AN OVERNIGHTER TO SALEM

Mike’s cousin’s wife passed away a couple of weeks ago, and her family planned a celebration of life for Saturday, June 11, in Salem, OR. She had been a gracious hostess when we visited, and Mike wanted to pay his respects and visit with members of his extended family. We just wanted to attend the event, so we decided to make it an overnight trip.

Basically, we traveled light. We decided to err on the side of being underdressed rather than overdressed, and that proved to be right. It was a casual event.

So, on Friday I made Chex Mix and Golden Graham bars – and I packed those in the crate with other needful things. The crate made it to the car, but the banana bread and cookies I planned to pack in the morning – well, those were left behind along with my tote bag of light reading to which I gave much thought. It’s getting harder and harder to cope with the details. Oh well – we had our phones. What more did we need? And yes, Bess went, too.

We started out at 5:50 a.m. on Saturday. The trip is much like that to Seattle, beginning on winding country roads which eventually lead to the interstate and finally onto the urban freeway with vehicles whizzing along. I see it as cultural shock.

The celebration was well-organized and a great tribute to a generous lady. A granddaughter opened the event with a short but heartfelt tribute. A potluck meal was provided by the children and grandchildren. Otherwise, It was an opportunity to mingle and visit. Today, many people bypass the funeral service, but my mother believed that it’s necessary to gather after someone passes. You have to get through that first time without the departed, she said, and I’m sure this lovely event accomplished that for this dear lady’s family.

Sunday found us on the road again but not quite so early – about 7:30. Our only stop (except for gas) was at Multnomah Falls where there were plenty of tourists on such a chilly, rainy day. We drove in intermittent rain and were home by 2:30. Then it began to rain in earnest, and the weather service issued a storm alert and a flood watch. KW