Nothing Stays the Same

It's been a while since we've posted anything on the blog. 

The grandchildren:  Mason turned 1, Sylvia turned 3 - and new baby girl should be arriving any day now.  It's a joyful thing to be a grandparent!

Jaime graduated from Teachers College with her masters in the summer of 2010, and found a job at Columbia Business School shortly thereafter.  She'll do her official "walk" May 17th and we'll splurge with a rooftop lunch on the Columbia campus.

Our beloved Bonnie died in September - and I can't yet write about her without tears in my eyes.  August and early September were just devastating.  I am now to the point of being able to get through a day without dissolving into tears too many times.  I guess it will just take time.

We are finally (after signing a purchase and sale before Bonnie died) closing on a new house on May 11th.  It's hard to imagine leaving Cambridge after so many years, raising the kids and Bonnie there.  We'll be starting a new chapter in our lives.  I wish I could say I am excited, but really, the grief still wins out.  In any event, it needs so much work that it will keep us busy.

Meandering in Millau

One of the most amazing bridges in the world is situated in Millau, France. A small group of travellers set out from Vergeze (Alex, the other Jim, Michael and myself) to visit this amazing site. Once we'd passed Montpelier, the scenery was simply breathtaking (mind you, this was on the way up, I couldn't look on the way down!)

Driving across the bridge to the visitors' center was amazing. You can't actually see over the edge because the bridge is enclosed in kind of curved shield so the approach is much more dramatic than the actual crossing, but just the scale of the structure is pretty astounding.

The visitors' center was an attractive stone building with some mysterious Xs, which housed a cafe, gift shop, and museum - with a couple of movies on the construction of the bridge and the surrounding area (for example, the Roquefort caves!)

A short, very steep uphill walk took us to the primary viewing area. It was pretty crowded, but the views were worthy. Only a few (Michael and myself) ventured down a secondary road, which brought us underneath the bridge. The vantage point here was stupendous.

On the way home, I pretty much failed as a navigator because my eyes were so tightly closed. Once the road was not quite as steep and winding, I noticed that there was a large number of antique Citroens on the road - very cool!

Time Waits for Noone

It seems like a lifetime since my last post. We bid on, and lost, a couple of houses - and one came back. We now have a signed purchase & sale on 14 Dartmouth in Somerville. It's a single family Victorian in need of TLC, but with some nice detail and a lot of potential.

Two of our cats (Bird and Cow, 17 and 16 respectively) have hyperthyroidism. We are giving them anti-thyroid pills twice a day, and feeding them seemingly non-stop (we call Cow our cat of perpetual hunger.)

Our beloved Bonnie is suffering with a spinal cord tumor. After enduring terrible pain, she had surgery to partially remove the tumor and alleviate the pain. Essentially it is buying her a little more time so that she can live out her full life span... If it will help her without adding to her pain, we'll do radiation therapy and/or chemo - at 9, she is already at the low end of the life expectancy range for AmStaffs but we weren't quite ready, and didn't want her to leave life in excruciating agony. The access to care was an awful problem. Still not ready to talk about that....

And in May, we went to France to join my Dad and Barbara, Alex & Michael, and other friends. We stayed in the Languedoc region, southwest of Nimes. It was a great jumping off point for a number of adventures which I'll slowly document. Sadly, it was a little stressful with Dad's ill health, and following the trip, the diagnosis of a travelling companion with stage 4 renal cancer.

About now I feel that I should call this the MISadventures of gPops and gMoms. We're both reeling - so many stressful events this year. At least we have each other, and for a while longer, Bonnie.

Summer Blues

Even though it is punishingly hot, and we're thoroughly miserable house-hunting, we took Bonnie on a walk to a favorite haunt this weekend, the butterfly meadow at Fresh Pond. While there, we admired the amazing crop of Queen Anne's Lace (indelibly marked on my memory because I once gave my mother a bouquet and gave her an asthma attack! but still pretty, and well intentioned on my part), Echinacea and the promise of high bush blueberries!

June is for Birthdays and Roses

In early June, we celebrated Ciel's "29th" birthday again. Mason says "you're eating what??"

We also stopped to smell the roses, and admire the dogwood and other seasonal flowers. The roses aren't as stunning as those in Portland, Oregon, but still pretty!

Some of us stopped to roll in the grass (we won't name any names!) again. At 9+ years (63+ in dog years) Bonnie can still get pretty frisky.

Hosta La Vista, Baby!

The spring flowers have long given way to the showy flowers of summer here. It's been in triple digits all week!

Sunday, we celebrated Jaime's quarter century mark and her new job at Columbia Business School with a great brunch at Aquitaine. Grandpa Bill prepares to juggle Mason, and Mason prepares to get into an English Muffin at Aquitaine.

At a barbecue hosted by big sister Ciel & family, Mason took a relaxing nap on Auntie Jaime! Some of Jaime's high school friends joined in the festivities.

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Spring is well entrenched in the Cambridge, MA area, after some fits and starts (and a LOT of rain and pollen!)

We've gone from the first crocuses to daffodils. . .

From rhododendrons to magnolias. . .

From tulips to irises. . .

From violets to honeysuckle to purple puffs. . .

And today, the first spiderwort (an awful name for a pretty little flower!)