Addendum to 2014

I painted a picture for mom’s group home as a thank you after she passed away. They still have it hanging in the home as you enter the house. If you will notice, there are fairies flying out of the woods and going for a dip in the pond. Mom loved fairies and willow trees. She loved nature and sunsets.

Another 2015 post

This summer there were quite a few changes to the cabin. We had a porch added (by Richard Bishop) which is so nice! Now we can walk right out from the front door and not have to descend a rickety set of construction steps. We then purchased some wood benches (not shown) for the porch. So it looks really nice when the benches aren’t full of construction project stuff.

Another project was finishing the new garage floor. Kevin painted it with a concrete sealer so it will repel dirt and oil. He dressed up like Walter White (Breaking Bad character) to get it done.

We took some time off of projects to spend time with family. Jasper is showing grandma how Bentley “plays dead” This photo was taken at Mesa Falls on the walking path.

One new acquisition is Kevin’s tractor.
He moves dirt around and makes driveways and other useful things. Our garage is filling up fast!

2015 again

 In June, Jeri brought her grandson Mitchell (16) up from Arizona to spend time with Mom. In our time away from Mom’s, we took a walk in the foothills near Boise. We had never been there before but in searching for things to do, this trail came up so we checked it out. It turned out to be a fantastic walk with views overlooking the valley.

It’s up past Bogus Basin and it’s a well developed trail. We had a great time with Michell and I’m so glad he came with Jeri. It was his idea to come visit his great grandmother.




Jeri and I had a great visit. It’s always so nice to spend time with her! We have never lived in the same city since we were young so each time we visit each other, it’s precious.

We always tease that we will be roommates in our old age, rocking on the porch and making apple pies (Jeri’s specialty). I will make the tea;)

2015 continued

 This is Kevin and Mafia sharing quality time. That cat will do anything for Kevin including laying on his back and not moving a muscle. With me, he struggles to right himself.
He is a very adorable cat and we get endless pleasure from just having him around. He is a bit needy at times but I’d rather have that than aloofness.

His favorite thing to do is wait for you to sit down in one of the brown chairs, then within 30 seconds, he’s up in your lap and settling in. Kevin tries to get work done on the computer and Mafia is all over him trying to get in the middle of the action.

April time frame Chelsie and Polina came over to pick flowers in our new yard. The previous owners were horticultural specialists and had planted many beautiful bulbs and flowering shrubs. The ladies had a blast cutting flowers to take back to their homes!

I went to Spokane later in April to visit my friend Kathy (from Anesthesia school). We went to afternoon tea at the Fairmont Inn. It reminded me a lot of the Empress in Victoria! It was so wonderful to spend time with her. 

2015 recap (well the first one anyway)

 In February Kevin and I, Teresa and Mom Gibbons, and Jasper and Polina all took a trip to Oahu. We stayed in Kaneohe this time, in a house overlooking the Kaneohe Bay. It was so beautiful! We would walk down to the water in the mornings and drink our coffee and just watch the water. Kevin was watching for Bonefish and I was looking at the clouds.

As you can see, Jasper and Polina took the opportunity to enjoy themselves to the fullest. This shot was taken near the
Turtle Bay resort on a nearly deserted beach. The water was perfect! They rented bikes and rode to this beach a couple of times. I went with them once just to hang out on the beach. They saw a sea turtle on the sand on one of their trips.

Kevin pictured here with the coffee... Typical sunrise over Kaneohe Bay.

Mom loved just being in Hawaii again. She saw an old friend while she was there on this trip. Bishop Rose and his wife came and brought her a pie. They sat and talked over their memories of 40 years before. It was really special for her.

Teresa saw her friend Christine from high school. They took a “Lost” tour and went all over to the filming sites.

We had several family dinners and excursions. We even took everyone back to Ko Olina and went to one of the lagoons. Jasper got a stand up paddle board and put mom on it! (Just sitting of course)
She loved it.

 I’m not a huge fan of posing for pictures but the day was so perfect. ..plus I had a good hair day (very unusual in Hawaii). It turned out good!

Jasper, Polina and I went horseback riding at Kualoa Ranch. It was fantastic. We basically got a private ride because we signed up for the two hour ride. We got to canter the horses and everything! Well, I cantered my horse anyway.

This is a painting I did in acrylics while I was there. I left it at the house because it was too big to take home. It’s of the Kualoa mountains as seen from the house we were staying in. I found an old canvas in the basement bedroom of the house and asked permission to use it. it was fun to have something to do indoors besides watching tv. But it turned into a  bit of a project. I was lucky to get it done.

We were there for 10 days and had a great time.