 |
| Mom and I on the Cassville Ferry 1996 |
Another Mother's Day has come and gone. We weren't able to be with our kids in person again this year - and settled for a Zoom video call with all five. Darling granddaughter Nell, already 8 months old, was yawning and went down for a nap soon after we started. That baby is a good sleeper! I know many people are tired of Zoom meetings, but we're still delighted that technology can put us all as close as we can without physically being together.
 |
| Happy 1st Mother's Day to Kara - here at a wedding with Jud and Nell |
As a Mom, I love my special day - and appreciate seeing social media posts - people giving it up for their Moms. I also appreciate the acknowledgment of other non-birth mom nurturers. I can think of several wonderful women who have been influences on younger generations.
 |
| A "file photo" of Jeanie with her husband Bruce |
Our Aunt Jeanie, Dad's sis, has been a special person in my life, from when I was a kid and she'd visit her parents, my grandparents in Atlantic. We'd hang out, driving around in my grandpa Bubba's VW Beetle.
One of my sisters still talks about the time she spent in Denver with Jeanie and her husband Bruce, during a summer when she was a teen, struggling to figure out how she fits in. High School can be brutal and it's nice to get a different perspective and to know there are people like Jeanie on your side. Additionally, some of my besties have special relationships with nieces, nephews, friends' kids, and godchildren. I tip my hat to all of you! Keep up the good work and support.
During Mother's Day week I think of my mom more often than usual. Now that I'm closing in on the age she was when lung cancer took her I identify with her more than ever. This year I dug into my photo bank for one of Mom and me to post on Facebook. I found one taken on our last trip together, our best trip.
 |
| Mom at Beringer |
Mom loved to travel. She planned and took overseas tours with each of her daughters. Betsy went to England, Cindy to Europe, Susi to Greece. I got to go with her to Scandanavia in 1983. Our tour included stops in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. It was fabulous!
 |
| Mom at Chandon Champagne |
In the early 1990s (1992?) we flew to Betsy's house in SE Washington and traveled Highway 101 down the coast all the way to San Francisco for my cousin David Lamm's wedding. Mom said she'd always wanted to take that trip. She planned memorable stops in Oregon and California. We went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, stayed in a motel made from 1 redwood tree, and went to wine country to visit Beringer's winery, and Chandon Champagne.
In San Francisco, Dad and Betsy flew in and we stayed near Fisherman's Wharf. We cruised out by Alcatraz, took a tour of the area including Chinatown and Golden Gate Bridge. Then we attended Lisa and David's lovely wedding - riding with the wedding party on a cable car open-air bus. It was a gorgeous day and a great way to finish up our trip.
Mom and I had a memorable time together on those trips, but our last trip together was our best in August of 1996. We went to an exotic location - Northeast Iowa and places nearby. Wannabe Travel Agent Pat, pre-Internet mapped out a route that started in Galena, Illinois for a night. During the day we visited General Grant's home there. Galena is a beautiful town - fun to visit as it has many shops and restaurants to go with beautiful views.
Next, we drove North from Illinois, barely into Wisconsin. There the photo above was taken at the Cassville Car Ferry, just a tiny spot on the map. You only need to push a button to notify the ferry you want a ride and await its arrival. A group of 50ish women from Dubuque was also waiting. They'd been on a quilting trip together. Or maybe they were gambling!
We next drove up to the tip of Iowa - Marquette, close to the most NE point in Iowa. We stayed at a hotel with a Mississippi River view. The hill it was on was home to Pinky the Elephant. Mom and I ventured into my very first Riverboat Gambling experience. Casinos were new to Iowa and there were none near Creston at that time. I wasn't that impressed. I'm still not a fan. Loud, smoky, and a money pit. It didn't take long to lose my $20 stake in the slots.
The next day of our adventure led us to Spillville to see the Bily Clock Museum a fascinating place filled with the Bily brother's hand-carved fabulous clocks. Then we headed to Montauk Historic Site in Clermont Iowa. It's the former home of Iowa's 12th Governor William Larrabee whose family lived there until 1965. The home and grounds can really give you an idea of life "back in the day".
On our last night, we had a room at a motel at Independence, Iowa. I found out that Mom spent summer weeks there as a child. She had fond memories of spending time with aunts, uncles, and cousins - the Griswolds and the Weepies. We stopped at the local library to find out to get information about the cemetery. No close family members lived in the area then.
Then it was time to head home - me to Creston and Mom to Atlantic. Car time was special - it allowed us to really talk. Mom was a heavy smoker. She tried to stop smoking a few times through the years but could never get it done. Mom had a hoarse cough that summer that she couldn't shake. Little did I know that when she got to her beloved Florida that fall, she'd be diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. It's a deadly form of cancer and despite battling it with chemo and radiation, she was gone by the next July.
 |
| Mom with niece Leslie and dolls she bought for several grandkids |
The older I get, the more I love getting together with my sisters. We each have memories about our mother - some good, some not as good. She was a fabulous role model in many ways. I see how similar my sisters and I are - strong work ethic, caring for others, not afraid to lead. And fun! My sisters and I do laugh about some of the things she did. I only need to look in the mirror to see her legacy. Happy Mother's Day Mom. Never forgotten!
 |
| Sisters! |
