A Quiet Christmas in Ludlow

Christmas was a quiet event at 1 Whispering Pines this year.  With Stephen and Barbara moving into a new home in Park City, Utah and Douglas and Veronica visiting Veronica's folks in Mendoza, Argentina prior to an excursion to Patagonia, it was left to Jeffrey and us to celebrate Christmas.  Which with did with quiet elegance - especially in light of Janet's dislocated and fractured wrist.  All in all it was a peaceful and relaxing time for us.  We had enjoyed the entire family at Thanksgiving.  A few photos of Christmas at Ludlow are available by clicking here.

A Christmas Card from Ludlow

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Janet & Ralph (double click pix below for better view of card)

. . . and click here for a 30 second view of 2009 for the Pace's.

2009 in 30 Seconds

The following is a 30 second clip put together for CNN's iReport covering the major events in the Pace family of Ludlows major activities in 2009 - click HERE. 

Family Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was a wonderful holiday for the Paces. Stephen and Barbara, Jeffrey, and Douglas and Veronica helped us celebrate the event. Even the flights from Georgia and Utah managed to be ahead of schedule. We celebrated Thanksgiving with a non-traditional (but excellent) loin of beef. The following evening most of the family enjoyed tempura and sushi (both Stephen and Ralph, however, avoided the sushi). And our final dinner was prepared by Veronica, featuring a fantastic Pastel de Choclo Chilean dish in the Pomaireware she and Douglas gave us for the event. Stephen and Douglas managed to trim some bushes (can't have them coming home and not doing some yard work). Even the Devi had to make some adjustments for the event, being evicted from her usual place of rest to new digs downstairs. Barbara led an interesting discussion about healthcare as the family, as usual, solved all the problems of the world sitting around the fireplace. We even managed to take in craft shows in Weston and at Black River High School while the "kids" hiked up Okemo. It was a really nice holiday.  Photos are available by clicking here.

Beautiful Gift from Dave Ginsburg

We recently received a beautiful gift from Dr. David Ginsburg, currently at UCLA.  It was a book entitled, "Menorah Under the Seas".  Dave was a colleague of Douglas at the University of Southern California where both spent considerable time doing marine biological research at McMurdo Station in Antarctica.  The book describes a dive made by Dave on the first night of Hanukkah.  Since they were at McMurdo during the height of the Antarctica summer, there was essentially no darkness at night.  Dave found a unique way to "light" the traditional Hanukkah candle in the darkness 80 feet under the icecap.  It was a wonderful story, one that we are grateful he shared with us through this very beautiful tome. 

Gang of 8 Does New York

For the first time since 2005, the Gang of 8 (the Almonds, Kneebones, Paces, and Thomsons), joined back to New York for a pleasant and "challenging" long weekend.

After our usual stop at the Troy Diner, we enjoyed a pleasant Amtrak ride into the City.  We stayed at the Midtown Club Quarters, had dinners at La Grenouille and the Water Club.  Tried a little "mod" living by going to Brandy's Piano Bar on 84th Street (great fun).  Did a long morning tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art.  Took in a play (the Paces saw a wonderfully moving West Side Story while the others saw Jersey Boys).  We had our usual brunch at the Algonquin followed by a tour to the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center (see the Gang of 8 above).  Pixs of trip at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AaN2blo0aNmZ1.

On way back to Ludlow, we stopped at "The Man Of Kent" , a bar in NY State that several of us had always wanted to stop at but never had the time.  It was great fun.

First Snow of the Season

After taking a foliage picture yesterday, we awoke to the first snow of the season this morning.  Janet took these photos.  It was the earliest snow fall we can recall.

Fall Foliage Scene in Ludlow

Visit to Doylestown

It's been awhile since we last visited Maryanne and Jubie Stryker in Doylestown but we finally made our way down to Bucks County to help Maryanne "celebrate" her 70th birthday.  It was great to renew acquaintances with the Strykers.  We even had a chance to visit with Skip and Dee Burcaw in their new home.  Pictured above are the Strykers and Paces having dinner at the Water Wheel in Doylestown.

