First of all, if you want to see one of the most beautiful sunsets that ever hung itself to dry over our lake I am sending you here (the amazing Ginger) and here (the brilliant Marilyn). Because I DIDN’T SEE IT. I was too busy moping limply on the couch to look through the window. So I send it to you so that YOU will have seen it.
My friend, Ginger, is one of the most generous, wonderful people I’ve ever known. We’ve been friends since she was Peeseblossom and I was Puck in our indie/slashed-denim theater production of Midsummer Night’s Dream, played out under the huge pines of Pioneer Park back in 1975 or so. (Were you even born then?) Ginger collects people the way magnets pick up iron shavings – and hugs them just about that close.
Last night, she had Rachel’s Fam and what children I could round up of my own up to her house for a Gluten-free (mostly – thank you, the bread-challenged Murph) barbecue and a Family Home Evening (the Monday tradition of LDS families). She lives (as you will have guessed from her pictures of the sunset) on the shoulder of a mountain, overlooking EVERYTHING. And here are the pictures:
Another of Ginger’s dear friends, Dion, discovered in the back of a bus in Japan. Ginger just finds wonderful people.
In the living room.
Shrimp. I hardly ever eat it, but I ate these!
Our Laura – and if you look low enough, you see Murphy connecting up the propane tank. I didn’t know he knew how to do it. Then, I really, really hoped he knew how to do it – because the very next moment, they fired up the grill.
Watching the artist at work.
Rachel and Henny Penny.
Rachel, loved by M.
Brian, loving M loving Rachel. Who doesn’t look altogether sure they aren’t crazy.
M pirated the camera. And this is the first shot he took. What a surprise.
People kept taking pictures of us because we had the sun at our backs, so our hair lit up like optical fiber.
Mr. M, Rachel’s – umm, wait – one, two three – 4th son. And Henny.
Who seems to be sinking.
Yep. Definitely sinking. And her brother hasn’t noticed a thing. What if she was being swallowed by a python – that will very soon thereupon look just like a hat.
Ginger is beautiful. Everything about her is beautiful. Even the way she disagrees with me, which she will do very shortly after this shot was taken. I took this one. M didn’t.
But he did take this.
Eating grilled portabella (sp?) mushrooms and shrimp and hamburgers. YAY! We had a lesson taught by young Mr. C, and songs – with spontaneous dancing from young quarters. And a lovely family prayer. Then continued the games.
Doesn’t it look like summer? But oy – another twenty three minutes, and that sun disappears behind the mountains across the lake. And then the air moves swiftly down through the canyons, so that we sit swathed in borrowed jackets and blankets, still enjoying the company. The air was just short of chill, and smelled deliciously of wild pine.
Then it was over. Hugs and thanks and tired children piling into cars. The cars are parked carefully, there on the mountain’s side. Henny climbs in with me, and we drive down into the valley having solemn girl talk about brothers and horses and all kinds of things. And that was all. Just a lovely evening provided by a dear and lovely friend.
THE END
The beautiful Chaz
Ahhh…. happy sighs of contentment!!
I love the little one “sinking” into her chair……… LOL! These photos make me happy. Thank you for posting them!! Love you, too. L
It’s so easy to forget that happiness can be simple. The world is so full of the opposite. I love to collect these images of quiet joy, perhaps to remind myself that life has real meat to it. And in the moment, there is a sort of eternity. Certainly, Ginger has been through the wringer in many ways – but she chooses joy, even in the face of pain. As does Rachel. They would do better in a flood than I would.
You can see the happiness there :-) Wish we lived closer! Why were you moping and missing the sunset??
Oh, it’s this book thing, I think. I get discouraged. Not seriously. It was just end of the day tired – and feeling like everything I’d done that day was going to end up being in vain, a little. It had been a very rainy day and dark. But G said, “Oh – looks like it’s cleared a little =- there’s a sunset out there.” But I was in that stage where you go – “Yeah, but by the time I sit up to look, it’ll be gone.” It’s a stupid state of mind, but there I was.
…..and a good time was had by all . Thanks to Ginger for inviting us all and setting out such a sumptuous table
Now, aren’t you glad you inherited my friends?
It was a loverly evening made all the more loverly by the company it was spent with.
For the last two mornings Levi has asked each time he wakes up if we are going to Ginger’s house and why not?? when I tell him, not today. :)
If I’d spent that evening in Ginger’s yard at his age, I’d have absorbed her as a grandmother on the spot!
Wow. Love that treehouse-y living room. And the python-swallowed girl! There will be more amazing sunsets soon, I bet. :)
I hope there will be. But most of them are magnificent because of the fires in August, which I hope don’t happen this year. I wonder if this one happened because of the Arizona fires. Could that front have brought that smoke in? I know – that room with the glass and the trees. They won’t let you build like that now. Earthquake regs for building won’t let you go to the floor, and won’t let you do glass corners. She’s been in that house twenty one years.
I knew if anybody would appreciate the python, you would.
What a lovely LDS tradition. What a lucky person Ginger is to know how to love and collect people…I usually just get cats. I am praying and hoping that my new home will be a place to collect and celebrate lives…but it scares me to death. I don’t know how to be that easy hostess, but I’m willing to try and to learn. I want to be the place that is safe and welcoming to someone who might be scared or alone…who needs a place to celebrate their birthday or Christmas. Can I reinvent myself? Do I really want to? Why am I busy trying to get trees to grown down both of my property lines? Could just be that I want to be able to go out on my deck without worrying what I am (not) wearing, right?
