Quilts and Flowers

Life has been a little different as I cared for my mom after surgery the past couple of weeks and while I was kept pretty busy there were still some opportunities to take out my phone camera on occasion while she was resting.

Walking through my mom's little house is a bit like walking back in time.  Her walls are filled with old family photos like this one of my grandparent's wedding day which was around 1920.  Don't you love her wedding dress and veil?

Another photo of my grandfather.

She also loves to hang quilts on the walls, each one sewed completely by hand.  This one was made by a old family friend.

My Aunt, the mother of my two closest cousins, made this one.  I like the way the pattern looks a bit like a flower box in front of a window.  

This little one was made by a friend in her church.

You will also find hand made quilts on the beds.  This one was also a gift from a friend.  Isn't it bright and cheerful?  I love the color yellow.

  
This quilt was one of several made by my great-great aunt.  I don't know what the pattern is called but it is definitely a family heirloom.

As the days have gotten warmer I was able to enjoy the lovely spring weather. One day I took a walk over to the city park which is just a block from Mom's house.  Everything looks so fresh and green.

And speaking of fresh and green, we have been able to enjoy all the spring flowers growing in the garden.

The snowball bush and lilacs were especially pretty.  I had to cut some and bring them inside so Mom could enjoy them as well.

I have a few spring flowers of my own in bloom as well.  I went home to find the Rhododendron in full glory.  The colors looked so vivid.  It was just filled with the humming of bees as they gathered round the blossoms.  I tried to catch one with my camera but they were darting about pretty quickly.

Now that my mom has been getting stronger, I have been able to move her over to my house where she will be with us for a few more weeks.  As we were leaving her house I noticed the first rose of the year on the Joseph's Coat rose bush she planted in honor of my dad.  

The next day I went back to her house and brought it to her in a vase for her room.  Such a lovely memory.

I love making and recording memories.  I hope you all will be making some lovely memories of your own this week.  If you happen to stop by be sure to say hello!  Adieu!

The Strand

It's been two weeks since we returned home.  We are finally getting caught up with ourselves, our family and the outside world.  I have come to the same conclusion as before, that much as I enjoy traveling about, I am really just a homebody at heart.  It  was so good though, to be able to hang out back in some of the places where I spent my growing up years.

We were able to spend over a month on the California Coast of North San Diego County visiting all the different beaches we used to enjoy years ago. You all know how much I love being near the beach.  It's hard for me to imagine what it would be like to live in a part of the country where one might never see the ocean in person in their entire life!  It's actually a generational thing for me.  My grandparents met on Santa Catalina Island off the coast of  Los Angeles, CA.  They returned there often with my mother. and her siblings.  When my grandfather finally retired they bought a little cottage just two blocks from the beach in Oceanside.  I shared photos of their house on a previous blog here

A couple of miles from their little house was the downtown beach known as The Strand. 

 

It was here that my mother met my father and where she lived for a while when he was overseas. She always loved this spot. Over the years my parents brought us often to this beach to play in the sand and this is the place where my love and earliest memories of the ocean began.  Needless to say, while The Inspector and I were staying in the area we returned to this beach again and again.

 
 



 


 As always, many things have changed, but the old band shell is still there.  I remember listening to marching bands playing patriotic music here as we would sit and watch  fireworks shooting off into the night from the pier on the 4th of July.

 

 As a kid the shore was lined with little beach cabins rather than the big condos you see today.  These are some of the few that are still here. 
 
 

Much of the old pier I remember was destroyed in a series of storms in the late 70's and eventually a new one was built after we had moved away, but this one was built to reflect the style of past years and so the memories still live on.

 

One afternoon as I watched this young man leaning over the rail with his fishing pole, it brought back memories of fishing here with my dad.  

 

 One really neat addition to the scene which wasn't here when I was growing up are the brown pelicans.  I love that they have migrated into the area.  Isn't he beautiful?

 The Inspector was just waiting for this fellow to reach over and take a nip out of my fingers.  It did let me get pretty close.

 

And so, as this day on The Strand is coming to a close never forget..

GOD'S GRACE

is an ocean.

Blessings to you this day.