Last year, in a simpler, safer time, we planned Diana's and Daniel's wedding in Austin. It was to be at Barr Mansion on July 10, 2020, complete with a reception afterwards, a breakfast the next morning, and lots of fun in-between. Who knew things would become so complicated?
First, Daniel took a job in Denver that started in November. None of us had anticipated this, but he found the perfect position, and we are delighted that Denver is where they will be.
Life continued on, we ordered invitations, we fit her dress, we made travel plans. And then, along came Covid-19. At first, we were not terribly concerned - July 10 was a long ways away. But as things began to unravel, it became abundantly clear that cancellations were happening everywhere. First, the wedding shower in Wichita was postponed until August. We realized that asking Di's attendants to fly to Austin was a really bad move; asking our friends to travel there, even by car, was also not a good decision. So we changed the date of the reception to July 9, 2021, hoping that we could at least hold a small ceremony in Austin this year, and we would have a renewal of vows next year.
As the date came closer, Texas and the virus were plunging into bad territory. Di and Daniel debated going to a Justice of the Peace in Denver, we considered coming to the Pecos and having my brother perform the ceremony in our meadow, but they really wanted to go to Austin. Barr Mansion was still operating, and on July 9, Di, Daniel, Don and I piled into the Jeep and headed to Austin. We were very careful to wear our masks, wash our hands, and eat snacks we had brought with us. It was the start of a very interesting few days!
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Saturday, July 4, 2020
Stars at Night
One of the most poignant moments in our family occurred in July, 2004. I had been spending time in New Mexico with my mom, while Don stayed home. Diana had been in Europe, and the day after she returned home, she and Don drove to the cabin. Since she awakened early, they were on the road early and arrived about 3 in the afternoon. Mom and I were in Albuquerque, and unbeknownst to Don and Di, I had arranged for Kenneth to fly to Albuquerque, where Mom and I picked him up and brought him to the cabin.
As we exited the car, Kenneth looked up at the dark sky and saw an unusual formation of the Big Dipper. We then went inside, where Don and Di were doing the dishes. "Kenneth, what are you doing here?" Diana exclaimed, as surprised as Don was.
Throughout the next few nights, the formation continued to appear, and several times Kenneth mentioned that he wished he knew someone who could paint the picture. That being said, none of us knew anyone, and we just had the memory of the stars.
After a few days at the cabin, everyone went home, the kids said good-bye to my mom and me. I went back home with her, and over the next few months, I visited about every two weeks. In September, after I took my mom to dialysis, I decided to go visit the art gallery of Angus Macpherson, a cabin neighbor and high school friend. In high school, I had no idea he was an artist, but I had heard of his work, and I wanted to see what he did. When I walked into his new gallery, the first picture I saw was a night sky, complete with the moon rising over a hill, shining through the trees. I found my artist. Over the next few weeks, I worked with Angus to have him paint a picture for each of the kids, ship it to the school, and have it ready for Christmas.
I had no idea, at the time, that my mom would pass away just before Thanksgiving, and my children would not see her after that time at the cabin. The significance of that trip to the cabin increased in importance, and we had a rather sober Thanksgiving and Christmas. We had planned a trip to Yellowstone, leaving on Christmas afternoon, so we had to hurry with packages in the morning. After the last package was opened, I pulled out one more . . . and Kenneth and Di opened it together, pulling out two beautiful pictures of the night sky. Quite an emotional moment. (Picture will be attached later.)
Fast forward 16 years. This past weekend, Kenneth and Caleb joined us at the cabin. While there, Kenneth went outside to see nearly the same formation as when we were there with my mom. Now, however, he had a really good iPhone in hand with a super camera on it. He took this picture:
As we exited the car, Kenneth looked up at the dark sky and saw an unusual formation of the Big Dipper. We then went inside, where Don and Di were doing the dishes. "Kenneth, what are you doing here?" Diana exclaimed, as surprised as Don was.
Throughout the next few nights, the formation continued to appear, and several times Kenneth mentioned that he wished he knew someone who could paint the picture. That being said, none of us knew anyone, and we just had the memory of the stars.
