April 23, 1977

Photo by Vincent Vitale

Thirty-eight years ago today, we met our seventh child.  Micah Christian was born at 4 lbs 14 oz.  We were advised that he had Down Syndrome and a day later, were told that something was wrong with his heart.  When he was three months old, we found out that he had a very large hole in his heart, which was later found to be no center wall at all.  The Pediatric Cardiologist told us the good and bad blood were separated by a piece of membrane.  He had five times the amount of blood going into his lungs as opposed to circulating through his body.  This was successfully repaired when he was 6 1/2 years old.  However, due to lung damage incurred over those 6 1/2 years, Micah died.

He lived much longer than expected by the medical community.  Micah attended school at Rehabilitation Programs.  At home, he was both a joy and sometimes, an annoyance because of his impish ways.  Micah was certainly loved by his siblings, his parents and many, many friends.

You can read about his life in "The Book of Micah" (see below).

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Perhaps by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook) 

The Book of Micah by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook) 

Visit to Famosa Slough

Since my Julian trip, life has been fairly quiet, except for my 8 year old grandson's baseball games.  Today, I walked to the Famosa Slough (San Diego) to see if I could find any migrating birds.  Instead, I was greeted with regulars, which of course are worth seeing.  It was a quiet respite.

When I arrived, the first bird I spotted was a  male Mallard, whose bill looked blue.  The photo of the male and female displays the male's bill as yellow.  The photo shown below on the left shows a bluish tint on the bill.  In every website I checked, experts said the male Mallard's bill is a bright yellow.  Each photo below is of the same male Mallard.  This pair was the only one at the Slough today.  The male Mallard's beautiful colors really stand out.

Male and Female Mallards

American Kestrel

The next bird I found was the American Kestrel, which is a small hawk.  It's head is well defined by two black stripes on each side of its head.  When attending a bird tour at the Slough, others more knowledgeable then I, can spot one faster.  So, today, I was happy it stayed in the same place long enough for me to get a few poses.  The photo to the right is the best.  My camera doesn't have that long a range, so this is what I get.  It's a very striking bird.

As I walked further into the property, there were some sparrows and finches.  I walked along the path and heard the call of a Song Sparrow.  I finally found it, but it was too far from me to get a good photo.


Before I started for home, I decided to cross West Point Loma Boulevard to see what I could see, so to speak.  I was hoping to see a Clapper Rail, a marsh bird that hangs out in the tall reeds.  On one of the tours I attended last fall, I was able to see one, but today, nothing.

As I was intently scanning the reeds with my eyes, I heard the familiar call of a Song Sparrow.  It was so loud it felt like the bird was sitting on my shoulder.  I turned and checked out a small tree behind me. It's flowers had died off for the most part, but there near the top was a Song Sparrow.

Song Sparrow

I did receive an email regarding the sighting of a Yellow-crowned Night Heron at the back of the property near the 8 (Highway).  Since it's far off the main road, I usually only go there when I'm with a bird tour.  It would be great if that bird would spend the month here, but I think it will be on the move.

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Perhaps by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook) 

The Book of Micah by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook) 

Trip to Julian

On Saturday, I accompanied one of my daughters and her daughter to Julian, California.  Julian is an historic mountain town east of San Diego in the Cuyamaca Mountains.  On our way, we passed a sign for the D'Anza Borrego Desert.  As I excitedly pointed it out, my daughter advised me that the scenery I was look at, wasn't actually the desert.  It was really beyond the hills we were viewing. 

