Mare & Larry

Hi,

We have not been planning any big cruises this year since we went overboard last year. Our trip to the Baltic was really grand and we were there during the Olympics and the coverage was fantastic. Not just American selected sports. In December we went to Asia and had another great trip on the cruise ship. This ship was Azamara and we would not select that again as Crystal and Raddison are so much better. Interesting countries and so much to tell. That is why we are staying home this year! In September we had a great time in Cody, Wy, at the fund raiser for the Buffalo Bill Museum. Great experience. In November we went to Cancun and took Sue and Deb and we all enjoyed ourselves vegging out!! Thanksgiving was spent here with Matt and Kristen coming with many members of her family and the kids fished for catfish, rode atv, shot guns and ate!! Lots of fun. Joe and Dawn couldn't make it as Joey was moved up to varsity to play in the state championships and Amy had to cheer and the game was the day after Thanksgiving. We got home from Asia on the 6th of Jan and have been trying to catch up since.

The trees are fairing well, even tho the state cut the SoCal area back by 30% on water usage for Agriculture purposes. People can let sprinkler run forever into the street in housing tracks but the middle of the state, the San Jouquin Valley, can't plant their crops this year. Lettuce will cost a fortune. Makes sense, right? Remember how Arkansas couldn't wait to get rid of Clinton? Well that's how we feel about The Terminator. It has more meaning that just a movie. He is terminating the state of California. Our taxes are now the highest in the nation and we may still go bankrupt.

The vineyards are growing and really look pretty right now, all green with grapes growing. We just are thining them. We picked 21 bins of avocados last month and now we are selling our fuertes, the larger ones, at a local farmers market. People love them. Our peaches and apricots are ready now and I have been making cobbler. Yum.

We have been busy working on our law suit against our HOA and finally have a trial date of October 26th. It will be three years by then. The County of Riverside is slow as molasses. Larry had been putting documents on the computer and getting things organized for the lawyer.

We have had overcast weather the last week, all day long and in the 60's. I love it. The two weeks before that it was real foggy at night and then cleared around 1pm and got up to 89. Real weather swings.

Amy is coming out to Cal tomorrow, June 11th, for a week. She will be attending Point Loma University in San Diego for the fall semester as she was put on the wait list for Pepperdine and they just let her know that they weren't taking anyone from the wait list for the fall semester but she has a good chance of getting in in Jan. She decided she didn't want to go to Baylor after all even tho she got a 32,000 dollar scholarship. She is coming out for an interview with USC next Wednesday and Larry and I are taking her in. We leave LA and go to Matt and Kristens as Riley is graduating from 8th grade that night. Busy time.

Our friends, the Whitcombs, the ones with the four daughters who sang at the boys weddings - Baby Face, are coming for a visit in July. Mike, their daughter was the one who was leaving when you and Kelly were arriving. The horses are fine and Uncle Larry rides almost everyday.

We had a great trip to Florida in March to see Katie Gaskins get married and had a wonderful visit with Delbe and Mic and Shel, Sue, Steph and Joe's families. It was so great to see the kids again and know them as teen agers! Had some good talk time. Well I guess I had better sign off and get to work. Just finished pruning my roses and fertilizing the camellias. Hope everyone has a great summer. We love you all. Love, Mare, Larry, Auntie Mare and Uncle Larry, Pops and Mare (Take your choice!)