Happy Places

Everyone who knows me knows that Maui is my HAPPY PLACE!  And while we love it there, in 2020 we decided that our Hawaii trip would be to the Big Island.  Since we'd never been there before we thought that we should branch out a bit and see something new.

I admit that during the first few days, we spent a lot of time comparing things to what we were used to on Maui.

On our first excursion we could even see Maui.

That mountain you see at the end of the road is actually about 30 miles away across the ocean.  It's Mt. Haleakala on Maui! 

By the 3rd day we had settled down and found all kinds of things to love about the Big Island.

The Marriott Resort is very nice!

I feel in love with this pretty little Hawaiian church!

Kalij pheasants 

Nenes - the endangered Hawaiian Goose.

Spectacular sunsets

Easily accessible black sand beaches!

Plenty of sunshine so that we could enjoy relaxing and reading by the pool.

We even got to spend an evening in the beautiful Kona Temple with our friends, the Sillimans who are serving a mission there. 

By the end of our 10 day visit, I can honestly say that while Maui is my 'happiest place', the Big Island is one of my happy places!

Class of 1971 - Saying Goodbye

Growing up in a small town and attending school with the same people from 1st grade on, makes for a very close group of friends.  One of my classmates recently said that in some ways we were more like brothers and sisters. I agree.

This week, my classmates joined together to say goodbye to a lifelong friend, Gary Thompson, since childhood fondly known to us in Lonoke as 'Bulldog'! Sometimes it makes my heart hurt to be so far away from the little town that I still hold in my heart as 'home'.

There were 17 classmates in this photo at the cemetery and several missed the photo op because they were busy visiting!  We were a small class and quite a few have passed away so 20 is a big percentage.

Bulldog Thompson was one of 2 from our class to earn a PhD.  His was in entomology and he went on to a distinguished career with Dow where he was a 'visionary champion of a new kind of tool before organic was even a thing'  Bulldog or as I should more properly say, "Dr. Thompson" was 'incredibly well respected', 'a global leader', and received the University of Arkansas Distinguished alumni award.

I was impressed reading about all his accomplishments.  Quite impressive for a man from a small town in rural Arkansas!  Or for anyone for that matter!  And he wasn't even one of the top students in our class but he was always very good in science.

But the reason so many from our class were there to say good-bye was not because of any of these accomplishments.  The affection we hold for Bulldog can best be summarized by these words in his obituary, "He was a caring mentor, a loyal friend, dedicated family man, and and all-around good, fun guy."

When all is said and done, isn't that what we all hope will be said about us when our time comes?

Transmigration Wood Working Frame

I was the very happy recipient of one of Matt's custom frames.  Last Christmas, Tammy and Richard gave us a print of one of their son-in-law Colby Sanford's pieces.  Colby is making quite a name for himself in the art world.  I was thrilled to receive one of his prints.To make the print even more exciting, the original will be hanging in the US Embassy in Geneva, Switzerland.

The inlay on both the front of the frame and on the edges is all recycled skateboard.  And the interesting pattern in the wood is something called ray fleck.   I had never heard of it but Matt gave me a quick tutorial!

Most of the small wood cells in a tree run up and down in the stem, conducting fluids from the roots to the leaves.  A few cells run in and out from the bark to the center of the stem.  These cells, that primarily store starches and sugars in the tree, are called ray cells.  When cut a certain way, these ray cells make interesting patterns called 'ray fleck'. 

What a blessing it is to have such talented young men in the family!  

An artist with painting and an artist with wood! 

Reading Challenge

I was one of the 4,425,195 people who participated in the Goodreads Reading Challenge this year.

When we lived in Portland I was in two Book Clubs so I read quite a few books.  I haven't gotten involved in a book group yet in Eagle and I must admit that I have LOVED the freedom of reading whatever I wanted.  At the same time I've missed the camaraderie of discussing books with other women, as well as the mental stimulation of reading books that I might not have picked for myself.

I hope to get involved in a group this year.

A few of the books I've enjoyed the most from the 50 I've read:

Who would have guessed that a book about a prostitute, a bank robber and con men would be so entertaining? 

I highly recommend this book which is about family!  It isn't a thriller or a romance and at times seems a bit slow, but it is a wonderfully written and well thought out novel.  The last section, told from the father's point of view is gut-wrenchingly beautiful and ties everything together so well. 

 I loved Britt-Marie and all the characters.  I didn't want this one to end! 

 A really wonderful historical fiction account of both life in Ireland and the life of Irish immigrants to the US. 

The story of Gander, Newfoundland on 9/11 when 38 jumbo jets were grounded there.  The quote sums it up - “This was the very definition of community.  A community bound by faith and common values.” 

Just a terrific story, also set in Ireland.  I loved all the characters! 

This one touched my soul because of my love for Africa.  I have seen the women walk long distances carrying water jugs on their heads.  Thankfully I have no experience with the 'lost boys' or the wars that seem all too common on this continent. 

Cancer Update

My calcitonin continues to stay under 40.  Calcitonin is the marker that is looked for in the semi-annual blood tests for those with Medullary Thyroid Cancer.  Most people with metastasis have numbers in the 1000s or even 10,000. This means that while I still have cancer cells somewhere in my body, they are too small to show up on a scan or ultrasound.  I still have no symptoms at all from the cancer, just a little tightness in my neck on the right side where I had surgery in 2016. I have almost complete mobility and it doesn't affect my daily life at all.  I am very blessed.

The biggest excitement this year was at my appointment in September when my doctor casually mentioned that my 2017 scan had shown 2 kidney stones.  Now I have had absolutely no symptoms of a kidney stone.  I know how painful they are because all my children and George have had them.  He suggested I have a renal ultrasound to see what was going on in my kidneys.

The excitement was that I was leaving in just a few days to go to Kenya where there is practically NO medical care at all.  The logical part of my brain reminded me that I had felt nothing for 2 years and was unlikely to suddenly have a problem.  But the illogical part kept thinking WELL IT COULD HAPPEN!  I flew off to Kenya.  After waking up with a slight back ache for 2 mornings, I was starting to get panicky until my roommate mentioned that her back hurt too and we realized that you could feel the slats of the bed through the very thin mattress.  Panic averted!

When I got home I had a renal ultrasound and there were no stones present.  I guess they passed on their own.  I'm thankful. So I am still on 'wait and watch' with twice a year trips to my doctor in Portland who is a Medullary Cancer expert.

Family Christmas Photo

It's hard to get a 4 year old to be still, especially when using a self timer!  And yes I am SHORT!  I should have Isabella stand by me so that I look taller.  But would it help?  Not that much! 

Just three photos I love