NY-DC-NY

Most of the month of October was spent on the East Coast, starting with a Joint Council meeting in New York City at the end of September.  Fortuitously--or, come to think of it, maybe it was actually planned that way--the first ever Campus Need Analysis Roundtable started the day after Joint Council in Baltimore.  Being a bit fuzzy on the actual distance between NYC and Baltimore, I asked Heather for travel advice on how to get from one meeting to the next and she graciously invited me to join her road trip since she also planned to participate in the Roundtable. 

Before hitting the road, however, Heather was the speaker at The Spence School's Financial Aid for Parents night.  After a quick car tour around New York City, we headed to The Spence School and, arriving a bit early, relaxed on the roof, which provided a grand view of Central Park.  The FA Night went well and I made myself useful by advancing the .pptx slides.  The trip to Baltimore was uneventful and very fun and the Roundtable was very worthwhile.

After the Roundtable, I returned home for a few days, then flew to Washington DC for the fall Financial Aid Standards and Services Advisory Committee, which was held in Alexandria this year.  Having never been to DC, Craig decided to accompany me, despite the government shut down. Unlike prior years, it was rainy and cold; Craig had to buy a coat for his Capitol Mall explorations. Flying in a day early, we were able to take the bus to Mt. Vernon and explore President Washington's home on the Potomac. Maintained by private donations, it was not affected by the federal government shut-down.

Returning from Washinton, DC, I was actually at home for a whole week before flying to New York City for the College Board National Forum. Still recovering from a nasty cold I picked up at FASSAC, I spent lots of time in my hotel room.  On the 39th floor. I have concluded that big urban cities are much more appealing from a high floor of a Hyatt or Hilton.

President Obama was speaking in The Bronx, making the afternoon commute to the airport long and tedious. Taking surface streets to JFK, my driver pointed out the different neighborhoods along the way and shared his immigration story and I'll never grow tired of hearing that the United States has offered economic opportunity and freedom from tyranny and poverty.  And, maybe best of all, that educational opportunity is abundant, accessible, treasured and utilized.

Summer's End

Summer seems longer this year since there are no children to send off to school immediately after Labor Day. A very civilized mid September start at both boys' colleges allowed for a week at Gold Bluffs Beach, at least for Ben. The ending date of Peter's Seattle internship, a late Friday night intern party, and a commitment to participate in Orientation Week at Cal Poly made his participation sketchy.  My worrisome work, Craig's grant proposal deadline, and news of expired plates on Peter's car ended any speculation that we could perhaps squeeze in the couple extra days that would have allowed Peter to join us.

Though sad to leave Peter behind, the trip was nevertheless a wonderful end-of-summer break. I made significant progress on the Drops baby blankie, which is a good thing because there are two babies coming early in 2014 and each will of course need their own blankie.  And I cooked ... pancakes, bacon, pork chops, nachos ... all of Ben's favorites. And we watched the wildlife saunter through camp.

The hike up the creek in Fern Canyon is my most favorite part of the trip. After days of sand between the toes and unrelenting sunshine, the cold, clear water, smooth rocks and deep shadows are always a refreshing change.

We will soon be empty-nesters.  End of one era, beginning of another. The adventure continues.

Together Again

My dear, sweet, wonderful mother joined my dad in the kingdom of heaven on June 24, 2013.

Doris and Eddie "Tex" Limper

Doris was born to Annie Dean Odom (pictured) and John Hiram Sheffield

on May 21, 1927 in Tatum, Texas

After graduating from Tatum Public School on May 26, 1944, Doris travelled for Western Union with several other women, setting up telegraph offices busy with war messages. A tall, handsome Texan, Edward "Tex" Limper, swept her off her feet and they married in 1950.  Eddie was a sheetrocker by trade and together they travelled the west, wherever Eddie's construction jobs took him.  Their first daughter, Susan, was born in 1952, an event that didn't alter their carefree, transient lifestyle.

When I was born in 1957, they were living in Portland, Oregon, where they had come to care for Eddie's mother, Lillian, until her death in December, 1956.  Suddenly, travelling with two children, one just about to start school, didn't seem practical or even desirable.  So they settled in southwest Portland, displaced Texans who grew to appreciate--for the most part--a more temperate climate.

Doris continued to work on and off for Western Union, quitting when she felt her children needed her at home and going back when the construction industry slowed.  In those days, the Western Union Offices were at Southwest Oak & Broadway. My sister and I watched many of Portland's Grand Floral Parades from the fifth floor office windows.

Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in the 1980's, accompanied by a rapid onset of dementia.  Mom was his tireless caregiver, attending to his every need.  When Dad died in 1992, it seemed only natural that mom would come to live with us, though admittedly, Craig was the first to suggest that scenario.  I never had grandparents; all of my grandparents died before I was born.  It makes me so happy that the boys grew up knowing my mom, their grandmother, as well as both of Craig's parents. My only wish is that they could have also known their grandfather Eddie.

I miss you terribly, Mom, and I always will. You were the perfect mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, and always God's servant.  And most of all, you were my best friend.

A Decision Has Been Made

The University of California at Santa Cruz was added to the youngest child's UC Common Application as an afterthought, with UC San Diego being first on the list and UC Santa Barbara a very close second. The more I read about UCSC, however, the more I thought that the Linguistics and Language Studies programs, combined with an available Computer Science minor, might suit said child perfectly.

