HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2010 !

Although an electronic greeting, it still carries wonderful holiday wishes for you all !  For many who have followed along this year on this blogspot, you already know what I have been up to but here's the rest of the story:

BLAKE is starting his third year with Grant Thornton in Charlotte.  Still living "uptown" and now thankfully- as a Senior Audit Associate- his client list is mainly local-walking to work each day versus sitting in airports makes the long hours of a CPA's life bearable.  Kayla-the grand dog -still shares time between Charlotte and Winston-Salem (with us).

What a year for LESLIE !  Beginning her USAID career in Amman, Jordan in January, she settled into life there quickly and is enjoying her experience. Our visit in May was grand - having the opportunity to spend time with her and then to explore such an interesting country was so much fun.  Duncan and I are excited to be returning in May 2011 to explore even more of this part of the world. As  for Leslie, her travels this year included: Bangkok,  Thailand; Cairo, Egypt; Nairobi, Kenya and Kathmandu, Nepal for work and and for fun she went to Bahrain in February, Istanbul and Kas in Turkey in September as well as Delhi and Kerela in India for Thanksgiving. What adventures !

GLENDA & DUNCAN-Still loving the dancing, golf, the beach BUT a change is coming !  We are moving to downtown Winston-Salem - hopefully in the spring of 2011.  The condo is  in the process of being completed (One Park Vista ) and there is still the home to sell......we are very excited about this lifestyle change-will keep you posted ! 

Our year has been filled with many blessings for our family and from our friends.  We wish the same for you & your family during the new year...HAPPY 2011 !

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, NEW YORK !!!

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of...

there's nothin' you can't do.

Now you're in New York,

these streets will make you feel brand new.

Big lights will inspire you-

let's hear it for New York, New York, New York !

Kudos to Alicia Keys and Jay-Z----LOVE THAT SONG ----"Empire State of Mind " .  What a great adventure-just three musketeers this year (Betty, Nan & myself); our fourth musketeer, Darlene, was unable to go with us due to family health issues.  We tried our best to make up the difference for the New York economy and may I say?  WE WERE SUCCESSFUL !  Quick notes: 

*Wonderful "window shopping" at the Ralph Lauren flagship store 

*Canal Street shopping (although the mayor has clamped down on street sales that excluded collected taxes for the city) the number of vendors was reduced but we still managed a number of  back street purchases from Tiffany, Chanel & Prada

*Jewelry treasures (the costume kind) in the District (what bargains!)

*It snowed-commercial set up for a L'Oreal ad using magnesium sulfate-looked like the real thing

*Nan enjoyed a Manhattan in Manhattan-with fabulous views of the skyline from the 18th floor bar at The Standard-well worth the trip !

*Jim Carrey was filming "Mr. Popper's Penguins" on the 45th floor above Broadway

* Sean Hayes &  Molly Shannon were spectacular in "Promises, Promises"

I just love my girlfriend trips-does not have to be as spectacular as New York-anywhere with friends make it special.  Thanks, ladies !  Already looking forward to 2011 !

UNDER THE LIGHTS OF... BROADWAY !

 Still figuring out the system but you know the drill..right click on photo and open link-

enjoy our New York adventure !  

2010 RALLY FOR THE CURE

The sixth annual Rally For The Cure event on October 26 was a tremendous success !  Betty Martin (my friend and co-chair) along with the Rally Committee are very proud of our efforts.  All monies raised for this event were donated to the Komen/NC Triad Affiliate to help raise awareness -the first step in eliminating breast cancer.  The community support through sponsorships, donations, a Rally Raffle, Silent Auction and the 100 plus participants raised over $ 27,800-the most monies in the event's history.  Thanks to all my "blogging" friends for your kind words and support-you made a difference !

BE"WITCHED" & BEWILDERED !!!

      Yes, bewildered...I have issues with trying to get the photo link in the text blog !  Sorry to create so many links but will solve this at some point-I hope !  Check out the storyline in the next post-ENJOY !

"BE" WITCHED !!

Fall is definitely here-again, where does the time go?  Just finished summer and Thanksgiving is almost here! Hoping to slow down a bit going into the holiday season-the "fast track" misses a lot of the moments to remember with family & friends.
But that is now and here is then....beginning with my Mom & family at the beach in late September-just us girls-was lots of fun!  Fall is football-we went to just one game-enough for me and a great mountain weekend with friends Nan & Pat.  We celebrated Nan's birthday with an "inside" picnic and then had lots of fun playing Mexican Train-a great dominoes influenced game.  Spent mid-October with friends Janis & Jerry Campbell at Haig Point on Dafuskie Island...strangely in the '80s when we visited Hilton Head for family vacations, I remember promos for Dafuskie-nothing can match the actual experience.  It is like a step back in time-no cars and dark is dark.  With the sound on one side and the ocean on the other of the two by five mile expanse-it was charming.  We loved it!  And yes we were be"witched" in late October-our annual "Witches & Warlocks" weekend of golf and fellowship with friends from Winston-Salem traveling to the beach and enjoying glorious weather and a great time-22 this year and a good time was had by all !  Ever hummed a song that was obvious to you and no one else?-my sad experience playing "Keep on Humming"....who doesn't recognize "99 Bottles of Beer On The Wall"?   ...harder than you might think! 
By the way, the annual holiday update will follow in the next few weeks...ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON !

