I have always enjoyed the time leading up to Christmas. I like to see all of the decorations and lights of the season. Denver is an especially beautiful city on a winter’s eve which makes us even happier that we decided to move here a decade ago.

As a child I can remember poring over the Spiegel catalog for hours, sometimes with my siblings, but often on my own, looking at the toys and clothes being offered and marking the pages to show my parents exactly what Santa should bring, since the Spiegel catalog was what Santa used to let children and their parents know exactly what was available.

Christmas must have been very stressful for my folks, since they had very little money to spend on the holiday–thus the Spiegel catalog. I found out much later that they could buy things on credit, long before the ubiquity of credit cards we know today, and then make monthly payments.

It takes us days to decorate the apartment and trim the tree–not because we have that much to put up, but because we need to take lots of breaks to finish the task. We especially like the homemade ornaments that Bryn, Erin, and, more recently,Charlie have made as well as those that friends and family have crocheted, sewn, knitted, drawn, carved, and molded and gifted us through the years.

I used to be a snob about having a real tree; and when the children were little I insisted we search out a live tree and lug it home. Then invariably, we kept it up until all of the needles began to fall off, creating a cleaning disaster. Now I am quite content to pull out the artificial tree, complete with its own lights, from its box. This year I discovered that some of the lights weren’t working. Fortunately, a quick run to the Ace Hardware around the block remedied that.

I am also very partial to the nacimientos we have collected over the years.

Of course the best part of any season is the time we get to spend with our family, and especially Charlie, who is growing up all too fast. On most Tuesdays, we pick him up (more often than not with his bestie Dylan). Recently, with the arrival of winter, the city has re-opened the downtown ice rink just a couple of blocks from us.

The boys love the opportunity to race around the rink. Sue and I just enjoy watching them and how much they revel in being with one another. A couple of weeks ago, the rink was open with only a few other skaters, and the weather was so mild that the guys skated in short sleeves.

We have so much for which to be thankful–family, health, and quality of life. We are learning to live with the results of the past election and working hard to move on and focus on the “things we can change and to know the things we can’t.” But it’s hard with every news source telling us what’s happening in the transition and what’s going to happen in the new administration. It’s not what we voted for, nor what we think should be happening, but there is nothing we can do, but work on our equilibrium.

Bryn and Joel invited us to their home for Thanksgiving; Joel loves to cook, and the feast was delicious and ample. It is strange not to be responsible for the Thanksgiving feast, nor determining the menu, but it is quite nice to show up, be fed and entertained, and then return home, leaving our hosts to deal with the leftovers and the mess. For that we can be truly thankful.

Winter is definitely settling in for us; the sun sets earlier each day–yesterday, I heard the TV weatherperson say sunset was at 4:39pm. By 5:15 it is completely dark. One pre-Christmas treat here in Denver is the nightly drone show at 7:00pm. Our balcony window offers a ringside seat for viewing the show. It only lasts about 12 minutes, but is fun and very entertaining. Trying to figure out what tableau is coming together as we watch is a big part of the fun.

Winter, more than any other season, makes me think of curling up with a good book. Unfortunately, I don’t seem to be able to read as readily as I once did. As a teenager and young adult, I could and often would read for hours at a time and never wanted to be without a book by my bedside. These days I am much more likely to listen to a book, most of which I borrow from the Denver Public Library, and listen to on my daily walks.

I am currently on a binge listening to a, new to me, series by Daniel Silva featuring his protagonist, Gabriel Allon, an art restorer and Israeli spy. Each book has been suspenseful and entertaining. The narrators, and there have been several, bring the books alive with their repertoire of voices and accents, making the book seem like a stage presentation. I started with A Death in Cornwall, which is the 24th in the series. I haven’t been able to read or listen the books in order, but the author puts the characters and previous actions in an historical context. I recommend giving them a try!

Hope your Thanksgiving was a lovely as ours!

The day before the election, we received a call from Erin in Cuba–seems that Hurricane Rafael was bearing down upon the island, and the US Embassy decided to evacuate much of the non-essential staff. Fortunately she and John came under that classification, and they arrived in DC on November 5th. We immediately made plans to meet them.

John and Bonnie are always willing to put us up, so we arranged to fly into Dulles on Sunday, November 10th, where we rented a car and drove to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Being on the Chesapeake Bay, you have to order crab, and the Primo Crab Cake at Fisherman’s Inn was great, as was being with much of Sue’s extended family.

