High School Buddies--49 Years Later

Larry, Jay & Ted at WWII Museum

We recently got together with two of Larry's high school buddies, Jay Field and Ted Moore, and their charming wives, Laura and Linda.

Over the years, we have visited with one or the other, but thanks to Jay's perseverance and determination, the three finally reunited all together in New Orleans.

(We were in NOLA to attend the wedding of Lesley Simpson, the daughter of our old and dear friends, Lois and Martin--we are working on a posting about that great party.)

Larry, Jay and Ted graduated in 1966, almost fifty years ago, from Norview High School in Norfolk, Virginia.  From a class of over 1100, not one of the three have managed to maintain contact with any of their other classmates.

The Norview Boys and wives.

Best friends during their junior and senior years, they went their separate ways upon graduation: Jay to Virginia Tech, Larry to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Ted to the US Army. All too quickly, the years seemed to pass with long stretches of being out of touch.

Since only Jay had family and ties to Norfolk, the other two never had reason to return or get together there.  Twenty-five years ago, Jay and Larry, along with Sue and Laura, attended the 25th Class Reunion which was held in Virginia Beach, VA, but Ted, unfortunately was absent.

New Orleans Street Car

With the help of the Internet, Jay finally found Ted a few years ago in Columbia, SC where at the time he was Provost of the University of South Carolina.

Jay tried to pull our disparate schedules together and plan a reunion several years ago, but it never seemed to work.  But 2015 was to prove the year we succeeded in getting the three back together.

Iconic NOLA water meter

Although we had only a couple of days in New Orleans, we managed to catch up, reminisce and share events from our lives during the past half century.

Our AirBNB Home

The boys enjoyed a day at the WW II museum, while Sue, Laura, and Linda had a day of exploring Magazine Street, an area of shops and restaurants.

Food, per usual in New Orleans, was a big part of the get together. The first night we all took the street car (not the trolley) to the French Quarter for dinner at the Acme Oyster House, one of Sue & Larry's favorite dives.  After more than a half hour wait in line we all enjoyed some typical New Orleans delights.  Acme Oyster House has been operating in the same location for over 100 years and should not be missed on a visit to NOLA.

Jacques-Imo's, a NOLA favorite

Our AirBnB accommodation was on Dublin just off Oak Street, a happening area in the Uptown Neighborhood. Besides sleeping all six of us comfortably, it had plenty of communal space, including a lovely patio, for visiting and imbibing.

The Live Oak Cafe, just around the corner from the AirBnb house, provided a great breakfast experience,  but the gustatory pinnacle proved to be Jacques-Imos: a not to be missed restaurant in the same neighborhood that features "Nawlins" style dishes. Wow!

The wait staff were incredibly good and knowledgeable--they didn't blink when we all wanted to share our entrees--and all came separated and on their own dishes.  At the end of our sumptuous and delicious meal, we ordered one dessert--bread pudding. What a nice surprise when three desserts (the bread pudding, creme brulee and a brownie/blondie plate) showed up, and we were charged for just one.

Our breakfast headquarters

After successful careers, all three of the high school buddies are now retired, and we are looking forward to more opportunities to get together.

Jay and Laura and Sue and Larry think that an Alaskan or Mediterranean Cruise would be just the ticket; Linda, Ted's wife, does too.  Now all we have to do is convince Ted.

Interlude with Erin

Sue & Erin at one of our favorite local restaurants

It has been a couple of weeks since Erin returned to DC, but we had such a nice time during her visit, we wanted to make sure that we wrote about our delightful interlude and shared on the blog.

Erin has been back in the USA for just about a year and is very much enjoying her assignment as a State Department liaison to the Organization of American States.

She gets to use her languages skills and is working in new areas like security, drug regulation, and immigration.

Diego, at his ease

She is hoping to extend her assignment, meaning that she will be in DC for three years, instead of the normal two.

One of the benefits of the job was that she was able to wrangle a month off during the Summer to enroll in a month long Yoga Teacher's Training course, taught here in Denver.

The course was no walk in the park with class lasting upwards of 12 hours a day, but she loved the course and especially her instructor.

