Special Grateful Weekend

With travelling to Walla Walla for the weekend on Friday, my grateful list is going to be a day late or so... better late than never, right? This past week we are grateful:
For good weather and great sunsets. We were able to capture several sunsets this past week from our lowest deck, and often ferries were passing just as we were watching.

For Ruby. Sherilees's Airedale has such a happy personality... always looking for acceptance... always smiling... always happy to see us.

For our daughter's home and happiness. We always look forward to anytime we can come to Walla Walla to visit Sherilee, Alan and Seth. They always make us so welcome.

For my walking partner. Every day we try to go for a walk or a run... and if I don't ask her, she asks me. We never refuse to go with each other, if at all possible. This physical exercise is what I call my "sleep insurance."

For Shirley, who is a "Good Finder." More than anyone else I know, my wife unconsciously finds good in everything around her all day long. She sees beauty in places that others don't notice a thing. Like this morning on our walk she noticed the sunshine on the green grass that was growing in the ditch and said, "Look at how fresh and green that new grass is!"

For lilac time. To be able to enjoy the sweet fragrance of the lilacs in the spring brings back many fond memories of the hedge around our house on the farm in Alberta where I grew up.

For my blogging mentor. Both my children are avid bloggers... but Sherilee is always trying to help me learn new tricks. Just last night she took my computer and downloaded the newest version of Blogger and it is much faster and better than the old version I have been working with.

For love. There is a lot of love in fresh baked sticky buns! When our daughter knew we were coming she prepared lots of the favorite things she knew that we enjoy.

For a successful surprise birthday party. It was a trick to bring all the people plus the food together at Doug and Susan's place for Merritt Logan's 80th birthday and still keep it a surprise. Doug's parents arrived three days before the party, so it all had to be arranged before they came. Look how many people it took to light all the candles!

For Merritt's 80 years and good health. It is wonderful to see my oldest sister and her husband active and travelling... really enjoying life. Just to be here to take this picture of Merritt about to blow out the candles made it worth all the effort.

For old classmates and friends. Three couples from Merritt and Dolores' past came to celebrate... and along with our children and grandchildren there were 19 of us at the birthday celebration. We all had a chance to visit and take pictures... it was wonderful.

For catching up on the old times. As we sat around visiting with Dolores and Merritt, Doug and Susan after everyone else had left, my nephew Doug recalled some of his first memories of me. He was about 6 and I was 12. We had come from Alberta to California to spend the Christmas holidays with Dolores, Merritt and family. He remembered me waking up early on New Years morning and announcing, "Good Morning 1959!"...in the same style as the radio announcer in the movie "Good Morning Viet Nam!"