Sunday June 5, 2005

Well, I haven't written for a long time.  So much has happened....where do I start.  First of all I took a little vacation over Memorial Day weekend.  A friend had driven to Pasadena, CA the first of May and was ready to come home, I had 6 days off over the Holiday weekend, so I flew out on Thrusday (05-26-05) morning to the Burbank, CA (also known as Bob Hope) airport.  I haven't flown for 18 years and there's a reason for that...I don't like to fly. But with a little medication from my doctor & prayer... away I went.  It was a beautiful sunny day all the way & it turned out to be a delightful experience.  We decided to start driving back to WA on Saturday so crammed a lot of Southern CA into just a couple days & still managed to visit with my friends' daughter, son-in -law & grandkids before we left.  One of the things I wanted to do was to experience the new light rail system in the LA area.  It goes in all directions. We boarded in downtown Pasadena and rode to downtown LA to the Union Station and then walked a few blocks to Olvera Street.  A one way ticket at Senior price is 45 cents.  The regular price is $1.25 or $3.00 for a one day pass & it really works for one whole day.  You could go from LAX to Long Beach, to Anaheim, to downtown LA or Pasadena.  At times the train we rode went down thru the lanes of traffic on the freeway, but then it veered off into neighborhoods, under hillsides and thru tunnels.  What a fabulous system.   We came home on Hiway 395 thru eastern California and the Mojave desert.  The sunsets out there are stunning, I got some great pictures.  We came thru Carson City and paid a surprise visit to one of my dear cousins & her husband.  And then spent one afternoon and night in Reno.  The real highlight for me in Reno is the big Penney's outlet...I love that place!  I did donate a few dollars in a couple casino's but I work hard for my money and hate to give it away like that.  We continued on Hiway 395 thru Alturas, CA and then came into Bend, OR.  The high desert area is still beautiful & green.  I was surprised to see lilacs blooming thru that area...mine have been gone for weeks.  We eventually came to the mighty Columbia River, and my favorite town in that area, Hood  River, OR.  It was only about 55* butthose wind surfers were out on the river doing their thing.  I love to watch them.  If I were younger, I'd give it a try. We came along the Oregon side of the Columbia and visited the breathtaking Multnomah Falls.  From there we continued home on I-5.  It was good to be back home but I knew I was coming home to a tragic event.  My son had called me on Saturday morning to tell me that he to take his dear cat, Tuffy into the Emergency Vet hospital because he was very ill.   Tuffy has been an insulin dependent diabetic for about 4 years and has had no ill effects until that Saturday morning.  He had gone into renal failure.  The vet stated there was not much they could do, he was very ill and given his age (2 weeks from being 13 years old) they felt that it was best that he be put to sleep.  Needless to say my son was devestated as was I.  Over the years of being his caregiver when my son was out of town, I had grown very fond of him.  And he was just a darn sweet cat.  My son spent all weekend at the Vet hospital and was waiting for me to come home so I could come & take some last pictures of the two of them before they did the deed.  So I got home & rushed over and spent about an hour with the two of them, took some pictures and then Tuffy was put to sleep.  My son & I both cried and hugged each other....it was awfully sad.  My son has had this cat since his birth, June 12, 1992 as he owned Tuffy's mother.  Anyway, we have lots of pictures, including when he was just a couple weeks old right up to the end.  We are going to put together a photo album of Tuffy and the other pets we have had over the years.  I've returned to work and back to the everyday life.  My hanging baskets are beautiful and my roses are blooming and my sweet grand daughter mowed my lawn while I was gone (thanks Meg).  Life is good.....