Our friend, Martha Birney, recently invited us along with Mart & Bob Larson to join her at the Denver Botanical Garden to view their Orchid Show. We are all members of the Garden, and it is one of our favorite spots in the city in all seasons. My photo library is full of flower pictures going back to the time we first arrived in Denver more than a decade ago.
This show, while not large, did not fail to impress. If you are like us, you can’t pass up the orchids for sale at the supermarket, but given the dryness of our climate and the less than ideal growing conditions in our apartment, we have to treat them almost like cut flowers. You buy them, knowing that the blooms will last a month or, if you are lucky, three; but whatever the time, once the blooms have fallen off, you are faced with the dilemma of throwing them away or placing them in some forgotten corner, never to bloom again & then to be discarded at some later time when plant shelf space becomes scarce. (Actually you can sometimes coax them into rebooking if you happen to have an facing window and a lot of patience!)
But fortunately the Garden has the staff, resources, and conditions to grow a large variety of these lovely blossoming plants. They don’t have a detectable perfume, but boy are they stunning.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit at the Garden, and then Martha treated us all to a sumptuous meal at a new Indian Restaurant, Curry & Grill 2. The food is wonderful with delicate flavors and just the right spiciness for our American palate. The staff were warm and welcoming and the service excellent. There were just a few other diners, which encouraged us to linger and talk, and we never felt any urgency to leave. We’ll definitely go back & soon.
The time spent with Mart & Bob is bittersweet these days for Martha B and us. They told us recently that they have decided to sell their apartment and move to the Quad Cities to be near their son, Isaac, daughter in law, Megan, and two young grandsons, Ezra & Jasper. Knowing how important Bryn, Joel and Charlie have been to us since our move to Denver, we can’t blame them, but we are certainly going to miss them immeasurably. Almost every Sunday, one of us hosts for brunch and then a very competitive card game of Wizard; we won’t know what to do with ourselves once they are gone!
After a wonderful two weeks visit, John and Erin left this weekend to return to Cuba, thankfully now nearing the end of their two year assignment. They are slated to permanently leave the island in early May. Since their arrival in the summer of 2024, conditions on the ground in Cuba have deteriorated incredibly. Hunger, malnutrition, and rolling blackouts are the norm; the results of a US imposed embargo & a corrupt and ruthless regime that has no concern for the well-being of its citizens.
Recently they had a scary incident with their cat, Diego, who became very sick and nearly died. Erin first met Diego during her first State Department posting in Mexico City, when he followed her home one day. Fourteen years later, he’s like a child to both John and Erin. When they took him in for an emergency vet visit a few weeks ago, the clinic had neither running water nor electricity and couldn’t provide adequate care for the poor animal. Diego fortunately survived that illness, but they didn’t want to risk losing him if they had to rely on local veterinary care again, so they asked us if we would keep him for a few months if they brought him back to the States.
We readily agreed, even though Sue is allergic to cats, and I am not much of an animal lover. John & Diego arrived first, and when we visited their vet the next day, he was down to a little over seven pounds (down from his fighting weight of 12 pounds) and in pretty bad shape with kidney and heart disease. Still with a little care and lots of love, he is now doing much better. When Erin arrived just a few days later, she could already see how much Diego was improving. In a little more than two weeks he has put on a couple of pounds and seems content to be with the “grandparents.”
Diego will be with us for the next several months…, and, even I have to say he is a pretty special cat and keeps us entertained.
On another front, I have a book to recommend; the title is Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi. I checked out an audio version from the local library and have been enjoying listening to the story. The title character is an 86 year old Portuguese immigrant to the United States, who shows up one day in a small Georgia city (a fictionalized version of what has to be Athens?) Theo, as he insists on being addressed by one and all, is a cultured man who loves art, literature, and music and sees and nourishes the good in people he meets & comes to know. Some might call the book saccharine, but Theo sees the better angels in each and every person; perhaps a lesson for us all. I’d really like to meet a real-life Theo, but perhaps I need to first emulate his kindness and be on the lookout for the good.
2025 is rapidly coming to an end, and we hope that this Christmas Season you are surrounded by family and friends. We celebrated Christmas a little early (December 20th) with Bryn and her family, because Charlie will be with his Dad and we’ll be in the DC area. Joel made one of his usual delicious meals and lots of gifts were exchanged; and, surprisingly, almost everyone liked what they unwrapped or opened—smiles and wows instead of meek little “thank yous.”
