Sunday, October 16, 2016

Peak season

When do you know if it's peak season?  Is there one day that the foliage is absolutely at its peak?  Impossible.  One hill looks as if it's past peak with nothing but bare limbs.  The hill right across the valley still has a lot of green.  It's all a motel conspiracy anyway, to convince people to leave the warmth of their homes and seek out the best view.

Which is exactly what we did the past two days.  And last weekend.  And every day in between it seems.  A little bit of driving, and a little bit of walking.  And, of course a lot of photos, that don't really capture the sense, even when some are complaining that we didn't have enough rain for the full color.

Anyway, that's a long lead in to say that while summer's over, the move to fall and the colors and the gorgeous days like today make it not so hard to miss, even though we know what's around the corner.  

So, let's see your favorite tree or hillside of the fall: send an e-mail to popsweeklyletter.bubba@blogger.com

Two weeks ago, we just arrived home from Portugal and we're still living off of the memories.  But, life moves on and back to work and projects.

Joe and Leonor came back to the World Bank meetings which meant work, work, work.  He has started his new job, and Lenor hit the road for two weeks of travel to 6-7 cities in the U.S. and Canada.  Margaret and Andrew have spent their first week in their house, with adjustments for the commute and the dog.  We heard that they are in no rush to unpack, as Andrew said they have 30 years to unpack.  We talked to Annie and she is in her final weeks in Boston, and will do a little car shopping this weekend for her trip to Cleveland over Halloween weekend.

David and Paula have unpacked enough boxes for the time being, and they might not have 30 years to unpack.  But they are comfortable, and it seems every call I get from David is from his porch with a lemonade in his hand.  He also found another house for sale that will bring back memories: 9655 Cunningham Rd.  Any buyers?? It looks very different (except the kitchen, ha ha.)  I think I saw my bedroom #22, the hallway/closet and recognized David and Peter's bedrooms but not much else.

John and Marilyn had an unscheduled adventure in Georgia, as they evacuated before Hurricane Matthew (no relation to our Matthew)  They were gone just a couple of nights and they returned to a house untouched.

It's been birthday October, and so far we have seen Johanna celebrating hers in Paris, and Janet spent hers touring the Clinton headquarters in New Jersey.  Sounds like a different way to spend your birthday, but worthwhile, given this year's unprecedented edition.  If I remember correctly, Auden also had her third birthday.  More birthdays on their way, with Claire, Bill and Kathleen.

We're still plugging away on our election referendum and the first draft of my images book is due this week.  That means the end is in sight.  I need a few more projects after that.  Any ideas?  

That's all from up here.  Stay healthy, Love

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Portugal

By now, you have seen so many photos of Portugal on Facebook, it is hard to find one that has not seen the light of day.  But, here it is.  This is of the newly-blessed-wedding couple at the reception overlooking the Rio Tajo on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.  

Many memories.  Wonderful, happy, special.  

A few things stick out.

First was the generosity and hospitable-ness of Leonor's family.  They really rolled out the red carpet for us.  

Second, was the beauty of the country. Lots of history, and I mean 5-6 centuries old buildings and streets and alleys.

Third, was the weather.  We couldn't believe it but one day towards the end of the trip, the sky was overcast for a few hours.  Other than that, blue skies, sunny and dry during the day, with a slight chill at night.

Fourth were the grapes.  If the weather described above sounds ideal for grapes, that's because it is.  We drove the wine valley, and along sides its mountains, which made for spectacular views, but some white knuckle driving and riding.  We even sampled some of the wine and port.

Fifth, (and there were many more) was being together and sharing this time with Joe and Leonor.  

We know some of you were unable to make it, but we also know that because of number one above, there will be other opportunities to visit and get to know the trans-Atlantic side of our family.

We arrived home, turned on the heat, and slept for almost 12 hours.  Unpacking, doing laundry, and sorting through photos will keep the memories alive for a lot longer.

Congratulations Leonor and Joe.  Love from up here