Summer Trips

One of my summer trips this year is over - my visit to New Jersey and New York.  I'm in the middle of my second trip - to Marin County, CA so I'll begin this post by telling you a little about this one.

I lived in Marin for over 40 years moving here from N.J. in 1975.  I was married here and raised my two sons here so my connections run deep.

 I moved to Arizona to be with my current husband 6 years ago and maintain an apartment here.  It is where I stay when I return to visit friends and family and has become my haven to recharge, rest and renew and I know I am blessed to have this place!

My husband was planning to come with me for a few days to visit friends and then drive back to AZ alone with me staying on for a few more days and then flying home. However, he did not feel up to two 12 hour drives.  I can't say I blame him.  And, I was a little disappointed, but also must admit that I am mostly happy to have this extra time alone here.

 I spent my first full day here with my son, Nick.  We went to the deYoung Museum to see the final weekend of the Gauguin exhibit. It wasn't large but very lovely, showcasing his art from his time in Paris, Copenhagen and finally in Tahiti. Both of us enjoy visiting museums and it's so nice to share this interest with him.

Nick and I had lunch together on Geary St. in San Francisco near his apartment that lies between the Tenderloin and the lovely neighborhood of Nob Hill, abundance abutting homelessness.

There was a pizza box right outside the window where we sat in the restaurant and within the first 15 minutes of being seated no less than 5 people stopped to open the box.  The first one scored a slice of pizza.  Sadly, the remaining 4 people continued on their way, hungry. It's heartbreaking to see this happening and I do my part to make a difference yet there is so much yet there is so much that needs to be done. But, this post is not going to address that.

Always when I visit Marin my focus is to see my son, my sister and my friends. I have accomplished most of that and will see two more friends tomorrow before returning to AZ on Saturday.

I love seeing my friends and catching up on their lives - discussing topics that we may not have time for when we chat on the phone between visits. Plus, eye to eye contact is so rewarding - that and seeing their beautiful, smiling faces.

The other thing I love to do when I visit is simply hiking the scenic trails taking in the views of the bay or Mt. Tam or walking the neighborhoods, enjoying the San Francisco skyline sparkling in the sun.

I love being here and I love being in Arizona as well. How lucky can one person get?

Since I did go on a bit, I will write about my visit to New York/New Jersey in my next post.

xo

Socializing

There was a time I enjoyed having friends over for dinner, usually 3-4 couples  preceded by appetizers and cocktails. I enjoyed the entire process: from planning the food, to the guest list, deciding on the table setting, getting the house in order and deciding what to wear.

My husband's heritage is half Irish and one of the ways he enjoys entertaining friends is with a St. Patrick's Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage, boiled potatoes, followed by my homemade strawberry cheesecake.  Of course various appetizers and cocktails are part of the festivities.

This year however, our usual group was unable to attend due to family illness so we had a little celebration just the two of us.

Another big celebration we have annually is Christmas Eve.  I have hosted a dinner for as long as I can remember - long before Bill and I were together, however, the past two years he and I stayed in Arizona rather than traveling to California for the Christmas holidays, so again, it was just the two of us for our celebration.

Life changes routines and customs, celebrations change along with it.

I must say, that even though these two festive events did not happen in the recent past is not a reason to not more forward and have a dinner party!  I think I have simply gotten comfortable just the two of us every night and I have not taken the initiative to organize a little party.

We also have taken to going out to meet friends, both as a couple and individually.  I know for me, it is a great way to catch up - getting together for lunch and a chat.

Obviously, I have been thinking about this or I wouldn't be writing about it, so I am making a commitment to have a party in the very near future, most likely in July (as I'm going to CA on Friday for a week and it will be July when I return).

Even though a party takes time and planning, it is also very rewarding and satisfying to host a dinner and entertain our friends.

I'll report back about this in a (not too distant) future  post.

Meanwhile, I'd love to hear about your entertaining events.

xo

Volunteering

I like to volunteer. It gives me a feeling a satisfaction; of giving a little back as I have been so blessed.

