Tuesday, August 03, 2010

You can't go Home again!

It's been a while since I posted a blog.  I know I have been busy, but didn't realize that I hadn't blogged in over a month!!!!

Let's see....where did July go?  The first part of July, good friend Denise had hip replacement surgery.  Let me tell you, NOTHING slows this woman down.  I called her super woman!  She was walking the halls in the hospital the day of surgery and was walking up our road (nice, BIG hill) a week after surgery!  And I am so proud of her.  After smoking for most of her life, she quit 3 months ago.  YEAH...another convert!

Melanie came down from Portland for a two week visit.  We managed to cover a lot of ground while she was here, including Sedona, Grand Canyon and most of Tucson.  We really had a good visit and hated to see her go back home.  It's been way too long since I have had my oldest daughter here and especially for a long time.  It was good for both of us. 

I took her to the Phoenix airport on July 29 for her flight to Portland and I hopped a flight to Southern California.  Not by choice, mind you.  One of my cousins who has so bravely been fighting breast cancer for 8 years lost her fight on July 23.  Her funeral was July 31 and I decided I should go.  I haven't been "home" for a long time to see all the Emery cousins and I did want to pay my respects to Nancy.  So I flew into Burbank, Dan picked me up and took me up to their house in Acton.  Big fire going on in Palmdale; but then it seems like there is always a fire somewhere in So. Cal. this time of year.   I borrowed his car and drove to my brother John's house in Glendora on Saturday....on the freeway, just before I got off to go to his house, a huge puff of smoke in the mountains above his house.  Fire in Glendora Canyon!   UGH!  The LA County Fire Dept got that one out ASAP!  Good thing as everything is tinder dry. 

Emery Cousins: Patty, John, JoEllen, Linda, Cindy, Bob, Beverly
The Emery cousin reunion was after the funeral, held at  Pat and Jack's in Alta Loma.  Perfect weather that day and we were all there minus two.  That is pretty good for us; however, most of the cousins still live in the So. Cal area.  Then there are the rebels like myself who want no part of that area. 

As I said in the title, you can't go home again. I have been back to Azusa/Glendora many times since I left years ago and I can't imagine myself living there again.  A lot has changed ( who built houses way up in San Gabriel Canyon???  Don't they know it WILL burn?) and a lot hasn't.  After leaving my brothers on Sunday afternoon I decided to just drive around and look .. something I haven't been able to do by myself in years.  I know it bores Al to death when I do this, so this was my chance.  Glendora has really remained a lot the same.  Oh, different shops in what is now called the "Village" of Glendora (we always called it downtown!!) but basically the same.  Azusa has changed  a lot.  Downtown (I think it is still downtown and not "Village"...) has been updated, which it really needed.  My favorite restaurant, El Patio, which was the best Mexican restaurant ever, is gone.  It is now a BBQ place!! Oh Mary, where are you???  You made the best enchiladas in the world.  BUT, my second favorite, La Tolteca is still there, different location, but still the same.  And they still make the BEST taquito's in the world.  I stopped and bought a dozen and took them back to Billie and Dan's, however, only 10 made them back.  I drove up San Gabriel Canyon to Morris Dam...and with the exception of the houses previously mentioned, that is pretty much the same.  Of course, I drove by all the houses I lived in while growing up...and they all pretty much look the same, smaller than I remember, but the same. 

 I enjoyed  my day of "going home", but for me home is where Al is and that is Tucson.  I got home yesterday and glad to be home.  It is still hot, but that is fine with me.

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