Red (for Love) State Visit

Voting at the Bodega Bay Grange

Well, the election came and went.  I voted and a few measures passed that I cared about and, well, a few didn't.  President Obama & Senator Feinstein are still in office - whew.  Our local Measure C passed and our schools will reap the benefits for another eight years!  I'm so very glad this election is over and all that goes with in terms of the media coverage (and I don't even have t.v. and it was too much!).  Steve reported out from the comfort of his leather man chair the results and I just kept sipping my martini and hoped for the best.  The day after the election, I felt a little drained and relieved and happy to move FORWARD.

One of our neighborhood llamas, Ollallieberry, passed away.  She was 23 years old and we got to visit with her just days before she died.  What a big-eyed, beautiful creature.  Grady was able to get close enough to pet her and tell her very pretty she was.  While visiting with Ollallie, G found a rat skull and owl pellets and quickly came home and busted out his microscope.  He found larvae in the pellets and totally grossed out his mother.  Mission accomplished, I do suppose.

G played hookie from school one day last week and we hopped a shuttle bus to the airport and got on a plane headed for Phoenix, Arizona.  The boy packed like he was never coming home by stuffing his backpack with books, art supplies, Legos, baseball and glove, journals & his favorite writing utensils.  It was bursting at the seams and his little back had to carry quite a load.

Grady was so nervous to fly and had so much anticipation at the thought of seeing his Grandma Gigi.  He was almost in tears as we readied to take off from Oakland.  As soon as we landed, he hightailed it to baggage claim and eagerly awaited our personal pick-up from the lady he loves so very much.

We hit the mall twice, yes, twice in less than 48 hours.  When in Rome, when in Rome, as the saying goes.  G stocked up at the Lego store and we embarrassed him by dressing up in the JC Penney women's department.  Welcome to my childhood, Grady.

Cousin Love

My mom put together a family shin-dig on Saturday and several of my aunts and cousins came to eat, drink & be silly.

Aunts Glenda, Cheryl, Me, Phyllis & Mom

It was so nice to catch up with everyone and introduce Grady to his extended family.  He can't wait to go back.

And while the desert was not what he thought it would look like, he took in the scrub brush, cotton fields and the occasional cactus siting.

Happy Grandma Photo?
The elusive cactus of Surprise, AZ

Our final stop was to see my Grandma Mary (Great Grandma Bounds to Grady) and have a quick lunch at her home.  G played basketball with his cousins and loved on her sweet dog, Meta.

Valley Ford sunsrise

There is nothing like going on a fun trip and then returning to our cozy abode.  The sky welcomed us back as we awoke from our slumber on Tuesday morning.  We shuffled around the house and got back into the morning groove of packing school lunch and cooking a warm breakfast to help soften the chilly morning that was just outside our door.  Our trip was so needed and overdue, but being home?  There's no place like home, as Dorothy would say.

Salas Kids circa 1979

This trip conjured up a lot of childhood memories for me and made me miss my siblings something fierce.  I have such fondness for our summer sojourns to South Phoenix.  We played in irrigation ditches, played hide in seek in the citrus orchards, went to the weeknight rodeo with my grandpa and danced with my aunts and cousins to the tunes of Hank Williams, George Strait and Conway Twitty.  My grandma would bathe us, feed us the best roast and biscuits and share candy with us just before bed (but only if you were one of her favorites!).

And while I've made my home here in this tiny town in Northern California and have carved out a different life for my little man, I know that home will always be where my mother is.  A mother's love is a powerful thing.

And a grandmother's love?  Forget about it!