Historical Fiction, Poetry and Prose

Gone to Carolina

James Taylor once sang…

In my mind I’m gone to Carolina
Can’t you see the sunshine?
Can’t you just feel the moonshine?
Ain’t it just like a friend of mine
To hit me from behind?
Yes, I’m gone to Carolina in my mind

Now some of this post is going to seem a bit repetitious… deja vu almost.

I returned to North Carolina for a second time in a month. Since class doesn’t start until Tuesday, I got my flight for Saturday and planned a few days at the beach this time. I figure I have seen my relatives west of Raleigh, so now I’ll take a little extended vacation and see the Atlantic Ocean!

I tried to get an airbnb reserved a couple weeks ago but was turned down because Hurricane Dorian was bearing down and the host didn’t feel it was a good idea in case there was damage. So I waited until he passed on by and made a reservation at a little beach bungalow on Carolina Beach.

I flew into Raleigh-Durham and got my rental car, racing the setting sun on the two plus hour drive south and east. It’s so different here – no hills to climb, no curvy roads… just a nice straight shot to the beach.

The sunset beat me but I arrived in good time and got to my little place a block from the path to the ocean. I immediately headed down to greet the waves and hear the breath of heaven blow over my weary, hot and sticky face. I love, and I mean love, the ocean.

I have only seen the Atlantic once before when I did training in Florida and made a one day trip from Orlando to Cocoa Beach then to Clearwater/Tampa Bay! It seems much wilder than the Pacific somehow.

Since it was getting late I headed out to dinner – seafood of course! I love that my rental car is a 2020 model in 2019 and has all the features of being able to guide me wherever I want to go. It also has some crazy features like constantly correcting if you get too close to the line, beeping if someone is in your blind spot, and telling you to take a break by putting a little symbol of a coffee cup and a suggestion to pull over and get some rest! Nanny Car…

I sat next to an aquarium and the most beautiful shrimp was swimming around in there trying to make me feel bad for eating his family… but eat them I did and boy were they good!

I set my alarm for 6:30 a.m. for a 6:47 sunrise. I hopped out of bed and threw on a jacket … which I immediately regretted as it never got below 75 in the night! And the humidity never got below 90 percent I think… what’s the use in messing with your hair or makeup here?

What a glorious sunrise it was – slowly you could fee the sun peel off the layers of the night, lift its face above the horizon one slow inch at a time, and roll the waves closer and closer to the edge of the earth. It was beautiful as the waves pulled back leaving a palette for the sun’s reflection to paint itself upon. The ripples and crashes and foam all working to form a portrait of morning.

Suddenly I remembered that a lady I worked with 15-20 years ago in Tucson lives in North Carolina on a beach somewhere. I know the coast line is long so not much chance of finding her, but you know me if you’ve read any of these posts before… I’m going to look her up on google!

When I got back to my room I typed in her name and I almost fainted when I saw that not only is she listed in Carolina Beach, NC… but her address is listed on the very same street I’m staying! Oh my gosh I was amazed! I debated… it’s 9 a.m. and I’m heading out to breakfast on a Sunday morning. I remember that she is an early bird, but what if she is going to church or isn’t an early bird anymore since she retired?

Well, again, if you read my last post you’ll not be surprised to hear that I decided to knock on her door on my way to coffee, thinking maybe she would want to join me! I pulled into her parking area behind the car that was there – good sign, I thought! Now to find the place – it is kind of a funny building with many condos right on the canal, which was very lovely. I rang the bell. Again. I knocked. I waited. At this point you might expect me to just open the door and go in, right? Well, not this time! I started looking for a pen and paper. I had nothing in my tote bag, went to the car and looked but could find nothing to leave her a note. I sat there thinking what to do next. I decided to google her again and see if there was a phone number. It was a Tucson area code so not sure if that’s old, but what the heck – I can’t just leave and say, oh, well!

I dialed the number and she answered hesitantly, seeing an unknown number and it being Sunday morning expecting a solicitor. “Bonnie? It’s Belinda Botzong… do you remember me?”

