As a child I hated Milk of Magnesia more than you can imagine. There were not too many things that I disliked, but that was one thing I could not stand. I suppose it was the texture rather than the flavor. I was reminded of it just now as I was swallowing some Pepto Bismol. I had a tummy ache and thought it might help a little. Pepto Bismol is not much different than the one I used to hate so much, but it does not have the same memory for me.
My mother was convinced that Milk of Magnesia was the cure all so I was faced with having to swallow it on more occasions than I care to remember. One time she thought she could outsmart me and decided to sneak the hated stuff in the biscuits that she was baking. I'm not kidding. She really did this. Problem was that I was the only one that could stand those biscuits. Like I said, I liked most things that resembled food. So I ate the biscuits that no one else wanted. I doubt that they had any of the benefits of the hated Milk of Magnesia after they had been baked. But this made for a humorous memory.
I don't know if I was the cause of any such memories for my children. I would hope not, but I have heard how much certain foods were disliked that they were faced with eating. I guess all parents are faced with these things as they try to do their best. I found out where some of the food went that they chose not to eat. After our old dog was gone I found scraps on the floor that had been a good meal for Henrietta while she was with us. No wonder Henrietta was a fat little Dachsund.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Gwladys Marvin - December 21, 1911- December 21, 1971
Griffith Jones had been married previously to another Welsh lady and they had five children. He lost his first wife and all five children in a ferry accident. I'm not sure if this was in Wales or the United States. We picture it as being in the United States, but we are not sure.
Griffith married Catherine Hughes in Wales and they soon came to San Diego where they settled and had their family. Griffith Hughes Jones was a carpenter by trade. They lived in several locations in the county before moving to Coronado. Gwladys mentioned having lived in Lakeside at one time and swimming in the river there. We have a favorite family picture of them in front of the house they lived in when they were in Sherman Heights.
Gwladys' father died when she was a young teenager, maybe when she was thirteen years old. It was probably around her birthday when he died and it was a very difficult time for young Gwladys and her family. They had to tighten their belts and all pitch in to survive. Their mother worked hard to keep her little ones fed. She probably did laundry for other people and maybe she had to clean houses too. That is how many people survived in those days. I know that my own mother did these jobs when she was younger.
Gwladys' sister was Kathryn and was next to her in age. Then came Llewellyn who was known as Louie. The next brother was Ellis and the youngest was Ivor. My father knew some of them when he was growing up in Coronado. Louie was a good friend of my father.
My husband's father Paul also lived in Coronado as a boy in grade school so he probably knew some of the Jones family then. Paul Marvin and Gwladys may have met in high school or even sooner. Coronado was an even smaller town in those days so they were more likely to know each other sooner than not. They both graduated from Coronado High School. They were in their early twenties when they fell in love and married.
Gwladys and Paul became the parents of little Paul William Marvin, Jr. on October 26, 1933. They called him Billy. The next baby was also a son, Charles Ellis Marvin, born May 10, 1935. Young Paul, or Billy, was golden haired, a light red, and fair with freckles. Uncle Ivor had the same red hair and complexion. This was a family trait from the Welsh side. Charlie had the same dark hair and handsome looks as his parents. Both were beautiful children.
It would seem that the family was complete but there would be more babies. Gwladys and Paul had three more babies, one boy and two little girls. They each had heart problems and did not live past infancy. This was a very sad thing for this little family, especially Gwladys. Joseph Ivor, Mary Lou and Mary Ann were their names.
Paul Sr. was in the Navy when the boys were born. Then he went back into the Navy as a 'Sea Bee' during World War II. This is the Construction Battalion of the Navy. He was gone a long time during the war. Gwladys kept the home fires burning as the saying goes. She even helped to construct their first little house on their property in Coronado while he was away.
They had bought property on Pomona Avenue for what is now the unbelievable price of five hundred dollars. This piece of property was large and they would eventually build two houses on it. They built the main house on their lot when the boys were teenagers. The house was quite new when I first knew them when I was sixteen. Paul always says that he helped build the house. I'm sure that Paul Sr. made sure the boys did what needed to be done such as help with the roofing.
Gwladys loved animals and they always had at least one pet. There was always a dog in the picture. I remember the two rabbits they had when I first knew them. Gwladys had a parakeet that she taught to talk and to sing 'Take me out to the ball game'. Yes, she enjoyed baseball too. She also enjoyed watching the birds that spent time in the trees in her yard. This was probably the beginning of my husband's great interest in birds.
Paul and Gwladys were still in love with each other as long as I knew them. She got breast cancer and since she was a Christian Scientist she did not get proper medical care. She suffered in silence for a long time. Paul Sr. kept care of her the best he could. She eventually went to a place run by her church that was similar to hospice.
Let me back track a little. Paul (Bill) and Charlie were sent to the Christian Science Sunday school as children. When Paul was a teenager he chose to go to a different church and he also accepted the Lord. Charlie stopped going to any church or Sunday school. Paul and I were married in the Methodist Church. We eventually joined the Baptist Church and took our children there. After a number of years when Paul Sr. was around 56 years old he accepted the Lord and joined the church we went to. So he loved the Lord and served Him. Around that time Gwladys decided to go to the Christian Science Church.
Gwladys had gone to the doctor in years past but when she took her religion seriously she stopped going to doctors. This is the background for her early death at the age of sixty. She died on her sixtieth birthday, December 21, 1971. Paul Sr. said that he led her to the Lord before she died. We did not know this at first but were blessed to find this out at a later date. I am hoping to see my dear mother-in-law Gwladys Mary Jones Marvin again someday when I get to heaven.
Gwladys was survived by her dear husband Paul Sr., her two sons Paul William and Charles; her grandchildren Kathleen, Laura, Paul William III, Griffith, Eric, Carrie and Deron; and her sister and brothers. It has been many years now since that sad day in 1971 so my generation is the older generation now. Paul Sr. and his generation have all gone before us.
I remember when I realized it was my turn to begin roasting the turkey and preparing the family feast on Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was so nice to have had our mothers to prepare these delicious meals, but my time had come. So I had to learn to make the dressing and ready the turkey for the generations. It became a fun challenge and I had good examples to follow. We still had some of the older generation with us then and our home was filled with four generations at one period of time. Good memories.
Monday, October 31, 2011
The Big Day
You may have heard of the movie "The Big Year". It is about three birders trying to see how many birds they can get in a year. Paul has read the book and is reading it again. Paul keeps records of all the birds he sees and how many varieties he can find each month and each year. The most he has had in a year is 414 kinds of birds. He has 583 life birds, not counting what he may have seen in Korea. He was not yet a birder in 1956 when he was there with the Army.
