Sunset

Papa and I arrived back in Tucson just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday, December 27, returning from our trip to British Columbia.  We invited our Boys and Girls Club kids for lunch on the 27th, and four of them were in town, with one joining us from Maryland via FaceTime.  We chatted away for three hours.  We had fun!

Today was a quieter day, with a light rain falling much of the day.  As I was finishing making dinner this evening, I looked out the window and saw incredible colors on the mountains, reflecting the sun setting.  It was stunning!

Drive to the Airport

We woke up, had breakfast and some time with Whitney and Corey.  Around 9:00, Whitney and Papa noticed that heavy snow was coming down.  They decided right away that Papa and I should leave for the airport.  We got our bags packed and we set off by 9:30.  A 3 hour and few minutes drive took us about 4.5 hours.  I took lots of photos out the car windows along the way, as conditions steadily improved as we got closer to Calgary.  We’ve had a very memorable four days in British Columbia!

Joyeux Noël, Merry Christmas

We are near Golden, British Columbia, Canada, in the whitest Christmas we’ve ever experienced.  It is beautiful and very cold.  Merry Christmas!

Photos taken on a walk from our rented house with Whitney this morning.

Radium Hot Springs

I visited Radium Hot Springs today, about 100 km south of Golden, BC.  The springs were used for centuries by Indigenous peoples, until 1890, when the first permanent settlers came to the area and the springs became popular.  The first bathing pool was constructed in 1914, and another in 1927.  In 1951, an “aqua court” was built at a cost of $1,000,000, the first major construction project in the Canadian Western Parks after WWII.  In 2016-2019, the “aqua court” was refurbished, change rooms renovated, energy efficient technology was introduced and excess geothermal energy was captured for use.  The hot pool temperature stays at 100-102F.  

Corey drove us to Radium Hot Springs this morning, with snow falling the whole way there, and heavier snow falling on the way back.  It was 9F degrees outside, and snowing during our two hour visit.  We had to go completely underwater every 10 minutes or so, because our hair would freeze.  It was an unforgettable experience.  (Papa stayed in our rented house all day, reading and keeping the fire going.)

Lazy Day

We woke up to a very cold temperature, -9, and light snow.  After breakfast, Corey took Toby and Greta skiing at a nearby resort, and Papa and I stayed home with Whitney.  We sat in front of a roaring fire and read, planned vacations for next summer, watched a movie, had lunch, and were generally lazy.  It was wonderful!  All the while, snow continued to fall.  

Trip to Canada

We drove to Phoenix on Wednesday, to celebrate Christmas with Claire’s family.  Mary joined us.  We had dinner together, then opened gifts.  

We were up early this morning, to fly to Canada from Phoenix.  Whitney invited us to spend Christmas with her family in Golden, British Columbia.  I took these photos along the way, out the window of the plane.  There was more and more snow as we flew north.

We met Whitney, Corey, Toby and Greta for lunch, made a stop for groceries, then drove three hours to our house rental near Golden.  The drive was beautiful, with snow covered trees and mountains.  

Happy Holidays!

 

Happy Holidays! 

2022 has been a busy year for us. We spent six months in Tucson and six months in Lectoure, France. We started 2022 with Audrey and Brian's family with us in Tucson. We hiked, played games, and made leather goods in Papa’s workshop. Audrey's family stayed with us until January – warmer than Omaha, Nebraska! Claire, Emerson and Colby flew in from Phoenix for a weekend visit with cousins. We took Emerson on his "Lulu and Papa trip" to New York in February. We went to see the Lion King, took the Staten Island ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, walked through Central Park to the MET, Museum of Natural History, and Emerson played in the snow on our last morning in New York. We had a great time!

In March, Lulu hosted a bridal shower for her friend Ornella's future daughter-in-law. Whitney's family came from their home in North Dakota for a few days of hiking and playing with us. We visited Claire's family in Phoenix and went to Colby's flag football game.

After the Lectoure house closed in January, the painting started at the end of February/beginning of March, and we communicated almost daily with the painters. We flew to France on April 2 and spent the next five weeks at the Hotel College des Doctrinaires while working daily on the house. We shopped for furniture and everything we needed to live on - linens, pots and pans, dishes... In mid-May, David and Alan, young friends we met 10 years ago at the Boys and Girls Club, came to visit us. They stayed 5 nights and were great first guests! Audrey's family arrived a few days later and spent 10 days with us. Lauren and Taylor loved going to the bakery with Papa. Our friend Joy arrived at the end of June and stayed for a week. Whitney, Toby and Greta came in early July for a few days.

