Family time, after Mom's service: October 20, 2015

Our sweet Dad.  Lilies from Mom's service are in a vase on the table.

Martha, Colton, Donna, and Keeley, Donna's bichon fries

Destry and Camille drove to Ruston Sunday, and spent the night.  They and Colton (who attends Louisiana Tech in Ruston) arrived on Monday, October 19, 2015, and had to leave on Tuesday, to get back to school and work.

Donna and her boys

Ryder and Papa Tom picked up po-boys for dinner

Tuesday evening, the Sistas wrote thank you notes to everyone who had sent flowers and donations in memory of Mom.

Ryder, with roses from the spray at Mom's service

Gloria June Meek Hogan (November 26, 1934-October 16, 2015)

Mom's service was held on October 20, 2015, which was Mom and Dad's 65th wedding anniversary.  She loved fall colors; orange was her favorite color.

You might have to enlarge the photo to see these better.  Left to right:  Mom on the Thames in London, where she and Dad lived in the 1980s; Mom and Dad's wedding photo; Mom in the kitchen; a more recent photo of Mom and Dad; Mom and Dad in the early 1950s.

Mom's pall bearers were Martin, Papa Tom, Craig, Ryder, Destry, and Colton.  After the service, they placed their boutonnieres  on the coffin.

The flower spray was so beautiful.  We took lilies and roses from it back to the house.  Left to right:  Me, Donna, Martha, and Martin.  Charles, Jr.,  was there earlier.

Shreveport, Louisiana: October 18, 2015

 

Mom would have been so happy to see everyone.  We were supposed to get together on Thanksgiving, which would have been her 81st birthday.  Left to right:  Martha, Craig, Charles, Ramzi, Dad, Martin, Donna, Papa Tom, me.

Ramzi had flown in from L.A. a few days earlier to celebrate his mother's 60th birthday in Houston.  He and Martin drove up together.  Ramzi had to leave early Monday morning, to get back to work, before Mom's services on Tuesday.  We're so glad we got to see him.

Thursday, October 2, 2015: Grandparents Day at Brentwood Elementary School

Fox shared her TruMoo chocolate milk with me at lunchtime

After lunch, we visited Clifford the Big Red Dog and the book fair in the library

Fox showed us the garden her class is growing.  She pointed out the tomato plant and collard greens.

Papa Tom and Jade, outside her classroom

Jade with Mrs. Moore, her pre-K teacher.  Mrs. Moore's shirt makes her pants look very weird in this photo.

Wednesday, October 1, 2015

Papa Tom cleared out the front flower bed and Amon helped him pull out the loquat tree, cutting the roots away

Almost done!

Success!

NYC: day four: Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Had to stop at Zabar's to pick up some black-and-white cookies for Papa Tom.  They are like soft sugar cookies, with white icing and chocolate icing on top.

Food delivery bike.  Perfect!

As long as I was in the neighborhood, I had to stop at Cafe 71, at the corner of West 71st and Broadway, where Ryder, Brandy, and Mya used to eat and one of the places they took us (besides Zabar's) when we visited them in September 2010.  Before River, before Piper . . . . although River came within a few months of being born in NYC.

251 West 71st, where Ryder, Brandy, and Mya used to live on the fifth floor.

Sharon and I took our lunches from Zabar's to the Hudson River for one last look at the water.

Behind us, kids played soccer in the North Meadow.

Another first on this trip:  flying home first class on United Airlines.  Got more than the bag of peanuts you get on Southwest! Not shown here, but dessert was chocolate ice cream covered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce.  Oh my!

NYC: day four: Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Do you see the window washers on the Freedom Tower?

Now do you see them?  The are sooo high up!

The memorial to 911 consists of fountains in the footprints of the two World Trade Center buildings that were destroyed.  Around the edges are the names of those who died here.

NYC: day three, afternoon and evening: Monday, September 28, 2015

While Sharon read the NYT in our hotel room, the skateboarders and I headed for the Brooklyn Bridge.

Vehicular traffic is below; pedestrians and cyclists are above.

Traffic below, from one of the observation areas on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Walking back, I couldn't help but think about how the city is ever evolving.  A much older skyscraper, the Freedom Tower, and a skyscraper under construction are all part of the skyline.

St. Paul's church steeple and Freedom Tower

Sparrows perch on a headstone in the St. Paul's church cemetery.

Graves date back to the 1700s

A beautiful evening at Washington Square park

NYC: day three: Monday, September 28, 2015

Architect's rendering of the new subway station

We walked inside the subway station, set to open completely later this year.

Part of the station's interior walls is from the World Trade Center station as it stood before September 11, 2001.

NYC: day three: Monday, September 28, 2015

Freedom Tower, with part of the Oculus subway station in the foreground.  We headed to the top, to the One World Observatory, for a fantastic 360-degree view of the city.

The elevator ride to the 100th floor only took about 60 seconds!

The Brooklyn Bridge, as seen from the One World Observatory.

Yes, that's the Statue of Liberty, as seen from the One World Observatory.

NYC: more day two: Sunday, September 27, 2015

We stayed at the Millineum Hilton across from the new Freedom Tower, and caught the train to Times Square from the World Trade Center stop.

They still exist!

My second Broadway show ever was "The Book of Mormon," highly rated but certainly R-rated too!

Times Square, after the show.  I love the red high heels!

People were just hanging out, enjoying the evening and looking for the "super moon."

Caught the train back to our hotel.

Too misty to see the super moon, but had to stop and admire the Freedom Tower.  In the foreground is the upper portion of "Oculus," the new subway station designed by Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava.  The station , set to open later this year, will connect some 200,000 commuters daily to 11 different subway lines.