One Year ago today

One year ago tonight I was in Barcelona boarding a cruise ship. My niece Val who was traveling with me insisted we get dressed up and go to dinner on the ship even though we had been up for 36 hours and were exhausted.  It was, after all MY BIRTHDAY.  Then we went to our room, got into our nice cushy white robes provided by the cruise ship and went out onto the deck, noticed it was a bit rough. The spray was blowing up into our faces.  We thought, how cool!

Then we went to bed and slept like the dead. Next morning we go to breakfast to hear there was a huge storm and many got seasick. We slept through the whole thing and were very happy we had. We were glad to know we were not going to be prone to seasickness.

My sis Carol and I at San Francisco airport the first time

We had missed our flight to Barcelona the first time, standing in the wrong line until our flight left. We were panicked and finally found another leaving the next morning. So our night in Barcelona did not happen since we spent that night flying and arrived in Barcelona the day we were to board our ship. But we were happy we made it in time.

Val and I at San Francisco Airport

We did take a taxi to see the famous Gaudi church in Barcelona before we boarded our ship that afternoon.

In Barcelona at the famous Gaudi Church

The first morning after the storm we went into Montecarlo in Monaco. We climbed some very old winding narrow stone steps up to the castle where we could look over the bay and see the Bond Casino.

The Palace of Monaco

Overlooking Montecarlo from the palace

The Palace

By the way, there are no beaches in Montecarlo so the rich people lay here to sunbathe

The on to Florence the next day, which has so much great art and the Duomo which has the tombs of many great artists and writers.

inside the Duomo in Florence

The fake David

Florence where it rained and I got this hoodie

The next day to Rome

The coliseum

The Vatican

The pope on the big flat screen outside on St Peter's Square

Inside the Vatican the ceiling in the hallway above the crowds. It's all beautiful in there. We could not take photos in the Cistine Chapel but it was so crowded you could hardly breathe. Our guide told us all about the history of Michaelangelo being chosen to paint it based on the pope at the time being impressed with La Peita scuplture. Michaelangelo was a sculptor, not a painter. But he did both well. The Cistine, the David, La Pieta and much more,

St Peter's Basillica where the sculpture La Peita is

It is the most touching sculpture I have ever seen. It is the mother of Jesus, Mary, holding the body of her crucified son.  The lighting was horrible so my own pics did not turn out too well.

La Pieta

by Michaelangelo

This sculpture was attacked a few years ago but is restored and protected by glass now.

Then on to Naples. Val and I heard that Capri was the place to go so we took a boat to Capri where we could see Mt. Vesuvius across the water in Naples. Capri had some of the most beautiful scenes ever.

Arrival in Capri where I bought a hat

We went to the top of the hill/mountain and could see Mt Vesuvius across the water

Capri

Capri again

Another Palace on Mallorca

And on to another Palace on the Island of Mallorca.  We went through the castle.

Mallorca

Palm trees on Mallorca, a beautiful place

The palace at Mallorca

Then we had a free day sailing back to Barcelona.  We had time to have lunch on the deck.

It was an amazing cruise and the food was fantastic. We had guides to show us the sites when we stopped at the cities. Rome was a couple hours to get to the vatican on a bus.  The lines at the Vatican museum are VERY long and you really need a guide to get you in and tell you about the art there. There are over 7 miles of hallways there and we saw only a few highlights.  I would love to spend days and weeks in Europe but unless you are a young college student and can sleep in bed and breakfasts it is very expensive. So this was the way to go and I would do it again in a heartbeat. And again and again. Maybe someday.

But if I never do again I will always have these memories. No one can take them from me.

If there is ANY doubt....

I am watching the news of a man, Troy Davis,  who is to be executed in Georgia for the murder of a police officer in 1989. I don't know all the details but there is enough to stop an execution in my opinion. Seven of Nine witnesses recanted their testimony and one person told of a confession by the actual killer. That person has moved out of Georgia because she fears for her life. Apparently stuff has been coming out for years now indicating he was not the killer and was not even there.  A former FBI director and others have come forward to stay the execution.  It went to the supreme court today and was denied. So this man will be executed tonight, soon.

Troy Davis

I realize most people in this country are for the death penalty.  But if we are going to kill someone shouldn't we be absolutely sure he or she is guilty first?  Yes, a jury convicted this person. But they can only make a judgement based on the information they see in court and that can be flawed.  If we did not have the death penalty we would not have to worry about this.  The person would have time to prove his or her innocence. Also take note that Troy Davis is a black man who had no resources for a strong defense.  Sorry, I don't use "African Ameican" because there are many people of color who do not have African ancestry. 

It is really quite scary to think that we have and will coninue to execute people who are innocent. I think it is enough to rethink the death penalty, which is really just revenge.  It does not stop people from killing or any other crime.

Okay going to go lighten up my night and watch Survivor now. Go, Cochran!

