A Happy Birthday wish to you Gloria!
And remember what I always tell myself...I'm just glad to have made it this far
March 2009 Archives
Well, it had to happen but I still was taken aback today when I saw Mr. Riffle mowing his lawn for the first time this season. The grass can't grow fast enough to suit him. He will mow probably five times to our one. While there are plenty of wonderful signs of spring in our yard, one of them isn't grass long enought to even think about mowing!
On Saturday I plan to leave the springtime weather in Indiana and drive north to Minnesota where it is still winter. I will enjoy visiting my folks, but I can't say the same about the change in season!
My Grandma Evenson loved pansies - she always said that their little "faces" were looking up to God. I once bought her a yellow and purple pansy pin which she wore for quite a few years, and shortly before she died she gave it back to me ~ very sweet. I can't help but think of her when it's time to buy pansies each spring, and yesterday was no different. I picked out a nice big flat of pansies and violas - thinking of Alice Amanda Evenson with loving memories, and of how much she looked forward to this new spring season each year!
Thanks to my mother, I am one-half Norwegian, and thanks to my father I am one-quarter German, one-eighth English and one-eighth Irish. I claim the Irish part from my Great-Great Grandmother on the Cherrington side who was a Gillilan, straight from the Emerald Isle. And who knows, perhaps way way way back the Gillilan's were actually marauding Norsemen! So I am covered any way you look at it - I am wearing green today, and playing all of my Celtic CD's! No green beer, though....
On a sad note, a great Irishman passed away this morning, the husband of a couple who are my parents closest friends from Pine City days ~ Donald Doran died peacefully at age 85. He was a fine gentleman, a grand fisherman and WWII veteran. He owned the Jack and Jill grocery store where he was the also the butcher. (No better meat has ever been enjoyed than that which he sold - to this day I haven't eaten anything better than Mr. Doran's!) We spent many hours out on the lake in pontoons with the Doran family - the kids were our friends, Colleen is my sister Barbara's oldest and bestest friend in fact. They were a fun bunch, always laughing and enjoying life. Mrs. Doran lives yet, as do their three daughters and one son. It's funny how much more I remember about our times with the Doran's as I grew up, and doing that right now gives me many more happy thoughts than sad ones.
Have taken a walkabout here on the homestead and there are some signs of spring to report. There is also a mole making himself quite at home in both our front and back yards. (If any one remembers how the vole fared last summer when I caught sight of him by our back porch, then you already know what will happen to the mole if he dares show his face when I am around.) But, happier news is that the tulips are up about 4 inches, as are daffodils and bluebells. The pussy willow tree has lots of grey furry buds and we have crocuses in bloom. Several days ago when I was cutting back rose bushes a red lady bug landed on my hand - that's got to be a certain sign to commence the gardening season!!
Actually just a little wobbly from jet lag! But what a wonderful reason to have it. Our trip was so nice! Now it is back to the salt mines, the ordinaryness of life - errands, laundry, cleaning, phone calls, dealing with mail, etc etc.
Have tutoring tomorrow, Wednesday helping with the girls to Kids in Christ, and Thursday morning devotions here at my house. So I will be easing back into those things as well.
Thankful to have had this fantastic vacation!
...I bid a fond farewell to the loveliness that is Oahu Island. We had a fantastic final full day here - the weather was perfect and our time was spent mainly along the beach. Around 9 we left the Ilikai to walk down the beach to the Moana where we had a cup of Honolulu Coffee Company Kona Blend. Saw a beautiful wedding being held there, and then we continued on along the beach until we reached the area across from the zoo. Sat there on the beach for awhile and then headed back, stopping again at the Moana and at the Royal Hawaiian to further check out the changes since the renovations. There was a very cool display of vintage Louis Vuitton luggage and also a display of new pieces stacked to look like the Eiffel Tower. We walked on back to the Ilikai to get the car so that we could drive to the Queen Kapiolani Gardens and see all of the gorgeous hibiscus flowers. I went a little crazy photographing all of them!!! Tonight we walked over to The Chart House where we enjoyed our last island dinner! Everything was delicious as always and we had a beautiful sunset to watch as well.
This visit has been wonderful in every way and we are refreshed and filled with so many great memories as we get ready to fly home tomorrow.
Hard to believe, we only have 2 more full days here! The past 2 have been alot of fun though. Monday we left our condo by 8 am to drive to Pearl Harbor - we got there about 8:35 am and got tickets for the 8:45 tour! So we went out to the Arizona Memorial, then spent some time in the museum and also over at the Bowfin area. It is always very touching and solemn to visit Pearl Harbor. We then went on to the cemetery at Punchbowl to clean the granite and tablet on the USS Minneapolis marker there. It looks very nice again now. In the afternoon we went to the beach and then at 6 pm over to Lis and Nils for dinner. Hanne and Larry were also there. Lis made a delicious Norwegian supper and we had a great visit until we left about 9:30 pm.
Today we drove up to the North Shore, explored a new spot to the west of Haleiwa where the road ends - Ka'ena Point State Park Reserve. After that we drove on our usual route, stopping at U'hukai Beach on the Banzai Pipeline. The surf was absolutely wild, and alot of surfers were out catching the big waves. We drove on around the island, and took the Like Like Highway back down into Honolulu. Tonight we went to the top of the Ilikai to Sarento's for dinner - I had the delicious spaghetti, and Steve had a penne past with homemade Italian sausage. We sat in a booth that face Diamond Head - what could be better?!! A fantastic day.
It was lovely today on the beach - the sand and sky and ocean were in perfect form! We walked our usual route, sat awhile and heard church on the beach and then at noon headed to Hanne and Larry's in Discovery Bay for a delicious lunch. Chicken salad served in a papaya, fresh strawberries, pineapple, melon along with potato breadrolls and chardonney. Lis was also there, and we had great visit. Hanne and Larry had been on a seven day Hawaiian Islands cruise so they had alot to share about that. The ship was just beautiful! We came back to our condo for a little while to sit on the lanai and read, and also enjoyed a good chat with Taylor, Delaney and Ella and also with Gloria. Steve visited with his folks this morning. Then at 5 pm we went to the Chart House - it was busy there today! We left just in time to watch the sun set over the Ala Wai Harbor. Couldn't ask for a nicer day!
This morning we walked along the beach to the Sheraton where our favorite Hawaiian artist, Woody Chock, sells his watercolors several days each week. We chose several to purchase! We went to the Mai Tai beach bar at the Royal Hawaiian for a little lunch and then looked around inside to see the changes brought about by the recent renovations. We walked next to the Moana and spent some time on the front veranda before heading back along the beach to the Ilikai.
In the afternoon we decided to drive to the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl Crater - the marker for the USS Minneapolis looks very grand situated as it is along the path leading to the overlook. So many of the graves are always decorated with tropical flowers like ginger, bird of paradise, heliconias, anthuriums and proteas. Wandering among the gravestones, reading the names of the soldiers buried there seems like a tribute they are due.
And when the cruise ship left Honolulu tonight we had a perfect view of it as it went along Waikiki about 8:30 pm. Another lovely day on Oahu.
