Tucson to PA and back…this is a little surreal. Reference points in my brain are contradicting each other starting with reference to "home".
We are in a whirl of wonderful Tucson visiting. I am so sorry to have inability to upload some pictures for awhile. The connection here just won't tolerate the load, though this early in the morning it seems to be OK to add some verbiage.
What a wonderful wakeup Saturday morning after the 2 1/2 inches of rain that fell in the area here. I went outdoors in my pjs, flip-flops and robe to savor the early light and rain-washed air. Apparently, 2 1/2 is the number of inches that just fell in the Philly area, too, Wendy texts me. So, the weather front kept up momentum all the way eastward! John is safely here I learned via same texting with Wendy. He is somewhere in Tucson with friends.
Toby sticking to the back porch Wendy reports from PA. Animal life there all good.
I am looking eastward out the big window to the Catalina Mountains view that was part of my life for 29 years in this general Tucson location. Maybe a slightly south, but similar. It is indelibly imprinted in my mind. The people that I am seeing in this small space of Thanksgiving time are right there in my mind's view, as well. The largest chunk of my life history has taken place in this town. Friends date back all through those years when my residence here began in 1960. Many have entered my life at various times subsequent to that mid-20th Century date. What a fine presence every one of them is.
It was as though I'd never left when I saw Paula, Carl and later Bob on Saturday. My wonderful little church and its great choir, members and pastor on Sunday. There isn't anything that quite matches Tucson Mexican food. Yum. Sunday's Huevos Rancheros were sooooo good. Dear friend Gloria made that happen. That evening we got cleaned up to go to the TPYO concert where cousin Eli was performing in the violin section. Tuxedoed and elegantly dressed teenagers afterward at the gelato joint are still teenagers! Not quite like popcorn in the PA Boing-Boing trampoline extravaganza a week or so ago, but close.
Old neighbors filled our Monday with a couple of introductions for the boys to my and their mother's past. Monday evening we were able to connect with Betsy and Eli for a pizza moment at the family favorite, Grimaldi's.
In a little while Aidan will wake. I think he has caught the Geo-Caching bug, for sure. What fun we had with Carol and Janie figuring out some local cache locations yesterday. We are still learning the ropes on how to do it, but look forward to taking a "Travel Bug" to PA with us, and caching it there to send it on its journey. If this is an unknown quantity to you, no worries. If you are curious, its web site is geocaching.com.
We are going to have some mid-day hours with Aidan's close school friend today; then, pick up his cousin from her school which also was the grandsons'. Aidan hopes to get in some soccer for a few minutes with a couple of his old school buddies when they exit school and wait for their family rides home.
There are so many more things that have happened and are happening around Betsy's gathering this week and tomorrow. All are in the kaleidoscope of this week's experiences.
It is striking to me, how much I love it here and yet am loving my home in PA just as much.
"OH, YOU CAN'T HELP THAT," SAID THE CAT, "WE'RE ALL MAD HERE."
--Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Gee, I am getting behind here…
Friday, a week earlier: I took Aidan to his first Pennsylvania schoolmate birthday celebration at a place that should be called "Boing Boing". We walked in this Walmart-size warehouse to be greeted by Jarra the beaming birthday boy, amidst a high-decibel din with about 50,000 youth jumping like popcorn off a hot stove. The entire floor is a carpet of trampolines interspersed with sectioned areas
for bounce games of several sorts. Three solid hours broken by a half hour of pizza and birthday cake. Whew. What happy-ness among the five boys in our group. Absolutely, no holding back as they let out all the stops maxing their entire bodies in physical joy--their favorite: the dodge ball court where they could hurl nerf-like basketballs at an opposing team. I never did learn the rules since so many youngsters crowded the entry that I could only see Aidan and friends clearly when one of them had boinged into the air.
Friday, a week earlier: I took Aidan to his first Pennsylvania schoolmate birthday celebration at a place that should be called "Boing Boing". We walked in this Walmart-size warehouse to be greeted by Jarra the beaming birthday boy, amidst a high-decibel din with about 50,000 youth jumping like popcorn off a hot stove. The entire floor is a carpet of trampolines interspersed with sectioned areas
for bounce games of several sorts. Three solid hours broken by a half hour of pizza and birthday cake. Whew. What happy-ness among the five boys in our group. Absolutely, no holding back as they let out all the stops maxing their entire bodies in physical joy--their favorite: the dodge ball court where they could hurl nerf-like basketballs at an opposing team. I never did learn the rules since so many youngsters crowded the entry that I could only see Aidan and friends clearly when one of them had boinged into the air.