To make her stay easier, she asked to bring along her cat, Diego, and we agreed.  She rescued him from the streets of Mexico City and has become very attached to him--and we can see why.  Diego is a sweetheart.

Jet black, with big green eyes, he is very affectionate and full of personality.  You can see that he quickly made himself at home.

Charlie sharing secrets with Auntie Erin

With Erin being here in Denver, it gave us a chance to be together as a family.  Erin and Charlie had a a real opportunity to get reacquainted and bond.

Charlie really like having Erin visit his home so he could show her his room and all the neat things he does at home.

Erin & Bryn off to Yoga on the Rocks

Erin and Bryn share an interest in yoga, so even though Erin was spending 50-60 hours a week in her training class, she was happy to spend one Saturday with Bryn at a "Yoga on the Rocks" event held at Red Rocks park.

They said they had a great time--perhaps it was the free beer and food that was offered after the event.

Sunset from our balcony

We just loved having Erin stay with us; we usually waited dinner for her & once the meal was done--we often retired to the balcony, wine glasses in hand, to enjoy the sunset and the opportunity to talk, reminisce about the past and contemplate the future.


Now that she is no longer in Denver, we miss those great conversations and the feeling of connection. As parents of adult children, you seldom have such a wonderful opportunity to be with your child--we felt so fortunate.

Larry & Erin on the porch of the landmark Stanley Hotel

Erin's last weekend here, we decide to drive up to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park for an overnight stay and tour. It is less than two hours from the hustle and bustle of downtown Denver, but truly a world away.

The trip was really a spur of the moment decision, so we had no reservations or even any idea of where to stay,

But we happened upon a cute little A-frame cabin on a fast flowing mountain stream, just outside of Estes--it was the last cabin they had available, and it really proved idyllic.

Cabin along a mountain stream

The hot tub on the deck was a nice bonus that  let us enjoy the spectacular night sky (complete with shooting stars), while relaxing and marveling at our beautiful surroundings.

We last visited the park in 1970 (and Erin had never seen it.) It was in many ways as beautiful and breathtaking as we remembered, but clearly climate change and global warming have taken their toll on the park and its environment.

The landscapes are still beautiful--but dead pines seem to be ubiquitous, decimated by the pine bark beetle.

Larry, Sue & Erin--selfie in the Woods

The beetle has always been present, but in times past, the larvae was killed by the intensely cold winters.

 But winters are warmer now, and the beetle is able to survive, eat and reproduce much more vigorously.

When we visited in the Summer of 1970, we remember seeing a lot of glaciers--they seem to be vanishing, with remnants only at the higher elevations.

On the Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park

Driving through the park along the Trail Ridge Road--sometimes in a caravan of other vehicles-- takes no more than two or three hours, even with stops to admire the incredible views and vistas.

Despite the crowds, though, we found the experience very relaxing and re-invigorating.

We know we want to go back for a return visit--hopefully for little longer than just an overnight.

But it was a great end to Erin's visit and the three of us enjoyed having the opportunity to experience the Rocky National Park together.

Our mountain goat!

Landscape with dead pines

Sun, Fun & Family

Walking path along Cherry Creek near our condo

We have settled into a very comfortable routine this Summer in Denver.  Our unusually rainy Spring has given way to a warm, but not too hot, Summer.

Denver is a wonderfully vibrant & alive city; there is always something to see and do & the climate invites you to be outside and enjoy it. Neither of us miss the hot, muggy East Coast summers.

Our condo is located in the heart of downtown Denver; just a block away there is a great walking trail along Cherry Creek.

Cherry Creek & "loch monster"

Subject to frequent flooding--and this Spring was no exception, the creek has been "urbanized" with re-enforced embankments and a pedestrian path on one side and a bicycle trail on the other.

On most mornings, one or both of us, like to walk along the creek down to where it meets the South Platte River and then return home walking along the 16th Street Mall.

It's a 40 minute, 2.5 mile hike and a great way to start the day.

Swim party at our Condo

One of the joys of living in a downtown condo is having a swimming pool just an elevator ride away.