Our son Bill is an even more serious birder. He will go on a trip just to find a certain bird, as many birders do. This is called chasing birds. He has around 550 as the most in a year. He has 684 on his life list, not counting Iraq birds. We get to go on a lot of rides with Bill when he is with us since he goes places to see the birds. I'm glad he chose this same hobby as his Dad. He started birding when he was stationed with the Air Force in Phoenix, Arizona. He wanted to figure out good places to take us when we visited him so he needed to know where the birds are. He has since become an avid birder. He has birds from 48 states. He just hasn't been to Alaska or Hawaii.
Laura is better at seeing the birds than I am. She remembers more about more birds than I do and she enjoys birding with her brother and dad. I am not a birder but I know more than someone from a non birding family. I mainly go along for the ride and scenery. We get to go places we would not otherwise.
With Bill here from Florida for the month we are doing a lot more than we usually get to do. It would be considered a big month compared to a normal month for us. We have gone to the mountains, the desert and the beach areas. You could do all three in one day in San Diego. I guess we have not done that yet, but we have done the mountains and desert in one day on more than one occasion.
On Tuesday the 25th we enjoyed an excursion to Balboa Park in San Diego. I enjoyed taking pictures with Bill's good camera. I spent most of my time near the large fountain enjoying watching all the people go by. There were a lot of children at the park that day. There seemed to be classes of children. I know it was free for children at the zoo in October so a lot of classes were going to the zoo the day we were in the park. There seemed to be a lot more activity than on a usual week day when we were there. I took pictures of some of the activity and the historical buildings and fountain. Paul, Laura and Bill walked further than I did as it is difficult for me to walk. Eventually Paul joined me at the bench while Laura and Bill continued their walk. Usually we do more walking through the park, but it was a satisfying day for me.
Wednesday October 26, 2011 was Paul's 78th birthday and a ride was planned. We were up early and left the house when it was barely light out. The birders had a bird to see at Otay Lakes. They had looked earlier in the week and were still after it. I took advantage of the opportunity to take early morning pictures at the lake. I guess the birders didn't find the bird they were after that morning, but I'm sure Bill got it on another try. Of course they saw other birds at the lake. The fishermen were out early too. We had been there a previous day and a lot of people were picnicking that afternoon.
Next on the agenda was to head to highway 94 and go east to Potrero County Park for more birding. I was able to take some decent bird pictures while the rest of the family was birding. These were almost my first bird pictures since I never had the right camera for them before. I had taken one bird picture in Balboa Park but otherwise I haven't been able to take such pictures before. At Potrero I took pictures of Western Bluebirds and tried for other birds that were too quick for me to shoot. We also had a quick lunch since I had packed sandwiches.
I thought that was the big event of our ride, but we were just getting started. We headed east to Campo for more birding. We stopped at an old landmark barn that is now the Motor Transport Museum. This was a good photo opportunity. Lots and lots of old vehicles to take pictures of. I would recommend this spot for an auto or antique buff. There was a man working on some vehicles, but none of us really have the gift of gab so we didn't talk to him. I would like to follow Larry Himmel and get an ear full of his spirited conversation. He is one of our local favorites. He would have a story to tell if he talked to the man working on the vehicles. I took some pictures of 78 year old Paul with some of the oldies that belonged to the motor museum.
Continuing east and birding along the way we made some stops in Jacumba to look for birds. Heading east we tried to go to the desert tower, the overlook at InKoPah, but it was closed on Wednesdays. I don't know if Bill planned this or if it was a spur of the moment decision to keep going this far. Heading east on I 8 we exited the freeway at Ocotillo, next to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This is the largest state park in California. The weather was very nice to be driving through the desert and it was a pretty day for pictures. Heading north we made stops along the way for the birders and picture taking. I wasn't the only one taking pictures as Bill has a long lens camera. He takes good bird pictures as well as other little creatures such as butterflies.
One stop was at Agua Caliente County Park where we took pictures of quails. At Vallecitos Stage Station we took pictures of roadrunners and other birds. We also made other stops while we were driving through Anza-Borrego. The sky was blue as can be with a few white fluffy clouds and that makes for nice pictures. The mountains in the background make the pictures even better. We drove through Shelter Valley which is where Rik and Faith live. Rik was one of Griff's childhood friends and we are still friends with his family. I don't know exactly where they live in Shelter Valley, but Rik's Dad lives around the block from us. Our backyards touch each other at the corners.
Next we headed west and up Banner grade towards Julian. The mountain scenery begins again. This is a favorite part of the county for us. We made a quick stop in a park in Julian and took pictures of some wild turkeys. We soon headed towards Cuyamaca enjoying the green of the trees and the rest of the landscape. We did not go all the way through Cuyamaca as we turned towards the Lagunas where our birders had birds to observe. You can see where the fires have been in our mountains as you drive through them. It is sad to see the fire damage, yet it is also part of nature as the landscape changes through the years. We still have a lot of pretty trees and other foliage.
After more birding we continued south towards the freeway. The sun was turning sunset orange as we neared the end of Sunrise Highway. We had observed the sunrise from this highway the week before. I never did get a chance to take a picture of the sunrise or sunset from this vantage point. It was getting dark as we drove into the city with all of it's traffic. We had been away from home all of the daylight hours on Paul's birthday. We had cake and ice cream waiting for us at home. This truly was a big day for the four of us.
Paul has read some other books with the same theme as "The Big Year". This is a popular subject for serious birders. Paul loves to make lists to keep track of all his birds. I know he enjoys the birds, but I sometimes think that the lists of birds seen are his favorite part of the adventure.
When Paul was a fisherman in his younger days he always kept lists of all the fish he caught. Of course he knew the weights too. His largest fish caught surf fishing in Coronado was a four pound ten ounce Spotfin Croaker. This was when he was a teenager, before we were going together. Then when we were dating we spent a lot of time on the beach while he was fishing. Our first date was at a picnic with a group of friends on the beach. We even went grunion running that evening. That was the only time I ever went grunion running, catching the tiny silver fish on the beach with bare hands. We ended up with a number of them in a bucket. Then we went to a friend's house where her mother fried them till they were crispy and yummy.