Weather Report: Coats bought. Not a minute too soon.
Sunday, was focused on music…Aidan's cello lesson first; then, rush Keoni to Kimmel Center for rehearsal for the 3 p.m. PYO concert--his first concert in PA.
All five of us, Keoni in his concert tuxedo, arrived early on purpose for Aidan's cello lesson since the Philadelphia Marathon race was going on as well as the fans gathering for the Eagles game. A half block from his teacher, Mrs. "d"'s, home is a small park and a great place to wait with a soccer ball…
I'll add a few pictures in a later posting…
Finishing at Mrs. d's (for de Pasquale) we plowed through the crowded highways and streets to City Center for Keoni's concert rehearsal just on time thanks to John's heavy Internet research. While Keoni and the Philharmonic Youth Orchestra's members prepared for the three p.m. concert the rest of us found nearby food and Wendy and John added some libation. Further down the street was Liberty Hall which I will save for another trip into town.
In the meantime, Keoni, Aidan and I are all the way back in Tucson to take part in Betsy's Thanksgiving that she is hosting this year. John will arrive late tonight. Keoni is staying with friends in town as will John when he arrives in the wee hours tonight. Aidan and I are taking advantage of Phil's wonderful guest house in the Tucson Mountains. Already, the boys and I have had three grand days seeing the friends and family we love. The downpour we traveled in (Philly, Phoenix and Tucson!) quickly went away to bring the true Tucson winter. Wintering here is to be in an area's finest moment. Ideal for spacious skies, gold-tinged air, vivid mountains, basking in sunlight and games of soccer. In the dark, pouring rain after midnight on the way from the airport to Phil's I hear from the boys, "Look Saguaros!".
My pictures won't upload on the Internet connection here, but I will do a catch up on the weekend when we are back in PA.
I'll add a few pictures in a later posting…
Finishing at Mrs. d's (for de Pasquale) we plowed through the crowded highways and streets to City Center for Keoni's concert rehearsal just on time thanks to John's heavy Internet research. While Keoni and the Philharmonic Youth Orchestra's members prepared for the three p.m. concert the rest of us found nearby food and Wendy and John added some libation. Further down the street was Liberty Hall which I will save for another trip into town.
In the meantime, Keoni, Aidan and I are all the way back in Tucson to take part in Betsy's Thanksgiving that she is hosting this year. John will arrive late tonight. Keoni is staying with friends in town as will John when he arrives in the wee hours tonight. Aidan and I are taking advantage of Phil's wonderful guest house in the Tucson Mountains. Already, the boys and I have had three grand days seeing the friends and family we love. The downpour we traveled in (Philly, Phoenix and Tucson!) quickly went away to bring the true Tucson winter. Wintering here is to be in an area's finest moment. Ideal for spacious skies, gold-tinged air, vivid mountains, basking in sunlight and games of soccer. In the dark, pouring rain after midnight on the way from the airport to Phil's I hear from the boys, "Look Saguaros!".
My pictures won't upload on the Internet connection here, but I will do a catch up on the weekend when we are back in PA.
Friday, November 15, 2013
This morning across our road while I picked up the morning paper. |
Keoni was up past midnight finalizing his NYO audition pieces; working madly, even heroically to mold them into electronic submission formats along with his parents' help into the wee hours. Sometime, in the night I was vaguely aware of activity in the next room. I think that today we can disassemble the studio in the main bathroom.
Pretty soon the boys and I will experience weather change of scale going back to the Southwest to spend Thanksgiving among those we know and love in our old hometown. We can give thanks for those people and enjoy the warmth of that--and warmer temps. (We suppose the warmer temps…natural forces may be at work to surprise us all.)
