Beginning and End

My Mother's Day started with Daughter delivering a poster-size dose of happiness that she painted herself.

Along for the ride was a balloon full of love.

Daughter is a child of few, carefully chosen words, so when she says something, she really means it.

She also went to the effort of framing some family pictures, which sounds easy but actually isn't when you live in Mathews.  Creation of this gift required a trip to Gloucester's Walmart, which is 15 miles one way from our house and approximately 2-3 hours of a person's life they'll never get back, when you take into consideration standing in line at the photo thingamajig.

I confess that I cried when she gave me this.

Son, who just finished up his first year at University of Virginia, called from the center of Tropical Storm Ana.  He's spending a few days in Myrtle Beach with friends before returning home for the summer.  I went to retrieve his stuff last Friday, and we had lunch together.  His Mother's Day present to me is he survived an entire year of college and earned A's and B's.  I'm very, very proud of him.

Baby Sis arrived early afternoon, and the Mother's Day festivities continued next door with our parents.  My father's offering for the occasion was a batch of his world-famous (if they aren't world-famous they ought to be) fried oysters and shrimp.  My mother made a world-class salad, mashed potatoes, asparagus and several desserts, and I grilled some salmon.  We ate and ate and ate and ate and then we ate some more very well.

(Yes, it's Mother's Day, and the mothers were cooking.  We don't focus on the details, we focus on the food.)

Just when I thought the Mother's Day festivities were winding down, my across-the-creek neighbor Ann called to say she was having a gathering and wondered if I might like to join in on the fun.

Would I?

Jon and Ann live at the house/property known as Clifton, which is rich in history here in Mathews. The property my family lives on once belonged to Clifton.  Any opportunity I've ever had to go over there has not disappointed.  Jon and Ann, South Africans in the sailing business over in Deltaville, know how to throw a party, and their friends are always the most interesting and fascinating people.

This time was no different.

I met sailors from Austria.  I met sailors from Michigan/Connecticut/Irvington.  I met for the second time a lovely sailing couple who now live on Queens Creek, my creek, just up the way from me.  We share ownership of the Queens Creek eagle.  Technically the eagle lives on their property, but he wades and ponders life down my end of the creek.  He's a much-admired eagle, this one of ours.

Anyway, the party at Jon and Ann's house, which took place outdoors in their back yard gazing right into the inside of my boathouse which clearly needs to be cleaned out Miller's Cove on Queens Creek, was filled with delightful conversation and exceptionally interesting people, some of which I now can visit since they're only a kayak ride away!

(Dear Queens Creek Neighbors Who Co-Own the Eagle, please stop in for a visit the next time you're out boating. Memorial Day weekend I'll be spending lots of time in my back yard, please drop by.)

Below are some pictures I took over at Clifton. Jon and Ann's house sits comfortably on the creek just behind the house below, which you pass as you go down their driveway.  I didn't take pictures of their gorgeous house, but I have admired this one for a long time.  I'll share a few more photos of this house later in the week.

All in all, it was a great Mother's Day.  

From start to finish.