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Sunday, July 25, 2010 Another shot at life Gary dragged me out of bed early on my day off and we headed out into the wilderness. A friend of ours—a cancer survivor and outdoor enthusiast who has trekked all over the Sierra Nevadas before relocating to Central Oregon—had always wanted to hike up to Canyon Creek Meadows. We were the official hike leaders.
Sometimes it takes seeing something through the eyes of someone else to re-appreciate it. Gary and I have hiked this trail a handful of times, but yesterday was especially enjoyable because Mike, our friend, was like a kid in Disneyland. (It wouldn’t have surprised me if he had burst out into the theme song from Sound of Music.)
We pushed onward through a snow field to the shoulder of Three-Fingered Jack ...
... to look down into a small morain lake, still partially encrusted with snow and ice.
Oh, and share your adventures along the way for double the joy. Thursday, July 22, 2010 Happy hour We had planned to pack a picnic dinner down to Drake Park for Munch ‘n Music this evening.
But it was one of those days – car to the repair shop, dental appointment after work. By the time Gary and I both got home, we unanimously agreed. Dinner at home. I whipped up a potato salad to go with the chicken and corn on the cob. Grapes for dessert. And then we got our second wind and decided to take some advice from Jake, favorite cartoon dude. Jake, sitting with Rocket beside a campfire with a steaming hot drink and his contagious grin says, “Create your own Happy Hour.”
And so we ventured out – late to Munch ‘n Music – to do just that. Everyone knows the best Happy Hour involves being near the water, with some live music, some great people-watching opportunities ... and of course, Chai tea.
Throw in some green grass, tall trees, and a dog on a kayak …
... I’d have to say that Happy Hour just doesn’t get much happier than this! Monday, July 19, 2010 Almost perfect If you don’t count the fact that the photographer flying in from New York (cousin of the bride and our son) arrived just in time for the morning photo shoot 28½ hours after he and daughter-in-law boarded the first leg of their flight (subtract sleep and add in one flat tire on a borrowed car), and if you don’t count the fact that the ring bearer just missed his walk up the aisle by 2 minutes … then I’d have to say it was the perfect wedding.
The bride was especially beautiful and the Northern California weather was perfect. Extended family of the bride came in from 5 states. And there was enough conversation and laughter to last until the next time we find an excuse to get together.
The day after the wedding, we all gathered in the bride’s parents’ lovely, old farmhouse. More good food and good fun – late night S’mores around the backyard fire pit; range practice in the old barn; 4-wheelin’ through hilly cow pastures with our city kids ...
... being entertained by a calf newly-escaped from his pen, sucking down a quick snack and kicking up his heels in pure joy.
Alas, all good things must come to an end. The plan was to drive south this morning through the Avenue of the Giants to see the world’s tallest tree. Sadly – our brother-in-law informed us – it had fallen down and had taken four other redwoods with it. Brother-in-law said we could walk the length of it, though. We take the short path from the parking area to the sign indicating where Founders Tree once stood. Only there was another tree in its spot. We examine the sign to see if it had been moved. No indication of any monkey business.
This must be the famous tree, and it must have been set back upright. (How’d they do that?)
Ironically it will be the mishaps and close calls—not so funny at the time—that become the stories we’ll tell at future family events. We’ll embellish and laugh, and we’ll weave these stories into our fabric of remembrances, richer for having made the time to be part of a family gathering. Friday, July 16, 2010 A new concept: Enjoying the journey I’m married to a man whose attitude—when it comes to long-distance driving—is, “It’s not about enjoying the journey; it’s about arriving as soon as possible.” We’re on the road to Northern California to our niece’s wedding—and celebration of my birthday week ;) —with our daughter in the back seat, Gary at the wheel.
So … we talked Gary into taking the road through Crater Lake National Park. (Gary and his GPS girlfriend were having some anxiety over this change in plans.) And then our route took us into the redwoods and we had to stop and photograph these amazing, gigantic trees ...
… and then past the Trees of Mystery, and of course we had to stop and photograph Paul Bunyan and Babe, the Blue Ox …
... and then there was the Pacific Ocean … and a herd of elk along the highway … and the Carson Mansion in Eureka.
And so the journey took us a couple hours longer than it normally would have, but I’d be the first to say, it was a lot more fun than we’ve ever had on this particular route. Here’s a new concept: maybe it’s about the destination and the journey.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 Birthday week kick-off We had reservations last evening at a small restaurant in what used to be the boathouse at Suttle Lake, hence the Boathouse Restaurant. I know … clever.
With most women, it isn’t so much about the food as it is about the ambiance. Which means any place near a body of water, or where snow is falling or a fire is crackling. Or the right kind of live music is playing. (I once fell in love with my husband for the millionth time along the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas, where a live Peruvian band was playing hauntingly beautiful music – all guitars and reedy flutes.)