The following day, Veteran’s Day, some of us met up with Erin and John at the Inn and Perry Cabin in St. Michael, a lovely setting, although we were somewhat disappointed with their kitchen.

Picture above: Larry, Sue, Erin, John, Hannah, John & Bonnie.

John & Bonnie’s farm, Anchor Rest, is a lovely setting in late autumn, but we enjoy visiting them in all seasons, and they always greet us with open arms and generous hospitality. This visit was no exception. Throughout are three days with them, we commiserated about the election and shared our concerns for the future of our country. We can only hope our fears are unfounded.

After a few days at the Farm, we moved onto Northern Virginia for a quick visit with a number of friends. First, it was lunch with Barby & Howard in Arlington; I worked with Barby at the Library of Congress during the 1980s, and we have stayed friends since then.

Then it was on to our long-time friend, Angie Godfrey, for an overnight visit at her apartment in the West End of Alexandria. We first met Angie when our kids were in the same pre-school, more than 40 years ago. Angie, and the entire Godfrey family, have been the dearest of friends to our entire family.

On Thursday, after our overnight visit with Angie, we met another set of Library of Congress friends at the Carlyle Cafe in Shirlington–Tori Hill, Cheryl Adams and Kathy Woodrell. Unfortunately, no phots, but fun was had by all. The cafe proved a great place for conversation and laughter, accompanied by delicious entrees from the restaurant’s menu. Three hours literally flew by.

After lunch, we joined John & Erin in the Dupont area of the District, where we had more time to catch up with them and hear about their stay in Cuba, where they have been since last July. Cuba is a beautiful island, and the people are welcoming and kind, but the economic situation is very dire, with food & energy shortages (thus the need for them to evacuate). They think they will be going back by the first of December, but not sure how much longer they will be staying, once the Trump administration takes charge. We will see.

Friday, while Erin went into the State Department for work and John was taking care of personal business, we met Belinda Acre, another longtime friend for lunch, followed by a delightful couple of hours at the National Gallery of Art. While there, we were able to take in their new exhibition, Paris in 1874, which features 150 French paintings from that year which saw the emergence of the Impressionists. You can easily see the show in an hour, but it does give the visitor a good introduction to that incredible period in the history of art. It was great fun to share the experience with Belinda.

Our all too short visit with Erin and John ended with a get together with Angie and her daughter and son-in-law, Sarah and Harold, at Matt & Tony’s, a new restaurant in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria. Again another wonderful opportunity to catch up, laugh and talk. It really was a wonderful culmination to a wonderful week of reminiscences and old friends, made all the better by being able to spend some time with Erin & John, whom we have missed these last several months.

Photo: Erin, John, Angie, Larry, Sue, Sarah & Harold

This past Wednesday, October the 2nd, was Sue’s 80th birthday. Bryn wanted to plan a nice party for her Mama–boy howdy, did she. We all gathered at the nearby Holy Moley Restaurant to eat, drink, and play putt-putt.

Among others the party included our good longtime friends, Bob & Mart Larson; Charlie & his best friend, Dylan; me & Sue; new friends Ping, Emma & Reid Hawk, and Joel and Bryn. We have to be real and say the food was just so and so, but everyone enjoyed the opportunity to play miniature golf. Some of us were more successful than others.

People were asked not to bring presents, but as often happens, some ignored Sue’s request–the Hawk family presented Sue with a beautiful White Jade Disk, symbolizing their wishes for happiness, love and a long life. Joel & Bryn gave her a Native American clay pot–both items are now on display in our home.

The final act featured a magic show by our friend Scott Haney that had everyone, children and adults alike, mesmerized and confounded. It was Scott’s first public performance, but we don’t think it will be the last.

We first met Scott when he waited on us at our favorite breakfast place, The Corner Office, which is just next door to our condo building. On Wednesdays, we habitually go there for breakfast, usually with Ping & Reid. Over these last three years Scott has been studying magic and trying out his tricks on us. We are so impressed with Scott’s skill,s Sue invited him to entertain all of us at her Birthday Party–it was a great idea!

Thanks Brynie for bringing us all together–it was a great party full of fun and love.

Alebrijes or spirit guides populated the garden this summer; but instead of the small carvings you see for sale throughout Mexico, but especially in Oaxaca, these are almost life size.

We like to visit the garden throughout the year; each season, from early spring to late winter and including the Holiday lights show, there’s always much at which to marvel and delight. This past week, the water lilies were particularly delightful and varied.