Lorna Collins - Author

My Friend, Bernie Schwenck

2025-07-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

How do you summarize a friendship of over fifty years? I have been wrestling with this for a couple of weeks. I still can’t figure it out, so I’ll start at the beginning.

We met Bernie when my mother-in-love bribed us to attending church with her. We had stopped going to church several years before. We had lived out of the state, and when we returned, our previous church was gone.

In the interim, Larry’s folks had purchased a mobile home in Dana Point. When we came back to California, we began to spend all our weekends there with them.

Mother’s birthday was May 6. A week or so before, she announced, ”All I want for my birthday and Mother’s Day is for my family to go to church with me.” So, we went.

That first week, we discovered that the pastor was a surfer. It was enough to get Larry to go back. The next time we went, the pastor’s wife greeted us by name! I later discovered she’d had the ability to really see and remember people from the time she was young. She never forgot a name. This was Bernie.

She was far from the stereotypical pastor’s wife. She didn’t play the piano or teach Sunday school classes. She sang in the choir, participated in Bible studies, and took part in women’s activities. She attended all the women’s retreats and contributed wisdom to all of them.

Schwenck family 1972

She didn’t look like a stereotypical pastor’s wife, either. Her long hair hung to her waist. She wore short skirts and knee boots—or whatever was comfortable. Since this was a “beach church,” people accepted her as she was, and she did the same. She always seemed to see the best in people.

The door to their house was never locked. Their friends and their children’s friends knew they could walk in at any time—and they did. Bernie’s only request was that if folks showed up and she was busy, they could either talk to her while she continued or they could help. And if she was watching a sporting event, guests were expected to join her. (They could cheer for the opposition, but she would cheer louder for UCLA or the Dodgers. And she would yell at the referees if she thought they made a bad call.)

Bernie had worked as a PE teacher and coached the cheerleading squad in New Jersey while Bob was attending Princeton Seminary. She had a real passion for sports, having been a cheerleader in high school and college. She never missed a game or sporting event for either of her children or her grandchildren.

Larry and Bob and our friend Diana Gardner (nicknamed “Gidget”) formed the Community Presbyterian Surf Team. They had great times surfing together, and Bob became Larry’s best friend.

After the Schwencks’ first trip to Hawaii, they became as hooked on the islands as we were. By this time, we had gone quite a few times and had visited all the islands (except Niihau). The four of us began to vacation together. In time, we traveled all over the world, and we always enjoyed spending time together.

We usually followed the same pattern. We would start planning a trip several months in advance when we discussed the details. Since I am somewhat of a control freak (an understatement), I usually made the arrangements for flights and hotels, etc. (unless they had miles or credit they could use to book their own). In our first meeting, however, each of us chose one thing to do on the upcoming trip. I usually selected something adventurous, like taking the helicopter flight over Kauai or visiting the leper colony on Molokai. Larry’s choice always involved surfing. Bob usually picked something fun, like bike riding down Mt. Haleakala on Maui. Bernie, however, always wanted to do the same thing: paddling the outriggers on Waikiki. She said, “This is the only place on earth where you can do this.” And she loved it.

Bernie 3rd from left

We all liked “funky” places to stay, and we always tried to save money. However, we found some incredible places where we returned on future trips. Fortunately, we had quite a few friends who lived in the islands, so when we were there, we tried to visit them. I have terrific memories of special adventures with dear friends.

Bernie always went along with whatever craziness I planned. She’d say, “I just want to go along and have fun.” The only other thing she wanted to do in Hawaii was spend time sunning on the beach. Because I am far too fair to spend much time in the sun, I either went shopping, or swam laps in the hotel pool, or read a book.

On one memorable trip in 1990, we were joined by our friends Don and Karen Seapy. Don always said it was his very favorite vacation. The highlight was the glider flight over Dillingham Airfield.

l-r: Larry, Bob, Bernie, Don, Lorna, Karen

When Bob did an exchange pulpit in Scotland, we stayed with him and Bernie and spent several days with them before we visited with my family and did a bit of sightseeing. When he did the same thing in New Zealand, we went to visit before exploring the country on our own. In both places, we met lovely people from his guest congregations, some of whom we are still in touch with.

We also traveled to places in the US together, and many of those trips resulted in great memories—like the Rainbow Motel, the very worst place we ever stayed. (Bob picked it.) Even the not-so-great experiences became shared legends and the sources of much laughter.

We visited Italy, Ireland, Australia, France, and other spots in the world with them. We never failed to enjoy our travels.

Through the years, Bernie and I cried together and laughed together and shared lots of love. We lost friends and loved ones and grieved together. We comforted each other and knew we could count on each other.

But, who do I count on now?

Bernie passed away on May 23 after a battle with Parkinson’s and a couple of strokes. It’s hard to believe that her vibrant spirit and contagious laugh and smile won’t be there for us anymore. There are so many things I will miss: hugs, and wisdom, shared silences and shared laughs, moments when no words are necessary, and moments of understanding.

I visited with her each of the three days before she passed and was able to tell her it was okay to let go. I assured her that Larry and I would be there for Bob and her family, and they would be okay because she helped to make them the strong, loving people they are. I prayed with her and told her I loved her. I assured her that I was certain her daughter Erin would be waiting along with her mother and other friends and family. And I assured her God would greet her with: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” I truly believe this.

But my dear friend left a huge hole in my life and that of the others who loved her.

After she passed, I did what I do. I helped Bob write her obituary and then created her obituary website: bit.ly/459dNMl

I also spoke at her memorial service and created the video: https://youtu.be/cSJoF6a4nfM

But these small things just can’t begin to capture who she was and what she meant to me and to those who loved her. I shall miss her for the rest of my life.

…And Still More

2025-07-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

Since May, eight of our friends have passed away besides Brooke Bailey, about whom I wrote about in May. (She died on the fifteenth.)

…And they just keep coming…

Bob Wille

Bob Wille

Sherry Derr-Wille and Bob

Bob was the husband of one of my writing partners. They had been married for just short of 60 years. He died on May 10.

Lynette Christy

Lynette

On June 26, we finally located her younger brother just to discovered she had died about six months ago. We’ve looked for her off and on for years. He told us she had married and moved to Ecuador—quite likely the reason we hadn’t been able to reach her. Larry and I and his best friend and Lynette double dated for a couple of years. Larry’s friend passed away in 2008. We had hoped to share this video of when we were all together with her. We sent it to her brother to show her son. https://youtu.be/uKh4mhEqStM

Teri Atkinson

Teri

She was related to our great-niece, Savannah. Her mother died when she was eleven, and her grandmother died ten days later. Terri was like a surrogate grandmother to Savannah and a lovely lady. We shall miss her. https://tinyurl.com/4vkkwh9m

Shaun Corrales

Shaun

Shaun was my cousin, Eileen’s oldest child and her only son. He passed away on May 22. He was only 55 years old. https://www.echovita.com/us/obituaries/ca/templeton/shaun-luis-corrales-19855537

Bernice Smith Schwenck

Bernie

Bernie passed away on May 23. I will write more about her separately.

Nelloise Blue

Nell

Nell passed away on June 27. She had been a member of our church for many, many years and was a loving and sweet friend to many of us.

Wendy Jenkins

Wendy

Wendy was a longtime friend and church member. She passed away today, July 10. She had an infectious smile and a wonderful sense of humor. (She always accused me of dying my hair!) She took a bad fall a couple of weeks ago. We visited her in the nursing home, and she was anxious to get back home. She did return, but then had a series of strokes. I shall miss her very much.

Far too many in a short time.

Another Loss…

2025-05-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

Losing those we love is always hard. We all expect our parents to die someday. If we are married, we assume one or the other of us will go first. And if we are blessed to live long enough, we will begin to lose close friends. However, what we do not expect is for young people to die suddenly.

I am currently helping to facilitate a GriefShare group , and several of the people in that group have lost children. I know I will never understand just how they feel, but I can’t imagine anything more wrenching.

About an hour after I returned home last Thursday, while scrolling through Facebook, a photo of a dear young lady we loved appeared. When I read the caption, I began to sob. Larry was sitting next to me and asked what was wrong. I was crying so hard I could hardly answer him. I managed to get out, “Brooke died.”

His answer was to be expected: “Huh?”

“Brooke died.”

This time, what I’d said finally registered, and I watched the pain on his face.

I cried for several hours…

~~~

Brooke’s mother, Arleen, was one of our daughter Kim’s best friends in high school. She spent hours with us, and Kim spent time at her house. As with many of Kim’s friends, we stayed in touch with Arleen through marriages, divorces and kids, mostly through email and then later through Facebook.

She finally met Jim, and her life became more stable. They had a daughter, Brooke.

Kim worked at Disneyland for several years, and Arleen and Brooke had passes. When she could, Kim met them there, and they enjoyed the park together.

I remember her telling us that Brooke’s favorite ride was The Haunted Mansion Holiday. Even though she was little, Brooke was never afraid. She loved Jack Skellington.

A few years ago, Arleen called us. She had a favor to ask. Brooke was enrolled in IPoly High School, located on the campus of Cal Poly, Pomona. Only the top students qualified, and Brooke was a terrific student. This program combined the usual high school curriculum along with college-level classes and self-directed learning.

Arleen explained that for her senior project, Brooke had to select a career she might be interested in pursuing and then find a mentor to work with her through the school year. The commitment was for fifty in-person hours plus emails and phone calls throughout the year. Arleen knew we were authors and that I was editing. Brooke decided she wanted to find out about this career, and Arleen asked if we would be willing to work with her. We did not hesitate to answer, “Yes!”

So, during the next eight months, her folks drove her down to our home in Dana Point from their home in San Gabriel Valley every few weeks so we could spend two or three hours with her while they went to the beach. (Fortunately, they both love the beach!)

Arleen, Brooke and Jim

We started with the basics: story structure, character development, world building, etc. We have an extensive collection of books on writing, and every time Brooke came, she went home with two or three. The next time, our visit started with a discussion of what she had learned from the books.

In October, I suggested she take part in NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. Participants commit to writing every day, completing a book within the month. I told her if she finished, we could edit it together and publish it. She was excited at the prospect.

Larry is a plotter, so he and Brooke discussed creating an outline ahead of time so she would know what her story was about and where it was going. (I, on the other hand, am a “pantser.” I write by the seat of my pants and let the story evolve through my characters.)

She started out enthusiastically, but about halfway through, she lost interest. She completed the book, but she said when she finished, she didn’t like it and didn’t want to publish it. We agreed the experience was still a good exercise.

I gave her a couple of chapters of a book I had edited and asked her to take a shot at it for practice. She brought it back, and we compared her notes with mine. She did a great job with it.

Larry completed his sci-fi book, The McGregor Chronicles: Book 3 - Alien Invasion, while we were working with Brooke and invited her to be a beta reader. She gave him several suggestions, which he included. And she is mentioned in the Acknowledgements. Her review is quoted in the Readers’ Comments section of the book.

Periodically, we had to log into her school portal to record the number of hours we’d spent and answer a few questions about what we had done. She did the same.

During one of our last sessions, she sat with me as I uploaded a manuscript I had edited and formatted for an older gentleman. I’d asked if I could call him during the process so I could explain what I was doing, and I asked his permission for Brooke to look on in real time so she could see the actual steps. As a former teacher, he was delighted to have her. She watched and asked questions of me and the author. It felt like it was the most valuable time we spent with her.

She had to produce a final project and chose to do an interactive PowerPoint for her class about what she had learned. She sent it to us ahead of her presentation, and we were impressed with her work. So was her teacher. I think she got an A+ grade on it.

Of course, we attended her graduation and cheered loudly along with her large family when she walked across the stage.

High School Graduation

She decided to take a gap year before starting college. During that year, the family moved from California to Florida.

She did return to college, where she graduated with honors and immediately started on her Masters degree. We expected to hear great things from her.

She was one class short of completing her degree when her mother found her in her bed last Thursday morning…

~~~

We are still processing the news, but we are also very grateful to have had Brooke in our lives. We came to love her very much. We have no grandchildren, but Brooke became like a grandchild.

Thank you, Brooke, for the sunshine and joy you gave to this world.

Thanks to her sister, Amber, and her godmother, Chris, for the photos.

This is a link to her obituary. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/boca-raton-fl/brooke-bailey-12379068

My Maternal Cousins

2025-05-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

Karen, David, Kathy, Eileen, Lorna, Ron

My maternal cousins and I grew up together. We all lived fairly close, so we saw a lot of each other. Aunt Muriel and Uncle Gordon (David and Eileen’s parents) lived in El Sereno. Aunt Evie and Uncle Frank (Karen and Kathy’s folks) lived in Monterey Park. We lived in Alhambra. We were within five miles of each other.

We spent all of the major holidays together. Mom hosted Easter, Aunt Muriel had Thanksgiving, Grandma had Christmas, and Aunt Evie and Uncle Frank had New Year’s Eve. Known as “Hogmanay” in Scotland, New Year’s Eve was a very big celebration. (My grandparents were both born and raised in that country.)

David was the oldest. I was next and fourteen months younger. Three years later, all the “littles” were born. My brother, Ron came along in May, Eileen arrived in August, and the twins were born in December.

Aunt Evie and Uncle Frank put in a swimming pool, and we spent a great deal of time during the summer at their house. Lots of happy memories were made there!

We all knew each other’s neighbors because we played with them. Many years later, a couple came to our church. I recognized her as the little girl who had lived across the street from my cousins, Eileen and David. They had a large family, and we had played at their house often.

