Sunday, July 25, 2010


On Friday July 23 my granddaughter Rebecca and I flew to Austin, Texas for a week’s parallel-education and vacation. Unlike other years where I have been obsessed in blogging on schedule during trips by resorting to internet-cafes and storing pictures for the day’s blogs in places like Photobucket, this time around I resolved not to bother. If anything I tried to steer Rebecca away from computers and her inevitable log in to Facebook. I sort of cheated by writing three blogs ahead of time. One was for Thursday, the night before our early rise, one for Friday and one for Saturday.

It would be dishonest for me to now write everyday’s blog as if it were a “this is what we did today.” My blogs will be on events that Rebecca and I found interesting and I will post them as I develop the b+w film I exposed as well as the Ektachromes which will not be available until Tuesday afternoon.

We arrived safely on Friday, July 30 a few minutes before Friday became Saturday. Bruce Stewart (Rebecca’s father) who picked us up told us the disturbing news that Rosemary had been bitten on the right ankle by our neighbour’s pit bull which had jumped the fence on the other side of our lane. Rosemary was deadheading perennials on the lane and she was sitting on the gravel. The dog sniffed Rosemary’s hand. Rosemary then (we are not sure if this was her mistake or if it saved her from being bitten in the face) stood up and then the dog attacked. It could all have been worse even though Rosemary was taken to emergency by her daughter Hilary and Hilary’s father-in-law. She received 12 stitches and is much in pain. It was only a year ago that on July 30 Rosemary was hit by an SUV when she was quietly minding her own business on a sidewalk on Oak and 41st Avenue. In that even she suffered a severely broken left ankle and a concussion.

The dog attack has sobered up the enthusiasm I had felt about our trip and it was Hilary who told us (she called the police to make sure this event is properly recorded) that it could have been either of her daughters who on Saturday play in the back lane amongst our roses and perennials. Rosemary is ready to forgive but I will have to give this some thought.

Rebecca and I are happy to be back and I am happy that this is a long weekend in which I can reflect on the consequences of out trip and at the same time give comfort to Rosemary who needs it. I missed her a lot and it feels good to be home.