The highlight of my weekend was celebrating Tom’s 75th birthday with him, Ursula, and Rick on Saturday evening at Wild Ginger’s in Seattle.   We love every second of our time with Tom and Ursula.  Hard to believe Tom is 75!  He is youthful as ever, witty, a great storyteller, very insightful, and full of wisdom.  I was so happy to be able to spend time with them again so soon after my recent visit with them in Alexandria, Virginia last month.

Rick, Tom, Ursula, and me at Wild Ginger's on Saturday evening for Tom's 75th birthday!

Downtown Seattle Night Walk (Rick and Tom)

Earlier that day, I went to Don and Simone’s house for yoga at their yoga studio.  Then I got to visit with their chickens.  They have 6 hens and get 5 eggs every day!  After yoga, Simone made us breakfast (eggs!) and then we went on a walk with their dog, Annie.  We went to  Lake Forest Park near Shoreline Community College.  This forested property in the middle of Shoreline was owned by the Boeing Family and used to be their hunting preserve!  We cracked up watching Annie swim with the ducks. Then we picked blackberries and I somehow brushed up against NETTLES.  My whole arm was on fire and Don showed me how to put horsetail weed juice on my arm to take away the stinging.  This sure beats Slug Slime, which is another remedy for Nettle Stings.  I went home from Don and Simone’s with 4 beautiful brown eggs in hand, a bagful of blackberries (I made a cobbler to die for), a large Italian zucchini and coriander seeds from Don and Simone’s garden, and an arm swollen with hives. By the time I went to Wild Ginger’s, the raised  lumps on my arms had almost all subsided and the sting was long gone!

On Sunday, I went to Snow Lake again!  Rick saw the pictures on my blog and insisted we go there.  He had never been there before. Barbara and Denise went with us.  It turned out to be the hottest day of the year: 90 degrees.   There were lots of people on the trail and the lake was refreshing as ever.  Snow Lake looks like it should be in the Swiss Alps.

I will never tire of this place: Snow Lake Exit 52 off I-90

Dolphin Boy Rick goes for a dip in the frigid Snow Lake (altitude 4000 ft) Note: there is only one other swimmer in the lake!

Barbara and Denise

Rick and Fran

Lastly,  I want to include some of MaryAnn Kuchera’s paintings in this blog entry.  On Friday, I went to MaryAnn’s to give her a private yoga session. Afterward, I got to see her art work.  She is such a fine artist.  I have attempted to write down some of what MaryAnn explained about her paintings.  Forgive me, MaryAnn, if I am not able to put to words exactly what you explained so perfectly to me.  I believe your painting below can speak more clearly than my words.

Moon Face by MaryAnn Kuchera

First painting of a three part series (third painting unfinished at this point). MaryAnn painted this right after her mother died. In this painting she is saying goodbye to her mother's physical beauty and physical body. In the center of the flower, you can see her mother's face, asleep, enveloped in a rose. Like the rose, MaryAnn tries to wrap her mind, heart, and arms around Mother's Death The painting is on a huge canvas and is powerful to stand before. How amazing to capture the essence of one's mother on canvas!

The second painting in the series is that of a faded yucca flower symbolizing Mom casting off her body. These paintings represent various stages in the grieving process. The dried yucca resembles a shroud. Note that at the top of the dried up blossom, there are wings symbolizing transcendence, or Mother Spirit casting off body and soaring to the heavens.