I babysat for my aunt’s neighbors and knew them and their kids very well. When I was in my twenties, I went to work for an income tax preparer. I ended up working for my aunt Evie’s best friend. I had taken care of her kids. She and I also became good friends over the next few years.

When I was in my early teens, Aunt Evie and Uncle Frank moved north to San Mateo in the Bay Area for work. The first Thanksgiving holiday after they moved, Eileen and I took the train to visit them. She enjoyed playing with the twins, and I got to spend time with Aunt Evie.

We still got together fairly often. In high school, I dated one of David’s friends, and he dated some of mine. We practiced dancing together to all the latest music. He embarrassed me by screening my boyfriends!

After Aunt Evie and Uncle Frank moved away, Aunt Muriel and Uncle Gordon hosted the Hogmanay party as well as Thanksgiving. Aunt Evie and Uncle Frank sometimes came down for the holidays.

Eventually, I married, and David went into the Air Force. Then he moved back to the East Coast where he married. We all loved his wife. They later moved back to California where we got together with them once in a while.

Life moved on, and we all became busy with our own families. Larry and I visited Aunt Evie and Uncle Frank a couple of times a year. We saw Karen and Kathy while we were there.

The last time we were all together was at our 50^th wedding anniversary party in 2015.

Karen, Kathy, Lorna, Ron, Eileen, David

Ron passed away five years later.

This past weekend we celebrated the life of Aunt Evie, who died at 101 years old. She’d had a long and happy life, so we all wanted to be there to celebrate her. The remaining cousins all came.

Kathy, David, Lorna, Eileen, Karen

I still love my cousins and am grateful for all the wonderful memories we share.

Remembering Aunt Evie

2025-04-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

Aunt Evie was my favorite relative on my mother’s side of the family. She was young and fun, and I loved her dearly.

Born Evelyn Ella Higginson Methven on August 28, 1923, she was the youngest of three girls. Aunt Muriel and my mother, Vera, were raised as good Victorian children—seen, but not heard. Evelyn was seven years younger than Muriel and six years younger than my mother. She belonged to a different generation.

Mom said they all spoiled her. She and Muriel treated her like their very own living baby doll. And she was “cute as a button.” She had a heart-shaped face and big eyes, and charmed everyone.

She was also an independent spirit. She took part in sports and had lots of friends.

When she was about five, the family moved from their home in East Los Angeles to a new house in West Hollywood, then a part of Beverly Hills. At the time, many young people who would later become film and TV stars also lived nearby, and Evelyn new quite a few of them.

Down the street lived the George family. One member of the family was of particular interest to Evelyn: Frank, the third of four sons. They dated throughout high school. Grandma always said she didn’t need to guess where Evelyn was. All she had to do was look down the street. Usually, Evelyn was draped over the front fender of a car looking down into the engine compartment while Frank was working underneath. He was crazy about cars. And they loved to dance!

Mom described how they would come home from a dance and Evelyn’s chin was raw from rubbing on Frank’s suit jacket. They danced the jitterbug and all the other popular dances of the day. He lifted her up and flipped her over his shoulder and then pulled her through his legs.

They were engaged the evening of my mother and father’s wedding on October 27, 1942. Frank and Dad were both in the Army at the time.

They were married on August 15, 1943.

She moved with Frank to Washington, DC, where his job was teaching pilots to fly, using the LINC simulator. Following his time in the service, they moved back to West Hollywood, and Frank opened his own garage. It was a lot of responsibility, but he loved working on cars, and did so for the rest of his life.

On December 1, 1949, Evelyn gave birth to twins: Karen Ann and Kathy Lee. By this time, they were living in the “little house,” an ADU behind my grandparents’ home. My family had lived there until I was two years old. By this time, Grandpa had died, so Grandma liked having Frank and Evie nearby.

Evelyn really appreciated the help with the twins as they had many allergies, both of them to different things. Karen was allergic to cow’s milk and had to drink goats’ milk. Not easy to find in those post-war days.

This was also the era when babies were put on feeding schedules. However, the twins were on different schedules: one was every three hours and the other was every four hours. Evelyn was exhausted!

Frank was working very long hours in his business, so they weren’t able to spend much time together. They met with their pastor for counseling, and he suggested they plan a “date night” once a week where they could spend some time away from the children and reconnect. Friday nights became their special time, and they continued this practice for many years.

After my father died, when I was seven, my mother was determined to raise us by herself with no help from anyone. This included family. (My mother had an over-developed sense of pride.)

Evelyn and Frank did what they could to give my brother and me special attention Uncle Frank attended Indian Guide meetings with my brother, and Aunt Evie spent time with me.

Christmas was a challenge. The three sisters agreed to give small gifts only to the kids and to their mother. They set a limit. I think it was about two dollars each at the beginning for our gifts. Later, it may have gone to five. In those days, it was possible to buy toys for that amount.

When I was about ten, we arrived at Grandma’s for Christmas Day. My eye was immediately attracted to a HUGE package. When I checked the tag, it had MY name on it! It was about 3 feet wide, two feet high, and two inches deep. I couldn’t wait until after dinner when we could finally open our gifts!

Inside was a Betty Crocker Junior Baking kit! It held miniature cake pans, cookie cutters, a mixing bowl, spoon, measuring spoons, cookie sheet, plus several mixes for cookies, cakes, and icing. I heard my mother scold Evelyn about exceeding the limit, and my aunt told her she had found it on sale. I knew it was a lie, and so did Mom, but there was nothing she could do about it.

I felt so loved, not because of the size of the gift or because Aunt Evie had dared to stand up to my mother, but more because she understood who I was and knew this would be the perfect gift for me. I baked all the mixes, but I kept the cooking items and used them for years. I still had them when I my own daughter was born, and she and I played with them. I think she may still have them!

In the early 1950s, Evelyn and Frank moved to a new house in Monterey Park, California, just a couple of miles from our house in Alhambra. We spent a lot of time with them—especially after they put in a swimming pool.

When I was about twelve, I began babysitting for Aunt Evie and Uncle Frank. Because I knew so many of their neighbors, I also babysat for their kids.

Eventually, Evie and Frank hired me to sit with the girls for their Friday night “date nights.” Even then, I recognized this as a way to give me a little extra spending money, which my mother could not object to.

Aunt Evie picked me up on Friday afternoon and took me to their house, where she had already prepared dinner for the girls and me. After they left, I fed the girls, and they watched TV until their bedtime, while I cleaned up the kitchen. Then I oversaw their baths and got them into bed.

Then, I had the TV to myself and could watch my favorite TV shows: 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye. At home, I rarely got to choose what I wanted to watch, so this was a real treat!

Then, I locked up the house and went to bed in their guest room.

In the morning, Uncle Frank fixed breakfast, usually pancakes. (They were his specialty.) From Aunt Evie, I learned to love them with plain yogurt and fresh fruit. This is still my favorite way to eat them.

It was about this time that my relationship with Aunt Evie changed from aunt and niece to friends. I used to tease her that she was my favorite playmate!

Uncle Frank’s job took him to San Mateo, so they moved there in the early ‘60s. The first Thanksgiving break following their move, my cousin, Eileen and I took the train up to visit them.

Aunt Evie was a phenomenal seamstress. She made all her own clothes and for years, she made all of the girls’ as well. On this particular trip, I took fabric and patterns to make Mom and me dresses. Aunt Evie taught me how to make self-belts, and how to put in invisible zippers. These were two dresses Mom and I both wore until they fell apart, and we loved them.

After Larry and I were married, we went to visit them once or twice each year. Larry was an engineer and was genuinely interested in the details of Frank’s work. He would listen to Frank’s stories and ask appropriate questions. They got along very well. Evie and I frequently left them and went shopping.

Before we arrived, Aunt Evie would find fun, new places to visit with us. We also had some we all enjoyed and visited each trip. Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto in Berkeley was a favorite as was the Alta Mira Hotel in Sausalito for brunch. We especially loved Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park. They had a wonderful restaurant and lots of little shops. I often bought Christmas gifts there. When Evie was a docent at Filoli, we visited several times. Once she gave us a behind-the-scenes private tour.

We also went into the city (San Francisco) to sightsee, shop, and play. We spent time at Pier 39 and Ghiradelli Square, and Evie often found fun new places to shop for bargains.

In 2011, Aunt Evie had a stroke. A couple of months later, we went to see her. I was amazed at how she managed. She had gotten along well with her physical therapy. The only real aftereffect of the stroke was her issue with speech. She was sharp as ever and knew what she wanted to say, but she got frustrated at not being able to get the words out.

Their daughter, Karen, was concerned about her folks living in their big house with many steps as they got older and began to have some physical challenges She decided to ask them to move in with her so she could care for them. Before this could happen, however, Uncle Frank was hospitalized. He passed away on January 4, 2017. They had been married for 73 years.

Since the moving plans were already in place, Evelyn moved into Karen’s house. The twins cleaned out the family home (a daunting task!) and rented it. Evelyn and Frank had purchased two other homes when they first moved to the Bay Area, and those provided rental income for their retirement.

A couple of years later, Karen’s daughter and son-in-law moved to Reno. Property was reasonable, so Karen sold her home in California and moved to Reno, Nevada. Kathy was still working and living in California, but she planned to follow her sister when she and her husband retired. They visited often.

In 2023, Aunt Evie turned 100 years old. Karen and Kathy threw her a great party to celebrate. Most of the family attended, as well as many of her friends from California. She had a wonderful time and even got out on the dance floor.

Kathy and her husband, Jay, moved to the Reno area not long afterward, so she was able to spend more time with her mother.

On November 5, 2024, Aunt Evie died after a short hospitalization.

I am very grateful to Karen for her dedication and care during Aunt Evie’s last few years. She was able to provide her a marvelous quality of life, and Aunt Evie truly enjoyed herself.

We were able to see her in June of 2024, and spent a couple of days with her. We shared memories of her early life, and she laughed and we shared pictures. I loved her for my entire life, and I am grateful for all the wonderful cherish memories of her.

Here is the link to a video I put together in her memory: https://youtu.be/FFcOc25IDvg

My Friend, Luanna Rugh

2025-03-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

I first met Luanna when she and her family started attending our church in the early ‘80s. She was very shy, and I didn’t get to know her very well at first.

Her husband, Len, was outgoing and friendly, and so was her daughter, Sandra. Lu’s parents also attended the church, and I got to know them, too. Her dad was sweet and quiet—a real gentleman. And her mom was creative. She made beautiful decorations from shells. I have a magnet on my refrigerator she made as well as an ornament on my Christmas tree.

Len was severely wounded in Vietnam, but I learned quickly enough not to call him “handicapped”! Even though he was missing a large part of his brain and was completely paralyzed on his left side, he believed he could do anything. And the longer I was around him, the more I believed it, too.

After a while, we got to know both of them better. I discovered that Lu had a wicked sense of humor. She might have been shy, but when she opened up, her true personality came forth—sometimes with a vengeance. It took several years, however, before she became comfortable enough around me to let it show. I discovered we both loved irreverence, and she always made me laugh.

From the time Len was wounded in 1969, her goal in life became to encourage him to be everything he could be. He was labeled “unretrainable.” She talked him into attending Saddleback College. He eventually graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Political Science, even though everyone said it was impossible.

Lu and Len loved to travel. After Sandra left home, they bought a 5^th wheel and drove all over the US—including Alaska. Lu did all the driving. They spent time in Hawaii, too, which they both loved. They often stayed in the military hotel in Honolulu and bought timeshares on Maui, which they shared with Sandra and her husband, Steve.

While attending Saddleback, Len began to write a book about his experience in Vietnam. He worked on it for twenty years before he felt it was completed. By this time, Larry and I had joined the same critique group he belonged to (Lagunita Writers). One of our members told Len the book wasn’t finished yet. He’d written all about his experiences in Vietnam, but he hadn’t explained how he had been able to learn to walk and talk and do all the amazing things he’d accomplished. So, after twenty years of working by himself, he invited Lu to help him tell the second part of his story.

When they finally finished, the book was over 1300 pages! His good friend, Larry, told him, “Len, you’ve written the complete book for your family, but now you have to cut it down enough so it will sell.”

Len understood. So, for the next two years, we met with them every Wednesday night, usually at our house. One of us took care of dinner, and then we spent a couple of hours working at the computer cutting the size of the book. We went through it three times, line-by-line, word-by-word, until it was at its final length of 440 pages.

It was published in 2009 as Promises Kept; How One Couple’s Love Survived Vietnam.

Although Lu had written half of the second part of the book, she still told everyone, “I was a biology major. I’m not a writer.” Promises Kept won the 2010 EPIC Award for Nonfiction. It has become hugely popular with veterans’ groups.

While they were working on their book, I started a project with three other friends. It was an anthology about four sisters with a common through-story. However, one of the participants had to drop out because of health issues. We could have made it about three sisters, but the overall outline was for four.

I mentioned it at one of our weekly meetings. The following week, we went down to see Lu and Len at Camp Pendleton where they were spending a week camping. She asked me about the project, and I explained it to her. She asked if she could take part. By the time we left that day, she had outlined her character and the story she wanted to tell.

She was the first one finished with her novella! And hers became my favorite story in the book. Snowflake Secrets was published in 2008, before Len & Lu’s book. From then on, I told her she could no longer say she wasn’t a writer!

