The Neighborhood

This rhododendron is the pride and joy of our neighborhood. The story goes that its relative, located about 1/2 block away, was taken from a cutting of the same "parent" plant. Here is the sister:

Every year, we watch for the first buds and blossoms on both of these beauty queens. Every year, their daily progress is a joy to behold. The color, shape and size of each blossom is truly extraordinary. Each one is like a bouquet in itself.

We recently gathered to honor a couple of beloved neighbors who are moving. Happily, they are staying in our town - only moving a few miles away. Melanie, (the wife) is our "neighborhood watch" captain, and on this occasion, we thanked her for her diligent work and presented her with a magic wand in recognition of all she has accomplished. There are always lots of jokes about Gladys Kravitz as we participate in the neighborhood watch, but truly, there hasn't been any of that kind of nosiness or busybody behavior, and a very positive tone has been set by Melanie.

An example of what great people she and her husband are: several months ago, they invited friends to help them pack up their enormous wine cellar, offering to provide pizza and salad as dinner for the movers. When we showed up to help, they generously gave us all the wine that we could carry out. Many cases of wine were given away in kindness, and with a great sense of surprise and fun!

At the going-away party, it was suggested that we gather for a group photo under the rhododendrons. I thought that was a lovely idea, but the spring rains have made that impossible for this year - the moment of best bloom has passed. The good news is that there is always next year - those rhodies are here to stay.

Dessert table, with a book for everyone to sign for the guests of honor

The party was a delightful potluck - a great opportunity to catch up with all of our neighbors. In addition to food, we brought a pitcher of Mint Juleps, in honor of the fact that it was the day of the Kentucky Derby. What fun to see those who had never tasted a Julep enjoying their first sip! Thanks to Janis and David for hosting!

A few more floral pleasures from our neighborhood:

I love the spaces where flowers spring up, the wild ones alongside of domestic: iris, roses, buttercups, forget-me-nots and others (unknown to me), growing by the roadside are a treat for the eyes.

So Much Fun

I made a craft last week. I haven't done anything like this, or this messy (not counting cooking - I'm a very messy cook) in a long time. It was so much fun!

I had been waiting for weeks to try it - saved the link from Meg's whatever blog, bought the supplies, assembled them, and finally, found time to do it. It felt satisfying in an "other part of the brain" way. I've been so busy with words for the past months that it was lovely to immerse myself in pure color.

Here is a link to the instructions, in case you want to make one of your own, or share it with someone else. If you haven't visited Meg's blog before, you might want to spend a little time searching and reading. She is fun, inspiring, kind and REAL.

We went to a couple of parties this weekend. Our neighbors have a backyard that has been lovingly planned and executed; they have a sort of "outdoor living room" concept, with patio, hot tub, different levels and areas to gather. The crown jewel of their back yard is the new "bug hut," a gorgeous, one-room solid-wood building with screens for windows, a wine rack, stereo and propane heater inside. It's a writer's dream. They also have the best fire pit I have ever seen:  it is made from one-half of a buoy - probably four to six feet in diameter, and two or three feet deep. It's more like a cauldron.

Examples of buoys I'm describing (wikipedia image)

We had chili, snacks and beverages, and sat out under the stars around the fire. Did I mention that the temperature was below freezing? Yes, there was frost on the ground, but plenty of warmth - including food, friendship and conversation - by the fire.

Last night was the birthday of one of our Camp Goodtimes friends, Chad (a.k.a. Putt Putt). Chad's girlfriend Ann Marie hosted about 20 of us for delicious, homemade pasta, meatballs and sauce - two kinds! - at her mother's home. It was fun to meet more of their friends, visit with our Camp buddies, eat, drink and celebrate a wonderful, generous man whose heart is huge. Happy Birthday, Putt Putt!

Now I am making soup and getting ready for the carpet cleaners to arrive tomorrow - HOORAY! - we need them.

Creative Every Day = Demolition Wednesday

Creative Every Day is going to frequently take form in words and photographs, here. Today's is an odd topic, but it's what is happening, so here goes...

Across the street from our friend & neighbor Jo's house (can you see her lighted peace sign in the lower left corner? I love it) is a cute little place that was occupied by the same family for many years. That family was very neighborly and friendly with Jo. Their cute little cottage is being torn down today.

In the name of progress (because it's too expensive to restore), the new owner is tearing down a charming (well-worn) cottage that housed the same family for about 50 years. The husband is a great fisherman, who loved the neighborhood and could often be seen taking a walk, no matter what the weather. Alas, he and his wife developed some health problems, and they moved into an assisted living facility on the other side of town.

But their house...I had hoped that it would have another life, perhaps even be cleaned up and re-wired, re-roofed, plumbed, etc., or that a new family might move in and grow there. I even contacted a friend who owns property nearby, in the hope that the entire cottage might have been moved to their lot, if that would prevent its destruction, and help another family get a good start in a cute little fixer-upper.