Driveway Gets a Small Facelift

We finally decided the driveway needed a little cleaning up and refreshing. So we had a load of surefire surepak dumped and spread out and repaired the drain at the front entrance to the porch. Still needs some touching up - but it should last for another 10 years (unless we have another torrential rain that rutted out the old driveway). A few more photos of driveway are at share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AaN2blo0aNmZX.

Andrea Sings Songs from WW II

We journeyed down to the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA on Monday to enjoy the music of Andrea Marcovicci, our favorite cabaret singer, as she performed her program of love songs from World War 2. It was a marvellous experience. For those not familiar with Andrea, she not only has a beautifully compelling voice but is a great story teller - with both wit and ease. Accompanied by a pianist and bass, she sang such memorable songs as "We'll Meet Again", "White Cliffs of Dover", and "Sentimental Journey". Her program was well-researched and her commentary almost as much delight as her singing voice. It's such a delight to listen to such a performer sing songs where you actually understand the words. We were very pleased to discover the Colonial Theatre in downtown Pittsfield, a nicely restored theatre from the "old days".

At Last, Summer

After what seems like days of rain and otherwise damp (even chilly) weather, it looks like (and feels like) Summer has arrived. The dahlias are opening earlier than usual, the monarda is as tall as an elephant's eye, and the hummingbirds are visible again. Hopefull, this will last long enough to call it a real Summer.

WHY . . . a repeat from 2007

The following was written in my personal blog in 2007. Every once in a while I still wonder why . . .

"Every once in awhile I reach that point where I've just got to get something off my chest. Living during the regime of "W", I guess, promotes the need.

• Why are we so damn afraid of adding a nickel to our gas tax so that we can address the critical maintenance needs of our highways and bridges?
• When will this country realize that transportation is a vital national requisite supporting our capitalistic structure - not something that has to be profit-driven in itself?
• For that matter, why are we so afraid of considering nationalized health care programs?
• When will we have the sense to recognize - in spite of the NRA - that the right to bear arms does not necessarily include semi-automatic weapons or grenade rocket launchers?

There are a few other items I might mention but I'll be temporarily happy if just one or two of the above are honestly addressed by us."

Say Farewell to the Moores Again

Linda and Darrah Moore paid Ludlow a visit during their trek from Florida to Vermont. We were able to get together with them several times and renew old acquaintances. The night before they left the "good country" to begin their return journey to the South, via Connecticut, the Kneebones invited them along with the Almonds and Paces for dinner. It was great to see them again, and Linda will be assuming a familiar role as she plans our bus tours in Tuscany in the early Fall of 2010.

We Must Be Getting Old!

It took a card from Allan to reminder us that we were celebrating our 48th wedding anniversary. The guys (got to stop calling them the boys) remembered by calling us. But we didn't remember! Well, we had lunch at Applebee's and called it a celebration (met the Kneebones there so that constituted a public gathering to honor the occasion). We're both planning to remember the anniversary two years hence - if someone will remind us with sufficient lead time to prepare!

The 4th at Coolidge Festival

We intended to spend the bulk of the day watching the parade and viewing the various sites at the Coolidge farmstead on the 4th of July. However, the ever persistent rain changed our plans and we settled for lunch at the Pot Belly. Janet did get a chance to greet a "friend" at Coolidge.

Papa Pace on Facebook

Trying to keep up with the "social" networking stuff that seems to abound now, Ralph created a Facebook page for anyone who is interested. It can be directly accessed via www.facebook.com/papapace. When you get there, you can also access a TW3 (That Was The Week That Was - TV show) page by searching for "TW3" or clicking the TW3 button. I guess this is progress.

Gathering to Honor Allan's 70th

Janet and I met Allan along with Herb and Shirley at Chez Albert in Amherst (MA) this past Thursday to honor Allan's 70th birthday. Over some fine wine and a very pleasant lunch, the old timers enjoyed good company, discussions of future activities (Allan is planning a two-week train ride to the northwest which will be highlighted by a Vancouver to Toronto trip), and, fortunately, very little about our health. We forgot to bring a camera - which at our advancing ages was probably a benefit.

Garden Club Holds Plant Sale

The Ludlow Garden Club held its annual plant sale May 30 to raise funds for some of its operations throughout the town. Janet contributed both annuals and perennials to the effort. Not sure how many people purchased plants but there were certainly quite a few garden club members active, as may be seen from the above photo.