This was the first of six anthologies, all set in our fictional town of Aspen Grove Colorado, and Luanna was part of all of them. Seasons of Love came next, followed by Directions of Love, An Aspen Grove Christmas, The Art of Love and …And a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe. Snowflake Secrets was a 2009 finalist for the Edward Hoffer Award, finalist for the 2008 Dream Realm Award, and a 2009 EPPIE award. Directions of Love won the 2011 EPIC ebook Award for best anthology.

I must have finally convinced her that she WAS a writer because she eventually published two more stand-alone novels: Love From the Sea was published in 2016, and Up in Flames published in 2020.

One thing we shared in common was a love for everything Disney. We had annual passes, and they got military passes each year. We went with them often. Each time we passed the wheelchair rental, we’d suggest Len rent one. “Heck no. Those are for people who need them.” Despite his total paralysis, he had learned to walk with a full leg brace (hip to ankle) on his left leg. His left hand was in a sling. He balanced by carrying a cane in his right hand. He’d learned to swing the brace while balancing on his good leg. He couldn’t drive, but he took the bus everywhere. Most of the drivers in Orange County knew him. When we were eating with them in a restaurant, someone would approach and greet him—often a bus driver.

He took part in classes to train physical therapists on how to work with people with his level of paralysis. He called them his “physical torture” classes. But he was proud to have been able to help train others to help people like himself.

He also took part in The Vietnam Head Injury Study. Every few years, he flew back to Washington D.C. for a week of tests and interviews. In later years, Lu went with him. They never could explain how he was able to accomplish so much with as severe an injury as he had sustained. Of course, the real secret was Lu. She knew when to push and when to step back. He never wanted sympathy or help when he didn’t need it, and those of us who spent time with him learned this quickly.

For years, the four of us ate brunch together after church on Sundays. During his last couple of years, Len was in and out of the hospital and rehab. Covid made everything much worse as he was often in quarantine. Lu was at loose ends without him to care for.

He was moved to a nursing home at some distance from their home, and she drove to see him several times a week. After Len died in 2022, Luanna lost much of her interest in life, and we saw her fading. Her memory began to fail, and her zest for life ebbed.

Finally, Sandra moved her into a lovely assisted living facility. She did better there, but she eventually started falling and forgot to take her medications. After yet another stay in the hospital, she was in terrible shape. Once again, Covid quarantines kept us from visiting. When we finally saw her, I was shocked. She could barely communicate, and she looked terrible. I called Sandra about our concerns. She said she couldn’t get any information from the facility and was very frustrated since she lived in Minnesota and Lu was in California.

Shortly thereafter, she moved Lu back to a facility a few minutes from her home. I couldn’t believe the change the next time I spoke with Lu. She was back to her old self! The caregivers at her new place monitored her medications and kept a close eye on her. And she flourished.

She made friends, played Bingo, watched movies, and cheered for the Vikings.

She was terrific for nearly a year. But then, she developed a UTI and was hospitalized. When she finally was well enough to return to her facility, her mental state had reverted to where it was when she left California. And she refused to eat. Being a type-2 diabetic, this contributed greatly to her downhill slide. She was put on hospice for a few days and just seemed to fade away.

I am convinced she is now with her beloved Len, where she has longed to be ever since he died. And I’m sure she is making jokes and laughing. At least, that is how I will remember her.

A SAD FAREWELL

2024-05-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 7, 2024

After the terrific party on Saturday, Sunday took on a completely different tone.

We all got up and attended the church service. Silvia, Toshi, and Kim were warmly welcomed. Many of those in attendance had been at the party the day before and were still in a celebratory mood.

We returned a couple of hours later for a much more solemn occasion.

The time had come to celebrate the life of our Japanese daughter, and Toshi’s wife, Kae.

Unfortunately, some of the people who knew her were unable to attend, but quite a few of the church people and some of the folks who were part of our writing group came. (Kae and Toshi had sat in on our meetings several times when they were here visiting.) As always, the most important people were there.

Rev. Bob Schwenck facilitated the service since Pastor Leanne Strommen was out of town. This seemed appropriate since Bob not only knew Kae and Toshi from their frequent visits, but he conducted their wedding in the same church in 2003.

He threw Kim a curve ball by asking her to read the 23^rd Psalm. (He was supposed to read it, but he thought it would mean more if Kim read it. I had asked the family if they wished to speak several days earlier. Larry said he wouldn’t be able to get through it. So did Kim and Toshi.)

Kim got through it but with lots of emotion. Kae was her dear sister, and they were close.

I had known I wanted to tell everyone what Kae had meant to me and to our family. I’d spent many sleepless nights during the previous month trying to edit all the things I’d wanted to say about this precious member of our family. I finally decided just to speak spontaneously.

I told about how I had only given birth to one child but how we had acquired quite a few others through the years. The first foreign student in our home was with us that morning. Silvia had arrived the week after we moved into our new home in Dana Point in 1987. She was followed by Yuka, Yasuko, Yuko, Fumiko, Yoshiko, and another Fumiko. Our last one came in the spring of 1998. Kim hosted a student, Ikue, and her neighbors, the McKinneys, hosted another, Kae. Because they lived so close, the three girls spent a lot of time together—much of it at our house. (I always said we got three for the price of one with this group!)

My mother provided quite a bit of their transportation since Larry and I and Kim were all working at the time. She fell in love with all three of them. She couldn’t remember their Japanese names, so she referred to them by their characteristics. Ikue was “the little one” since she was short like Kim. Fumiko was “the funny one” since she had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh. Kae was “the pretty one.”

1998 California – Kae, Lorna, Ikue, Fumiko

Later that summer, we moved to Osaka, Japan to build the Universal Studios Japan theme park. During our stay, we saw all but one of “our kids.” We saw Kae and her then-boyfriend the most often as they visited us about once a month.

When we returned, Toshi worked for a company which required him to make trips to the US. Whenever he came, he tried to extend his trips to spend time with us. He sometimes brought Kae with him.

Even though they were legally married in Japan, they wanted their wedding in California. So in 2003, they were married in our church.

Wedding 2023

They continued to visit us whenever they could, and our home in Dana Point became their second home.

On our anniversary in 2010, the phone rang at 3:00 a.m. Toshi was calling from the hospital. Kae had collapsed and was not expected to survive. All we could do from the distance was promise to pray for her. And we asked the church prayer chain to join us. Despite the “less than 5% chance” her neurosurgeon gave her of surviving, she not only recovered by thrived. And she (and he) credited all the prayers for the miracle.

A couple of years later, she became a Cordon Bleu chef. The next time she visited, she prepared a beautiful four-course meal for us and our friends.

Chef Kae

In April of 2022, she was supposed to start a class toward completing her master’s degree. Instead, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and entered the hospital.

By June, Toshi began talking about bringing her home to California one last time. However, her doctor would not clear her to fly until October. As she entered our house, she smiled at me. “Mom, I’m home.” And for her, this was the place she considered “home” more than anywhere else.

On December 20^th, Toshi texted me that she had lost consciousness. A few hours later, he called Larry. “She’s gone.”

I suggested perhaps he could bring her ashes here and spread them at Dana Point. He told me he had a note in her writing making this request.

And this was the day.

Even though Toshi had initially said he couldn’t speak, he changed his mind. His words were articulate and heartfelt as he described this beautiful soul.

Then Rev. Bob read a scripture and a poem he had written for her.

We then showed the memorial video about Kae. https://youtu.be/RJw-NYz3dBU

Following the service, we gathered at our home for a small reception. Then we proceeded to the marina to board a catamaran to take us out to sea so we could spread her ashes.

Larry had reserved the small catamaran, and fourteen of us went out beyond the breakwater just before sunset. Just as he had for my mother and my brother, Larry released her ashes into the ocean.

I had taken a basket of roses to the church for the service, and we tossed them into the water. https://youtu.be/lUBfjQ-eSYk

Larry’s brother and sister-in-love, Casey and Lucy, could not join us, but the rest of us went to dinner at the Wind and Sea in the Marina. We had kept our promise to Kae.

The Rest of the Week

On Monday, we spent time with all three of our kids.

Silvia, Toshi, Lorna, Larry, Kim on our front steps

We delivered Toshi to the airport for his 7:30 a.m. flight on Tuesday morning, after which, Silvia, Kim, and we went to breakfast at Mollie’s in San Juan Capistrano (Kim’s favorite breakfast pace).

Then we went down to the Outlets in San Clemente, where Kim and Silvia bought a few gifts to take home with them.

We ate an early dinner at Harpoon Henry's and then went to the point to take a photo.

Silvia, Lorna, Larry, Kim at Dana Point

Silvia was supposed to have left on Wednesday, but there was a mix-up about her flight time. She was supposed to fly to Hong Kong for a couple of days to visit a friend. However, it worked out okay since her friend was ill. Silvia’s travel agent was able to book her on a different flight leaving on Thursday afternoon.

We were able to spend a little more time with her and enjoyed it. Then, on Thursday, we drove her down to LAX with plenty of time before her flight.

Since we had all day Friday to spend with Kim, we got her a ticket to Disneyland and spent the day with her there. We all enjoyed both parks, as always.

Saturday was her day to do laundry and repack for her trip home to Texas. She had a 7:45 a.m. flight out of John Wayne, so we got her there by six. She had an uneventful trip.

The house seemed quite empty when we returned. We had thoroughly enjoyed having all three of the kids with us. After the very busy week before, we were determined to rest and relax for a couple of days.

Post Script

As Toshi requested, we made arrangements for her to have a rose bush planted in the church's memorial rose garden. We talked about getting one called Yokohama, but we discovered this Japanese hybrid can not be exported to the US. Instead, we agreed on Disneyland Floribunda since the trip to Disneyland was on her bucket list and we had made it happen for her.

Last week, the bush was planted, near the arbor where she took pictures on her last visit and right next to "Grandma" where she would have wanted to be. The marker is on order and should be in place when Toshi visits next.

Kae's rose bush

Kae will live in our hearts forever, and we will think of her each time we visit the rose garden.

THE BIG EVENT

2024-05-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 6, 2024

The big day had arrived.

Toshi got home in time to change his clothes and help load the car with everything we needed to take to the church by ten a.m.

We had gone with a surfer theme. Our goddaughter, Tracy, had created the invitations, and her mother, Pat, created all the table decorations.

There were two cakes—one chocolate and one vanilla. Woodies and vans were in evidence.

Heather Taylor arrived shortly after we did. She created a photo booth with an ocean background that looked a lot like Doheny. She had also brought a printer, and her son, Eric, made prints for everyone who wanted them. (These were the “party favors” for our guests.)

Our caterer (Chef Freddie) arrived with his team to finish preparation of the lunch. And Pat and Bruce brought the centerpieces and helped arrange everything. (The church sexton had set up all the tables the evening before.)

Thank goodness Toshi was with us. We had brought a video of Larry through the years to show. There was a TV, but we didn’t know how to set it up. Thankfully, Toshi figured it out.

Silvia and Kim helped me pass out the colorful leis we had brought for everyone.

Chef Freddie set out a lovely salad bar, and at noon, everyone who had arrived was encouraged to help themselves. Freddie had assured us there would be plenty of food with some left over afterward. He was right!

Our guests entered, were greeted with leis, and found seats.

Meanwhile, we plugged in the PA system, so we could make announcements.

By about twelve-thirty, most of the guests had arrived. Chef Freddie announced the menu, and his servers brought the food to the tables. Lunch consisted of chicken breast (stuffed and non-), roasted vegetables, rice pilaf, mushroom gravy, and delicious fresh rolls and whipped butter. Yummy!

A few more people showed up during food service, and we had more than enough food for everyone plus large containers to take home. (We are still finishing off some of the chicken we had frozen.)

Next, we showed the video we had prepared. https://youtu.be/4cop9YkI8nE

Everyone enjoyed looking at all the old photos and Larry narrated part of it.

His oldest friend, Scott Campbell, had planned to surprise him by attending. However, a business trip interfered. He sent a letter, and Lorna read it. His account of a couple of incidents was slightly different than Larry’s recollection, so he had to clarify.

Several times during the party, we requested that people have their photos taken, and most did. Everyone seemed to have fun with the idea, and Eric made lots of prints for our guests to take home with them. (IF you were a guest and did not get yours, please let us know.)

I put some of the photos on a video for you to see: https://youtu.be/MHG-wE44mBU

I had asked Larry’s brother, Casey and his best friend, Bob Schwenck, to speak about Larry, and they both did a wonderful job. https://youtu.be/oFXkolkDCKQ

Cake was served, followed by a toast (with sparkling apple juice).

Most everyone had a picture taken with Larry. All our kids took great pictures with him and each other. These will provide great memories of a terrific event.

Too soon, it was time to call it a day, and we bid our guests goodbye.

The whole day was a fitting tribute to a wonderful man, husband, father, and friend.

BUSY DAYS

2024-05-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

We woke early on Tuesday after not sleeping well the night before, despite being exhausted. This was our only day to finish the laundry, put the clothes away, empty the luggage and store it, straighten the house, open a week’s worth of mail, pay bills, visit the bank and post office, shop for food, and prepare for the following week.

We managed to get most everything done, but by early evening, we were worn out. To bed early.

Wednesday, April 3, 2024 – Larry’s Birthday

We would be celebrating Larry’s birthday with a party on Saturday, but his actual birthday on Wednesday was spent on trips to the airport.

Kim had not been able to visit during the holidays, so we flew her out for this occasion. She would be staying for two weeks. It sounded like a long time when we made her reservations, but we had a lot planned.

