Sonja was wondering where the time had gone as she finished up the design of an invitation to celebrate Christopher's 75th birthday. She had spoken with a few of their long-time acquaintances and was not surprised that only two could make the journey to the LaSalle farm.
Sabastian, ever the expert in documentation had suggested that they compile photos from his life into video. Sonja was happy and thought that would be a hit because she had gathered many photos from Chris' sister over the years and what she was missing she was able to glean from her many albums. Sonja looked at the video several times before the party. She stopped it a several times to recount her own interaction with those who were no longer with them. Once again, she was reminded how happy and how close Christopher had been to his brother and their sister as they grew up and departed into the world to seek their own fortunes.
The party was a big success with both of their children, many of the first cousins. All of Christopher's grandchildren and grand nieces and nephews were in attendance. Two tiny babies were also present completing the three generations. Sonja had rented a bus to transverse the distance between the Mother LaSalle's homeplace and Beau LaSalle's farm with the swimming pool and the horses. Miss Rose's own children were kind enough to open the property to the LaSalle clan for the weekend.
Late Sunday afternoon after everyone had departed, Sonja and Chris rode up to the top of the mountain and stayed overnight once more at the cabin on the property. It had been a getaway spot for them after Sonja would return from another unnamed location during her assignment at the Arsenal. Christopher would lie on the bed and count the crickets. Sonja just heard annoying noise, but Chris could tell how many insects were out there chirping by the direction of the sound from each of the bugs.
The youngest Christopher LaSalle came to fetch his grandparents just before noon. "Yes, grand dad, the house is all clean. I did the walk through as you expected and hauled all the garbage down to the recycle center." I took care of the cleaning bill as well.
Percy and LaSalle loved it that most of the grandchildren were within a few hours of their retirement home. There was always someone visiting especially when the seasons were about to change. Getting the boat ready for the water or storing it for the winter months, raking the massive yard and covering the roses provided plenty of opportunities for the next generation to learn about the land and how to care for it.
Sonja's garden had expanded as each year passed by. The grapevines and fruit trees always seemed to have plenty of items that needed harvested and each spring the green items had to be planted. Christopher's sister was a master canner and her talent insured that freshly canned or frozen fruits and veggies were available year around. Chris had made sure that when the basement of the house was excavated, he put a root cellar in that would house root plantings like potatoes, apples and pears to survive until the next year's crop was harvested.
The LaSalle's sat on the deck watching this year's crew working away. They would celebrate their 41st year of marriage in a few months. Sonja disappeared then suddenly reappeared with the wedding albums. Once again, she sat in that small space on his Adirondack chair as they both flipped through the pictures recalling that wonderful wedding day at the Army and Navy Club in D.C. with all of their loved ones and friends. "So where did the time go City Mouse" Chris asked her? "I don't know Butch, but I do know it has been one wild ride after another."