It is August....the summer is nearing an end. My hair is just at the length that dad preferred for his daughter, shoulder length with bangs long enough to pull back out of my face. This length usually  ensured a warmer greeting  than when I arrived with a short boy-cut hairstyle,  which happened periodically after one of my self-hair cutting mishaps.   This is the perfect time when we would usually travel to the beautiful pacific northwest to visit dad and Leah Ann. 

Regardless of hair length, Dad and Leah Ann were the ultimate hosts at the "Bowen Inn." Always wanting to ensure we had a nice time, which wasn't too difficult. After rooms chosen and the  tent pitched in the back for our boys, they encouraged us to go out and explore Whidbey Island.

Our days were filled with taking long walks while breathing in the fresh salty island air, listening to the ocean waves retreat from the pebbly  Deception Pass shoreline, glimpsing at Bald Eagles sitting stoically in a tall evergreen tree or watching the Navy jets flying overhead. But, best of all was just chatting while enjoying the deer and bunnies that visited their yard. All this helped us to quickly downshift and sync to the rhythm of Dad and Leah Ann's golden years days.  

  Watching dad in his preferred attire, blue jeans with suspenders, working in his garden  while Leah Ann  tended to the home, singing and dancing as she prepared delicious meals with fresh ingredients they proudly grew or caught is just one memory out of hundreds that are found in the fondest memories section of my mind.

 Dad and Leah Ann, both now freed from earthly bonds, are once again together. 
They are truly missed, but will live on in our hearts and memories forever.

You Are
Beyond the contented beer belches, grunts, growls, and happy chuckles....
You are...
The referee's whistle piercing through cheering crowds and 
the quiet hush before a golf ball flies toward the clouds.
You are...
A guitar strumming a cowboy tune and
a roaring lawn mower cutting grass in June.
You are...
The whistling wind blowing through the trees and 
a flower garden humming with busy bees.
You are...
The sound of gravel slowly crunching under truck tires
and the warm embrace of a crackling camp fire. 
You are....
The ocean breeze resonating with the call of a gull and
the sound of water gently lapping on the hull. 
You are...
The quiet voice inside my mind
reminding me about the value of time. 
You are...
All around me and in my heart, 
so even when gone we are not far apart. 
Love, 
Your daughter, Cathy