She arrived at noon at John Wayne (Orange County). Since it was lunch time, we stopped at a restaurant to eat.

We’d just placed our orders, and Kim asked, “What time will Silvia arrive?”

OOPS!

Our Spanish daughter, Silvia, was arriving in the afternoon to surprise Larry. She was our first foreign student, who had come to us right after we moved into our house in Dana Point 1987. She was fourteen years old. She arrived with a Spanish high school group, although she was actually from Tenerife in the Canary Islands. We had stayed in contact with her through snail mail, email, and Facebook.

Lorna, Silvia, Kim, Larry 1987

She had gone on to a career as a model, completed her university degree in Public Relations, was named Miss International in 1990, and worked in Spain.

A few years later, she arrived to spend the summer with us.

Lorna, Larry, Silvia in San Francisco

She had worked as an actress in Miami for a few years before the pandemic. During that time, she had talked about coming to California for a visit, but her work schedule never allowed for a trip. It had been nearly twenty years since she had last been in California. However, she had some physical problems and returned to Tenerife, just in time to be quarantined. So, she still had not returned to Miami, although she expects to do so soon.

Kim, Silvia, and I had made plans for Kim to pick her up at LAX at four o’clock in the afternoon while Larry and I would be picking up our Japanese son, Toshi, at John Wayne at three. We had intended to surprise Larry when Silvia arrived at the house.

However, the surprise came a little earlier than planned. At least, he was surprised—and delighted

Toshi’s flight from Tokyo was on time, and we collected him.

Kim and Silvia arrived a little before six. They had picked up food on their way home, so we all sat down and ate dinner together.

This was the first time Silvia and Toshi had met, and they hit it off well. (They both knew about each other, as do most of our kids.)

While we had been out, the cleaners arrived. They had finished by the time everyone arrived home.

We were all tired. Silvia and Toshi both had a bit of jetlag, and Kim had been up early to catch her plane out of Plano, TX. We were all in agreement to go to bed early. I think most of us went to sleep early, although as he usually does, Toshi remained on Japanese time in order to conduct some business meetings on Zoom while he was here. (I have no idea when—or if—he sleeps.)

Having all three of them in our house was a terrific birthday gift for Larry.

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Silvia spent the morning enjoying the rock garden. She found it a restful and peaceful place to unwind.

Silvia relaxing

Kim got up early and started the coffee, but she went back to her bedroom to rest for a while longer. Toshi slept in a bit.

Once everyone emerged, Toshi suggested brunch at Bonjour Café, one of our favorite restaurants.

Toshi, Kim, Larry, Lorna, Silvia

In the afternoon, Larry’s niece, Carrie, and her family from Utah, along with his brother and sister-in-love, and their great-granddaughter all came to visit. Shaun’s son, Tyler, arrived with them. Shaun arrived a bit later.

Carrie and Loren and their family had to be back in Utah by the weekend, so they would be unable to stay for the party. They brought pie and ice cream to celebrate Larry’s birthday. Shaun’s birthday was that day, so we celebrated his, too. Larry was delighted!

Years ago, I had given Carrie’s older son, Eli, my electronic keyboard. Last year, I sent him my melodeon. He has become quite a musician, as he demonstrated for us.

The younger son, Asher, recently has been playing his dad’s guitar.

Larry had two Ovation guitars of his own. One had not been played for years. (He doesn’t really play either of them anymore, but he has a favorite.)

He brought down the one he had stopped playing for the boys to see.

Asher opened the case, removed the guitar, and started strumming. Then he took it into another room before his brother could get it. He never came back.

I started to laugh. It clearly was meant to be his. I told his mom, “Well, Eli got the keyboard and melodeon, so it’s only fair that Asher get the guitar.”

We really enjoyed seeing all of them. Larry especially enjoyed the pie and ice cream.

During their visit, Silvia went to the backyard near the waterfall to record her Thursday podcast. She interviewed Larry and me at the end of her broadcast.

The afternoon went quickly, and we had another busy day ahead on Friday with the party on Saturday.

Silvia and Toshi left for a short while to go to the beach to see the sunset. Kim took our other car to run some errands of her own.

Silvia at the beach at sunset (San Clemente)

We all agreed on another early night, and Toshi had more meetings scheduled.

Friday, April 5, 2024

Friday was the day to get all the pieces in place for the party on Saturday.

Toshi borrowed our car to meet friends in San Diego. When he is here, he tries to get together with his So. Cal. friends. Since they planned on a late night, he said he would stay in San Diego until Saturday morning, but he promised to be back in time.

Silvia’s friend, Stephanie, came down to pick her up, and they spent the day in Los Angeles. They had a great time.

We loaded some of the party items in the car. Then we went to Costco to pick up the cakes (one chocolate, and one white) for the party and flowers for Sunday.

We enjoyed spending the day with Kim and looked forward to the Big Event the next day!

FAREWELL TO JAPAN

2024-04-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

April 1, 2024 – Part 1

I didn’t sleep very well. I was concerned about our transport to the airport arriving on time to give us some breathing space before our flight. Now that the celebration was over, my mind was going a mile a minute thinking about everything I had to get done as soon as we got home.

We got up and went down to breakfast. Then, I worked on my blog and Larry read until it was time to check out.

We left the bags with the bellman and headed out for a last walk at CityWalk.

But first, we said goodbye to the minions. The whole hotel has been re-themed with them, and the employees’ costumes are also minion-themed.

With the minions at the Universal Port Hotel

We enjoyed being in the area one last time. People were headed toward the park, and others were exploring the shops and restaurants at CityWalk.

Since it was close to noon, and since our plane wouldn’t leave for several hours, we decided to get a light lunch. McDonalds was right there, so we went in. A lovely young man was talking orders—and he spoke perfect English.

I ordered a six-piece McNugget “set-o” (the same as our combo). He informed me I could only get the six-piece as a Happy Meal.

“Sounds perfect to me.”

Larry ordered the same.

After getting our drink orders, he asked what toy we wanted. We both declined.

We found a two-person table and took our time enjoying our lunch.

We still had about an hour before our airport transport was scheduled to arrive, and it was cold out, so we stopped by Starbucks for coffee. We sipped our drinks while we people-watched. It was still a thrill to see people emerge from the train station excited about going to the park. This reaction was what we had hoped for when we were working there. And, here it still was twenty-three years later.

With about twenty minutes left until our ride was to arrive, we returned to the hotel and reclaimed our bags. We waited inside until Larry received a text that our ride was on the way.

After a short wait in front of the hotel, our van arrived.

The ride to the airport was without issue as was check-in. We checked our large bag and got our boarding passes. Then we headed to the departure gate.

Larry rushed through the airport. I had a hard time keeping up with him. Of course, our gate was a LONG way from the entrance. We had to walk through all the Duty-Free shops and food areas to get to another section. Then we had to take a train to yet another area to find our gate. (Kansai is now about twice the size it used to be.)

We finally arrived—and there was no one there. I finally asked Larry why he had been in such a hurry. He said he thought we were too late to make the plane. Times for all transportation in Japan are on 24-hour clocks, but we had entered the time on our calendar in 12-hour time. Larry had misread the departure time. We arrived at the gate well over an hour before boarding.

I found a seat, and Larry took our empty water bottles to refill them.

Little-by-little others began to arrive. Then the crew drifted in. As each group appeared, they turned to the waiting passengers and bowed. Gotta love the Japanese.

Finally, it was time for our group to board.

Everything went smoothly. We got settled in and blew up our travel pillows. I remained optimistic that I might get some sleep during the flight, even though I almost never do.

After we were airborne, we were served beverages. Then they served dinner: either chicken or pork bowls. I chose pork, and Larry had the chicken. They were accompanied by the usual assortment of small side dishes. The food was okay, but it didn’t begin to compare with the meal we received on the trip to Japan. I ate some, and Larry finished the rest.

I closed my eyes and tried to rest, but I couldn’t sleep. I decided to watch a couple of movies. I saw Wish. It was disappointing, and I could understand why it wasn’t considered one of Disney’s best. Then I watched Anyone But You. Kind of a dud as well.

I turned off the entertainment and closed my eyes. I still didn’t sleep, but rested a bit.

April 1, 2024 – Part 2

Even though we left Japan in the evening of April 1, we arrived in LA about noon--on April 1. We had recovered the day we had lost on the way over.

Fortunately, this flight was much shorter than the one to Japan. (The flight to Japan was about thirteen hours. The one back was about nine-and-a-half.) About an hour before we landed, lunch was served: a kind of taco salad with several small dish accompaniments. As usual, I ate the entrée and left most of the rest. Larry ate his and then picked at the things he wanted from my tray.

We left the plane and went through customs. The process was much more streamlined than it was the last time we arrived at LAX. Everything went pretty quickly.

We finally got out of the airport and called our driver, Danny. We told him where we were waiting, and he arrived before long. We are so blessed to have found him!

After an uneventful drive, we arrived home in the afternoon.

We took all the dirty clothes to the laundry room and started the washer. Then we began to unpack.

We weren’t hungry, so we skipped dinner. Good thing since we had no food in the house.

Since we were tired, we decided to get to bed early. We still had a lot to do for the week!

AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER

2024-04-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

March 31, 2024 – Part 2

We walked the two or three blocks back to our hotel following a great reunion party. We had to stop at a signal before crossing the street, and two American guys on bicycles crossed the other direction and passed us. The signal changed, and we crossed.

As we reached the opposite corner, the bicyclists came back and stopped next to us.

One of the fellows looked at Larry. “I noticed your name on your jacket and wondered if you are the Larry Collins who wrote the book 31 Months in Japan.” (We were wearing our USJ team jackets with our names both in English and Japanese.)

This was curious because 1) I couldn’t figure out how he could have made out Larry’s name on his jacket as they rode by and 2) Obviously, he knew the name of the book. (People often get it incorrect. They get the number wrong or they change “months” to “weeks” or “days.”)

Of course, we confessed to being the authors.

“We really loved your book. We’re working on the project now, and all the challenges you wrote about, we’re still dealing with.”

“Yeah, the book has been a real help,” the second guy added. “We even gave a copy to our boss, Molly Murphy.” (I didn’t recognize the name, but I looked her up and discovered she is the president of Universal Creative out of Orlando, Florida.)

Turns out, they were returning to the park after a meal just at the same time we were headed back to the hotel. Two minutes earlier or later, and we would have missed them altogether.

They asked us about some of the people in the book, correctly identifying “Jurassic Mark,” with whom they had worked, and guessing at a few others. We asked if they were working with our friend, Tommy. We had just seen him at the reunion party. They were all on the current project.

We spent a couple of minutes answering questions and sharing some items not included in the book.

They had to get back to work, and it was getting cold outside. We shook hands and thanked them for stopping. The first guy said his name was Tom. I didn’t catch the name of the other one. As they rode off, I thought of all the times we had ridden our bikes around the park during construction, including on this same street. Of course, it wasn’t actually a paved road then.

To me, it felt like an echo from twenty-three years before. We still felt connected to this place where we had spent so much time.

This conversation emphasized the need to publish the Japanese translation. Our book was still relevant, if only to those still updating the park. From time to time, we’ve heard from those who are visiting Japan or who have gone there to teach English how valuable the book had been for them.

We first published it in 2005, and every year we still sell some. It is on Amazon, Walmart, Barnes & Noble and other online retailers. We also sell them on our website: http://www.lornalarry.com.

The next day, we confirmed the names of the both fellows with Tommy (Tom Fitz and Josh McMurray). I hope we can contact them again.

Once back in the hotel, we decided to stop at the little snack shop on the ground floor for dessert. By the time we had stopped socializing long enough to eat, the desserts were gone. This little shop had several ice cream choices. So we each got one and enjoyed our sweets.

Then we returned to our room to finish re-packing for the next day.

We went to bed, hoping we would get a good night’s sleep.

EASTER IN JAPAN

2024-04-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

March 31, 2024

Easter Sunday started very early. We heard a noise at 2:45 a.m. It took a minute to figure out it had come from our phones and another minute to get to them across the room. We finally realized the sound came from our Ring doorbell. Larry tried to use the talk feature, but it was already too late.

We looked at the video and realized it was our postal clerk delivering mail to our front door. She wore her rain outfit. (She had brought it to our door because it was raining pretty hard.)

Once we were awake, we had a hard time getting back to sleep. We were still overtired from the day before and excited about the afternoon.

We eventually got up, showered, and got ready.

Today was the reunion party for the USJ Construction Team. We’d have liked to have gone to our church in Kobe, but we didn’t have enough time before the party. We were excited to see everyone again.

We went to breakfast a little later than usual, and we took our time eating.

As we passed through the hotel lobby, we stopped by the minions to take pictures.

Then we returned to our room and repacked most of our stuff since we were leaving the next day. Our dirty clothes went into the checked bag, and the clean ones went into our carry-on bags. We had received quite a few gifts from friends, and they had to be fitted in.

Terri had asked us to bring copies of our book, 31 Months in Japan: The Building of a Theme Park, because some of the contractors wanted them. So, we put them in a bag along with the other items we needed to take with us to the banquet (omiage, etc,).

Then we headed to the hotel where the banquet would be held.

One of the first people I saw was Dote-san. We were really happy to see each other!

Dote-san and me

We spent quite a while catching up with friends.

