Francine and Beach Day

My sweet Francine is 3,000 miles away taking care of her dear family's needs, and I haven't gotten to speak to her in weeks. We usually can schedule a Skype or phone chat, but the time difference is not kind, and the work she is doing is non-stop. But a while ago we got to spend a day with her, and I love looking at the pictures to feel closer to her.

Everything Francine touches she beautifies, including people.  She sees the best in you, and shows it to you in a way with such kindness that you see the good in yourself you never saw before.   A hug from Francine is perfumed with incense and lavender, every thing she owns has a lovely little story with it, and every hour spent together begs for two more.  Even the dash of her car has a lovely collection of shells and stones.  

[Look out the window (above) to see the little church and old schoolhouse (to the left) in Bodega where they filmed Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds".]

Climbing down the cliff to Salmon Creek before deciding to go to Doran Beach instead.

If you feed the local wildlife, they'll climb right up into your lap.

As a Southern California girl, it has been hard to adjust to the notion of being cold at the beach.  Poor Tessa just froze.

My hotty.

Ellie was my wing-man as I tried to fly Francine's cool kite.  I usually blame my kite crashing on the cheap kites we buy.  It turns out, I just can't fly kites.  This is as high as it got.  

These two can really get along.  

Keyword: CAN.  (Subtext: when they aren't trying to kill each other)

It's funny, but I could gobble him up just as much as when he was a baby.  And on an interesting side note: he weighs the same as he did when he was a baby.

Aw, now this is a sad picture.  

This is a picture of us packing up to go home, which means saying goodbye, which is the only sad part about visiting Francine. 

I miss you so much Francine, and am praying for you and yours daily while you are so far away.  Don't hurry home; I know what you are doing is the most important thing right now.  But as soon as you get back, don't be surprised if you find us waiting on your porch with a flat of strawberries.