 Our main quest was to enjoy Afternoon Tea at the Julian Tea and Cottage Arts on Third Street.  When we arrived, we were seated in a cozy room by the window.  The table was set with potpourri of lovely Victorian-style bone china.  I'd describe it as a potpourri because each place setting was different.  We enjoyed comparing and actually switching plates and cups among ourselves.  My 11 year old granddaughter started it by telling her Mom that she was nervous about the thin fragile cup handle.  It wasn't fragile, but something she wasn't accustomed to using.  We started with a raspberry tea.  Shortly thereafter, our finger sandwiches arrived.  Each was delicious.  Following that came our scones accompanied with lemon curd and a berry jam.  We then ordered a Chocolate Chai tea.  I enjoyed that tea best of all.  The last serving was the dessert of tiny little cheese cakes with a cherry on top and chocolate truffles.  Everything was delicious.  If you wanted, you could purchase tea cups or tea cozies displayed on the walls, tea, and in fact, anything and everything you would associate with tea.  I would definitely recommend a trip to the Julian Tea shop.  The food was delicious, the atmosphere was inviting, and the servers were friendly and helpful.   Also, our Afternoon Tea provided me the opportunity to share with my granddaughter, a little family history about my Mom and her love for tea.

After our lunch, we walked to the Main Street.  Julian is a historic mining town with old buildings housing stores and restaurants.  At certain times of the year, it is very crowded with visitors.  I remember visiting there quite some time ago near Thanksgiving.  Julian pies are a great attraction, but there are a number of stores offering a plethora of items such as, clothing, textiles, art, honey, etc.  Today there were many visitors, but we were able to comfortably roam the stores.  Our first stop on Main Street was a candy store my granddaughter remembered.  Then, on to a store that sold collector's items.  Across the street we went to the Cider Mill to purchase honey and purchased some hot apple cider.  After this, my daughter and granddaughter saw a long line at Mom's Pie House and decided to purchase an apple pie.  After dinner, the family had the pie.  My daughter told me that the pie was watery and the family was very disappointed.  Apparently, a good amount of people like that kind of pie, but not my family.

While they were waiting on line at the pie shop, I discovered a very interesting shop next door filled with a wide variety of items.  You could easily spend an hour in that shop, which we did not on this trip.  But, I would at another time.

You can take a ride in a horse and carriage.  I'm including a photo of a horse tied up to a fire hydrant because I think it shows the flavor of Julian, which is very relaxed. 

 

A trip to Julian is definitely worth your time.


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Perhaps by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook) 

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Bully's East

Last night my daughter and I were invited to a party for our friend Marge.  All her friends came together to celebrate her decision to retire from her employment and spend her time on other things.  The party of approximately 15 friends was held at Bully's East in the Mission Valley section of San Diego.  Unfortunately, because of traffic congestion, we were the last to arrive.  One of the other guests advised us that each guest had just shared how they met Marge.  It gave me the opportunity to share how Marge used to give me a ride home from a legal secretarial course at San Diego City College that she taught around 20 years ago.  Many in the room nodded, attesting that Marge's generosity and thoughtfulness was experienced by all.  It seemed to me to be an assent in unison.

When the server came for our dinner order, I chose a Surf and Turf Roll.  The menu said it contained Prime Rib, avocado, king crab and asparagus.  My daughter ordered a hamburger.  When the food arrived, I looked at the sushi on my plate.  I had not understood that it was exactly what I ordered.  When the server came back into the room, I ordered something else.  The sushi might have been very good, but it is not my 'cup of tea' so to speak.  I then ordered an appetizer of Mussels in Belgium beer flavored with fennel, rosemary, thyme and smoked bacon.  As I waited for my new order, I had one of my daughter's steak fries, which was very tasty.  When my Mussels came, the meal was D-e-e-lish. I would return to this restaurant just for that. 

We had one server, Amanda, for the party.  She gave excellent service.  I would definitely recommend Bully's East and intend to re-visit and enjoy another meal.

And I wish Marge, a wonderful retirement.

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Beacon NY

Congratulations to Beacon NY for being selected as No. 8 in the "Editor's Favorite Trips of 2014" on the Conde Nast Traveler's website.  Beacon is a very interesting town.  When I visit the family, I've taken many an enjoyable walk through various areas there.

