Yesterday we made a trip to see two of my mom's best friends. They were next-door neighbors in Rowland Heights for years. They are also mother and daughter.
Frances came up two years ago and stayed with my mom for a couple months, before I stopped working. Gave us a wonderful gift of her time and love. Alice also used to be a regular house guest with my parents once they moved to Oregon. In her senior years, she worked as a camp ground attendant at Whispering Falls campground, in Lake Detroit in Oregon each summer. She would stay with my parents prior to going to the campground and sometimes after it closed before returning to California for the winter. An amazing lady.
Alice is living with her son and daughter-in-law now in Huntington Beach. She is a bright, spry 95 years old! Still a delight. She still has her sense of humor. Frances asked about one of her eyelids, which seemed a little "droopy." She joked that maybe her mom needed a botox injection. Alice quickly came back with "At my age, I think I will just let it hang!" Mothers and daughters. They don't change with age. She made me laugh over and over. So freakin' cute! i have a new role model for my old age!
I had been a little iffy about making the trip down there. It was a long drive. What with picking up Frances, going to Huntington Beach and taking Frances home - it was going to be a four-five hour round trip in driving time alone. Trying to come back from the beach in the evening is , well, a daunting task. Traffic is obscene. We had to travel on the Garden Grove freeway, which was described by Frances as never having been designed to BE a freeway. It was merely intended to be overflow parking.
I was wrong. I had a lovely time. Frances' sister-in-law was warm and friendly. Moara was gorgeous - at 63. I MEAN gorgeous. (She takes jazz dancing classes with 20-year-olds!) Her home was a work of art. Definitely NOT kid-friendly, more like a provincial French resort. So lovely and relaxing. AND she is a beader! We had the BEST time. Her creations make mine look like pop-beads! She gave a beading magazine, fliers to a bead and gem show in Portland and Eugene this summer and hundreds of ideas. The funny thing was that Frances had never known that side of her sister-in-law before! (Chrissy - she spends $70 on ONE necklace! But ends up with something worth $200! And it looks it too!)
About 4:30 pm, we were ready to leave but didn't want to spend our time in the "overflow parking" lanes of the freeway. Moara told us about a "dollar movie" theater close by and we went to see "Marley and Me." All together a great day. It was twilight as we started home and the freeways were free-flowing. We started our day about 10am and got home about 9pm.
Today? We're laying low! I have some beads ideas to try out! I'm letting Mom sleep in this morning.
Frances came up two years ago and stayed with my mom for a couple months, before I stopped working. Gave us a wonderful gift of her time and love. Alice also used to be a regular house guest with my parents once they moved to Oregon. In her senior years, she worked as a camp ground attendant at Whispering Falls campground, in Lake Detroit in Oregon each summer. She would stay with my parents prior to going to the campground and sometimes after it closed before returning to California for the winter. An amazing lady.
Alice is living with her son and daughter-in-law now in Huntington Beach. She is a bright, spry 95 years old! Still a delight. She still has her sense of humor. Frances asked about one of her eyelids, which seemed a little "droopy." She joked that maybe her mom needed a botox injection. Alice quickly came back with "At my age, I think I will just let it hang!" Mothers and daughters. They don't change with age. She made me laugh over and over. So freakin' cute! i have a new role model for my old age!
I had been a little iffy about making the trip down there. It was a long drive. What with picking up Frances, going to Huntington Beach and taking Frances home - it was going to be a four-five hour round trip in driving time alone. Trying to come back from the beach in the evening is , well, a daunting task. Traffic is obscene. We had to travel on the Garden Grove freeway, which was described by Frances as never having been designed to BE a freeway. It was merely intended to be overflow parking.
I was wrong. I had a lovely time. Frances' sister-in-law was warm and friendly. Moara was gorgeous - at 63. I MEAN gorgeous. (She takes jazz dancing classes with 20-year-olds!) Her home was a work of art. Definitely NOT kid-friendly, more like a provincial French resort. So lovely and relaxing. AND she is a beader! We had the BEST time. Her creations make mine look like pop-beads! She gave a beading magazine, fliers to a bead and gem show in Portland and Eugene this summer and hundreds of ideas. The funny thing was that Frances had never known that side of her sister-in-law before! (Chrissy - she spends $70 on ONE necklace! But ends up with something worth $200! And it looks it too!)
About 4:30 pm, we were ready to leave but didn't want to spend our time in the "overflow parking" lanes of the freeway. Moara told us about a "dollar movie" theater close by and we went to see "Marley and Me." All together a great day. It was twilight as we started home and the freeways were free-flowing. We started our day about 10am and got home about 9pm.
Today? We're laying low! I have some beads ideas to try out! I'm letting Mom sleep in this morning.
2 comments:
I remember sitting in the overflow parking freeway and now would gladly do it to be able to spend the day at the beach there! But I'd go to Newport Beach right next door. But Hunington Beach is where we went for YM/YW beach trips!
That sounds like a fabulous day! We both had fabulous days- I got my hair cut and flew for 3 mins! Then had an amazing and delicious Brazilian Lemonade to go from a really good resturant (then got called into work without knowing I was on call- but we will forget about that). I love you! Oh and I probably could spend that much on one necklace with all the beautiful and expensive options at String Beads. I'd love to see her work.
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