Memorial Day

John Quincy Adams once said, "You will never know

how much it has cost my generation

to preserve your freedom.

I hope you make good use of it."

"Miracles do not cluster. Hold on to the Constitution of the United

States of America and the republic for which it stands. —What has

happened once in six thousand years may never happen again.

Hold on to your Constitution, for if the American Constitution shall fail

there will be anarchy throughout the world."

~Daniel Webster~

Armed Forces Day

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated on May 20, 1950, just a month before the Korean War started [and four months before I was born]. The new holiday was established the previous year.

I thought this would be a good day to share this photo of my amazing Dad who fought in WWII.
We all love him so much and are praying for a resolution to his health problems this year. He has shared so much of his wisdom and insights over the years and continues to be a wise and caring Dad, Grandpa and Great Grandpa to our whole clan.

Love you, Dad!

Driving

My patient [ doesn't he look patient?] Hubby gets to do all the driving on a trip like this. I think he actually liked this route better than the one we usually take up I-5 due to the beautiful scenery, more challenging driving experience and slower pace. We both enjoyed it immensely. Most of these photos are taken from the moving car except for the last one of the elk herd. [and the first one]. That one we had to stop for. [Sorry Honey, no fantastic racks. It's not hunting season anyway!]

Filoli - Landscape Painting

Garden Side Trip

A side trip on the way home included one of our favorite places ~ Filoli Garden and estate south of San Fransisco in Woodside . It's an out of the way place that is not on many people's radar screen. Even most avid gardeners do not know about it. One of the things that makes it unusual is that it has a formal style more common in Europe than in the US.


The wisteria was in full bloom which I've never been there at the right time of year to see before. Magnificent!

Shopping and Talking - What we do best.

Continuing photos of our California trip.....

The six of us took a day to go on a short excursion to the quaint town of Cambria.
The drive there is exquisite any time of the year but this Spring was especially lush due to the extra rain they've had.
But the weather was certainly warm and sunny for the whole week we were there. Yes we Oregonians needed that!

This bank of wild sweet peas required a closer look. The fragrance was marvelous and Mom was hoping for some seed pods :-) .


Cambria is a small shopping destination consisting of boutiques and an abundance of all-around charm. A wonderful place to go even if you 'intend' only to window shop. A garden theme is predominant so it was perfect for the avid gardeners in the group. (Mom, mostly!)

Visiting Family

A trip to visit my parents, and my brother and his wife in California, where they live
on a shared piece of property, was a wonderful sun break in the middle of a cold,
wet Spring. Our week managed to sandwich right between my Dad's 86th birthday
and Mother's Day, missing each by a day or so. I have plenty of photos to share
but to start with here are some family shots.