Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Papa and I have not felt well for a couple of weeks.  On Sunday morning, Papa rode his bike for the first time in several weeks and I went on a long walk.  We relaxed in the afternoon, enjoying beautiful barrel cactus blooms just outside our dining room.  Papa made pancakes for supper.  David was our supper guest.  He graduated from UA in May and is now working as a teaching assistant while getting a master's in physiology.  He plans to apply to medical school next spring.  We enjoyed several hours of conversation with David, who we've known from Boys & Girls Club for six years!  Time has flown and he's grown up!  We are so proud of the young man he's become.

Busy Saturday

Papa and I drove to Phoenix to trade my Porsche for a Mercedes.  We were just finishing the paperwork by noon, when Claire called.  We arranged to meet her family for lunch.  I called Mary and invited her too.  We ate at Aunt Chilada’s, a long time favorite in Mary’s neighborhood.  It’s so nice for us to see Emerson and Colby more often, even for lunch!  We got home about 4 and I waited for the temperature to cool down before going for a walk at sunset.  This was my reward!

Dinner Party

We invited Ornella and Donato for dinner last night.  We met them in Verona in late May, as they were leading a Mediterranean Diet Study Abroad Program.  They are professors at UA, Donato teaches and Ornella does cancer research.  Within minutes of meeting in Verona, we discovered we live a block apart in Tucson!  It is a very small world!

I served Moroccan Salad, Roasted Spiced Chicken, Rice with Pine Nuts, Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Sliced Almonds, Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes, and Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries for dessert.  They brought a bottle of Italian wine.  We enjoyed dinner and talked for hours.  They brought along a slideshow from their study abroad program this year, which we particularly enjoyed since we joined the group for a day, and we know one of the students participating.  A nice evening!

Sedona for Lunch

A few weeks ago, my childhood friend, Pam, emailed to ask if we would be available to get together with her and her husband sometime this week in Sedona.  Today was the day!  We drove up from The Boulders, picked Pam and Kenith up, and drove a little further to the Enchantment Resort for lunch.  We talked nonstop for 4.5 hours!  Loved every minute!  The view was nice too!

Pam and Kenith met us for dinner two years ago in New Orleans, driving several hours each way from their beach house.  We were more than happy to be the ones driving this time.  Loved seeing them, talking about old times and new times.  I’m glad Pam and I have stayed in touch!

Morning at The Boulders

The Boulders Resort

We drove to Phoenix late morning, arriving in time for lunch with Claire’s family.  After hanging several photos and moving a few pieces of furniture, we left by 3:30 to check into The Boulders Resort.  We’re staying overnight at one of our favorite places.  We’ve been coming here over 30 years.  It reminds me of The Flintstones.  After dinner, we walked about the grounds and I took this shot soon after sunset.

Big Cactus Blooms

A few more blooms this morning!  This cactus is the gift that keeps on giving!

This cactus is blooming near our dining room patio.  There were 32 blooms this morning!  The blooms open at night and close in the morning.  The blooms are delicate, huge, and gorgeous!

Sunset

Photo taken from our patio.

Self Reflection on Jones Creek

Our trip over the past week was very powerful for me.  The morning after we arrived in NC, after spending four days with my Mom & Dad, I went on a walk down Jones Creek Road, along a rushing creek I’ve walked next to many times over the past 61 years.  When I got back to the house, I got a cup of coffee and went out on the porch just a few feet from Jones Creek.  I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the times I sat on the porch on Jones Creek with Aunt Rhea, and how time with her influenced my life.  

Aunt Rhea taught me about a love of reading, from when I was 12 and went on a week long beach vacation with her family.  When I was in college in Florida, I would drive the 100 miles to their house for weekends once or twice a month, just to hang out with her and Uncle Wayne.  She taught me a love of learning, of cooking for pleasure, watching the birds, smelling the flowers, being still and hearing the creek flow, curiosity, and learning when to let things go.  We named Audrey after Aunt Rhea.  Audrey and Dan named Taylor after her, and Claire and David named Emerson after her.  Our children loved her!  She was always smiling and happy to see us when we visited.  She planned daily outings on every visit.  She made biscuits to die for!

Aunt Rhea was loving and kind to people of all walks of life, different ethnicities and with various colors of skin.  She was generous without expecting anything in return.  She and my uncle opened their home to exchange students over the years.  She taught a children’s bible study class and got to know the kids.  She did things in a big way.  Their Christmas tree was 16+’ tall every year, standing in their open two story high living room.  She would entertain women from church, the wives of college executives where my uncle worked, and my cousins friends families, all with amazing food and an interactive game or conversation.  She loved to entertain!  Aunt Rhea had osteoporosis and congestive heart failure.  She remained vibrant and curious to her death.  She watched the latest movies, enjoyed stage plays, kept a journal of books she read for over 30 years with notes about each one, loved ethnic restaurants, enjoyed conversations with all kinds of people, was open minded, loving and kind to everyone, and enjoyed nature.  
 
Aunt Rhea and Uncle Wayne left the small town where they grew up in Kentucky, when they were in their 20’s, to move to Ocala, Florida.  Uncle Wayne was a teacher, then a school principal, and finally an administrator at a community college.  Their three girls are brilliant.  I feel so fortunate to have grown close to Aunt Rhea at an early age and stayed close to her until her death 5 years ago.  Aunt Rhea would be 97 on September 11, born in 1921.  I called her every week and we visited every year or two.  She was my rock when my parents divorced.  Certainly, I am a better person, mother, and wife because of her example.

I took these photos on Saturday morning, before we left Jones Creek.  I got up early to go for a walk.  Rain had fallen the night before.  The ground was wet and the creek was running higher than usual.  The sky was mostly blue with misty, smoky clouds just kissing the mountain tops.  Beautiful!

Jones Creek

We drove from Kentucky to western North Carolina on Thursday.  We arrived on Jones Creek by 4 p.m., to spend a couple of days with cousin Jane and her husband, Fred.  Jane and Fred completely rebuilt Aunt Rhea and Uncle Wayne’s home on Jones Creek, a place I’ve gone to my whole life.  The house redo is amazing, just beautiful!  I enjoyed morning walks up and down the road, with the smoky clouds hanging down over the mountain tops.  We sat on the porch overlooking Jones Creek.  We watched the birds, squirrels, and wild turkeys.  We went on a day trip to Waynesville for lunch, then to Asheville to the Arboretum, then back part way on the Blue Ridge Parkway, enjoying beautiful views along the way.  Jane and Fred prepared delicious meals and we sat at the table 3-4 hours savoring each bite and talking.  We had a wonderful visit to Jones Creek!

Big Dinners

On Tuesday night, we went to Moonlite Barbecue with Mom.  We chose the buffet at Moonlite, with several choices of meat, lots of veggies and salads, plus an array of desserts.  Yum!  We went to cousin Dickie’s house for dinner on Wednesday night and had creamy chicken over rice with roasted vegetables, and homemade banana pudding for dessert.  We are eating well! 

Barns

I grew up on a small farm with an old barn down the road behind our house.  I spent lots of hours playing in that barn as a child.  I have always loved the old wood barns of Kentucky, many used for drying tobacco.  Papa and I walked five miles with Dickie this morning, along a country lane with several old barns.