Along two months

My summer is not going as I planned. In early June, we learned my dad had cancer. The doctors said it was a fast-moving cancer and though we could choose to subject daddy to intense treatments, in the end it might prolong his life only a month or so.

He opted to go home. He came home on a Thursday. I arrived on Sunday in Texas to help care for him. My brothers and sisters and I shared the responsibilities. Never leaving Daddy alone. Always one person dedicated to his every need. He died the following Sunday morning. It was father's day.

After the funeral, I rushed home. We had to move, and we had to help my son pack up his house and move. We're not thrilled about that. He and his family have left Florida for a new job opportunity. That's good for them, and we support them. But we're sad.

Because Robin had to stay at her job for two weeks, Ray and I helped with the move. We're still in Illinois. We're still at loose ends.

No house awaits our return. No jobs await our return. I'm still freelancing, so my job moves with me. But I miss Florida.

Who knows what the future will bring in the weeks ahead. We're just along for the ride.

My kids

Ah, they grow up too fast.

Beach Baby

She has a way of making us smile. When we moved here two years ago, she was just a baby. Brian would slather her in sunscreen, put on her little cap and tuck her under the cabana on the beach. She fell asleep drinking her bottle and listening to the waves.

Two years later, she runs straight into the big waves and giggles with delight as they crash over her head. She's our beach baby.

Willow

Willow loves this photo. She got excited when she saw it in a frame at my house. "Look, it's The Willow!" Indeed, it is.

Changes

It's almost April -- 2009. How did that happen?

This blog is going to change as of tomorrow. It's now going to be a photo blog with captions. That's it folks.