I’ve been reorganizing our storage room filled with shelves of books and family records. I found a small notebook and recognized my mother’s distinctive handwriting. It’s a record of trips she and Dad took from 1976 to 1978; motels, restaurants (rated), how many miles they drove. Two of our children and both of my brother’s …
County Fairs are one of those things that you look forward to each summer. My daughter-in-law and I took my grandson during the first week of the Fair. He’s at that age where he doesn’t protest going to the arts and crafts exhibits, gardens and flowers, and the pavilion packed with new gadgets, cheap jewelry, …
I recently returned from four wonderful days in paradise (Coeur d’Alene, ID) with nine Christian dynamo writers for a “plot, pray and play” retreat. Brandilyn and Mark Collins host the gathering each year. Brandilyn came up with the idea of brain-storming sessions some years ago. I’m a late comer, invited last year after I mentioned …
The class of ’65 gathered again this year. We bring along year books and reunion pictures and spend the day laughing as the years fall away. We started getting together every year when we lost two friends to cancer. It reminded all of us how time can get away from us, and friendship is important. …
Every year, toward the end of July, I become nostalgic and a little depressed. In years past, I’d be gearing up for the scenic drive north to visit my parents in Brookings, Oregon – with my three children in tow and plans to arrive on Mom’s August 3 birthday. Mom always had a jar full …
My brother and sister-in-law live on sixteen acres in gorgeous Northern California. The closest town has a population of less than five thousand. After once through town with its “hemp store”, I now take the scenic highway west — two very narrow lanes of windy, hilly, tree-lined road. As if ten miles weren’t far enough …
I just received an ARC (advanced readers’ copy) of the second half of Marta’s Legacy. The cover is gorgeous! This book continues Marta and Hildemara’s stories and brings in the next two generations — Carolyn and May Flower Dawn, whose lives span the 50s to present day. This half of Marta’s Legacy will reveal the …
Certain foods bring back wonderful family memories of dinners. Grandma Wulff always fixed “More” when I visited her at the farm. The recipe calls for sautéed onions, browned ground beef, cooked elbow pasta, corn, peas, chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce and spices all mixed together and then topped with cheese (or ketchup). My brother …
Rick and I returned a few weeks ago from three weeks in Europe, two in France traveling by boat up the Rhone River, by bus to Paris and then another boat on the Seine. The land through which my grandmother traveled is much like Sonoma County, California where we live – though California lacks the …
We all have our favorite places in the world. Home is number one. Whenever Rick and I travel, we love seeing new places and meeting new people. But within two to three weeks, we’re hankering for home, missing our own bed, living room, kitchen – and, of course, family. Then, within a few weeks, we’re …