Travels to Exotic California

Here I am in California and here is Mother in her hospital bed at Community Memorial in Ventura.  She is recovering from surgery, albeit slowly, and may be coming home today!

Oct 29 Snow Storm

Looks rather peaceful here, but the sounds of tree limbs cracking was alarming. And three days later many neighborhoods still don't have power.

Albuequerque Balloon Fiesta 2011-10-09

Mary Root Shepherd, Emma Montero, Jeanne Hunt and I had a mini Fillmore High School class of 1964 reunion in Santa Fe.   What a beautiful place and what wonderful hosts Emma and Theresa are.  Santa Fe has got to be one of the top 5 places to retire!

Porvoo - Weds, July 27

Today we walked through the nearby Brunnsparken on our way to the Kamppi bus station where we caught the bus to Porvoo, a medieval town about 30 miles from Helsinki. There were lots of pretty wooden building and interesting shops. And the weather continues very hot.

Helsinki Sunday

Sleepy Helsinki Sunday - visited Leena's family's grave and planted flowers, trammed to Arabia to look for bargains (almost non-existant in Finland) in Finnish design goods, and explored that area (original site of Helsinki, waterfalls, old manor house, allotment gardens, new housing and old factories).  We had a delicious buffet brunch at Dylan's, a restaurant we stumbled upon, with a wide variety of salads and fresh fruit.
Then we took a bus to Leena's Mother's

2011-07-24 Finland Countryside

Savonlinna Opera Festival, Visit with Hans and Ritva at the lakside cottage

Tallinn 2011-07-19

Tuesday we were up early and took a cruise ship to Tallinn, Estonia.  As Tallinn has suffered a lot of poverty since it was an important trading post in the Hanseatic League, the medieval city is very well preserved.  There was never money to tear down the old. 

We took a good tour with an excellent guide that Leena had booked through the Cruise Line, first by bus and then walking through the old center city.