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Tag: family

New River

Published on October 24, 2023 
It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

To celebrate my oldest son’s birthday, we had a family getaway to New River Gorge National Park – a weekend of hiking and autumn leaf viewing. This West Virginia park is only about a five hour drive from our home in Maryland, and made for a wonderful location for a few fun days.

Our Friday was misty and chilly, yet quite beautiful for hiking. Let me share just a few of photos –

Much to our surprise – and good fortune – we had an even more special Saturday. We had no idea when we booked our travels that October 21st was the annual Bridge Day.  The New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville, West Virginia is the longest single-span arch bridge in the western hemisphere, measuring some 3030 feet with the arch alone measuring 1700 feet. The bridge was completed in 1977; since 1980, there has been an annual festival in its honor.

On this single day, the bridge is closed to vehicular traffic. There is an enormous festival on the bridge, with vendors hawking food and crafts up and down the entire expanse. In the middle of the bridge, gutsy folks base jump off the bridge – which, seriously, has to be one of the most terrifying sports I have ever witnessed. It was wild to watch. Can you find the base jumper /parachute in the photo below? Who would dare to jump from such a height?

We spent a beautiful fall morning walking the bridge and enjoying the sights. Plus, of course, eating – yummy funnel cakes, barbecue, cotton candy, and pizza. Festivals demand that one partake, yes?

Later in the afternoon, we hiked Long Point trail, which allowed us to have a breathtaking view of the bridge from the side. We also enjoyed the surrounding fall foliage and we watched more of the daring base jumpers perform, from a much farther distance.

This is my oldest son (the birthday boy) and his daughter/my granddaughter, watching the base jumpers.

It was a fabulous weekend!

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Piano Love

Published on September 26, 2023 
It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

My husband just returned from a sentimental solo trip to Georgia, to inspect and play his mother’s piano, newly-refurbished. 

The piano was purchased in 1913, in Rome, Georgia, at McBrayer Furniture, when Tony’s mother (we call her “Mimi”) was an infant. Mimi was given piano lessons as a young child, and ended up being the only one in her family who continued to play. She absolutely loved to play the piano, and it brought lifelong joy. 

Mimi acquired this family piano after her parents died. Several of her children learned to play piano, too. Tony never had formal lessons, but learned by ear, and he has always enjoyed this pastime. He has many fond memories of the family piano, especially listening to his mother sing as she practiced playing hymns. Tony’s father was a minister, and Mimi supported his ministry by playing the piano at church services.

It’s a very ‘old’ piano – but its value is mostly sentimental. Here’s a piano story that is a family legend: during the 1960s, Mimi noticed that a couple keys were sticking and a few others were missing their ivory key tops. She decided to have the piano repaired, and was heartsick when the repair shop removed all the original ivory key tops from the piano and replaced them with plastic. Mimi never trusted having the piano serviced again. 

After Tony’s parents died and their home was sold (circa 1995), the piano was moved into the recesses of a loved one’s basement – “for the short term.” Well, there it sat, lost and forgotten, for many, many years. A few years ago, this relative’s house was sold – and the question of what to do with the old piano jumped back into the forefront of our minds. 

There are certain objects that hold a family’s love; this piano is one. 

Tony and his niece decided to have the piano refurbished, a process that took two years. Tony was so excited to sit and play it, once again. He says it sounds wonderful. Tony definitely shed a few tears as he played the piano, thinking about his mother, his father, and his childhood. 

The piano will live in Georgia, at our niece’s home.

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Sentences Together

Published on June 6, 2023
Hanging Sculpture with Beads by Nick Cave – Tampa Airport

I know I am not the only one who reads a great book alongside a vacation, and the two end up a couple forever – when I think of the book, I remember the vacation; when I reflect on the trip, I remember my reading. I just returned from a very special weekend trip, and Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence will be forever infused with this trek. On the plane ride to and from, traveling by myself, I got lost in her magical and thought-provoking story. 

My trip was a girls’ weekend, and a novel one at that. My cousin (Gem) and I traveled to Florida to visit our mothers’ last remaining sister – our dear aunt. Gem and I were close when we were teenagers; I have always adored her. We didn’t really keep close from our college years onward. Life is like that. No rhyme or reason, really. I’d say probably due to our physical distance – she lives in Massachusetts, and I am in Maryland. 

Then we dreamed up this trip. 

We had a very special travel companion, Gem’s twenty-year-old daughter (Vine). This was the first time that Vine had met a family member from this generation, since my cousin’s parents had both died before she was born. The three of us rented a car together in Tampa, and an airbnb in Ocala.  My aunt and uncle are in their 80s, and we didn’t want to totally exhaust them by staying in their home. This was such a fun setup! It was very, very special to be with my aunt, hearing and sharing stories, looking through photographs, and piecing family history. Remembering and wondering, together. In the car and back at our rental, Gem, Vine, and I were able to talk talk talk and talk some more – getting to know one another more deeply.

Let me share a few photos from our walks. It is always a thrill to see different animals and nature.

In a fun coincidence, Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence has a mother-daughter relationship woven within the plot (which involves a ghost in a bookstore). I won’t give too much away – you should read the book.  All weekend long, mothers and daughters and those who have passed were our themes, as well, with memories coming up over and over. No ghosts, though – thankfully. 

Oh – another fun thread of the book is the word ‘sentence’ and its multiple meanings, with a special emphasis on writing beautiful sentences; there’s also witty writing about new words. I dog-eared so many pages of this book, trying to hold onto passages. I just returned home from the trip, and I am still processing all that my loved ones did and discussed – sentences keep popping up in my mind, special things we shared aloud with one another. How to hold onto all this? 

Yes, it was emotional – in good, rich ways. So wonderful! Gem and I will not let so much time go by without getting together again. In fact, we have vowed to write letters to one another – to continue to build our close friendship (cousin-ship?).

A great weekend – with a great book, as well. 

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SOLSC #3 – All In

Published on March 3, 2023 
It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!
Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

In the quiet of my kitchen, I prepared a meal for the ten of us. My brother and sister-in-law were arriving later in the day, and I invited our family to join us for dinner.  I wanted our family to have a chance to connect with their uncle and aunt before we ‘old folks’ disappear on our road trip to the beach. 

Three adult sons, one daughter-in-law, two granddaughters, and a few dietary allergies and restrictions thrown in the mix.


What’s your go-to ‘flexible’ meal, that allows you to meet everyone’s needs?

I went with enchiladas, and, honestly, I had so much fun preparing these. I set out a variety of bowls of ingredients: Peruvian chicken from our favorite vendor, black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, sauteed spinach and garlic, shredded cheese, rice, salsa, avocado. Then, I assembled four separate pans for the different dietary requirements, using the appropriate ingredients for each – and I was sure to use distinct pans, as well –

the square pan for the dairy allergy, 

the salmon-colored clay casserole for the vegetarian, 

the glass dish for the meat eaters, and 

the last one was a large round dish for the “anything goes,” mixed-bag, combination, all in, everything but the kitchen sink, chef’s surprise and delight, lol.

I was amazed at my concentration, as I created these yummy foods  – and thankful for the quiet kitchen. By the time everyone arrived, I didn’t need to have my thinking cap on anymore. I simply set out the buffet, and enjoyed myself, in the company of everyone I love so much. 

I’ve had friends say – wow, your family is a pain to cook for! It’s true, it would be so much easier if we all ate from the large round ‘anything goes,’ but life isn’t like this, is it? 

“If you can’t change something, change the way you look at it.” – Maya Angelou