New YEAR's Eve in Alexandria

New Year's Eve with Ruthie and the Wranglers in old town Alexandria, singing about being "one step ahead of the repo man!"

Oxford

Also visited Oxford and the Bodlian Library there . Amazing place!  Historic books and stories to go with them!!

Blenheim Palace

Visited  Blenheim Palace last week with friends after the wedding. Very grand! Last time John was there was summer 1980!  35 years passes fast! 

More from the Grand Wedding

 A great pix of lovely Patricia and aunts of the bride on the wedding day. AND Another pix of the lovely bride at the grand wedding we attended Saturday.

Tewkesbury Abbey

Saw the old Benedictine Abbey church at Tewkesbury today. Has been Church of England since Henry 8th destroyed the monasteries in his power and land grab of the 16th century.  Lovely church and grounds, but signifies the distance between Cantebury and Rome.

At the Grand Wedding

Just ended 4-day wedding celebration for Aimee and Thomas at Huntsham Court in southern England. Quite a grand venue and wonderful fellow guests, service and planning... For more than 100 guests in a house with 30+ bedrooms, catering two meals daily with full bar and formal events, etc.  Amazing event. Pix of us and traveling companions, Helen & Robert, parents of the lovely bride!

More from Chatsworth

Beautiful scenery in English countryside...shared with friends!

More from London

At Chatsworth

3 hour drive out of London traffic up to Chatsworth, the home of the Dukes of Devonshire.  Quite lovely, but of course they have been working on it since 1693. And the library is to die for..,

On the London Town

At Tower Bridge after a whirlwind visit to Tower of London

Helen's First Pub

Arrived in London after heavy traffic from Heathrow and went straight to the Globe pub on Baker St. It's our friend Helen's first time in England and her first pub!  More to come.

On the way to London

At Dulles en route to London for a wedding in the Cotswolds. Going to be a great two weeks of nonstop tour and party with old friends, Robert and Helen. As you see, we are starting it off right.

New Driveway in Green Valley

now that the birthday festivities are over, it's back to business as usual of keeping up our house.  A rutted driveway in both ends has been a real concern but a little research found a paver in Tucson looking to expand to Green Valley, and Voila!!  The next driveway in 20 years will be someone else's problem.

Bestest Birthday in Green Valley

Last week we celebrated Patricia's 60th birthday with a wonderful group of family and friends in Green Valley.  SO much and so many to be thankful for...won't even try to list.  John's first escort at event planning - and went off pretty well as we arrived home Monday evening and first guest arrived Tuesday morning!!  Will let the pix say it all!!

Another week in Lourdes

From mid-September but did not publish on September 13th.  End of another week of service at Lourdes.  Mostly good weather with a couple of days rain.  Good service at the Grotto and Baths, with the wonderful devotion of the sick and their caregivers always a wonderful reminder of why we come back to this place.

In Santa Fe

At the Chile & Wine Festival in Santa Fe. Sidewalk artisans market and the Loretto Chapel (with the mysterious spiral staircase) always a must-see!

MORE Fun in Las Vegas

View from the High Roller wheel in Vegas. And Valley of Fire park north of Las Vegas...with good friends Ninga, Dan, and Dominique. This is a wow if you have the time to do it.

Sunset at Grand Canyon

On the road to Santa Fe with friend Dominique Boatwright.  Saw the sunset at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Wow...

Fun in Las Vegas

In Las Vegas to see friends old and new. Town has great places for breakfast and the pinball museum. I never knew that Patricia had the reflexes of a jungle cat, displayed on the flipper pinball!!

"That toddlin' town..."

In Chicago for wedding.  Trump Tower and the river were a great setting for white wine and afternoon break.

Yard Maintenance a.k.a. Clearing Brush

My evening chore before dinner time for the birds (served spread atop this wall) is clearing brush away from our house.  Not that difficult - the clumps of brush don't have deep roots - but still a fair amount of digging and stoop labor involved. Great exercise which is my primary interest but doing away with cover for the packrats and rattlesnakes is an additional benefit.

 

Birds are now here for dinner now that I am not in the way...

Conversation with the Road Runner

Yes, that's a roadrunner who came to visit today while we were sitting on the patio. These are big birds with sharp beak and claws and it got a bit too close for comfort.  

Jazz Hot in Tucson

 Friday, our music-loving friends from Green Valley took us to a jazz set at Pastiche, a Tucson restaurant where the food and wine are good but the Jazz is better.  A wonderful evening with Dudley and Adrienne who were great friends of Mom and Dad's and have now graced us with their friendship too - as well as a welcome intro to the Tucson jazz scene.  (Oh, did we mention that both Dudley and Adrienne are 90+ years young?)

Red Glow Behind the Mountain

The view from our patio this evening. The white dot on top of the mountain is Mt Hopkins Observatory ...

We need an artist...Ada, where are you?

Leisure time in Green Valley

How we spend our time in Green Valley: coffee at Safeway and then gimlets on the patio watching the rain.

Take me out the Ball Game!

Before we departed for Arizona, we indulged on Saturday with Linda and Jay to Nationals Park to see the Nationals play the Dodgers.  Beautiful day; Dodgers won but the Nationals gave their all.

Grand Rapids and the Japanese Garden

In Grand Rapids to visit Pat Keyser, old AZ friend of ours and Mom & Dad. Visited Mejier Gardens with amazing Japanese and sculpture gardens, including "The American Horse!"

Kalamazoo B&B and Art

Loved our B&B in Kalamazoo and Art Institute next door featuring portraits by Nina B Ward a wonderful painter of the early 20 th century.

Old Dog Brewery in Kalamazoo

Yes, having a snack at the Old Dog Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan!!

More fun at Lake Michigan

Time with kids at Lake Michigan is best balanced with liquid replacement and relaxation!