Wednesday, December 19, 2007

MY FRIEND, SUE!

WE WERE LIKE SISTERS WHEN WE WERE GROWING UP, AND WE HAVE STAYED IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER ALL THESE YEARS SINCE. I WAS A NAVY WIFE FOREVER, AND SHE MOVED A LOT WITH THE BUSINESS HER HUSBAND, BILL, WAS IN. NOW BILL IS GONE, AND SHE'S LIVING IN FLORIDA. SO FAR AWAY FOR BOTH OF US. SHE'S NOT IN THE BEST OF HEALTH, AND IT IS HARD FOR HER TO TRAVEL.

THIS IS HER FIRST CHRISTMAS WITHOUT BILL, AND I'M SURE IT'S A HARD ONE. HE WAS QUITE A WONDERFUL MAN, AND THE WORLD IS SAD THAT HE IS GONE.

SHE AND I USED TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER AT BASS LAKE, WHERE I LIVE NOW. I THINK OF HER SO MUCH DURING MY ADVENTURES AT THE LAKE. WE USED TO CAMP IN THE NITTY GRITTY DIRT EACH SUMMER, AND IT WAS HEAVEN. WE WOULD SLEEP OUTSIDE ON ARMY COTS, AND MAKE SURE THAT THE LEGS OF ONE END OF THE COT WERE IN THE WATER. WE LEARNED HOW TO DRINK CAMPFIRE COFFEE AT AN EARLY AGE, AND TO THIS DAY I STILL LOVE TO PUT EVAPORATED MILK IN MY COFFEE. WE SPENT MANY HOURS IN THE WARM WATERS OF BASS LAKE, SWIMMING, SKIING, ROLLING AROUND ON BIG, SLICK, MOSSY LOGS, AND ROWING ALL OVER THE LAKE IN ONE OF THOSE OLD HEAVY ROW BOATS. WE PLAYED A LOT OF CARDS TOO. AT NIGHT WE WOULD ALL YELL "ELMERRRRRRRRRRR", LET IT RESONATE ALL OVER THE LAKE, AND WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO ANSWER. NEVER DID FIND OUT WHO ELMER WAS OR HOW THAT EVER GOT STARTED.

MY FOLKS AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WERE ALL MUSICAL. WE WOULD HAVE THESE HUGE CAMPFIRES. INSTRUMENTS LIKE GUITARS, A UKULELE, AND A MANDOLIN ACCOMPANIED US, AND WE SANG EVERY CAMPFIRE SONG IMAGINABLE. I STILL REMEMBER ALL THE WORDS, AND FEEL THAT THOSE YEARS WERE SO ENRICHING FOR ME FOREVER. BECAUSE OF THOSE WONDERFUL YEARS, I CHOOSE TO LIVE THERE NOW, AND CONTINUE THE SAME JOY AND APPRECIATION FOR THE SPIRIT OF THE LAKE, AS WE DID THEN. THE PONDEROSA PINES, THE FIRS, THE SUGAR PINES, AND THEIR HUGE PINE CONES, THE SMELL OF THE LAKE AND THE DRY PINE NEEDLES, ALL CONTRIBUTE TO MY AGELESS ADVENTURES.

TO MY FRIEND, SUE, I , AND EVERYONE WHO READS THIS, WISH YOU THE BEST OF THE SEASON, AND AS WE WIND DOWN AND WRAP-UP YET ANOTHER YEAR IN OUR AGEING LIVES, HAPPY OLD YEARS!! AND THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!

LOVE, PATTI

1 comment:

franswazz said...

How beautiful and how blessed you have been and are now!
Happy New Year to you!
May you be blessed with joy, peace and much happiness as you continue to take your wonderful pictures for all of us to enjoy.
My thoughts and prayers go to your friend Sue.