It turns out Bonnie moved from the Seashore inland a few years ago. I told her I was heading to breakfast in Wilmington. She immediately suggested meeting me there and spending the afternoon with me! She just had to get ready and would drive the hour to meet up. I was so touched that she just dropped her plan or lack of a plan for the day and took time to drive over 70 miles to see me.

I stopped for coffee and breakfast sandwich at the nicest little cafe with these really sweet ladies. One thing I appreciate about the south is the accents and the sweetness of the people. I think even if they weren’t sweet, the accent makes them sound nice anyway! But these two were truly sweet and so happy I came in. They asked if I was visiting (I have no accent, so I assume that’s a dead giveaway). I told them I was meeting my friend and how it came to be and they loved it. So I also told them about my last adventure with Sheila and Junior… see prior post!

I drove into Wilmington and walked around a bit taking photos of the ancient buildings, bricks, cobblestones, etc.

There was an art fair going on, which is what made me go there in the first place, so while I waited for Bonnie I did a little art shopping therapy. I bought a ceramic light switch cover for my bathroom. It has a sand dollar painted on it, which is my favorite. I asked the artist if there are sand dollars in North Carolina – she says she doesn’t know but that she rarely goes to the beach and prefers the mountains! I told her she is definitely misplaced – there isn’t even a hill for many many miles let alone a mountain! She agreed 🙂 I then bought from a lady who makes pull chains for ceiling fans, decorating them with ceramic pieces with sea life on them. She, too, prefers mountains apparently and thinks living in the Seattle area would be much more suited to her tastes.

Bonnie and I met up in a tea and spice shop. Reunion! The tea ladies loved that. I bought several teas for my daughter and Bonnie bought over half a pound of Decaf Earl Grey, which is not always easy to find. We walked around and saw a horse and buggy ride so we got on board for that!

While we waited for the horses, Prince and Jeff, to rest up for the journey, we started catching up on our lives. We worked together from 1999-2004. We rode the bus to the University of Arizona almost every day together during several of those years. We have both been through so many life events since we last saw one another. We did stay in touch for a few years after I left Tucson, but as it goes with much of life, we had not kept in touch over the past ten years.

Time for our journey. The carriage driver told the history of Prince and Jeff, work horses from Amish farmers. They are two of many rescued horses the owner has taken in over the years. When the horses can not work on the farms, they get sold at auction. Rather than letting them go to get butchered, he rescues them and trains them for carriage rides. They are truly magnificent animals.

The carriage ride was awesome. We went through the historic neighborhood and saw so many beautiful old homes and buildings. To think of the times of the Civil War and post-war, the plantations and Southern Belles dressed in their finest.. and to really imagine life before air conditioning!

We headed to lunch at a pizza place where I had a spinach salad and we reminisced about our time in Tucson working for the University of Arizona together, about our lives since then, families, loss, grief, and love. All the things that have transpired in the past 20 years.

We parted ways after lunch with hugs and promises to keep in touch. What an absolute blessing to get to meet up with her spontaneously, to have her give up her Sunday afternoon without a plan, and to know that there is someone who would do that for me besides my own mom. She would have loved this whole adventure I’m on and it makes me miss her, not being able to tell her about it.

After we parted ways I went around the town again taking more photos of bricks and cobbles and buildings. I saw a huge church steeple in the distance and drove to it and saw more mansions. I went to an art store and bought earrings and then drove randomly around a huge lake before setting the GPS to take me back to the beach.

I stopped at a local grocery store for fruit, coffee, and cream. Isn’t it always interesting to just see people out in their normal life while you are out traveling? Maybe I’m the only one who thinks that’s interesting? I then drove all the way down Pleasure Island from Wilmington Beach, Kure Beach and into Fort Fisher. I was tempted to stop at the aquarium but it’s just so hot and muggy I prefer being in the car with air conditioning!

After coming back to take a nap I headed out for dinner at Big Daddy’s where I was sold on the burnt ends/brisket as an appetizer, then they threw in a huge basket of hush puppies before bringing my actual dinner of flounder and chips. There were shark bites on the menu! My husband would love the logo for Big Daddy – so retro and cute. I was stuffed and wasted a lot of food before I headed over to the pier at Kure Beach.

