"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.