Our kids are flying in from the east coast, and most of the extended family members are gathering in Northern California to celebrate the end of my birthday week. (Well, actually, it’s for our niece’s wedding, but a girl can pretend, can’t she?) Stay tuned for more birthday week reports (rumor has it that Gary is taking me to a chick flick tomorrow evening while we wait for our daughter’s late flight). (I just counted five sets of parenthesis in this short piece – make that six ... which means I digressed a few too many times.)
Thursday, July 8, 2010 I’ve become my mother My mother lived through the Great Depression. Her father was a country doctor who was paid mostly in chickens and farm produce. He was killed one night on his way to a house call when a mule jumped through the windshield of his car. My mother was 12 years old.
Around that same time, Mom started having health issues. She came to live with us for 4½ years. At first she couldn’t decide whether to sell or rent out her house. Gary suggested, with tongue in cheek, that she burn it down and collect the insurance money. Mom was aghast—“Why, I couldn’t do that. I’d get put in prison for arsenic!” As time passed, she became negative, complaining to my brothers and her friends about us. Some journal thoughts from those challenging days: Old age has made her fearful and negative. ... And then I’m reminded that this is not the woman who raised me – who nurtured my love for books and music, who told me that I could do anything I set my mind to, who sacrificed so her children could have some really great experiences.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 Bobby McFerrin and the Oregon Bach Festival For those of you who wondered whatever happened to the “Don’t worry, be happy” guy, he’s alive and well … and is currently in Eugene for the Oregon Bach Festival’s 40th anniversary celebration. We sat two tables away from Bobby at PF Chang’s last evening. Not being one who likes to disturb celebrities while they’re eating, I tried not to stare. Later, two shy Asian girls approached Bobby’s table. He smiled and stood to talk with them, shaking their hands at the end of the conversation. I was impressed with his graciousness.
Both tunes were sung by Thomas Quasthoff who is regarded as one of the finest singers of his generation with his rich bass-baritone range. And then there is the incomparable Bobby McFerrin who performed with an all-star high school choral group backing him up … and later with Quasthoff in a surprise (as in, not on the program) couple of numbers. McFerrin and Quasthoff sat on chairs stage front and improvised McFerrin-style – Quasthoff with his deep baritone voice and McFerrin providing the back-up band via his amazing vocals. (If you’ve never heard McFerrin imitate an entire band with just his voice and his hands as percussion, you need to get out more.)
There were a number of standing O’s last night – all well deserved. And of course, the very best thing about the evening: it was part of an overnight date with My Guy (that would be Gary, hubby and best friend). Meeting up with old friends over dinner, a classy production with great artists and great music and laughter (who says OBF has to be stuffy?), temps in the 70s with no rain clouds anywhere in sight. It just doesn’t get much better than this.
Thursday, July 1, 2010 50 things to do – Part II Back in September ’09, I blogged about the “50 Things to Do Before You Die” list and the concept behind it. What makes me think of the list is this really cool peer support program at the St. Charles Cancer Center that was started more than a dozen years ago by a group of local breast cancer survivors. The idea is to match a newly-diagnosed patient to a trained volunteer who has been out of treatment for at least a year – a Support Sister to offer hope and encouragement and a good listening ear. Because we believe so strongly in this model, we’ve expanded the Support Sisters program to include Support Brothers and to serve men and women in Central Oregon with all types of cancer. A week ago, I completed the last of a series of training sessions. With 25 newly-trained survivors and the active breast cancer Support Sisters, we have a roster of 43 volunteers who are passionate about supporting others on their cancer journey.
And then I assigned homework ... but not homework I’ll ever collect and grade: “Draft your own list of 50 things to do before you die. Figure out the first steps, and then roll up your sleeves and begin working in the direction of your dreams.” Watch the video and see if you don’t want to add Climb a mountain to your list of stuff to do before you die.
The words of wisdom are: “Do what you like. Like what you do.” I think we all – the kids on the east coast and the parents in the west –get that.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 Colorado wildlife We expected to see “where the deer and the antelope played” while in Colorado – after all, the Web sites and the official visitors guide are liberally sprinkled with photos of wildlife.
A woman told me she had been coming to Estes Park for 16 consecutive years. She had seen a total of 3 mountain sheep, but never a full herd ... and never this close to the road. The park ranger said it was rather unusual.
Friday, June 18, 2010 “Life is good” wisdom Jake, the optimist with the huge smile who appears on Life is good T-shirts and mugs, is my favorite cartoon dude – profound, clever, has been known to preach a full sermon in one short sentence.