Miho, Dote-san, Yuki, Lorna, Chie, Larry, Richard (Chie’s husband)

Hatanaka-san and Bob Murphy

Hunvey Chen, Christiane Sentianin, Tommy Garcia, Mark Adams

Noriko and Maki

USI Team: Back: Bob Murphy, Mark Adams, Larry Collins, Tommy Garcia, Setsuko
Front: Hunvey Chen, Terri Igarashi, Christiane Sentianin, Lorna, Tomoko, Chie

Opening the sake barrel: Ritzuko, Terri, Tomoko

These were the sake cups we were each given as mementos of the event.

Hunvey, Christiane, Tomoko, Terri

USI Team: Christiane, Mark Adams, Hunvey, Bob Murphy, Lorna, Larry, Yuki

Terri and Larry

We were served a terrific buffet meal with lots of choices to please everyone. Sake, beer, and other beverages were available. Non-alcoholic choices were also offered.

And there were games…

Lots of socializing.

Lorna, Chie, Christiane, Larry

While we were all there, we took a “class photo” of everyone.

What a great event! And we sold six books. We could have sold more if we’d had them.

We received a wonderful gift. Yuko Yamashita, the wife of one of the contractor employees, gave us a CD with our book, 31 Months in Japan: The Building of a Theme Park, translated into Japanese! I have always wanted to have it available in that language so all our friends could read it. Now I have to figure out how to format it.

BACK TO THE PARK

2024-04-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

March 30, 2024

Although we were still tired after our big adventure the day before, we were excited about seeing “our” park again. We had already noticed from our room how much bigger USJ had grown since it was built. We also knew ET, Back to the Future, Backdraft, Terminator-2, Western Stunt Show, Animal Actors, and other original attractions were long gone. ET was replaced by Spiderman, and it, too, closed the week before we arrived.

We had been in touch with Christiane Sentianin, the Area 3 admin in Hollywood, prior to our trip. She and Hunvey Chen had planned to visit the park on the 30^th. They told us what tickets to get. Yuki Nakamura and Mark Adams and his wife also planned on going the same day. We had bought our tickets and express passes for the same date and time as they had before we left home.

We went down to breakfast early, but not quite as early as the day before. Everything seemed to be back to normal. Regular length lines. No overflow restaurant. A full selection of items.

We knew the park would open at eight a.m. I had texted Christiane to see when they would get to the park. She said they planned to arrive about nine.

We returned to our room and got ready to go. We decided to go early in case there were any issues with our tickets. Fortunately, there were none. We carried our express passes for the most popular attractions. Our first scheduled ride was Mario Cart at 11:30, so we had lots of time.

We entered the park about eight-fifteen and found a table outside Boulangère on Hollywood Boulevard. From there, we could look down the street toward the entrance.

Christiane texted a couple of times to let us know where they were. Before long, I looked up and saw her running around the corner with her arms outstretched. Hunvey and Yuki were not far behind her. We hadn’t seen her in person since our last morning at USJ 2001 when we ate breakfast with her. (We have stayed in touch through email and Facebook.)

Christiane, Larry, Yuki, Lorna, Hunvey

Our next objective was to find our names on the windows in the park. With the replacement of some of the areas and attractions, several of our friends lost theirs, but all of ours are still there.

Larry is on the 2^nd floor, second from right (Bail Bondsman). I am diagonally above him (Tailor).

Christiane is on the yellow sign.

Yuki’s window is the one on the left.

Hunvey is on the window.

We then walked around the lagoon past Mel’s Drive-in. The vintage cars are still there, but we weren’t sure they were the same ones Cathy arranged for in 2001.

Next, we went on the JAWS ride. Since we had the express passes, we bypassed the long regular lines and got on the ride in just a few minutes. We checked to be sure Larry’s footprints were still on the beach. They are.

The sharks seemed to be missing their skins. They now look like painted metal. Not quite the same effect as the original, but they all were working.

We stopped at the restrooms opposite the ride and SURPRISE! When we built the park. 75% of the toilets were Japanese style (squat type) even though originally they were supposed to be 75% American. (Many discussions occurred about the type, but the Japanese ones took up less room and were cheaper.) Today, ALL of the toilets are American-style! In fact, every one we saw in the park was.

We went to Jurassic Park, but the ride was closed for refurbishment. However, there is a new rollercoaster next to it called The Flying Dragon. You hang on this one with your legs dangling, and it carries riders upside down, sideways, and facing the ground. Larry and I decided we didn’t really want to try it, but the other three did. I guess they enjoyed it, but as we watched it, I was glad we had passed.

It was getting close to the time for our scheduled ride on Mario Cart, so we headed in that direction. There, we met Mark Adams and his wife.

Lorna, Larry, Christiane, Yuki, Hunvey, Mark. Jessica

It was getting hot, and the access to the Mario ride was insane! We all agreed that it never would have been allowed in the US. To get to the start of the ride, we had to climb up and down about nine flights of stairs. By the time we reached the final queue, my knees were hurting. They handed each of us a headpiece—a heavy one. It was adjustable, but it slipped on my hair, sliding forward over my eyes or falling backward. (I never did get it to fit correctly.) When we finally reached the ride vehicles, they handed each of us a viewer glass that hooked onto the head piece, making it even heavier and more inclined to slip around.

Since I had absolutely no idea how the game was supposed to be played, I couldn’t figure out what to do, and I couldn’t see correctly through the view screen anyway.

I hated every minute. (The day before, we had been told by a kid that it was his favorite ride, and I could understand how it might be if the headset fit and worked and you knew how to play. But nothing worked for me.)

When we got out, Larry spotted an elevator, so we took it to get back down to the exit, where we met the rest of the gang.

We decided to go on Yoshi’s Adventure while we were there. It reminded me of the beginning of the Alice in Wonderland at Disneyland. Halfway through, I said to Larry, “What if they created a ride that did absolutely nothing?” By the end of the ride, we discovered that they had! It might have been fun for a child under four-years-old, but for anyone older than five, it was truly boring.

By this time (after 1:00 p.m.) we were hungry. We still had a wait before we could go on the Harry Potter ride, so we went back to the Discovery Restaurant in the JP area for lunch. Jessica and I held down a large table while the others got food. It was surprisingly good, and we enjoyed it very much.

We went back over to Harry Potter. We still had about half an hour to wait, so we found some shade and sat down.

Finally, our scheduled time arrived, and we entered the queue. This one was fine, and we got on the ride vehicle. I loved it! We had gone on the one in Hollywood once, but it had stopped soon after we got on. They started it again after about an hour, but they ran the ride with the work lights on, so we couldn’t see the film and missed all the effects. However, Larry enjoyed seeing how all the mechanical devices worked. This time, we got the full story and enjoyed the ride.

After our very long day the day before, we were getting tired. We decided to go back to the hotel since it was late afternoon. The rest of our group decided to stay for a while longer.

We were still impressed with how terrific “our” park was, and we remained proud of our part in creating it.

When we got back to the hotel, we rested. We didn’t want to go anywhere for dinner, so we ate granola bars and had tea. Just what we needed.

We went to bed early anticipating a busy day on Sunday.

MEETING OUR “DAUGHTER”

2024-04-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

March 29, 2024 – Part 2

We tried to rest a bit after our busy morning. Larry read, and I wrote my blog.

Our #3 Japanese daughter, Yuko, had made reservations at the Hard Rock Café for dinner at 7:00 p.m. We weren’t sure whether she would come to our hotel or meet us at the Hard Rock Café. We waited at the hotel until 6:45, and then we walked over to the restaurant. We had to hunt a bit. The actual restaurant is on the 3^rd floor, but we found it eventually. Yuko was there to greet us.

We had last seen her several years ago when a business trip brought her to L.A. We’d picked her up in town and brought her down to our house where she spent the night before we had to take her back.

This time we only had a couple of hours, so we wanted to make the most of them!

I had forgotten how noisy the Hard Rock was, or maybe it just seemed noisier because of my deafness. (The hearing aids magnify the sound, but it all runs together in a confused mess.)

We ordered and then caught up. We gave her the photos and note the Larsons had sent with us and talked about how they were doing. Then we caught up on our lives and Kim’s.

She had brought gifts for us: handmade soap from her mother and chocolates. Our bags were beginning to fill up with gifts! (Misayo gave us two bags of food and a beautiful scarf.)

What a joy to spend time with this special young lady. We had lots to talk about as we ate. We asked when she might be able to visit us again in California.

Right now, the exchange rate is not favorable for the Japanese. (This worked to our advantage, but the rate needs to improve before they will be able to spend freely again.)

Also, Yuko feels that her mother needs her to be near to take care of her. She also feels she has reached the maximum position in her company and it may be time for her to leave. So, her life is in flux at the moment.

We finished our meals, and the noise seemed to be getting louder. We decided to go to a nearby coffee shop for after-dinner coffee where we could talk.

Yuko, me, Larry (I look really tired. I was!)

We spent a bit of time talking until we noticed they were getting ready to close and we were the only ones remaining.

Yuko had to get back to Shin Osaka where she was spending the night before returning to Chiba the next morning.

As usual, the farewells were hard and accompanied by tears, at least on my part and Yuko’s as well. But we hope to see her again in California before too very long.

OUR JOURNEY “HOME”

2024-04-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

March 29, 2024

Larry had set the alarm for 6:00, but we didn’t need it. In fact, neither of us slept much. We admitted we felt a bit anxious about making the train trip to Takarazuka, where we had lived while in Japan.

The sweet young lady had outlined an itinerary that required changing from the JR to the Hankyu line. It only allowed ten minutes to get from the JR Osaka Station to the Umeda (Hankyu) Station. I couldn’t remember much about the route, and Larry was afraid ten minutes wouldn’t be log enough to get there. He was also a bit concerned about the cash. I told him I had quite a bit of change, so we should be okay—at least on the first leg to Osaka. And we had a few small bills.

Since we couldn’t sleep anyway, Larry decided to get up at 5:30 and shower. I followed closely behind. We left the room at 6:30, when they begin serving breakfast downstairs.

We wondered where all the people had come from. The line for breakfast was jammed. And it didn’t appear to be moving. When we peeked inside, most of the tables seemed to be occupied.

Finally, they began to allow more people into the dining room. We were directed to another line toward another restaurant. We were assured the food would be “similar.”

We had learned about “similar” food when we were working at the jobsite and were introduced to “hamburger-be-similar.” (Not really hamburger and certainly not similar to what we considered a hamburger.)

However, since the main line wasn’t moving very fast, and we needed to catch an early train, we decided to accept the offer.

They clearly provided some of the same items offered in the larger restaurant, but several of my favorites were missing (like tomato juice and some of the fruit for the yogurt). Still, we were able to get a nice variety.

We would be visiting my dear friend, Misayo-san and her daughter, Kazue. Misayo is a terrific cook and had said she would fix us lunch. I knew there would be a variety of food offered, and it all would be delicious. So, I wasn’t worried about going hungry!

We returned to our room and got our “stuff” together for the day. Then we headed out on our “big adventure” for the trip.

We got to the station about half-an-hour ahead of our proposed schedule. We’d both rather be early than late.

We got our tickets to Osaka Station and found the train. All the signs said “Nishikujo.” It’s been so long we were afraid it might not be the right train, even though the platform sign said “to Osaka.”

A nice Australian family was waiting with us. We asked them, and they said it was the right train, and we had to change trains in Nishikujo. Whew!

After we all boarded, we discovered they had spent the previous day at USJ. The son loved Mario Kart and waxed poetic about how much fun it was. We knew we had express tickets for the ride and for Harry Potter, so we were looking forward to it.

We made our change without incident and got off in Osaka Station. We saw the JR line to Takarazuka and thought about taking it, but then we saw the signs for the Hankyu line. We decided to be safe and followed the young lady’s instructions. After all, she hadn’t steered us wrong—yet.

Made our way up a flight of stairs and outside. Up still more wet stairs to street level, and then over to the station. Then down more stairs into the bowels of the station. We located the ticket area and purchased our tickets to Takarazuka. As we were walking toward the tracks, I suddenly discovered I didn’t have my purse with me.

I went into total panic mode. This is NOT typical for me, but I had been under a great deal of strain before we left trying to make all the arrangements for Larry’s birthday party and Kae’s memorial service. Then we’d rushed to get to the plane, meet our transfer to the hotel, etc. once we got here. And I was already intimidated about taking this train trip.

Realistically, I knew I would get it back. This is Japan, after all. But I couldn’t remember where I saw it last. Was it on the JR train? In the JR Osaka Station? Had I dropped it somewhere along the way? I’d had my coin purse in my pocket when I took it out to pay for our last tickets. Where was it? And even if they found it, how would they be able to find me?

Thank God, Larry kept his cool. He kept saying, “It will be okay.”

We looked around for someone “official” to help. No sign of anyone. We finally saw a clerk at the Lawson Store. By now I was sobbing. I tried to explain what had happened.

The poor man answered, “Sorry. No English.”

I asked if there was anyone who could help.

He seemed to understand and pointed up the corridor. “Information.”

I saw nothing, but Larry took my hand and led me in the direction the clerk had pointed. Near the other end, I saw a sign with a blue “i” on it. Larry led me that way. I still didn’t see any official-looking people, but Larry had spotted a glass-enclosed booth around the corner.

We entered. The near clerk was helping someone else, but a dear young man motioned for us to come to the far end of the counter.

I was still crying when we approached—and I spotted my coin purse! He had been counting the money in it. (We assumed he was making an inventory of everything in the bag.) I then spotted my card case. It held my driver’s license, medical cards, and two credit cards. Miracle of miracles, my bag had already been turned in!

Of course, my tears increased. I pointed. “That’s mine.”

