Birthday Boy in Los Cabos

Today my son, David, turns 20.  What an interesting and appealing man he's turning out to be - Kind, generous, thoughtful, stubborn (don't know how he comes by this), enigmatic, independent, hard-working, fearless, peace-seeking, handsome, quick-witted, smart, loving . . . I know that as his mother, I'm perhaps a tiny bit biased, but just a little . . .  He does have faults, but today I can't think of any, not when my heart is so full of love for this child, this miraculous gift from God . . .  Let me tell you, the day David was born, God was smiling down on me . . . He sent me the perfect child to teach me what it means to be human, and what it means to know God.

Happy birthday, David!

Los Cabos - The Flora (with John as guest photographer!)

My son, John, spent a lot of time playing with his new camera.  I was the lucky beneficiary of his hobby since he took all these photos!

 

And, since there's no point in duplicating efforts when you are on vacation, I turned my attention to other important things, like reading mindless novels, napping . . . and deciding whether to have a daiquiri or a piña colada brought to me by the pool . . .

Sometimes . . . life is very good . . .

Los Cabos - The Beach (and I blame Yolanda!)

I ask you, can I be held responsible if my fellow blogger, Yolanda, of Yolanda-snapshotsofmylife taunted me with the gorgeous photos of her trip to Cabo San Lucas, so much so that I had to have my own photos?

The 200-foot granite rock is known to the locals as “El Arco.” It is the most memorable of a series of rock formations located in Cabo San Lucas, at the extreme southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, known as “Finisterra” - Land's End.


According to the locals, the waters around El Arco reach their lowest point once every four years, allowing the adventurous a closer look at El Arco. We were lucky enough to be visiting while this rare occurence was taking place.

Playa del Amor - Lover's Beach, where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean.  The beach on the Pacific side is known to the locals as Divorce Beach because of its rough waters.

The ocean waves, and the accompanying undertow, were fierce on this side of the Pacific, so there was no swimming on the beach, but the sound of the ocean lulled us by the pool during the day, and disguised our snores . . . well, it would have, if my husband hadn't kept poking me awake!

View of our hotel from the beach - InterContinental El Presidente Los Cabos, in San José del Cabo.

The great thing about digital photography is not having to deprive yourself of an extra shot that you just had to take.  The bad thing about digital photography . . . is the same.

This and That

The Easter lily has finally succumbed, but it brought us so much joy!

This year's plant was loaded with buds . . .

It bloomed and bloomed and bloomed . . .

Seventeen blooms!

We went to NIU to see our son and his work at an installation art exhibit.  The subject of his work was color and how humans make judgments based on cultural connections to color.  I told him that this picture of him reminded me a little of Che Guevara.  He said:  “Who's that?”  Goodness, I'm getting old!

We finished painting our bedroom!  The room went from Havana Cream yellow to Mountain Air blue . . . and we now have a lovely, smooth ceiling . . . the popcorn is gone!

The bedroom has a tall ceiling and it would be perfect for a beautiful chandelier, but then I'd have to give up the ceiling fan . . . I like having a ceiling fan, it really helps to circulate the air. It's nice when both form and function can be combined, but, for me, function has to come first . . .  We have wall controls for the fan, but I couldn't resist these swirly fan pulls.  It's like jewelry for the ceiling!

Today, for the first time, I pulled out the beautiful quilt my sons gave me for Mother's Day last year.  It has a muted palette that makes the room feel so restful!

Here's a shot of the little corner I call mine.  It has all the essentials:  Good reading light, my iPod, the Kindle, lots of pillows, an old, faded, comfortable chair . . . However, it's lacking . . . je ne sais quoi . . . style?

Once when I was a teenager, I became ill while visiting a friend of my mother's.  She took me into her bedroom to lie down and forever changed how I felt about bedrooms.  Her bed was soft and the scent of lilacs perfumed the air.  Her sheets were impeccably white and crisp.  The decorations were sparse, but she had just enough touches in the room to make it a pretty and very personal space.  I fell asleep and when I woke up, I felt better.  I've never forgotten that wonderful room. 

In recent years, we've gotten sidetracked with other projects, but seeing the freshly painted room and the lovely quilt has reminded me of how important it is to have a welcoming haven in which to read, pray, meditate and relax.  Now I'd like to try and recreate the feelings evoked by that calm and inviting room of long ago, and I hope you'll come along for the journey . . . stay tuned!

Happy Mother's Day!

This photo of my mother and me was taken on my first birthday.  It's such a sweet picture, symbolic of a time when love was simple for the two of us.

My mother was a beautiful woman, and a strong one.  She suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for the last thirteen years of her life, eventually succumbing to the disease at the age of 58. We butted heads a lot in my teens and twenties, and I regret that we didn't have the opportunity to develop a more tempered relationship as adults.   I can now look back and see how courageous her daily battles with her illness were, and how much effort it took to just get through her day. 

Today, a memory came to mind of my mom, with her gnarled, swollen fingers, struggling to put my hair up in curlers so I would look nice for my first orchestra concert in high school, and of me, a bratty teenager, asking her to do one over because it wasn't laying just right . . . definitely not one of my finer moments.

If she were here today, I'd say to her:  “Mom, I have kids now.”  “I understand so much!”

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!  Thank you for all the sacrifices you made for me.  I love you!

A Study In Pink

Delicate, soothing, playful, vibrant, scrumptious, soft, femenine, lovely pink!  I love pink!  Too much pink . . . you think?

“Almost all words do have color and nothing is more pleasant than to utter a pink word and see someone's eyes light up and know it is a pink word for him or her too.”

—Gladys Taber

Author, and columnist for Ladies Home Journal and Family Circle