A VERY Important Day, and The Last Hurrah of Summer!

Today was my "baby" son Devon's 41st birthday.  Yes, he is my youngest and as mothers with grown children know, your youngest is forever your baby, no matter how old he gets...or you get.  Devon is a genuinely good person.  He is tall and handsome too, but most importantly he is a loving person, with integrity.  He is a son any mother could be proud of.  He is a good husband and father and a good son, too.

As any mother does, I remember his birth story which he has heard before. He was due in mid August and I thought he would be a Leo.  But he was late and I was to be induced on the next Friday when I was two weeks overdue. His dad and I went to a Led Zeppelin concert three days before the induction day.  We were down in front, about five rows from the very front, looking up at Robert Plant and Jimmy Page performing for us. The crowd behind us got crazy. We were sitting in folding chairs and a lady behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said the crowd was pushing from behind. She could see I was hugely pregnant (9 1/2 months). I reached down to grab my bag and I felt my chair lift up beneath me. I screamed and Devon's dad pulled me aside, out of the way of the crushing very stoned crowd.  I had visions of my baby being crushed after a year of trying to get pregnant and finally he was almost here.  It was truly terrifying. 

Actual shot of Led Zeppelin in Seattle September 1, 1970

My view was more like this

Three days later he was induced and his father and I agreed to add Zeppelin to his middle name. His full name had already been chosen...Devon Frederick (his dad's first name) Rantz. So we added Zeppelin to his middle name.  The story doesn't really stop there because when he was being induced both the doctor and Devon's dad left thinking it would be hours before he was born. But the contractions came hard and fast and soon the nurse was calling my doc and Fred to come quick and they got there just in time. I bled immensely too and was given a blood transfusion. This was in 1970 before any fear of blood products. Devon weighed over 9 lbs and was very healthy and strong.

So my point I guess is this was a very wanted baby. It was our first together and we had tried so long to conceive him, even using fertility drugs.  I guess we were lucky he was not triplets.

Today was a very nice warm sunny day.  We waited all of May, June and July for summer to arrive in the Pacific Northwest and finally in August it came shining down. Never too hot, never much over 80.
Today was another beautiful day and my son's birthday. He had to work.
So the wonderful woman who is married to my wonderful son and I decided to take cards and goodies to Devon's store. I took cupcakes, which I haven't made for years. He was busy with customers so we left our goodies and cards and went to Juanita Beach, put our towels down and soaked up the sun as the kids made sand castles with moats. Well, Joe made a sand castle with a moat and the little ones wanted to "help."

Joe's sand masterpiece castle with moat

They all got sand all over themselves and everything they touched.

The beach there is sandy and shallow for yards out to the circular dock. Joe walked with Lucy out to that dock and never got wet above their legs.

Joe and Lucy are way out by the dock, so far away you can hardly see them. It is shallow aaaall the way out there.

So we celebrated summer and Devon's birthday without him, sadly. I will be sad to see summer go but I can feel the coolness of autumn in the mornings.

Today was a good day.  Happy Birthday Devon!

More Scenes from Summer

This summer has been a bit different, in a good way. I have connected with an old girlfriend, Leta, from the 80's this year and we have been getting together once a week to have dinner, a glass of wine, check out the Farmer's Market in Kirkland, watch a movie on TV, talk, laugh....stuff I have not done with a friend for a VERY long time. Unfortunately she is moving to her old hometown of Wichita, Kansas on the 1st of September so I will miss her.
Nothing much new to report but I do have some more pictures of this summer.

I have played with my grandkids, Lucy, Max and Joe (when he was around) and I always look forward to those days.

There were some batters

And the bikers

And Tennis Players in motion

Annie had a birthday

Max is delighted! A birthday cake with an ice cream cone on top! What can be better!

So far so good, but I have promised myself I will walk every day. Yes, I know, again I have promised myself to do this. I walked a bit yesterday and my apartment is soooo close to the little mall in Juanita, the north end of Kirkland. So it will be easy to do and fun. My poor old dog Nikki needs some exercise too. We are two old girls who need to do some walking to keep ourselves healthy.

Also I need to have my grandson Joe over for a weekend or a couple of days sometime soon. He is out of school now and is coming up on his 13th birthday in two weeks. He will be a teenager and I remember the day he was born. I was there and he was so loved when he arrived. I realize he may have more important and interesting things to do than visit Grandma but he might have a day or two to share with me.

The world seems to be falling apart around us with the political crap going on but I will leave that alone. Except to say I feel frustrated, angry and helpless. I am thinking it may be time for us to take to the streets again. In the 60's and 70's some of us did that during the Vietnam war.  We have even more reason now.  There seems to be a concensus of what most of the American people want but the politicians (and there are some really really crazy ones now) are not listening.  So time to take to the streets.  Nikki and I can get some exercise that way.....maybe we will even get on the 6 o'clock news!