Standing high above the waves on that pier was an adventure. I didn’t get out too far before I decided people should not tempt nature. This man made structure has been beat up by who knows how many hurricanes and all these people are on it walking far out over the surf. You can feel it rumble and shake as the waves crash high and mighty. In the darkness of the evening it is truly ominous, beautiful, dangerous, and powerful.

It has been a blessed day. Thank you, Bonnie Seashore, for making time for me today. Thank you, Lord, for the majesty of your voice in the waves and winds. Thank you family for supporting me in all my adventures.

Past Present Future – North Carolina

Backroad travel into North Carolina with historical sites – churches, cemeteries, visiting relatives, and seeing the sites

Wow, it’s been a long time since I posted here! So today I will catch up by starting with the present, take a visit to the past, and plans for the future.

I flew into Raleigh Durham Airport yesterday for my very first time in North Carolina. Well, I have deep roots here as my biological father was from here and I have lots of distant family from both my mom and dad’s side, along with the bio family. That’s all just a happenstance, though. I am actually here for work, thus the future.

I chose to arrive a few days before my training begins so I could explore and meet up with some people I haven’t seen since I was about 8 years old. My first night was spent in Cary. I was tired after a long day flying cross country so I limited my exploration to the hotel and spent time working on my other website, reading, and relaxing.

This morning I took off for a three hour meandering drive toward the central-west part of North Carolina. It looks surprisingly as green as Washington and I had actually arrived during a very big rainstorm yesterday. That was a welcome surprise since I expected my time here to be unbearably hot and humid, thus miserable in that sense, but I’ve been blessed with cloudy weather in the 70’s.

I set out on my drive telling the Mapquest app to avoid freeways and tollways. I like to explore and I had every expectation that I would see lots of churches and part of me really, really wanted to attend a “black church” service because I think the spirit moves those congregations in a very special way. By the time I got on the road and started seeing anything remotely like that, church was over. I actually expected to see mostly Baptist churches, and I did see several. I LOVE the names – Mt. Zion, Mt. of Olives, etc. All a nod to one of my favorite places on earth, Jerusalem.

I came to a community of absolutely giant houses – mansions – all built very recently. The architecture was amazing!

The first town I stopped in was a little cute place called Pittsboro. I actually stopped not for the church, but because there was the coolest antique store with an entire yard full of things made of metal.

Chickens, turtles, big foot… you name it. Well, of course it was closed being Sunday in the south, but I got out and took photos and walked around the little main street.

In an alleyway I found a beautiful mosaic on a wall- mirrored and tiled into a flower garden and birds; right up my alley, literally! There was a Presbyterian church getting underway but I passed it by and looked in all the shop windows. Nothing would open until after 12 so I got back in the car and kept heading west.

There are swamp lands, kind of a little reminder of Louisiana, and the cicada are so loud it is kind of overwhelming. I stopped at the next church I saw which had a few people standing outside. It was a cute white chapel and a gentleman was nice enough to invite me inside for photos of what he said was a Quaker church, built in 1907. I asked if he was the pastor. He said they don’t have pastors in Quaker churches. People gather and share “whatever the spirit moves them to share”. There is no set agenda. He says sometimes it is just silent and people share in the presence. “It cuts out the middle man; having a pastor can make people lazy,” he said. I agreed. It sounded like a good way to be held accountable for knowing what the Bible actually says and relying on God’s Holy Spirit to guide you to understanding. While leaders are not necessarily a bad thing, I see their point and I am going to study up on Quakers. All I ever knew about them was that they were the pilgrims who came to America due to the inability to worship freely in England. Who knows what all got left out of our schooling. The man said Quakers had been in this area since 1700’s, so it all makes sense.