I am referring to "boys" in a context that they are swiftly outgrowing. We have gotten used to Keoni developing his own life and circles of friends. That will take off big time when he gets his driver's license. The move postponed the acquisition. I shudder sometimes thinking of learning to drive on the local roads. Others do it is encouraging as is the decision that he go to driver training sometime soon. I don't think he dwells on it being so wrapped up in music. Aidan looks less and less the boy he was a few months ago. This morning he was looking at his own ID pictures he saved from AZ for several years and even he is surprised.
I feel I am visiting those of you who are following the blog and I want you to know you are appreciated; I enjoy thinking of you while I write. You are an important part of a composite in my mind's eye that gives me pleasure.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Weather Report: The heated seats in the Subaru sure feel good...
After all those household pictures Monday, Wendy, Keoni, Aidan and I on Tuesday went to have a different day since kids don't go to school on Election Day. We drove to Dr. Todd Addis'.
Doc Addis is the veterinarian who sheltered the desperate Wendy and John when they reached Southeastern Pennsylvania in the pouring rain of Tropical Storm Andrea with all their animals in tow. Their scheduled B & B, stable and pasture establishment reneged on their reservation. Somehow they managed to call the number of a referral of another referral, etc., to find Doc's; then, find his place in the rain. Was it because of all the prayers the rest of us were sending up? Surely, some wonderfully serendipitous thing was responsible. What a find he and his wife are. A couple who makes you smile.
Todd's wife Happy gave us a couple of her photos of a recent hunt they participated in.
At last, I learned why PA roads go so close to the houses and barns. Todd told us that the milk cans were set out for pickup by the local creamery wagons so the roads developed as close as they could get to the source because full milk cans not only were heavy, but had to be kept cool in well water filled tanks necessitating accessibility. One of the older houses (there are many) along our frequent drives has big rocks piled by the corner of the front porch so the cars in the road don't bash the porch corner. And, the speed limit on these now paved roads is 45 MPH!!!
Thursday brought us to Aidan's cello day when the school orchestra that he joined does its practice.
And it was Wendy's birthday. While John took Wendy out to dinner Aidan decorated the chocolate cake I'd made and iced earlier in the day. Yes, earlier in the day, Wendy got to lick the beaters. It's family tradition.
There was icing left over, so it was put to good use.
And…
Later, John brought Wendy back home for the cake and ice cream portion of their evening. Aidan is a great arbiter of portions seeing that all is divided equally. It must be all that math he does.
Headline: Condo Cat in PA Farm Fight
Mishap of the week: I let Toby in to see if he and Karma could at last get along. We won't try that any more, however. He was two feet into the kitchen and before I could close the outside door she attacked and the two of them flew out the door; Toby barely ahead. It ended up at the fence with enormous Toby behind the manure fork leaning there, yowling cat yowls and totally intimidated by this tiny, fierce bundle of claws and teeth. She managed to bite his foot. He will limp a few more days I believe.
Cat dilemma. It is getting pretty cold at night and the porch is especially cold as it turns out. Toby gets along great with the dogs but not with other cats so no go on the attempts to introduce him to the barn where he could easily cope with winter. Just not going to happen. He adopted the run-in shed in the pasture with one of his friends, Austin the mustang, as his refuge, but it leaves him completely vulnerable to predation being close to the woods.
Solution. Money always helps…I got an electric warmer to slide under his wire crate. Put all on top the big dog wire crate on the porch with lots of blanketing over and under; door open. He stayed the night in there and is still purring inside it this morning.
Keoni is filling out electronic forms for an audition he is preparing while he eats breakfast across the table from me. There are music stands in our bathroom we share with Aidan because it has the only blank white (sort of white) wall in the house where he can record the piece he is doing for the audition for NYO. He is recording his rendition of Prokofiev Concerto #2. When he gets the recording he likes best he'll submit that. In the meantime, we shower and brush teeth amid music sheets and stands. He wears his best shirt and tie while recording. They are draped over the stands in between "takes".
After all those household pictures Monday, Wendy, Keoni, Aidan and I on Tuesday went to have a different day since kids don't go to school on Election Day. We drove to Dr. Todd Addis'.
