Happy Holidays!

I hope you are having a lovely season with family and friends.

Years ago, I stopped sending this holiday letter (or should I say, "book") to local friends and those I was in touch with frequently because I received an anonymous clipping saying how people hated these things. Now I've had so many friends request it, I've decided to send it to everyone. If you're not interested, feel free to toss it in the circular file...I'll never know.

Work --I wished for a lower stress job and I got it. As a matter of fact, on occasion, things can be slow. But, most of the time, it's steady at LASP (University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics). In addition to Saturn, I'm now learning a bit about Venus. I will be going to Key Largo to help run a Venus conference in February and hope to snorkel a bit. They're still sending me to Web design classes at CU and I'm finishing the last class now to get the certificate.

Vacations and Trips --I flew home for the holidays again last year. I started the week at Dad and Armelde's in CT and ended at my brother, David's, in NYC where my Mom and Paul live too. While I was at Dad's, we drove into Queens to visit my great aunt Eve.

In early May, Barbara and I met in San Francisco for a long weekend. I missed my flight, because they locked me out. Believe them when they say to be there 45 minutes in advance. I was 40 minutes early and they wouldn't let me on.

We rented an apartment in a lovely house on Protrero hill owned by friends of Robby and Kira's. It was in a great location with a delightful backyard, and on a quiet dead end with a view overlooking the city.  

A quick rundown of what we did: Ate at the Stinking Rose (overrated); Went to see Beach Blanket Bingo (funny); Ate at Chez Papa, highly recommended and within walking distance (yum). Also walked to dinner at Goat Hill Pizza (good pizza, great view.) Stopped by the marina to watch the parasurfers; drove through Haite Ashbury; Quickly did the tourist thing at Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf; Went to the new Ferry Building, (wonderful collection of fine food stalls and restaurants); Stopped at Union Square for a cup of coffee, then The Cliff House for a drink and tour of the historic, camera obscura, leftover from the old Playland, then drove home along the beach; Stopped to visit some of Barbara's husband Ned's relatives; Went to Golden Gate Park to tour the Conservatory's wonderful flowers and walk through the Japanese Garden--stopping at the tea house for cup; Drove over to a quaint shopping area on Hayes St. and window shopped then stopped for lunch at a nice French restaurant named Absinthe. Unfortunately, I was robbed there! After the fact, we figured out the woman sitting behind me got into my purse which was hanging on my chair, took out my wallet, took out the cash and credit card, then put everything back...amazing! On the way home from shopping we just had to drive down Lombard Street since it was on the way. We also walked up to Coit Tower.

One day, we drove up to Napa Valley. Our first stop was Copia, a food museum. We took a cooking class, a wine-tasting class, saw interesting and interactive exhibits and walked through the herb gardens. Next was Chandon vineyards to learn how they make champagne-style wines, and last was Jessup Cellars tasting room for a little port. While there, I took a picture of myself in front of the French Laundry (billed as the best restaurant in the US). I figured at a $175 prix fixe meal, that's the closest I'd get.

The last night we went to Farallon for dinner. What amazing décor! The food was great too, although we were drafty by the door. Robby and Kira were in town and met us there then came back to the house for some port and conviviality.

Ray's Raft Trip was in Glenwood Springs in July again with wonderful weather and a great river ride.

In September, Janet and I drove to the Western Slope for the Colorado WineFest. It was so much fun and I gained a newfound respect for Colorado wines. We stayed in Grand Junction and went to the festival in Palisade. It was great to spend lots of time with Brenda and Theo who moved there recently. They invited us over for breakfast and dinner at their house and took us out to dinner downtown one night. We were so impressed with their restaurant savvy when we went to the winemaker's dinner they hosted at the restaurant they were opening. Theo's a great chef and Brenda's the consummate hostess. We also took a winemaking course where we picked grapes and learned about testing, fermenting, crushing and more. Of course, we visited a number of vineyards and tasted many wines. My favorites came from the very small Alfred Eames Cellars in Paonia. Their Menage and Pinot Noir were wonderful. But unfortunately I can't even get their wines in Boulder but they can be found at www.alfredeamescellars.com. We took the long way home, including a stop in Marble Colorado--where they got the marble for the Washington Monument--to climb on the chunks of marble, as well as other fun adventures along the way.

