I am here in Lake Wildwood, Penn Valley, CA, with a couple of dads: my uncle (Mom's brother-in-law), and my cousin's husband. I'm glad I got to celebrate a couple of wonderful dads in person. I called my dad. I miss him. And I'm celebrating my kids' dad, as I always have for years, without words but with great gratitude for all that he has given them.
The day began, as it always does, with a Remy walk. Here in Lake Wildwood, walking around the neighborhood at 6:30 a.m. means seeing wildlife. Last evening, we saw 10 adult turkeys! The first two were strutting around Mary & Ward's front yard. One took a running start and fluttered up to their roof, finishing by running up to the peak. It was still there when we got back from our walk. As we circled the neighborhood, we came upon a group of 8 turkeys -- looked like seven hens and a tom, possibly -- all hanging out in the street a couple of blocks away. This morning we saw one deer. A couple of days ago, two. They are utterly unafraid of us. Remy doesn't bark, but his body language perks up, and he watches these strange creatures carefully.
Mary and Ward got up earlier than usual, so that we could meet Kathy and Richard at the Pine Street Cafe in Grass Valley at 9:30 for Fathers Day breakfast. When we got there, Mary and Ward immediately recognized some friends waiting outside the cafe (they know someone everywhere we go!), so while they chatted I went inside to put our name on the waiting list. We were #16. Remy and I had a walk. Kathy and Richard arrived. Everyone chatted. Kathy gave Uncle Ward his Fathers Day gift, a beautiful, washable silk, Hawaiian print shirt. He told us he would go to the car to change shirts so he could wear his new one. We continued chatting until, suddenly, Kathy turned, having heard someone shout, "Someone's down!" As our chat circle opened up, we saw Ward lying face down in the street, not moving. Some young men were hurrying over, and our group did, too. He was lifted to his feet, and he walked with steadying assistance to the car.
In the meantime, the hostess called our party, so I gestured to the group, and they returned, knowing that he would have someplace to sit down. Once we were seated, I produced Rescue Remedy from my purse at Kathy's request, and he had some of that. There was much conjecture as to how this had happened, and we'll probably never know, but it seems most likely that his foot caught on the rough pavement. His right knee took most of the fall. His hands were barely scraped. His chin has a bruise/abrasion, but it's not too serious. I got out my Arnica gel when we got back to the house after lunch, and he says that's helping a lot.
After lunch, we returned to the house, and I hung out on the computer for a bit till Kathy and Richard got here after running some errands. The three off us headed off for one of Lake Wildwood's lakefront parks. Mary and Ward joined us a short time later, and we spent a very pleasant afternoon soaking up some sun, having a bit of a dip in the refreshing lake, and feeling soothed by the cool breezes. Once again, Mary and Ward ran into people they knew. Like I said, ...
I said good-bye to Kathy and Richard, having thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Let it not be another 10 years or more before we meet again! Mary and Ward and I had leftovers for supper, as we've been amassing some wonderful food over the past few days.
I got my second suitcase out of the car, putting the cooler weather clothes into it and keeping the warmer weather ones in the more accessible bag. I divided up the gifts I've been buying with the intention of stopping at a post office tomorrow to send some things off to Abby and Adam.
I'll load up tomorrow morning, after breakfast, and run a couple of errands before my massage. After the massage, I will head south to my Airbnb destination in Jackson, CA, and to Yosemite over the next few days.
The day began, as it always does, with a Remy walk. Here in Lake Wildwood, walking around the neighborhood at 6:30 a.m. means seeing wildlife. Last evening, we saw 10 adult turkeys! The first two were strutting around Mary & Ward's front yard. One took a running start and fluttered up to their roof, finishing by running up to the peak. It was still there when we got back from our walk. As we circled the neighborhood, we came upon a group of 8 turkeys -- looked like seven hens and a tom, possibly -- all hanging out in the street a couple of blocks away. This morning we saw one deer. A couple of days ago, two. They are utterly unafraid of us. Remy doesn't bark, but his body language perks up, and he watches these strange creatures carefully.
Mary and Ward got up earlier than usual, so that we could meet Kathy and Richard at the Pine Street Cafe in Grass Valley at 9:30 for Fathers Day breakfast. When we got there, Mary and Ward immediately recognized some friends waiting outside the cafe (they know someone everywhere we go!), so while they chatted I went inside to put our name on the waiting list. We were #16. Remy and I had a walk. Kathy and Richard arrived. Everyone chatted. Kathy gave Uncle Ward his Fathers Day gift, a beautiful, washable silk, Hawaiian print shirt. He told us he would go to the car to change shirts so he could wear his new one. We continued chatting until, suddenly, Kathy turned, having heard someone shout, "Someone's down!" As our chat circle opened up, we saw Ward lying face down in the street, not moving. Some young men were hurrying over, and our group did, too. He was lifted to his feet, and he walked with steadying assistance to the car.
In the meantime, the hostess called our party, so I gestured to the group, and they returned, knowing that he would have someplace to sit down. Once we were seated, I produced Rescue Remedy from my purse at Kathy's request, and he had some of that. There was much conjecture as to how this had happened, and we'll probably never know, but it seems most likely that his foot caught on the rough pavement. His right knee took most of the fall. His hands were barely scraped. His chin has a bruise/abrasion, but it's not too serious. I got out my Arnica gel when we got back to the house after lunch, and he says that's helping a lot.
After lunch, we returned to the house, and I hung out on the computer for a bit till Kathy and Richard got here after running some errands. The three off us headed off for one of Lake Wildwood's lakefront parks. Mary and Ward joined us a short time later, and we spent a very pleasant afternoon soaking up some sun, having a bit of a dip in the refreshing lake, and feeling soothed by the cool breezes. Once again, Mary and Ward ran into people they knew. Like I said, ...
I said good-bye to Kathy and Richard, having thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Let it not be another 10 years or more before we meet again! Mary and Ward and I had leftovers for supper, as we've been amassing some wonderful food over the past few days.
I got my second suitcase out of the car, putting the cooler weather clothes into it and keeping the warmer weather ones in the more accessible bag. I divided up the gifts I've been buying with the intention of stopping at a post office tomorrow to send some things off to Abby and Adam.
I'll load up tomorrow morning, after breakfast, and run a couple of errands before my massage. After the massage, I will head south to my Airbnb destination in Jackson, CA, and to Yosemite over the next few days.
Some sort of prairie primrose (?) seen here in Grass Valley, but also to be widely found in the area.
No comments:
Post a Comment