Joel’s selfie the famBryn, Charlie & JoelCharlie in some of his Christmas finery
Bryn & Joel moved into their first home this April, finding a lovely house in south Denver with views of the Rocky Mountains and space in the backyard for cookouts, picnics and family gatherings and only 15 minutes from us. Bryn has just completed a year as Comptroller with a Denver nonprofit, Focus Points, which has provided services to immigrant families in the Denver area for more thirty years. She loves the work, although it is quite challenging managing 28 separate grants and budgets. Joel is a now partner in his company and fortunately it is very successful.
Erin & John are finishing up what has been a difficult two year posting to Cuba with the State Department. Food & fuel shortages present daily challenges for the average Cuban and visitors alike. They just found out that their next posting is Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean, which they hope will be a lot less stressful than Cuba. We weren’t able to visit them in Cuba but we are already make out plans to visit them in Barbados.
Charlie will be 14 in January and half way through the 8th grade. He continues to love, breaking, surfing, and basketball, and excels at them all. We see him at least once a week, usually when we pick him and his best friend, Dylan, up after school. These days they like to come to our condo to workout in our exercise room or occasionally play cards with us; whatever, we do, there’s always a few minutes to catch up on what’s happening in his life—though I have to admit that a 14 year old boy is not the best of communicators, but we keep at it.
Theatre nigh out with Bryn, Joel & CharlieYou’re never too old for an advent calendarCharlie & Dylan—the best of buds.Our surfer dude
Now we are back east with Sue’s brother John & sister in law Bonnie at their lovely home on the Eastern Shore. John spends weeks pulling out all of the Christmas decorations, and it seems like every room has its own Christmas tree—of course, it takes almost an equal amount of time to put it away! We love visiting with John and Bonnie at this time of year. Christmas morning was incredible—lots of presents for everyone.
Dean, Christine & AnitaJohn & Bonnie with the tree & presentsAnne, Dusty & daughter Betsy & Hannah
We’ll be in the DC area until the 29th of December when we fly back to Denver—where the Christmas Day weather forecast is 75 degrees and bright blue skies. As Thomas Friedman says, Global Weirding!
Winter SunsetOur only snow this yearChristmas decorations
2025 has been a good year for the Boyers, featuring good health, time for family and friends and some travel. I have been dealing with a detached retinue for the last 18 months; five operations later, the doctors are hopeful that one more operation will be able to restore sight to my left eye—we’ll keep you posted. Just last month, Sue had a double cataract surgery which looks to have been successful, with good clear vision in both eyes and only the need to resort to “readers” for the smallest of print. Hurray!
Sue with her favorite guitarist, Caleb, SMAAt one or our favorite restaurants in SMA with good friendsArcheology Museum, Mexico City with CaroleView from our Apartment in Mexico CityDiego Rivera Mural
We made it to Mexico early in the year, with a week at the beach in Sayulita with Mart & Bob Larson and time in San Miguel de Allende where we were joined by Lenore Grunko and Patrick McGlamery. We finished our visit in Mexico City, an incredibly rich cultural city where it is impossible to see and do everything even if you visit again and again—art, museums, music, shopping, history, food. Carole Reedy, a native Chicagoan but now a proud Mexican citizen, is always the best tour guide & pal.
Lunch on the Beach in SayulitaFisherboys Sayulita transportBeachside Sayulita
The word for the day is axolotl, a salamander native to Mexico that is capable of regenerating all of its limbs. It is exotic and cute, but also endangered.
Axolotl
Sue and I watch too much television and not all of it is worthwhile, but CBS Sunday Mornings almost always is. Produced by CBS News, it has your usual news stories that you would expect, like this week’s lead story about the ongoing government shutdown. We don’t really watch it for the news, though; what delights us are the interesting “good news stories,” like the one on last Sunday’s broadcast about axolotls and a little girl who loves them. I urge you to take a couple of minutes to watch the linked video, and I guarantee it will bring a smile to your face and warm your heart.
Sundays also usually mean brunch with our good friends, Mart & Bob Larson and Martha Birney. We take turns hosting brunch with each household having its favorite or traditional dishes, ours being soft boiled eggs or French toast, always with a side of bacon. Bacon being the gateway drug for backsliding vegetarians.
Brunch is invariably followed by a couple of rounds of Wizard, a modern card game that is easy to learn, but challenging to master, requiring both skill and luck. Wizard brings out our competitive instincts, as we all like to win, but mostly it is just fun being together, laughing, bantering, teasing and imbibing a Bloody Mary, mimosa or Aperol Spritz or two.
