We had Claire and Whitney’s families with us for two days. We played games - lots of Skye Jo, hiked, and enjoyed meals on the patio. The weather was beautiful and warm. This morning, we went on a hike into the Santa Catalina Mountains, down a steep rocky hill into a canyon. We had a terrific time! Love the time with Greta, Emerson and Colby!
Christmas Day was joyful for us! We talked to all four of our children, in a Zoom call with three and on the phone with the fourth. We invited neighbors for dinner at 2 in the afternoon. It was a warm day, so we started with wine and appetizers on our front patio. Dinner was turkey, roasted vegetables, butternut squash souffle, and Moroccan salad, with dessert that our friends brought - cookies and cake. We had a very good day!
Happy Holidays!
2023 started for us with a visit from Claire’s family in Tucson on New Year’s Day. We celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary two days later. We explored Arizona from south to north with friends from Kentucky, over a week in late January. We drove through snow and enjoyed Sedona, Horseshoe Bend, Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly - where we had dinner with our Navajo friends, then back to Tucson, Saguaro National Monument, and San Xavier Mission. Lulu went to Albuquerque twice in winter, to look at houses Audrey and Dan were considering. They moved to Albuquerque in June.
We took Lauren on her “Lulu and Papa trip” to Carmel, California in February, and we took Greta on her “Lulu and Papa trip” to San Diego, California, in March. While in San Diego, we had dinner with long-time friends Bob and Paige. We enjoyed a family weekend in Phoenix, with all four of our children, three spouses, six of our grandchildren, and Mary joining us. We loved every minute of family time! The photo below was taken during our family weekend in March.
We returned to Lectoure in mid-May, for our six month stay. We were busy almost every day, going to concerts, markets, walks around the village, working in our garden, getting together with friends at our house and their homes, and meeting at restaurants. In early June, we invited friends to see our ranch photography, exhibited at our friends, Romain and Dominique’s Galerie de l’Oeil across the street. There was a huge rain before and during the party… not the best timing, but still nice to see so many friends! We enjoyed Lundi Nuits street parties in Lectoure in July and August. We met friends at six farm dinners at Ferme Cazaux. Lulu took photos of Ferme Cazaux owner, Coralie, and the farm crew at work, and made a photo book for them. We enjoyed Lectoure’s Summer Photography Exhibition. We visited churches and chateaux, took drives through the countryside, we went to the Blaziert Fete in July, Lulu volunteered for Patrimoine weekend in Lectoure in September…. Through summer and autumn, we enjoyed dinners and lunches with friends in the Gers. Our life in Lectoure is full and fun!
Our summer travels - We met Whitney’s family in Biarritz in late May and spent a night in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. We visited La Rochelle and Île de Ré in July. We stayed in Aubeterre-sur-Dronne and stopped in Saint Emilion for a short visit. We visited Peche Merle cave in August, to see 25,000 year old cave drawings. We enjoyed a day exploring Toulouse with our friend, Rebecca. In September, we returned to Morocco and spent a week in Marrakech with day trips to Ait Benhaddou over the Atlas Mountains, and Essouira on the Atlantic. We went to Spain in early October, visiting San Sebastian, Bilbao, and the Asturias Coast - it is beautiful!
We flew back to Arizona on November 14. Lulu walks daily with our friend, Ornella, when in Tucson, and we get together often for dinners with her and Donato. Our girls and their families plus Lulu’s Mom, joined us for Thanksgiving weekend in Tucson. We ran/walked the Tucson Turkey Trot, played games, and ate too much. We will spend Christmas in Tucson, with Whitney and Claire’s families joining us for a couple of days.
2023 has been joyful for us with friends and family, new experiences, good health, and always learning. We have much to celebrate! We wish you a happy holiday season and New Year 2024!
With love,
Lulu and Papa
We went to the dentist in Nogales on Tuesday. Much has changed in Nogales, Sonora, over the past thirty years. Many of the shops have closed and dental offices and pharmacies have taken their places. The best part of the 100 km drive south, were the beautiful views of the Santa Rita Mountains and the bright yellow leaves of cottonwood trees along the Santa Cruz River.
We had our Boys and Girls Club “kids” this morning for brunch at our house. They are no longer kids, but we think of them as “ours.” We’ve known them for 9-10 years, watched them grow up, go to college or vocational training, get jobs, and now many are settled in their jobs, and getting promoted. It is a joy for us to see each of them and hear what is going on in their lives! David is in medical school in Maryland and joined us via FaceTime. He is starting residency rotations in January. Paola is graduating from UA this month and planning to go to law school in the fall of 2025. She is engaged and planning her wedding for 2024. Paola has been working at the same law firm for 6-7 years. Her fiance is an engineer from Texas, working in public works construction for a private company. Meybelyn has been working at Tucson Medical Center over 5 years. She was promoted this year. Her husband works in the medical diagnostics business. They have a four year old son. Karla manages scheduling for a surgeon. Alan is an academic advisor in the Psychology Department at the University of Arizona. Rudy is an architect, working in mineral mining design for a Tucson company. His sister, Sabrina, is in her senior year at the University of Arizona, majoring in Accounting. We hope to get together again after Christmas, when Tatiana is in Tucson (she is currently visiting her grandmother in Cameroon).
I walked with Ornella this morning, about an hour earlier than usual. We left at 7. We hiked into the neighborhood nearest the mountain, just north of our neighborhood. The sun was rising, leaving shadows on the lower parts of the mountains. It was a beautiful morning for our 4 mile hike!
Two days after everyone left our family Thanksgiving celebration, my mother called to tell me she has Covid. I alerted everyone in our family, and tested Papa and myself. We have Covid, as does Audrey and Mary. Mary didn't spend Thanksgiving with us, just time at Claire's house with my mom and Claire's family. Thanksgiving was a Covid superspreader event for us!
Papa and I are taking Paxlovid and we are much improved. Still we've stayed at home all week, resting and reading. Onward!
