September 23, 2019
12:07 p.m.

Over the last few years--probably since the beginning of the new millennium--I have become the photographic documentarian of the family. I have tried very hard to be present for special occasions; births, weddings, holidays and reunions have come to hold a special place in my heart, and I feel a need to leave some sort of memory footprint behind each one. 

The picture above is actually a rarity--my mother, me and my grandmother in a photograph together. The occasion was my own wedding day, but that's not relevant. What is relevant is the fact that there are not more photos like this.

Yes, I find pictures of my parents and grandparents all the time, but I'm not with them in very many of them. Part of the reason may be that I don't particularly like being the subject in a photo. I'd much rather be behind the camera. But the other reason is we didn't seem to feel it was important to leave those memory footprints behind when I was younger. There was always going to be another day, another opportunity to take a quick snapshot. 

I have so many memories of spending time with my grandparents, but very few photos to look at and see that we were actually there, together, spending quality time. I wish now that there were a lot more. 

I guess that's the reason I do take the time to pose for pictures with my children and grandchildren now, even when I'd rather be out of the shot and behind the lens. Someday, they may want to see some evidence that I was there with them. 

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4:07 p.m.

Speaking of photographs, I have spent hours now (not all in one day, mind you) looking for one particular photo. It's driving me nuts. 

And now, I found some photos from a 1991 reunion, and I know there are more, but do you think I can find those? Nope. They are probably scanned on my computer in Denver, which is dying a slow and noisy death. Thank heaven I have them backed up on another driver. Wherever that is.

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Since I have blabbed away about photos, can I just ask you readers, how do you manage your own photographs? Do you just maintain albums of prints and store your digitals on the cloud? Do you scan old photos and save them on a device or a DVD? Do you print your digital photos? Please let me know in the comments.

I'm off in search of the rest of those reunion photos. Wish me luck!

Until we meet again! 

September 4, 2019
1:38 p.m.

It seems to me that it has been a long year. Kind of a tough year, too.

My parents are getting older. We who are lucky enough to still have parents can all say that--they are getting older. But this past year has been a time when I could actually see it happening, day by day. Not just because I'm here every day, either. Because it has accelerated.

I suppose once someone reaches that eight-decade milestone, acceleration is to be expected. So why did I not expect it?

Mom has been through so much in two years. Four surgeries--three elective for knee and hip replacements and one that literally saved her life two years ago when she had a blockage in her small intestine. She uses a cane, even after surgeries, and frequently also makes use of a walker. Still, she remains strong in mind and manages her days well.

Dad is weakening daily. He has become confused and no longer takes joy in the things he used to love. His appetite is sporadic; some days he eats well, and other days I have to beg and ply him with extra protein drinks. He has issues with balance and has fallen several times in the past few months, at one time injuring himself quite badly.

I no longer feel comfortable if I'm not with them all the time.

That said, I have to go to Colorado next week for medical stuff and *gasp* jury duty. My sister will come and stay with them.

I have gotten to a point in my life where I find myself "borrowing trouble". Worst case scenarios just pop into my head, and I'm not sure how to deal with that. I might be a little depressed.
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Last week was pretty nice, since my nephew and his wife and daughter came for a visit that lasted longer than a weekend. It was so nice to spend some good time visiting with them.

 

They make their home in Washington, which is too far away, of course. Every time someone says "It's a small world", all I can think is that it sure seems big to me, when all the people I love are too far away for me to visit every day! 

At any rate, we got to have a few days of good visits, and my sister and brother-in-law did a really nice barbecue at their house. Good food, good company. Who could ask for more?

(I could have asked for no migraine, but I managed to enjoy the day, the food and the company in spite of the darn headache. Boy, those things are killjoys, aren't they?)
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The Labor Day thing has come and gone, and now we must prepare for summer's end. I hope we have a long and mild autumn before winter comes. I hear the winter predictions this year are dire. Ugh.

Speaking of Labor Day, I didn't even glance at sales, look at traffic statistics or in any way acknowledge that the holiday is about anything else but good labor laws. Aren't you proud of me?
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I'm going to have to grab the dog. Neighbor has a new pup, and she's really winding Molly up with her barking. They are going to drive all the neighborhood nuts. It's probably a pleasant conversation, but I don't have a doggie translation app. Ha ha!

Y'all have a good evening!

Roadtripping

Thursday, August 22, 2019
2:14 p.m.

Here we are at the beautiful Shoshone National Forest in Twin Falls, Idaho. 

When vacationing, one must always take time to see new sights. 

This was my first visit to the falls, and I hope it won't be my last. 

Absolutely gorgeous!

We headed home from the family reunion on Monday,  August 12th, with only a vague plan for sight-seeing on a different route than the one we took going there. I'm so glad we did; we saw some beautiful scenery!

My brother and his family had left the day before to go see Craters of the Moon. I haven't been there since I was a nine-year-old. They traveled on to Jackson, WY and just took their time since everyone had a few more vacation days.