Here’s where Life is good wisdom comes in. One of their messages is a cartoon drawing of a television with the caption: “Think outside the box.” I love the reminder to turn off the television and get off the couch (or the hotel bed), to set about the business of creating adventure and memories. Bit of trivia: Life is good was founded by two brothers, Bert and John Jacobs, who started out selling T-shirts on the streets of Boston and to East Coast college students in their dormitories.
Thursday, June 17, 2010 Sad day We’re packing up to leave my newly-adopted hometown (at least in my heart) of Estes Park nestled in among the evergreens and giant mountains. (Gary just reported that we took 410 photos during our short stay here.) We’ll miss the beauty of the town and its two rivers and numerous parks, the friendliness of the locals, the daily elk sightings and subsequent traffic jams, the cowboy sing-along.
We spoke in Longmont yesterday, and are scheduled to present in the Vail Valley this evening. We asked a local resident the best route to take over to Vail. She is sending us straight west through the RMNP, then south to eventually connect with Frisco on the 70.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010 Rocky Mountain high Yesterday’s hike in the Rocky Mountain National Park appeared to be an easy 3.5-mile lake-to-lake-to-lake trek. We didn’t realize when we set out, though, that each lake is higher in elevation than the previous one.
grazing nearby and snow-capped mountains as the dramatic backdrop. It just doesn’t get more Colorado than this!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 Cowboy sing-along Our daughter took the train into NYC yesterday with a couple of girlfriends for the taping of The View. She loved it, of course … city girl that she is.
Gary and I sang along – loudly and a bit off key – with the rest of the crowd that was comprised of toddlers and teens, parents and grandparents. And fun was had by all. It just doesn’t get much better than this. I’ve mentally packed my bags and have moved to Estes Park … mountain girl that I am.
P.S. We met with the Survivorship Programs Manager at the University of Colorado Cancer Center yesterday. She confirmed that our survivorship message was a fit for their community. She’ll speak with her team first, but asked if we would be willing to present at more than one venue if they could schedule some things in the fall. Yes, of course.
Monday, June 14, 2010
And we learned quickly that you don’t want to get caught in an Estes Park traffic jam. Vehicles were backed up in both directions due to an elk sighting.
Seriously, I doubt there’s any other place in the world quite like Estes Park. My kind of town!
Sunday, June 13, 2010 Please don’t feed the bears
Saturday, June 12, 2010 Naming buildings We located the correct tower way too early, so we sat in a tastefully-decorated waiting room on the 6th floor with large windows overlooking the tops of green trees. A shiny black piano set grandly in among the overstuffed chairs. No antiseptic feel to this Los Angeles hospital. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center takes up several blocks in the area of Beverly Blvd. In addition to the peaceful environment, the cancer institute is staffed by warm and caring people – particularly Dr. Asher, his assistant Nancy, and Dr. Audeh.
Cedars-Sinai is a non-profit hospital, which basically means it doesn’t turn away patients who can’t pay. So how can it afford to offer quality care and move forward with extensive research? Here’s where these philanthropic heroes with their names attached to buildings come in. One of them is a name you might not be as familiar with – the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute. Quite a long name to honor quite a man. Apparently, Samuel Oschin began honing his entrepreneurial skills at the ripe old age of 10 when, as a chimney sweep, he hired his friends and grew his chimney-sweeping enterprise into a successful venture. From there, his skills and opportunities mushroomed and, combined with a passion for community service, he and his wife, Lynda, eventually founded the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation. Samuel Oschin died in 2004, but Lynda Oschin continues serving through philanthropic efforts. As we were packing up our computer after yesterday’s presentation at the Cedars-Sinai annual cancer survivor celebration, Mrs. Oschin sought us out. She shook our hands and graciously thanked us for our message. No, thank YOU, I wanted to say. Thank you for the honor of being part of this celebration; for the honor of meeting you and hearing firsthand of the good work being done because you and your husband made a commitment to help provide quality of life for countless numbers of people. As mentioned earlier, I’m properly impressed.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 Low expectations You know how when people tell you a certain movie is the best they’ve ever seen … then you watch the movie and come away disappointed because it doesn’t meet your expectations?
One of the Web sites shows elk making themselves at home on the City Hall lawn. Come on. Like I’m supposed to believe there are really elk roaming around town.
Sunday, June 6, 2010 Heaven Can Wait If you’ve never seen firemen in pink turnouts helping lead Jazzercise to a crowd of more than 4,000 people warming up for a 5K Walk/Run to benefit local breast cancer survivors, then you need to get out more.
Linda Robson, local breast cancer survivor, was instrumental in getting the Pink Ribbon Tour to Bend in time for this year’s Heaven Can Wait event.