Yesterday we extended our time together by going to the theater to see a late afternoon screening of the new film, Nuremberg, featuring Russell Crowe and Romi Malek. Sue and I have long enjoyed going to the movies. (It has often been our go to “date night.”) We have been going to fewer movies though recently–your superhero blockbusters or dreary dramas that feature the F word used as a noun, verb, adjective and adverb, spiced with violence don’t really interest us.
Nuremberg, which tells the story of the post World War II Nazi war crimes trial, is different: a thought provoking, well-produced film that speaks to history and today. The leading actors both give tremendous performances, especially Russel Crowe, who plays a mesmerizing Hermann Göring. It is two intense hours, but all of us found it absorbing. Towards the end of the film, years after the end of the trial, Malek’s character, Douglas Kelly, an Army psychiatrist who spent many hours talking with and listening to Goring, reminds us that not all Nazis come wearing “funny uniforms.”
Finally, as most of you know, I like to read, but don’t often read non-fiction, but these last couple of weeks I have been listening to Jon Meecham reading his own work, And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle. Few writers should read their own books, but Meecham, a history professor at Vanderbilt University, is a wonderful exception. He’s possessed of a beautiful baritone voice and a great reading style. Llistening to the book is both entertaining and enlightening. As Mark Twain said “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Hearing about our country’s history leading up to and during the Civil War gives new meaning to the events of today. Give it a try.
Last evening we had a great family night at the theater with Bryn, Joel and Charlie (although we missed having Erin and John with us.) The Lion King first opened on Broadway nearly thirty years ago, but this was the first time seeing the show for all of us. Although reviews varied amongst the five of us, we all could agree that the production, costumes, and especially the puppetry were great.
Of course, the best thing was that we could all be together as a family. We are just a block away from the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, so getting to the show is just a matter of a five minute walk, and we try to go as often as we can.
Being adults of a certain age, we are eligible for discounted rush tickets which go on sale an hour before curtain time. If the show is popular, it is sometimes hard to score a ticket, but more often than not, we manage to get tickets and often in a great seat. Last night was fortunately one of those times when we were able to get both tickets and choice seats!. We were seated on the aisle in the 11th and 12th rows, so when the parade of animals started coming down the aisle we were surprised and delighted.
Sue and I so enjoyed having this opportunity to spend time with Bryn, Joel, and Charlie. With work and school and crowded calendars, these opportunities are too rare, so we treasure them.
Summer is in the rear mirror; and winter is ahead, but in the meanwhile, we have the beauty of Autumn in the Rockies.
Scenes from Kenosha Pass
Since moving to Colorado, we have come to look forward to “Aspen Season.” Unlike back east when fall seems to linger for many weeks, your opportunity for viewing the glory that our golden Aspens provide is quite fleeting…usually lasting only a couple of weeks, before a wind & rain storm or even an early snow ends their beautiful display.
This year was no exception with snow, wind and rain playing havoc, but still what a beautiful display. Fortunately, we had two opportunities to drive up into the mountains, only a short scenic hour’s trip. Even better, being retired, we can avoid making the trek on a weekend when the traffic can be horrendous and the crowds off-putting.
This season’s first trip was with Mart & Bob Larson and Martha Birney, two Mondays ago. This is an ongoing tradition for our small group. iPhone photos can’t do justice to the beauty of the scene. The aspens leaves sparkle in the sun and whistle with every breeze; you have to be there to understand and appreciate the experience.
Fall in the Rockies
The second foray was with our neighbors, Reid, Ping & Emma Hawk. For Emma, who is ten and in the fifth grade, it was her first time! She liked the aspens, but perhaps even more enjoyed playing in someone’s abandoned teepee skeleton.
Ping, Emma & Reid
Both trips were very successful and delightful; it makes one feel more alive being out in the fresh air and admiring Nature’s handiwork. Whenever we drive up to Kenosha Pass, we always make sure to stop at The Shaggy Sheep Restaurant, usually for breakfast. If you find yourself there, make sure you order the jalapeño and cheese biscuits with gravy–oh my!
