“Reflections on the A - Z Challenge”

  

   I completed my second consecutive year of the April A-Z challenge. It’s always a tremendous satisfaction to finish anything I start! Around 2014, I belonged to a blogging group for a few years, but unfortunately it discontinued and I stopped blogging. I haven’t blogged to promote myself or make money (not that I wouldn’t mind), I just enjoy writing. Learning to blog and having my own site was exciting. It was a pleasant surprise when the A - Z challenge popped up in my Facebook newsfeed  in 2021. I’m in!

    It’s never easy to complete this challenge. I’m always busy with home, family, school and my indulgence in art. So, it is indeed a challenge. I never have my blogs prepared in advance. It’s on the fly on the day and at the moment. My blogs usually correspond with my life. I have never been a writer of fiction. I appreciate this opportunity and effort the creators of this blogging challenge and Facebook page have put forth to make it happen.

    I don’t have much else to say, but thank you! 

Linda 🌷

“Zoo”

 

    I do not like zoos. Have I ever gone to zoos? Yes, I have. When my kids were little, I took them a few times to a small zoo in San Jose. It was a very nice park with kiddie rides and climbing structures, a puppet show stage, food vendors and a train. There was also a zoo portion of this park with a little petting zoo.

    It tugged at my heart strings as we would pass near the tiger’s small enclosure, as well as the bear’s small pen too. It was summertime and the animals looked hot. A summer day in San Jose ranges from 90 - 100+ degrees easily. It made me sad to know they would never have the experience of a long gallop or run. There were other animals too, like the hippo. A small pond for it to cool down in and no mud to roll around in. The monkeys seemed to be stir crazy. I always left with a heavy heart and with unease.

    The last zoo I went to was the San Diego Zoo. This was probably twenty years ago. It was the final straw when I watched a polar bear trudge around in the hot sun. There was something terribly wrong with this picture and I felt a little sick. 

    When I was a little girl, I would watch a show called “Wild Kingdom” (wonder if anyone remembers) and Jacque Crusteau, with my dad. We would marvel at the beauty of nature and wild animals. If I could shut down every zoo today, I would. Wild animals were born to be wild and roam. We have no right to cage them. I am grateful for the animal advocates out there who put their beliefs into action and are the voices for animals who are wrongfully treated. 

    

                                                                        Freedom

“Year of transition”

 

    I would say it has been a year of relief in contrast to the two years prior. It’s a different experience when you are out dining and you can order from the menu without wearing a mask or even walk into a restaurant mask-free. I love seeing other diner’s smiles - seeing their joy and expressions of pleasure; as who doesn’t love to be out dining…and I’m back to wearing my favorite lipstick too. I returned yesterday from a flight to and from Las Vegas, flying mask-free. It felt great! I feel comfortable and not in fear of coming in contact with Covid. It was pretty scary there for a while. The possibility of catching a life threatening disease that was rapidly spreading throughout our country was real.  Today, that fear is lifted and yet I still take precautions such as, sanitizing in and out of any establishment, wiping down shopping cart handles and I do not touch hand rails. So, I’ve been working on my balance. The escalator can be challenging - steady as she goes!

    It feels good to be getting back to normal. I’ve spoken to many who discovered silver linings throughout the pandemic. I sure have. Prayers to those who lost loved ones due to Covid-19. I know there are many.

    

“X-ray”

 

    Here are my after and before pictures of my feet. On November 1, 2020, I had a double bunionectomy-osteotomy. This means I had bunions removed on both feet, along with bone cut and repositioned with a screw. My podiatrist asked me if I wanted one foot at a time done or both at once. After just a few minutes of thought, I said, “both, let’s just get this done.”

    My bunion journey has been a long one. Several years before Covid, my feet began hurting in certain shoes I would wear. Soon, they would hurt even when wearing tennis shoes. Aesthetically, it was getting hard to look down at my feet. To me, they looked worse than the x-ray on the right. The bone was protruding. I didn’t wear flip-flops last summer, they looked so bad. Today, I look down at my feet and smile. I’m still excited about the results. I have new feet!

    It is a six month recovery with this surgery. May will mark the end of my recovery period. I still can’t wear every shoe, as my feet are still a bit tender. And that’s fine with me. I was fortunate to have my husband take over with the household as I was sentenced to my bed for a month post-surgery. Slowly, I began to shuffle from one room to the next. Before the morning of surgery, I packed my lap top and an art supply bag and put it next to my bed. I was prepared to keep myself busy while recovering. 

