My mom and I had the pleasure and privilege of traveling once again to Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico for a week of wellness, spending lots of time together, as well as following our favorite individual pursuits. It was the perfect blend of time to reflect, exercise, learn new things, deepen practices, refresh our bodies from the inside (with organic foods and balanced nutrition) to the outside (with fresh air, walking, hiking, yoga and meditation, among other classes).
We serendipitously met (and reunited with) fabulous, fascinating people, finding our second time to be more sociable than our first - perhaps that was due to our greater familiarity with the place. We shared the same lovely casita as we did last year, lighting fires in the evenings and talking, resting and reading in our little "home away from home." I enjoyed self-treating with Reiki every day, before heading out to hike at 6:10 A.M. I could so easily imagine settling there...
We both thrived at the Rancho, and are already looking forward to returning next year (if possible, by the grace of God). Gregg spent the days golfing, playing tennis, watching polo and lounging with my father in California.
We flew down via San Diego so that we could meet KBL2ORD2SAN and her belovED. Mom and I met her at the airport last year, but this year, our husbands got to join us. What a thrill, after being blogging buddies for so many years, to finally be all together "in real life!" We had a long, leisurely lunch, and left still bursting with things to talk about. Until next time...
Driving from San Diego to the Coachella Valley was a beautiful experience to share with Gregg. As we crested the top of the last hill on Highway 74, the valley unfolded before us at sunset.
Unfortunately, while we were away, my dear mother-in-law, Elaine, suffered a stroke. Elaine is 93 years old - in fact, the stroke occurred at her birthday party - and has for several years suffered from memory loss. She has been telling us for the past couple of years that she doesn't know why she is still here - she says it matter-of-factly, without self-pity or complaint.
Elaine and Ed Gerstenberger, "back in the day"
When the stroke occurred, she became paralyzed on her left side and was unable to swallow. Hospice was called, and she was moved to a nursing home with a dismal prognosis. But her miraculous body has recovered enough for her to swallow soft foods. She is sleeping a lot, but can recognize us and speak a few words at a time. We are hoping that she will be able to move back to the assisted living facility where she and Grandpa Ed normally reside, into a nursing-care unit. As for now, it is day-by-day, with lots of family in attendance, sitting by her bedside and driving Grandpa back and forth to see her. Fortunately, they raised four wonderful kids (now adults, with families of their own) who love her deeply, and are all doing their best to care for her and Grandpa.
My brother and I asked my parents how they would like to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary, and they told us they would like to have a party for their closest friends.
The past 18 months have been hard for my parents and their friends; at least half a dozen of their group have passed away. When you live to be in your 80s, it is likely that you will endure the passing of some friends, but it is still a blow to the heart, every time it happens. The cumulative effect of so many memorial services has been hard. A gathering to celebrate a happy occasion was welcome.
My parents are natives of Seattle, and some of their friendships go as far back as grade school. That is something to think about, right there. To live in a community, to know people and share memories that far back is a rare blessing.
Jim, Caroline, Gregg and I discussed the menu and divided the responsibilities, and the result was a happy evening. We had a slideshow of photos, beginning with their wedding day and continuing through this summer; chocolate favors, seashell centerpieces, a dreamy cake, beautiful flowers, delicious food ("surf and turf") and a gathering of good friends and family.
There were toasts, good wishes and joy all around. My parents are very happy...and that makes me happy.
From the slideshow:
Bride & groom glowing after the ceremony
Mom's father, Morton, and mother, Emilie, with Mom & Dad
Cousins Margaret and Leslie, friends Elaine and Marjorie, Dad, Mom, Morton (Coco), Nana Edna (my dad's mother - isn't she beautiful?) and Nana Emilie
You may know that I turned 50 this summer, in Europe. I awoke in Switzerland, went to bed in Italy, and in between, enjoyed the day as I travelled through the mountains with my guys.
We saw many beautiful sights during the course of our drive that day from the Berner Oberland to Lake Como; for 17 kilometers, we saw almost nothing at all, because we were in a tunnel. Being slightly claustrophobic, that tunnel was NOT my favorite part of the day. But this, too, passed.
The trip with Gregg and David was itself enough of a "gift" for me. But some extra special things came with my 50th birthday.
When we arrived at our little hotel in Loveno, we got settled in our rooms, and then walked through the old fortifications into town to find a good place in which to eat dinner.
We chose the Osteria Il Pozzo, where the food was so good that we went back again, two nights later.
After dinner, we stopped at a gelato shop and each of us got a cone, walked through the town square, and back up to our hotel. We got used to saying "Bueno Sera" to the locals who we passed each evening, as we made our way up the hill.
On the night of my birthday, while we were getting ready for bed, we heard loud noises outside of the hotel. Looking out of our window,
we were greeted by this sight.
I turned to Gregg and said, "Honey, you called ahead and ordered this for me? Thank you; you're so thoughtful!" He smiled and said something like, "Sure, I did."
What a great coincidence for us, that the Italians were celebrating something on June 26th. Grazie, bella Italia!
My parents are very kind and thoughtful, too. Before we left home, they gave each of us some spending money. We all enjoyed browsing during our travels.
Gregg bought ONE THING for himself: a hat. Typical of him.
David bought many things, mainly t-shirts that showed where he had been.
I spent a little of my money here and there, especially in the street markets of France. I bought a beautiful dress, a pashmina, a cute skirt and top in the south of France, and three tops (on sale) in Paris, in a shop on the Champs-Elysees. I bought my favorite perfume & some lotion (on the Riviera, at Fragonard), and some gifts for others. I was more than happy.
Before we left Paris, David wanted to see some of the great couture boutiques. I was happy to go to those stores and see the beautifully made clothes. We spent some hours browsing, discussing the great quality and style of the items in the windows, but only going inside a few of the stores. We saw Brioni, Gucci, Chanel, Tod's, and many others. We went into the flagship Hermes store, where I showed Gregg & David the custom-made saddles and the most beautiful scarves in the world...and then, David found the place he had been seeking all along: Loro Piana, the great Italian clothier, which specializes in cashmere. We had told David many times that it was out of his budget, but he wanted to see it for himself, so we went inside. The most handsome man we had encountered in three weeks of travel (I wish I had a photo to illustrate!) assisted David as he looked at the scarves, sweaters and shirts.
What do you think happened next? David found the SALE RACK! Yes, even Loro Piana has markdowns, my friends. And David found a sweater there, that fit as if it had been tailor-made for him. He tried it on, fell in love and bought it from the best-looking and most courteous salesman in all of western Europe, who treated David as if he were a millionaire. The sweater was wrapped in a gift box, with two cedar balls (to prevent moth damage), and placed in a beautiful gift bag with a catalog. David was very, very happy with his Paris shopping experience. We started to walk back to our hotel to get ready for dinner.
David stopped me on the street corner. "Just a minute," he said. "Why didn't you get a scarf at Hermes?" I told him it was too expensive, that I had inherited a couple of them from my grandmother, and that those were enough. "It's your 50th birthday; you have birthday money. How long has it been since you've been in Paris?" I told him it had been a little over 30 years. "How long since you've been in Europe?" Ten years. "When do you think you'll be back here?" I didn't know. "I think you should go back and get a scarf at Hermes."
So I did. They are all so beautiful that it wasn't easy to choose which one to buy. Here it is:
Thanks, Mom &Dad, for the beautiful gift! Thank you, David, for encouraging me!I wouldn't have done it without you.
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