Finally, as some of you might know, this past week, Sue celebrated her 81st Birthday; she has long been superstitious about this birthday (her mother died a month before her 81st birthday), so it was good to get this one behind us! I
It was made even better because on her actual birthday, Charlie & best friend and honorary grandson, Dylan, were able to join us for a dinner that featured Sue’s favorite food, oysters on the half shell. Charlie says he enjoys eating a couple, but still prefers them to be fried. Dylan thought one was enough thank you.
When we got home that evening, Erin’s flowers were waiting for her; Erin & John are sill in Cuba and will be until next summer. Bryn & Joel couldn’t be with us for the birthday dinner, but they made up for it by taking us to their favorite neighborhood diner, Looking Good, making it nearly a week of celebrations!
A friend recently wrote a blog in which she mentioned Chef José Andrés of the World Central Kitchen saying that he was always “looking for the helpers.” What a good admonishment for all of us. I have admired Chef Andres for a number of years, especially since his work in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and more recently in Gaza. Fortunately there are helpers everywhere you look.
Last Friday we attended a gala fund raiser or Lotería for Focus Points Family Resource Center, a local non profit here in Denver, that provides community support and outreach. The organization certainly meets my criteria for “helpers.” Their motto is “Building better communities by strengthening families.”
Lotería is similar to bingo, but uses pictures of familiar objects on its playing card. We didn’t win anything but had fun playing, knowing the proceeds were going to helping the community
Until Bryn started working for the organization last November, we were unaware of the organization and the wonderful work that it does, but attending the Lotería we learned so much more about their mission. Our friends, Mart & Bob Larson came along with us, and Bryn acted as our host. What a fun evening in support of a good cause.
We are proud and delighted that Bryn is now associated with this extraordinary organization and attending their Lotería annual fund raising gave us an excellent opportunity to learn more about all of the services that Focus Points provides. Bryn serves as their financial controller, a daunting task given the challenges currently facing organizations like hers that serve immigrant and diverse communities.
Focus Points is a strong and vital organization and has been around for thirty years. They have developed a multi-pronged program focusing on family support, community development, education for both children and adults, financial literacy, job training, creating opportunities for new entrepreneurs and small local businesses, and urban farming.
Like most non-profit organizations, Focus Points depends on community support, volunteers, donations, and grants. Until this year, this formula meant that the organization could grow and enhance its outreach.
Unfortunately, this year federal grants for cultural enrichment and services, especially to new immigrants, have been slashed. As a result, Focus Points has lost a half million dollar federal grant and will have to discontinue its Wildflower School, an English as a Second Language learning center, that has operated for the last fifteen years.
Eight experienced language teachers will lose their jobs, and hundreds of children and adults will lose access to skills helping them integrate into American society, do well in school, or find meaningful work. Bryn and her colleagues are devastated, as you can imagine, and we were appalled to hear this news. All the teachers were at the event and everyone tried to put a good face on a bad situation, but it is a blow to the organization and the entire community.
Enjoying some time with BrynDancing to the fantastic Latin bandBryn and a good colleague Bryn & her Mom
We hope to do more with Focus Points in the coming months as Bryn tells us that there are always volunteer opportunities. Denver cannot afford to lose Focus Points and the valued “helpers” who make up the Organization. Perhaps we can help in some small way to make sure that Focus Points is around for another 30 years.
I made a quick trip to Western North Carolina to join more than 50 friends and family at the 2025 Mackey Reunion. (Unfortunately, Sue, still recovering from Covid, couldn’t accompany me.)
The Mackeys first came to Weaverville, Buncombe Country, North Carolina early in the 19th century and settled in the northern part of the county in and around Weaverville. Our branch of the Mackey family has been gathering for nearly 50 years, starting when my “Granny Mackey” was still alive and reigned as the matriarch of the Mackey Clan.
I think Granny would be delighted and happy to know that so many of her progeny showed up–this was the best turnout in years. She and my grandfather had eleven children, six girls and five boys, over the course of twenty years. There were forty in my generation of cousins, and I don’t know how many great grandchildren and great great grandchildren there are now.
Austin & Eujena Mackey
Weaverville, NC is situated in the rolling hills of North Buncombe, CO; in my opinion some of the prettiest country around, though it is just now recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene which wreaked havoc in the area, not quite a a year ago now in September 2024.
My cousin Paul kindly drove me all over the countryside to show me the damage that had been done by the storm. Many people, although fortunately no one in the immediate family, are still waiting to receive the assistance they need to rebuild and restart their lives.