Visitors --Robby came to town one day in Jan, and we met at Dolan's for a drink. It was fun to catch up and realize we had the Slow food mentality in common.

Donna came in March and Fran let us stay at her lovely new house in Winter Park for a few days of skiing and spaaahing at Hot Sulphur Springs. After that we came back to Boulder and stayed overnight at Baya's house east of Denver. Dad and Armelde came for a long weekend in August. We toured my office, went to the Japanese country restaurant, Domo, and the French L'Atelier, and hung around visiting a lot. Brenda and Theo came to Denver for a trade show and came up for dinner and an overnighter.

Culture --Last December, I saw Cats at the Dinner Theater with Susan and the gang, and in March, Judy and I went to Marshall Tucker at the Grizzly Rose. In June, Laura and I went to an art opening as well as the Taste of Lafayette (where I "summitted" a climbing wall and skinned my knee). Mozelle and I enjoyed an E-Town radio show taping with Richie Havens and Aqualung in June. There were two comedy club evenings, for Laurie and Terri's birthdays. I also went to a few small, local concerts at a two new music and coffee venues, including one that my friends, T and Theresa opened in Lafayette. It's called Nissi's and I went with an old friend from the 80's that I kept running into, Sarah.  

Janet and I had a blast at "First Friday" on Santa Fe Drive in Denver in July. This monthly art gallery open house happens all over Denver and Boulder, but this particular area is like Bourbon Street with crowds milling in and out of gallery's carrying glasses of wine. I saw Firefall, again, at the Louisville Street Fair in July. In August, Laurie got free tickets for an 80's concert with Devo, English Beat, Missing Persons, Flock of Seagulls and Dramarama. We sat in the "box" section of Coors Amphitheater, with a table and waiter! Too bad a few of the bands were awful. Did they sound that bad back then, or did I just not notice? But, Devo was really fun.

Lisa and I really enjoyed one of my all-time favorites, Santana, at the beautiful Red Rocks amphitheater in September.

Parties and Holidays --Last holiday season, I went to a party at my office, a small party for my marketing networking group, a potluck for my Slow Food committee, and Susan and Lonnie's Hanukkah dinner. Later that month, I went to Steph's graduation party to celebrate her becoming a teacher.

I only did a few things for my birthday last December. I had a lobster dinner with Gye, Felipe and Janet and went to the Sagittarius Ball again to dance the night away. I didn't do anything for New Years, since I flew back from the East Coast that day and didn't have anything planned.   In January, there was a science team party at my boss's house, a party at Liz and Mark's, and a dinner party at the Bills' house. Easter was at Lisa's and Passover at Susan's cousins Robin and Stewart in Denver. Laura did a Memorial Day barbeque at her place again. I only went to a few international wine tastings parties this year. In June, Susan had a Father's day gathering, and Leslie put on an amazing Faerie Fest where she decorated her delightful garden, invited neighborhood kids over, told stories, served lovely food and we all imagined faeries living among the flowers.

For Independence Day, I saw Erie's first fireworks display on the 3rd and went to a party at John and Betsy's on the 4th. Later that month, I went to my second Hot Luck at Lyn and Rob's. People bring such fantastic food to that party and it's not all fiery hot either. The Food Network was there filming, but I'm not sure when it will, or did, air. In August, Bridgette celebrated her birthday with dinner at Bacaro and we had a going away party for Mimi at Rich's house. Mimi had shipped all her belongings to the coast of Mississippi and was to move into her new condo the following week. Well, guess what happened a few days later? Katrina. Yes, all her stuff was gone, and I think her condo too, but she and her family that live there are OK. Talk about timing! In the fall there were a few women's parties at Lyn's and in September, Stephanie had a baby shower...then a few weeks later a "shower blessing" at her house (we all took home candles we were to light when she went into labor.) Susan and Lonnie did Rosh Hashanah as well as Halloween--boy they like to throw parties and they do a great job.

