Favorite Memories

This photo sits, in a unique handcrafted frame, on my dresser. Every morning I glance at it and smile.

The picture was taken twelve years ago today. Our dear Oratorio Society of Washington friend, Bill Elcome, had offered to take us on a Chesapeake Bay cruise for our birthdays. J.R.'s birthday was June 20th, and mine is June 22nd. We always celebrated on the 21st and reveled in the synchronicity.

I've blogged about Bill Elcome before. He was such a sensitive, compassionate friend to both John and me during John's battle with prostate cancer. And this two-day trip on his sloop was a real treat.

This is a particularly hard time of year for me. John turned 60 on the 20th, and then died on the 30th. I relive each day of that period every year. I was so lucky, so honored, to share ten years of my life with him, and 21 months of that time as his wife. I often say that I had two-and-a-half years of happiness, and many people don't even get that much.

Back to the picture: taken in a little cove near Annapolis where we anchored for the night with Bill and his then-lady, Patti. It was an incredibly hot, humid night, but the morning dawned with beautiful weather. Bill had brought a little grill on board, and cooked an excellent breakfast for us.

It was truly a trip with memories to last a lifetime.