I'm not a serious, big time volunteer - building houses in third world countries, or feeding the hungry in poverty stricken places, but a medium-level giver/helper/do-gooder.

When my boys were in grammar school I volunteered by helping out at end of the year parties by baking cookies or helping the teacher grade papers during the school year or helping to raise money with our PTA.  Little things that I'm sure helped but were not world changing.

When my sons no longer appreciated my presence at school, I moved on looking for other opportunities.

My next offering was at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA.  I've always loved the ocean so why not do a good deed while enjoying the beautiful views of the Pacific?

My duties there were tending to the baby harbor seals.  Oh my these little guys were so cute!  Most were newborns deserted by their moms because humans interfered while they were left by their moms while out hunting for their dinner.  The staff brewed up a gruel that consisted of pureed salmon mixed with some type of liquid (rather foul smelling) so that it could be fed to these little rascals by bottle. That was fun.  What wasn't such fun was another assignment of cleaning out their pens/cages.  Again, not such a pleasant smelling job.  But hey, I was helping these little guys and the Mammal Center could do more meaningful things with their funds rather than pay staff to do this job.

I had to quit the Mammal Center after knee surgery and my next volunteer opportunity was with To Celebrate Life, a breast cancer foundation that provides support for underserved breast cancer patients.

My focus was to help raise money for the foundation by doing various tasks during the six months or so leading up to the grand gala in September of each year.

In the beginning I concentrated on gathering donations from various local businesses for the silent auction. I did that for several years.  The last year or so I added working at the gala event by admitting guests by collecting their tickets.  It was fun greeting these generous folks who paid upwards of $250 each for the dinner and fashion show - the models for the show being breast cancer survivors. Plus, I was able to watch the fashion show from the sidelines.  So touching to see these women, and occasionally - a man, strut down the catwalk wearing clothes donated by local boutiques and designers. The work I did for this organization was truly rewarding.

After my move to Arizona, I looked for another volunteer opportunity and found one at the Phoenix Art Museum.  It is a mid-size venue and filled with beautiful art.  I never seem to get my fill of art!  My position there is an ambassador of sorts.  I mingle with patrons answering their questions and making suggestions of exhibits not to be missed.  I am there once a week for 2-2.5 hours and it is enjoyable.

Still, I know there is so much yet to do in the world of volunteers and I am considering another volunteer option, though I'm not sure exactly what it will be.  I would like to feel that I am making a bigger contribution than I do at the museum. Again, I'm not looking to save the world, just to make it a little bit sweeter for someone.

I will explore this further and report back!

Health

As we age we certainly may face more health issues.  After all, think of the years we've accumulated and what we've consumed, breathed in, and put our bodies through in the name of fitness, play or perhaps, even abuse.

Regarding the abuse topic; there was a time when medical opinions insisted wine was good for us. When I gave birth to my first son, my obstetrician suggested I order a glass of red wine with my dinner as it helps increase the milk my breasts would produce. Hello!  I wanted to nurse my baby not anesthetize him. I was too uninformed and naive to know better even though my intuition told me this seemed crazy, so I went along. Now the latest data is saying that alcohol in any amount is harmful to the body.  Yes, it may help slightly in preventing heart attacks, however, the myriad diseases it has now been attributed to far outweigh any benefits.

And for more abuse - there's smoking.  Many of us indulged in this awful habit as it was considered very cool when we were young. I'm praying I've sidestepped the ravages that smoking can inflict on one's body.  I've been off those disgusting things for 30 years now.

And I've had my share of junk food, though, mostly I have always eaten healthily and definitely for the past 20 years or so I have been very mindful of the foods I put into my mouth knowing it has a direct effect on my energy, appearance and health.

I exercise 6 days a week, sleep an average of 7 hours a night, drink plenty of water, meditate every morning and spend time with the hubby and friends.  I believe that covers most of the bases for a healthy life.

I'm doing what I can to stay healthy as I age and thus far, other than Irritable Bowel Syndrome, that I've had since my forties, I do not have any health issues nor am I on any medication.  Whoo hoo!  I think I'm doing pretty good.

What are you dong to stay healthy as you age?

xo