The water is maintained at about 80-85 degrees fahrenheit, so it is usually a jolt when you first jump in, but as such provides a refreshing break and is perfect for lap swimming.

We cannot figure out why more of our neighbors don't use the pool more regularly, but many times we have the pool to ourselves.

We have been taking Charlie for swim lessons once or twice a week and he has made a lot of progress.

Earlier this summer, he used a swimming vest when going to our pool, but in the last couple of weeks he says he doesn't need it and he is going to give it to his friend Jack.  He is almost too fearless and delights in swimming from Oma to Opa and back again.

Bryn, Grant & Charlie's Urban Garden

Many Sundays, Bryn, Grant & Charlie visit for Brunch and a swim. Saturdays are usually their family day; they often spend part of the day working on their urban garden, which contains both perennials and vegetables.


Neighbors and strangers, often stop just to tell them how beautiful the garden is, the pleasure it gives to them and how much it adds to the community.

Defending the Galaxy

Once a week or so, Charlie spends the night with us.  In addition to swimming, he delights in defending the world against the bad guys--just like his heroes, "the boy who became Spiderman" or Defenders of the Galaxy's Star Lord.

Charlie & Oma

He also really likes to be read to; one of his favorite stories is about Persephone, but when Oma reads it to him, she has to change it so that Charlie is the one who is caught by the Lord of the Underworld and his mother, Bryn, has to bargain for his return.

Erin & Bryn off to a Yoga Day at Red Rocks

Erin was with us throughout most of July; she was able to get a month's leave from the State Department and came to Denver to participate in a Yoga Teacher's Certificate Program.  

It was hard work: eight to ten hours of class a day, but she really enjoyed it and we, of course, loved having her stay with us. 

Proud Dad

Graduation was a great day for her.  She has now returned to DC & her job, but we had such a wonderful visit.  She even taught a couple of yoga classes for us and some of our friends. We think she is going to be a great Yoga Teacher--she projects a great sense of calm and is able to adapt her class to the needs of the participants.

When not walking or swimming, we like to sit on our balcony which faces the front range of the Rockies. Since we face west, it is shady in the mornings and almost always quite comfortable.

Sunset from our balcony

Afternoons can be hot, but the evenings cool off and the sunsets are fantastic.  It provides a great place for reading, visiting and "wool gathering."

We will be traveling again starting in October and have registered our condo with AirBnB, the online rental service that we often use when we travel.  Just the other day, someone booked for the month of November.

Bryn has offered to be our contact and agent for prospective guests.  So, if you know of anyone wanting to visit Denver, check us out:  "Downtown Mt. View 20th Floor Condo" on AirBNB.

Bye to San Miguel, Hello to Denver

Palm Sunday in San Miguel

We haven’t blogged for over a month.  Last we wrote we were in San Miguel, and, probably had about two weeks left there.  We wrote then about Sayulita where we had gone for a Pacific Coast break.  It was great and remains a very special memory.

 Back in San Miguel, we had a couple of farewell experiences.  The most memorable and most missed was our last couple languages classes with our sweet students.  We hated to leave them and hope we will see a few again when we return in November.

Altar created for Dia de La Delorosa 

We also spent one last glorious day at “La Gruta”, the hot springs.  How we love lounging there for a day.  One last lecture with Javier and a couple last dinners with Martha and John,  dominoes with Barbara and Dave, as well as saying goodbye to some of our favorite people in our usual haunts…Omar at Companio where they make the best croissants ever, Mario at our local liquor store, the guy at the carnitas (roasted pork store) downstairs and Marilu,  our landlady, at her beautiful silver jewelry store.

While there, Larry told Marilu that he wanted to buy Sue a ring.  After trying several on, we selected one.  Marilu took Sue’s hand and said, “A gift from the store.”  What a surprise and what a confirmation of the total kindness of Mexicans.

Sadly, we repaid her by leaving both doors to the street open in the apartment when we left.  She wrote and said the police came after several hours and told her.  We were and are mortified.  How absolutely stupid of us !  We hope never again !!

Larry & Carole with Albert Einstein

We traveled to Mexico City and had several fun days with Carole Reedy and confirmed we would like to spend more time in that entrancing city.  She has moved to a new apartment in the Zona Rosa, which is full of great restaurants and beautiful homes.