    Two wonderful things came out of this surgery: New feet and being forced to be still. I tuned up my art skills during this time and watched YouTube sketch journal videos. I also practiced lettering and as Christmas approached, I painted some amazing rocks. They turned out quite nice.

    There’s always a silver lining if we look for one!

“Wedding”

 

    And the two became one today. This was a lovely wedding at St. Elizabeth Anne’s Catholic Church in Las Vegas. The wedding attendance was on the smaller side, which made for a more intimate and very sweet celebration. The reception was held at a reception nearby, catered and tastefully decorated.

    Who doesn’t love the first dance with the new bride and her father. They danced to the song “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole. The dance was sentimental and lighthearted at the same time. I think the photos convey that feeling.

                                                    Cheers to the Cassandra and Lorenzo! 🥂

“Vegas”

     

    Well, here we are in Las Vegas. We arrived yesterday and attending a wedding today. The best man in our wedding’s daughter is getting married. So, here we are.

    We gambled a little last night. My husband and I both broke even. I like Wheel of Fortune, while he heads for the Black Jack table. He actually came from the table $100 ahead. Sadly, this morning while I was at the spa - he is now in the negative. There’s always tonight! Gambling…what a racket. Very few get lucky and leave the casino with a jackpot.

    I’ll tell you what you can count on at a nice Casino Resort and that is good food. There are some amazing restaurants here with high caliber chefs. As a matter of fact, sometimes you can’t even get in to be seated. Planning and reservations are a must, which we have not mastered yet, but we fare well.

    My son attended a two year academic program in Utah and we would have to fly into Vegas, rent a car and drive to go see him. Hence, we became a little familiar with Las Vegas. Our hotel of choice is the Aria. Shopping is very pricey here, so I don’t do much of that, but I sure enjoy a spa day.

    This evening we will witness two become one. 

    My husband and I will be married 35 years this August. I would have to say the motto for my marriage has been “through thick and through thin.” 

    It ain’t easy

"Undertow"

 

    I live 5 minutes from the ocean and am a faithful beachgoer, so the undertow has always been a concern of mine. I enjoy swimming in the ocean. Every now and then, I'll hear about someone in the Monterey Bay being taken out to sea by an undertow. There are certain beaches that are known to have recurring rip tides; it's always a good idea to become familiar with a beach before venturing into the water. After learning more about the undertow, I could spot them along the shore. It's an eery feeling when I see one. My son is a surfer and well educated about ocean currents. He pointed out a diagram like this one and it helped me to understand what I was seeing.

    Merriam Webster's definition of an undertow: 1 : the current beneath the surface that sets seaward or along the beach when waves are breaking upon the shore. 2 : an underlying current, force, or tendency that is in opposition to what is apparent.

    The speed of an undertow as it goes back toward the sea is alarming. The only way out of one should you get trapped in it, is to swim parallel out of it (to the side). As you can see, it is a narrow stream of water with great force. 

    With summer upon us, many will be heading for the Santa Cruz beaches. I always post a YouTube video about the danger of riptides and how to escape one on social media as summer approaches.

    If you love the ocean water as much as I do - stay safe out there!  

    

    

“Travel”

 

     This image was my view out the window of the plane I was traveling in en route to Las Vegas, Nevada this morning. We departed from San Jose, California. I believe these are mountains in Southern Nevada. I love the variations of blue in the sky. My husband and I were invited to a birthday celebration dinner for my son’s girlfriend, Carianna. She is thirty-two years old (or young I should say). They live in Austin, Texas. 

    We used to travel quite a bit before Covid. With our kids getting older, our reins have become looser. The pandemic hit and travel was to be put on the back burner. We flew a few times last year and the experience was quite different - the stress of Covid loomed throughout the airport, in the plane and also at the point of destination. Today, it was a relief to not be required to wear a mask in the airport and in flight.  It was refreshing to see the airport parking lot full and most of all to see the smiles of fellow travelers; no longer hidden behind their masks. Some still choose to wear their mask. I still keep sanitizer in my bag and I avoid all handrails. With that being said, it was a refreshing day of travel. 

    We’re Austin bound in July!

“Stevie Nicks - Sara” 🎶

         Stevie Nicks and the 80’s…this song. It all started with Fleetwood Mac of course. I’ve seen them many times in concert. This band has such a unique sound. Their music almost has a culture of it’s own. It makes you feel ‘something.’ Their lyrics tell stories like most songs, while their sound is somewhat haunting. When I heard her sing this song, my world stood still for 5 minutes. It was an incredible performance by Fleetwood Mac. I read that this song is about her unborn child. She never did have children of her own, which she has said is one of her greatest regrets in her life. Her children were her many songs, I suppose. Choices.