The grunion are just innocently trying to lay their eggs on the beach by the light of the moon when they are gathered up and put into a bucket. Then they end up in someones frying pan. Poor fishies. You need a fishing licence to legally do this if you are older than a certain age. I never had a fishing licence as I was young enough. Paul always had a fishing licence in those days. Fishing was his hobby then. Birding is his hobby now. At least no birds suffer for this hobby. The only shooting we do is with a camera.
We do have hunters in the family and I'm not totally adverse to this as long as it is for food. I have enjoyed meals at the table of some of the hunters in my family. I would not be able to be a hunter though. I guess a person can do whatever he has to do though. My dad who was a city boy learned to kill the chickens we raised for fryers. Mom grew up on a farm and knew how to clean them for eating. I don't think my grandparents enjoyed having to butcher the pigs for their use, but they did what they had to do. We are so protected from the realities of life, yet we eat meat. I can understand someone deciding to be a vegetarian.
When we had our boys we had said there would be no toy guns. That did not last long. They got toy guns as gifts for birthdays. And if they don't have the toy they turn a stick into a gun. The youngest son is the one that really likes guns though he is not a hunter. So much for no guns. I am still not fond of them, but will protect the right of the one who chooses to own one. I will stick to shooting with a camera. I'm sure that is the sentiment of most of our family.
Our son Bill is an even more serious birder. He will go on a trip just to find a certain bird, as many birders do. This is called chasing birds. He has around 550 as the most in a year. He has 684 on his life list, not counting Iraq birds. We get to go on a lot of rides with Bill when he is with us since he goes places to see the birds. I'm glad he chose this same hobby as his Dad. He started birding when he was stationed with the Air Force in Phoenix, Arizona. He wanted to figure out good places to take us when we visited him so he needed to know where the birds are. He has since become an avid birder. He has birds from 48 states. He just hasn't been to Alaska or Hawaii.
Laura is better at seeing the birds than I am. She remembers more about more birds than I do and she enjoys birding with her brother and dad. I am not a birder but I know more than someone from a non birding family. I mainly go along for the ride and scenery. We get to go places we would not otherwise.
With Bill here from Florida for the month we are doing a lot more than we usually get to do. It would be considered a big month compared to a normal month for us. We have gone to the mountains, the desert and the beach areas. You could do all three in one day in San Diego. I guess we have not done that yet, but we have done the mountains and desert in one day on more than one occasion.
On Tuesday the 25th we enjoyed an excursion to Balboa Park in San Diego. I enjoyed taking pictures with Bill's good camera. I spent most of my time near the large fountain enjoying watching all the people go by. There were a lot of children at the park that day. There seemed to be classes of children. I know it was free for children at the zoo in October so a lot of classes were going to the zoo the day we were in the park. There seemed to be a lot more activity than on a usual week day when we were there. I took pictures of some of the activity and the historical buildings and fountain. Paul, Laura and Bill walked further than I did as it is difficult for me to walk. Eventually Paul joined me at the bench while Laura and Bill continued their walk. Usually we do more walking through the park, but it was a satisfying day for me.
Next on the agenda was to head to highway 94 and go east to Potrero County Park for more birding. I was able to take some decent bird pictures while the rest of the family was birding. These were almost my first bird pictures since I never had the right camera for them before. I had taken one bird picture in Balboa Park but otherwise I haven't been able to take such pictures before. At Potrero I took pictures of Western Bluebirds and tried for other birds that were too quick for me to shoot. We also had a quick lunch since I had packed sandwiches.
Continuing east and birding along the way we made some stops in Jacumba to look for birds. Heading east we tried to go to the desert tower, the overlook at InKoPah, but it was closed on Wednesdays. I don't know if Bill planned this or if it was a spur of the moment decision to keep going this far. Heading east on I 8 we exited the freeway at Ocotillo, next to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This is the largest state park in California. The weather was very nice to be driving through the desert and it was a pretty day for pictures. Heading north we made stops along the way for the birders and picture taking. I wasn't the only one taking pictures as Bill has a long lens camera. He takes good bird pictures as well as other little creatures such as butterflies.
Next we headed west and up Banner grade towards Julian. The mountain scenery begins again. This is a favorite part of the county for us. We made a quick stop in a park in Julian and took pictures of some wild turkeys. We soon headed towards Cuyamaca enjoying the green of the trees and the rest of the landscape. We did not go all the way through Cuyamaca as we turned towards the Lagunas where our birders had birds to observe. You can see where the fires have been in our mountains as you drive through them. It is sad to see the fire damage, yet it is also part of nature as the landscape changes through the years. We still have a lot of pretty trees and other foliage.
After more birding we continued south towards the freeway. The sun was turning sunset orange as we neared the end of Sunrise Highway. We had observed the sunrise from this highway the week before. I never did get a chance to take a picture of the sunrise or sunset from this vantage point. It was getting dark as we drove into the city with all of it's traffic. We had been away from home all of the daylight hours on Paul's birthday. We had cake and ice cream waiting for us at home. This truly was a big day for the four of us.
Paul has read some other books with the same theme as "The Big Year". This is a popular subject for serious birders. Paul loves to make lists to keep track of all his birds. I know he enjoys the birds, but I sometimes think that the lists of birds seen are his favorite part of the adventure.
The grunion are just innocently trying to lay their eggs on the beach by the light of the moon when they are gathered up and put into a bucket. Then they end up in someones frying pan. Poor fishies. You need a fishing licence to legally do this if you are older than a certain age. I never had a fishing licence as I was young enough. Paul always had a fishing licence in those days. Fishing was his hobby then. Birding is his hobby now. At least no birds suffer for this hobby. The only shooting we do is with a camera.
We do have hunters in the family and I'm not totally adverse to this as long as it is for food. I have enjoyed meals at the table of some of the hunters in my family. I would not be able to be a hunter though. I guess a person can do whatever he has to do though. My dad who was a city boy learned to kill the chickens we raised for fryers. Mom grew up on a farm and knew how to clean them for eating. I don't think my grandparents enjoyed having to butcher the pigs for their use, but they did what they had to do. We are so protected from the realities of life, yet we eat meat. I can understand someone deciding to be a vegetarian.
When we had our boys we had said there would be no toy guns. That did not last long. They got toy guns as gifts for birthdays. And if they don't have the toy they turn a stick into a gun. The youngest son is the one that really likes guns though he is not a hunter. So much for no guns. I am still not fond of them, but will protect the right of the one who chooses to own one. I will stick to shooting with a camera. I'm sure that is the sentiment of most of our family.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Nephews and Nieces
God's plan for families is one of the nicest things to have ever happened. When God put Adam and Eve together in the Garden of Eden and told them to be fruitful and multiply this was the beginning of marriage and families. We see families throughout the Bible. There are fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and nephews and nieces. There are grandparents, aunts and uncles. Each one of these family members can be an important part of the family.
