the glass with her finger, it was as close to an embrace that she will ever get anymore with everyone in the picture, save one. Sean was hopefully still in this realm, alive and kicking up trouble, Angela mused. "You have a beautiful family." Corinne sniffed. Angela looked over to see tears in her friend’s eyes. They cried together and embraced for a minute, the frame between them. "Thank you Cori, I miss them. Thanks for telling me about this. I will get through it all. This is enough for today. I think I can handle the past in manageable pieces. All at once, may just do me in." Angela sniffed and blew her nose with her handkerchief. The girls stood up and stretched their arms. Corinne decided that a visit to the barn would be in order. Perhaps a ride around the property would do them some good. "Cori, I will try and ride but I am not as good a rider as you. These huge beasts still frighten me a little, though after the Oregon Trail I am not as afraid anymore." Angela walked with Corinne to the barn and she was introduced to a gentle horse that was grey and white. Angela patted the mare on the nose to make friends and was helped into a pair of Corinne's boots then up into the saddle. They both laughed when Angela nearly fell over the other side on the first try. "I guess my muscles are a little weak from the journey still. Let’s hope the horse goes slowly or I may have a few fresh bruises on my backside." Angela laughed as she got settled in the saddle. "You already have bruises on your backside?" Corinne laughed and gasped. "Well yes, of course?" Angela nodded. "Whatever from, Angie?” Corinne's eyebrows shot up in shock. "Well Barlow Pass was such an easy road, flat as a flapjack and easy as a Sunday stroll." Angela gave Corinne a look that spoke of heavy sarcasm. "I found Barlow Pass impossibly difficult, a horror of steep inclines, rocky obstacles and strenuous to the extreme. It nearly killed me and my horse Clover here a few times. I shall not question you further about it." Corinne laughed to commiserate with Angela's own journey as she had made the trip just the year before. Angela's injuries during a tragic fall had prevented Angela from finishing the journey with Corinne. "Yes some of those rocky obstacles were a bit much for me. I was put in charge of three children and keeping them from falling off the cliff's edges was a nightmare. I think they took delight in testing the laws of nature to see how many ways they could nearly die in my presence. I loved the family I was with well enough but the children seriously lacked discipline. The mother had three children and they were all under six years of age, she could birth them but had no backbone to raise them. She will be lucky if the oldest boy does not become an outlaw by the age of sixteen." Angela laughed as she shared. They headed out on horseback to see the lay of the land. Several fields of lavender had been harvested but a few remained to be harvested by the end of the week. Angela gasped several times as the fields of lavender spread out before them and overwhelmed her with sights and smells. "It actually smells purple, Cori." Angela smiled and tried to take in the beauty. The heavy scent of lavender made her head light, she could taste it a little. "I thought so, too. When I asked for lavender fields from Lucas, I had no idea what I would get. I can imagine God using my valley to paint Heaven as one of the most beautiful places to see. It makes me so happy, seeing my dream come true. Now all we must do the hard work of capturing the flower." Corinne grinned beautifully and Angela enjoyed seeing her closest friend so happy.
* * * * *
The girls enjoyed their morning in the sun and Corinne took Angela all around Grant's Grove. The trees were small but Angela was impressed by the amount of trees they had planted. It would be magnificent with the almond blossoms when the trees grew larger. Angela could see it in her mind. Corinne