Janet Receives Flowers from Boys

On here return from her visit to Georgia to visit Douglas and Veronica, Janet was welcomed home with a gift of flowers from Stephen, Jeffery, and Douglas. It was a Mother's Day gift from her three "boys".

Birthday Trilogy in VT-MA-GA

It all began with a "surprise" birthday gathering at 1 Whispering Pines as friends honored Janet and Ralph for their birthdays (technically, May 14). It was a fun evening with the usual suspects that made the 75th birthday bearable. Some of the crowd at this festivity may be viewed by clicking here.

Following this celebration, we journeyed to Springfield where we had dinner with Marge Baker, Herb and Shirley Pace, Barbara and Jim Boland, Arlene "Smithie" Haeseler, and Allan Nelson at the Storrowtown Tavern. It was great to see my siblings and friends again.

Following our get together in Springfield, we then commenced our drive down to Athens, GA to visit Douglas and Veronica in their new home. Enroute to GA, we managed to take the time to drive part of Skyline Drive in VA and tour the Luray Caverns (quite impressive). When we reached Athens, we were treated to a special dinner with Douglas and Veronica that was a treat from all three boys (men!). We enjoyed a second party where we met some of their friends from Argentina along with our fantasy football member, Jack Frost, aka Scott.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit in Athens - and even managed to make a positive connection with their dog (after a bitting start).

During on return trip to Vermont, we stopped at the Natural Bridge in VA and took in the evening performance of the Universe's Creation. The next day we stopped at Gettysburg to view the battlefields and the magnificent film outlining the history of that three day battle.

Due to an "act of God" following this - a stone cracking the windshield, we had to head back to VT. The entire GA trip is photographically captured here.

Easter Visit to Portsmouth

Following our normal Easter weekend habit, we decided to visit Portsmouth, NH to visit some of its historic sites and, especially, to revisit the scene of many a family vacation meal, Warren's Seafood Restaurant in neighboring Kittery, Me. Pictured above, Janet is consulting her map as we view (very briefly) the historic area in Portsmouth known as Strawbery Banke [sic]. We stayed at a lovely inn, the Sise Inn near downtown Portsmouth. On Sunday we drove along the New Hampshire shoreline to Hampton Beach. It was a good weekend, despite the cold weather. Janet would like to return to Portmouth to check out some of its boutique shops in the restored downtown area.

Three Weeks in Costa Rica

With the Brownlie's and the Kuntz's, Janet and I journeyed to Costa Rica to participate in a two week tour of the natural wonders of that country (where I previously worked thirty years ago), covering the end of February and first week of March. Following the fantastic tour of Costa Rica, we enjoyed its 'pura vida' with the Brownlie's and Kuntz's with a week's stay in Nosaro, a small beach community favored by surfers.

During the Elderhostel program, we toured, among other things:

• Irazu valcano
• Rafted on the Puerto Viejo River (see above)
• Visited a pineapple plantation
• Stayed in and toured a tropical rain forest
• Took a fantastic boat tour in some wetlands
• Checked out butterflies
• Participated in a crocodile boat tour
• Did a great deal of birding
• Hiked an active volcano (Arenal)
• Hiked hanging bridges near the volcano
• Spent time at a Pacific beach national park (met some monkeys)
• Travelled to a 7,500 ft valley (needed heat at night)
• Toured San Jose, the capitol
  

All in all, it was a marvelous tour where we encountered more birds, butterflies, crocodiles, monkeys, and hummingbirds (where they go to winter) than we knew existed. Pictures of the Elderhostel portion of our stay may be seen by clicking here. Some of us even indulged in full body massages et al at an Arenal spa (I decided to have a "gentleman's facial" - it was great!).Following the Elderhostel program, the three couples flew from San Jose to Nosara, a small beach community, used mainly by surfers, on the Pacific. We enjoyed a lovely villa, and save the one night when we ran out of colones (Costa Rica's currency) and ate in, sampled a wide variety of foods in area restaurants.

When we were not enjoying the pool that came with the villa, we managed to swim in the Pacific (avoiding the surfers), watch magnificent sunsets, go deep-sea fishing (hooked a 100 lb sailfish but lost it as we attempted to bring it on board), safely traverse a 6 1/2 mile zip line that ran between 1,000 and 500 feet off the ground (check out this web site for an idea of the zip line we used by clicking here), and just plain relax. Photos of this portion of our tico trip may be seen by clicking here.

