Friday, April 15, 2011

Although I arrived too late for a spectacular lunch at the country club hosted by the groom’s grandmother, I did arrive in time for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. To say there was ample food is a huge understatement.

Wedding Day – Saturday, April 16, 2011

The wedding was not until 5 p.m. on Saturday, so I had time to spare in the morning and afternoon. I needed space! After all, I was in Houston, a major space place.

So space it was until time for me to come back to earth  and blast off to a star-studded wedding. I practiced retrieving objects in space on a simulator, saw the original John Glenn claustrophobic space capsule (appropriate name), gazed at rocks from the moon, imagined the taste of freeze-dried strawberries sealed in in plastic, and marveled at the immense Saturn rocket.

Many of the stars in this wedding had appeared in an earlier Texas wedding. But the constellation had rearranged itself and some stars now were shining brighter. The bride and groom were the brilliant ones this time. But you can see many stars here on flickr.

Tomorrow Emily and Sonny go east to Charleston and I go west to California. But we’ll meet again with this day to remember.

Anna Ayers Williams, my dad’s mother, was a suffragette in the early 1900s who worked for a time at Hull House in Chicago. She married a widower nearly twice her age, who had come to this country as a young coal miner from Wales and eventually became a Baptist minister in small Midwestern towns. He died when my father was six. She became a teacher in one-room schools in small Iowa towns where she and my father often lived with the families of her students.

She lived with us before her death when I was six and taught me to read, among many other things. I was named for her.

Eva Graham Law was my mother’s mother. She too was widowed at a young age when her husband fell from the roof of a barn he was helping a neighbor build. She had children aged one, three (my mother), five, and seven. To support her family she moved home to Des Moines where she ran a boarding house while working full-time as a clerk in a title company. She too lived with us for many years after she retired.

Both of my grandmother’s always managed to find enough money to help the “poor”.

Living in the mountains, our electricity often disappears during the stormy winter months. It did today for the first time this year. A good alternative for illuminating important activities is the Bogo light, a solar powered flashlight with a bright LED bulb.

BOGO stands for Buy One, Give One. When you buy a flashlight, another one is sent to someone in the world who has no electricity.

Of course I use it only for important tasks like weaving, cooking, reading, and feeding the cat. Here it is suspended on a cord above my loom. I also have found that I can thread my raincoat sash through the loop at the top and hang it around my neck so I have light wherever I go. It has the additional advantage of being flat so it can be set on a surface and pointed in the right direction without rolling around. And an afternoon in the sunlight will charge it for a good six or seven hours worth of light. I love it.

Give Bogo lights as holiday presents. I did two Christmases ago. Here we all are with our Bogo lights.

On Sunday I took a leisurely drive down I-5 on a stunning day through miles of blooming almond groves. I by-passed the Grapevine and L.A. in favor of the Tehachapi Pass, crossed the desert, and landed in Redlands for the night.
On Monday morning I passed through the windmills outside of Palm Springs, crossed the many desert miles to Phoenix and arrived around 2 p.m. My only regret was that I did not get up early enough to stop for a date shake in Palm Desert.

Monday and Tuesday

I had planned ahead and talked to various people at Royal Oaks. The room that Mother was moving to was ready to be occupied, so I hoped to talk her into going there to spend the night. There were chairs, a bed, and a TV there already. The next day we could orgainize the rest of the move. She agreed. I stayed in her apartment. On Tuesday I took over clothes and furniture and tried to make things comfortable. All went very smoothly.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

The rest of the week was spent walking a million miles between the assisted living apartment and the new room, which are at opposite sides of the campus, as we made sure the right things were moved.

What was left, I took to the Thrift Shop (six or seven trips), a shelter for battered women and children, the local food bank, or sorted through and kept, shredded, or discarded. And, of course, there was the paperwork and plenty of conversations with Mother’s friends and well-wishers.

As you can see, everything fell into place. The staff even brought Mother a beautiful quilt for her bed after she had explained that she did not have an appropriate bedspread.

All has ended very well.

Saturday, October 7, 2006

On Friday I took a leisurely drive down 101 on a stunning day. The Salinas Valley has never been prettier.

On Saturday morning I did a 5K in Woodley Park in Van Nuys sponsored by the Valley Trauma Center. In the afternoon I decided to see the famous Huntington in San Marcos. Talk about overwhelming! The 207 acres includes over 100 acres of gardens, a conservatory, a huge library of ancient books, and an art museum (once a residence!) that is closed for a three year renovation.

When I ODed on visual stimulation, I turned to photographing people taking photos.

Sunday, October 8, 2006

Saturday, after leaving the Huntington I drove on to get a head start in the morning. I soon learned it was Bikers’ weekend in Palm Springs. There were thousands of them having what looked like a good time.The Hyatt was headquarters. I would have joined in, but sadly my Saturn did not let me qualify. Looked like there was good food and good music. I continued on to Palm Desert leaving the action behind.