Of course, we had a couple of fun taxi rides with Rosalio, Erin’s “Mexican Dad”.  Always a treat to re-unite with him.  We are always amazed at his promptness and professionalism and the fact that he can seem to find us in any big crowd.  How does he do it?

View of the Front Range from our Balcony

We flew into Denver on April 3^rd,  to occupy  our new and permanent address:  1020 15^th Street, Unit 20-L.  On the 4^th our POD with all our belongings that had been in storage for three years arrived at Bryn’s house.  That moving day story would take a whole blog to relate.  

Home Sweet Home (finally)

Suffice it to say that everything that could go wrong did go wrong--lost PODS key, inept locksmith, keeping the moving crew waiting for three hours and then having to have them reschedule.  What a totally frustrating day !!  

We finally got into our condo at 9:30 PM after starting the process at 7:30 AM.  As Larry often notes, it was a true "C F" And cost us a bundle, but, hey, we’re “home."

Our building is located at the intersection of 15th and Curtis.  We really like being downtown.  There are a lot of restaurants and shops nearby, all within an easy walking distance or reachable on public transportation--we have become really quite keen on using the local bus system.  The airport is just a 45 minute bus ride and costs $5 for seniors so it is really convenient.

Our new apartment/condo is a two bedroom/two bath unit--about 900 square feet.  We are on the 20th floor and have a great view of the mountains from our balcony.  It is in the same building where we have rented a studio in the past.  The first high rise in Denver, it was initially built as apartments in 1968 and then converted to condos in the 1980's.  It really is perfect for us. The Denver Performing Arts Center is a block away--we have been here a month and have already seen two very good shows--one a local production and another a traveling broadway show.

Most of our time, however, has been spent unpacking box after box, making almost daily trips to The Container Store, disposing of tons of trash, and working with a young woman who is an organizer/de-clutterer. But best of all, we are having so much fun with Charlie, Bryn and Grant.  We have had a couple sleep-overs and afternoon fun with Charlie. 

Charlie & Opa

He has changed so much in the last six months.  “Why” is his constant word; he is so easy to engage in play, reading and coloring and when boredom ensues, we just have to turn on “Guardians of the Galaxy” and he finds any straight, long object to be a “shooter” (think wooden spoon) and jump around with the actors on TV, slaying any monsters who might be dumb enough to be anywhere near us.

Baking with Oma

We are not yet totally settled in.  Still boxes to unpack, still stuff to get rid of or store, still a sofa bed to buy (anticipating visitors which we hope will materialize as time goes by…friends and relatives are always welcome).  

Reading scary fairy tales

But, we are very happy here:  the size is right, having our own stuff is comforting, and we have a view of the Rockies which changes daily with the weather and gives us so much joy.

We love Denver and would love to show it off.  Come on UP !

Sayulita

Downtown Sayulia

Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico

Our driving trip from Ajijic (central Mexico) to Sayulita (on the Pacific coast) was thankfully uneventful; the highways, especially the toll roads, are well maintained, and not that heavily traveled.

We were surprised, however, that the last 75 miles of this main highway to the Nayarit Riviera and Puerto Vallarta, two huge tourist attractions luring millions of visitors every year, are a two lane, twisty mountain road, where it is almost impossible to pass--except the Mexicans seem to enjoy trying.

Shade Bathers

Sayulita--is certainly a tourist town--but not at all like its high rise, Miami-like neighbors, especially PuertoVallarta. With only about 4000 permanent inhabitants and an equal number of tourists, it retains much of the 1980's hippie, drop out ambience. Flip flops and shorts are the norm.

Many of the streets are dirt or, at best, cobble stone, one-way lanes, with the preferred mode of transportation being electric golf carts, although there are far too many cars, like so many other places.  It definitely caters to tourists--with equal portions of young families with children, senior citizens, and surfers.

There are a wide variety of beaches, within walking or golf cart distance.  Several we visited are nearly deserted. The town's main beach is fairly crowded, but never overwhelming so.

