Fun in the Sun

Hubby and I just got back from a short getaway trip to Pismo Beach. We relaxed, enjoyed the beach, and had some great meals.

We tried something neither of us had done before: Driving ATVs. At Oceano Dunes, there is a large area set aside for camping and recreational vehicle use, with a five-mile stretch of beach and about 1500 acres of sand dunes. It is a beautiful, well-maintained area.

After renting our vehicles and receiving instructions, we were free to enjoy ourselves. It was a Monday in the off-season, so the area was not at all crowded, making it easy to get around without having to worry about traffic or possible collisions.

Who is This Kid and Why is She in My Photo Album?

I spent yesterday going through box after box of old papers and family photos from my mother's vast collection. There are a lot of wonderful pictures of friends and family here, some dating back to the 1800s. What a find!

Unfortunately, much of the time I have no idea who these people are. In some cases, the subjects' names are written on the back of the photo or on the border. Sometimes there is just a date. Most of the time, nothing.

The Person You Are Looking For

Remembering My Grandmother

My uncle delivered the eulogy at my grandmother's memorial service in 1994. I was very disappointed by his presentation, so I wrote my own and mailed it to everyone who had been present. Twenty years and several computers later, I had lost the original file. Finding a hard copy in my mother's old file cabinet last week was an unexpected gift.

My grandmother and mother

At my grandmother's funeral, I was sorry to learn that her son's view of her was obscured by sadness at the infirmities of her final years, and that he had but few and dim recollections of the many events, emotions and moments that composed her life and defined her character.

I was sorry that her list of "accomplishments" -- children and descendants -- was so limited, and that the description of her character was confined to praise for her religious faith.

It's true that my grandmother didn't travel around the world, write bestselling fiction, appear on television, save starving lepers or design skyscrapers. She didn't influence America's foreign policy, start a new dance craze or discover a cure for cancer. She didn't even drive.

Don't Tell Me To Calm Down!

I was on the phone with a family member (not my husband) who was talking very fast, giving me a list of complaints about things that weren't my doing, and talking over me when I tried to respond. In an effort to get him to listen to me, I said, "Calm down," and he immediately snapped, "I'm not upset, so don't tell me to calm down!"

Yeh, right.