    When Stevie took a hiatus for a while from Fleetwood Mac, she gave birth to a solo career. She hired two women as her background vocalists who were phenomenal. They complimented her voice so well. I’ve seen her perform as a solo artist. She is quite personable on stage. I appreciated the way she told short stories in between songs about her life and her music.

    

    I am planning to see her in concert at the Red Rock amphitheater in Denver, Colorado in May. I’m looking forward to my moment in time again when I was very young; as she belts out the vocals to Sara.

"Rescue"

 

       This adorable little creature was found huddled in a corner on the vanity in my bathroom, behind an artificial plant. He was very scared. I have a deck off my master bedroom, where I often sit and he must have haphazardly flown in while the doors were open. It looked as though he was probably flying around my bathroom for a bit, looking for safety; as I found remnants of his presence in the tub and near the window. Thankfully, he found what he thought was his natural habitat in the corner. There he sat.

    My husband found him sitting there after he heard peeps of some sort and begin to look for the source of the sound. Upon discovering him, he gently scooped him up and it was like the little fellow knew he was in good hands (literally). Together, they walked to the back patio deck and my husband said, “now, go fly back to your family little one.” 

    Simple little moments like this are worth cherishing 🤎

"A Quarter"

 

    One of the benefits of going to the grocery store with my mom was that she would give me a quarter to use in the candy and prize machines. The other benefit was sometimes being able to pick out a box of sugary cereal, but that rarely happened. As I look at this image, I am reminded of how little it took to make this little girl happy. I wasn't much of a candy eater, so I would go directly for the machines with the little plastic prizes. I'll try to remember some of them...a ring with a fake plastic stone was my favorite, plastic figures, a chain, tiny erasers and once in a while a super ball was fun. I felt very lucky on the drive home that I was able to get a tiny toy on that day with just a quarter. (I think the the dime and nickel machines had the candies). 

    There were no devices to be on after family dinners. It was person to person contact instead of social media. The kids on the court I grew up on would meet up for our nightly game of hide and seek. The street lamp would go off and into our homes we went. I had barbies, color books, binder paper and pencils to keep me busy and my boy neighbors had their legos and chess game. They would also build their own high tech kites. They were huge! When we got a little older, we could ride our bikes to 7-11 for slurpees. Can anyone out there relate to this? Haha.

    Today, our world is different for children because it just is. Time marches on and things change. I'm grateful I can look back and remember those simple days of putting my shiny quarter into the machine and that exhilarating feeling of twisting that lever...click, click, click and out came my prize in the plastic egg shaped container. 

    "What did I get!"

    

The "Power" of Talking

 

    I love this representation - the simple interaction of one person telling another person about troubling thoughts and feelings they're having about something, someone or a situation. This is commonly know as "therapy" in an office type setting, but it can be done anywhere and with anyone. There is also the other end of the power of talking and that is the "power of listening." This can take some skill.

    What I see in the image above is a woman with her many thoughts mixed up, leaving her confused and unsure. She could perhaps be scared as well. Her thoughts look like a bunch of yarn that is tangled. If there are any knitters or crocheters out there, you know how frustrating this can be. You almost want to give up at tying to entangle the yarn and saying "heck with it!" and throw them in the trash. I would see that as denial or burying your head in the sand. "If I don't see the problem, it will go away." Back to the power of talking...As she begins to blurt out all she is feeling, the speaker is listening. And listening. The listener is careful not to interrupt the speaker's flow of words. Sensing the right time (a pause), the listener reflects back what she thinks she heard the speaker say; validation. As they together sort out her different tangled emotions, the strands yarn are separated and put to their proper ball of yarn. I see three different categories above in three different colors. I am assuming she is leaving the office with three different areas in her life to work on. Most importantly and hopefully, she is leaving with clarity,

    Then, there of course is the aspect of the speaker "getting it all out." There is nothing worse than keeping your feelings bottled in; man or woman. Our feelings have merit because for whatever reason; good or bad - it's how we feel! During this session, I am going to assume that there were certain things she disclosed that was best to let go of; no need for them to be taking up space in her head. This eases the entanglement; better focus.

    And if we listen well enough, sometimes the person who trusts us enough to share with us, will come to their own solutions or plan of action; literally talking herself into a calmer and more organized space.

