Vlasta Barta

WE REMEMBER VLASTA "VAL" BARTA I have found that the sun still comes up and the world still turns, so I decided it was okay for my mother to leave to be with her husband and son. I am not alone and never will be, as I have great childhood memories of a woman who celebrated life with gusto. A life shared during the summers in Michigan, spending entire days at the beach, eating hot dogs, drinking pop and licking ice cream cones; a life shared on the back of an ice truck, licking shards of ice while the iceman stocked the icebox; picking corn and strawberries from the fields for the evening dinners; gathering eggs from the barn for the morning breakfast; bowling at the alley where only pinspotters set the pins; playing Canasta; daydreaming in a hammock with the winds blowing gently over me. That, among many wonderful other things, is what my mother left for me. A legendary traveler, Val (of Czechoslovakian ancestry) will now be traveling the Universe. She has ridden camels in Egypt, danced with Mexican Mariachi Bands, sat at the tables of ship Captains, danced the hula draped in leis with the Hawaiians, looked down from the mountains of Switzerland, sat under Big Ben in London, tried (and failed) to use chopsticks in China, watched the Geisha's perform in Japan, spit off the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and brought back Holy Water from Vatican City (she liked Pope John Paul II because he was Polish). That was only a highlight of her travels. Even though she worked part-time to support her travels, my mother was also a homemaker. Our meals were centered around the entire family consisting of soups, salads, main courses... ... and there was always dessert! This was everyday-not just on Sunday. So, happy days Mom-it's been a great ride.