Christmas Message 2001
Season’s
Greetings and Salutations from California!
Once
again I will attempt to fill you in on my activities for the year through
photos. I hope you enjoy it all!
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First a bit of sad news, I lost my dear kitty, Zoe this year (#1). She was 16 years old and a very sweet kitty. I miss her a lot, and so does Quark. Quark is the kitty I got to keep Zoe company after Zoe’s brother died in 2000. So, of course, I had to get Quark a new companion and that is why I now have Quinn. Quark and Quinn get along fabulously. He and I just love our kitten to bits! |  #2 |
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 #4 |
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I also have another new baby in the family… my new car! (Photo #5 is at Lake Tahoe and #6 is in my drive-way.) I am calling him The Blue (or the car-formerly-known-as-Herbie) and I am having so much fun driving him!! I finally got my dream car, right down to the perfect color… bright blue! |
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The
highlight of my year was my trip to New York City
in July for the “Once upon a time…” BATB convention.
As usual I had a fantastic time seeing all my buddies and also getting to tour around Manhattan.
We had a wonderful walking tour of Central Park our first full day there,
stopping by the Carousel and having lunch in Strawberry Fields.
My good friends Tim and Mary, toured around with me for a couple of days.
We hit all the famous spots in NYC, Liberty Island, Ellis Island, a
ride on the Staten Island Ferry, Greenwich Village, Times Square, Empire
State Building and the World Trade Center.
I am so glad we got to visit the WTC before the tragic events of Sept. 11th.
It was a very exciting trip and I do plan on going back someday when
things settle down some. |
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have become very active in the Sacramento Tall Club and am now officially their
webmistress! I designed their
webpage and I keep everything up-to-date. It
is lots of fun. (If you get a chance, check it out at www.sacramentotallclub.org
) Here are some of the trips/events/parties I have shared with them this year: |
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 #8 |
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| May
2001: A weekend trip to
Yosemite. I hadn’t been up there in years and had forgotten just how beautiful it
is. Photo #7 is my friend Amy-Lore and myself on the bridge below
Vernal Falls. It was quite a
hike up there! Photo #8 is one I took at Mirror Lake and is my favorite
photo from the weekend. Photo #9 is of Half Dome from the top of Glacier
Point. |
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May 2001 (Memorial Day weekend):
A
Houseboat trip on New Melones Reservoir. The
weekend theme was “2001. A Space Odyssey” , so that is why my green blow-up
Alien is in our group photo (#10) .
Photo #11 shows me enjoying myself in the water.
It was a very relaxing and fun-filled weekend with a great group of tall
folks. |
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Halloween Party, Oct
2001: Here I am all dressed up for our Tall club
Halloween party. (The Pirate in the
back of me is our club President, Jeff.) I
just loved that wig!! It is bright
yellow and glows in a black light!!! |
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July 2001:
Camping trip to
Icehouse Lake in the Sierra mountains.
shows my brother Jim and his new Tall girl friend Barbara enjoying the lake.
I invited Jim to join the Tall Club, too, and the first event he went to
he met Barb! |
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Sept 2001 (Labor Day
weekend): I joined a group of tall friends at a
marvelous cabin near Lake Tahoe for the long weekend. It was my first long trip
with my new car and I was very pleased with it.
My good buddy, LeeAnn and I spent a day
driving all around the lake (we even stopped a bit at the South Shore Casinos)
while others were biking and hiking. The
rest of the weekend was spent playing cards, disco dancing (the place had a
mirrored disco ball… what would you expect us to do! *laughs), relaxing in the
hot tub and eating yummy food. What
a fun time! |
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Events
and trips I took with other friends this year included: |
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Feb 2001: My close Stockton lady friends and I spent a beautiful day wine
tasting in the Sierra Foothills while helping Anna to celebrate her birthday.
Photo
#15
shows one of the vineyards with Valley Oak trees in the back
and just how lovely the weather was that day. Photo
#16
is a group photo: Dorothy, Anna, and myself in front and Kerry
and Kelly in the back. We visited 7
wineries that day (Joe, Kerry’s husband drove us around) and then had a
gourmet dinner at an historic Hotel in the Gold Country. It was a perfect day
spent with wonderful friends. |
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#16 |
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 #17 |
May
2001: I traveled to South
Dakota and then to Buffalo, New York to meet up with some of my good
online friends from all over the world.
We ate Buffalo wings (of course), visited Niagara Falls ( Photo #17
shows a group of us having brunch with a marvelous view of the Falls) and
had fun chatting in person for a change.
Oh, and I seemed to get lost a lot there for some reason!!
Sheesh, I hardly ever get lost driving around!
Buffalo has the most confusing road signs I tell you! |
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 #18 |
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Aug 2001: Photo #19 shows my group of friends from College days and some of their kids. We still try to get together a couple times a year and keep in touch. This photo was taken at Bob’s 50th birthday party. I was also able to fly up for his son’s wedding in Oregon in September (Photo #20). | ||||
 #20 |
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| June
2001:
I finally got to
visit the Getty Center in Los Angeles with my friend Richard.
(Photo #21 shows me near one of the fountains in the courtyard.)
What an absolutely marvelous place that is!
The art collection is wonderful, but I enjoyed the architecture,
gardens and view even more. If
you are ever in Los Angeles you MUST visit it.
The best part is that it is free to get in!! |
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 #24 |
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Now,
as for family: I drove down to
visit my brother in Los Angeles a couple of times this year.
Photo #22 shows my grandniece, Jazmine, after her dance recital in June.
She is 8 now and is SO cute and such a ham!
This summer she went to Acting camp and had a marvelous time.
Photo #23 shows my nephew, Elliot (age 12 and already 6’4” tall!) and
my older brother, David. Photo #24 was taken down in L.A. in August when a bunch of us
Riddles’ gathered to help David celebrate his birthday.
In the photo are 2 of my cousins, 3 of my cousin’s kids, my 2 nephews,
my grandniece, my niece and her husband and my brother and sister-in-law.
We will all gather again this February for my Uncle Will’s 80th
birthday party in Arizona. Hopefully
my 2 cousins from Alaska will make it down for that! |
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That
is my year in a nutshell. I hope
you all have a marvelous Holiday season and a wonderful New Year.
If you are ever in California… look me up!! |
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