So, I continued down the road and came upon a sign for Snow Camp. I had seen signs in peoples yards starting a few miles back saying NO Snow Camp Mine. I will have to look that up. I pulled off to head to Snow Camp and saw a sign, an historical marker, along the road which said

The Quakers Society of Friends were early anti-slavery supporters of the Underground Railroad. Once the war erupted and Alamance County residents chose sides, supporters of the Confederacy regarded the Friends as Unionists. Never attacked directly by their neighbors, the Quakers were subjected to various pressures to conform. The government, attempting to enforce conscription acts, not only tried to persuade Quaker conscripts to renounce their faith, but also inflicted physical and psychological violence on them.
Solomon Frazier, of neighboring Randolph County, endured an experience suffered by many others. Early in the war, Frazier paid a $500 fine to avoid conscription. By 1864 however, when Confederate manpower needs were acute, he was arrested and taken to prison in Salisbury. There, despite being beaten to make him renounce his beliefs, he refused on religious grounds to “take up the gun” or to serve as a prison guard. When the officer in charge became furious with him, Frazier said, “If is thy duty to inflict the punishment on me, do it cheerfully, don’t get angry about it”. When rifle barrels were leveled at his face, Frazier calmly added, “It is the Sabbath and as good a day to die as any”. Never broken, he survived his mistreatment and the war.
William Thomson, conscripted from this congregation was killed at Gettysburg, leaving a wife Martha and small children. At lease seven Confederate veterans are buried in the cemetery a mile west, a silent tribute to the Friends’ spirit of forgiveness of those who did take up the gun.

I drove for many more miles, stopping at graveyards, churches, and anything else that caught my eye. I’m always fascinated when traveling outside the great Pacific Northwest what kind of roadkill other places have. Texas has those dang armadillos, Florida had the baby alligators, and I’m sure each area has it’s specialty. Washington it’s bunnies, opossum, raccoon, and the occasional porcupine and deer. North Carolina has pretty much the same as us, only they have vultures that come along and pick them clean! That was a first for me!

I stopped for lunch in Greensboro. I had tried to call and meet up with the cute couple we met last year on our Israel trip – Sheila Ann and Junior. So far I have had no luck getting in touch to make a plan, so tomorrow I will just pop in on them! Lunch was at a Steak and Seafood place called NOLA – all inspired by New Orleans style cuisine. My waiter was awesome. He is from Iran, studying civil engineering at the University here, and he sat right down in my booth and talked to me for awhile. Very outgoing and when I left he even decided I should have an iced tea to go since I had a lot of driving to do. Isn’t that just the best?

I finally arrived at my Aunt and Uncle’s house in King. I have not seen them since late 1960’s! My cousin, Laura, who I don’t even remember, came right outside to greet me and welcome me. It was so absolutely lovely to spend several hours out on the deck listening to Aunt Ruth’s childhood memories, good and bad and ugly, and to learn all about her life. She and Henry have been married 61 years and she was my dad’s twin sister, the last of 16 children.

Aunt Ruth will turn 80 years old in just a few days. Trying to imagine my dad, who died when he was only 41, is hard to do. She described her spiritual connection to him, told me her testimony of faith, and how God’s love has brought her through so much loss in life. We went to dinner and celebrated her birthday and had a wonderful time.

Tomorrow I’m going to head out for some Civil War history lessons here in Winston Salem, then go back to Greensboro to see if I can get one more good visit in before my business trip begins.

Past, present, or future – My life is blessed with so many people and experiences. I am thankful for each one.

Every Day is Mother’s Day

I was thinking of writing a profound blog post today but I think I’ll leave it at this.

My mom was my first best friend. I don’t care much for holidays where guilt induced giving of cards and flowers might occur— and I believe every day is Mother’s Day for me –and true love is when someone goes to the grocery store for me! But since today is my first Mother’s Day without my children here with me and with my mom in heaven, I will just say it’s a little different than usual and bittersweet.

My daughter has been away at Mother’s Day more times than not – travels to Italy, school calendars and adventures that bring her joy are far more important to me than having her here on a specific day. Every Day is Mother’s Day when Nicki is my joyful daughter.

When my son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder many years ago, we focused on getting him home and well by Mother’s Day – and he made it. Several times it’s been so. This year the focus is just on getting him adjusted and doesn’t matter it’s Mother’s Day- I will celebrate any day he is stable and will wait for him to come home to make me laugh like no other. Every day is Mother’s Day when Mark is my brilliant, hilarious, and nutty son.