And even though Gary, my trusty assistant, and I worked a full weekend and I will head back to the office tomorrow morning, I love that the work we do matters and that this year’s HCW event was so wildly successful.
Friday, June 4, 2010 Because nice matters Humor me with one more Hawaii story. We were in the Starbux on the corner of Kapahulu and Kalakaua in line behind a man who looked to be in his early 40s, barefooted, a bit slow.
The college kid cashier tells him, Two. The customer has a bit of trouble ordering, and after he moves down the line, I watch the cashier take a dollar out of the tip jar and place it in the cash register – to make up for the difference between the cost of two sandwiches and the amount on the gift card. While waiting for my Chai tea, a waitress brings the bare-footed guy his wrapped sandwiches. The cashier calls out quietly to the girl, “Hey, see if he wants a cup of water, too.” They get the customer a cup of water. Wow – the life lessons you learn in Starbux. I was humbled, wondering if I would have been as gracious in that same situation … and impressed with this young man working the counter at Starbux. Because nice really does matter.
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Like what you do Colorado wildlife “Life is good” wisdom Sad day Rocky Mountain high Cowboy sing-along My kind of town Please don't feed the bears Naming buildings Low expectations Heaven Can Wait Because nice matters Don't get to pick your family It's in the bag Only in Hawaii Japanese-Hawaiian wedding Meeting Yoshi Happy campers Gearing up for Hawaii Hitting a rock wall Love story Oversized check Extraordinary ordinary life Technology and pedicures Idaho ranch hands Blonde moments Being in community Live strong Cutting edge Florida in April Easter blessings Heading east March Madness Welcome to spring Half birthdays Destinations Most romantic bridge Stellar team Talent Upgrading into the 21st century Uncles and nieces Blue skies in Portland in Feb The subject of heroes Caliber of our friends Courage walking Only in Southern California Well trained Diversity Cream of the crop End of the tunnel Disturbing the snow Good things come to an end American mobile family Get moving Any excuse for a date Much more than a sports flick All the facts are true No-el, No-whale Mountain snob Going to Hawaii Finding our own way It's just a number Seasons of Christmas Civil War in the CTC My life in France Empty cafeteria trays A few of my favorite things Counting eagles America’s best and brightest Thinking about Large amounts of hope Memories, milestones Married to a very patient man Healing reins Trail to nowhere Above the fray Knitting connections Touching everything Modern technology Hot date spot Red sock day I got all my sisters with me Tenacious like a bulldog Best years of my life Now we should live Across the high desert 50 things to do before you die Anticipation Summer past and random thoughts Running to win Far cry from canned chili & peas Knight in shining armor Berry-Peach Cobbler Roller coaster rides Celebrating life Dan in Real Life Ridiculous Gift of life Grant-writing retreat Heartsore In the moment Extended birthday present River traffic Munch & Music Dealing with the paparazzi Midnight cruise Behind red doors Happy kind of exhausted 4:30am blog Fat checkmarks One of the benefits of cancer Calm before the storm Big picture thinking Back to the real world Quick trip to the EC Audacious living Connecticut adventure Flat Stanley in Ory-gun Baby steps Four-day weekend Soaring on wings Sunbathing C.O. style Real men wear pink Fun in the CTC Live like you were dying Day jobs Connected! CAN Cancer The power of one It's official! Fun with the medical professionals To my valentine Moments in Jersey Leaving on a jet plane Scans ordered Welcome to life Insane residents Back in high school Engaged crowd Out of the mouths of babes Divine intervention Christmas via webcam A merry little Christmas Somewhere on purpose Adventure and romance Celebrate life Imagine Men and menopause My Thanksgiving list Thanksgiving Eve Roundabouts How Starbucks saved my life Training for Switzerland Radio interview Super colon Thoughts on being invisible The speed of a turtle Obligation of the cured Cancer Adventures – the book! Blue and orange town Hope Couture First snow! Simple pleasures are the best 128 quilts Whale watching and kite flying The new and relaxed Gary
The scenic
route One step at a time PSA count celebration Frost in August Reading list Soaring Spirits Checking in 9:30am rock band Lingering Grand for a reason Mickey Mouse pancakes Survivorship is all the rage Follow your dreams Birthday weekend Only in America Unrelated goose incident Geese Road trip Friday night date Tough day on the job Best dad Confession Light bulb moment HomesickAmazing volunteers Countdown! Extended family Testing the limits Trailblazers The last lecture Mother’s Day thoughts Welcome to our world, Lydia Personal touch Dispensing goodness Cancer community – Part II Cancer community Barn door analogies Homemade soup day Mice and tumors Waiting room magazines Weekend date First entry
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