Today I want to tell about my nephews and nieces. I became an aunt when my sister Donna gave birth to her son Arthur Louis Sinclair on September 29, 1957. He is named after his father Louis Arthur Sinclair. I was already the mother of two year old Kathy at that time. Arthur was a beautiful baby boy, the first grandson on both sides of his family. In just one year and one day he would become the big brother to his sister Debra Marie Sinclair. She was given her mother's middle name Marie. We called her Debbie all through her childhood until she preferred being called Debra. She was as cute as any baby could possibly be. My daughter Laura was right in the middle of Arthur and Debra as far as birth order goes.
Donna's family lived in Los Angeles and we lived in San Diego so we did not see each other as often as I would have liked. Paul and I rarely went to L.A. Donna and Louis got to San Diego on special occasions or several times a year with their two little ones. The cousins enjoyed getting together as they got older and got to know each other better. There would soon be more cousins to add to the mix.
The next addition to the cousins was when my sister Betty had Gary. My handsome nephew Gary Edward was born February 19, 1960. He was an exuberant little boy, with a lot of personality. Laura really loved him a lot as one of her favorite cousins when they were little. Gary would become the big brother when Elizabeth Frances Hamilton was born on July 4th in 1961. She has her mother's middle name Frances. Elizabeth is also a family name. She was called Sissy for much of her childhood. Her family also called her Liz. My son Paul William, aka Bill, fits right in between Gary and Elizabeth age wise.
In December of 1962 I had my second son Griffith H. Marvin, aka Griff. The next baby would be another boy, Matthew Scott Hamilton, brother of Gary and Elizabeth. Matthew was born October 22, 1963. Betty and Sam now have three children, all born in California. One more son would be born in January of 1967 in Hawaii where Sam was stationed with the Navy. Mark Anthony would be child number four, the third son. They would move to Billings, Montana soon after Sam got out of the Navy the summer of 1967 while Mark was a baby. This is where the children would be raised.
When Betty and Sam and family were in San Diego, off and on during the Navy years, our children had chances to get to know each other. In later years after the Hamiltons moved to Billings they made trips to San Diego for family reunions. Gary spent time here the summer of 1973 with his grandma, my mother. He also helped us when we were moving that summer. I remember him with paint brush in hand along with my kids, his cousins. Elizabeth came to San Diego to visit her grandmother the spring of 1980 and ended up at our house for five years. Her dog Mouse joined our menagerie of cats, dogs and turtles.
Matthew has made several trips to visit us over the years. The year my Kathy was getting married Matthew came and helped immensely with putting the food out at the wedding reception. We had other help, but really needed Matthew's extra helping hands. Elizabeth was here then too and she had been involved with us in planning everything for the big day. It was her bright idea to make the mints. As for Matthew he actually prefers to be called Phinwe, but he has always been Matthew to us. Matthew the nephew with style. His color is black and he wears it well.
Mark was only here as a child with his parents. Mark has a sweet disposition whenever I do get to see him. He is the father of Brittany and Michael. They are both grown up now, and Brittany is in college and works for a vet. Elizabeth also has two children. Andrew, her oldest, is now a daddy to a baby girl. Elijah is a teenager, high school age. So Betty and Sam would be enjoying having a great granddaughter, as well as seeing their four grandchildren grow up, if they were still with us. We lost them much too soon. Sam was only 55 and Betty was only 67 when they died.
My sister Donna has more great grandchildren than I can remember. She may have only had two children, but they went forth and multiplied as was mentioned in Genesis. Debra and her husband have two children. Their son Shawn has two children. They all need prayer as there is division among them. Shawn has not been in touch with them as he should be in quite sometime, so Debra and Pete have not been able to see Shawn's girls since the first one was a baby. Debra and Pete have a teenager, Natasha, fourteen years and one day younger than Shawn. Remember that Arthur and Debra were one year and one day apart.
Donna's son Arthur has children and grandchildren. He has been missing since 1994 so he has not seen any of his family in a long time. He probably met up with disaster those many years ago. Arthur has three children and many grandchildren. His son David has four or five children plus a stepchild. David lives in Missouri with his family. Arthur's daughter Nicole lives in Wales and just had a baby boy in September. His son Michael lives near Donna and Fred and is a young man now. I wanted to say he is a teenager but time flies by.
Arthur was the cousin my boys had adventures with when they were young. Bike adventures and even a motorcycle adventure are included on the list of things they did together. Arthur was there when Griff had his bicycle accident on suicide hill. Years later Bill and Griff were trailing Arthur when he flew off his motorcycle. They came around a mountain curve and there was Arthur's cycle with the wheels spinning and no Arthur. He had flown off and was nearby. He survived with serious scrapes and bruises. He probably hurt a lot, but xrays showed no broken bones.
Debra has had health problems since she was a child. She has seizures that her medications don't seem to help. Right now she is in the hospital since one of the medications was making her very sick. She had been throwing up a lot and she was told her pancreas was the problem. It turns out to be that the medication is the problem. I don't know if they still think her pancreas is also involved. She has had one thing after another to deal with almost all of her life. When she was sixteen she had a tumor on her spine. That was resolved with surgery and radiation. Thankfully there was no malignancy involved. This all plays havoc with her emotionally. My prayers go out for this special niece.
My other niece also deals with health problems and I pray for her to enjoy improved health soon. She is enjoying life with her "new" husband Jack, a pastor of a little church in Missouri. She also stays interested in Jack's family which includes his adult children and many grandchildren. Elizabeth became like a daughter to me when she was at our house for five years. I have not seen her or her brothers since I was in Billings for their mother's burial in April of 2008.
I was going to write about our niece and nephews on Paul's side of the family, but I will save them for another day. Paul has one brother and he has three children, plus grandchildren. Charlie's three are all younger than our four. His first was born five months after our youngest son. Eric, Carrie and Deron were all born when the family lived in Coronado so we knew them as babies. They moved to Sacramento and our contacts were few so our children did not get to really know each other, I'm sorry to say. It was always a pleasure to see the whole family. We have had some opportunities to get together with them over the years of which I'm thankful for. Paul and I do stay in touch with Paul's brother and his sweet wife Edye. They are the best at writing to us of all of our family.
