violetismycolor

love those lemon drops...

My mom and I had such a fun time on our trip to the Gorge.  We drove along the old Columbia Gorge Highway and stopped at several lovely viewpoints, at Waukeena Falls, at Multnomah Falls, and then headed up to Hood River.  The day was luminescently golden and gorgeous.  What a delight!

We sat in front of the fire, drinking Lemon Drops, which Mom loved.  We had a huge and fabulous dinner (French Onion Soup, Ceasar Salad, Shellfish Pasta, various cheeses, and Carrot Cake). 

On Thursday, we wandered down the Washington side of the Gorge and stopped at Skamania Lodge, where we had lunch (note the crab lumpia photo below) and eventually drove home.  We talked and talked and really enjoyed our time together.

   

mom's early birthday gift...

  I'm off to take my Mom up to the Columbia Gorge Hotel for an overnight for her (early) birthday present.  I'll be in Scotland then, so we're doing it now...while the weather is still brilliant and the fall color is at it's peak.

John is staying behind, trying to recuperate from a tummy bug and to do Cookie duty. 

have I said this before?

I love Fall!  It is definitely my favorite time of year...what with the gorgeous, cool, sunny days and the lovely foliage colors, and my birthday and all.  These were taken in my backyard.

 

 

Oh, and I've got this little gal hanging out right outside one of my kitchen windows.  I figure she's looking for cooking tips...

mom day...

I took my mom to lunch at Fenouille and then to the Japanese Garden.  My mom loved both and we had so much fun.  The day was gorgeous, and that was the icing on the cake.

   

Twinkletoes!

Cool thing happened to me today.  I was at my hairdresser's and was telling her about my dad's death.  After a couple of minutes of chat, she said to me,  "Okay, Twinkletoes...come over here and let's wash your hair."

Twinkletoes?

"Why did you call me that?" I asked.

"It just popped into my head,"  she said.

I told her, "That's what my dad always used to call me...because when I was a little girl, I used to walk on my toes and wanted to be a ballerina."

I think it was just my dad letting me know that he heard me talking about him and he's listening!

How cool is that?

new phone...

 

Both my phone and my Palm are sliding towards the battery abyss and so I have been looking for a new phone.  I got this cool new phone (very much like an iPhone) yesterday.  It uses Outlook for its calendar.  I found a program that could take all my Palm data and transfer it to Outlook...and it only took about 2 minutes.  Awesome.

This phone is a real treat.  Yay...

guys in ties...

Adam looked very handsome in his new tie.  It was unfortunate that he had to buy one for his grandfather's funeral, but there it is.  He was incredibly sweet the whole time he was here.  He hung out with John and I, and with all the other relatives.  He held my mother's hand as he walked her out of the graveyard.  This is an image that will stay with me forever.

My dad's funeral was yesterday and we are all doing well.  I sat with my mom and held her hand.  At one point, I felt an invisible arm come around my shoulder.  (That was great, Dad, to know that you were there with us.)

At the rosary the night before, I was the first to give a remembrance of my dad. I made everyone, myself included, cry. 

My mom is the one I worry about but we will all be there to help her.  The last of my out-of-town siblings will leave on Friday and then she will be alone.  After 56 years of marriage, this is going to be tough. 

The funeral was a long, traditional Catholic mass, complete with incense and all.  Adam asked me what the incense was actually for, but I didn't know the answer...said something like I thought it was some ancient purification ritual or something, I supposed.  My brother, Ted (the priest) officiated at the mass and gave a sermon on the resurrection of the body.  I am not a resurrection of the body believer, but okay, whatever. 

My lovely friends:  Irene, Heidi, Diane, Kris, and Evelyn (the Coffee Girls) all came to the funeral and reception and that meant so much to me.  Gosh, it's great to have good friends!

My sister, Marita, and her kids and their kids and spouses ALL came and stayed with me and that was chaotic and so cool. 

And YOU, all my bloggy friends, stopped by here and sent your love.  Thanks so much for that.

I'll miss my dad.

sad, sad, sad...

My sweet Dad died today.  We have been seeing it come for some days now, but it's still a bit of a shock.  I got there about 2 minutes before he died. 

I spent the past year seeing my dad through his illness, prostate cancer.  Spending the hours with my parents when my dad was going through chemo, or having hours of tests was tough and wonderful.  Tough to see your dad get weaker and sicker, but wonderful to get to know my parents in a way that I never knew them before. 

My dad was a sweet, generous, funny man and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to find all that out. 

Rest in peace, Dad.  We all love you.  See you on the Other Side, in Heaven.