05 November, 2020 - How Are You Today? & Our Blue Mountains

 Dear, Mom -

I am thinking about you and how you are feeling today. I know the last couple of times we have talked you have felt a bit down. I hope that your spirits are lifted up today and that you have that lovely smile across your sweet face, cheering the whole place up! If there is anything that I can do to help you feel better, please let me know. If it involved chocolate chip cookies, those can definitely appear as though through magic (and my oven :).

Here is a picture of our Blue Mountains from back home. This is pretty much the way they look right now. I think you can see up Stormy Canyon in this photograph just like when we would look out our living room window or from standing on the deck. It's a beautiful sight.

This reminded me of a painting you would have done. the difference being that your would have been even more photo realistic. Your painting would have looked more like a photograph. I must admit, this is a nice rendition of our Blue Mountains, though. Especially with that old barn. The colors are muted, but I think that nicely captures the essence of the Blue Mountains. If you compare it to the photograph above, the artist did a nice job color matching. I know your picture would always be my favorite, though. You are my favorite artist of all time!

Here I am in about 1977 on my favorite bicycle. What I would give to still have that bike.

Riding this bike really set me up for becoming a life long lover of bike riding. Especially, BMX bikes. Billy and I made all the jumps out of dirt and sailed over them. Of course, Bill always did it much faster and higher then I did, but we had thousands of hours riding in the wilds of Milton-Freewater. It was a fantastic place to grow up. I wouldn't have changed that for anything. I have you and Dad to thank for that. I'm glad Billy and I had so much time to ride and around as we did. 

This is just an extra dose of sunshine for you today. Can you feel the warmth and slight breeze on your face? I can smell that green grass and how it tickles my nose, making me want to sneeze. I can hear the noisy starlings and catch a glimpse of a peregrine falcon looking for a mouse lunch. A couple of the best sounds would be a pheasant in the wheat and the family of quail scurrying across the railroad tracks.

Here is that quail making sure the coast is clear for the family! I took this picture (and the following one) ten years ago from outside the house in Milton-Freewater.

 If we were really lucky, the Union Pacific with its five box cars might take a leisurely stroll next to house and on out to Spofford.

Here I am standing on the deck 10 years ago with the Milton Nursery, the Blue Mountains, and the Pacific Union railroad tracks in back of me. It's a silly picture of me, but we can see the view!

It is nice to think about home and where we spent most of our lives. Let's both look back at it with much fondness and happiness for all the moments it created for us. I don't want you to feel sad thinking about Milton-Freewater; embrace that which comes to you. Is there a certain thing you recall from our time there? Painting with the ladies on Thursdays? Going to the Elks Club with Dad? Changing irrigation pipe and setting gopher traps? Tiffany the dog, or Chester the cat? The day you painted daisies on Tad's motorcycle because he didn't move it out of the shop in time? That is a great memory to have. Thank you for giving those pictures to me. I can treasure them in my head for years to come.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures, Mom. I sure love you. I will come visit you as soon as I am allowed to. I will give you a nice cuddle and peck on the cheek. I will sit and hold your hand and we'll drink our coffee or cocoa and eat an assortment of delicious treats (on me)!

Have the best day today. Think about the sitting on the deck in the sun and the looking at the foothills of the Blue Mountains. 

💖💖💖I LOVE YOU!!! Your Daughter, Sally Ann💖💖💖