In November, it was great to see Baya's boys, Sebastian and Andrew, fly in from France for her 60th birthday party. She looks great and the boys (or should I say men) seem really happy and successful living in France. It's hard to believe I used to baby-sit them. I went to my third Pie Night where a group of bluegrass musicians and NPR-folks, have been gathering at a local grange hall for 26 years. Everyone brings a pie (savory or sweet), and later the tables come down and the instruments come out. John and Betsy hosted Thanksgiving this year. Their sister Barbara was in town as well as their niece, Sarah. I lucked out and got two free heritage breed turkeys from a local farmer who I helped promote. We got a Standard Bronze and a Bourbon Red. They were both wonderful! Heritage turkeys are so much more flavorful and rich (mostly dark meat), but also very expensive and hard to find. But once a year, it's worth it.

Sports and The Like - For the first time in my life, I stuck with a gym for more than three months! I joined the YMCA in January and have been working out 2-4 times a week, including a Monday lunch-hour walk. I've never stuck to an exercise program this long before...maybe because this time I am motivated to stay healthy as I get older, not lose weight (which was a good thing, since I haven't lost a single pound.) I went hiking a few times with Laura and Janet. Lisa won some tickets to an Avalanche game in November and that was too much fun.

Volunteering --Here's the big news. After 14 years, my Taste of the Nation committee disbanded after the last benefit in May! The chair, Fran, announced she was going to retire. Then I said "me too," and Bruce said "me too", then Sally, Claire, and a few more. For a while, it was really difficult for me to accept, since this had been a big part of who I was for so long...working with the chefs, producing the event, raising the money for the hungry. But, it ran it's course, I put in a long run, and I feel good about that.

It also felt good to have enough income to donate more than ever this year... considering the Tsunami, Katrina, and Rocky Mountain Wildlife Conservation Center, which has become my pet project. They are in a crisis mode, and are running out of money to feed the 150+ tigers, lions, bears, wolves etc. With donations down 50% due to everyone giving to the natural disasters, they may have to start putting the animals to sleep if they can't feed them. A decision may be made in December. I'm so upset. I've given lots more money, and Gye and I have organized several trips out there to bring people who would donate a good chunk for the privilege of petting three tiger cubs. They never have cubs, but these guys were an accident--what an adorable accident! They sat on our laps, and gave us kisses. If you love animals and you'd like to help, please go to www.wildlife-sanctuary.org or call 303-536-0118.

I'm still on the "stirring" committee of Slow Food Boulder. We put on an open house for members in January; A Spanish Tapas evening in March; Went on a tour of the Savory Spice Shop in June; I led a tour of the Asian Markets in Denver with a Dim Sum lunch in July; There was a Japanese tea ceremony in August and a Labor Day Barbeque in September. I helped out with a few Cultiva classes this year, where we teach the kids who grow produce to sell at the farmer's market how to cook what they grow. At the end of the season, I went to Cultiva's big annual benefit dinner, and gave a speech about Slow Food at the Bioneers Conference in October at CU.

Other Fun Stuff-- Pennie and I continued our Quarterly Cooking Adventures this year with Southern Lowcountry/Afro-Atlantic foods in January; Antique/Retro recipes in May; trying to perfect our poached egg and hollandaise techniques in July; and cooking recipes from the piles of Italian magazines James left me (focusing on home-made pastas) in October.

