"Ya Gotta Have.....Friends..."

I have written a lot about my networks of friends, mostly from previous decades of my life.  But the last few weeks have prompted me to write about a group I've neglected for far too long - my neighborhood.

They say life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. Boy and howdy. I feel as though we moved into this house last week, and it was almost new. Blink, and it's 22 years later, and it is most definitely NOT new. But this remains the coolest, kindest, most entertaining and wonderful neighborhood ever.  And I have to pay it homage.

When we moved here, Labor Day Weekend of 1990, we were grateful escapees from California, with two young boys, looking for a new start with less stress and more money.  We moved from a veritable over-sized and overpriced closet to a huge, open, almost-new house with a rambling yard for the boys, a kitchen to die for, a 3 car garage with floors clean enough to eat off of, and a view of Mt Hood (if you crooked your head the right way out our bedroom window).  But the very best part was the neighbors that came with the house. The first week, one mom came down with a plate of cookies, her name and phone number, and the ages of her kids - just about the same as ours. Then there was a neighborhood BBQ, where not one, but three young middle school girls accosted me asking if we needed babysitters.  Could I have died and gone to heaven when I wasn't looking? 

Best Friends

These people weren't just nice on the surface, they were deeply kind and devoted, right to the very core.  Over the next twenty years, we went through everything - plumbing disasters, ER visits, even the death of one very dear friend from a heart attack in his own front yard. That took years to recover from. All of these events only served to make us closer. For the longest time, there was virtually no turnover. No one ever left. Our kids grew up together, graduated together, then left home and got married and had babies.  Occasionally, new folks would enter, through a transfer or divorce, or something else, and we would do our darnedest to invite them into the fold, which they usually welcomed.
This last weekend we held our annual summer potluck BBQ, which occurs in front of our house because we live on a cul de sac, and there's a lot of shade and open space. Almost without our noticing, instead of folks bringing their children, they were bringing their grandchildren! Wait a minute here! Didn't we just move in last week? No? 22 years ago, you say? Couldn't be.....well, maybe.....

New Year's Eve Snow

Halloween

Mom's Weekend at the Coast

Salud!

We have progressive dinners, moms' weekends at the coast, monthly library nights (almost like a book club except it's a lending library - mostly we drink, eat, and giggle), a quilting collective, and a walking group three times a week.  We keep such close tabs on each other that if you aren't seen for several days, a posse will gather to find out what's going on. Burglars know better than to mess with this place... We share recommendations - doctors, roofers, plumbers, restaurants, schools - we commiserate, we circle the wagons when someone is ill, or hurting. We celebrate milestone birthdays - in a big way - there are juicy stories about various 40th, 50th, and 60th birthdays. We do nothing halfway. I have been on the receiving end of such kindnesses more times than I can count. Regardless of the situation, I know I would only need to raise a finger to elicit the amazing care, concern, and devotion that is the hallmark of these families.

Lots of people know a good neighbor or two, but we have been so blessed, so fortunate - we have a huge family, a pod, a gaggle, a flock, of the neatest people in the whole world. So, dear fellow denizens of Tiare Hills, here's to you and many more years of living in our own little piece of paradise.  I love you to death.

"What a friend we have in time....gives us children, makes us wise..."

I should have written this two weeks ago when it was fresh, but it's been a crazy-busy summer.  So I'm just now getting to it.  So shoot me.

You may recall my post regarding a group of friends with whom I sang in high school....well, on July 14 we attended the wedding of the daughter of two of those folks. The wedding was at the home of, and catered by, the bride's uncle, who was another member of that group.  It was the first time that virtually all 12 members of Young Folk (yeah, I know, lame name....) were together in....wait for it....34 years!  To say that it was a fabulous weekend does not do it justice.  The wedding was lovely - an incredible setting on a hilltop overlooking the San Ramon Valley on a beautiful sunny late afternoon, a gorgeous bride and handsome groom, and guests of all ages, from infants to 90+ year old grandparents.

So what's the big deal? Nothing much, if you are unimpressed by a group of friends who are so in tune (!) that they can pick up where they left off without missing a beat (I'm really NOT trying to use music-related puns, it's just working out that way). It was a reunion that stopped us all in our tracks, and made us realize how deep our friendships were/are, and how fleeting our lives.  Most of us have lost at least one if not both of our parents; some unfortunate ones have lost a child.  Many have had scary, life-threatening illnesses or accidents, and multiple folks have found themselves unemployed at one point or another.  In other words, we've all had our share of bumps and bruises. But as soon as we were all in one spot, it was as though we'd never been apart.  Some have aged better than others; they were soundly criticized! What had not changed was our humor, our memories of good times past, and our love of good music and each other.  And all this did not end when the evening was over - it continued at breakfast the following morning, and at the "after party" in the afternoon, capped by a light dinner and drinks before we had to part ways.

The pictures were numerous and beautiful, for the most part....

Left to right, our "Leader", Marilyn; pianist, Fitz; vocalist, Vickie; rhythm guitar & vocals, Sharon; vocals, Rob (and 3rd of the 3 brothers); lead guitar, Jim, and drummer extraordinaire, John.

How sweet it was: What was left the next afternoon:  back row, Paul, married to Vickie; Tim, Sharon's husband; Jim; front row, Sharon; Steve and Robin (parents of the bride), and Fitz.