    I'm not sure if good therapy rests in the power of listening or talking. 

    

"Ocean" haiku

 

Ocean

                                                               

                                                             playground for vessels

                                                           a kingdom for marine life

                                                            

                                                               Together, they share

"Natural Bridges"

                                                 Natural Bridges - Santa Cruz, Ca 

       One of the gifts of living on the coast...the sunsets. Last weekend, we had an early dinner in Davenport that is about 15 miles north of this photo. Our goal was to have dinner and head back towards Santa Cruz to watch the sun set. As you can see, we barely made it. We literally drove into the parking lot and I jumped out of the jeep to take this picture. Once I captured the sunset, I could relax and take in the dramatic moments of its setting. There was a light breeze and there must have been thirty pelicans on the rock pictured to the left. You can see the ice plants with their yellow flowers and the warm reflective colors of the sunset on the water. 

    I'm amazed that no matter which beach we go to along the coast to watch the sunset, we are among many who are all fixated on the horizon; waiting. When I'm at sunset, I'm completely present and whatever is pressing on my mind at the time is put to the side. What a beautiful way to end the day in hopes of a wonderful tomorrow.

"My Mom"

 

                                                                   

                                   My mom in her assisted living home on her birthday

My mom is near

yet she is far away

though I speak many words to her

she remembers nothing of what I say

she started "forgetting"

several years ago

simple tasks became hard

no longer could she sew

For her independence she fought

as hard as she could

no longer able to live alone

I only wish she understood

most days she knows me

some days are unclear

 her hand in mine

these precious moments are dear

"Linda was supposed to be Toby"

       That little girl in the image above was intended to be a little boy fishing next to his dad. Instead, it's me. It's all good. My parents had two children, a son being the oldest and a daughter. They were four years apart in age. Without getting too personal, my dad had a difficult time bonding with my older brother. Freddie cried a lot and my mom was there to comfort him (so I'm told). I don't think he played any sports or had much interest in them as a kid. In high school, Freddie got a drum set and liked to jam with his friends. He drove a nice black GTO. But, he never made time for my dad. 

    Ten years after my sister was born, my dad told my mom that he wanted to have another son. He wanted a son that played baseball so he could be his biggest fan,  fish with him. watch sports with him, work with him...he wanted a son to be his pal. My mom agreed that they would try for another son. My dad said, "and his name will be Toby." (Now, I have no idea whatsoever where he came up with the name Toby).

    Back in those days (the olden days), there were no sonograms to reveal the sex of the baby. It was always a surprise. Long story short one late October night, I was born. 

    The whole point of this little story is that sometimes we don't get exactly what we want or pray for, but sometimes we get just what we need. I was extremely close to my dad. He was my hero and my best pal. 

He taught me to fish and I loved every minute of it. He even got me up at 4:30am one morning to go frogging. Yes, we went to some swampy place South of Gilroy and went frogging. Our neighbor Jack was my dad's fishing buddy. He had two sons and the five of us went together on this frogging adventure. I wasn't present when my dad dismembered the frogs, but I do remember my mom frying the frog legs. They were delicious! We went on many fishing trips together. My dad was a journeyman welder by trade, but he could build and fix anything. I helped him build a fence on a few acres of property we had. I pulled weeds and mowed the lawns with him on Saturdays. I remember my little fingers hanging onto the back belt loops of his jeans while he mowed, while I followed. He had a pool built in our back yard and we swam together all the time. He would swim laps and I would do summersaults under water. He cheered me on at my softball games too. He taught me to change the tire on my first car and I can honestly tell you that I wasn't paying attention. Sorry, dad.

My dad got his Toby after all.

Dad, I miss you more than words can say.

    

"Kindness"

 

                                             Resurrection Church in Santa Cruz, California

    My son participated in community service work through the elementary school he was attending. David is the adorable little boy with the glasses. He wears contact lenses now and six years older, soon to graduate high school. During the school year, the junior high pull together to feed the homeless once a month. An email is sent out to students' parents who want to participate with a sign up sheet attached. "Would you like to bring main course, side dish, dessert, drinks or plates and utensils?" The meals weren't coordinated to the tea so to speak, but they always turned out perfect.

