October 25: A day of no driving
Tuesday night we made the plan to spend all of the next day with Les and Mary Gay, and out of the car. Mother and I were sharing opposite ends of the basement in comfortable cots. Though a folding door and a bathroom separated us, we could still hear each other. But my bed was placed near the door to the back hillside, so I let myself out before seeing anyone and walked around the Wengers' mountain around dawn. This day would be misty all day, and I sheltered my camera as I took pictures.
I found Les and M having coffee on the back porch while Mary Gay was fixing us breakfast. After breakfast Les took us down to the lake. The wind was up and it was actually chilly. I was bundled up in one of Les's jackets. He and I separated from M & Mary Gay and picked our way down amongst the rocks at the edge of the lake, talking about life lessons and reminiscing about earlier days at the lake. I collected some olive-blue-gray and orange, striped sedimentary rocks which now sit in a pile on my bathroom baker's rack, a shelf under the gray and white, smooth stones I found on the Oregon coast in September. Les pointed out three eagles circling in the cloudy sky above us, then told me a story of seeing eagles mating in the sky. We rejoined the ladies, then Mary Gay and I walked off in another direction. She asked me to tell her some deeper things about my kids. We ran into a friend of theirs who came from Huntington Beach, not far from where M had lived. He was out running the dog and invited us to come back to his home so he and Les could see if he had a part that would fix Les's grill. We met his very lovely wife in their very lovely home with its very lovely view. Returning to the house, we had lunch and naps. I actually slept for over an hour. What a delicious change of pace.
Les and Mary Gay are old friends from our Arkansas days (1985-1992). After making a lifetime of money in investment advising they left the rat race up and "retired" to their present home on Beaver Lake, settling in early enough that the mountain on which they sit is named after them. Cal's parents owned the local newspaper at the time and they went to the office to introduce themselves, befriending Jack and Mary-Lou immediately. They were both involved in various volunteer activities as well as conquering their property. When Cal and I met them David was just a toddler and I was pregnant with Susan. Over the years we enjoyed many trips out to their place, once even taking some nephews on the lake in Les's boat.
They are eclectic collectors, but the collection I found most interesting are the arrowheads. Les has picked them up in swap shops and thrift stores and antique places all over and arranged them in stunning designs on black velvet in deep frames.
Several years ago their son was killed on his way home for Christmas. They told us the story in greater detail and we rejoiced to see God's hand of care upon them through the hard days following. Among the photos on their refrigerator are several of smiling son, as well as photos of them with their recently met grandson. And then there are pictures all over the house of their daughter's daughter, pride and joy.
I found Les and M having coffee on the back porch while Mary Gay was fixing us breakfast. After breakfast Les took us down to the lake. The wind was up and it was actually chilly. I was bundled up in one of Les's jackets. He and I separated from M & Mary Gay and picked our way down amongst the rocks at the edge of the lake, talking about life lessons and reminiscing about earlier days at the lake. I collected some olive-blue-gray and orange, striped sedimentary rocks which now sit in a pile on my bathroom baker's rack, a shelf under the gray and white, smooth stones I found on the Oregon coast in September. Les pointed out three eagles circling in the cloudy sky above us, then told me a story of seeing eagles mating in the sky. We rejoined the ladies, then Mary Gay and I walked off in another direction. She asked me to tell her some deeper things about my kids. We ran into a friend of theirs who came from Huntington Beach, not far from where M had lived. He was out running the dog and invited us to come back to his home so he and Les could see if he had a part that would fix Les's grill. We met his very lovely wife in their very lovely home with its very lovely view. Returning to the house, we had lunch and naps. I actually slept for over an hour. What a delicious change of pace.
Les and Mary Gay are old friends from our Arkansas days (1985-1992). After making a lifetime of money in investment advising they left the rat race up and "retired" to their present home on Beaver Lake, settling in early enough that the mountain on which they sit is named after them. Cal's parents owned the local newspaper at the time and they went to the office to introduce themselves, befriending Jack and Mary-Lou immediately. They were both involved in various volunteer activities as well as conquering their property. When Cal and I met them David was just a toddler and I was pregnant with Susan. Over the years we enjoyed many trips out to their place, once even taking some nephews on the lake in Les's boat.
They are eclectic collectors, but the collection I found most interesting are the arrowheads. Les has picked them up in swap shops and thrift stores and antique places all over and arranged them in stunning designs on black velvet in deep frames.
Several years ago their son was killed on his way home for Christmas. They told us the story in greater detail and we rejoiced to see God's hand of care upon them through the hard days following. Among the photos on their refrigerator are several of smiling son, as well as photos of them with their recently met grandson. And then there are pictures all over the house of their daughter's daughter, pride and joy.
posted by Compleat Mom at 12:08 PM
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