Life on Hold (or at least slowed down)

This has been a year of crazy events, and my blogging has suffered for it.  The year began with my daughter's father being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.  I have known this man since he was 19 years old, and he rarely even has a cold.  How could this happen? 
He went to the doctor with a painful leg, was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and immediately hospitalized..
In the course of treating this, the leukemia was discovered.  Had he not had this symtom, it would have probably been discovered too late for effective treatment.  Who knew that a potentially fatal bloodclot could save your life!
No one is prepared to hear news like this, and it instantly changed the world for him.  He is very fortunate to have a loyal group of friend who stepped up to drive him to USC and City of Hope for his way too frequent appointments and chemotherapy sessions, and to care for him during the sick times that followed.



Shortly after his diagnosis, I had a scary heart event and was taken to the emergency room.  I was diagnosed with SVT, which is something I was born with and often shows up later in life.  I was told that it would never kill me, and given a medication which would keep my heart from racing out of control.  Unfortunately, it sapped me of my usual high energy level.  I was already thinking that I would soon need hip replacement surgery, so I put the thought of having a heart proceedure on hold.

My poor daughter was terrified of what was happening to her parents.









Amanda and I went in February to visit her father in California.  He lives in a beautiful old neighborhood next to La Verne's Heritage Park.







http://www.laverneheritage.org/index.ht

Guy walks here most everyday, working to keep his body strong while the chemotherapy ravages it.

The trail through the park runs along a ravine that leads into Oak Mesa Park,

 past a field with views of Mount San Antonio, better know as Mount Baldy.
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_San_Antonio

It is the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, and the highest point in Los Angeles County.
It formed the backdrop for my childhood, but even that long ago was often obscured by smoggy skies.
On clear days in the wintertime, it is a joy to view as it's cap of snow peeks over the palm trees.








Guy's house overlooks a working orange farm,  operated as it would have been in 1915.

On Saturdays, in the winter months, families can visit the farm, pick a bag of oranges to take home, and learn about the past of California's orange farms.





http://www.laverneheritage.org/Spring-Squeeze.html

The Weber House, pictured above, is one of the oldest remaining houses in La Verne.  It was built in the 1880's and moved to this site and preserved by the La Verne Heritage Foundation.  Read it's history below.

http://www.laverneheritage.org/About_Us.htm

I have memories from my childhood of the miles of orange groves that surrounded us, and the almost overwhelming, heavenly frangrance of the orange blossoms.

I also remember the frantic work that would begin when a freeze was predicted that would threaten the orange crops.  All night you could smell  the smudge pots and hear the sound of the windmills that kept the air circulating.  You can read about how smudge pots work, and about their history in California orange groves below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smudge_pots

A few beautiful California sunsets later Amanda and I returned home.  Guy would finish his chemotherapy, have a bone marrow transplant in March, and continue to work to recover his life.......perhaps not quite as he knew it.

I continued to deal with worsening pain until July, then had a total hip replacement.  In August I had my heart repaired.  No more pain, no more heart events.   Life is precious, and I am catching up on my blogging so I can better recall some of it's best moments.

Snow in London

This trip I was filled with the spirit of Christmas,

and knew exactly where I wanted to be.

I headed for the Chelsea Farmers Market.

http://www.ukattraction.com/london/chelsea-farmers-market.htm

This is a beautiful place to be most any time of the year,

but during Christmas, it is enchanted!

The Market Place Restaurant, is a lovely, cool oasis in summertime.
http://www.marketplacerest.com/

In winter, it becomes a warm cozy retreat,

with a roaring fire in the center,

snuggling blankets on the chairs, and serving warm mulled wine!

I ordered a delicious light meal of mushrooms sauteed with garlic in a light cream sauce over a slice of brioche........and, of course, some mulled wine.

Later I wandered through the conservatory











and the garden shop,

which was alight with Christmas color.

I walked thru several shops and past a few more restaurants in the marketplace,

including El Gaucho and the Monkey Bar.

http://www.elgaucho.co.uk/restaurants.htm

I stopped for a while to flirt with the snowmen.

It was getting dark by now, and I had been awake for over 24 hours.  I took the bus back to Gloucester Road and headed to my hotel.