The rest of us had to make it home Monday night, so we got an early start and headed for Twin Falls.

 

Before we hit town, we stopped at an overlook area and I wandered down to a fenced-off area to get these shots. In the place where the fence was down, of course I had to step right up to the edge. I'm a little nutty that way. 

Once we got into town, we stopped at another overlook area where I had no choice but to stay in a safe spot. 

 

 

 

 

 I was lucky enough to get a good shot of a hang glider under the bridge, even got a few seconds of video! Sometimes you're just in the right place at the right time!

We traveled in two vehicles, and made our way through the Shoshone National Forest and down to the falls. Those were some twisty, narrow roads, I'll tell you! I am not a fan of twisty and narrow, so I scrunched down with my book until we got closer to our destination.

Roads, be damned, the twists were worth it!

 

 

 

 

 

Even before you can see the falls, as you walk down from the parking areas, you can hear the roar and feel the spray of water on your face. It's an amazing sight, the rainbows standing just above the water, the rock formations, the rapidly running spill of white water. 

The power generated by this much running water is awesome to contemplate. I can only imagine what changes in the landscape may have occurred over the centuries. Nature can be daunting, to say the least. 

After our visit to the falls, we headed for Ogden, Utah, and the most disappointing lunch I've had in quite a while. I was really looking forward to some tasty barbecued ribs. They were burnt. If we hadn't had to get home for our drivers to rest up for work on Tuesday, I would have sent them back. As it stands, I still haven't done a Yelp review, and that place should probably hope that I don't get around to it. Wreck my ribs, and I can be brutal. 

We made it home well before dark, and I thought Molly MuttDoggle would wiggle herself to pieces, she was so happy to be home and running around in her own yard. She turned out to be a really good traveler, but, like Dorothy, she believes wholeheartedly that there's no place like home. 

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6:43 p.m.

A nice spaghetti dinner, and I made cookies, so the parents are full and content. Molly is napping by Dad's side while they watch a western. 

As we've all gotten older, it takes us longer to recuperate from a long trip, but I think we've gotten over it. 

Mom and Dad celebrated 62 years of marriage on the 17th of August. It's an amazing thing when people stay together and love each other for year after year. It's an inspiration.

Mom celebrated her 82nd birthday on the 20th. We all got together and ate Mexican food and watched a funny movie. 

Blessings. We have them, and thank our lucky stars.

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Until we meet again! 

Tuesday, August 20, 2019
4:25 p.m.

Number one thing--Happy Birthday to my beautiful Mom, now aged 82. I am so blessed to have her in my life!

On the 17th, she and my Dad celebrated their 62nd Anniversary!

Wow! I could never put up with anyone that long, unless I was raised with them or raised them myself. And that's not always a picnic, either.

Yeah, yeah, if I'd picked a guy who actually did me right... coulda, shoulda, woulda. Blah, blah.

Anyway, they picked each other and made work for over 6 decades, so KUDOS!
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I have recently discovered that I can still bound up the stairs two at a time, and that under the right circumstances, I can easily lift 150 pounds. I don't think I ever really wanted to know that, but I guess it's information worth having.
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August has been a busy month, with some traveling and lots of visiting going on.

Family reunion with Mom's family was pretty great. We had a few days to visit, eat good food, take some not-bad photos and just catch up with everyone.

We also paid tribute to my Aunt, who we lost last winter, and my Uncle, who left us in May. That's a rough thing, and makes me even more grateful to have my parents still with me.

Traveling through Idaho, I got some really good photos with my little phone from the window of a moving vehicle. I don't know that I'd have done as well with a regular camera!

I was amazed that this photo turned out so well! I was sure it wouldn't, since we passed by this Pocatello church so quickly. I'm really pleased with it!

 

These fields are so flat! Living in Colorado, you see plains like these to the east, and lots of mountains to the west.
I look west, always. I love the mountains! But I have to admit, this is a beautiful sight!

It's really amazing to me to see the beautiful cloud formations and the wide open land in this area.
I wouldn't mind a bit living out in the middle of this, no neighbors for miles around. Think of the peace and quiet!
As you can probably see, I am a fan of clouds. Aren't they pretty?



Once we arrived at my Aunt's house, we settled ourselves into visit mode!

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, my beautiful Aunt and Uncle were the most wonderful of hosts, providing us with a beautiful setting--their lovely home--good food and plenty of time to enjoy it all!

Thank you so much for everything, Renee and Carl!


This was one of the most well-attended reunions I have had the pleasure of attending. All Mom's siblings were there--the ones who weren't have moved to another realm and were certainly there in spirit.

Not all the cousins were there, but many were able to make it, so it was really special. It's always so wonderful to see everyone!
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Well, must prepare for Mom's birthday dinner, we get to go out! Yay!

Next up, our visit to Shoshone Falls. Stay tuned!

Cheers!