Family Time

Yes... that's me (Rich) sharing a glass of iced tea with his dad about 49 years ago. The setting was La Mesa, California where I lived in the same house from birth until after graduating from high school. The quality of this picture isn't great; I tried taking a digital photo of an existing photo. I would have scanned the picture, but my scanner is in Idaho... but I'm in Arizona visiting with my mother!

She's 88, and doesn't get out much so I've been taking her around to various stores and restaurants in the area and pushing her all over the place in her wheelchair. Getting her in and out of the rental car is challenging enough, but we're managing and she's loving the opportunity to get out and do something different.

I arrived here on Friday and the weather was questionable -- especially in the higher elevations where she lives. It had snowed a little that day, but by the time I got to Prescott the only evidence of snow was on the mountain to the south of the town. Today the weather was gorgeous, although the wind was a bit nippy. I was happy enough, but she found it a little cold.

After today's running around we came back home and she promptly took a nap. So instead of doing the smart thing and following her lead, I went and visited a local yarn shop instead. I found a book on sweater patterns and decided to add it to my collection.

I leave here early Tuesday to return to Idaho; not knowing the delays caused by rush-hour traffic on the Interstates while driving through Phoenix, I'll have to allow plenty of time in case of a major slow-down. With my luck the drive will be a breeze and I'll have way too much time to kill at the airport!