As for my own mother, my husband and I will go to the cemetery and place flowers on my moms grave today. We will go on a scenic drive through the Skagit Valley and go out to lunch .. that is what my mom and I would have done.

Every day is Mother’s Day for me. I never knew true love until I looked into the newborn eyes of my babies. It is profoundly beautiful and humbling to know that God delights in me more than I delight in my children.

©Belindabotzong2019

Holy Week

Holy week has a whole new meaning after my trip to Israel six months ago

All week I’ve been thinking about my trip to Israel six months ago. I feel like I have a different perspective on the path Jesus followed, literally speaking. We walked in the footsteps of Jesus and the disciples and gained a new perspective on what we’ve been taught from childhood. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. We visited the site of the stable. We walked into the shepherd’s field and imagined a heavenly host of angels declaring his birth and salvation. We went to Galilee and floated around in the very same sea where He did some miraculous fishing… for fish and men! We stepped our feet into the River Jordan and watched as so many were baptized. And we finished with Jerusalem, so vibrant, so beautiful, and so holy.

Sunrise over Galilee
Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
Jerusalem
The Garden Tomb
The Garden Tomb – Jerusalem
Jerusalem
The Garden Tomb – Jerusalem

To think that he entered Jerusalem on a donkey with praise and glory and honor after a long journey. I entered Jerusalem on foot after a long bus ride, but as we were coming down the freeway and around the bend just as the “City on a Hill”, “The Holy City”, “The City of David”…. the tour bus driver started playing “O Jerusalem” and it was very moving. The thought that we went up on the Mount of Olives and looked out over the ancient city is truly chilling. The walk down the steep hill to the gates of the Garden of Gethsemane, picturing the scene of the ear getting cut off and restored, and understanding the inability of the disciples to even stay awake long enough to pray with their Lord.

We drove to the gates of Jerusalem and entered where the wailing wall, the Western Wall, is located. We wrote our prayers and joined the crowds of Jews and Christians there to pray at the most iconic site of prayer. We walked the Via de la Rosa, noting the stations of the Cross. We saw the two most likely sites of Golgatha and the Garden Tomb. Tomorrow marks the Risen Savior and I am so thankful for his love, forgiveness, and salvation. I cannot wait for him to return and to be in his presence continually.

Closure

I had a short day at work and took the scenic route to have lunch with myself. Pouring rain made the landscape of azaleas blooming that much brighter. It was Closure Day. I needed some calm.

I headed to Sedro-Woolley and stopped for coffee at the Woolley Market before heading to the bank to get cashiers checks. The bank ladies reminisced about my mom. “Sweet”. “Sassy”. “Funny”. I told them how much she had loved them. I always thought it was silly that she loved the bank ladies but they really are all so nice.

Say what you will about Wells Fargo as a corporation, each person I’ve dealt with in their entire system has been truly kind and compassionate with maybe one or two minor exceptions.

Next stop was The Flower Shop where I selected a big pink bouquet.

I showed the flower lady my art – the rendered photo of her shop that I have available in my Etsy store. https://etsy.me/2GibjAc. She loved it!

I drove out to the cemetery and told her I had finished everything. I had followed all the rules and kept all the records.

We closed THE ESTATE. Fitting it would be on National Siblings Day. I met with my siblings at our brother’s business and signed our releases and collected our Residual.

I drove to the law office and dropped off the final paperwork and went on the ultimate scenic, one my mom and I had done umpteen times.. through the tulip fields all over West Mt Vernon. I drove past my first full time job – Food Services Inc. it looks the same. My mom loved it when I worked there 35 years ago. She baked and spoiled the warehouse guys and truck drivers and so did I.

I tiptoed through the tulips .. the mud and muck .. so much stunning beauty. I stopped a million times. I talked to the cows. I declared to the Lord how absolutely beautiful his creations are. Oh my gosh he is the most amazing artist!

I stopped at the nursery and came so close to buying a camelia! That was my moms aunts name – one no one had ever met because she died at the mental hospital in the 1930s – of tuberculosis- where she was housed for having epilepsy. My mom got epilepsy in the past decade and I will definitely get a camelia in the near future. The petals will make the most amazing paint strokes!