After a few days at the cabin, everyone went home, the kids said good-bye to my mom and me. I went back home with her, and over the next few months, I visited about every two weeks. In September, after I took my mom to dialysis, I decided to go visit the art gallery of Angus Macpherson, a cabin neighbor and high school friend. In high school, I had no idea he was an artist, but I had heard of his work, and I wanted to see what he did. When I walked into his new gallery, the first picture I saw was a night sky, complete with the moon rising over a hill, shining through the trees. I found my artist. Over the next few weeks, I worked with Angus to have him paint a picture for each of the kids, ship it to the school, and have it ready for Christmas.
I had no idea, at the time, that my mom would pass away just before Thanksgiving, and my children would not see her after that time at the cabin. The significance of that trip to the cabin increased in importance, and we had a rather sober Thanksgiving and Christmas. We had planned a trip to Yellowstone, leaving on Christmas afternoon, so we had to hurry with packages in the morning. After the last package was opened, I pulled out one more . . . and Kenneth and Di opened it together, pulling out two beautiful pictures of the night sky. Quite an emotional moment. (Picture will be attached later.)
Fast forward 16 years. This past weekend, Kenneth and Caleb joined us at the cabin. While there, Kenneth went outside to see nearly the same formation as when we were there with my mom. Now, however, he had a really good iPhone in hand with a super camera on it. He took this picture:
Sometimes things happen that are not coincidence. I think this was one of those times.
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Reflections on Isolation, Corona, and More
It has indeed been a weird few months. Not long after we returned from New Mexico, we began to hear of a virus in China that appeared to be headed our way. We were able to have our Author Dinner, but not long after, the country began to shut down. We were told to social distance, to stay home. And we did. For six weeks. Right before spring break, schools closed down, churches quit having services, many business closed, all restaurants shut . . . it was something we have never seen before.
We had no Easter services, all sports were shut down, schools did not hold graduations or proms or awards ceremonies, weddings were postponed . . .
And I found out I really enjoyed the quiet. I loved not having a schedule, we walked the dogs more than ever, we did projects that have been on our list for ages, we cleaned out - but had nowhere to take the stuff - and we didn't drive our cars more than a mile a day! Although many hoarded toilet paper, we always have a lot on hand, so we escaped that drama . . . but other items were in short supply and we had to adapt.
I found that if I planned meals for two weeks and was not tempted to "make reservations," we did not waste food, and we ate well. I hope I can sustain that trend.
We also learned about Zoom, and we held three or four Zoom meetings a week. My high school friends and I have never kept in such good touch. Don gets together with two of his men's groups, we talk to church friends, I go to Weight Watchers . . . it is rather nice to sit in our family room and not leave our house.
We missed our grandkids - but FaceTime helped us. I got to see Diana once as we prepared for her wedding. Unfortunately, she is one whose wedding has been changed. We will be having a mini-mony on the original date, July 10, and the party will be next year! I am so proud of Diana and Daniel and the way they have handled their disappointment. But we have all found that we are relaxing, knowing that there will only be ten of us at the ceremony.
It has been an interesting time.
We had no Easter services, all sports were shut down, schools did not hold graduations or proms or awards ceremonies, weddings were postponed . . .
And I found out I really enjoyed the quiet. I loved not having a schedule, we walked the dogs more than ever, we did projects that have been on our list for ages, we cleaned out - but had nowhere to take the stuff - and we didn't drive our cars more than a mile a day! Although many hoarded toilet paper, we always have a lot on hand, so we escaped that drama . . . but other items were in short supply and we had to adapt.
I found that if I planned meals for two weeks and was not tempted to "make reservations," we did not waste food, and we ate well. I hope I can sustain that trend.
We also learned about Zoom, and we held three or four Zoom meetings a week. My high school friends and I have never kept in such good touch. Don gets together with two of his men's groups, we talk to church friends, I go to Weight Watchers . . . it is rather nice to sit in our family room and not leave our house.