The young man, who spoke and understood English, just grinned and nodded. “Yes.”

He put the coins back in the coin purse and put it and the card case back in my bag.

He handed me a claim ticket to fill out with my name, location where we were staying, and phone number. I completed and signed it, and he handed my bag back to me with everything intact. (I would have expected nothing less in Japan.)

I thanked him profusely with many low bows. He just smiled.

Crisis averted.

Once I could breathe again, we made our way to the platform for Takarazuka and boarded the train. It was an “Express” meaning the train route ended in Takarazuka before it returned to Osaka. This did not mean it didn’t make a dozen or more stops on the way.

We arrived in Takarazuka about 9:30—half-an-hour early. The station had been completely transformed and enlarged since our last visit.

Hankyu Takarazuka Station

We both used the restrooms and were surprised to find that the new ones were 100% western style and very modern. A great change from the old ones!

We had to go up some stairs to reach the pedestrian bridge across the highway to get to the JR station. Since our last trip, it has been completely refurbished—including the addition of elevators at each end.

At the other side, we had to go back down to street level and tried the elevator. It worked very well.

When we left in 2001, fewer than 2% of all train stations had handicapped access. Today, that has all changed.

On the train to Takarazuka was a young man in a power wheelchair. When we reached his stop, the doors opened, and a train attendant put a ramp in place. The man in the chair rolled easily onto the platform. The ramp was removed, and the doors closed. Easy and quick.

We had also noticed many more wheelchairs on the streets and in our hotel.

Each time I saw one, I felt very proud. Because of our requirement for handicapped access in the park, our Japanese contractors became much more aware of the requirements. On this trip, we saw the results we helped facilitate. We felt very proud.

JR Takarazuka Station with Pedestrian Bridge

When we reached the street, we found a loading area and took seats on the low wall nearby. About five minutes later, a red car drove up. Kazue jumped out and greeted us. (They were early, too.)

Her friend, Takehiro Shigematsu, was driving. We had met him when we were here in 2011, and he has been a Facebook friend ever since. We are very fond of him. I told him we’re keeping him.

We drove up to Misayo’s home. When we entered, she emerged from the kitchen, just as she had in 2011. We both hugged and cried once again.

Years ago, she said we had made a heart-connection when we first met. It is still there.

We sat down, and she gave us tea. Another familiar part of our relationship.

We took her a small plate hand-painted with “Dana Point, California” and a scene of clouds and a seagull. It was a reminder of her promise to come to visit us in California. We would also love to have Kazue come back, and Takehiro is also invited.

We began a lovely meal, during which we reminisced and shared treasured memories.

Since our last visit, Misayo-san’s mother, Kuniko, has passed away. We loved this dear lady who opened her home to us and welcomed us as her own children. We had hoped to see her again sometime.

Misayo prepared sukiyaki, just as she had the very first time we ate at her home in April of 1999 when Kim and my mother arrived for a visit. The Sakura tree outside of her window had been illuminated and in bloom. We’d enjoyed it as Kazue played spring music: “Fantasia on Sakura” and “Rustle of Spring.” This last one made me cry because, at the time, my mother could no longer play the piano, but when I was growing up, it was a song she played often. Kazue renamed the piece “Vera’s Song” in honor of my mother.

While we lived in Japan, I found a favorite song: “Le Rhone” by Katzuhisa Hattori. Kazue learned it and always plays it for me.

During our visit, she repeated the same three beloved songs. “Vera’s Song” made me cry again since my mother is no longer with us, but it reminds me of her.

Just as we always have, we loved sharing our fond memories and laughing over wonderful times.

Larry, Misayo, me, Kazue, and Takehiro

After lunch, Takehiro drove us past our old building. What a surprise! We used to live in the building highest on the mountain, but today, about five more buildings have sprung up around it. It is still there and as lovely as ever, but it is no longer isolated.

We next stopped at Koyoshikojin Temple. We had taken Mom and Kim there when they visited, and we made several other visits during out time in Takarazuka. On our first visit, the Sakura trees had been in full bloom. They were supposed to have been in bloom this time as well, but the weather had been too cold.

We observed the usual rituals: hand washing and bowing as well as tossing a coin and ringing the bell. Everything seemed familiar and yet not quite the same.

As we walked around the shrine, I finally spotted a Sakura tree in full bloom farther up the hill. It was the only one we saw, but it reminded us of how lovely the trees are.

We continued back down the hill toward town. We recognized few places. Only one or two of those we had known remained.

When we stopped at the Hankyu Station, we realized just how large it had become. The department store portion is about four times as large as it was the last time. The JR station had been replaced in 2011 when we were here, but the old Hankyu station had been the same. Now both are rebuilt and much more modern.

As we walked around, Misayo was busy shopping. Kazue also bought a few things. Misayo wanted to buy a bunch of treats for Larry’s birthday party next week. We tried to discourage her, but she still insisted on getting some sweets for us to share with our guests. We told her we had no room in our suitcases, but she would not be thwarted. (She is a true force of nature when she is determined to do something!)

Although we were prepared to take the train back to our hotel, Misayo insisted on Takehiro driving us all the way back. He is such a sweet young man. We feel honored to know him.

After more tearful farewells, we waved good-bye as they drove off.

But our day wasn’t over yet!

Although we were tired, we were to meet our Japanese daughter, Yuko for dinner at the Hard Rock Café. We needed a nap!

FIRST DAY IN TOWN

2024-04-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

March 27, 2024

We slept pretty well, but we woke at around 4:00 a.m. The time change caused us to be early for Osaka time.

We checked out the TV selections. No English stations, but they did have BBC. It was overdubbed in Japanese, but we could read the crawls and headlines. It was actually nice to be able to avoid some of the hyper coverage in the US right now.

I had added breakfast each day when I booked the room. Larry likes being able to start the day with a leisurely meal. We then usually snack for the rest of the day.

Breakfast is served between 6:30 and 10:30 a.m.

After a shower and dressing, we went down to eat.

The buffet room is on the second floor. Since our last trip, the hotel has been re-themed with the Minions. This was a great decision. The last time we were here, this was the upscale, elegant hotel. Now, it is filled with families, most with small children.

When we arrived in Osaka in 1998, only one of our daughters, Yasuko, was married. She and Toshihiro had a two-year-old son, Daisuke. Toshi was one of the few fathers we saw who actually helped take care of his child. At that time, mothers alone cared for the children while fathers went out to work.

Now, many fathers share the duties.

In 2011, on our ten-year anniversary of park opening trip, we saw lots of mothers and small children, but not so many fathers. Today, much has changed, and I think for the better.

Breakfast is a multi-station buffet. (It was much like the hotels we had enjoyed in England, Scotland, and Ireland on our last trip.) There are American choices as well as more traditional Japanese breakfast foods. One station had Chinese and Korean items as well.

We were both delighted to find two cappuccino machines. The hotel got extra points for those!

I stuck with “safe” items like scrambled eggs, croissant, yogurt, and fruit. Larry was far more adventurous. He was in heaven, and so was I. We each had the kind of meal we enjoy!

We returned to our room to brush our teeth and get ready to explore the area. Since it had been thirteen years, the City Walk area had changed a lot!

First, they have built several large new hotels. When we finished the park, there were only three, and we are staying in one of them. Now there are several others.

The most impressive one was this Art Deco one across from the park entrance, The Park Front Hotel.

USJ Entrance

I looked up the website for the hotel. All beds in this one are twins. Some of the rooms have spectacular views, and they are well-equipped to handle family groups. The architecture is gorgeous.

Everywhere here we see Mario items. All the kids (young and old) are running around sporting Mario hats (except those wearing Harry Potter wizard robes).

I thought about how much our Kae would have loved the Mario hats. She loved anything silly and funny. I look around, and I see her everywhere. Many of the young girls resemble her (although none are as beautiful as she was). But then, I am biased. This morning, I spotted the chef in the restaurant at a distance—just the white coat and hat. For a second it looked like Kae in her Cordon Bleu chef’s coat and toque. The last time we were here, Kae and Toshi joined us for a few days. We will see Toshi next week, and I miss Kae terribly.

We walked around City Walk and looked into some stores. It was quite cold, so we stopped for coffee and to warm up a bit. Then we returned to the hotel.

Shortly after we returned, the housekeeping staff arrived to clean. We read and answered email while they worked.

We made a second trip out later on, just for a walk. Everything seems so familiar yet strange. They have added a lot to City Walk, and some places have changed. It resembles City Walk in Hollywood.

Back in our room, we made cups of tea and ate granola bars.

Larry lay down and was asleep by 4:00 p.m. I gave up by 5:30. We’ll see how tomorrow goes. No agenda.

ON OUR WAY

2024-04-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

After a while, we were offered lunch. We could choose from sukiyaki (beef with scrambled eggs and peas over steamed rice) or teriyaki salmon (with mashed potatoes, broccoli and carrots). I usually don’t eat beef or salmon, but the mashed potatoes and veggies sounded good. I figured Larry would eat the salmon. He suggested we each order a different entrée. I could eat the parts I wanted, and he would finish everything else.

Oh, my goodness. What a terrific and abundant meal!

I had the salmon. I tried a taste and had to reassess my previous dislike of it. With the teriyaki sauce, it was delicious! The potatoes and veggies were every bit as good as I had anticipated. Larry enjoyed his meal as well. (I saved more than half of the salmon for him since I knew he would love it. He did.)

In addition to the entrée, both meals were accompanied by a tiny green salad with fat-free Italian dressing, and a separate cup with a one-inch cube each of watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, and honeydew melon. In, addition we each had a small serving of soba noodles with Jell-o and other strange bits. (It reminded me of some of the items on the “salad bar” at the jobsite.) Finally, there was a small container with salami and potato salad.)

I ate my green salad and about half the entrée. I also received a lovely roll. I ate half of it and gave Larry the remainder. He ate all the rest of my sides as well as his own. (He loves all kinds of Japanese food. I am much pickier!)

At the end of the meal, the cabin staff circulated with small containers of vanilla ice cream. A sweet ending to an impressive meal.

After lunch, I began to watch movies. The first was Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. I couldn’t decide whether or not I actually liked it, but the acting was terrific. The plot was very confusing, and some of the characters actually had several different personas. I was glad I had watched it on the plane and not in the theater. Later in the flight, Larry watched it, too. I think he liked it better than I did, but he agreed with my assessment of the acting.

Next, I watched another film I had meant to see some time ago, The Fault in Our Stars. Loved this bittersweet story.

I followed it up with Sweet November, an even older film. This one, I hated. The acting was okay, but the story was stupid and the characters’ motivations and chemistry were lacking.

I ended up switching from Disney music to the flight route for the remainder of the trip.

About an hour before landing, we were served dinner: pizza, another mini salad, and fruit yogurt. I ate the piece of pizza and about half the yogurt. I skipped this salad. Good but too much food.

7:00 p.m. March 26, 2024

We landed about an hour late. Turbulence had slowed us down and caused us to swing away from a direct approach from the south to an arc allowing us to reach the airport from the west.

Disembarking took a while, as did customs. However, they have streamlined the process since we were last at Kansai International. Of course, it has been thirteen years!

Larry slept for a while through the flight, but I was unable to do so. (I have rarely been able to sleep on a plane.)

Once in the arrival lobby, we were supposed to be met by a transport company to take us to the hotel. Larry had made arrangements before we left home. No sign with our name on it.

Fortunately, they called him to make sure our driver had arrived. He hadn’t. But at least they knew where we were.

By this time, I was getting punchy. So, I sat with the luggage while Larry set out to locate the driver. It only took a few minutes, but I had hit the wall.

I managed to follow them to the familiar parking structure (not everything is different) and poured myself into the van. (I’m getting too old for those long flights!)

After a nice half-hour-long drive, during which I recognized very little in the way of familiar places, we arrived at the hotel at about 8:30 p.m., a day later than we had left California because of the international dateline. (We’ll catch up when we return home.)

Hotel Universal Port

They were ready for us and had our room—with a king-size bed—waiting.

We are on the 13^th floor with a great view of the park entrance. This room seems smaller than the one we had last time, but it is non-smoking and very nice.

We didn’t take long to drop our luggage and get to bed, exhausted from the flight and busy day.

We’ll check out the area tomorrow. Fortunately, we have a couple of days at the beginning of the trip without planned activities since the end will be packed.

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

2024-03-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

6:00 a.m. March 25, 2024

The alarm went off, but we were already awake and ready to get going. We had been planning this trip for months.

In 2021, the 20^th anniversary of the opening of Universal Studios Japan, we were unable to return to Japan for a team reunion because of Covid. For two years, we talked about getting together for a delayed reunion, but for one reason or another, it didn’t happen.

However, several of our Japanese coworkers realized the following:

1. The 25^th anniversary would not be until 2026.

2. We are all getting older.

3. Some of our members were no longer able to travel.

4. We had already lost too many team members.

5. We missed each other!

So, they proposed holding a construction team reunion in Osaka on March 31 of 2024. It sounded like a great idea to us! We had been planning this trip for months.

We talked to Julie, our travel agent at AAA, about this as soon as the date was set. Flights were expensive, and not many seats were available, even months ahead. Those that remained were very expensive. However, she found us a direct flight from LAX to Kansai at a good rate—on JAL, one of the better airlines. We booked the seats.

Since Covid, no shuttles come as far south as our house from LAX. We loathe driving down there. We would have had to leave a car while we were gone, and only the outer lots are reasonable enough anyway.

