring or early fall.  It is an enchanting place nestled in a little valley in the southern Rockies.  And yes, there is an amazing hot springs spa there.  Thirty years ago, the springs weren't as developed as they are today.  There were a few hot spots to go into next to the river.

Today, there are more than twenty pools you can relax in with varrying temperatures ranging from 105 degrees to 110 degrees and some even hotter than that (if you can stand them!)  And you shouldn't leave without experiencing a total body massage at the Spa.  It is a glorious experience and a beautiful setting.

But, I digress.  Our purpose was not primarily to visit the springs, although we did choose the Wyndham Pagosa Springs Resort to stay for nostalgic reasons; but our primary purpose was to attend Dean's son Eliot's graduation from Adams State College (soon to be University) in Alamosa, Colorado.  Alamosa is 75 miles to the east of Pagosa Springs.

Eliot worked very hard to earn his Bachelor's Degree In Music Composition.  He was a straight "A" student and earned scholarships every semester in order to accomplish his dream.  Dean and I, as well as Eliot's mother, Laurie and his brother, Billy are extremely proud of his accomplishment.

Eliot's graduation was a grand event.  He was awarded Suma Cum Laude, which means he finished in the top 1% of his class and it is an extreme honor.  After graduation, there was a party at one of his friends homes.  Everyone who attended had a great time and congratulated Eliot many times over.

Billy wasn't able to make the graduation, but he and his friend, Ingrid, came to spend a few days at the time share in Pagosa Springs.  Eliot and one of his friends also came and we all had a wonderful time together.  Ingrid is from Norway and is a delightful girl.  I think Billy kinda likes this one!  Hmmm, Norway is an awfully long way to go to visit!

Alas, as all vacations must come to an end; so, too, did this one.  Saying good bye to the boys was tearful.  But we have our memories to keep us going.

I love Pagosa Springs, and we plan to visit again next spring and perhaps Eliot can join us there again, since he has chosen to settle down for now in Colorado Springs, another lovely place to visit.

My next "catch-up" writing will be my memories of my 55-year High School Reunion, which I attended June 1st through the 3rd, in Santa Monica, California.

Ta-Ta, for now...