The best moment was spending Christmas in New York with my brother.
Our dad had passed away the year before, and though we live on opposite coasts, we were exhausted from his long decline.
We met up in Maryland where I live, I threw a Christmas party. Then we took the bus up to New York.
We both know the city really well, so we went to our favorite places.
Finally on Christmas Eve at the Met, I looked out the window and all this snow was falling. We decided to walk across Central Park and it was like being inside a snow globe.
We got back to our hotel and the city was shut down for 3 days due to all the snow. The small hotel tried to provide food for all the guests at no cost. We just watched New York 1 on tv. Visited with the guests, and looked out the windows.
Best time ever.

The BEST thing I've ever experienced? Wow. So many things! (I'm being sarcastic.) It's made me think, though.
Probably maybe, discovering cab-driving and a whole new circle of friends, after I abandoned my business, land, friends, and way of life, and moved from Florida to California (way back when), because a girlfriend dumped me for someone else.
I thought I had screwed myself, but good.
I kinda DID anyway, but it could have been a LOT worse!

X rated

Best First Date

Terry and I met as YMCA program directors: Terry, 32, in Wenatchee and me, 28, in Seattle.

On Friday before Memorial Day weekend, I drove to Wenatchee. The plan was to take the ferry up Lake Chelan and backpack to Lake Domke for the weekend.

Terry didn't realize the Lady of the Lake ferry didn't start until Sunday. At the last minute, Terry scrambled and hired a float plane to take us from Chelan to Lake Domke.

From the air, Lake Domke looked like a glittering emerald surrounded by green mountains. It was breathtaking. Landing on the lake, the plane glided to the beach.

Terry hastily tied the food bag to a floating log to stay cool. Earlier I had put our food in a large ziploc bag, then in a stringed bag to hang in a tree, out of the reach of bears.

"Terry! The food bag is floating away in the lake!" (The bag floated because it was sealed in a ziploc bag.)

Terry couldn't swim (I taught him to swim later). Racing into the woods, I quickly found and stripped a branch long enough to reach the bag. Using the pole for balance, I walked the floating log.

Reaching out with the pole, I snagged the string, pulling the food toward me. Then walked the log back without falling in.

This became a microcosm of our marriage: me rescuing Terry.

the birth of both of my two sons, now grown up