Winding Things Up...

 Our final days in California were packed with busy, happy moments all leading up to Sabbath afternoon and my grandpa's memorial service. Our trip was almost over and we could hardly believe it had flown by so quickly. We'd gone many places, done many things, seen many people, shopped at many thrift stores.

Here are a few random events too good not to mention...

John is out in California right now and we were able to see him a couple times. The first time we met at one of our favorite spots, the Ice Cream Emporium in Sutter Creek. It's a lovely, old-fashioned ice cream parlor full of appetizing sights and smells. The perfect place to go on a hot, sweaty summer day.

Except for Finley. Finley couldn't come in.

I mentioned thrift stores above. Thrift stores were a very important part of our trip. We had to go to all our old familiar ones, and checked out a few new ones, as well. I would've written a whole post on thrift stores alone, but I figured I would look a little strange creeping about the stores with my camera.

Thrift stores are an adventure. A pirate's chest of possibilities. You never know what you're going to find.

Well, at the Goodwill in Lodi, I found THIS.......

 

It was love at first sight. Devon and the cape were made for each other. How could I say no?

It....was...AMAZING!

Caleb got to see his mom, of course. They had a wonderful visit and I got to do another of my photo recreation. I'm very into that now, as the kids are getting older. It's fun to recreate scenes from the past and show how much they've changed. Lots of "awwwwwww" moments.

Later on in the week, he got to get together with both of his brothers. If Laura had gotten to come, it would have been the whole group of them.

We also made it by all the old houses. Our house has stood empty since we left, but someone has recently purchased it and is gutting it to re-sell. We got to walk around the yard and peer in all the windows to see the changes that they made. They'd ripped out the old wood stove---I wish I could have taken it, but didn't think our already-overloaded van could handle it. 

A very accurate assessment, as it turned out.

Yes, it was a busy week, but Sabbath afternoon came at last and we headed into Lodi to my grandpa's memorial. The service was beautiful. Not so much because of the program---after 3 times, there's not a lot of surprises left in it for me.  But it was beautiful to see so many people give up their chance at a  sleepy Saturday afternoon to honor one of the greatest men I've ever known.

My two uncles were also able to participate in the service this time, and we had so many family and friends there from all over the West coast. Afterward the church ladies served cookies and lemonade; a couple of them were my old friends from back when my kids were toddlers so it was nice to see them again. The whole afternoon was a great big family reunion, a celebration of a life well-lived. My grandpa would have loved it. 

Sunset the night of my grandpa's memorial.