On the Hudson River side of the station, you can walk to Long Dock Park and follow the trails for a nice 'woodsy' walk.  South of the city, off Route 9D, is Madame Brett Park.  While the area is very rustic, it's a great easy hike.  The waterfalls are very pretty and the ruins of two factories are very interesting.  One made hats and the other, buttons.  As you walk the paths, you can see some small piles of buttons on the ground.

Madame Brett Park, Beacon NY

With a short walk from the Metro North train station, you can visit the Dia Beacon Museum.  This museum is very popular with locals and visitors who take the train from New York City.  In the business section of the town, you will see a number of restaurants, gallery and shops.  I especially enjoyed my visit to Hudson Beach Glass, where my grandchildren created their own Christmas decorations.  It was fun for me.  It was an education opportunity for the grandchildren.

  During my last visit to New York, my friend, Katie, and I had lunch at the Beacon Falls Cafe on Main Street.  The restaurant is small and was very crowded.  We were advised of a wait and visited a 'Penny Social' at the American Legion Hall, just a short walk down the street.  Katie had never attended one before.  After this, we returned to the restaurant and discovered we were still on the waiting list.  When we were finally seated, our meal was very enjoyable.  I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

I was disappointed about not being able to climb Mt. Beacon during the past two trips to New York.  Last June, I was too busy with other things.  When I finally made arrangements with my grandson, we had a week of rain.  It was also the last week of my visit.  One of my previous climbs was up a rock-bed creek along side a waterfall in the mountain.  It was a little slippery.  So, I now prefer my climb to be on dry ground.  When I came to New York in November, I was happy to see that since the weather was clear, I could possibly go up Mt. Beacon when my grandson had time.  Because he was busy, the first available opportunity was Thanksgiving Day.  Then, 8 to 10 inches of snow the day before dashed my plans.

If you do decided to hike Mt. Beacon, you can see the following scenes.

Most hikers take the stairs near the ruins of an incline railway and continue on.  I take the fire road.  At the top are ruins of a casino and hotel of the 1920's.  I have yet to see this.  My grandson who knows the mountain, led me to the top of the fire road past the reservoir.  The stone monument was erected by the Daughters of the American in 1900 to commemorate the burning of signal fires during the Revolutionary War.  The scenery is beautiful, but I am curious about the casino and hotel.  Perhaps next summer.

Beacon offers a great day's visit.  Add it to your calendar.

     

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New York Visit

This year's New York trip seemed to speed by.  The morning after I arrived, my daughter drove me a Healing Service held by Father Ralph DiOrio.  I didn't need healing but knew that God's blessing is always showered on people who attend these services, which are held once a month.  I am so grateful to have attended.  I recommend that you consider going. You will certainly be blessed.  Father DiOrio's website is http://www.rdohealingministry.org/

As the pictures show, we had a big storm on the day before Thanksgiving Day.  In LaGrangeville NY, we endured about 10 inches.  I could not believe I actually experienced feelings of  'Cabin Fever.'  I couldn't wait for the driveway to be plowed.  A nice apologetic young man came to the door about 12:30am and quickly cleared the snow from the sidewalk and driveway.  I was very grateful. Thanks to this young man, I was able to attend Thanksgiving Dinner with my daughter and her family in Wappingers Falls NY.  It was a very enjoyable afternoon.  The scenes shown above are of their back yard.

During my visit, I was able to attend The Beacon Players' presentation of "Footloose" at The Seeger Theatre at Beacon High School in Beacon, NY.  The actors and crew, all Beacon High School students, did a great job.  The sets and lighting were well designed.  Also, I liked the idea of having tickets with assigned seats.  On another evening, I attended my four year old granddaughter's first dance recital at Beacon High School.  She looked beautiful and did a great job.  Kudo's to the lighting crew for that show, as well.