Ben was accepted to UCSC as well as UCSB (UCSD, the boy's first choice, wasn't interested), making a road trip a necessity.  UCSB had been visited and fallen in love with, but UCSC was an unknown entity.  Ben and I set out for Santa Cruz and the trip was a piece of cake in comparison to those SLO jaunts.

Our amazement started with the tree canopied streets leading up to the campus entrance and never waned. What a fabulous place. It's like the entire campus was magically conjured in the middle of a fairyland forest.

Craig responded to an email from the Chair of the Linguistics Department, who invited Ben to stop by during his office hours on Friday morning. After checking in for Preview Day, we headed over to the Linguistics Department and Ben spent about 45 minutes with the professor, who answered questions and was engaging and delightful.  I think that conversation convinced Ben that UCSC was the place for him, but if he had a lingering doubt, a tour of the campus cinched the deal.

Redwood forests, blue skies, shady footpaths, dappled sunlight, fields of wildflowers framing a 180 degree vista of the Pacific Ocean ... pure perfection. The pizza was great, too. All you can eat. Cupcakes were just OK.

 

 

Preview Day activities wrapped up around 3 pm and we continued on to SLO for a quick visit with Peter. Still trusting the GPS, we took the recommended Hwy 1, a very beautiful but very slow route with many curves and one lane construction zones. I was not only annoyed with our slow progress, but also with myself for not embracing the moment and enjoying the ride. After arriving in SLO three hours later, Shayna, the native Southern Californian roommate, confirmed that Hwy 101 was the efficient route. Pizza Solo was as great as I had remembered, too great as it turned out and I was unable to join the boys in sampling the ice cream sandwiches at Batch. Next time. Definitely.

After a cajun breakfast at Bon Temps (we ate a lot this trip), Ben and I headed for Portland. Having learned to avoid San Francisco and Bay Area traffic at all costs, we headed for I-5 via Kettleman City. I must have gained confidence in Ben's driving skills because I dozed for a bit.  Oops.  Remaining on I-5 gets somewhat confusing around the exchange with I-580 and when I woke we were just a few miles from Oakland. A bit panicked and not thinking straight, I navigated with the GPS back to Sacramento when I really should have taken I-505 north to Redding. Following our progress via AT&T Family Map, Craig revoked my Road Warrior status. With both boys in California, I suspect I will have ample opportunity to regain that status.

Don't Cry Because It's Over.

Smile because it happened.

 Dottie Faiman

December 27th, 1933 - April 25th, 2013

 You were the perfect mother, mother-in-law, grandma and friend.  I shall miss you always.

San Diego and Resolutions, Revisited

 The College Board Western Regional Forum at Lowes Coronado Bay Resort was a welcome treat in February, even if it was a bit chilly. I originally got a room without a balcony--I think there are only two such rooms on each floor, if that--and after spending a couple hours trying to convince myself that it didn't matter, I went back to the front desk and asked if there was a possibility of moving to a room with a view ... or, at least, a balcony.  I scored a great room with a stunning view of San Diego.

Rick and I walked around the property, then took the golf cart shuttle to the beach where, I was told, the Navy Seals train.  Non-spectacular beach, I must add. I've seen some good beaches, and this was not one of them.

My 2013 New Year's resolution was to blog more consistently.  Obvious fail.  I also seriously considered doing a 365 Project, but decided to see how the blogging went. Good choice.  There have, however, been some good pictures taken and some interesting projects finished:  It is time that is in short supply.

The Boys Were Back In Town

The boys were back in town for Christmas break and it was great to have them all gather at our house.  Loud, but great.  One of the LAN parties lasted until the wee hours of the morning and at one point (around 4 am, I think) the voices were so loud and the language so, um, well, questionable, Craig was convinced they must be watching a bad Ben Stiller movie.  By 7 am, however, not a creature was stirring.

These boys are serious gamers who do not travel light.  And although each of these boys got a 5 on their AP Chemistry AND Physics exams, that didn't stop them from putting cans of Coke in the freezer and subsequently wondering why muffled explosions emanated from the kitchen.

Peter returned, somewhat reluctantly, to SLO yesterday ... the first of the friends to return to college. Having managed to get himself registered for only 8 hours for winter term and planning to crash a number of classes today in hopes of getting off a few waitlists, I expected a somewhat negative response to this evening's 'how's your day?' query. In typical Peter style, however, he declared he is 'wonderful', though he adds 'Well, I think I forgot how to school, but I'm having a lot of fun! =)'

Really, what else could a mother ask for?

And Now There Are Six

 

 The chair project was started over a year ago, inspired by Plow & Hearth's Classic Check Chair Bow.

These, too, were supposed to be bows, but there is just too much fabric to tie a proper bow.  I used 100% cotton homespun, which is probably where I went wrong.  Still, no synthetic fabric for this country girl, not even on the dining room chairs.

 I also bought enough fabric last year for a tablecloth, to duplicate one I saw at Kitchen Kaboodle. After making two chair covers last year, I ran out of time and stuffed the entire project in to the fabric cupboard. 

 Out it came this year, and I was on a roll ... for a bit.  Then guilt kicked in and I decided I had better things to do.  So I stopped at six, but still have fabric and two chairs that need to get acquainted.

Still, the whole project makes me happy, even with the bow fail.  And I have a whole year to make the remaining two, plus the tablecloth.  Or, at least, 11 months.

I've given myself 'til the weekend to put away everything Christmas.  I'm going to miss my Christmas table and chairs.