Good Night 2013

This is such a beautiful picture ( From Rick Steve's Facebook Page).   I just had to take and make it the final picture for 2013 since we spent much of the year preparing, planning and enjoying Paris and France.

We are closing this year with friends who are coming over for games and goodies.     This is the second year we have invited mostly friends from church, and this time lifelong friends Rick and Virginia and Roxie and Rod.   I expect to have sixteen in all.

It has been a good year all in all.    I still miss my dad and don't expect that those feelings will go away very soon.

The time seems to go more quickly and age seems to whisper more strongly in my ear.    I will just have to sing louder.

Good Night 2013

As the Year Slips By

I am sitting with a cup of coffee this morning enjoying a moment with my (working) computer.   Mom is coming to stay for a week while she gets her cataracts removed, so I have cleaned the room and I am now sitting down to enjoy it a moment before I move to the next project.

I can hardly believe that I have been back from our trip for almost six weeks, and I have not finished putting together even a short group of pictures on e-mail.   Since there were 4 cameras with about 700-800 pictures each, there are many, many photos to review.

Fred and Lark - September in Paris 2013 ( Notre Dame Park)

I laugh at this picture.    We were reading everything about travel in Paris and were told not to wear white tennis shoes, backpacks or ball caps, for they are a dead give away as an American traveler.  We did leave the tennis shoes at home, but we were always amazed that everyone who came near us didn't even ask where we were from, they just started speaking English.   I think this was the morning that the man from Wisconsin picked us out of a crowd to share his adventures.

Tuesday 12-3-2013

We had a nice Thanksgiving.  We were at the Gilberts.   I brought appetizers, and fancy cookies to the feast and Michael L. family had most of the main meal.    I made a veggie tray in the shape of a turkey ( yes it did take longer than you think).   I made a cranberry/orange salad with Quinoa, which was quite good.   I also had puff pastry and Brie as well as a cheese and meat tray.

I brought My annual glass ornament and Mark Gilbert was the winner this year.   ( of course he was, because I already had a glass ornament sitting in the front entry that he is to open on Christmas Day.... luckily, not the same one)  I thought it is quite pretty with it's red and white coloring... It also has a gold fleck in two of the ribbons.

I have to make my Christmas Eve reservations many months before the day and probably for the same reason.    We are at the "Over the Moon" cafe in the historic part of town this year.   We are meeting friends at the hospital Tree festival tomorrow night, so we are going to take Mom there since she will be visiting with us.   I pick her up at 8:00 a.m. and then go to Bellevue for our first of at least 4 trips to the eye office.

I agree with the freedom of shopping online.    I hate standing in lines, although I do enjoy the hustle and bustle of people with Christmas music in the background.

I have the same color theme in my house that I have had for year.... I am a big "after Christmas" shopper and since I chose Red and Gold years ago, I have lots and lots of pieces to throw together.

I took this picture when I finished decorating on Sunday night.   I am generally a lot slower, but Mom arrives tomorrow so I had to be Johnny on the Spot.    Thursday she has her eye surgery, Friday we have a checkup followed by a luncheon at her cousins.  Saturday we have a pedicure and we have tickets to see Leischen in Anne that evening.   Sunday morning we are going to Michael and Christine's concert in Belleuve again and then over to his house for lunch and a late 90th birthday for Lila.   We come home that evening and go to my friends for a cookie exchange.   We are talking about going to the Zoolights and a possible drive to the Bavarian town of Leavenworth.   She thinks she is going to go shopping.... but I am not sure when. 

Zoo lights is done by the Tacoma Parks.  All these organizations get together and make scenes on the Zoo grass and trees with LED lights.   The colors are fabulous as well as the cute animals, ponds, arbors and other lights that are displayed.


I did manage to decorate my office door.   I could hardly not, they have a yearly requirement of door decorating.  It was today or never.   I settled on a theme of little angels decorating my door.   I think it turned out quite cute.   No other news.    Maybe after mom is here for a couple of days and we have been to Leischen's show.  - Love Larkie