Above It All

She was a masterpiece of composure; nothing ever ruffled her or made her upset, and though she was not beautiful her calmness had the magnetic pull of beauty—a stillness so powerful that the molecules realigned themselves around her when she came into a room.  Like a fashion drawing come to life, she turned heads wherever she went, gliding along obliviously without appearing to notice the turbulence she created in her wake.--Donna Tartt, THE GOLDFINCH
Leave it to Gloria to find me a postcard that defines her:  Above It AllHer postcard chosen for me depicted a night view of the 101-mile long Rim of the World highway in the San Bernardino Mountains through Crestline, Rim Forest, Sky Forest, Running Springs, Big Bear Lake and Angelus Oaks with breathtaking views of San Bernardino and Southern California thousands of feet below.   I think she wrote few words simply because she really is ‘above it all’.  Ha-ha.   It’s another card to treasure.  Who knew about this scenic view anyway?   It’s clear I don’t know everything about this State of California where I was born.  There’s much more to see and learn.   Gloria wrote:

Hi,
Place is beautiful.  The drive up was so scenic and curvy but a wonderful sight to see.
See you Saturday.
Regards to Alan and Virginia.
Affectionately,
Gloria
Of course, I sent the regards to mom from Gloria.   Mom was enjoying herself as well.  My brother, Tony, took her to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.   I’m pretty sure that’s where they went.  Mom gets around, too.   I liked the group pic of mom, Tony and the girls.  
The one photo of Lauren, adjusting her ‘wedgie’ was funny, too.  Even as a young girl her natural poise automatically made her seem ‘above it all’.  Helen keeps me in the loop.  She sent me these wonderful photos. 
Meanwhile, I am busy working my daily grind at Charles Schwab and Co.   I can hear Gloria using that sentence, “Nothing changes but the date.”  There is some truth to that.
Alan and I were keeping busy with some movies.  We saw a few good ones that we really liked:  THE BRONX TALE, AGE OF INNOCENCE (I love Winona Ryder, Michelle Pfeiffer and Daniel Day Lewis), and THE GOOD SON. 

I called mom after the BRONX TALE, “Mom, you need to see this movie; it’s right up your alley.  You’ll love it.”
“Alan, to think your mom grew up in the Bronx!  I want to visit the Bronx with Gloria and see her old neighborhood…one day.”
The AGE OF INNOCENCE made me want to dance.  I loved the soundtrack.  The mood of the Elmer Bernstein instrumental tunes, PARKER HOUSE and ARCHER LEAVES, swept me away into a new realm.  I adore period films.  Sometimes I feel like ‘another me’ existed during that time.  I know I was there.
And a song called DREAMLOVER by Mariah Carey is ongoing via the airwaves.  It does nothing for me (except for the title, of course—Ha-ha).  I’d rather escape to the AGE OF INNOCENCE.  I bought the CD soundtrack.  PASSAGE OF TIME by Elmer Bernstein soothes me.  Mood music makes me think ‘about me’ and ‘about others’.
I saw interesting looking people on the street and thought about them restlessly for days, imagining their lives, making up stories about them.-Donna Tartt, 
THE GOLDFINCH