CALIFORNIA!

Jack and I just home from California.  Mina is HOME!!!  We took her ashes back to the place she loved the most in the world, Santa Monica.  She was buried there with Jack’s Dad.  It was a beautiful SoCal day – lots of sunshine and ocean breezes. We all spoke of our love for and memories of her.  A special day!

 

We also had time to enjoy a bit of the area and spend lots of time with family and friends.

 

Jack and I went to the SeaBee Museum in Point Hueneme, their home base.   How interesting to learn of their mission!

 

 

We watched the sailboats come and go at Ventura Harbor.

 

 

And took our niece and nephew to Channel Islands National Park visitor’s center.  A trip out to those islands is on the list for the next trip West!

 

 

Kristen’s dogs, Romeo and Vinnie.  There is a new puppy, too, that I missed getting a picture of, Lacey, a 2 1/2 pound rescue!

 

 

We celebrated Jack’s birthday….

 

 

with Vegan cupcakes!  You can tell he is excited!!

 

Kristen’s daughter, Lena, brought her dog, Tito!

 

 

We sat in the sun, walked on the beach and played in the surf.

 

Cousins!!

 

 

And, we celebrated Mina’s life at a luncheon in Ventura with friends and family.  It was such a lovely time.  We are blessed with a great family! That’s Jack with his brother and sister.

 

 

 

Rest in peace, dear, sweet Mina.  I will always miss you! 

SRING HAS SPRUNG…..WHOOPS, IT’S SUMMER!!

Whew, where has the time gone?  I am way behind on my blogging.  After a mild winter spring arrived in March with unseasonably warm weather.  Everything budded and bloomed early and then, guess what? – you got it!  April was cold and everything froze!  My tulips, however, survived to bloom and bring neighbors to the door asking how we keep the deer away (it’s a secret!) and telling us how much they were enjoying those 600 blooms.  Jack is quite the tulip guy.  He is planning on adding another 600 bulbs this fall.

 

 

 

 

 

These red ones looked like roses!

 

Go Tribe!  Have a great season!

On a hike with Dakota looking for wildflowers! 

 

My father came to visit for a few weeks.  He has two sisters, neither of whom travel anymore.  So, we went traveling instead -  MAKING MEMORIES with my aunt Dolly in Madison, WI and my Aunt Gene in Denver, CO.  Of course Daddy got himself invited up into the cockpit on the first leg of the journey!

Me with Aunt Dolly, Daddy and my cousin Judy

My cousin’s daughter, Sarah, with her yummy cupcakes

Daddy with Aunt Dolly’s GREAT-grandson Clay! 

That’s another great-grandson!  What a joyful visit with all the family visiting – babies to 92 years old!! 

 

Back in Cleveland between visits we had a picnic in the park!

Complete with a hungry visitor!

Dakota napping with Grampa!

Now we are in Colorado with my Aunt Gene, Daddy’s younger sister

That’s my cousin Barb. She and her hubby took us all out to dinner!

Priceless memories with family. 

 

 

For Memorial Day my friend Mary from flight attendant days came for a visit. We took her for a bike ride on the towpath, took the ferry and spent the day on Put-in-Bay, one of the Lake Erie Islands and splurged on a special lunch at our favorite winery! 

That’s Enzo, King of the pillows!  He is 4 pound Yorkie and he and Dakota get along famously!  As long as Dakota remembers who is boss!!

Peace Memorial at Put-in-Bay

Mary and I decided to take up golf because driving the golf cart was just so much fun!!

Lunch at Gervasi Vineyards

Come back again soon, Mary!  Love you!

 

Next we are off to Texas for our godson Ross’s graduation from Air Force BMT. What an impressive ceremony. We are very proud of him!  The added benefit to this trip is that we got to stay in the beautiful San Antonio home of our good friends, Michael and Carolyn Foley!  What fun we had and what great hospitality.  Thank you, dear friends!

 

22 years ago I was shoving Ross up the ladder of an F-4 to sit in the cockpit with his Capt. Jack

On this day we watched him graduate from BMT!

Airman’s run. That’s Ross, the bald one bringing up the rear!!

Jack, Dawn, Holly and Carolyn

Coin ceremony

The first time Dawn and Holly got to see Ross in 8 weeks.  Sweet reunion!

In the bleachers for the pass in review

Town liberty!!  Doing the Riverwalk!

Guacamole at the table!

The Alamo!

Dinner at Mi Tierra!

I was there!!

What a fun time we had – filled with ceremony and friends and laughter and love! 

We are off this week for a few days in California and then home to enjoy summer in Ohio! 

Good-bye, Mina

 

 

This is a very sad post to write.  Those of you know us well know that for the last 7 years we have had the privilege and honor of helping Jack’s beautiful Mother.  Half way down the mountain on the last run of the last day of skiing in Steamboat my cell phone rang and our Mina had suffered a massive stroke.  We were at her bedside in less than 24 hours.  She was unresponsive but I am sure she knew we were there as her respirations changed when we entered the room and she heard our voices.  We were able to communicate some by hand-squeezing.  Per her wishes, she was transferred to an an in-patient Hospice.  Jack’s sister flew in from California and with the 3 of us tending she was never alone and one week later, with Jack and I each holding a hand she slipped peacefully away.  The Hospice was an amazing place and the staff – ANGELS!! We are so grateful for their care.  Losing a parent is brutal but they made it so much easier.

Mina was a remarkable woman – I never saw her mad, I never heard her utter an unkind word – she never complained, never asked for anything and was always glad to see us – with that beautiful smile on her face to greet us!  She was the best mother-in-law in the world – and I don’t say that because she is gone – I told her that over and over during the 40 years I had her.  Jack never missed Friday happy hour with her at her assisted living  - she never guessed that was alcohol free wine he poured in her glass!! - and Tuesdays found me playing the piano at her sing-a-longs and Sundays she and I went to church together.  I already miss her terribly and treasure the many joyful memories.   Her body was cremated and we will have a family gathering in California at a later date.

 

Senior Prom at her ALF!!

Beautiful smile!!

Love you, Mina.  Rest in Peace.