In February we went to out to dinner and played bingo to celebrate Lisa's birthday. Leslie and I had at dinner one of my favorite restaurants, Adega, in March to celebrate our birthdays, which was lucky since they closed shortly after that. John gave me tickets again the DAM Uncorked--a wine-tasting benefit for the Denver Art Museum and I brought Jerome and ran into Lyn and Rob. It was time for a hot spring break in June, so Lisa and I went to Indian Springs in Georgetown. She and I did the Lafayette Peach Festival in August also.

This year I went on 19 restaurant reviews with John. Some of my favorites were the neighborhood bistros Café Star and Deluxe. Of course, I was in seventh heaven when we did Frasca, that popular restaurant in Boulder opened by the people from the French Laundry. It's the only restaurant to which all the local dining critics have ever given an "A". My least favorite was the old Brittany Hill (I call it Brittany Swill). They have been resting on their laurels all these years and it was awful! This spring, the area dining guide I helped John produce was published, and it was fun to see myself in the acknowledgements.

I went with Janet to a harvest party at Balistreri Vineyards in Denver (yes, a vineyard in the city!) as well as to a winery near my house several times to taste the new wines as they were released. I also put on a sushi-making party for an old co-worker, Holly, and five of her friends. That was fun...bringing all the equipment I had bought when I thought I was going to do this for income, teaching everyone how to make sushi, and then eating it all.

In November, I celebrated my half-life in Boulder at Gold Lake Resort and Spa in the mountains with a few women friends. As of November 20th, I've lived more than half my life in Boulder. I never thought I'd be anywhere that long. We spent time in the hot tubs overlooking the lake and mountains, and had a lovely dinner at their wonderful Alice's Restaurant in the log lodge.

Etc. -- In April, I developed an annoying condition called BPPV. It's a kind of vertigo caused by little calcium "rocks" (that we all have in our ear canal) coming loose and moving into a part of the canal where they don't belong. Go ahead, make fun: "She's dizzy!" "She's got rocks loose in her head!" It is amusing. It's workable and I can do exercises to put it at bay. I got it from doing a bunch of very fast sit-ups during a strength test at the gym in April. I just shook my head to hard and at first, thought I had shaken baby syndrome or a concussion.

I was involved in a community fight against a railyard maintenance facility that RTD was trying to put right in front of my home--we won and I think it's going to go down the road a bit, farther away from homes and businesses once the new Boulder-Denver commuter rail line is in place.

The year's sadness began when Susan's mom passed away in January. She had been in pain for so long. I visited her in hospice and went to the Shiva service as well as another service with the family. Norma was great and I cared for her a lot.

Some of my hardest emotional times were due to my Mom's health problems. In May, she was taken to the hospital, had surgery, and was in a rehab facility until September. She was having problems with circulation and infection in her legs and, at the start, her doctor said it didn't look good and it was pretty scary. I flew home a few days after returning from San Francisco and spent the days at the hospital pushing the nurses and doctors and sitting with Mom. She went back to the hospital again, in early November after a short time at home. She recently came back home again, but I don't know what's going to happen next. I just really hope she can get healthier and enjoy life again.

Another very sad time was when Barbara's Dad, Tom, got really sick in August and died shortly thereafter. He too was a wonderful man that I was lucky to get to know over the years. Thankfully, Barbara had already planned a trip out here and was able to spend a lot of time with him during that time. Shortly after his death, I drove down to Mainitou Springs, where he lived, to help Barbara clean out his house. I went down again for his memorial service in October and stayed another day and helped with the house bit more.

On a happy note, Steph and Todd had their second baby, Cassidy, in October and I visited that week to see them...of course the baby is adorable.

It hurt to put $900 into my 150k mile Subaru the fall...and I have another $600 or so to go. I keep considering a new car, but keep trying to save for a later model...I'm pushing the envelope, but think this old reliable car will hold out indefinitely.

After my annual blood test in September, I got a note from my doctor saying it's time to "discuss medication for my cholesterol." We'll discuss that at my annual exam in January. I guess I'm really getting old now.

Well, that was 2005. I hope you have a wonderful and prosperous 2006!

Best wishes for the new year,

Laura