Ginger is a unique sort of person. Not that she’s the only one of her kind. But it’s in her nature. She laughs at my writing about helmets and my hovering over the kids – she was always sort of like a bird. Yes – and now I realize that the bird image is behind my eyes when I think of her – like a falcon on wimpling wing – but without any aspect of the predatory – only the freedom and the faith and the utter willingness to forgive. (Ginger – you are not allowed to read this.) I am far more buttoned up. I love meeting people. But I don’t open my home that easily. I don’t adopt responsibility – I mean, like feeding and accommodating that easily. Not that I can’t. I’m just always afraid of being asked for more of myself than I’m willing to give outside of the stewardship of my own children. Ginger is as expansive as the sky. I am a great deal narrower. But she is not unwise. Perhaps it’s because she attracts people of character – or she has a good sense of who will pull their own weight heart and logic-wise, rather than freeloading folk who take advantage. I have only known her judgement to go wide once. The people she adopts are wonderful.
But I, too, plant trees along the property lines. You have to write in some silence. And in the end, I do love quiet and control over my own environment. Which disappears the moment the grand kids show up. See – you have me thinking about it. And there’s that cooking for people thing. I guess I wish I were the bountiful hostess. But I am too scattered for that. So I understand where you are. The heart is willing, but the logistics leave us trembling.
But there’s this, too: it takes time for her to recover from bouts of social richness. And she has a house perfectly set up for guests: her basement has bedrooms and a bathroom and storage and a family room – and you walk out of it right into that back yard. That makes a difference in how you can function. Our bedrooms are all within eye shot of each other, which was perfect when the children were growing up, but a little awkward for guests. Still, after all this said – don’t think for a moment that I wouldn’t be absolutely thrilled if you wanted to come out here and stay with us (just don’t bring the whole first grade class). We’d have a great time. We’d show you our mountains, and there would be corners for you to sit and read if you liked. Or you could go outside and play with the mosquitos. And we’d figure out what to cook TOGETHER!!!
That’s it…I too, am pretty protective of my time and my space…maybe this hospitality thing isn’t going to work out after all. But, I swear, I keep feeling a holy nudge…at least I think it is holy. I guess we will see.
My little husband is perfect for me…we are both sort of hermit-y by nature…yeah, this isn’t sounding too good the more I put it down here.
Even after all those years of teaching, I am not an entertainer.
Oh rats. Now I don’t know at all. Just gonna let it rest again. House won’t be done until at least next summer! No need to stress now. Perhaps the nudge will go away….
Thanks for listening to my blathering…and I’m a low maintenance guest!
Me too. Low maintenance. At least, I think I am. The nudge never goes away when you surround yourself with good people. We need to hang out in dives more, Donna. You know, maybe take up being low-class bikers (as opposed to high class ones, like some of my good friends). Then we might start to feel a little satisfied with ourselves. Unless we started worrying about not being sleazy enough. I know – we could run for senate!! That’d do it.
Harley has been a wish for a long time. When I was young I knew I was too reckless and my mother was an ER nurse with many tales of horror. Now, I am probably safer, but not as brave or willing to be in debt.
I will be happy to hang with you…most anywhere, but the Senate! Thanks for hearing me!
I’m even scared of motor scooters.
And hey, Ms. Woman-who-Blesses-Children – listening to you is a pure pleasure.
Thanks for visiting me over at we bloom here and leaving such a nice comments about my birdie-swap (and the little pink bird my son sewed up!) Also, hedgehogs… yes, hedgehogs! Ridiculously cute. Have you ever watched the animation of Kipper the Dog? There is one episode with a hedgehog… love it.
Wish I could have emailed you but could not find a link for an email anywhere on your blog or in your profile… so, here I am commenting. Anyhow, nice to “meet” you. Hope we cross paths again soon!
MB
It’s not hard to leave nice comments when you’re intrigued, impressed and charmed. I’m going to have to find Kipper. And mail you. Nice to meet you, too! Linda is such a great place to find folks. She’s kind of like the well at the center of the village.
Hmmmm. My collection is chickens. Well, children too. And photos. I am completely lacking in hostess skills, but luckily my husband cooks. I’m easy-goin’ enough when we have guests over (except the pre-arrival my-house-is-a-disaster panic), but I am mightily distracted by my children. Or taking photos of everything. So my guests all know that when it comes to food service, if my husband is not on it, they just need to help themselves. It’s all one big noisy family.
Now I want some shrimp.
Laughing. See? See how much we have in common? People could get here just in time for dinner, and if G were gone on a business trip or something, I’d greet them heartily, then pretend it wasn’t dinner time until I couldn’t push credibility any further, then I’d say something like, “Ummm,” drawing in the dust with my foot, “if you’re hungry, G should be home in a couple of days . . . ”
I want french silk pie.
What a lovely evening! And of course, Ginger finds wonderful people, she found you and Rachel afterall.
Aw – you go on. She found me a Looooooooooong time ago – back when she was luckier than smart. lol