Owls Head - February 2009

For our 8th consecutive year, we met the Brownlies at the Apartments at Owls Head in Mansonville, Quebec for some skiing and just plain conversation and relaxation. As may be gathered from the above photo of the Brownlies and Janet in a hot tub, it involved some serious relaxation. The first two days of skiing were fine but the final two days were judged to be non-skiing days due to rain. Nonetheless, we visited a new town in PQ (Knowlton) and returned to visit the Abbey of Benoit on Lake Mephremagog (photo below). We spent a good deal of time discussing our forthcoming sojourn to Costa Rica; naturally, John and I resolved the problems of world while the ladies ponder their wardrobes for Central America. A few more photos are available by clicking here.

A Valentine Surprise

Normally, especially in Winter, our driveway serves a functional purpose - but little else than that. However, today, when Janet looked out our front window towards the driveway, she discovered the unexpected. The trees that run along the driveway were decorated with cloth, stuffed hearts, put there by someone unknown to us. We discovered later that a friend, Jean Eggleston, had also had Valentine hearts placed on her property. Jean did discover that a Nancy Hogge had selected certain people to adorn their properties with the hearts. Below is a very brief movie of what our driveway looks like.

Reindeer Keeps Head Above Snow

The reindeer (electronic, that is) that we placed by the lamp post is just barely able to keep its head above the two feet of snow we've managed to accumulate. Above and below are a couple of day and night photos taken by Janet that reflect the creatures dilemma. If we receive any new snow in the near future, our reindeer may become an electronic statistic.

"A Case for Smile" - Janet helps Kids with Cancer

The Black River Quilting Group, meeting at the United Church of Ludlow, recently conducted a workshop to create pillow cases to be donated to "A Case for Smiles", part of ConKerr Cancer, a nonprofit making pillowcases for sick children up to 18 years old. These pillow cases will be taken to Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital in Lebanon, NH, an area center for the collection and use of the creative and imaginative pillow cases. Shown during the worshop are. from left to right, Janet Pace, Ginny Kottkamp, Lynne Croswell, Beverly Owens, Roberta Piper; and seated: Kay Predom.

In 2002, Ryan Kerr was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer. ConKerr's founder, Cindy Kerr, began making pillowcases to brighten up his hospital room and to put a smile on his face. He loved it and she began making pillowcases for other children with cancer at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

In 2008, Ryan lost his very brave battle with cancer but the pillowcase project - now a not-for- profit called ConKerr Cancer - has grown in amazing ways. In just two years, Cindy and thousands of volunteers have provided over 53,000 pillowcases to sick children in hospitals across North America and in South Africa. School groups, sewing circles, church groups and fabric stores have all pitched in and are making pillowcases for the kids.

A quote from one dad shows how a little pillowcase can make a big difference to a young patient, “Things came to a head for my daughter last night when she refused to let anyone touch her. I think she just had enough poking and prodding as a child can stand. Well, the child life specialist brought her one of your pillowcases and since then, she has been more cooperative in letting the medical team access her IV and conduct diagnostic testing, she actually has become attached to the ‘magic pillowcase’.”

ConKerr Cancer has had a profound effect on the families we have already reached, and we are deeply committed to providing even more pillowcases – and smiles! – to sick children everywhere.

First Night in Burlington, 2008-2009

For the second year in a row, we joined the Kuntz's and Salerno's as we participated in Burlington's First Night to welcome 2009. The various programs we took in covered everything from French-Canadian rock to monsters of Vermont. Banjo Dan was a personal highlight. Of course, we did have to seek nourishment (pictured above) at Sweetwaters on Church Street. We avoided the usual parade since the wind chill temperature hovered around -16 degrees F (the walk back to the hotel tested our ability to endure Arctic conditions). Naturally, the entire proceedings had to begin with lunch at La Provence in Brandon. It was a very pleasant (although at times chilling) experience. Below is a photo of the group (sans Janet, the photographer) as we prepared to venture forth into First Night activities. And to the side is a pix of Banjo Dan's group.