Happy Birthday Soaring Eagle

Here's what 70 looks like

Take one spectacular garden, thousands of fragrant flowers, numerous hummingbirds and tiny birds in flight, delicious Mexican buffet and homemade caramels, add Class of '64 from Hogan and Vallejo and what do you get? A birthday celebration of us all turning 70! Granted, language was coarse at times which I deplore. I did connect with Roxie and Mary Ellen whom I hadn't seen in decades. Three hours of delight and even the weather cooperated after a rain shower an hour earlier in Concord. Ending General Conference weekend with a baptism could not have been better.

Mary Ellen, me, and Roxie. These were friends from the 60s.

Forty-five years and counting

I met my friend Kathy 45 years ago. We both attended the brand-new singles ward and got better acquainted on an outing to Lake Berryessa. When I was raising a young family in the city the flat next door was for rent and she ended up moving in. We'd invite her over for breakfast before she left for work and got together a lot until she moved and eventually we moved also to the East Bay. Since we met in 1971 we've been eating together and going to movies and on vacation over the years. Independence Day we had a lovely picnic on Mt. Tam. On 9/11 we went to a favorite spot neither one of us had been to in a long time, Tennessee Valley Trail, and hiked to the beach which took an hour and ate our picnic lunch on a bench overlooking the Pacific. What a great couple of outings to celebrate our long friendship.

National Parks Centennial

http://www.pbs.org/a-capitol-fourth/concert/nps-turns-100/

Of all the beautiful parks I've visited because of an adventurous mother probably Yellowstone had the most impact if I had to choose one. Animals, scenery, smells, brick lodge. It was tremendous. I wrote about it in my published journal, One Magical Summer.

Alioto Plaza concerts

https://www.facebook.com/People-in-Plazas-248108193229/?fref=nf

After inviting half a dozen couples just married at City Hall to dance to the concert music this couple agreed. I'm in the pink cap.

Utah, Wyoming and Colorado

The plan worked. I flew Allegiant to Provo, Utah, July 29 where Adam picked me up and dropped me at Provo City Center Temple where I had family names I did. I love this temple, my first time inside. I spent three nights with his family in their newly-built home, we danced to Happy together, attending church on Sunday. We read books. We had a salmon dinner feast that evening and celebrated the twins' birthdays again with a basketball cake after walking to the nearby playground together. Stephanie drove me to Greyhound bus station in Salt Lake City bound for Rock Springs, Wyoming, where I met up with Eve's family returning from two weeks in Idaho. We had a fun road trip to Colorado and arrived at the empty rental. My first night was on the floor wrapped in a beach blanket. Thankfully the van arrived in the morning and two hired men unloaded for four hours to the two-level lovely home. Over the course of a week it was transformed into a beautiful living space for the family. A very fun event was attending the downtown celebration at Olympic City for the opening of the Rio Olympics. https://www.facebook.com/events/1706537516283178/. I especially was thrilled to see the Clydesdales again and stand under two filled hot-air balloons. I danced around to the Brazilian music. I swam one day, took one or both boys on walks to the community room or nearby playgrounds, saw wild bunnies almost daily, and attended church together. I put Happy on for dancing and also played hide and seek. We read books. I helped unpack, flatten boxes, wash dishes, empty the dishwasher and watch the children. Rick got the TV mounted in time for the Olympics August 5 but reception for the station was spotty. He put together a basketball game and they looked at air hockey and a ping pong table for the spacious playroom downstairs. The high altitude definitely affected me even though I made base camp in Utah. I was 1500 feet higher in Colorado. Adam made sure the boys had scripture time and prayer before bed and so did Rick with a song and prayers. Their FHE my last night was memorable with song, prayers, lesson on family, duck duck goose, red light, green light and popcorn and grapes in the patio finally seeing the moon and another hummingbird. Weather ranged from hot to cloudy, rain, hail, thunder, lightning, mostly beautiful cloud formations and one morning an entirely cloudless blue sky. We ate delicious meals together having stopped in Denver on the way where I treated to Spaghetti Factory in lovely downtown. Taco Bueno was delicious twice and fed a family of five for $11.00 with their specials. The ravioli dinner and salmon dinner were delicious. These moves for my children are the third in only two years. Rick would be working in Denver August 9 and awoke at 4 a.m. to take me to the airport.

I was 29

Today is my daughter's birthday. I was 29. I walked to City Hall and enjoyed dancing to a blues quartet band in Alioto Plaza. I asked about five newly married couples to come over and dance but all declined. I had a view of the waning moon to the left of the rotunda and looked over and there it was. Peter Pan's ship sitting right on top of Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. I've never noticed that before. Weather was lovely. It was way too hot to dance last night in Concord but today at noon, perfect. In fact two women complimented me on my dancing, that it was smooth and I had rhythm. One told me I needed a partner. Good times in the city.