I finished up with a stop at Tulip Town where they had Locals Night! Hadn’t been there in many years so this was a lovely surprise! Art and flowers galore!

I headed home and went out to dinner with my ever patient husband to recap my day. I am truly blessed and thankful for a bit of Closure.

©Belindabotzong2019

Happy Birthday- Belated again

I remember when my mom brought him home from the hospital. I don’t remember realizing she was having a baby or that we were getting a new sibling. I was only five. My older brother was ten. The twins were two. Robert turned to Robbie turned to Bob and we all loved him, fought with him, cracked up laughing with him, and cried for him when he left us at the age of 28 – killed in a horrific accident.

Yesterday was his 50th birthday and I wonder how he would look now. Those steel gray eyes. That boisterous laugh. That propensity for teasing. His love for Christ. And most of all how he would have dealt with raising a beautiful daughter who wasn’t born yet when he left us. How he would have lived with a wife who developed early onset Alzheimer’s. How he would have been Uncle Bobby to my children still, not a wisp of their early childhood memories.

We would have thrown him a party he hated. We would have taken photos – he hated that too. We would have had hugs and funny stories and laughed til we cried again.

But for his birthday this year he has been reunited with our mom. He’s been hanging out with our dad and grandparents. He didn’t suffer when he died. He didn’t have to suffer with us the past five months since our mom went to join him. I bet they were sure glad to see each other. And knowing they are together in the presence of Jesus is the best birthday present.

Happy 50th birthday little brother.

©Belindabotzong2019

Happy Birthday – Belated

Yesterday was her 77th birthday – my belated mom. Happy belated birthday takes on a whole new meaning.

Today I take the beloved shofar to the funeral home where they are preparing her headstone. I will visit her unstoned grave afterward and tell her she missed her birthday.

We would have gone to the Big Lake Bar and Grill for all you can eat prawns. She ate 20 last time we went! We would have taken a drive in the snow. The mountains are beautiful with their powdered sugar tops.

Last Saturday she would have loved my breathtaking scenic out to Everson. She always liked going along for the ride even when she didn’t feel good. She would have enjoyed my venture to pick up a load of old picture frames that a guy donated to the Art Guild. His mother is an artist who is too shaky to paint anymore. My mom would have said, “Me too!” Though she never made a painting in her life. She was shaky though.

She would have loved stopping by the side of the road to listen to the Canada geese and trumpeter swans. And the Canadian mountains covered in thick snow looked close enough to touch set against an azure sky. And Mount Baker and the Three Sisters looked just like a painting- definitely designed with a steady hand.

https://belindabotzong.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/img_8011.mov

She would have liked the guy who gave me the frames and she would have cracked up that Siri took me to the wrong house first. I got out of the car and a guy was out working in the yard in the biting blustering wind. I got out and assumed it was the guy. I said “I’m here to pick up the frames.” He seemed a bit confused but I let that go as he led me into the carport without a word. “So your mother is an artist?” He says “yep”. Something seemed awkward but he was determined to get to his back door. The yard was filled with my kind of treasures – rusty things that make me happy – milk cans and old things. “Is she still alive?” He turns and says “No”. Man of few words I decide to follow him (my mom would now be freaking out – a guy online leading me into his house…and me following). Thankfully as he opened the door his wife is there and he tells her I’m there for some frames. She is at a loss and I tell her about the message on Facebook to the art guild. She says it’s probably their neighbor! Oh my gosh. I look around their property and the frozen pond with the rusty things in the yard — I tell them they have a beautiful place and sorry to bother them. I’m sure they think I’m crazy.

Anyway, my next stop got the frames. Kind people with a beautiful fat Dalmatian. Frames nearly too big for my car, covered in ancient spider webs. But a couple real treasures we can sell for the scholarship fund. A good find!

Back to the birthday girl. She always enjoyed my adventures and lived vicariously through each of us who traveled or worked or took on a hobby. She didn’t want to travel or make things but she always wanted to hear all about us.

