Back to Boston - Brrrr!

Our daily walks around the Stallion Mountain Golf Course in Las Vegas had become quite brisk, with early morning temps in the mid-30s (that's near 0 C). It's cold but with several layers and a hoodie, it's really not bad and by mid-day it's in the 60s again (15-16 C) and very tolerable. Must be a “dry” cold, huh? We left on Wednesday to head back to Boston to spend the rest of the holiday season with Lin and her family. Paul carted us and our 100 pounds of duffels to Vegas' McCarran Airport well before dawn to make our 0655 flight. As we progressed across the country, we could see the snow in the mountains and on the plains. It looked cold. After a very long day and a connection in Chicago's Midway, we arrived in Boston after dark and the cold smacked us in the face as soon as we hit the jetway.

Lin was waiting for us at the curb and whisked us away to the British Beer Pub in Walpole for her pre-birthday celebration … a night of trivia. Admittedly, this is not our forte, (it requires memory), but the fortification of beer and pub food had a positive effect. As Lin says, we were “wicked smahrt” and our team won (no thanks to us, believe me!). Note this was Lin's “pre-birthday” celebration. Like me, birthdays are a month-long affair.

Though the temps are in the same range as Las Vegas, the “brrr” seems more pronounced. Perhaps it's the wind that cuts through you like a knife or the humidity that let's the cold penetrate your bones. The daytime temp doesn't rise much above 40 F (4 C) and that “winter's coming” feeling just can't be avoided. We're significantly more layered up here and we've donned our t-necks, heavy socks and winter coats that we keep stored at Lin's. I may have grown up in Massachusetts, but I truly don't enjoy the cold.

Along with the birthday celebration, we're caught up in the pre-Christmas bustle. It's probably good to keep busy now. For all my complaining, I'm glad we're here. We need to get into the spirit of the season. We're working on it.

Farewell, Rebecca

Over the years, I've written many posts about David's Mom, Rebecca, including two recently which recounted celebrating her 99th birthday and our Hallowe'en celebration together. In high spirits, she spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with us just over a week ago and now … she is gone.

It happened quickly and we are all stunned. She went into the hospital for a routine UTI, subsequently developed pneumonia and then we watched helplessly as her health quickly deteriorated, till finally her strong heart could beat no longer. All the sibs were there, gathered around her, holding her hand. We told stories and shared memories aloud. We whispered “I love yous” in her ear. We reassured her while all the while we were not so sure of anything ourselves.

She was a grand, grand woman … tough and strong, yet caring and compassionate. Who could have known looking at this frail 99-year-old woman that she'd been the first female sergeant in the Denver County Sheriff's Department, paving the way for other women to follow in her steps?

She raised four kids who provided her with 12 grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren and even a few great-greats! What a legacy! She loved us and enriched us and now she is gone and our lives will never be quite the same. We are thankful for the many years we had with her and the sweet memories she leaves behind. Bye, Mom … know you're loved … and no more broccoli!

St. Pete, Kids, Birthday and Home Again

We drove from the Melbourne gam across the state to St. Petersburg, Florida. It's not a long trip and not particularly scenic, but it avoided tolls (there's that budget kicking in again) and was pleasant enough as we chatted and re-lived the highlights of the gam, especially reacquainting with so many old friends. We arrived in St. Pete mid-afternoon and were welcomed by Brennan and Hannah, and our grand-dog, Olive. Olive's main preoccupation in life, beyond eating, pooping and sleeping, is “ball”.

The “kids” purchased their first home this past year in the “Historic Kenwood” area of St. Petersburg and it was our first chance to see it. It's a 1923 sweetheart of a place with lots of character and funky nooks and crannies which they readily admit might be a money pit. They've already done lots of work and the projects continue to roll on. In other words, they love it and so did we. We even had our own “parents” apartment all to ourselves. Quite the luxury!

We celebrated my birthday one evening with dinner at Gateway to India, an upscale Indian restaurant with great food. We're not a gift-oriented family for birthdays, but being with them to celebrate for the first time in ~20 years was pretty special … despite good-natured ribbing about my increasing years and parsimonious nature.

Even Google wished me a happy birthday! Talk about Big Brother always watching. Actually, it's FB since it wishes both us a happy b-day and David's is in July. FB snitched!

Having missed our daily morning walks lately, Brennan and Olive took us on a lovely 6.5 mile walk along St. Pete's Central Avenue down to the bay and back again. Street art is definitely alive and well in St. Petersburg's downtown artsy area. Though we missed the MFA and the Dali Museum (on the list for next time), walking by the galleries and decorated buildings was interesting and inspiring.

All too soon, it was time to head to Orlando and board the flight back to Vegas. We had opted for “low fares” when I made the reservations. We'd forgotten that “low fares” meant NO amenities whatsoever (including no reclining seats) AND two stopovers … one in Cinncinati and a plane change in Denver. It was a long, long day punctuated with long waits, too much coffee and sore necks, but we survived. The extreme turbulence arriving in Vegas prompted the passengers to hoot, holler and applaud as we landed. Our luggage got lost somewhere along the way, but Frontier promised they'd find it and deliver it … soon. Mary and Paul were there to meet us at the airport and whisk us away to the “big house”.

All is well. We're right back where we started from 10 days ago, ready to resume our morning walks on the golf course and prepare for the holidays and our next adventure. Where to next? Stick around … you know we love to share.