I slept well, while visions of sugar plums danced in my head.  Maybe it was the mulled wine.

Christmas with Dickens

My first day on reserve and I got a last minute trip to London.   It was the trip I would have asked for if I had a choice.  I was mostly ready when they called me, so I finalized my packing and headed to the airport.  We landed the next morning to a snowy landscape.  It was the most beautiful London layover






























I had visited the Charles Dickens Museum on my previous trip, but left my camera in the hotel room.
Duh.  In all fairness, sometimes the lack of sleep just dulls the mind.





http://www.dickensmuseum.com/
















The walk to the museum from the Russell Square tube station is interesting.

You walk past Brunswick Square with all it's classy shops, restaurants, and condominiums.

I would love living in this great location, but I would pay about twice as much money for about half as much space as I have in Dallas. Maybe I will rent a place here someday, if just for a while.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunswick_Square

Also along the way you pass Coram's Fields

http://www.coramsfields.org

 and occasionally meet some of London's wilder crowd.

Everthing turned out well, since, as I had hoped, the museum now was decorated for Christmas. The woman at the entrance remembered me and my forgotten camera, and she allowed me to enter without charge to take my photos.

The drawing room is a bit gaudy, in a popular early victorian manner, and the festive decorations befit it well.

The study was where Dickens liked to seclude himself and write.

















During the time he lived here on Doughty Street, he wrote "Pickwick Papers" and "Oliver Twist", among other lesser know works.

Dickens was said to be an excellent host, who enjoyed entertaining immensely.








I loved the small basement courtyard which held his wine cellar.

I also loved the outdoor Dicken's Courtyard

and the cafe courtyard, though neither are inviting in wintertime
















The snow covered tables were best enjoyed from inside the cozy cafe while having a warm mince tart and a hot latte.









If you visit London, love Dickens, and would like to be a part of the wonderful organization that supports it's upkeep, you may become a member here.  There are some nice perks included with membership, but mostly a sense of preserving history.

http://www.dickensmuseum.com/join-us/american-friends.html

Paris Autumn

I find it interesting how you can skip a week in a city, and come back to a totally different scene. 

When I returned to Paris after two week, the leaves had changed colors and many had already fallen to the ground.

I had an errand to do today, so I headed out to Place Vendome, and Fratelli Rosetti.  I was exchanging some boots for a friend of mine at this lovely store on Rue St. Honore.

http://www.fratellirossetti.com/en/Catalogo/

After exchanging the boots, I had a ten Euro credit.  Knowing the prices here, I asked what I could purchase for ten Euros.  The salesgirl replied "What color shoe polish would you like?"  I laughed and chose black.

The Place Vendome was laid out in 1702, and the Vendome Column was originally erected by Napoleon to commemorate the victory of Austerlitz.  You can read about the history at the link below.

http://france-for-visitors.com/paris/place-vendome.html









I have shamelessly stolen the photo below, so you can see how magnificent the place is at night.

I then headed over one street to the Rue de Rivoli, alongside the Lourve, past the statue of Joan of Arc, toward the Tuilleries garden.

This is likely one of the most famous streets in Paris, and certainly one of the most popular. It was very cold and the wind was brisk.




The streets were crowed, and everyone was bundled up.  One of the things that I love about Paris is that cold weather seldom keeps Parisians indoors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rue_de_Rivoli,_Paris

I was hungry now, and decided to have a late lunch/early dinner at the Brasserie Le Carrousel, across from the Tuilleries.  There are some really nice photos of this cafe and the area around it in the next link.

http://www.mightymac.org/london2010/10UK14.htm

I had the Croque Monsieur, a fancy grilled ham and cheese sandwich, and a nice sancerre wine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croque-monsieur

Now I was ready for a walk through the Tuileries Garden,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuileries_Garden











past the D'Orsay Museum

past the carrousel and the man doing tai chi,

past the Eiffel Tower to the Place de Concorde, where I caught the Metro back to Boulevard Saint-Jacques.

I enjoyed a wonderful, creamy lemon tart, another fine sancerre wine, a delightful waiter and lovely atmosphere at Cafe Carmel.

The colorful lanterns and fall leaves created a surreal fairytale effect, and set the tone for sweet dreams.