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The drive took us along the scenic Perkioman Creek. There and the countryside are extraordinary. |
Doc Addis is the veterinarian who sheltered the desperate Wendy and John when they reached Southeastern Pennsylvania in the pouring rain of Tropical Storm Andrea with all their animals in tow. Their scheduled B & B, stable and pasture establishment reneged on their reservation. Somehow they managed to call the number of a referral of another referral, etc., to find Doc's; then, find his place in the rain. Was it because of all the prayers the rest of us were sending up? Surely, some wonderfully serendipitous thing was responsible. What a find he and his wife are. A couple who makes you smile.
Doc and his dogs. |
Hounds he has raised to hunt…yes, that kind…fox hunting. |
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Aidan with his favorites…ancient Dachsies... |
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Todd is in the pink jacket in the middle of the picture. |
The back of their house at the well. |
Thursday brought us to Aidan's cello day when the school orchestra that he joined does its practice.
![]() |
Aidan, Wendy and Neighbor Jeffrey waiting at the school bus stop. |
And it was Wendy's birthday. While John took Wendy out to dinner Aidan decorated the chocolate cake I'd made and iced earlier in the day. Yes, earlier in the day, Wendy got to lick the beaters. It's family tradition.
There was icing left over, so it was put to good use.
And…
Later, John brought Wendy back home for the cake and ice cream portion of their evening. Aidan is a great arbiter of portions seeing that all is divided equally. It must be all that math he does.
Headline: Condo Cat in PA Farm Fight
Mishap of the week: I let Toby in to see if he and Karma could at last get along. We won't try that any more, however. He was two feet into the kitchen and before I could close the outside door she attacked and the two of them flew out the door; Toby barely ahead. It ended up at the fence with enormous Toby behind the manure fork leaning there, yowling cat yowls and totally intimidated by this tiny, fierce bundle of claws and teeth. She managed to bite his foot. He will limp a few more days I believe.
Cat dilemma. It is getting pretty cold at night and the porch is especially cold as it turns out. Toby gets along great with the dogs but not with other cats so no go on the attempts to introduce him to the barn where he could easily cope with winter. Just not going to happen. He adopted the run-in shed in the pasture with one of his friends, Austin the mustang, as his refuge, but it leaves him completely vulnerable to predation being close to the woods.
Solution. Money always helps…I got an electric warmer to slide under his wire crate. Put all on top the big dog wire crate on the porch with lots of blanketing over and under; door open. He stayed the night in there and is still purring inside it this morning.
Keoni is filling out electronic forms for an audition he is preparing while he eats breakfast across the table from me. There are music stands in our bathroom we share with Aidan because it has the only blank white (sort of white) wall in the house where he can record the piece he is doing for the audition for NYO. He is recording his rendition of Prokofiev Concerto #2. When he gets the recording he likes best he'll submit that. In the meantime, we shower and brush teeth amid music sheets and stands. He wears his best shirt and tie while recording. They are draped over the stands in between "takes".
Monday, November 4, 2013
Weather Report: The next season is whispering to us…
Here is how the house is shaping up starting with the second floor…
It is easy now to see a hawk nest where Aidan and I took our lunch Saturday on the property. |
My work area |
My closet... |
More closet |
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View out my front window next to my desk |
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View out side window…maple is almost bare now |
My hallway |
Keoni has the green bedroom... |
And he has the behemoth IKEA wardrobe |
Aidan's room |
A 10 year old boy's desk... |
My niche in the bathroom I share with Keoni and Aidan. |
So far, no disasters sharing our space |
Hallway to Wendy and John's section of upstairs. |
Wendy at her work station facing front of house |
John's work station opposite |
View out Wendy and John's back window |
Stairwell to first floor |
Dining room still needs another storage furniture item. |
Kitchen |
Afternoon snacks out for boys when they get off their buses |
Laundry room next to kitchen with the 1/2 bath "powder room". Porch is outside the two windows |
Back door looking into living room |
Fire place and seating arranged to view television opposite. More seating comforts come later. |
Front bay window and dogs. |
Blissful dog--Frezz |
Giant TV cabinet that had to be taken apart and reassembled for the move. |
Happy short-haired dogs |
Stairs come down in the music room |
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Aidan's pumpkin carvings |
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Last blooms of the year. They froze last night. |
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Aidan and swag from trick-or-treating |
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View from the kitchen |
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Morning sunrise lighting up the landscape. |
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