Back track

We had a fabulous time at Lake Margaret with cousins, Serge and family, and all the kids. I really didn’t want to leave Davis. We took a trip to San Francisco and stopped to visit Tori and John as well as Luanne and Evan. One of the greatest pleasures in life are our family and friends.

After a stop in Paradise to visit Mom and Dad, we came to Mt. Shasta. Milla, Sonja, and Pop are in a new home. Jeremy, Milla’s boyfriend, welcomed us with open arms. The house is quite spacious but there were a lot of people. Nina came down with Peter and Clara. Dina’s parents followed us up and the time went by too quickly. Papa and I talked about life. He still grieves the loss of Nina (his wife) and nothing can take the place of her.

We left for Portland and stopped in Ashland to visit our dear Fulbrights. Lunch was served outside with a fine beer and a walk downtown and the park. We arrived in Portland near midnight. Rajesh and Kshama generously provided us with their condo which is situated in the park blocks and suits us just fine. A wonderful condo.

Helen came down from Seattle to see us. Our time was short but it was so good to see her. Nina also spent a fe days with us. We went to Hawthorne Street and walked the blocks window shopping. Every thing I saw and loved I wanted to buy Dina. So I did (a necklace and a sterling silver daisy ring that doesn’t squirt water). We had a fabulous lunch at Bread & Ink; a cold borshch, pork quesadia, berry bread pudding and lime mousse. We shared a glass of On the Left Pinot Gris and a fine Savinion Blanc.

Nina came with us when we went to visit Kathy and Lee. The house is beautiful. They did a fine job painting and decorating. The garden looks so beautiful. We are lucky to have such wonderful tenants and friends.

I felt self-conscious about the short amount of time I spent with Papa. He is grieving and although it was wonderful to be with so much family, it took away our private time together. Atya was planning to go down and then stop to visit us on her way back in Portland for a few days. I rearranged our dental appointments and the kids and I joined her on her way down.

We are now in Shasta and will return to Dina in Portland tonight. It’s been a wonderful visit. Pop livened up. We brought lots of zakuski and spent time reflecting upon our growing up; Monterey, Carmel, Idaho, Africa, work, mom and Nina. The kids had fun with their cousins and I was impressed with how well Stefan behaved. Not that he is bad but usually he is the most challenging and this time he wasn’t. Milla and Jeremy have also spent a lot of time with us and it was great to get acquainted with him. We shared conversations on medicine, soccer, and family. Atya and Milla made some terrific meals and we drank many a good bottle of wine!

Time to pack up and head back north. I miss Dina. I feel almost as though we spent separate vacations. But our visits with family are important to us and we will spend the last week together before we head back to Africa. And our friends and family ARE the most important thing in our lives.