Families are close to our hearts and always in our prayers. May God bless each of these dear people. We may sometimes have different ideas about life and our creator. We may have different thoughts on politics and other matters. But we come from the same grandparents and have the same aunts and uncles. Most of us have blue eyes, but there may be some with brown eyes. Some are blondes and some brunette. But we have the same blood line. We have bonds that hold us close even when the distance is great. I love my family. I love my nephews and nieces.
Donna married Fred Guapo in 1979 after some years of being a single mother. Her children were grown up by then, but Fred had a young son, Freddy. He is now a fine young man and has a beautiful wife. In 1980 Freddy was with our large family gathering in a family picture that included all of Mom's family. Donna, Betty and myself with all of our children, my husband Paul and Donna's husband Fred were all in this portrait. All were there except Betty's husband Sam. He was still in Montana as he couldn't make that trip to San Diego.
Family reunions are most enjoyable. Getting together with my grown children and grandchildren is extra special for me. My four are spread across the country from California to Florida. Our oldest daughter Kathy, her husband John and their family are in Colorado. Our granddaughters are all grown up. Becky is married and has a baby boy. Melissa is a teacher's aide for a preschool class and she is studying to be a preschool teacher. Our sons each served in the military for a period of time, and they each own their homes, one in California and the other in Florida. Laura shares our home with us. It is a challenge to get everyone together. We can manage to have three together, but that seems to be the most at one time.
Then when it comes to the nephews and nieces it would be a rare treat to gather everyone together again. The last time may have been when we had that large family portrait in 1980. We also had a very nice gathering with four generations at Kathy and John's wedding in 1983. But there is always someone missing in the picture. We have several more favorite family pictures when our granddaughters were little. These were three and four generation portraits with all four of our children present. It is fun to think on these things. I do not expect all of my mother's grandchildren to gather together again in my lifetime, but the memories are sweet.
originally written October 18,2011
first picture-Arthur and Debra
second pic.-Gary,Elizabeth &Bill in front
Laura and Kathy holding Griff in back
third pic.-my Dad with all of his grandchildren
fourth picture-Arthur with kitten
fifth pic.-Arthur, Laura and Kathy with kittens
last picture is our large family portrait with Mom
and all of Mom's family as described in story.
Donna's family lived in Los Angeles and we lived in San Diego so we did not see each other as often as I would have liked. Paul and I rarely went to L.A. Donna and Louis got to San Diego on special occasions or several times a year with their two little ones. The cousins enjoyed getting together as they got older and got to know each other better. There would soon be more cousins to add to the mix.
In December of 1962 I had my second son Griffith H. Marvin, aka Griff. The next baby would be another boy, Matthew Scott Hamilton, brother of Gary and Elizabeth. Matthew was born October 22, 1963. Betty and Sam now have three children, all born in California. One more son would be born in January of 1967 in Hawaii where Sam was stationed with the Navy. Mark Anthony would be child number four, the third son. They would move to Billings, Montana soon after Sam got out of the Navy the summer of 1967 while Mark was a baby. This is where the children would be raised.
When Betty and Sam and family were in San Diego, off and on during the Navy years, our children had chances to get to know each other. In later years after the Hamiltons moved to Billings they made trips to San Diego for family reunions. Gary spent time here the summer of 1973 with his grandma, my mother. He also helped us when we were moving that summer. I remember him with paint brush in hand along with my kids, his cousins. Elizabeth came to San Diego to visit her grandmother the spring of 1980 and ended up at our house for five years. Her dog Mouse joined our menagerie of cats, dogs and turtles.
Matthew has made several trips to visit us over the years. The year my Kathy was getting married Matthew came and helped immensely with putting the food out at the wedding reception. We had other help, but really needed Matthew's extra helping hands. Elizabeth was here then too and she had been involved with us in planning everything for the big day. It was her bright idea to make the mints. As for Matthew he actually prefers to be called Phinwe, but he has always been Matthew to us. Matthew the nephew with style. His color is black and he wears it well.
Mark was only here as a child with his parents. Mark has a sweet disposition whenever I do get to see him. He is the father of Brittany and Michael. They are both grown up now, and Brittany is in college and works for a vet. Elizabeth also has two children. Andrew, her oldest, is now a daddy to a baby girl. Elijah is a teenager, high school age. So Betty and Sam would be enjoying having a great granddaughter, as well as seeing their four grandchildren grow up, if they were still with us. We lost them much too soon. Sam was only 55 and Betty was only 67 when they died.
My sister Donna has more great grandchildren than I can remember. She may have only had two children, but they went forth and multiplied as was mentioned in Genesis. Debra and her husband have two children. Their son Shawn has two children. They all need prayer as there is division among them. Shawn has not been in touch with them as he should be in quite sometime, so Debra and Pete have not been able to see Shawn's girls since the first one was a baby. Debra and Pete have a teenager, Natasha, fourteen years and one day younger than Shawn. Remember that Arthur and Debra were one year and one day apart.
Donna's son Arthur has children and grandchildren. He has been missing since 1994 so he has not seen any of his family in a long time. He probably met up with disaster those many years ago. Arthur has three children and many grandchildren. His son David has four or five children plus a stepchild. David lives in Missouri with his family. Arthur's daughter Nicole lives in Wales and just had a baby boy in September. His son Michael lives near Donna and Fred and is a young man now. I wanted to say he is a teenager but time flies by.
Debra has had health problems since she was a child. She has seizures that her medications don't seem to help. Right now she is in the hospital since one of the medications was making her very sick. She had been throwing up a lot and she was told her pancreas was the problem. It turns out to be that the medication is the problem. I don't know if they still think her pancreas is also involved. She has had one thing after another to deal with almost all of her life. When she was sixteen she had a tumor on her spine. That was resolved with surgery and radiation. Thankfully there was no malignancy involved. This all plays havoc with her emotionally. My prayers go out for this special niece.
My other niece also deals with health problems and I pray for her to enjoy improved health soon. She is enjoying life with her "new" husband Jack, a pastor of a little church in Missouri. She also stays interested in Jack's family which includes his adult children and many grandchildren. Elizabeth became like a daughter to me when she was at our house for five years. I have not seen her or her brothers since I was in Billings for their mother's burial in April of 2008.
I was going to write about our niece and nephews on Paul's side of the family, but I will save them for another day. Paul has one brother and he has three children, plus grandchildren. Charlie's three are all younger than our four. His first was born five months after our youngest son. Eric, Carrie and Deron were all born when the family lived in Coronado so we knew them as babies. They moved to Sacramento and our contacts were few so our children did not get to really know each other, I'm sorry to say. It was always a pleasure to see the whole family. We have had some opportunities to get together with them over the years of which I'm thankful for. Paul and I do stay in touch with Paul's brother and his sweet wife Edye. They are the best at writing to us of all of our family.