We missed our grandkids - but FaceTime helped us. I got to see Diana once as we prepared for her wedding. Unfortunately, she is one whose wedding has been changed. We will be having a mini-mony on the original date, July 10, and the party will be next year! I am so proud of Diana and Daniel and the way they have handled their disappointment. But we have all found that we are relaxing, knowing that there will only be ten of us at the ceremony.
It has been an interesting time.
New Mexico in the Winter
Don and I wanted to test out the new Willie in the winter, so we decided to come to New Mexico.
We arrived in Las Vegas, and spent the evening with Betsy and Matthew. By the next morning however, we had about 6 inches of snow and by the end of the day, we had 8". Not exactly what we were expecting, but Don managed to keep the pipes from freezing, and by noon on Wednesday, we were ready to get to Santa Fe. On our drive out, a rock hit the windshield, so Wednesday afternoon, Safelite was able to repair the chip!
Thursday morning, we met Peter and Claudia and went to Nambe and Chimayo. Having never been to either place, we spent quite of a bit of time driving through Nambe and walking around Chimayo. We were at Chimayo on the second anniversary of baby Mia's death, so we had an opportunity to purchase a candle and light it in her memory. It was a rather sobering day, but we were glad we were in Chimayo.
The trip to Chimayo touched our hearts in many ways . . . and our stomachs. We had not differentiated between regular red chile and Chimayo chile, but after eating it, we tasted the difference. We are now died-in-the-wool Chimayo chile lovers!
The trip to Albuquerque gave us the opportunity to see Aunt Ruth, who will be 101 in May, and to see my cousin, Mabel. We had dinner with Bart and Char; saw our friend Merideth Hmura; went to the Albuquerque Museum to see an exhibit with our friend, Anne; and spent some time with our nephew, Joey and his wife, Traci.
Then on our way home, I insisted that we eat at Frankie's and go to the cabin. It was a beautiful day, despite the nearly 20 inches of snow at the cabin, and the joy of walking through the snow exhilarated me. A fall on the road did nothing to dissuade me from continuing, and although we only spent a few minutes inside the cabin, it eased the itch.
Then, we were on our way home. We couldn't make it home in time, so we stopped at a little RV park in Elkhart. It is a no-frills place, but it certainly works for a short-term stop-over!
All in all, it was a very successful trip, and the new Willie performed admirably in rather challenging conditions.
We arrived in Las Vegas, and spent the evening with Betsy and Matthew. By the next morning however, we had about 6 inches of snow and by the end of the day, we had 8". Not exactly what we were expecting, but Don managed to keep the pipes from freezing, and by noon on Wednesday, we were ready to get to Santa Fe. On our drive out, a rock hit the windshield, so Wednesday afternoon, Safelite was able to repair the chip!
The trip to Chimayo touched our hearts in many ways . . . and our stomachs. We had not differentiated between regular red chile and Chimayo chile, but after eating it, we tasted the difference. We are now died-in-the-wool Chimayo chile lovers!
The trip to Albuquerque gave us the opportunity to see Aunt Ruth, who will be 101 in May, and to see my cousin, Mabel. We had dinner with Bart and Char; saw our friend Merideth Hmura; went to the Albuquerque Museum to see an exhibit with our friend, Anne; and spent some time with our nephew, Joey and his wife, Traci.
Then on our way home, I insisted that we eat at Frankie's and go to the cabin. It was a beautiful day, despite the nearly 20 inches of snow at the cabin, and the joy of walking through the snow exhilarated me. A fall on the road did nothing to dissuade me from continuing, and although we only spent a few minutes inside the cabin, it eased the itch.
All in all, it was a very successful trip, and the new Willie performed admirably in rather challenging conditions.
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Driving the RV
When we bought the new RV, I knew it was time for me to learn to drive. Don had done all of the driving for 17 years, and we have been lucky not to have needed me to drive. But we are getting older, and if Don should become ill, I need to know how to drive.
