Mid-January

January 15th, Lyle became 2 years old. The next day he started pre-school.  Just amazing how fast they grow!  Last month, we had a foot of snow in central North Carolina.  I forgot to actually publish this post!

Three King's Cake for Epiphany

White Christmas 11th day

Work pictures

ML and Patti got together and made me a wonderful memory photo book for my 65th birthday.  It was such a surprise and so nice to have all these pictures in one place.  Most of the pictures were actually downloaded from my Blog.  I noticed there were no pictures of the people I worked with at either the Census Bureau or NCHS.  Obviously, this was the case as I had never put up any photos from my working life because I started the Blog after I retired.  So I'm putting here some pictures from my working past.

Ambulatory Care Statistics Branch, NCHS 2004

Monica and Maureeen

PES Branch, Census 1990

Census party  1990 (Decennial Operations)

Some of my dear friends and colleagues from Census, 1990

More friends from Census Decennial Operations Division, 1990

ACSB party at the Lanham house, ~2004

Bike Hike Andrew & Esther, Linda, Dale, and me; 2006

ACSB at my predecessor's retirement party, NCHS 1994

Fairfax Christmas

"Fear Not!" Grammie brings news of great joy

Sunrise on the Marin Airporter bus heading back to SFO

Holidays

Sim, da girls, and I drove to Southport, NC to take the ferry to Bald Head Island to visit Sue and Scott for Thanksgiving. Da girls played with Teya, the toy poodle. We had the little crofter that was recently remodeled into a beautiful studio guest area.  Scott had bought a peck of oysters and shucked some for us every day. For the feast, we went to the country club for a sumptuous buffet and returned the next day for a pet parade which was quite entertaining. We were introduced to the Amazon Echo and enjoyed that very much. We ordered one for ourselves and I am still learning how to make the most if it. It plays my Sirius XM from my car subscription so that is really nice for getting the Metroplitan Opera radio.  We stopped by Myrtle Beach to visit the Perkinsons before returning home.

The first Sunday in December, I hosted the retired Episcopal clergy holiday party. We had about ten people, but I had to decorate early for that event. The following weekend we drove to Charleston to spend my Bday with Patti and Jeff. We enjoyed the Charleston Ballet and the WV Symphony production of the Nutcracker. Great meals at sushi, Fazio's, and Berry Hills.

We attended the Voices Chapel Hill concert on the 15th with dinner before at the Carolina Inn with Therese and Dottie.  My semester off singing ends now and I will be back to rehearsals for our May concert in the middle of January.  On Saturday, we went to Charlotte to have a Hanukkah party with Sim's children, grandchildren, and 2 of his 3 great grandchildren. Sunday, we heard Donald Davis tell 2 wonderful stories in Fearrington. One was about his fourth grade class that spent the whole year traveling around the world in their classroom. He learned wonderful things and never opened an arithmetic or spelling book. That evening we went to Chapel Hill for sushi and a Moravian Love Feast service at the Methodist church. It was a lovely service with lots of carols.

Monday night, Sue and Scott come over for dinner with filet mignon, glazed carrots, popovers, etc. Scott helped me with some Echo questions. I am now on the airplane heading for SFO and in a few hours will be with ML, Robert, and the boys. Yippee!  Below are some pictures from the last month.

Chamblee/Guiher tribe at Thanksgiving

Shaughnessy tribe at Thanksgiving

Sue, Scott & Sim at BHI

Don, Cathy, and Sim at Myrtle Beach

Matt and Molly

Mexican angels

Holiday centerpiece

Cathy & Sim at Berry Hills CC

Ellie at Hanukkah party in Charlotte

Great Grandpa & Ellie

Ellie modeling new dress

Tornadoes Henry IV, glazed carrots, and potato latkes for dinner

50 years anniversary

This Halloween was the 50th anniversary of when my family moved from my hometown to NYC.  It was in 1967 that I said goodbye to my friends, cousins, and grandmother to live in the fast lane of Manhattan.  I traded my Brown cousins for my Guiher cousins, boys for girls. I was in the 10th grade and started at Rhodes School at 11 W 54th Street.  NYC was totally magical.  I took 2 buses to get to school from our 18th floor apartment at 89th and First Ave.  I passed by the Plaza Hotel every day on my way to school and on the way home - I passed by the German bakery at 87th and First Ave.  Often, I bought a piece of crumb cake and came home to watch all the little lights turn on the GW and Triborough bridges.  We only lived there for 2 years and 2 months before having to move out to Yonkers where the rent was less dear.

Every Wednesday I would buy a Variety to see what auditions were available and keep in touch with the theatre world. I never actually auditioned for anything outside of school plays but I was ready should something wonderful become available.  My residency in Manhattan seems like a really long time ago but the sights, sounds, and fragrance of NYC will remain with me forever.  Our doorman's name was George.

Day of the Dead in Mexico

Sim and I flew to México to visit Lee and Richard in their new home in San Miguel de Allende (SMA). Nov. 1 & 2 are big days here to honor and remember the loved ones who have passed on. La Calavera Catrina is celebrated as she as the "dapper skull" who helps the dying pass over. The natives build altars to honor the dead with many huge marigolds. They also dress up as La Catrina or El Catrine and parade through the streets. The Jardin was packed with Catrinas. Lots of folks getting their faces painted to look like a skull. If you want to know more about this festival, go see Coco, the 2017 Disney movie. Below are some pics.

Giant puppet of La Catrina

Young girl getting her face painted by street vender

Coolest Catrina I saw with her peacock skirt

Sunset view of the catherdral in SMA

One of the many altars memorializing the dead

Fountain turned into marigold display

Noah and Sole on her birthday

Huge pyramid altar for Day of the Dead in SMA

Lyle and Arlo

Giant marigolds

La Calavera Catrina who escorts the dying to the great beyond

Berber clan at local Halloween party