R.I.P.

More from the Beach

The only good thing I can say about the 2nd place we ate dinner is that they had a nice bathroom. These hand-painted tiles graced the walls of both the ladies room (and the men's - according to mr. kenju.)  I ate scallops, which had been fried to within an inch of their lives and with a gallon of grease, it seemed. My stomach rebelled and  I won't name the place, lest you forget and think I gave it a good review. This is looking north. Low tide on an almost cloudless summer day - perfect for sitting on the beach! Someone asked yesterday if I swam. I went in about thigh deep, but the undertow was strong and no one was in the water with me - so I didn't venture further out. It was warm, though!

Below is a monument on the grounds of Fort Fisher, which was erected in 1921. It has fared well through many storms to be so old. I hope I look as good when I am 89!September 11 - May we never forget.

A Sad Task

Sunday brought an in-home memorial service for a lovely neighbor who had been in a nursing home with Alzheimer's Disease for 15+ years. When we first moved here, she was young and pretty and had a very active life. The first signs of a problem occurred when she was about 46, I think. The last time (about 2000) I saw her (before she was placed in the nursing home) another neighbor had brought her to the new home of a former neighbor for a small gathering. She carried a small recorder with a tape of her husband's voice so she could remember him. It made us incredibly sad to see her like that. By that point, she also had trouble remembering her children or their names. Not long after that, she was placed in the nursing facility. Her otherwise good health kept her going until last week.

Our women's group took up a collection for flowers, and kindly asked me if I wanted to do them. I did want to, of course. They think of it as an imposition; I look upon it as a blessing which benefits me much more than them. I was able to do four arrangements, and delivered them Saturday afternoon. Her daughters family and her husband now live in her former home, which is a nice continuity for the family and for us. I went back today for the service at noon, and found at least 60-70 people, some neighbors and mostly friends and family. Since the camera is on the fritz again, I don't have photos for you, which is too bad, since I was happy with the way the arrangements turned out.