Monday, July 4, 2011

A Day at Holzheimers with the Bottinys

We went in to Euclid yesterday for the day, a beautiful Sunday afternoon on the beach or the deck, with the lake settling down in early evening so the kids could water ski.  We went in a little early, to stop at Bed, Bath and Beyond, then Trader Joe's, to pick up a couple of cases of wine for the weeks when our kids are here.  We ran in to Nan Cohen at Trader Joe's, her favorite spot to shop, and she mentioned she was coming out to Chautauqua on the 27th of July.

In Euclid, we spent the afternoon catching up with Linda and Rich, and the Bottinys, who came in on Saturday.  It was great to see Brooks and Julia, both doing really well, happy with their lives.  Brooks just got a promotion at Best Buy, in charge of about 30 Geek Squad technicians, a real step up.  And Julia is enjoying her summer work/internship at a hospital in Raleigh.  Ellen and Walt both seem good as well, Ellen especially, who seems to love coming back to Euclid, especially to Linda and Rich's, who take good care of her!  Peg and Tom also came over, which was nice, and they really seemed to enjoy being there, though they mentioned how much they miss Mom and Dad.  They both walk with canes but get around pretty well.  We started reminiscing about the old days and Tom started talked about his experiences in the Pacific, when he was wounded, and a buddy, who was crippled for life.  He broke down talking about it, realizing, I think, how lucky he has been to have survived and have had such a good life, a nice family, a happy marriage.  We have to go in and meet them for dinner with Linda and Rich, something we always say we will do but don't.

We had a great dinner, as usual, as Rich cooked a turkey on the grill and Linda made her famous coleslaw with bacon. Rice and sweet corn complimented the turkey. I had a couple of helpings of both they were so good.  For dessert we had brownies with coffee ice cream and chocolate or caramel sauce.  Yum.





It was a great night to sit outside, watch the sun wane off to the northwest, as the kids waited their turn to ski.  Both Linda and Rich and Evie and I are so lucky to live on a lake,  them to watch the sun set over the lake each night, us to watch it rise each morning in the East.

We left about 8:30, getting home just before 11:00, a long ride home but worth it.  Family becomes more and more important as you get older.  When I was a young fire-eater, I just took off, to Hawaii and Turkey, oblivious to family and their feelings, but returning to Ohio, reunited with our families was just as good if not a better decision then leaving to carve my way in the first place.  Now, each time we get together, we, the adults, become closer as we 'mature,' and it's so much fun to watch each others children, and grandchildren grow up, too fast no doubt, but part of the cycle of living.  Ah youth!

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