Families are close to our hearts and always in our prayers. May God bless each of these dear people. We may sometimes have different ideas about life and our creator. We may have different thoughts on politics and other matters. But we come from the same grandparents and have the same aunts and uncles. Most of us have blue eyes, but there may be some with brown eyes. Some are blondes and some brunette. But we have the same blood line. We have bonds that hold us close even when the distance is great. I love my family. I love my nephews and nieces.
Donna married Fred Guapo in 1979 after some years of being a single mother. Her children were grown up by then, but Fred had a young son, Freddy. He is now a fine young man and has a beautiful wife. In 1980 Freddy was with our large family gathering in a family picture that included all of Mom's family. Donna, Betty and myself with all of our children, my husband Paul and Donna's husband Fred were all in this portrait. All were there except Betty's husband Sam. He was still in Montana as he couldn't make that trip to San Diego.
Family reunions are most enjoyable. Getting together with my grown children and grandchildren is extra special for me. My four are spread across the country from California to Florida. Our oldest daughter Kathy, her husband John and their family are in Colorado. Our granddaughters are all grown up. Becky is married and has a baby boy. Melissa is a teacher's aide for a preschool class and she is studying to be a preschool teacher. Our sons each served in the military for a period of time, and they each own their homes, one in California and the other in Florida. Laura shares our home with us. It is a challenge to get everyone together. We can manage to have three together, but that seems to be the most at one time.
originally written October 18,2011
first picture-Arthur and Debra
second pic.-Gary,Elizabeth &Bill in front
Laura and Kathy holding Griff in back
third pic.-my Dad with all of his grandchildren
fourth picture-Arthur with kitten
fifth pic.-Arthur, Laura and Kathy with kittens
last picture is our large family portrait with Mom
and all of Mom's family as described in story.
A New Adventure Each Day
I asked a few neighbors to be sure she was not theirs as I knew at least two have chihuahuas. Then I called animal control to come for her. They will be here sometime today. I feel bad to have to do this, but this gives her owner a better chance of finding her. I already know that putting a lost and found ad in the paper does not bring the desired results. Anyway that is our experience. We ended up keeping the dogs we tried this with. We are down to no dogs, but we have too many cats so no more animals allowed at this time. We are still waiting for animal control to get here. They were real busy this morning when I called.
This has been a busy week with all of our going places with Bill. Monday we went to the mountains and the desert. We found a real interesting mountain road that was long and narrow that I had never been on before. Bill had done part of it once before. We finally had to turn around when it became more narrow and rough, but it was fun while it lasted. A number of trails go off from this road. Bill had hiked a ways on one a week or two earlier. The purpose of the ride was for the birders in the family to find a certain bird. They heard it but I don't know if they ever saw it on Monday. This trip found me without a camera due to my forgetting it. This was a picture perfect day too. I had mountain pictures recently though.
Thursday was another interesting day with the birders of the family. I remembered the camera this time. We headed to Point Loma for some birding. I read the paper while Paul, Laura and Bill did their birding. I always take something to read for those times I want to stay in the car. I was saving my walking for the main event of this trip. We went to LaJolla for our traditional walk at the cove. The birders were enjoying the day and I was taking a lot of pictures. Actually Laura and I walked together in LaJolla, enjoying the scenery along the way. Bill had his long lens camera with him so he also enjoyed taking pictures. The LaJolla Cove is one place we always like to go when we have the opportunity.We were not quite done in LaJolla as we also enjoyed a ride up Mount Soledad to the Veterans Memorial and the cross. I always find John Moorhouse's plaque and picture on the wall there. It is honoring him and his time in the Marines. He is a purple heart veteran and has a story to tell. In the past we have found plaques honoring President Reagan and Bob Hope among other familiar names. We enjoyed a ride to LaJolla and Mount Soledad with Madeline and Steve not too many years ago. We always enjoyed our special excursions with them over the years. Steve is no longer with us, but we still have special times with my dear friend Madeline.
Our cute little doggy was picked up by a nice animal control officer in the middle of the afternoon. She apologized for being so slow in arriving to pick up the dog. She made sure I did not want an adoption hold on doggy, but she also realized I did not really want more pets. She noted that our cats looked well fed and admired our fluffy kitty. I hope this will be a happy ending for our little chihuahua. They will check her to see if she has a micro chip so she may have a chance to see her owners again. Otherwise I hope she gets a good home soon. I like chihuahuas and would have kept her if it had been realistic.
Originally written Friday, October 21, 2011
first picture is Paul and little Chihuahua we found
next pictures are of Caroline
last picture is Paul, Laura and Bill at Mt.Helix
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Sea Otter Seen Near San Diego
On Monday there was an article about this event in the San Diego Union-Tribune on page B2 with a picture of the sea otter similar to the pictures Bill took. "It was a golden moment, with the setting sun lighting the creature as it floated near the vessel for about 15 minutes and boaters took photos...The sighting sent a buzz through San Diego's network of marine experts, who on Sunday were trying to determine when the last sea otter was spotted off local shores."
We have been on the go with our son here from Florida for the month of October. Even though he had traveled two days straight through from Florida with barely a break he was ready for some San Diego birding when he arrived. It was the morning of Thursday September 29th when he arrived. We soon headed to Point Loma to Rosecrans and Cabrillo National Monument for some birding. Actually Paul and Bill are the birders and I'm just along for the scenery. Laura does some of each. She likes to do a little bit of birding, but enjoys the trip much like I do.
While Paul and Bill looked through their binoculars and Bill's scope Laura and I found the sight where our friend Steve was laid to rest at Rosecrans. We had been there earlier this year with Madeline so pretty much knew where to look for Steve's grave sight in the new wall. When we were there earlier we had put flowers there and at Uncle Ivor's and Uncle El's burial places too. Usually when we go to Point Loma and to Rosecrans it is for seeing the many birds that are there. Cemeteries are good places to find birds. Rosecrans National Cemetery is on the migratory path for the birds, as is Cabrillo National Monument.
The next week included many birding trips for the birders in the family. One day we enjoyed a trip to the Laguna Mountains with many photo opportunities. Of course this was a great place for seeing birds as well as enjoying the scenery. It was a beautiful October day. We could see the desert from several view points along the way. Some of the birds seen along Sunrise Highway and the nearby mountain area were Stellers Jay, Western Scrub Jay, Lawrence's Goldfinch, Fox Sparrow and Mountain Chickadee. Bill heard a Pinion Jay which is rare for the area. Also seen were two kinds of Nuthatch and a California Quail plus a bunch of other birds.