Julie found a company to provide door-to-door service. Not inexpensive, but well worth the cost. We had used them for our trip to Europe in 2022 and were quite pleased.

Our Japanese team members had arranged for a special rate for rooms at the same hotel where our party would be held, but by the time I inquired, only single rooms were available. (No queen or king beds. Just twins, anyway.) So, I did some research and discovered we could get a double room with a king bed at the same hotel where we had stayed in 2011 when we had returned for the ten-year anniversary.

This hotel is right outside the park entrance and adjacent to City Walk. Not cheap, but very lovely. We booked it.

We had spent the previous week packing and washing and putting together omiyage (the gifts expected in Japan). We would be seeing friends as well as at least one of our Japanese “daughters.” And, of course, we’d be seeing some of our close work friends. Omiyage is always a challenge, but I felt I had found some good things.

Now, it was time to get the show on the road!

We were ready to be picked up at 9:00 a.m., and our driver was right on time.

The trip to the airport was surprisingly uneventful, and we arrived about three-and-a-half hours before our plane was to depart.

No hiccups in checking in or getting to our gate.

We had split a protein drink about 6:30, so by eleven o’clock or so, we were hungry. I took a walk and located a little bakery stand. We had a chocolate croissant each and a coke zero to share. (Yes, I know…)

Boarding was handled efficiently, and we took off as scheduled: 2:15 p.m.

In the air, we settled in for our twelve-and-a-half-hour flight.

We had bought along our noise-cancelling headphones, as usual. I had my iPod with me so I could zone out to my favorite music. I had hoped to get a little sleep, but I was not successful.

As soon as we were under way, I checked out the entertainment choices—quite extensive with lots of movies available.

Then, I looked at the music choices, and I found this:

Thirteen Disney songs, many from more recent films. I pointed it out to Larry, and he began to listen as well. As we headed west, he took my hand, and I had a big grin on my face. I was in a very happy place.

We were on our way back to Japan—probably for the last time—and we were ready to be there.

Friendship

2024-02-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

We were each allowed to choose a card with a random word for meditation at church recently. I first picked the word “Weaver.”

“That’s really not me’” was my first response.

The pastor said, “Then pick another.” So, I did. The second was “Friendship.”

However, “weaver” kept haunting me, and I realized how these two words perfectly intersected in my life.

You see, one of my closest friends in grammar school and high school, Marie [Stratton] Cole is a weaver. She taught herself to make pine needle baskets using the ancient techniques of the Native Americans. She collects her own pine needles, dries them, dyes them using the organic dyes, which have been used for hundreds of years. Her creations are in museums and galleries in the Pacific Northwest. I own four of them, and each is a small masterpiece.

I think she sent me the first one, called “Childhood Memories,” for a milestone birthday years ago. This precious gift sits on my desk, where I see it every day. It is about four inches in diameter, and the tiny stitches form a pattern that perfectly illustrates our friendship. The two colors intersect, then separate, then come back together—just like we have. I always think of Marie as close to the natural world. She loved camping and being out in nature. Today she and her husband live in a remote area of Oregon and is content to listen to the birds and be among the trees. In contrast, I’m a bit of a hothouse flower. I don’t like getting my hands dirty! In the two colors, I saw us clearly: Marie in the grounded brown, and me in the beautiful blue. (My house is decorated in this color.)

We were together in high school, sharing many interests. After graduation, we went our separate ways.

Marie was a bridesmaid in our wedding.

Wedding Party: Victoria Hanner, Marie Stratton, Kathleen Murphy, Me, Larry, Virgil Thomas, Patrick Tedford, Jim Tedford

After we both married, we lived close to each other. When Star Trek began on TV, both of our husbands were obsessed. We met every Wednesday night at alternating homes for dinner and to watch the show.

Her husband enlisted in the Air Force, so we were separated yet again. However, he was being stationed in Colorado, where we were living at the time. Their housing wasn’t ready when they arrived, so they and their baby daughter, Maretta, stayed with us and our four-year-old for a short time.

We returned to California, and Marie continued to move around. But she often returned to see her mother. Whenever she was in town, we went to see her. Not only was she one of my closest friends, but her brother, John, was Larry’s best friend through school, so their mother was a fixture in our lives.

Finally, Marie moved to Oregon, and we remained in California.

However, we always stayed in touch, both through email and phone calls, but also through her mother.

In 2014, our class from Alhambra High School celebrated its fiftieth reunion. We asked any class members who created unique items to donate one or two for a silent auction. (We donated several books.)

Marie sent this charming basket, obviously created just for the occasion. It features the school colors and our graduation year. Several people bid on it, but Larry knew how much I loved it. Even though I already had one of Marie’s masterpieces, I was very taken with this one. Unbeknownst to me, he kept an eye on the bidding and outbid everyone else. It is my favorite memento from the event. This one is about four-and-a-half inches tall and four inches in diameter. It sits in a place of honor on the etagere upstairs with other high school memorabilia.

The following year, Larry and I celebrated our fiftieth anniversary. What an amazing surprise to receive a box in the mail from Marie!

Inside was this beauty called “Connecting Links.” This matches the colors in our living room perfectly! It is four-and-a half inches tall and four inches in diameter. It is a perfect metaphor for our relationship.

During one of our visits to her in 2003, Marie’s mother, Millie, told me she had begun to write her memoir of growing up in Alhambra, California. I said when she finished it, I would edit and publish it for her. Her son, John, worked on it with her for several years prior to his death from cancer in 2016. Each time I spoke with her, I asked how it was coming. She always said she was still working on it.

As she aged, her eyesight grew worse and her typing less accurate. She went from typewritten pages to the computer, but she was afraid she would lose her work when she closed the file. So, she learned to rename each chapter with the current date appended as soon as she opened it.

After she turned 100, she decided she was finished. We went to her house, collected all the typewritten pages, and copied all the files onto a flash drive. Then, I had to go through the chapters, combine the ones that went together, and try to decipher what I thought she meant.

Fortunately, her mind was sharp. If I had a question, I called her, and she always had an answer. Where there were holes in the manuscript, I did research and filled them in. Her caregiver and one of my friends read the chapters to her as I finished them, and Millie gave me notes—always thoughtful and interesting.

By 2020, I was nearly finished, but I still had one or two questions. As always, her answers were quick and to the point. Three days later, she passed away at the age of 102.

Despite my promise to publish the book, her daughters decided they just wanted copies for family members, so I sent the files. (Marie’s younger sister, Judi, passed away a couple of years ago. I still would like to have the book published. I know quite a few people who would enjoy it. But as long as they are reluctant, it will remain on my computer.)

To thank Larry and me for completing her mother’s book (Larry created a beautiful cover), Marie sent us this gorgeous piece, “Chaparral Hills.”

Her inspiration was the chaparral-covered hills around Los Angeles. The white pearl plants are reminiscent of the pampas grass readily found in the area. This holds a place of honor in our china closet.

Each time I look at these beautiful works of art, I am reminded of my friend, Marie, and our treasured friendship. So, both words—“Weaver” and “Friendship”—were appropriate and perfect for meditation.

Remembering Kae

2024-01-26T12:34:00.000-08:00

Kae Komiyama came into our lives as part of a homestay. In prior years, we had hosted five other young ladies from Japan and one from Spain for this six-to-eight-week English-intensive program. Our close friend, Terri, was the coordinator and teacher. Students were housed in individual homes and became part of their families for the time of their stay. In our case, they have remained part of our family.

For this group, our student was Fumiko. Our daughter, Kim, who lived about five blocks away at the time, hosted Ikue. And her neighbors, Ceil and Keith, hosted Kae. I said we got three for the price of one in this group because they spent a great deal of time together—often at our house.

My mother was living with us at the time, and she often provided transportation for the girls. She couldn’t remember their Japanese names, so she identified them by their personal characteristics: Fumiko was “the funny one,” because of her ready sense of humor. Ikue was “the little one,” because she was short like our daughter, Kim. Kae was “the pretty one” because she was beautiful. Mom adored them all.

L-R: Kim, Kae, Ikue, Fumiko, me

One evening, they fixed dinner for all of their host families. Another evening, they put on a fashion show. Kae and Fumiko wore my formal clothing, and Ikue wore Kim’s. Kae’s host mother did their hair and makeup. Such fun memories!

Ikue, Kae, Fumiko

Being silly with Dad: Fumiko, Kae, Ikue with Larry

It was hard to say goodbye to this group, but we hoped we would see them again when we moved to Japan the following August.

Saying Goodbye: Kae, me, Ikue, Fumiko

In April of 1999, Kim and Mom came to visit us in Japan. We would spend a total of 31 months there building the Universal Studios Japan theme park. While they were there, we celebrated Larry’s birthday, and Kae and her then-boyfriend (and future husband), Toshi, were in attendance.

Kae, Toshi, Kim

Larry blowing out his candles

During our time in Japan, they visited about once a month. They arrived with no agenda except to be with us. Although we saw all but one of our Japanese daughters while we lived there, we saw Kae and Toshi the most.

We returned to California in the spring of 2001. Toshi had a job which required him to come to the US a couple of times a year on business. He always tried to extend his trips so he could spend a few days with us. He sometimes brought Kae with him.

One day in late October of 2003, we received a message from them. They had been married in Japan. Like many other countries in the world, they went to the city hall, filled out the paperwork, and left officially married. The wedding, however, was a separate occasion.

“Mom, we want to have our wedding in Orange County. We will arrive on December 28.”

They wanted an American wedding. What the heck was that?

We had a few questions.

Church or at the park where Larry’s brother had been married? Church. (When our kids stayed with us, they attended church with us on Sundays, despite the fact that the Japanese don’t really practice any religion.)

The pastor was Larry’s best friend, and they had met him several times before. They wanted him to marry them. Religious or secular ceremony? Religious.

They didn’t need a license since they were already married, but they insisted. They wanted one stating that they were married in Orange County. Toshi had already done his homework and found that he could complete all the paperwork online and pick up the license in Santa Ana. They went straight from the airport to the city hall and picked it up.

Kae’s brother was coming with them and he would be Toshi’s best man. Kim would be Kae’s maid of honor. I mentioned that here, it was traditional for the father of the bride to walk her down the aisle. “Do you think Dad would do it?”

Silly question. Of course, he would. But he no longer owned a suit. When he left the engineering company where he’d worked for over 30 years, he donated all of his suits. We had to rush out and get a 3-day suit so he could be the father of the bride. (Kae’s father had died when she was quite young. I think I identified with her because I had lost mine at a young age, too.)

The wedding came off without a hitch, and it was beautiful.

Mom, Kae, Toshi, Dad

On our anniversary, September 4 of 2010, our phone rang at about 3:00 a.m. Toshi could barely speak because he was so upset. “Kae collapsed. She may not make it.”

“We’ll put her on the church prayer chain, and we will pray for her, too.”

Of course, I went to pieces as soon as we hung up.

She’d had an aneurism. The neurosurgeon who treated her (the best one in all of Japan) later told Toshi he would have given her less than 5% chance of survival. However, Toshi posted a picture on her Caring Bridge site on her birthday, October 16, of her jumping on her bed. Her doctor could not explain how she had recovered with only slight impairment. He called it a miracle.

Of course, I was worried about her until the following March when we went back to Japan for the 10^th anniversary of the opening of USJ. Kae and Toshi came down to Osaka and spent several days with us. It felt so good to hug Kae and tell her how much we loved her. Even more important, we got to see how well she was.

A couple of years after her aneurism, Kae attended culinary school at Cordon Bleu in Tokyo. With a lot of help from Toshi, she graduated. Quite an accomplishment!

In 2015 when they next visited, she brought her chef’s coat and toque and cooked a gorgeous four-course dinner for us and four other couples. Magnificent!

Chef Kae and Ruth

She wouldn’t have been able to handle the fast-paced schedule in a restaurant, but she started her own cooking school at home. She taught private lessons to small groups of women and thoroughly enjoyed it.

They continued to visit often, and we kept in touch through email, text, and Facebook.

Then in April of last year, when she was supposed to be starting a college course toward her MBA, Toshi sent me a message: “Kae might have pancreatic cancer.”

Unfortunately, she did, and Toshi fought to get her the treatment she required. I assured him I had two prayer chains praying for her with some of the same people who had prayed for her before.

She underwent surgery and chemotherapy, and more experimental treatment Toshi researched. He wanted to bring her to see us, but her doctor would not clear her for plane travel following surgery to place a drain.

Meanwhile, Toshi’s father died, so he had his hands full dealing with that and caring for Kae.

She was finally cleared to fly, and he brought her on September 29 for ten days. She still had a drain in place.

After we returned from the airport, she came in the front door, looked around, smiled at me, and said, ”Mom, I’m home.”

This both touched me and broke my heart because I knew more than anywhere else in the world, this truly was her home, and we truly were her family.

They were joined a couple of days later by her best friend from high school, Ayumi.

This was Kae’s “bucket list” trip. She had about six or seven items she wanted to do while she was here. And she did all of them and more, including a final trip to Disneyland.

She looked much better by the time they left. And she was happy.

Kae with wig at the church where they were married

A couple of weeks later, I received a message from Toshi. They had been to see her doctor, and he told them she probably had only four to six weeks left. His last line, however, really broke my heart: I’m sorry. Mom. I couldn’t save her.

On the morning of December 20 at about 10:00 a.m. our time, Toshi messaged me: Kae loses consciousness…hope she comes back. I began to pray for both of them and continued throughout the morning.

