Celebrating Mom's 90th!

My mother is the middle child of three of my grandparent's children.  From youngest to oldest:  John, Pat, and Mary.  My uncle John and Aunt Mary died some years ago, leaving my mother.  Mom is just a few days away from her 90th birthday.

To celebrate, my wife Susan and I brought her up to the scenic Mohonk Mountain House nestled in the Shawangunk (pronouned SHON-gum) Mountains in Ulster County, New York.  I have been told that the Shawangunk overlooks the borders of five states:  New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.  Some vista!

We arrived yesterday, Friday afternoon.  This is not the first time the three of us have been to Mohonk.  The first time we came to this grand hotel was in April of 2008 at the invitation of our friend, Joe Fitzpatrick.  Joe, or "Big Joe Fitz" as he is commonly known, arranged an event at Mohonk called "Blues on the Mountain."  Blues musicians from various parts of the country convened at Mohonk for a weekend to play the blues and regale us with stories that inspired the songs they sang.  One Doug MacLeod recalled a time when a woman asked him, "You always sing songs about when a woman's done wrong.  Why don't you write a song when a man's done someone dirty?"

"Well, ma'am," Doug replied humbly, "I never dated a man!"

Returning to the present day, Mohonk Mountain House is celebrating 152 years of operation.  We are currently occupying a spacious room with western exposure, so we can watch glorious sunsets on balmy, blue days - or so the weather forecast says.

Last night at the main dining hall, the ladies dined on pasta dishes, while I had chicken breast with mashed potatoes and assorted vegetables.  The restaurant and its kitchen never fails to impress us.  Mom had pointed out that there were windows with eastern exposure as well as western exposure in the dining hall, so we have continuous sunlight streaming in.

Today, we took a horse drawn carriage ride through the hills surrounding Mohonk.  The driver was an expert and we felt absolutely at peace with the surroundings.  We caught sight of a doe and her faun, but I was on the lookout for a flock of wild turkey (no luck this time).  We took some shots of the Shawangunk cliffs and Skytop tower which overlooks the hotel.  I caught sight of two hawks circling for prey.  I tried to catch them on my phone cam, but the lens couldn't telescope in that much detail.  Skytop is always the subject of many Lord of the Rings references due to its name resembling Weathertop.  Someone riding along with us asked me, "What do your elvish eyes see?"

"Not much with my non-elvish shades," I replied with a laugh.
I speculated on how the Algonquin beheld the Shawangunk over thousands of years of settlement.  I wonder how this region would be if the Algonquin still flourished.  One can only speculate.

Mom has grown frail over the years.  She suffered a fall which fractured her hip a few years ago.  She needs a walker to get around.  I handle her with the delicacy of a Fabergé egg.  In spite of her advanced years, I hope she remains with us a few yeas longer.  Her wits are still sharp, but she needs hearing aids to listen to what Susan and I are saying.

In recent years, I have been dwelling on mortality.  I celebrate my birthday exactly two weeks before Mom.  In another year, I'll turn fifty.  No too old, but I'm not getting younger.  I exercise to fend off a decline in health, assorted aches and pains, and excess weight.  Sometimes I look at Mom in her current state and wonder if that is my future.

I'm getting morbid.  Let me change direction.

The plan for dinner is to go to the exclusive West Dining Room to enjoy meals even more exotic than the meals in the main dining room.  Again, we've been here before to celebrate Susan's birthday, my birthday, and Mom's birthday on various occasions.  It pleases me to see Mom taking in all this wonder and luxury.  She is very happy to get out of her apartment in the city for a while.  On the carriage ride, Mom reminisced on her years as a girl scout so many, many years ago.

Right now, Susan and Mom are on the terrace overlooking a smooth mountainous vista.  Mom is pestering me to email her photos I took on the carriage ride as I write this.  I'll take some time to make her happy, as I always try to, as I have throughout our lives.

- JJB