Yesterday Savannah started texting out her last voicemails. I sat in my office and listened to mine as well and that’s when it hit me. Especially the final one .. the one where she sounded sick and wanted me to call immediately. And I cried.

I’m sorry she missed her birthday. I miss her.

Spa Day, etc.

We checked into the amazing Spa at JW Marriott in North Las Vegas this morning. Very attentive and nice people took care of us. Nicki headed off to her “Sampler” massage – a variety of treatments and aromatherapy that left her feeling good. In the meantime I headed to the outdoor hydrotherapy pools and jacuzzi. There were multiple stations in the pool with various levels of jetted, roiling water. One was strong like a firehose, nearly pulling my swimsuit off! While they may be optional, I opt to keep mine on! Others focused on different areas – legs, back, or shoulders– and one was pouring overhead with great force. Made my scalp all tingly! It was all so good.

There was a float pool as well as a hot-cold jacuzzi- get in the hot one then move to the cold one, and back again. There was a sauna and a steam room. That was great for relaxation. And there was a waterfall shower that was AMAZING. It poured down with such force I think it may have released the boulders in my shoulders!

It was then time for my treatment – a holistic massage. I was covered in eucalyptus and spearmint oils then scrubbed with salt. It felt and smelled so good! Then I was sent to the shower and returned for an all over rub down with lavender and Epsom salts in little bags. Then a deep massage into my gnarly muscles. Oh my goodness it was so good! 80 blissful minutes of health and healing!

In the meantime Nicki was steaming and using the jacuzzi and we met up for a round in hydrotherapy again. And more steam room. And citrus water and tea, oranges and lots of water. We decided to spend the day there so we ordered lunch from the hotel and they brought us soup, salad and sandwiches to the spa. We laid outside in the cool but sunny deck and fell asleep, got a little sunburned even! The palm trees and ponderosa pines made a beautiful backdrop.

We showered and used blow dryers and all kinds of lotions and shampoos and even mouthwash. They thought of everything and we enjoyed several hours of relaxation, rest, and renewal.

We left and went out for coffee in a mall in Summerlin. We shopped and walked around Living Spaces where Nicki works. So much to see there!

We came back to the apartment to rest up before dinner. I got a call from Whatcom Art Market that two of my creations sold! That was exciting!

We decided to Uber to the strip for dinner. Such a nice guy drove us. We got out at the Venetian walked into Palazzo. We had one of the best dinners ever at The Lux Cafe. Beef Wellington melts in your mouth! And our waiter was a Brazilian man, so that made Nicki happy! He was a good waiter too! Definitely going to eat there again!

We wandered through the shops and found a stunning Art Gallery at the Venetian Hotel. Some of the most truly beautiful photography in the world. Wis I could post it here but no cameras allowed. Here are a few of mine, though! .

Going to bed with a full tummy, happy spirits and rejuvenated bodies! We are so blessed. Thank you Lord.

Ordinary Lives

Girls weekend in Vegas. You hear that phrase tossed around a lot! Well you must know that’s not something I’d normally be involved in. But now that my newlywed daughter is living there, we are having our own style of girls weekend and it’s interesting to see this part of the world outside “The Strip”. Ordinary circumstances and lives beyond the neon, glitz, and excess.

We came down two months ago to celebrate my husband’s 60th birthday and to do Christmas gifts with daughter and hubby. We stayed at an ordinary hotel in the north side but went to a show at the Wynn followed by an extravagant buffet dinner late in the evening. Nearly closing time. We ate and selected desserts from a vast array of the most exquisite goodies! We had a table looking right in to dessert central. Cakes and bars and candies were being sliced, frosted, and arranged right up til 9pm… Then closing time came. Gears switched rapidly. 50 gallon garbage cans were wheeled in and tray after tray of freshly made cookies, candies, cakes and pies were dumped! We were horrified and discussed quite fervently what a waste! And we imagined it was playing out all over town. Like blasphemous heathens they nonchalantly poured chocolates, sprinkles, and fondant covered everything.