We went to Larry’s brother’s house for lunch to deliver his family’s Christmas presents. I had the ringer turned off on my phone, but Larry’s was on. He had an incoming call. “I don’t recognize this number.”

I did. “I know the country code. It’s Toshi.”

“She’s gone.”

I had been thinking about what would happen afterward and suggested he might think about bringing some or all of her ashes here to spread in the ocean off Dana Point, her true home.

“I have a written note from her. This is what she wants.”

So, he will bring her back this spring and we will take her out to sea after a small memorial service at the church where they were married and many people prayed for her, both when she had her aneurism and this past year. She’ll be with Grandma, who truly was the only grandparent she had.

We will love her always. She was truly our daughter.

STUMPY THE SNOWMAN

2023-10-21T12:25:00.002-07:00

On Thursday morning, Larry went out to bring in the last trash can and found this on the porch.

It came with a note:

Mr. and Mrs. Collins,

This is Stumpy The Snowman. He was turned from a piece of wood that we removed when the lift was installed. (The grain looked like redwood, but it may be something else.) The body and hat are one piece, the limbs were taken from a neighbor’s bush, and the pipe was cut from chopsticks.

Enjoy!

Mark

We were fortunate to have had this talented craftsman and excellent woodworker contribute to the construction/installation of our lift. We got to know him and realized he was as much of a perfectionist as I am.

This little guy was a complete bonus surprise.

When I first saw him, I thought about the snowman decoration I grew up with. Ours was made of Styrofoam balls and toothpicks. I know Mom didn’t buy it, but I think she attended a luncheon and won the centerpiece.

My little brother named ours “Frosty.” Not too original, but it worked.

Frosty came out every year and was a mainstay of our holiday decorations.

When Mom sold the house, my brother took all the family decorations. Each year, he brought out everything, including Frosty.

When my brother died in 2020, we cleaned out his place. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any of my family’s decorations. I assume they were broken or fell apart over the years.

This little reminder of Frosty brought back sweet memories of childhood holidays.

Stumpy will now become a part of our future holidays, just like Frosty did in my childhood family. And he will be a reminder of Mark and his talent. I can’t thank him enough for this sweet gift.

GETTING A LIFT

2023-10-01T19:32:00.008-07:00

With all my physical issues this past year, I became more aware of how difficult it might become living in a house with two stories. Larry had surgery this year, too, and he realized the challenge our stairs could pose as we get older. We discussed downsizing to a single-story house. We’ve even begun to dispose of some of our “stuff.” (Not a bad idea altogether.)

However, we have already made a lot of improvements to this house consistent with the way we live.

Larry started researching the alternatives to allow us to stay here, even with the stairs.

For several reasons, we eliminated the option of a chair lift. They take up quite a bit of room on the steps and partially compromise the treads. Also, our stairs have a 90-degree turn in them, and it would pose a challenge.

He finally located a small one-person lift—like an elevator but smaller. He made an appointment for the salesperson to come out to the house to see if it would work.

The engineer (Larry, of course) had picked out a location he thought might work, but he was afraid the unit would be too large.

However, the representative from the company (Stiltz) suggested coming to the house to check. We agreed.

Ryan arrived with a neat app on his phone. He could point it at a spot, and it would tell him if there were room to install the equipment.

He found one location in the living room going up to our guest room. Uh…no. Then he found another from our dining room to our office. Nope to that one, too. He finally checked the area Larry had selected—and it not only would work, but it would fit perfectly. And we wouldn’t need to cut a hole in the ceiling.

Last Monday morning at 8:00 a.m., Mark arrived to begin the installation. By early afternoon, our hall was completely draped in plastic, heavy tarps were secured to the stairs, and the floors were covered in cardboard. It looked like we were going setting up for a haunted house!

The first item was to cut out a section of the 2^nd floor handrail for access to the upper hallway from the lift.

I didn’t realize the pieces of the section of handrail would be used to build the external gate—and that it would match the existing handrail.

Then came days of drilling and hammering and sanding to construct all the other parts necessary for the installation, including the electrical work. The dust and dirt were confined to the hallway because of the plastic installed there.

At last, the unit itself and accessories arrived.

First, the supports were brought in and installed.

Finally, on Saturday, after six long days, the installation was completed, and the lift was ready to be used.

The lift sits in the curve of the stairs. It works very simply and holds only one person at a time. But it really makes living with the stairs easier!

I think we are going to be very happy with this solution.

100 Years – And Still Counting

2023-09-16T17:15:00.001-07:00

On August 26, 2023, we were privileged to attend the 100^th birthday party for my Aunt Evelyn in Reno, NV. Our daughter, Kim, flew out from Texas to join us. Thank goodness, because she did about 60% of the driving to and from.

We were there last year for Aunt Evelyn’s 99^th birthday, and what a joy to share her 100th with her.

The party was a surprise, and my cousin, Karen, and her twin sister, Kathy, managed to pull it off. It was held at an art gallery and catered by a terrific restaurant.

They told her we were coming to meet them for dinner, but she certainly didn’t expect to see the approximately 60 guests who were assembled.

All of my surviving cousins on my mom’s side came, and several of their kids were there, too.

My aunt and uncle used to live in San Mateo, CA, and several of Aunt Evie’s friends from there attended. It says quite a bit about her that so many people came so far to celebrate her life.

We all enjoyed a wonderful meal and lots of conversation, sharing memories.

Aunt Evie and Uncle Frank were wonderful ballroom dancers. For years, they took a lesson once a week and then went dancing another night. Several of the younger members of their dance group attended the party.

The highlight of the evening for me was when one of the dancers took my aunt out onto the floor and waltzed her around. Her face just glowed.

All-in-all, it was a joyous celebration of a life well-lived.

On Monday, we went to visit her on her actual birthday. She was still excited about her party, and several of those who had attended had stopped by to see her before they left town.

The next morning, we got back on the road toward home early. Several landslides from the recent storm had blocked the road, causing a reduction to one lane. The traffic in one direction was allowed to pass. Then it stopped, and the traffic going the other direction could go. In addition, construction trucks and other vehicles were loading dirt and rocks and conveying them away. This delayed the trip several times.

We reached home that night, tired but so grateful for having been able to share this very special occasion with my aunt.

The video of all the party pictures is on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpdvosivxBk&t=2s

And here’s a video I made with photos from her life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2bmrqtAaKo&t=1s

Enjoy!

REMEMBERING LAHAINA

2023-08-16T17:35:00.001-07:00

Sorry I have not been posting updates for a while. I have been dealing with my hearing loss, and my “good” knee went out. Getting shots in both knees and doing lots of PT trying to gain flexibility and strength back. Making progress—but slowly.

For the last week, I have been grieving the loss of historic Lahaina Town. We visited Maui (and five other islands) on our first trip to Hawaii in 1978. The charming, historical town became one of my favorite places.

On that first trip, we stayed in the old whaling hotel, the Pioneer Inn. It was rickety and had holes in the floor, but it was also a charming and fun location. On one memorable trip, we didn’t notice that we had booked our room in the hotel on Halloween. Big mistake! People from all over Hawaii and the mainland gathered in town for a noisy all-night party. They celebrated along Front Street. Our room faced the street. Needless to say, we got no sleep that night. But, hey, Larry got the Halloween t-shirt. He still has it.

And we stayed there several other times, just not on Halloween!

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, we tried to visit Hawaii nearly every year, several times more than once a year. We always went to Oahu, but we usually went to at least one other island. At the time, several friends lived on Maui. We arranged to visit them whenever we were there, and we always made a trip to Lahaina, even when we didn’t stay there.

Before our first trip, several friends told us to eat at Longhi’s. At the time, Bob Longhi was there in person. They had a verbal menu, and Bob delivered it with annoyance, as though guests were putting him out just by being there. He was hysterical! We usually went there for breakfast and always ordered one of their cinnamon rolls to split. It was one of our “must go” places whenever we were in Maui. The last time we were there, we ate dinner upstairs at sunset. Great food and a fabulous view.

Unfortunately, the Lahaina location closed in 2019, but their Kaanapali and Oahu locations remain. Bob Longhi passed away in 2012, but the restaurants bearing his name remain.

Our friend from work, Steve Russell, who lived in Wailuku, passed away in 2016, and Suzi Osbourne, our high school friend, who had lived on Maui for many years, passed away in 2020. On our last trip in 2015, we stayed with her, and she often stayed with us when she was in California. However, we have several other friends on the island. We have heard from one, but we can’t contact the others. We pray for them and will send a written note to let them know we are concerned.

When we used to go with our close friends, we stayed at the Maui Islander Resort. It was a great location, just a couple of blocks from Lahaina Harbor. Larry and Bob loved it because they could walk down to the harbor and surf early in the morning. Bernie and I loved it because there was lots of shopping, historical locations, art galleries, and dining in easy walking distance.

There used to be a Hilo Hattie’s store couple of blocks over, and we always shopped there for island clothing. Unfortunately, it closed, along with the flagship store in Honolulu. However, it appears a new one had opened in Lahaina. It was probably lost in the recent fires.

Whenever we were in Lahaina on a Sunday, we attended the Lahaina United Methodist Church. We loved this charming place, where everyone was “ohana.” Visitors were presented with leis made by church members from flowers grown in their own yards. They had a wonderful choir, and the pastor was delightful. We always felt included and at home. I cried when I read that it had burned down. However, the congregants have stayed in touch and met for worship in small groups last Sunday.

Seeing the historic Banyan Tree smoking and burning hurt my heart. It was such a symbol of the old town. Hearing there is some hope of its survival gave me reason for optimism amid all the loss.

However, the museums and other historical sites are gone forever.

While I grieve all the loss of places and people, I am also grateful that we were able to spend so much time enjoying the very special and magical place.

SWEDISH DEATH CLEANING

2023-04-28T17:05:00.007-07:00

I have been hearing about a new series called The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. It is based on the book of the same name. I haven’t read it or watched the series yet, but I have been doing this for some time.

It may sound depressing, but the idea is that those of us of a “certain age” (Baby Boomers) are closer to the end of our lives than the beginning. Through the years, we have accumulated lots of stuff. In addition, many of us have lived in our homes for a long time (in our case, thirty-six years). Also, some of us (raises hand) have emotional attachment to our “stuff.”

However, realistically, we don’t want to leave the disposition of our “treasures” to those left behind. Besides, we want those items we treasure to go to those who will appreciate them.

SO, several months ago, I was looking at all of our small musical instruments. We used to play most of them, but they were now mostly decorative. Instruments need to be played in order to remain at their best.

We discussed it and decided we needed to find a home for them where they would be used and enjoyed. A young lady we have known since she was very young is an award-winning composer. We asked her to come to our house, and we offered them to her. (This photo shows only some of them.) We loaded them into her car, and she said it felt like Christmas. She was definitely the right person to have them. She will use and enjoy them.

Waiting in line for Soarin’ Over California at Disney’s California Adventure, we met a father and son. The little boy told us ALL about WWII and the attack on Pearl Harbor. His eyes lit up, and he was so excited telling us about it. (Can you say “precocious”?)

As we left the ride, I reminded Larry about the Veteran’s Day we spent at the Arizona Memorial about ten years ago. Five of the surviving Arizona sailors were there. They had written a book about their experiences. (Only one now remains.) All of them signed the book and also gave us sheets with their photos and biographies. (They signed those as well.)

“I know where the Arizona book needs to go.”

Larry agreed.

We ran into the father and son a little later and told them about the book. He said he’d would send their mailing address so we could mail them the book. When we got home, we found the Arizona book and also a coffee table book about Honolulu. It had articles on the Arizona and on the Punch Bowl Cemetery.

They went into the mail, and we received a photo when they arrived.

When Larry worked at Universal City in 1997, for a year before we moved to Osaka to build the Universal Studios Japan theme park, they held quite a few cast member only sales. They usually closed out discontinued merchandise and other materials at huge savings.

At one, he bought an original cell from the cartoon The Little Engine That Could. He was able to get a background with it, too. When we got to Japan, we discovered our Japanese grandson was CRAZY about trains. At Christmas when we came back to California, we retrieved the cell and took it back with us for his Christmas gift.

At another sale, Larry had purchased a portfolio of signed and numbered dinosaur prints in a presentation folio. He had planned to hang them in his office at the job site. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to put them. So, they spent our stay under our bed.

When we got back home, they went behind his armoire, where they remained for twenty-two years. We asked if the kids would like to have them, and their dad said they would. So, we packed them up to send. We also found a book on how to fold origami dinosaurs and added it.

They arrived today. The mother sent us this note:

Hello! Thank you and Larry for the really fun dinosaur drawings and origami book! We went to our local science museum yesterday and saw their new dinosaur exhibit, so your incredibly kind gift had some especially good timing! We’ll have to checkout some dinosaur books next time we go to the library! Thanks again!

This is exactly what we had hoped would happen!

Yesterday, we had lunch at a local restaurant we enjoy. I had noticed before that they used odd cups, saucers, and luncheon plates to serve the food. I had a very large collection of odd cups, saucers, and plates. I’d used them for ladies’ luncheons, showers, etc. At one time, I had over three dozen of each. I don’t host those kinds of events anymore, and I haven’t used them for years. I kept about a third of my collection, but we boxed up about two thirds. We delivered them this morning, and the owners were delighted to get them. I look forward to eating a meal there someday soon served on my china.

Of course, we have just scratched the surface, but it feels good to have found homes for these items with people who will appreciate them.