G
GloBug
Guest
The memorial to my friend Jan who passed away 53 days ago was held this weekend. Her wonderful family put up over 50 friends and family for the weekend at a lovely center above Point Reyes, on the CA coast. My daughter Sara went with me for emotional support.
As we were about 2 blocks from the freeway entrance, my DD and I noticed something in the very busy roadway, and at first we thought it was a squirrel, it was so tiny. OMG, you can imagine our shock when we realized it was a teeny 5 week old kitten! I stopped the car, and she got out, picked up the kitten, stopped the rest of the traffic (busy, 4 lane road through town, but a kitten was involved, and my DD can get very stubborn if she believes in a cause, bless her heart!) and walked over to the curb. I was able to get over to the curb, and we debated how to handle this.
I knew we could not have have a 5th cat (I can be stubborn too!), so I called my friend Karen who does dog and cat rescue work (I have adopted a cat Jake and a dog Kiefer from her, and she found a home for Jan's cat after her death. Three days previously, I had donated $100 in Jan's name to her Nine Lives Rescue organization.http://www.newninelivesadoption.org/home.htm)
We took the cat to the Feline Bed and Breakfast she runs, and started off again for the coast. Only 30 minutes behind, not bad at all!
The drive up Hwy. 101 was usual, but when we turned off Lucas Valley Road, I knew we were in for a treat. Dark, windy, slow traffic, a beautiful drive through the forest. We passed SkyWalker Ranch http://www.insideskywalkerranch.com/prologue.htm and continued on.
The grounds we stayed on were amazingly peaceful. Trees, lovely trails that had to be taken to the hall where the events took place, and to the dining hall.
The views of the water were especially soothing to those of us who enjoy looking at the water.
The memorial events were lovely. Hundreds of photos in a slide show. Jan as a young woman, her wedding photos (!), photos of her and her racing buddy Paul Newman, different events she enjoyed when she was healthy, they were all fun and evoked a lot of laughter.
Stories were shared (yes, I spoke, and so many were grateful to hear that her cat Nicholas now has a home. Thank you Karen and 9 Lives.), laughter and tears were shared, and all left with a feeling of peace and happiness to have been a part of Jan's life.
Sara and I left early this morning, right after breakfast. We stopped at a local cheese factory and enjoyed some tastings, and bought some cheese. Sara found the perfect birthday gift for her friend who enjoys pesto and brie... some Pesto Brie!
We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, because we suddenly found oursleves in the lovely town of Petaluma! (If you've ever seen American Graffiti, that's Petaluma!) Since we were there, we stopped by to visit a close friend. He had just left, but we visited with his room mate for a while and continued on.
It was nice to get home, and I will certainly look forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight, but it was a memorable weekend, and a beautiful way to say goodbye to my friend.
Oh, Ronda, I have that Foot Prints needlepoint you gave Jan. I'll need your address, my dear. What a love you are! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there for Jan. I will never forget that.
As we were about 2 blocks from the freeway entrance, my DD and I noticed something in the very busy roadway, and at first we thought it was a squirrel, it was so tiny. OMG, you can imagine our shock when we realized it was a teeny 5 week old kitten! I stopped the car, and she got out, picked up the kitten, stopped the rest of the traffic (busy, 4 lane road through town, but a kitten was involved, and my DD can get very stubborn if she believes in a cause, bless her heart!) and walked over to the curb. I was able to get over to the curb, and we debated how to handle this.
I knew we could not have have a 5th cat (I can be stubborn too!), so I called my friend Karen who does dog and cat rescue work (I have adopted a cat Jake and a dog Kiefer from her, and she found a home for Jan's cat after her death. Three days previously, I had donated $100 in Jan's name to her Nine Lives Rescue organization.http://www.newninelivesadoption.org/home.htm)
We took the cat to the Feline Bed and Breakfast she runs, and started off again for the coast. Only 30 minutes behind, not bad at all!
The drive up Hwy. 101 was usual, but when we turned off Lucas Valley Road, I knew we were in for a treat. Dark, windy, slow traffic, a beautiful drive through the forest. We passed SkyWalker Ranch http://www.insideskywalkerranch.com/prologue.htm and continued on.
The grounds we stayed on were amazingly peaceful. Trees, lovely trails that had to be taken to the hall where the events took place, and to the dining hall.
The views of the water were especially soothing to those of us who enjoy looking at the water.
The memorial events were lovely. Hundreds of photos in a slide show. Jan as a young woman, her wedding photos (!), photos of her and her racing buddy Paul Newman, different events she enjoyed when she was healthy, they were all fun and evoked a lot of laughter.
Stories were shared (yes, I spoke, and so many were grateful to hear that her cat Nicholas now has a home. Thank you Karen and 9 Lives.), laughter and tears were shared, and all left with a feeling of peace and happiness to have been a part of Jan's life.
Sara and I left early this morning, right after breakfast. We stopped at a local cheese factory and enjoyed some tastings, and bought some cheese. Sara found the perfect birthday gift for her friend who enjoys pesto and brie... some Pesto Brie!
We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, because we suddenly found oursleves in the lovely town of Petaluma! (If you've ever seen American Graffiti, that's Petaluma!) Since we were there, we stopped by to visit a close friend. He had just left, but we visited with his room mate for a while and continued on.
It was nice to get home, and I will certainly look forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight, but it was a memorable weekend, and a beautiful way to say goodbye to my friend.
Oh, Ronda, I have that Foot Prints needlepoint you gave Jan. I'll need your address, my dear. What a love you are! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there for Jan. I will never forget that.
