A full weekend...full to overflowing...

Friday was Susan H.'s birthday. We spent a fun day at her house mostly just enjoying her new remodel. Melissa made us a de-lish brunch with fun candy gift bags....Sorry no photos of the candy at this time....Maddie came and did alittle "cleaning" in her Oaxacan apron Colleen brought her.

Such a cozy day with Susan's family coming by and calling in their well wishes...
Nothing is a better gift than family!

Saturday LE and Jon were here and we had a relaxing day doing some art projects topped off by a great meal at the new Carlitos in Santa Ynez...Thank you LE!
LE came for her 20 year reunion...can that be true!....She had a great time catching up with the Dunn Alum.

Sunday Mike arranged for a boat to deliver my brother Steve's ashes to their finally resting place, the waters off Ventura, where Steve spent many happy ...and some harrowing ...times mostly with his sons, Mike, Mark and Jeff and our dad, Bert. It was a great way to get some closure started. We then moved to Manning Park in Montecito where many of Steve's friends came by to say their good byes. He would have been so pleased....some came from Riverside even. It was good to reconnect with life time friends of ours and our parents. There were good stories shared and some beautiful words from family and friends. Our family has met at this park many times for family birthdays, so it was nice to have this event there. At Neale and my Jan. birthday gathering and Steve's and Nate's Oct. gathering, many times we would have a fire....no fire today even though it would have been nice. As Steph pointed out...Steve was the one who brought the wood.

Here is a piece I like....

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
 
Then someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"
 
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!" there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: "Here she comes!"
 
And that is dying.
 
- Henry Van Dyke