Here and Gone

I haven't posted for a while.  

I skipped over Thanksgiving, overwhelmed by all the things I'm thankful for.

I was too busy for Christmas.  Too busy having fun to pick up the camera.

We traveled South for New Years, and found there was more snow and colder temperatures there.  More fun and family too though.

We came back, bringing the cold with us (and the colds that inevitably come when large groups assemble for the holidays).

Then, my grandma died.

I wasn't going to go at first.  I don't care for funerals, and it's a long trip to L.A.. How could I leave my little family for a weekend while the kids are sick?

But that night I sat down at the piano, and I knew I needed to go.  I needed to play at my grandma's funeral.  I could feel that she wanted me to.

We used to play duets.  She would send me music. I made copies of my music for her.  It was a special bond we shared. To my knowledge, I was the only grandchild who stuck with the piano. It pleased me to see how happy it made her.  Often, she would cry.

What should have only taken 6 hours to drive, took me eleven.  It was a bad storm.  Roads closed, and I had to take an alternate route, often going half the speed limit.  For most of the trip, no lines on the roads were visible, just white and grey.

I think my mother-in-law felt I was throwing my life away. "If you stop now, I will pay for a hotel... You've got people who count on you... those sweet babies need their momma!"

Despite the fear, I felt peace that I would make it ...eventually.

And I did.  First to my parent's home, then another 11 hours to CA in a van with a few of my siblings.

We stayed at her place, sleeping on couches and uncomfortable hide-a-beds.

Except for a little cleaning my aunt did, it was just as she left it.
I wandered around my grandmother's house, noticing things I had never noticed before, remembering things long forgotten.

I think she planned to live to 100 considering all her plans and projects.  Her body betrayed her in the end.

The funeral was well attended, mostly by her numerous posterity.  Not all were there, but she had 6 children, 34 grandchildren, and 85 great grandchildren!  What a legacy. 

My mom and others spoke.  We all cried, but laughed a little too.  I played, although the music notes got a bit bleary at times.

They laid her body to rest on a hill under a majestic oak.

I am so glad we visited my grandparents earlier this Spring so that my kids could meet her.

It was no coincidence that we went this year.  I didn't think the sense of urgency was for her though.  I kind of thought it would be our last chance to see my grandpa.  He's still kickin' -although in an assisted living center.
Now I wish I had spent more time talking to her.

But life's too short for regrets.

The morning before we left, I went out back and looked at her forlorn patio flowers. From the outside I took in the view of her glass bottle-lined windowsills and lacy curtains for the last time. I hadn't realized I was humming but suddenly the words to match the melody came into my head and I choked.  "Wishing you were somehow here again..."

She wouldn't want me to be sad.

I doubt she is. She is free from physical pain and suffering.
Not to mention that with previously departed family members and all the genealogy she did, I bet she had quite the welcome on the other side.

I took home a bucket containing a several bulbs of beautiful Amaryllis plants.  A silly thing to do, but I couldn't see why it had to die, just because she did.

Things like that, should be enjoyed and appreciated while you have it.

Like life.

Or a delicate frost that's here and gone.

It's Alive!

My oldest came in from the garage trying to get me to come out and see something.  I wasn't in the mood to get up just then, and so I asked him to just tell me what it was.
He said, "I don't know, it's something alive!"
Well, that caught my attention.

Sure enough, we had a little visitor.

All I know is that one moment I can't bring myself to walk the 20 feet to the garage, and the next minute, we're all packed up and on our way to a nearby nature spot to give the little guy a new home.  

I'm so glad for the catalyst it provided for us to get outside and enjoy nature that evening.

  I wish I could always come up with enough motivation to get out and do the things I really enjoy.

Thanks little mouse.

California or Bust part 2

If you missed the first part, click Here.

So, after San Francisco, (and an emergency gas stop where we had to pay $4.45 a gallon, yuck!), we drove down U.S. 101 to meet up with my parents where they were camped at Leo Carrillo beach.  My Grandparents aren't up to hosting anyone, so having my parents there with their tent trailer allowed us to have somewhere to stay, but more importantly, it was a great opportunity to spend time with them and strengthen those relationships.  

The campsite was awesome, full of wildlife (mostly squirrels and birds, but also this cute little bunny who must have had a home nearby), and the centerpiece was an enormous tree that just begged to be climbed by little boys.  If fact, it was so enticing, they were at it before changing out of pajamas for the day.

It also came in handy for keeping the baby entertained.

And Daddy.

And Grandma. (But I'm getting ahead of myself, this was taken later that afternoon).

First we went to the Beach!

Classic.  Favorite pastime: running from waves.

Other highlights include, cool shells, cormorants, climbing, and caves.

My personal favorite is the never ending treasure hunt of the tide pools.

The baby wasn't impressed however. Notice how he's still holding tight to his toy, even while asleep.

 

We decided it was time to head back for lunch and naps ourselves. So we hauled our booty back to camp to look over our treasures.

Some of them were still alive, and were taken back to the beach later.

And climb on the tree some more --recall the picture of boys and Grandma, here's an outtake from that episode.

Already an aspiring dentist.

Oh yeah, and to look for bunnies. The boys tried to get closer as I attempted to take a picture from the car where I was feeding the baby.

How do you catch a unique bunny?  U-nique up on it! Haha.

After naps, we loaded up and went back for more beach fun.  This time there were surfers there, and we  were also delighted to find the beach even more picturesque.

My mom built a sand castle with the kids, and I attempted to fly a kite, since you know, we had to pack all the things you can think of to do at a beach into our one day there. 

I'm glad my parents were there. 

 As the sun got lower, we decided to go exploring to see what other cool caves and such we could find.

A kind passerby offered to take our picture.

Poor kid, never even got to touch the sand. Oops.

With one last glance over our shoulders, we bid the beach farewell.

 On the way to and from the beach, we got to go under this cool overpass that was covered in beautiful murals.

Much better than graffiti.

As a random point of interest, they just happened to be filming an episode of the Mentalist (never seen it, but that's what we heard) at the northern part of the beach while we were there.  We didn't get any photos of the set as they turned us around, but we did see them preparing for some night scenes and the trailers were all lined up in the parking lot near our camp.  Of course, it's definitely not the first time this has happened here.

Back at camp, we had dinner and then built a fire to roast marshmallows for Nutella s'mores.  Mmmm.

A perfect ending to a perfect day.

To be continued...

(Click here for part 3)