Sunday, August 22, 2010

Summer 2010

Summer 2010: a time of sadness and joy; a time for home and travel.

In June my husband and I moved for the second summer in a row. In 2009 we sold our house and moved to a rental town home; this year we chose to purchase a condo. It's one level, 1800 sq.ft., on the third floor in a building with an elevator. Solitude South Condominiums - doesn't that sound restful?

We planned mini-vacations for Mom from her assisted living apartment. She struggled to recover from an infection during June, even spent time in the hospital. By early July, her spirits were high and her health improving.

Then came the news that Mom had fallen, broken a hip. She came to Fargo for surgery and came through just fine. A couple days later the chest pains started; the stress overcame her heart, weakened by a heart attack years ago and regulated by a pacemaker. On July 12, she died. She remained awake and lucid until the last half hour. She named her kids by their voices in the room. Relatives and friends celebrated her life at a service in Lisbon.

With Delta Kappa Gamma friends, I attended the International Convention in Spokane in late July. The Spokane River area featured parks, walking trails, a carousel, fountains, and bridges. A live band serenaded us at Meet Me at the River Night.
 I took a city tour, a walking gourmet tour, a Victorian House tea tour, shopped, checked out a quilt shop and the casino, and toured the famous Davenport Hotel. The buses left from the convention center.
At right, the lobby of the restored Davenport Hotel shows the elaborate detail of its decor. At the far end, is a fireplace (gas fired today) that is always lit to welcome travelers.



The sessions featured Society talent, gifted speakers, and Society information. A new Constitution was approved. The Northwest Regional Breakfast, Birthday Luncheon, and President's Banquet provided opportunities for tasty food and socializing. The week of events and workshops flew by.


Home. It's August, with a mix of hot days and thunderstorms. Harvest machines hum in the countryside: combines, beet trucks, semis of hay bales. And in Lisbon, at Mom's house we pick through a life time of treasured possessions.