Home is where the Heart is!

"Home again" the folks would say as we drove into the drive after a long time away. And that is exactly what we said as we saw our turn into Kahikole Place approaching. It was great fun to play at being a farm girl, mountain adventurer, cold weather camper and all around good sport way out of our comfort zone. Just wanted everyone to know that Hawaii is the best of all.

NO KA OI! Good to be warm again, the fragrance of the flowers and surf. Happy doggies and Cali greeting us and lots of stories to tell our chldren who remained behind while we took Benjamin on his graduation trip. More later, we're off to Honolulu to visit more kids and do our "weekly" foraging. Love these three day weekends with my Honey.

Park City, Utah and Family Reunion

I wonder if anyone reads this BLOG? It's a great journaling tool if nothing else. Well, here we are in Park City. Kent finished his four day conference with the Coast Guard. We stayed at the Yarrow, a perfect central location. Two fold trip, we piggy back a vacation with the conferences he attends and enjoy a new location a few times a year. This trip fortunately has three wonderful "reasons to Smile". Family reunion with the Richards Clan in Riverside as well as celebrating Benjamin's graduation from Embry-Riddle U. He is now an official professionally degreed pilot. No job yet but that's next.
Mike and Hiroko stayed behind while she recuperates from losing their first baby ( a boy ) three and a half months into the pregnancy. We found out on a Sunday, in June and we cried all day and it truly felt like a death in the family. We already loved that little guy and wonder where he is and where he is going next. More than a few of us had dreams that he was a boy even before anyone knew! Mike is taking teacher prep classes to sub in the Fall in case an airline job does not "materialize".
So after a glimpse of Park City, a nice intro, though cold, we managed to see a few sights. Stein Erikkson's resort at the top of Deer Valley, the ski lift, (too cold and rainy), the Olympic Village. Performances only on Sat. (we're gone by then) We always miss neat things by a day or two. The official Park City Summer kick-off is on the 18th of June and of course we are leaving for SLC to pick up our RV today, Thurs. June 17th. Oh Yeah and the Montain Man Festival is this weekend too, in Soldier Hollow. the drive-by on the back way up to Timp Cave was neat. And the quick visit to Kathleen's and BYU was really nostalgic. Ben's mission home, Kent's, Amanda Knight which in my time was the men's Frat house. And my old home on 230 E. 800 S. just up the street from Heaps a Pizza now Brick Oven. A too busy day for me which exacerbated this asthma based cold and cough. TG for the RV, my new "viewing station" and security blanket as we adventure our way through northern Utah, Idaho, Montana and down through to Wyoming to see Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, visiting Temples and sights on the way. Our family reunion is on the 19th in Riverside and from there we head North to the KOA at Hot Springs.
Today we outfit the RV in SLC and head up to Marilyn's in Ogden. So many friends to visit, so little time. I like the idea of the "old days" when folks traded houses for the "season". Or Summered by the sea. (That's us!) Change is nice but for an extended period of time. Let's see what adventures the next few days bring.

Six plus months have flown! New Mexico was fantastic in October as was the food, the scenery and the amazing jewelry finds. Meeting up with old friends who we knew in Hawaii in the 90's who later moved to NM and have moved on again was a blast. Our worlds collide. Our once babies are grown and friends kids are having thier own babies.

After working like kids for one week on a balloon crew, early rising in the 50+ degrees morning and then cooking by afternoon and still going by 7 PM was a full day of activity, breaking bread at some of our old favorite restaurants, chasing our balloon pilot in the brush of indian reservations and jumping over railroad tracks. We finally got our "ride" at the best time. We took off from Intel and floated over our old home on Oakmount and the golf course, over new territory for us, a short landing in an arroyo, up in the air again and over a large framed structure being built (later to find out it was the new stake center). A perfect landing in the green grassy soccer field of the new H.S. Boy, has Rio Rancho changed. We got our old friends, Blaine and pat Emms in on the act too. they got a tethered ride because the winds in late morning were picking up.

Great memories of SPA time at the Casino, Bien Mur and fantastic buffet food. Better than Sandia Casino. Seing buffalo again and the drive down our favorite Bosque area of Corrales made the jaunt to Old Town reaally special. We covered every square inch of ABQ. Even ate at the OWL, 50's diner with a juke box at each table. The green chili was espeacially hot this season. Old town brought romance with our engagement anniversary at High Noon. Food and ambiance was superbe and the same family owns it after 35 years! We talked with the native jewelers, visited the Indian Pueblo Cultural center. Most special was sharing family hitory with thre Navajo and Pueblo cultures.

Our drive to San Pedro was poignant. The property that we dreamed of buiding an A-Frame on is still there, undeveloped. the view of the Continental divide on a gloomy overcast day felt erie. I went pine cone crazy collecting my treasures. Our "rock" marker outcropping was found and faint traces of Matt's "tree house". The beautiful lake that spread in front of our property was dried up. We found out from neighbors who live there that there are water wars. Other rancers have diverted the water on the other side of the divide. The old adobe house down the road was being remodeled and we went inside to say hello. It really is an LDS church, once someone's home donated to the church and and part of the Rio Rancho Stake. Amazng to think we spent 13 years in that region and could have raised our kids there instead of Hawaii.

With all our best intent to return next year, I don't think I could muster enough to chase again. I broke my toe, not from adventuring, but from Kent putting a metal chair in my path in the late night in the dark bedroom. I limped for the entire week and couldn't put my tennis shoes on. It was a matter of driving for the finish line. In retrospect, it was a miracle that a girl like me was able to tough it out due to sheer grit and determination.

These are the most recetn memories to date: more will come later.

Now March the second year of Mike and Hiroko's marriage brings us to the 27th and just be Beyond that, on April 6, Benjamin's 32nd. Last class, Aeronautical Psych. coming up and Kent off to Florida at the end of the Month. Mama is staying home.

Guests have been pouring into the suite, thank goodness. Hope we have it all filled up for Summer.

That's it for now.