It wasn't to be. This morning, as I took my walk, even before I arrived at the spot, I heard the growling sounds of a large machine's engine. When I got closer, this is what I saw:

The sounds of the demolition were awful. I felt the "crunching" of the huge shovel against wood and the "thud" of things falling, reverberating within me. You could hear it from a distance, whether you were coming or going.

All of the old wood paneling, the shingles, the stones of the fireplace, the floorboards that supported their family's memories, have been crushed, laid in a pile like trash, ready to put into a dumpster. It's heartbreaking.

I suppose that, to some, it's progress. But to me, it's the end of an era, and a waste.

I won't leave you on that note, however. Here is today's sunrise, captured over Bainbridge Island.

God's creativity, to offset Demolition Wednesday.

Celebration

I think you have already heard me say, more than once, how wonderful our neighbors are. This has been particularly true since Katie was diagnosed with cancer; her illness drew us closer together. The gift of those friendships continues. I am going to tell you a story here that illustrates this in an amazing way.

We have a neighbor-couple who are artists: Maureen is a painter who is very talented at mosaics, too; Martin is a fantastic photographer. For example, one day in the summer of 2005, Martin took a group of candid photos of our kids. Katie and David were playing on the beach, when Martin and Maureen's dogs, Buddy and Louie, joined the kids. Here are a few of the shots that he took:

When Katie became sick, Maureen was deeply moved. She painted a very powerful piece that was hanging in a show for months (the show's title was "Mood Swings"), and it blew me away with its passion, grief, depth and ability to evoke emotion. There was a lot of response to the piece when it was in the show. Maureen offered the painting to us as a gift. That's right; I said a gift.

As a woman who majored in fine art in college, I know how much effort goes into a painting. I also know that it's not easy to make a living for some artists (it was impossible for me). So when a working artist creates a piece, it's important if she is able to sell it. Maureen could have sold any of these paintings, but she was offering this one to us as a present.

We were stunned and overwhelmed by the generosity of Maureen's generous offer. I also knew that the painting was so incredibly powerful in the depth of its expression of grief that I wouldn't be able to coexist with it. I did the best I could to gently and courteously convey my appreciation for her offer, and my compliments -- that the piece was so well done that it was too evocative of grief, for me.

Maureen was gracious and understanding. Then she offered us a different piece from the same show, and one that I love very much: it's called Celebration. These photos do not do it full justice at all, but they are the best I can do (there is more color saturation & differentiation in the real thing than you can see here).

Celebration is roughly 3 feet wide by 4 feet tall. I feel that it captures a bit of Katie's spirit and energy, her passion for life, her irrepressible confidence, joie de vivre and her spirit's movement. It is now hanging in the entry to our home.

Thank you, Maureen!

Waiting for Gregg

Gregg is on his way back from a business trip to Spain. I am really looking forward to having him home; he had to leave on Father's Day (this is not the first year this has happened, by the way. One year, they sent him to Japan on Mother's Day AND Father's Day -- but I am not complaining). It's always a long day for him, traveling home, and a bit of an adjustment to our time zone. We are going to go for a walk after he gets here.

David is upstairs, packing for his week at tennis camp. We'll be getting up really early to drive to the airport tomorrow; his flight leaves around 7:00 A.M., and in order to be there early enough for check in, we have to leave before the first ferry, so we are driving around the peninsula and across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. I'm thinking that Gregg is going to sleep in and skip this trip due to jet lag, but you never know.

David and I had a good visit at the hospital on Thursday with several of our staff friends. We delivered 12 new quilts, and Gregg's cousin Rebecca met us there and brought two more. I understand that they will have given out 4 of them by Monday! It's so rewarding to hear how the families are touched when their child is given a quilt. I wish I could be present to see it happen, but to protect the patient's privacy, I can't; I do get to hear about it from staff, so that helps me to feel connected. One of our favorite nurses told us that she is going back to be a nurse at Camp Goodtimes this weekend, so I am happy for her and the campers. She is sweet, funny, has a strong spirit, and she plays cribbage! She and David enjoyed a game or two in the hospital, when she was our nurse.

The first session of Camp Goodtimes is about to start tomorrow. I hope everyone has a wonderful week there, and that all of the parents have a much-deserved rest while their kids have fun. It was sure a great experience for our family last year. The camp holds a special "Memory Circle" at each session (it's purely voluntary), where they remember all of the former campers who have passed away. David is eligible to go this year, one more time, as the sibling of a cancer patient, but he has told us that he doesn't want to do it, and we certainly won't force the issue. Mooselips is going to keep us posted about how it goes at Memory Circle when they share about Katie. I wish I could hear that, too, in a way, but I think it would be too hard.

I went to see a show of my friend (and neighbor) Maureen's paintings today, and WHOA; she is a talented painter! She had a number of beautiful pieces in the show, and one especially gorgeous and powerful piece that has great personal significance for our journey of the past year and a half. We are so blessed with our neighbors here; they pulled together to support us and walk beside us strongly and generously (that story probably deserves a separate post).
Thank you for sharing you artistic vision with me, and with the community, Maureen. You go, girl; the sky's the limit...or maybe, there is no limit.