    On this night, we brought a main course dish to share. Not only were the kids learning to be of service to the homeless in our community, but they were learning about giving "their time" to others. Our time is  a precious gift. Especially, when we give of our time to listen. In the center of the photo, you can see an older gentleman enjoying his dinner. And he isn't eating alone. Part of this service is sitting down with a guest to have conversation and enjoy a meal together. Usually, what happens is the kids end up doing a lot of listening. This particular man had a lot to say! He was a Vietnam Vet and told a few light hearted stories. It was an unexpected surprise when David sat down next to him to have dinner. He gladly welcomed the gesture.

    There is something about food that brings people together; especially a home cooked meal. As their hosts, one night a month cots are also set up for them with blankets and sandwich lunch bags for the following morning when they have to leave. For this one night, a person with no place to call home can enjoy a home cooked meal, good company, a warm bed and a good night's sleep. ❤️

"Jack"

   Jack

        Do you have that one friend who disappears and resurfaces every 5 or 6 years? We do and Jack is that guy. My husband met Jack in Alaska after graduating high school in San Jose, California. They became friends and had a posse they ran with in Anchorage. Their lives were all about work and play, work and play. After five years of that lifestyle, Bennie (my husband) wasn't sure he could survive it for long without incurring serious health consequences, and came back to San Jose. He attended junior college and transferred to UNR in Reno, Nevada.

    It was in Lake Tahoe, Nevada that Jack and Bennie met up again. Jack was living in a very nice home on the lake ("millionaires row", often referred to). He invited us for a lovely dinner at his lake house. It was a whirlwind of a night and I haven't seen him since. Jack always managed to live large. He was charismatic, kind,  polite and charming; the son of a U.S. Airforce  four star General. Jack has traveled the world. It was about this time that my husband and I started a family. We didn't hear from Jack for several years. Up to this point, we still never knew how Jack made a living; we still don't! As time passed, we heard he was selling timeshares in Hawaii, living the life. He was nowhere to be found for many years after this.

    Thanks to Facebook, Jack was found. He spent some time in Thailand and other midwestern states. But, something had changed. We hadn't imagined Jack was the type of person to want to settle in a slower moving paced environment. Soon, he began to post a picture now and then. It was always a picture of him with his latest catch and a big old smile on his face. He put on a few pounds and seemed content.

     At present, he has settled down in Lake Ouchita, Arkansas. I've noticed many of his posts are reflections of the culture in Thailand. I often wondered why he never went back once he left. Jack's comment section looks like this: "Jack, where are you now?" "Hey buddy, been thinking about you!" "Jack, are you okay?etc. Seems to be he has found a spot he likes.

    Jack never married or had children. He has spent his life traveling and wandering. I often wonder why people do the things they do; their behaviors and such. Was Jack looking for something all these years? It seemed he always had the world in the palm of his hands.

    Maybe he was searching for that endless destination where he could stop and feel at peace with himself and just be. It seems as though his wandering has come to a cease. Jack’s passion for fishing is a common thread throughout  his adult life. He fished in Alaska, Lake Tahoe, Hawaii and now he's fishing in Arkansas. 

    I think Jack has found his spot and looks like he found his fish too.

   

                                                                       

"Iguana" an acrostic poem

 

                                                                          

                            I - independent (mama lays the eggs, covers them and leaves)

                           G - green iguana (found in the tropical rain forest)

                           U - unique (each species has its own unique adaptations)

                           A -  active? No (they mostly lie around all day, getting up for snacks)

                           N - native to South & Central America

                           A - arboreal - (long toes with sharp claws & long toes for tree top balance)

    I have 5 sons and I'm pretty sure as little boys, they each asked if they could have an iguana. Going to the local pet store was a field trip for them. We came home with fish, teddy bear hamsters and even a Norwegian Dwarf Bunny once. As adorable as iguanas are, they require a lot of care. They had to settle for catching lizards in our yard. We would keep them for a week or so, then let him go. Even those little guys are high maintenance. I had to go back to the feed store to buy live crickets for them to eat. It was fun watching them hunt their meals in their habitat.  I always had an old terrarium on hand in the garage. A must when you have little boys.

"A hike with my dog"

                                                           Hiking in Aptos, California

    I live in a place that has the best of both worlds, the ocean on one side and the forest on the other. This particular trail is a few blocks from my home, next to a junior college. My husband isn't much of a hiker, but my Boston Terrier named Rosie is. I always have a hiking buddy that is eager and ready to go.

    I wish I got on this trail more often, but I don't. This was the simpler part of the trail. You can take a trail in a different direction and upward into the mountain. I want to take that trail, but there is a sign that stands in my way. It's a sign that explain how should you encounter a lion, do not look at it directly in the eyes and back away slowly. I feel a bit silly standing in front of it, wishing I had the courage to follow this trail, as a trail rider or a hiker or two walks around me and heads up the trail. Why can I not  compose myself and be rational. There has never been a lion attack on a human reported in the forests of Aptos that I know of. Silly, I know!