So far this week I have joined the family for a day trip to the desert. The main event of the day was going to the birding spots near the Salton Sea. It was a pretty warm day and would be hot before the day was over. If we had waited to go another day it would have been too hot. Some of the birds seen were Yellow Footed Gull, Laughing Gull, Clapper Rail, White Pelican and Brown Pelican as well as a bunch of other birds. Most of the birds were seen in multiples. I took pictures of a flock of White Pelicans as well as the Brown Pelicans. Burrowing Owls and Road Runners are always favorites to see when on this trip.
The family has enjoyed many of our local birding spots since Bill has been here, and we have more places we can go for birds and photo opportunities. Birds were also seen while at Griff's as he is in a good spot for all things nature including snakes. We did not see snakes this time though. Last year Bill took some good pictures of a California King Snake. That kind of snake is not a problem for me, but I do not want to run into a rattle snake. Griff used to have one in a large aquarium. It was a baby snake when he got it and it grew to be large. He finally took it to the hills to release. I'm glad he does not have that "pet" now. Was not my favorite pet of all time.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
A Family Car
The blue Plymouth station wagon had served Paul's parents well and they were getting a new Jeep Wagoneer. The Plymouth still had miles left on it so Paul's dad gave it to us. We had not yet owned a car so this was a real blessing to our young family. We had four children and it was nice to finally have our own set of wheels. We lived in Coronado and could walk everywhere in our small town. Paul's dad, aka Pop, helped us by taking us to the grocery store when needed. We sometimes had other rides with him too so we had managed without a car. We also knew how to use public transportation when necessary.
This is the car that I had ridden in to go to the hospital to have at least two of our babies. I already wrote about the middle of the night ride to the hospital with Pop to deliver our youngest baby at Mercy Hospital in San Diego. Paul's parents also took me to the hospital in Coronado to have my first baby. The blue Plymouth was their vehicle then.
They purchased the Plymouth while Paul and I were dating in 1954, unless it was late 1953 as we were beginning our courtship then. It was a 53 model car. It is the car Paul's brother drove to take us to San Diego the day we were married at the Methodist Church in Coronado in August of 1954. San Diego was our destination since that is where we had our honeymoon. Paul had to work that week at the civic center in San Diego and we made the most of the situation. We stayed in a motel across the street from where Paul worked at the time.
This little blue station wagon was also the vehicle that I rode in with Paul's parents when they took me to Fort Ord to meet Paul after his Army basic training in 1955. We had an enjoyable trip going north on the coast highway towards Monterey, California and then to Fort Ord. Paul was ready for some leave time and I was so happy to see my new husband. I was expecting our first child that same summer and this would be the last time we spent together before she was born. Paul was able to come south with us back to Coronado and spend some precious time with me.
The next summer when Paul was in Korea his parents took baby Kathy and me on a vacation to see my grandma and other relatives in Washington state. The Plymouth was the vehicle we rode in on that memorable vacation. That was the only time I got to see Grandma after I was married and a mother. So Grandma got to see little Kathy, but never got to see my other babies. Kathy had her first birthday on that vacation. Paul's father had the car packed with the crib on top and the mattress to the crib in the back seat for Kathy to sleep and play on as we traveled. No child seats or seat belts in those days. I rode in the front with Mom and Pop. The luggage fit nicely in the back of the car.
That little blue station wagon transported family members for years. Paul's parents went on at least one or two other vacations in that car. One trip they took with just the two of them was to see family in Michigan soon after Paul and I got married. They did not get as many opportunities to travel as they would have liked. But they did enjoy life. They enjoyed square dancing together for a number of years.
I think it was 1965 when Paul's parents gave us the Plymouth. I know we had it when we moved to Olive Lane from the two hundred block of F Avenue. It was with us helping us move everything to the other end of Coronado, from near the bay to a block or two from the ocean. Our station wagon took us to church and Sunday school each week as well as trips to the grocery store. Old Blue was used to these trips as she had been used for transporting us over the years when the senior Marvins had her.
One time soon after we moved to Olive Lane we decided it was high time that we go to the mountains in our "new" vehicle. We had not been able to do this without a car of our own. It had been years since we had made this trip to our mountains. They are not very far away, but they may as well be in another state with no way to get there. We packed a picnic and all four children into our car and headed east to our destination. It had been so long since we had been that way. This is when the freeway over the mountain was partly built. I was used to the old highway so it was not all familiar to me. Paul was not used to driving freeways yet either. We had an adventure ahead of us.
We managed to get just to the other side of Alpine when we had car problems. It was overheating so we could not continue east to Cuyamaca or Julian. We were just beginning the mountain road east of Alpine and had to turn back to find another place to picnic. We were blessed to find a park in Alpine that fit our need. This was Dinosaur Park which was a very interesting place to discover. It had probably seen better days but that did not matter to us. We never found it again and it isn't even there anymore. So glad we enjoyed this little bit if local history.
Paul soon learned to drive freeways and get around San Diego with me navigating. We didn't go a lot of places though as we mainly stayed in Coronado. It was nice to have the car available when we needed it. We eventually got another used car and gave our blue Plymouth to a teenager we knew. I don't remember what year that would have been. Our old car was used by a class in high school to learn auto mechanics if my memory serves me well.
In 1972 Paul's Dad was getting another car so he gave us the Jeep Wagoneer that he had used for so many years. The Jeep had seen some good days with the family as well as some sad days. Our children had enjoyed rides with their grandparents in the Jeep. The senior Marvins enjoyed many happy moments together in their blue Wagoneer. Paul's mother had her final rides in this car not long before she died after her long battle with breast cancer. She died on her sixtieth birthday in December of 1971. She had been the hostess at many a family gathering. We would miss her delicious meals and the filled cookie jars. She was the grandmother that never forgot a birthday. I'm sure she would have liked seeing us enjoy our "new" Jeep Wagoneer. It may have been a 1965 model but it was new to us.
In 1973 we bought our home in San Diego, south of Chula Vista, east of Imperial Beach. This is the south part of San Diego somewhat removed from most of San Diego. We sure appreciated having Jake the Jeep to help us move this time. We traveled out of Coronado for this move. Our first time living someplace besides Coronado. My mother was just one mile from where our new place was. She was happy to have us nearby. Our blue Jeep saw us through many adventures. We finally had those mountain trips we so longed for. I learned the map by heart to get us places.
