(Photo by Sue Lester)

Us. Because life is good… especially at the seashore where we celebrated (quite belatedly) Dick’s 76th birthday, which was in February.

After I had to return to Sacramento Feb. 1, Dick celebrated (gently, quietly) as he recovered in a rented house in Honolulu from heart surgery with our two friends, Cora Johnson and Connie Raub, who literally flew to his side to care for him. This past weekend Dick and I happily celebrated together on the other side of the Pacific Ocean with our dear friend Sue Lester at The Sea Ranch on the north edge of Sonoma County.

And we walked the gorgeous bluff-top trail and, when the tide allowed, went down to rain-soaked sand because it was mostly a wet weekend, but then we scampered outside like happy marmots when the sun beamed, soaking it up before the next shower. Then we’d nestle inside (like marmots who prefer being dry) and talk and eat and read and nap.

Sue-babe

Sue is (other than my sister) my longest-tenured friend on the planet. We grew up next door to each other next to a lake called Folsom where I followed her through our patch of state park as best friends do. She was always a head taller and a year older (she still is), but now that we’re in our sixth decades, I’ve got lots more gray hair than Sue. We have been fortunate that we found work we love (Sue’s a veterinarian in Nevada City) in places we love. And while we have not raised children, we have cared for innumerable pets and loved ones and houses and plants.

Sue is important in my life because she has been a witness to so much of it. She has parts of the story no one else has, as I have parts of hers. She has also adored my two main men, the one who was born 67 years ago today (hey, Clifford, my dearest companion spirit!) and died in 2001, as well as the one who died and was returned to me in January (Dickie!). She has a master’s in zoology for which she toiled among ocean invertebrates in, among other places, Bermuda, a warm-ocean spot.

This past weekend Sue and Dick and I migrated to the cold ocean of the North Coast, accepting the weather that came at us and over us. Because it’s never too often to be grateful and happy for each day we get to breathe together on the planet.