Along the way, we made friends with neighbors on our street and in nearby villages. We took French lessons. We went to Lectoure’s market every Friday morning. We attended concerts, up to 4-5 per week in July and August. Lulu went to the thermal baths every week. We went to parties and dinners at the farm. We went to the Pyrenees for a weekend and enjoyed the cable car ride and the view from the Pic du Midi. We went to see granaries, equestrian events, antique sales, castle tours and explored cathedrals and cloisters. We watched the Tour de France pass us in a flash. We welcomed new friends for aperitifs and dinners, and tours of the ramparts by torchlight. We went to Lundi Nuits in Lectoure on Rue Nationale every Monday in July and August, with everyone in the village and surrounding villages, for big Monday night street parties with live music and food . Lulu walked the walls of the ramparts daily. She was a volunteer in the village gardens and a guide for the European Heritage Days.

Our friend, Jennie came from Tucson to visit us in early September. We showed her many of our favorite places and visited several favorite restaurants. We prepared the Lectoure house for our departure after she left and met up with friends for aperitifs, dinners and coffees, once more before departure. We took the high-speed train back to Paris and spent an evening strolling along the Seine. We had a wonderful summer!

Since returning to Tucson on September 29, we have spent several weekends with Claire's family in Phoenix. They have moved into a new house and have many projects to complete. We hosted neighbors for a party on October 30th. We spent 10 days visiting family and friends in Kentucky and Texas, with one night at Brian's new home in Dallas. We had lunch with longtime friend Linda in Dallas and met our young friend Tatiana for coffee. We went to San Antonio for Lynne's 100th birthday party, with granddaughters Emily and Sarah also in attendance. We spent the night with Claire on our return and visited Papa's sister, Mary.

We spent Thanksgiving Day with friends from our Tucson neighborhood. Lulu walks daily with her friend Ornella. Papa enjoys working on projects in his studio and riding his bike. We are happy to have had many new experiences in 2022 and to have so many new friends. We are grateful every moment for this life we live. 

We wish you a happy holiday season and a healthy New Year!  

With love, 

Lulu and Papa  

Light Snow on the Mountains

We woke up to a dusting of snow on the Catalinas this morning.  I left the house at 7:20, for my daily walk with Ornella.  I took a photo just as the sun was hitting a rock at the top of the mountain.  As we walked, the snow melted, clouds moved in and out of the canyons.  Beautiful!

Weekend in Phoenix

We drove to Phoenix on Thursday and stayed two nights with Claire’s family.  We went for lunch just after we arrived.  I took Emerson shopping in the afternoon, while Papa and Claire worked in the yard, trimming trees with the chain saw.  We had dinner together, then over the next 24 hours, Papa and I helped David in the yard, and I looked at thousands of photos for potential pieces Claire may frame.  Claire and I went on a walk in the neighborhood on Friday after lunch.  We met Emerson and Colby when they got out of school, for the two block walk home.  This morning, we played a mystery game, with Emerson in costume and leading us through the clues.  We had lunch with Mary today, before driving home in rain!  Rain is an infrequent visitor to the desert!  Papa and I had a great visit!  

Thanksgiving Dinner

We were invited to our friends, Rachel and Bill’s house for Thanksgiving Dinner, along with their daughter, Naomi, and her family.  Naomi and the boys made a traditional Thanksgiving meal, with turkey and all the trimmings, all delicious. We had interesting conversation and a wonderful time.  We have much to be grateful for.

Barbecue Dinner

On Sunday night, we had dinner with Ornella and Donato.  We had appetizers and Prosecco on their patio as the sun set.  Donato barbecued several different meats - beef ribs, chicken, and sausage.  I took butternut squash souffle and a salad to go with the meat.  Ornella made fresh bread.  We had a feast!  And we had a good time!

Historic Places and Birds

Papa and I drove about an hour and forty minutes this morning, to the ruins of Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate.  The Presidio was established on a bluff overlooking the San Pedro River in southeast Arizona, by an Irish-born Spanish Army Colonel, Hugo Oconor, in 1775, for the King of Spain Charles III.  It is one of several similar presidios that extended from Louisiana to Southern California.  The Presidio was abandoned in 1780 because of continuous attacks by Apache.  It was briefly occupied by the United States Army in 1878.  We hiked over two miles round trip from the parking area to the Presidio site.  There’s not much left, but the views were beautiful.  We stood above the San Pedro River, listening to the tinkling of cottonwood leaves.  

We drove another forty five minutes to Whitewater Draw.  We missed the noon return of the sandhill cranes, but they were there, along the periphery of Whitewater Draw, honking away!  We found a nice spot on a viewing platform for a picnic, and listened to thousands of birds for about an hour.  

We retraced our trip, and visited Fairbanks, an historic townsite, that was an Old West railroad town, founded in 1882 during the Tombstone silver boom.  For over 20 years, Fairbanks was Tombstone’s train depot.  The town had an elegant hotel, several businesses, a school and post office.  It attracted immigrants from all over the world, who worked on the railroad, in businesses, and on local ranches.  The train depot closed in 1966 and the post office closed in 1972, marking the official end of the town.  We explored the buildings still standing and walked through an old mesquite forest to the San Pedro River.  We had a good day!