The terrace of our AirBNB rental, Casa Calibri, (Hummingbird)

It is somewhat protected, with more of a gradual drop-off and gentler waves.  The water temperature was just about perfect.

When in January we decided to visit the coast, we were able to find an apartment described as comfortable and spacious and close to town, just a five minute walk, with a nice view of the ocean. It had good reviews, so we agreed to rent it.  We were not only not disappointed, we were enthralled.

Garden at Casa Calibri and view to the Bay in the distance

Always wine and dominoes at night

Casa Calibri was all that it was advertised and more.  It sits on a steep hill, overlooking the town with a great view of the Pacific.  The gardens are beautiful and attract all kinds of birds and butterflies. Several mornings we were awakened by a giant woodpecker!

The bedrooms were large and comfortable and the showers were great.  The terrace, where we practically lived, was inviting at all hours--mornings and evenings. Many afternoons we watched the sunset and changing light and then finished with a couple of rounds of dominoes.

Dave and Joan, our hosts, were attentive, but non-intrusive.  Their suggestions for restaurants and activities were all spot-on. Restaurants in town run the gamut, with a few even offering a white table cloth, upscale experience.

Giant margarita

Bob at El Costeno

But we tended to like the smaller, funkier places.  Our favorite bar/restaurant, to which we returned almost every afternoon, was El Costeno.
Known for its reasonably priced giant margaritas and micheladas (beer, lime juice and clamato juice--you have to taste it to appreciate it), El Costeno was always a welcome destination after a few hours on the beach or exploring the area.

An open-air palapa roofed and seemingly flimsy structure, El Costeno sits right on the beach, just 100 feet from the water. The daily happy hour (4:00 to 6:00) means the drinks are even more affordable and the bar is very popular.

Buying hammocks after a couple margaritas

Bob, Mart and Sue sipping margaritas

There is always a constant stream of customers and vendors.  Several of whom, we couldn't resist--including a sweet older couple who were selling handmade hammocks--both Mart and Bob and we ended up buying one, even though we are not quite sure what we will do with it in our condo.

Many of the vendors were children selling toys and other handcrafts.  Since you see them at all hours of the day and evening, you are pretty sure that many of them unfortunately do not attend school.

El Costeno's food could be good to excellent--one night we had a wonderful grilled red snapper with garlic sauce; the second time we ordered it, however, it was overdone, well, almost burnt--but we still ate it all.

The Alley Cat

 We really enjoyed our entire stay in Sayulita.  The relaxed environment and near perfect weather makes it easy to while away your days, and if you wanted to be entertained, there was plenty to see and do.

Mart getting her drink from the head of the Cabin Boy

Our favorite excursion was an all day catamaran cruise aboard the Alley Cat, in the Bahia de Banderas, said to be the 7th largest bay in the world. Our trip began with a short bus ride from the town to a nearby port, Santa Cruz.

Sue, ready to dive

Once aboard, we were waited on hand and foot (literally) and treated to a delightful and interesting day of water activities, including snorkeling, swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding.

You are served both breakfast and lunch; drinks are free and bottomless. It was a great treat just to sit on the front of the boat and watch the water and the horizon as you sail along.

Our jumping Mama whale

Sea birds of all kinds often flew around us and many times we came across schools of fish, roiling and churning up the water--which of course attracted even more hungry, squawking  birds.

Perhaps the highlight of the cruise, however, was on our way back to port when the captain was able to bring us to within 100 yards or less of a mother and baby humpback whale.  The mother was teaching the calf to breach and jump out of the water--a truly spectacular sight.

The calves are born in the bay during early spring and the mothers and babies stay there for several months until the calf is strong enough to make the arduous trip back to Alaska.

How silly can you get???

Sailing into the harbor, the crew break out funny hats and distribute them to willing passengers--then they lead everyone in the Macarena as you come into port--to finish what for us was a near perfect day.

Sayulita was a wonderful interlude in what has been a tremendous five months stay in Mexico-- we are already planning our return next winter, who wouldn't be?   We always welcome visitors, so join us in paradise !

Sue saying goodbye to Bouy, so named because he floats easily