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| Wilma, Lisa, and Marianne |
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| Starfish Sculptue |
Went to the beach with some friends in May...Wilma, Lisa, and Marianne. I didn't know Marianne before the beach trip, but found her to be just delightful. Wilma has been my friend since dirt, and Lisa has been a friend for maybe 12 or 14 years. I don't go to the beach too often, so this was really a nice treat. We stayed at Atlantic Beach at a place called Peppertree, apparently a very popular spot for tourists. While there we spent precious little time on the beach, but went to Beaufort, Swansboro, Emerald Isle, Harkers Island, and other places that have escaped my memory. I didn't know much about the history or the geography of the area and learned a lot of interesting things. The respite was fun, and being with good friends with whom one can laugh and cry is always therapeutic. The starfish sculpture was done by some children playing on the beach. I walked past them while they worked and when I came back they had abandoned it to the tide, so I captured it in photo for posterity.
Our grandson (the only one) Jonathan, Jr. received his first Holy Communion in early May. This event is a special time in the lives of young Catholics, and we are always honored and proud to be a part of this family celebration. He wouldn't stay still long enough for me to get a picture of him alone, so you'll have to settle for one with big sister, Katie. Well, I tried, but the pic kept posting sideways and I couldn't figure out how to get it right. Sorry!
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| Alice |
During my professional days, I abrutptly changed a position in an elementary school to one in a high school...pretty much a culture shock. One of the high school teachers in my department took me under her wing, and I credit her with sheparding me through the adjustment. We became very good friends and shared the joys and heartaches of our lives for many years. Then she left education for work in the corporate world, and I moved on to other things. We saw each other infrequently for some time and then sort of lost touch altogether. But through the magic of Facebook we reconnected where we picked up right where we left off. It is so wonderful to have never-ending friendships, and I count myself lucky to have a number of these. Alice came to visit Jim and me one weekend and we had the most wonderful time! In addition to never shutting up, we shopped a little, rode around and looked at the scenery, and cooked. She brought her dog, Emmie, with her. She and Chet got along very well, though they never did bond as good friends. They are both rescue dogs, and it was very interesting deciding which one was the most neurotic. I think Emmie might have taken the prize, though Chet is not the most fearless animal in existence!
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| Little Hearing Devices |
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| Karen and Joe |
Several posts ago I told you about my friend Karen from high school whom I had recently reconnected with after 45 years. She and her husband Joe came to spend a weekend with us a couple weeks ago, and we had another great time. They are so kind and let me stay with them when I am in Greensboro visiting my mother. It's so good to be around them. Jim really, really likes Joe and we spend a lot of time laughing. They are so easy to be around. We had such a good time that we asked them to stay for another day when they were here and they did! It was very cool and rainy, so we stayed in and watched movies all day. That is a luxury that we are rarely afforded, so it was really a special event.
I am planning a July 4 event with my daughter-in-law, Shanna, the grandchildren, and Shanna's folks. We did this last year and it was such fun that we thought a repeat was certainly in order. In the meantime, a cousin who lives in Birmingham told me that he and his family were coming to Maggie Valley for that week and they would like to come see us. Of course, I invited them to celebrate with us. It is going to be quite a crew, but we will see people that we either have never met or whom we have not seen in a very long time. I am looking forward to it. I am also going to get to keep the granddaughters for several days BY MYSELF!!! I am so excited. I am planning to take them on a canopy adventure (benign for little people), and maybe to Chimney Rock. Their other grandmother is coming to hang out with us, so we'll all have fun. They live in Texas and time with them is scarce and precious.
Fo many years, my mother's family has had a reunion here in the mountains. This year was the 122nd Coward Reunion. It began as a birthday celebration for my great-great-grandfather and was a very big deal when most of the family lived nearby. For several decades, it has been relinquishing some of it's glamour, but in the last ten years it has been getting smaller and smaller. This year there were only 3 attendees...Jim and I were two of them, and my cousin Jule was the other. He has been the de facto leader of the group for a long time. Sadly, we decided to end the tradition. There are many reasons for its demise, but the biggest are time and distance. My mother's generation was the last that really revered the tradition, and most of them have passed on or are very elderly and infirm. Nevertheless, we will continue to carry on the tradition of family with our own nuclear units, understanding that we are all products of those who have come before.
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| Jule rings the bell for the last time |
I'm going to leave you with a couple of shots, only one of which is a Porch Portrait. Jewel the racoon is a little thief and I was able to catch her in the act! The flowers were on a rhododendron bush that was particularly full this year. All the rhodos bloomed prettily this year. The flame azalea is just beginning so I will put it on the next post.
Have a wonderful, restful, summer. Love to all.
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| Jewel, Birdseed Thief |
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| Blooming Rhododendron |