The day before returning to San Diego, we visited New York City.  My San Diego daughter and grandchildren had come to New York for the 8 year old grandson's birthday.  He wanted to go to the Lego store in New York City.  My Beacon daughter, granddaughter and I went along for the fun.  After taking Metro North to New York City, we headed out into the extremely cold, windy day and proceeded past the New York Public Library at my 11 year old granddaughter's request.  Then on to Toys R Us on Broadway.  There we were joined by my San Diego daughter's good friend and her 8 year old daughter who had already ventured in.  Toys R Us seemed like a massive store.  In the center of the store is what looks like a three story Ferris Wheel.  The seats are replicas of cars.  The store also had huge replicas of The Statue of Liberty, The Empire State Building and a ginormous Dragon, all made of Lego pieces.  The only thing the store could improve on, at least in my opinion, is to have a cafe lounge with specialty coffee for the adults who wait while the families roam through the store and do their shopping.  This cafe should be restricted to age 40 and over.  Since I hopped onto the elevator with a family that was going up one floor, I was present when the family tried to get off on level 3.  They were met by an employee who advised them that the area was not open to the public.  So, Toys R Us seems to have the room.  Everyone in our group enjoyed the store, especially Candy Land.  The younger ones liked the Lego structures. The granddaughters were pleasantly surprised with finding a Clare's tucked in a corner.  So, this store seemed to have something for every child.

For lunch or an early dinner, we went on to Carmine's Restaurant on 44th Street.  Going there is a tradition for my Beacon daughter.  The food was wonderful and served family style. We shared Spaghetti with Meatballs, Penne alla Vodka and Chicken Parmagiana as well as a mixed green salad that was absolutely delicious.

After dinner, we walked to Rockefeller Center, which is a very popular tourist destination, to see the Christmas Tree.  The tree is located adjacent to the skating rink, which is shown to the left.  The statue that overlooks the rink was festively lit (shown to the right).  The huge traditional Christmas Tree is shown below.  We wound our way through the crowds to the Lego store.  After selecting some individual tiny Lego bricks, we completed our New York City visit and returned to Grand Central Terminal to catch the Metro North train for home with a very happy Birthday boy.

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Micah 31 years later

Thirty-one years today, Micah Christian Hall went to be with the Lord.   Micah lived 6 1/2 yrs with no center wall in his heart.  A piece of membrane created the chambers and the amount of blood that circulated into his lungs was five times the amount that circulated throughout his body.  This is how we understood it.  I believe that the medical term was a 'complete Atrioventricular canal defect.' Micah went to school and rode a big wheel, something his doctors and specialists never expected.

To quote his sister, Terese, "Micah was amazing, smart, so funny...and yes, he had Down Syndrome. Yet, for all of us, his 6 siblings, he was just Micah, no different than us and we loved him. Acceptance, understanding and love is the key!!" You can read about this in "The Book of Micah" (e-book) on Kindle and the Nook.

Last night, I received a call from my eldest.  Starting at 5:30am this morning, I received calls from two of my daughters and will definitely hear from the other three as the day goes on.  My children always remember the day Micah was born and the day he died.  Sometimes, life gets in the way for their mother and I may not remember until all the calls come in. 


I do remember, though, having my three eldest children in a large baby carriage in Canarsie (a section of Brooklyn NY).  An older woman walking by, stopped me, putting her hand on the carriage.  She said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk...poor thing." to a young lady by her side.  I remember feeling indignant.  I thought, "How judgmental."  We chose to have these children, who were born one year apart and we weren't on welfare or government assistance.  Now these children are accomplished adults and always look out for my welfare.

Having Micah, as well as his brother, Chris, and sisters, Beth, Ami, Bonnie, Terese and Becky was such a joy.  I am blessed with a wonderful family.  As a family, we were and still are very normal.  Over the years, we've experienced hard times and good times, but we are certainly blessed.  Also, I am so thankful that my children are so good to me.

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Perhaps by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook) 

The Book of Micah by Catherine Hall (on Kindle and the Nook)