Traveling North & West

Last week, Vic's birth mom Mary Joy arrived
and helped our graduate pack up her high school life
for the trek back to Canada.

Before leaving, there was one last chore.
A pine tree needed planting.
MJ and Vic were HEROIC
in their ability to keep the tree
in check
as they rolled it down the hill
on a platform with wheels.

And there was GOOD ATTITUDE
to boot!

Oh, it was SAD to see Victoria's empty bedroom
which has been cram-packed since her arrival in 2007!

At the last moment,
I was invited to jump in the car and join MJ + Vic for the ride north.
I surprised myself by giving a Thumbs Up to the plan.

I just want to say
- emphatically -
that Idaho can be drop-dead gorgeous,
even in the rain!
Here's MJ & moi, on one of our many stops
to gasp at the beauties along the way.

We traveled beside raging rivers during much of our
thirteen-hour drive to Moscow.
(Moscow, IDAHO, that is.)


To give you an idea of "RAGING",
I'm going to make my first attempt at videography . . .

We arrived (a bit bedraggled) at the home of my eldest goddaughter Brooke. She and her husband Mike perked us up with a refreshing twilight stroll through Moscow, a funky college town with a vibrant downtown. Go there. It's hip.

Then we supped with my nephew David who is a vocal performance major at the University of Idaho. Of course, we made sure that he sang for his supper!

Wow. He blew us out of the water with his amazing baritone voice!!!! (If you want to be blown out of the water too, go HERE.)


For dessert, Brooke produced a huge watermelon slice decorated with blazing candles in honor of Vic's graduation. She tossed on a cheezy plastic Hawaiian lei for party effect. We laughed at her creativity, but I'm sure that at least ONE of us will copy her watermelon cake celebration since it was delightful. Then David SANG a TOAST to the graduate. Another spine-tingler.

If you think I intensified Vic's blushing cheeks with some fancy-dancy photo-shopping, you are WRONG. That girl is blessed with delightful watermelon-red cheeks!

The next morning, we dined on yet another round of watermelon for breakfast. Mangoes on the side! It was a spontaneous picnic breakfast in the countryside.

Notice the details ~
Vic is holding a baby. That's Brooke's little Hannah.
MaryJoy is inventively using TP for napkins.
Brooke is squinting in the sun as she cuts up a mango.
There are two dogs, vying for our feast.
AND, the countryside is picture perfect.

There's more to this story of my trip, Traveling North & West.
The trip is over. But the story is . . .
TO BE CONTINUED!

A Bride in the Family

A couple of months ago,
I hosted a bridal shower for my niece Robyn
at my place.

FAST FORWARD: many family members gathered
in San Diego (just last week) to celebrate her wedding to Mr. Kevin.

When I say MANY, I mean SCADS.
Our family is on the large size.

Between the three celebratory events
- wedding, luncheon, reception -
there was time for my brother Ken
to tickle my little grandson Kenneth.
(This is Ken's FAVORITE hobby, next to starting businesses.)

We also managed to hit the Birch Aquarium.
(I highly recommend it if you go to San Diego.)

Arian, Jill, Kenneth, Audrey, Ken, Athelia and myself
all bunked at the same sweet dive in Old Town San Diego.
Other family members squirreled in
with kin or friends.

Here I am with my sweet D.I.L. Jill
and her kids
at a Mexican breakfast, day after the wedding.

Then, we sent my son and his family off to
"Hotel Del Coronado"
where they spent four days lounging
on his company tab.
Actually, Arian legitimately earned a sizable travel voucher
for his performance in the company
and they decided this Hang Out would be a great idea
before Jill's upcoming hip replacement.
Which it WAS!

Of course, our Kenneth had no sense of propriety
amidst the grandeur of this historic hotel.

Notice - his feet are NOT on the ground!
His mom aptly calls him the Energizer Bunny.
After I snapped this shot,
he rolled into a round of giggles.

A 'Guardian' No More

This is an accurate representation of the way Victoria was feeling yesterday.
Sick, sick, sick!
She claims that her hours of languishing in our backyard
had a major curative effect.

Which was very timely.

Since, TODAY Vic graduated from high school!!!

And my legal guardianship is officially over.

