Saturday, 21 November 2009
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Visiting The Ol' (Same-Ol') Hometown
I'm constantly amazed at how nothing changes in Santa Barbara, whenever I go back to visit. It seems to me that people there are like the proverbial "fly in amber." I suppose that is because it's a very comfortable place to live; I hope everyone is comfortably happy, as well.
It is a great place to visit, to be sure. I had ten beautiful, sunny days there.
The first part of my sojourn was filled with meeting Leenie's writer friend Sarah Dunant. The two presentations she gave, at La Casa de Maria (for a select group of supporters of the retreat center) and at the UCSB multidisciplinary department (for the faculty and students of religious studies, Italian literature and Renaissance Art history, as well as the general public) were excellent and very well received. Sarah and I had a nice morning together, between the lectures – with a great coffee-chat at a local bakery and a Grand Tour of tourist locations.
After Sarah left, and with John on his way back to Hoboken and Connecticut for visits with family there, I went off to La Casa by myself for a weekend retreat at the luxurious mansion they call the Immaculate Heart Center for Spiritual Renewal.
Renewed in both spirit and body, I went to the All Saints' Day celebration at my beloved Trinity Parish, and had a lunch and serious chat with parish friends. The rest of the three days before John returned to CA, I spent visiting with other good friends in the town, communing with my sister and brother, and catching up on shopping. I also saw my dear doctor about the pains I've been having in my left hip and leg; and in two days she had me sent for a hip x-ray and an MRI at local facilities. The diagnosis of osteoarthritis of hip and leg will be treated with Dr. Parent's firm prescription: "Get up and get moving, girl!" .... I've begun a daily walking program in conjunction with John's already-set schedule; and I'll search for a facility up here in the mountains or in Santa Cruz that offers water aerobics – these are the two best forms of "getting moving" that are recommended for this common form of arthritis.
So when John got back to the Left Coast, we took my sister out to dinner for her birthday; and headed home to our mountains on Friday morning.
It has been a joy to come home again. Our winter-prep chores were finished before we left for this last trip of the year; the logs are piled high for evening fires, all the battening-down is done, the warm-woolies are out of storage and ready for wearing. And it's certainly cool enough here to warrant the use of these!
We are ready to hibernate for the winter now. We welcome visitors (one or two at a time, please – or there are a few hostelries available if you come with a crowd!) We'll be hosting the West Coast family Thanksgiving dinner this year – my sibs are coming up for that week, and the families of Joe and Julie will join us on the holiday. After that we expect to have a very quiet Advent and Christmas, which is just to our taste.
I hope you all are ready for a "long winter's nap" and a great and festive holiday season.
It is a great place to visit, to be sure. I had ten beautiful, sunny days there.
The first part of my sojourn was filled with meeting Leenie's writer friend Sarah Dunant. The two presentations she gave, at La Casa de Maria (for a select group of supporters of the retreat center) and at the UCSB multidisciplinary department (for the faculty and students of religious studies, Italian literature and Renaissance Art history, as well as the general public) were excellent and very well received. Sarah and I had a nice morning together, between the lectures – with a great coffee-chat at a local bakery and a Grand Tour of tourist locations.
After Sarah left, and with John on his way back to Hoboken and Connecticut for visits with family there, I went off to La Casa by myself for a weekend retreat at the luxurious mansion they call the Immaculate Heart Center for Spiritual Renewal.
Renewed in both spirit and body, I went to the All Saints' Day celebration at my beloved Trinity Parish, and had a lunch and serious chat with parish friends. The rest of the three days before John returned to CA, I spent visiting with other good friends in the town, communing with my sister and brother, and catching up on shopping. I also saw my dear doctor about the pains I've been having in my left hip and leg; and in two days she had me sent for a hip x-ray and an MRI at local facilities. The diagnosis of osteoarthritis of hip and leg will be treated with Dr. Parent's firm prescription: "Get up and get moving, girl!" .... I've begun a daily walking program in conjunction with John's already-set schedule; and I'll search for a facility up here in the mountains or in Santa Cruz that offers water aerobics – these are the two best forms of "getting moving" that are recommended for this common form of arthritis.
So when John got back to the Left Coast, we took my sister out to dinner for her birthday; and headed home to our mountains on Friday morning.
It has been a joy to come home again. Our winter-prep chores were finished before we left for this last trip of the year; the logs are piled high for evening fires, all the battening-down is done, the warm-woolies are out of storage and ready for wearing. And it's certainly cool enough here to warrant the use of these!
We are ready to hibernate for the winter now. We welcome visitors (one or two at a time, please – or there are a few hostelries available if you come with a crowd!) We'll be hosting the West Coast family Thanksgiving dinner this year – my sibs are coming up for that week, and the families of Joe and Julie will join us on the holiday. After that we expect to have a very quiet Advent and Christmas, which is just to our taste.
I hope you all are ready for a "long winter's nap" and a great and festive holiday season.
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