On a ridge above Weaverville & Reems Creek Valley Siblings Bobby & Paul Clauhs
My mother, Carlie (now 97) and two sisters, Isabel (99) and Marie (88), are the only ones of the children still with us. Mom and Aunt Marie attended the reunion, along with much of their extended families.
This year all of my siblings planned to attend, but my sister, Glenda, who was to chauffeur Mom, was laid low with a severe sinus infection, leaving her with fatigue and vertigo. My brother Dale & his wife Carrie brought Mom instead, and my sister Sandy & her daughter Sarah took her home. My nephew Glenn and his wife, Garland, and their two children, Art & Harvey came on their own. They have been some of the most consisten attendees at past reunions. Mom was in 7th Heaven and it was great fun for us all, but we missed not having Glenda with us.
The Clauhs children, Freddy, Paul, Bobby, Laurie & Margaret, really have played a vital role in keeping the reunion going these last few years. I can’t thank them enough for their thoughtfulness and hard work in providing this wonderful opportunity for all of us Mackey Descendents.
Carlie and Family Aunt Marie & Uncle Fred and their children
Aunt Bell who will turn 99 on September 28th was not able to attend, but some of us visited with her after the reunion. She now lives in a care facility and doesn’t get out much, but she remains a feisty and an entertaining conversationalist and raconteur.
She had us laughing and hanging on her stories throughout our visit–despite her hearing problems. We reluctantly had to leave after more than an hour visiting. I am just astounded by her mental acuity and cheerfulness. I have to ask myself that if I live so long, will I be as alert and sociable?
Aunt Bell & CarlieAunt Bell with me andmy cousin, Bobby Clauhs Carlie, me and a young cousin Aunt Marie & Cousin Janet (like me attending after a long absence)Bobby & Patty ClauhsJohn & Peggy Hensley (cousins) and me My brother Dale and his wife Carrie Cousins Regina & Janet and niece, Sarah Cousins Dewain & Bobby
It would not have been easy for me to attend the reunion without my cousin, Tracie Mackey & her husband, Jimmy Emory, who picked me up at the Asheville airport; Aunt Marie & Uncle Fred, who hosted me Friday evening and provided a scrumptious southern supper of ham, green beans, creamed corn & potato salad, all lovingly made by Aunt Marie; and Patty & Bobby Clauhs who hosted me Saturday evening at their mountain cabin, fed me & then carried me back to the airport on Sunday morning. Bobby and I stayed up after Patty went to bed, sitting around a campfire Saturday night, talking, catching up, and recalling family stories until a passing rain storm finally drove us in.
Thanks to all of you!
It was a very short, but action packed, visit. I loved the reunion and loved re-connecting with family, many of whom I had not seen for years & years. I especially liked seeing the youngest cousins.
Bethany Mackey (Dewain & Kathi’s daughter) and her family surrounding her Mom Kathi.
I haven’t mentioned everyone who came–I probably didn’t even talk to everyone who was there, but the experienced has warmed my heart beyond description.
Now that Charlie is a teenager, we often don’t see him as much as we would like, although during the school year, he would have us pick him and his buddy, Dylan, up after school at least once a week. Maybe it’s because we are always good for a fast food foray. They were almost always voracious and wanted to stop at Panera, McDonald’s, or their current favorite, Taco Bell, We don’t mind, as long as we can be along for the ride.
As many of you know, Charlie has been break dancing since he was about six; he is very diligent about it, attending class usually a couple of times a week and practicing at home. Just as school was letting out for the summer, he participated in a Cypher which we got to attend. We certainly think he was one of the best there; if you want to see Charlie dancing, click here: Charlie at a B Boy Cypher
Thanks to a friend of the family who does PR for a local TV channel, Charlie had the opportunity to visit a studio and make a short promo video for the summer movie release, Freakier Friday. We were his ride and got to watch the filming. The people at the channel could not have been more welcoming. Not sure Charlie has a TV career in his future, but everyone, including Charlie, had fun. Click Denver Freakier Friday for the video.
If it’s a board–snowboard, surfboard, or skateboard Charlie is game. This summer as in previous summers, Charlie got to fly to Florida to visit with his other grandparents, and once again go surfing in the Atlantic. Later that same visit, he and his Dad, did a skateboarding tour of Miami. What a lucky guy!
There’s always time for a getaway with his Mom as well, whether it’s a baseball game or a weekend in Glenwood Springs.
Any day spent with Charlie is a good day for his Oma and Opa. We can’t believe that he is 13 and has just started the 8th Grade…where has the time gone? Wasn’t it just last summer when we took him to Rocky Mountain National Park?