But my place as 'Godmother' will remain
FOREVER.

Thanks, my dear Vic,
for two fabulous years with nary a quarrel between us.
You've certainly added a healthy dose of SUNSHINE
into my little world.

Today's My Anniversary!

A year ago TODAY, I was face-down on an operating table in downtown Manhattan.

Dr. Ohenaba Boachie-Adjei, the world's foremost scoliosis surgeon, was standing over me, reconstructing my spine, top to bottom.

Nineteen hours later,

I awoke.

TWO inches taller,

and a whole lot straighter.

Even if I did become

rather unusual on the inside.

I don't remember much about the following eleven days in the hospital, but I do remember the reassurance of having my children by my side.

(The shot below was taken with Kelty in my very own hospital room which was absolutely ENORMOUS!)



I also remember my compulsive desire to

walk, walk, walk

the orthopedic floor until my surgeon said

"Stop walking so much.
Your body needs to rest."

Here I am, walking alongside my very favorite nurse, Maxine.

* * *

Recently I returned to New York City for my first-year appointment with Dr. Boachie.

Shuttered a bit as I walked up to the Hospital for Special Surgery, pictured in this sunset photo - foreground, left.


My surgeon's staff greeted me as the Woman-with-the-Blog. (Not this blog, but one about my recovery - The Only Way Is Up.)

Dr. Boachie gave me the once-over and a thumbs-up with a warning to slow down since I'm not fully out of recovery until the end of my second year. Hmmmm.

What an AMAZING journey I've taken
during the last 365 days
since my favoritist surgeon from Ghana, Africa
tore me apart and put back together!

I've been given a second chance at life.

That's a gift beyond measure

and I don't take it lightly.

P.S.
preserverockcanyon.com

made the front page of the Daily Herald
after we held a big letter-writing, survey-taking event
in the canyon on Saturday.

(Moment of fame. Too bad it's a crummy side shot.)

POINT IS . . .

Now that I've STRAIGHTENED UP,
I fully intend to really USE this life of mine
for a few good causes.

Part Two - Ohio Tripping

The kids, grandkids and I did some peachy "day-tripping" while we home-based at the cabin in Hocking Hills. I think our entire family was surprised to discover that the Midwest is NOT just cornfields! For example, the Old Man's Cave Park consists of windy trails alongside a cascading river and some unique rock formations.

There were places to crawl . . .

and to SPLASH . . .

and to SCAMPER . . .

and to generally UNWIND.

* * *

There was also the fieldtrip to Logan Lake
where we rented a big ole pontoon boat.

Here's a shot of the crowd at the BACK of the boat.

At one point, we spotted a dock with a beach
- twas idyllic for picnicking and taking a dip in the water.

Except we weren't exactly brilliant at boat docking.

By now, the five grandbabies are more than ready to disembark.
So Duane, my Fix-it son-in-law, took matters into his hands
and heaved the boat with it's eleven passengers over to the dock.


The little girls took great pleasure at making sand creations on the beach . . .

. . . while my grandson did THIS sort of activity.

Eventually, Kelty got them all into the water.
That gal kept the fun times rolling for the preschool crowd!

STEERING the boat
was definitely a highlight of our day at Logan Lake.


* * *

Back at the cabin,
there was more than enough to do.

Games to play.

Meals worth relishing.


Chances to be Kissin' Kousins

A hot tub for relaxing.

Oh. And a business to start.

That's right. Arian and Duane were mastermind-ing
a business that will back-up blogs.
Of course, we ALL had to throw in some ideas
and hang around the computer to watch these geniuses
in the entrepreneurial 'flow'.

* * *

While hiking near the cabin, we discovered THE PERFECT fire pit.

On our first visit, we just IMAGINED the blazing flames.

The next day, we went for the REAL THING!

Toasting marshmallows over a fire
puts children
into a rare meditative state.

Our reunion calendaring was fortuitous,
because we were able to celebrate my son's 30th birthday.

We partied with a HATS OFF to Arian Night.

Here we are with the HATS
created to honor the event.

* * *

Probably the best thing about this trip -
NO CELL PHONE RECEPTION.


That meant, we could kick back
and be our own goofy selves!