The first day was spent primarily doing a slalom around curbs. I hit a few, but eventually I got the hang of it. By the second day, we were driving in downtown Kansas City. It began to snow, and I even had some experience driving in the snow. Since then, I have driven a little and am getting the hang of it. I hope I only get to drive in good weather . . . but at least I can now!
The first day was spent primarily doing a slalom around curbs. I hit a few, but eventually I got the hang of it. By the second day, we were driving in downtown Kansas City. It began to snow, and I even had some experience driving in the snow. Since then, I have driven a little and am getting the hang of it. I hope I only get to drive in good weather . . . but at least I can now!
Friday, January 10, 2020
The Other Einstein
I love my book club! I have learned so much since joining it and have read books I would never pick up otherwise. The most recent, The Other Einstein, is a captivating read about Albert Einstein's first wife. Based on letters that were found, Marie Benedict crafts a fictional story about Mileva Einstein. And although it is fiction, much of the story is based on the letters. Perhaps it is not true, but it surely makes sense to me that Albert Einstein took credit for his wife's work. Imagine that!
In reading a few reviews, some have panned the author's style, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a rather quick read, and it kept me interested from beginning to end.
In reading a few reviews, some have panned the author's style, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a rather quick read, and it kept me interested from beginning to end.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
WillieBago4
Don and I had thought when we got home that we would purchase a new RV next year. If we had only planned to RV to Manhattan and KC, perhaps we would keep Willie, but with 120,000 miles and 17 years on him, he is not able to go to Nova Scotia, Maine and even back to Alaska. So we thought we would begin to look for purchase next year.
On September 22, we were going to go to KC after church, planning to take the Willie to church and leave from there. Don picked up the Willie in the morning, but when we went out to leave, the Willie would not start. Not again! So we left the Willie and took the Jeep to KC.
Originally we had planned to look at RVs while we were in Kansas City, so Monday morning, we went to Transwest RV. We told the salesman that we had no intention of purchasing that day, but he was glad to show us the RVs they had in stock. They had several 2019 Newmars and Tiffins, but only one had a floorplan we liked.
When we left, we discussed whether we should just purchase the one we liked - it had already been significantly discounted, and we thought we could afford it. We returned that afternoon to purchase the RV, and then we went to the cabin.
We returned to KC the next week to pick up the RV. We had set up a 6-hour meeting to go over all of the elements of the RV, and Caleb really wanted to come with us. We told him he would be bored - "I don't mind being bored." We told him he couldn't go, and finally, through his tears, he cried, "But I insist." Nevertheless, we went without him, and by 3:00, we were the proud owners of a 37-foot Newmar.
By the time I am writing this, Willie4 has been to two ball games and has been quite the hit. The old Willie held much more paraphernalia and was so good for tailgating, we are having trouble adjusting to the reduced storage. But we will get over it, and in the meantime, we will thoroughly enjoy our new RV.
On September 22, we were going to go to KC after church, planning to take the Willie to church and leave from there. Don picked up the Willie in the morning, but when we went out to leave, the Willie would not start. Not again! So we left the Willie and took the Jeep to KC.
Originally we had planned to look at RVs while we were in Kansas City, so Monday morning, we went to Transwest RV. We told the salesman that we had no intention of purchasing that day, but he was glad to show us the RVs they had in stock. They had several 2019 Newmars and Tiffins, but only one had a floorplan we liked.
When we left, we discussed whether we should just purchase the one we liked - it had already been significantly discounted, and we thought we could afford it. We returned that afternoon to purchase the RV, and then we went to the cabin.
We returned to KC the next week to pick up the RV. We had set up a 6-hour meeting to go over all of the elements of the RV, and Caleb really wanted to come with us. We told him he would be bored - "I don't mind being bored." We told him he couldn't go, and finally, through his tears, he cried, "But I insist." Nevertheless, we went without him, and by 3:00, we were the proud owners of a 37-foot Newmar.
By the time I am writing this, Willie4 has been to two ball games and has been quite the hit. The old Willie held much more paraphernalia and was so good for tailgating, we are having trouble adjusting to the reduced storage. But we will get over it, and in the meantime, we will thoroughly enjoy our new RV.
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