May 26, 2013




Happy Memorial Day to all my family and friends that have served in the armed forces, especially my husband Jim, our son Michael, my  mother and father in law Tom and Dottie and Jim's grandfather John Duane you are my hero's.  


We continue to spend quality time with my family and I know I have said once but I will say it again, it will be hard from us to leave on Friday.  We have connected with friends we have not seen in over 30 years. 


Our friends Diana and Robert came over for breakfast on the 21st.   We talked about our children and grandchildren and showed them our pictures of our adventures.


On the 22st we drove up to Columbia State Park.  Columbia is an old mining time with an old working blacksmith shop, a saloon, an old bank that is actually a working bank now.  They have an  candy store and a place where you can pan for gold.  There were busloads of schools children there and they were having a ball.


Jim went to play golf on the 23rd and I dropped him off and drove up to Valley Springs so I could spend more time with my niece Tanay and my sister Merrill.   We looked over craft books and they showed me the clear glass ornaments that they decorate by threading beads on a wire.  They made an ornament for the Duane Family.  My niece is also cutting out their wood for painting so we made copies of the ornaments that I do. 


On the 24th my niece Cheri and nephew Gary took us out for a boat ride on the San Joaquin Delta.  There is 750 miles of waterways in the Delta and the water comes in from the Pacific Ocean.  At times they have had whales and sea lands come into the Delta.  Actually coming back to the boat ramp we heard a sea lion under one of the piers.


On Sunday we had breakfast with two dear friends Naomi and Frances.  It has been 35 years since we have seen them.  They both looked great!  My niece finished off our day by having everyone over so she could make her famous tacos.   We have had lots of love in Stockton, Ca.


Have a wonderful day and please take a moment of silence to give thanks to our military.


Jim and Debbie