Mom was never the type to just stay in one spot for long. Growing up, I remember how we would head out for vacations, camping, the beach, or something that would be purposeful and relaxing.
I remember the camping trips to Los Angeles via San Francisco en route to Disneyland, San Diego, and other places. these were very different from Portland, OR; and in the '60's, life was much less complicated. All we needed was the car, a tent, suitcases, food, sleeping bags and gas. It was easier to do these things (unless you broke down in the middle of nowhere).
We camped our way through California, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, MInnesota, and South Dakota. We always had a destination. Yellowstone, Glacier, Chicago, Sioux Falls, to name a few. We were even known to camp on the Oregon Coast (many of those campsites, though, have been developed and are now hotels, shopping malls, or what have you. This is sad)!
We also had Canada. We camped our way through Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Those were very fond memories.
You see, Mom's folks, especially her mother, liked hiking and the outdoors. My father had never had the experience of camping while growing up, so this was all quite novel to him. His mother used to tell us that her idea of camping was a cheap hotel.
These were days we treasured - of course, there were the downfalls of family journeys, but looking back at them these were much better than staying at a hotel, or with other people. We were able to fish, swim, explore, and learn how to hunt for wood, while meeting new people (who, of course, we would never see or hear from again).
If I had pictures, rather than slides, I'd post some. But at this point in time, there are none.
Coming up, Mom's adventures abroad.....with snaps, I promise.
The Week in Review:
This week was rather slow for Mom.
She had her massage.
She entertained her buddies, Connie and Jean. She seemed pretty with it when they came to play Trivial Pursuits.
There was BINGO, but she said she didn't play....I'm not sure what happened with that.
And, she had a beauty appointment.
Last, but not least, she had dinner at my brother's house!
She was enjoying the sun and my brother's company when I arrived. She was sipping on lemonade, and they were engaged in a nice conversation. She really did seem as though she was present.
I decided to go for a swim and when I appeared in my trunks, Mom told me to cover my navel. Hmmmm. She wasn't amused when I made my navel talk. She then stated I needed to pull my trunks up over my navel to keep it from being seen, as it was inappropriate. This was news.
Later, she kept shifting her responses to topics raised earlier but not in the present. My brother did a great job of trying to keep up with her. I've had tons of practise, so this wasn't tough for me. Sometimes she actually began discussing things that had no bearing on the conversation at all...
We had a great dinner. She was tired and we left so I could take her home. On the way, we talked about the delicious spit-roasted lamb, tabouleh, and tzatziki sauce we'd had. Mom stated that even Dad liked it a great deal. I queried her about Dad's presence. Apparently he had been there all evening, but had left to take care of many important matters.
There were other statements and snippets of our conversation that betrayed her delusions, but we carried on as though it was all well and good.
I did note, though, that her sensitivity to heat showed. We had to turn the A/C in the car down to the lowest, and then she was fine. At her residence, we turned her A/C down to 68 as it was 74 and she was very hot.
I do need to figure out how to test her sense of smell - that's another symptom (if she's lost that sense). She hasn't said anything about the car smelling like dog, nor does she sniff flowers as she once did before.
But that's another post...
I remember the camping trips to Los Angeles via San Francisco en route to Disneyland, San Diego, and other places. these were very different from Portland, OR; and in the '60's, life was much less complicated. All we needed was the car, a tent, suitcases, food, sleeping bags and gas. It was easier to do these things (unless you broke down in the middle of nowhere).
We camped our way through California, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, MInnesota, and South Dakota. We always had a destination. Yellowstone, Glacier, Chicago, Sioux Falls, to name a few. We were even known to camp on the Oregon Coast (many of those campsites, though, have been developed and are now hotels, shopping malls, or what have you. This is sad)!
We also had Canada. We camped our way through Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Those were very fond memories.
You see, Mom's folks, especially her mother, liked hiking and the outdoors. My father had never had the experience of camping while growing up, so this was all quite novel to him. His mother used to tell us that her idea of camping was a cheap hotel.
These were days we treasured - of course, there were the downfalls of family journeys, but looking back at them these were much better than staying at a hotel, or with other people. We were able to fish, swim, explore, and learn how to hunt for wood, while meeting new people (who, of course, we would never see or hear from again).
If I had pictures, rather than slides, I'd post some. But at this point in time, there are none.
Coming up, Mom's adventures abroad.....with snaps, I promise.
The Week in Review:
This week was rather slow for Mom.
She had her massage.
She entertained her buddies, Connie and Jean. She seemed pretty with it when they came to play Trivial Pursuits.
There was BINGO, but she said she didn't play....I'm not sure what happened with that.
And, she had a beauty appointment.
Last, but not least, she had dinner at my brother's house!
She was enjoying the sun and my brother's company when I arrived. She was sipping on lemonade, and they were engaged in a nice conversation. She really did seem as though she was present.
I decided to go for a swim and when I appeared in my trunks, Mom told me to cover my navel. Hmmmm. She wasn't amused when I made my navel talk. She then stated I needed to pull my trunks up over my navel to keep it from being seen, as it was inappropriate. This was news.
Later, she kept shifting her responses to topics raised earlier but not in the present. My brother did a great job of trying to keep up with her. I've had tons of practise, so this wasn't tough for me. Sometimes she actually began discussing things that had no bearing on the conversation at all...
We had a great dinner. She was tired and we left so I could take her home. On the way, we talked about the delicious spit-roasted lamb, tabouleh, and tzatziki sauce we'd had. Mom stated that even Dad liked it a great deal. I queried her about Dad's presence. Apparently he had been there all evening, but had left to take care of many important matters.
There were other statements and snippets of our conversation that betrayed her delusions, but we carried on as though it was all well and good.
I did note, though, that her sensitivity to heat showed. We had to turn the A/C in the car down to the lowest, and then she was fine. At her residence, we turned her A/C down to 68 as it was 74 and she was very hot.
I do need to figure out how to test her sense of smell - that's another symptom (if she's lost that sense). She hasn't said anything about the car smelling like dog, nor does she sniff flowers as she once did before.
But that's another post...
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