The Young, The Old, and A Change of Seasons
It's been just over a week now that I've been in the US. The trip went very well, including the one-night stopover in chilly London, but at least the weather was dry. Jeff was at the airport in Dallas to meet me and I spent the weekend with him and Liz. The week has been a series of seeing young and old, and experiencing the beginning of the change of seasons.
The Young (1)
One of the main reasons for our trip was to see the young: the two recently-born granddaughters, but even before I got to Arkansas, I was introduced to Jeff and Liz's addition to their family... Calamity Jane (2 months old) had only been with them a little over a week.
Calamity Jane was worn out after a 30-minute walk through the park.
The Young (2)
Jeff and I made the 5-hr trip from Dallas on Monday. It had been 32 days since Abbie left Madeira, so it was great to get to Joy's house to see her. Oh, yeah...and to see Amilia, also. Uncle Jeff has a way with dogs and babies, and he held Amilia whenever he could.
While he held her, she alternated between staring at him and laughing to herself.
(
"Why, I've got as much hair as Uncle Jeff does!"
And when Vóvó (Portuguese for Grandma...derived from avó - grandmother) held her, Amilia assumed the classic I-can-be-really-cute-when-I'm-asleep role babies use to atone for their "Hear-my-cry,-o-Mama!" moments.
Amilia - 3 weeks old; Abbie - less than 3 weeks from being another year older than Amilia
The Young (3)
Still to be seen: Braewyn, Rachel and Chris's daughter, who is now 10 weeks old. We'll be seeing her in a week, when we get to Colorado.
The Old
Abbie and I drove to her parents' house, about 2 hours away, to see them one more time before we head west. Abbie spent almost a week with them before Amilia was born, being present for her father's 90th birthday. Her parent's physical health continues to be as good as it has been over recent years, but her father suffers from loss of memory that causes him to continually repeat questions he's just asked. He knew who I was when we got there, even though he said he didn't know we were coming to visit them. We are thankful they are in as good health as they are. Abbie's brother lives next door and keeps an eye on them, making sure they are taking the right medications at the right times and that they are OK. They need some degree of assistance each day, and we appreciate Ben's dedication to help them, when the rest of the family lives a great distance away.
A Change of Seasons
Here in the Ozarks, the trees are just beginning to turn. The peak will be in a couple of weeks or so, after we've left, but we see the signs here and there of what is coming. This is something we don't experience in Madeira, where the year-round climate is temperate and the change of seasons is mostly marked by rainstorms in the winter months.
Besides the changing hues of the leaves, we see the pumpkins so common here in the fall, but which are much brighter than the varieties in Madeira. Halloween, too, is something much more prevalent here, only recently being promoted commercially on the island. From the displays in the stores, Halloween must be just around the corner. Add a black cat to this scene on the porch at Abbie's parents, and Halloween may be closer than we think.
News from home...
Jackie has not yet been able to have her heart procedure, due to the poor functioning of her kidneys. Doctors of the various specialties are discussing the best way to proceed, given the multiple complications of her health condition. She and Jaime will be remaining in the UK, where she can get the treatment the doctors feel she needs.
On the island, Dawn has had to go to the hospital. Initial tests show a clot in her heart, a shadow in her lung, and problems with her esophagus. I spoke with her husband, Roy, who said further tests are planned as soon as next week to determine the exact nature of these signs. Roy is taking the English services while we're away.
Next week we head west, planning to arrive in Colorado on Thursday afternoon, after visiting a church in SW Oklahoma. Two weeks from now, we'll be in the UK and almost home.
The Young (1)
One of the main reasons for our trip was to see the young: the two recently-born granddaughters, but even before I got to Arkansas, I was introduced to Jeff and Liz's addition to their family... Calamity Jane (2 months old) had only been with them a little over a week.
Calamity Jane was worn out after a 30-minute walk through the park.
Jeff and I made the 5-hr trip from Dallas on Monday. It had been 32 days since Abbie left Madeira, so it was great to get to Joy's house to see her. Oh, yeah...and to see Amilia, also. Uncle Jeff has a way with dogs and babies, and he held Amilia whenever he could.
While he held her, she alternated between staring at him and laughing to herself.
(
"Why, I've got as much hair as Uncle Jeff does!"
Amilia - 3 weeks old; Abbie - less than 3 weeks from being another year older than AmiliaThe Young (3)
Still to be seen: Braewyn, Rachel and Chris's daughter, who is now 10 weeks old. We'll be seeing her in a week, when we get to Colorado.
The Old
Abbie and I drove to her parents' house, about 2 hours away, to see them one more time before we head west. Abbie spent almost a week with them before Amilia was born, being present for her father's 90th birthday. Her parent's physical health continues to be as good as it has been over recent years, but her father suffers from loss of memory that causes him to continually repeat questions he's just asked. He knew who I was when we got there, even though he said he didn't know we were coming to visit them. We are thankful they are in as good health as they are. Abbie's brother lives next door and keeps an eye on them, making sure they are taking the right medications at the right times and that they are OK. They need some degree of assistance each day, and we appreciate Ben's dedication to help them, when the rest of the family lives a great distance away.
A Change of Seasons
Here in the Ozarks, the trees are just beginning to turn. The peak will be in a couple of weeks or so, after we've left, but we see the signs here and there of what is coming. This is something we don't experience in Madeira, where the year-round climate is temperate and the change of seasons is mostly marked by rainstorms in the winter months.
Besides the changing hues of the leaves, we see the pumpkins so common here in the fall, but which are much brighter than the varieties in Madeira. Halloween, too, is something much more prevalent here, only recently being promoted commercially on the island. From the displays in the stores, Halloween must be just around the corner. Add a black cat to this scene on the porch at Abbie's parents, and Halloween may be closer than we think.
News from home...
Jackie has not yet been able to have her heart procedure, due to the poor functioning of her kidneys. Doctors of the various specialties are discussing the best way to proceed, given the multiple complications of her health condition. She and Jaime will be remaining in the UK, where she can get the treatment the doctors feel she needs.
On the island, Dawn has had to go to the hospital. Initial tests show a clot in her heart, a shadow in her lung, and problems with her esophagus. I spoke with her husband, Roy, who said further tests are planned as soon as next week to determine the exact nature of these signs. Roy is taking the English services while we're away.
Next week we head west, planning to arrive in Colorado on Thursday afternoon, after visiting a church in SW Oklahoma. Two weeks from now, we'll be in the UK and almost home.
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