Rest in Peace Good and Faithful Servant

Today we are celebrating Dad's long and loving life with a service at the Methodist Church for anyone in the community who wishes to participate. Yesterday the family experienced a tender moment when the Military Honor Guard recognized Dad's faithful service to this country in WWII by playing Taps, displaying the flag, and then folding it and presenting it to my brother. The slow-motion salute was a powerful symbol of respect, one that had a more profound impact on me than I expected. Actually, I did not know what to expect.



My brother, sister and I placed Dad's ashes next to Mom's in their niche. The finality of this simple act is also profound, as if to say, "This chapter of your life is over." The notion of closure may be elusive to some, but as I saw their matching oak boxes side by side, I felt they were once again complete. And for that, I am grateful.

2 Bucks a Stem

The flower market in Los Angeles is 2nd in size only to the one in Amsterdam. Our amazing host Wally used his professional credential and took us at 6am to select flowers for the rehearsal dinner which will occur outside in their magnificently manicured garden. Exotic flowers of all types tempted us, but the blossoms that won out were deep purple and coral peonies.

Donald and Wally's home is a magnificent 1920s mansion in Los Feliz, formerly owned by Basil Rathbone and the prizefighter Jack Dempsey. The party of 70 people will easily fit around 8 tables on the expansive lawn. I toured the garden with Wally, admiring all kinds of blooming plants from complex hibiscus to dalias. Seeing Donald's garden of succlents reminded me of my mother who grew Hens and Chicks as well as roses and dalias, until the deer ate everything. The pool is the original shape, but the diving board has been removed in favor of a solar cover which raised to provide shade. Pretty neat design!

The slate roof and bow windows compliment the original timbers on the interior. Only the plumbing, heating and air conditioning have been updated. The original structure is maintained in an authentic style. Donald and Wally have selected furniture which completes the sensation of being present in a much different and special era.

Our guest quarters are right next to the pool, and we look out at the beautiful setting beyond. What a great way to destress, sip coffee (or wine depending on the time of day) and just "be".

Preparation for this event has been a joy-filled experience! Friday is the rehearsal dinner, and Saturday is the wedding. Jon and Eva will begin their lives together with the best send-off we can give them.

More Scents

This warmer-than-necessary January has caused plants to bloom prematurely. We have a small daphne bush in a large pot near the front door. The blooms give off a delicious scent, most noticeable at night and in the morning. As you walk past the plant a gentle but persistent scent is presented to your nose. Scents can be difficult to describe because they are unique and any description is subjective. Daphne is not pungent like gardenia, nor sweet like citrus, but it is a pleasant and unique experience.

We can post photos and videos to the Internet to share a visual experience. What a shame there is no way (yet) to post a scent file to share the olfactory experience.

Growing up near Seattle, mom used to grow daphne and put just one cut sprig in water on the kitchen windowsill. That one sprig with perhaps 2 or 3 small blossoms was all it took to bring the outdoors into the kitchen. The scent takes me back to that image of her at the window, as if I'm truly there with her. What a wonderful comforting memory!

Miles to Nowhere

Interstate 40 crosses the Tehachapi Mountains and the Mojave Desert before entering AZ

We took a 1,100 mile road trip to Lake Havasu, Arizona to visit Dennis' mom last week. The Colorado river widens into a man-made lake at this location because of a downstream dam. So the location is popular with the boating community and those who want to see the London Bridge which was relocated brick by brick to become a tourist attraction. In summer, the temperature can easily reach over 115 degrees, cooling down at night to a mere 104. At least that was our experience when we visited 3 years ago for mom's 75th birthday, and so we nicknamed the barren area "Gates of Hell".

This visit was very nice, including delicious meals and play time with siblings, cousins, aunts, nieces, nephews and (of course) dogs. A paved 4-mile trail is well organized with bicycles going clockwise and walkers going counterclockwise. On skates with dogs, we considered ourselves walkers. Roman actually sustained a 4-mile trot as I skated beside him on the second day. The family members who walked completed the loop in about 1 hr and 20 minutes, a pretty good pace indeed.

Cyndie, Paula, Roman and Josie on the 4-mile path

Cousin Paula made the most hilarious observations of the topography and local community:

• "This place is just like Afghanistan, only without the bullets!" (referring to the rugged, treeless terrain)




• "Bin Laden is probably hiding in the Model homes!" (as we passed an abandoned new housing development with only 3 model homes built and no activity whatsoever, who would think to look for terrorists there?)


Abandoned new housing development with 3 hearty palm trees attempting to survive




• "Mr. Bunny was surprised!" (referring to the cottontail rabbits who routinely traverse mom's backyard and did not expect two dogs to be there, the rabbits left quickly and dashed into the "wash", a gully designed for flash floods. Perhaps the coyotes got them.)




• "It's time for pee-pee NOW!" (this is the universally understood road-trip cry when there are no rest areas for extended periods while crossing the desert)

I was struck by the lack of solar panels on homes. Of all the places I have visited, Lake Havasu would be the ideal location to generate electricity from the sun, especially with the heavy use of residential air conditioning (even the garages have their own, separate swamp coolers!).

On the ride home, I took the snapshot below of the airplane storage area in the Mojave desert. Presumably, planes are stored here because of the low humidity....they don't deteriorate as quickly as they might in a wetter location.



Roman is a great traveler and never once complained about the long stretches. He just slept in doggie business class, the entire backseat being given over to him.