I had my usual AZ trip date shake breakfast at Shields Date Ranch after spending the night in Palm Desert and arrived at mother’s about 12:30. We had lunch as usual with the regulars. The rest of the afternoon was spent with last minute details in order to be ready for the move in the morning.

Monday, October 9, 2006

The moving crew arrived as promised promptly at 7:00 a.m. and Mother and I vamoosed to eat breakfast in the dining room, something she had done only once before in all the years she has been here. We spun it out as long as possible, stuffing ourselves on omelets and drinking plenty of coffee.

When we arrived back at 9:45, everything had been moved, or close to it. Mother was invited to the new place at 10:30 to find that the furniture was all in place, the boxes were being unpacked, and it looked ready to live in.

And it was by 1:00 p.m. with bed made, closets in order, towels in the bathroom and all pictures hung.She was dumbfounded.

On Tuesday the main event of the day was when my nephew’s good friend and best man arrived with his roommate to take the furniture that had remained behind. He has a new house in Tempe but no furniture, so it was a good deal for all.

During the rest of of the day, I got know all the volunteers at the Thrift Shop after making six trips (one of which was to retrieve things Mother decided she wanted after all)

When all was loaded (except two casters for the bed, which had fallen off the frame, and the remote for the TV), Ben dropped in to graciously thank Mother. She was entertaining two of her friends and all were delighted.

I mailed him the casters and remote.

I had left my camera behind and had a chance to try the one I have in my new cell phone. As you can see, I have finally figured out how to get pictures out of my phone and onto my computer. Here is a picture of Ben and Mom

We ate in the dining room that night after a brief housewarming and sip of champagne for Mother’s friends who who could hardly wait to see her new place.

Of course, Mother knows almost everyone there already. The menu is the same as the one in the big dining room so life goes on as usual.

For those who have been there, the new living room does not look much different from the former one. The only thing that did not come was the wing chair that Mother said was uncomfortable anyway (Ben has it.) and the sofa that was so soft that no one could get out of it once they were down. (Ben has it too.)

The kitchen occupies a corner and has ample cupboards, a microwave, but no stove. Although the refrigerator is dinky, Mother feels it may be adequate. We shall see.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

After a day and a half of taking care of loose ends, I headed back across the desert. I had to stop in Palm Desert again to pick up the clothes I left in the closet of the motel I stayed at. (Dumb) I have become good friends with the new owner, a woman who has just opened up and with whom I can talk “hotel talk” again.

I finally stopped in Pasadena around 7:30.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Now that I am back in highspeed internet territory, I am posting this from my motel room in Pasadena while waiting for the morning commute traffic to ease up a bit–I hope.

I will stop at Harris Ranch on my way home and pick up steaks for dinner and rest easy knowing Mother is settled at last and no longer has need to endure the anxiety of anticipation.

All has ended very well.

Update

Ben has sent pictures of the furniture that has found a home at his place. See for yourself!

March 2009 Update

She’s moved again! Click here for the latest

Thursday, August 11, 2006

I had time today to take a trip into Texas Hill Country. Fredericksburg, forty miles north of Boerne, is a shopping (and tourist) mecca. Although I briefly hit the main street, I am not much of a shopper. I did buy a hat to ward off the Texas sun, but then headed east to Wildseeds Farm where acres of flowers stretched off to the the hills.

Because there was a windy back road running through the hills back to Boerne, I had to take it. And what could I do on the way but stop in Luckenbach…

and hike along backroad creeks?

What will happen tomorrow? Probably a wedding since I just got back from a wedding rehearsal dinner.

In the morning there was a brunch honoring the bride at a beautiful home overlooking San Antonio. Mary Ann, my sister-in-law, Emily, my niece, and I attended along with many others.

In the afternoon I made the obligatory trek to see the Alamo and learned a little history in the process.

The site of the 6 p.m. wedding was a beautiful historic chapel at the Lutheran church in Boerne (pronounced Burney)…

…where we all congregated before the wedding for picture taking and taking pictures of picture taking.

And soon it was time for the music to begin.

After the wedding pair had skipped back up the aisle (you did read that correctly), they drove off to the reception in an elegant Model A.

The rest of us took their lead and headed for a night of feasting and dancing…

…except for the ring bearer whose responsibilities had overcome him.

Tonight San Antonio; tomorrow night Maine.

The party continued much of the night. By about 5:00 a.m. the reveleries and late night chatter had ceased as even the most stalwart of the bridesmaids and groomsmen finally followed the lead of the ringbearer. Fortunately the entire thirteen room hotel was occupied by the wedding party, so tolerance prevailed.

During the course of the day the mother and father of the groom (my brother and sister-in-law) and I returned tuxedos, provided airport shuttle service, and finally drove the bride’s car back to the newlyweds home in Austin.

We slept well Sunday night.