After our fun trip to Rehobeth Beach, we spent another day at the farm, and then John & Bonnie chauffeured us to Washington to meet Erin, not an easy task given DC’s well-known traffic congestion. Our trip this time was no exception.
Rather than make John drive all the way into the center of town, we opted for parking at the New Carrollton Metro station and Ubering into town. Little did we know that since last visiting the station, so much construction and redevelopment has taken place that it was going to be a trial of our patience. We missed the turnoff for the station, forcing us onto the Capital Beltway and a twenty minute (3 mile) detour, and once we arrived back at New Carrollton, the signage was so bad it took us three trips around the block to finally find the parking garage.
Fortunately, the Uber ride to the Old Ebbitt Grill, where we were meeting Erin, went smoothly, and we enjoyed talking with our driver, Stanley, who hailed from Ghana originally. Sue & I shared with him how much we had enjoyed visiting Ghana, some 25 years ago, when Erin was spending her semester abroad at the University of Ghana at Accra. Stanley tells us that Accra has grown and changed so much that we wouldn’t recognize it. I am sure that is probably a good thing for Ghana, but we enjoyed our time in what was then a sleepy tropical capital and remember it fondly.
Erin feted us all at the Old Ebbitt Grill–we feasted on oysters and delicious crab cakes. Maryland crab cakes are the best, at least in our opinion; fortunately these met our high expectations. In addition, they offered a wonderful dessert menu from which I chose a seasonal peach bread pudding. It arrived with a candle and everyone singing Happy Birthday. It might have been the best bread pudding I have ever had. This was the first of three birthday celebrations for me…each one better than the last, perhaps.
The next day, Friday, July 18, Sue and I met up with some longtime friends and colleagues from my Library of Congress days. Barby & Howard Morland made the arrangements for all of us to meet at Poets & Busboys in Shirlington. For us it was a great and long overdue reunion.
We were seated at a long table accommodating all seven of us, including Barby & Howard, Abby Yochelson, Tori Hill, and Kathy Woodrell, and us.
We spent more than two hours eating and laughing, with only occasional digressions on our concerns about the current state of affairs and the damage being done to the Federal workforce. Back in the late 1980s, Tori & I hired Abby and Kathy, along with a number of other young librarians, after a long hiring freeze. It was a great decision, especially after Barby joined us, and my experience working at the Library was a highlight and joy of my career. We are all retired now, but we still hold dear the time we spent working or researching at the Library of Congress, one of the World’s great libraries and research centers and a national treasure .
But even treasures need to be cherished and nourished and can only function and prosper with a dedicated workforce and management. Like so much of the Federal work force, however, the Library of Congress and its employees are under siege. Most recently, the Librarian of Congress was fired, without cause. The reason given was ,that children were being exposed to unsuitable content about transgenders and drag queens. The White House clearly isn’t aware that the Library of Congress is not open to anyone under the age of 18.
Later that evening, Sue & I, along with Erin & John, met up with our niece, Susie and her husband Gerry at the Bangkok 54 Thai Restaurant in Arlington for my second birthday celebrations–how lucky can a guy be? Another fantastic meal & a great time for visiting and catching up. I ordered a Whole Fried Flounder, which was perfectly prepared, but also almost too much, even with everyone sharing.
It was our last event with John as he was heading out the next morning for a wilderness camping trip with friends in Colorado, but we enjoyed being with him for even a limited amount of time. We miss Erin and John not being in Denver, especially as it has proven next to impossible for us to visit them in Cuba.
For our time in DC, Erin booked us into the AKA White House, a residence hotel where she and John were staying. It provides roomy and comfortable apartments and is a great retreat in downtown DC, just a couple of blocks the White House. Several mornings, before the heat of the day set in, I was able to take a walk around the neighborhood usually walking through Lafayette Park and by the White House. There are surprisingly few tourists around at 7:00 am.
All good things, though, do come to an end, but before we left town on June 21st, Erin took us to the Taverna del Albardero for one final delicious meal to commemorate my birthday a third time. We can’t recommend the restaurant too much. All of us ordered an “arroz” (think a Spanish version of risotto) with lobster and shrimp–melt in your mouth delicious. Flan de la abuela was the chosen dessert to share, although I ate the lion’s share. The next morning Erin went off to training, and Sue and I finished packing and ubered to National Airport for an afternoon return flight home.
