Category Archives: Memories

Books, Favorites, Memories, Names, Writing

Authors I Have Met In Person

August 30, 2012 Lesley

Events, Memories, Travel

Parades I Have Been To In My Life

August 28, 2012 Lesley

Fiesta Bowl Parade
Many assorted parades as a child
Tug Fest Parade
East Moline 4th of July Parade
Silvis Moonlight Parade

Brands, Favorites, Links, Memories, Travel

Adventurous Travel in the USA (amongst the places I have been)

July 27, 2012 Lesley

Kenai Peninsula, Alaska – Road trip, get a rustic cabin, visit the tip of the Homer Spit, see moose, avoid bear, stop at the Ranger Stations to chat with locals (http://www.kenaipeninsula.org/)
Maui, Hawaii – Visit the top of the Haleakala Crater, take the Road to Hana and make all the stops, swim under waterfalls, take a surfing lesson, kayak with whales, rent a condo on the beach from my friend
Phoenix, Arizona – Only go in the winter, hike the desert, float down the river, golf, search for the Lost Dutchman’s gold, drive north of Mesa at night and view the glittering city
Boston, Massachusetts – Follow the Freedom Trail’s red line through town to tour history on your own, order seafood, wander Boston Commons (with a friend), take in a museum
New York City, New York – Choose your top 3 must sees and count everything else a bonus. You could explore this city for weeks, maybe months, and never see it all. Museums, skyscrapers, sports, exhibits… Take in a Broadway show, skate at Rockefeller Center, rub the Wall Street Bull’s unmentionables for good luck, pose for a pic with the Naked Cowboy in Times Square, eat authentic cuisine from another culture, see the Statue of Liberty, relax in Central Park or any of the smaller ones scattered through the city, ride the subway, wear your walking shoes
Los Angeles, California – Hit the beaches… Huntington for ocean swimming, Venice for weirdo-watching. Visit Hollywood, drive into Hollywood Hills to see the city, take in a professional sporting event, wander a pier at dusk
Boundary Waters, northern Minnesota – Plan with an outfitter, rent a canoe, and tour your way through the beauty of the North Woods. Be sure you know what you’re doing or hire a guide. Portage trails, paddle lakes, camp in remote wilderness, watch out for bears
Chicago, Illinois – Museums, sporting events, tall buildings, shows, shopping, visit the sand dunes and beaches surrounding Lake Michigan
Juneau, Alaska – Fly or ferry in since there are no roads into this capital city. Visit glaciers, hike trails, view wildlife, cough up the funds for a helicopter tour that will land you on top of a glacier
Grand Canyon, Arizona – Hike or trail ride into the canyon but only with thorough preparation. Incredible views, challenging trips, white water rafting, desert camping

alaska 054 — ERA Helicopter tour to the top of Taku Glacier, Juneau, Alaska

Family, Favorites, Holidays, Memories

Favorite Easter Memories

April 6, 2012 Lesley

Early morning Sunrise Services, sitting outside, shivering in the early desert air
Breakfast in the church fellowship hall
Beautiful dresses sewn by my mother
Dying eggs –the smell of vinegar, writing on eggs with a white crayon, leaving them in the dye a long time to get vivid colors
Hiding and seeking the eggs
The year my dad hid an egg in the rafters of the front porch and it wasn’t found ’til months later
Easter hymns: “Hear the bells ringing they’re singing that we can be born againnnnnnn…”
Imagining the wonder of the women who found the empty tomb
Easter baskets with chocolate and jelly beans and plastic grass
Easter Sunday, Late 70s

Family, Favorites, Memories

Things I Miss About My BFF Wendy

March 20, 2012 Lesley

Her laugh – the way she would throw her head back and clap her hands together and laugh with her whole soul
Her ability to get things done. Now.
Her willingness to stop whatever she was doing to do something more important for her friends.
Her enthusiasm for life.
Her refusal to let the cancer define her as a person.
Her stubborness. It’s a trait we share.
Her slightly naughty sense of humor, which probably most of you didn’t get to see.
Her all encompassing love for her children, all 5 of them.
Lunch at Chi-chis. Or Bishops. Or Hardees.
Girls time in DesMoines with all 3 of us BFFs
The way she never ever ever complained about anything. Not the cancer, not her divorce, not the chemo, not even at the end.
Her drive and ambition.
Her cream cheese mints.
Planning events with her.
When she would load up all the 8 million kids and take them to her house to make cookies.
How she always told me the truth. Always. No matter whether I wanted to hear it or not.