    Wildflowers, birds singing , sunshine or a crisp day...it's the perfect escape from the mundane. I often get too caught up in household duties and competing against my planner, that I forget life is to be lived every day, not just once a week or maybe on the weekend. No more "I should do this" or "I should do that" when I have time. (The fact is...I do have time). 

                                                                

    I'm pretty sure as time passes, I'm not going to regret the times I didn't check everything off on my planner for Tuesday, but I will regret not taking in that sun rising over the ocean or putting on my cap, grabbing my dog and heading for the forest. 

                                               I know what I'm doing tomorrow morning.

    

    

"Getting Older"

 

 I wonder how many more sunset walks like these we'll take. This is a shot of our walking route. It's a 2 mile walk down the Esplanade at Sea Cliff State Beach. We have been watching the sun set here for years. That is my husband taking in the moment. There have been times when the sky looks like it's on fire. 

Every sunset is different, the same like every day of our lives is never the same. 

For me, I am at the stage in my life where not only am I aware that I'm getting older, but I am feeling it. This year, I have been overcome with feelings of no longer caring about what the world thinks of me, but caring more about me being true to myself. The days of keeping up with the latest of everything are behind me. I'm also not worrying about things I have no control over and accepting that every person is entitled to their own journey. I have had my share of worrying raising six children! Over it. I do what I can and ask God to watch over them. 

I had long hair and chopped it off two weeks ago. I no longer have to fuss with it in attempts to style a big hair look and constantly feel frustrated that it just doesn't look or feel right. Well, now I know why - because that wasn't me. I felt a sense of liberation  when I cut my hair into a very short layered bob. And I love it. My husband loves it and he loves me. He just wants me to be  happy. I let go of my hair. Is that how we achieve happiness, by letting go? This blog could go in so many different directions.

I was wondering if men go through a mental and emotional transition  or awakening as they enter their late 50's or early 60's. I know for my husband, he is more eager now travel. He wants to enjoy life and is more motivated today to be physical and socially active than ever. It can get kind of tricky when he is an extrovert and I am an introvert. We make it work. Again, another blog topic...

This has been a good year for me. I suppose I am thinking of myself less, in service to my community, keeping things simple, letting go of things and thoughts that don't serve me and letting the universe open doors I'm supposed to be going through. 

And yes, I do have a few physical pains, a couple of achy joints and I endured a double bunionectomy/osteotomy in early November of 2021. I have new beautiful feet and I push through the morning pain. Once I start moving, stretch and give thanks for another day - I am good to go! 

This getting older thing isn't so bad 🧡

"Man Fishing" (haiku)

 

 

                                                                                                                        

                                           Early Morning Fisherman on the pier

                                                      Foggy morning on the pier

                                                   Another attempt to reel in a fish

                                                         Maybe today is his day

"The Eagles"

 

    My husband I enjoy going to concerts and have our favorite bands of the 70's. What a great year for rock music!  The Eagles are one of our top three bands. We have seen them numerous times. We flew to Vancouver to see them. We read they were playing at Rogers Arena and found it a great excuse to go to Canada. Great concert in a great city. It was a treat seeing Vince Gill as a new member of the band too. He fits in perfectly.

    The photo above are the Eagles playing at the Chase Center in San Francisco. We saw them October of 2021. It's been a bitter sweet couple of years for the Eagles, losing their long time band mate Glen Frye. That's been the bitter part of their story. The sweet part is mid-center of this photo. The young man wearing the black hat, white shirt and black vest at the mic, is Glen Frye's son Deacon. The beginning of the concert started with a monologue from Don Henley, giving a little background on the band and bringing the audience up to date on where they're at now. Of course, they mentioned their brother Glen Frye and his passing and introduced his son Deacon Frye, who is now a member of the band. He is literally walking into his dad's shoes on stage with the Eagles. I got chills listening to him sing "Take it Easy;" a classic that was sung by Glen Frye. Also, in the monologue, stories were told of Deacon being a little boy showing up at band practice with his dad all the time. Little Deacon was soaking in the music and building dreams.

    We never know what plans the universe has for or where dreams start and dreams end.

                                                  

*(ironically, as I was typing this blog, I learned that today Deacon Frye made the decision to leave the Eagles Band)