Jake the Jeep was a few cars ago, but we are still in the house we moved to in 1973. We bought several cars that we got a lot of mileage from and then Paul's Dad gave us one more car after he stopped driving. The last one we got from him was a Nissan Sentra. It was a nice little car that we enjoyed for a few years. We bought one more car that we used for a short time. We now use public transportation and enjoy the kindness of others when they offer us rides. Our car history is not really very long, but we have enjoyed going a lot of places along the way. We have collected memories from all the western states and many National Parks. We have enjoyed living close to beaches. And it is not really so far to the mountains and desert. San Diego county has it all. We can do three separate terrains in one day. But we do need a car to do this.
Thankfully we have family and friends to continue our adventures with. When Bill is here from Florida we go more places than we did when we had our car. So the adventures continue.
This is the car that I had ridden in to go to the hospital to have at least two of our babies. I already wrote about the middle of the night ride to the hospital with Pop to deliver our youngest baby at Mercy Hospital in San Diego. Paul's parents also took me to the hospital in Coronado to have my first baby. The blue Plymouth was their vehicle then.
They purchased the Plymouth while Paul and I were dating in 1954, unless it was late 1953 as we were beginning our courtship then. It was a 53 model car. It is the car Paul's brother drove to take us to San Diego the day we were married at the Methodist Church in Coronado in August of 1954. San Diego was our destination since that is where we had our honeymoon. Paul had to work that week at the civic center in San Diego and we made the most of the situation. We stayed in a motel across the street from where Paul worked at the time.
This little blue station wagon was also the vehicle that I rode in with Paul's parents when they took me to Fort Ord to meet Paul after his Army basic training in 1955. We had an enjoyable trip going north on the coast highway towards Monterey, California and then to Fort Ord. Paul was ready for some leave time and I was so happy to see my new husband. I was expecting our first child that same summer and this would be the last time we spent together before she was born. Paul was able to come south with us back to Coronado and spend some precious time with me.
The next summer when Paul was in Korea his parents took baby Kathy and me on a vacation to see my grandma and other relatives in Washington state. The Plymouth was the vehicle we rode in on that memorable vacation. That was the only time I got to see Grandma after I was married and a mother. So Grandma got to see little Kathy, but never got to see my other babies. Kathy had her first birthday on that vacation. Paul's father had the car packed with the crib on top and the mattress to the crib in the back seat for Kathy to sleep and play on as we traveled. No child seats or seat belts in those days. I rode in the front with Mom and Pop. The luggage fit nicely in the back of the car.
That little blue station wagon transported family members for years. Paul's parents went on at least one or two other vacations in that car. One trip they took with just the two of them was to see family in Michigan soon after Paul and I got married. They did not get as many opportunities to travel as they would have liked. But they did enjoy life. They enjoyed square dancing together for a number of years.
I think it was 1965 when Paul's parents gave us the Plymouth. I know we had it when we moved to Olive Lane from the two hundred block of F Avenue. It was with us helping us move everything to the other end of Coronado, from near the bay to a block or two from the ocean. Our station wagon took us to church and Sunday school each week as well as trips to the grocery store. Old Blue was used to these trips as she had been used for transporting us over the years when the senior Marvins had her.
One time soon after we moved to Olive Lane we decided it was high time that we go to the mountains in our "new" vehicle. We had not been able to do this without a car of our own. It had been years since we had made this trip to our mountains. They are not very far away, but they may as well be in another state with no way to get there. We packed a picnic and all four children into our car and headed east to our destination. It had been so long since we had been that way. This is when the freeway over the mountain was partly built. I was used to the old highway so it was not all familiar to me. Paul was not used to driving freeways yet either. We had an adventure ahead of us.
We managed to get just to the other side of Alpine when we had car problems. It was overheating so we could not continue east to Cuyamaca or Julian. We were just beginning the mountain road east of Alpine and had to turn back to find another place to picnic. We were blessed to find a park in Alpine that fit our need. This was Dinosaur Park which was a very interesting place to discover. It had probably seen better days but that did not matter to us. We never found it again and it isn't even there anymore. So glad we enjoyed this little bit if local history.
Paul soon learned to drive freeways and get around San Diego with me navigating. We didn't go a lot of places though as we mainly stayed in Coronado. It was nice to have the car available when we needed it. We eventually got another used car and gave our blue Plymouth to a teenager we knew. I don't remember what year that would have been. Our old car was used by a class in high school to learn auto mechanics if my memory serves me well.
In 1972 Paul's Dad was getting another car so he gave us the Jeep Wagoneer that he had used for so many years. The Jeep had seen some good days with the family as well as some sad days. Our children had enjoyed rides with their grandparents in the Jeep. The senior Marvins enjoyed many happy moments together in their blue Wagoneer. Paul's mother had her final rides in this car not long before she died after her long battle with breast cancer. She died on her sixtieth birthday in December of 1971. She had been the hostess at many a family gathering. We would miss her delicious meals and the filled cookie jars. She was the grandmother that never forgot a birthday. I'm sure she would have liked seeing us enjoy our "new" Jeep Wagoneer. It may have been a 1965 model but it was new to us.
In 1973 we bought our home in San Diego, south of Chula Vista, east of Imperial Beach. This is the south part of San Diego somewhat removed from most of San Diego. We sure appreciated having Jake the Jeep to help us move this time. We traveled out of Coronado for this move. Our first time living someplace besides Coronado. My mother was just one mile from where our new place was. She was happy to have us nearby. Our blue Jeep saw us through many adventures. We finally had those mountain trips we so longed for. I learned the map by heart to get us places.
Jake the Jeep was a few cars ago, but we are still in the house we moved to in 1973. We bought several cars that we got a lot of mileage from and then Paul's Dad gave us one more car after he stopped driving. The last one we got from him was a Nissan Sentra. It was a nice little car that we enjoyed for a few years. We bought one more car that we used for a short time. We now use public transportation and enjoy the kindness of others when they offer us rides. Our car history is not really very long, but we have enjoyed going a lot of places along the way. We have collected memories from all the western states and many National Parks. We have enjoyed living close to beaches. And it is not really so far to the mountains and desert. San Diego county has it all. We can do three separate terrains in one day. But we do need a car to do this.
Thankfully we have family and friends to continue our adventures with. When Bill is here from Florida we go more places than we did when we had our car. So the adventures continue.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)