Today I flew in after noon and had to wait a couple of hours at the airport for my sweet girl to get off work. So I made the best of it. I ate lunch. It wasn’t good. I wandered through the entire terminal observing people and looking at the historical artifacts that normally I would rush by. The history of aviation is very interesting and McCarran airport has lots of memorabilia. I sat and charged my phone. Walked around. Scrolled through Facebook. Texted. Checked emails. Recharged. Used the bathroom. There was a voice in the bathroom over and over saying “You have a good day!” When I went to wash my hands there was a custodian – a cute little black lady, cheerfully wiping down sinks and she says “You have a good day!” I tell her she sure is sweet and cheerful. She says, “if you got it you spread it”. I thanked her for cleaning the bathroom and she was pleased.

Promptly at 3pm there was a brigade of custodial workers doing a Changing of the Guard routine. Those getting off shift were tired but cheerful and chatting. The crew coming on were energized and ready to go. Those getting off chatted and sat down and talked about their lives or work – right in the empty gate area where I was trying to charge the phone. Friendly banter. Teasing. Laughter. Camaraderie at its finest.

I went to the curb at 3:30 and awaited my chariot and princess. She arrived and we went to her apartment and rested with a BBC nature show.

After dinner at a Thai place, where we drank from a coconut!–

we shopped at a couple stores off the strip and ended up at Target. When we went to check out a little grandma about 4’11” was behind us in line. She was over 80 and I asked if I could help load her groceries into the conveyor belt and she thanked me. Two frozen pizzas. Two boxes borax. Some fresh fruit and canned goods. She said thank you again and “I didn’t want to stop after work but better today than tomorrow.” WORK? I asked incredulously. Where do you work? She named a famous casino! I asked what she did. Clearly this lady was way too old to labor. “I deal 21”. Blackjack!! This tiny little grandma deals cards at a casino! I’m trying not to be shocked. I say “That must be interesting” and she agrees.

So today I observed the ordinary lives of people whose life work is about travel and entertainment. People living on a shoestring who see all the waste, excess, and I’m sure behaviors of every kind. And here I am with my girl who’s motto is “Never have an ordinary day” (Keebler elf quote)! So tomorrow the spa…

Headstone

What do you do the day you pick out your mom’s headstone? She didn’t want to do that part when we went to the funeral home a few years ago to make her arrangements. She said I would have to figure that out. At the time you’re talking about a thing that can’t be comprehended. When you take your mom to the funeral home in the first place it’s a surreal idea. We went to lunch. Shopped. Went on a scenic. Selected a casket. That was strangely matter-of-fact. The pink one of course. And now that we have reached the headstone part I was wishing we had already done that. But who wants to see their name engraved on a slab of marble? It’s incomprehensible. We deny that we are that vulnerable to this life. To death. To eternity.

So today I took the day off work. I met my beautiful niece at the funeral home. We were assigned homework by the funeral director — he says go out to the cemetery and see what you like or don’t like. We declined.

We know pink stone might appeal to her but somehow it didn’t look right. They use inks on those. We looked through catalogs. Talked about options. Sizes. Shapes. Colors. Embellishments. We made jokes. We didn’t cry. We talked about Bling. Rhinestone? Bedazzling! We looked through stock photos and how to incorporate the shofar.

We picked fonts and scripts. We picked a butterfly, a rooster and hen, and an eagle. We picked black granite filled with sparkles. We chose an oval inside a rectangle for In Loving Memory Janice “Gooie” Brown March 6 1942 – October 16, 2018. And there will be a concrete base where the shofar can be placed.

We dropped off keys to the house for the new owner. I headed back home and so did she. I drove in the bright blue sky sunshine along roads edged with snow, Lake Samish a picture postcard.

I went to the Art Market to get some of my pieces to show at the Art Walk Friday. I went down to the bay and picked up rocks and shells and kelp and feathers. When I got too cold I went to my favorite cafe and had matcha and açaí bowl. I’ll head to hobby lobby and try to get everything for the art show. I’ll go home and prepare my art for showing.

I’ll go out to dinner with my husband and work on my Etsy store.

That’s what you do when your mom dies and you have to keep on living – without her. And you have to breathe and love and live and experience it all.