THE PEAR IS NOT MY FRIEND !

THE PEAR ?..... more on that later...but for now, summer is coming to an end.  The fact that I am writing about this in the first days of fall is a sign that time passes more quickly once we pass 60 !  Turn around and it will be the new year-YIKES ! At a time  when I wish to savor each day, the 24 hours of a day seem to pass in the blink of an eye; so I am stopping to remember the last days of summer-fondly. 
There were days with family and then days with friends-how fortunate to be able to have these special times. I have actually got the order right this time-a photo gallery follows this blog (MIGHT HAVE TO CLICK OLDER POST TO ACCESS) with wonderful memories of times with "first neighborhood" friends Beth, Barbara & Amy (we spent many happy days in Gladstonbury backyards with the children), girlfriends Nan, Darlene and Betty in the mountains, a great weekend with friends at the Forsyth Men's Member Guest, a beach week with Linda & Travis (once again proving you don't have to be an expert to enjoy a challenge-witnessed by my bridge play and hula hoop expertise) and then there was another great mountain trip to visit Ann & John at Grandfather where once again I confirmed that not playing great golf did not spoil a good time.  The anniversary celebration for brother Gerald & Sandra finished the month of August and then there was the anniversary celebration with Duncan on September 7th-remembering the brief courtship and marveling at how the 37 years have passed so quickly yet with so many great memories.  
Now to the pear-not the food group but the shape.  Yes, dear friends (most specifically the ladies who can relate) as I look in the mirror it is a desperate image of fruit that looks back at me.  I am undaunted and determined !  A first for me-I joined a gym and for almost three weeks have been devoted to weights and Zumba.  I figured if I announced my intentions it would be hard to quit-I will prevail.  You will be my conscience because "muffins" (as in tops) are even more daunting than the pear!  Will keep you posted...until next time..........

SUMMER'S END...

Once again, right click on picture to open the link....slideshow is best.

CELEBRATING WITH BETTY !

TWO GREAT DAYS WITH BETTY & FRIENDS TO CELEBRATE HER BIRTHDAY...WE DO BELIEVE IN EXTENDING THE BIRTH-DAY !  GREAT TO ENJOY TIME WITH FRIENDS.
(Right click on picture and select open link, view as slideshow for best effect.)

" WE ARE FAMILY....."

...and the summer continues with reunions.  First a gathering of Starling cousins to welcome Jay-the "long lost cousin" from Florida (my dad's brother's son) who visited after 40 plus years since last in Kenly.  Next up a "mini" Starling reunion at Ocean Isle with cousins Rose, Kathy & Nelson and families.  Celebrating the fourth in a big way and ending with fireworks in Cherry Grove with friends Jane & and Paul.  In the mix were nights of dancing, Theater Allliance shows, an indie downtown movie theater experience at Aperture, reopening of SECCA (my home away from home in the "volunteer" 80's) and golf with friends and then there is always the food-great adventure to several farmer's markets and a new addiction- making homemade ice cream.  Am lucky enough to have spent several weekends at the beach so far and although is a HOT, HOT, HOT summer-am enjoying being with family and friends.  A highlight was celebrating Betty's birthday (dear friend and neighbor) that included a party one night and then a first pitch at the DASH baseball game the next....more on that to come! 

SUMMERTIME...AND THE LIVIN' IS EASY !

Summer is here and I have had the first unscheduled day of 2010-why did it take so long?  I will mark Wednesday, June 16 as a RED LETTER DAY.  My mom and I ventured to Lake Wateree (via Charlotte and a visit with cousin Kathy and friend Emily with newborn Ayla and Ayla's big brother Max).  Cousin Genia has a charming lake house on Lake Wateree and we spent several days with sisters, aunts, cousins-too confusing to describe (MAC-MAR girlfriends please note that although time is marching on-it has stopped for Dulcie).  It was a real girl's getaway-no men in sight.  We visited, ate, drank, spent time on the water, watched  a movie and generally had the very best time.  Back to June 16-I had no place to be, no one to see, no project to do and no errand to run-just an amazing day!  Thank you Genia !

HOLA (Again) FROM SPAIN !!

Yes, a photo journey of our trip to Madrid.

Directions the same...(right click on the picture, select "open link"-which connects you to the web album-view slideshow)   Yes there are captions.

HOLA ! !

Duncan and I arrived in Madrid, Spain Wednesday, May 5-three days ahead of our planned incentive trip with Mutual of Omaha.  We settled in to the lovely Hotel Catalonia Las Cortes in the heart of the city.  We spent three days unwinding from our whirlwind trip to visit Leslie but did manage to enjoy many of the local attractions (as suggested by The Lonely Planet).  First of all our bearings---rise mid morning, light breakfast and then lunch (quite an affair that begins about 1:30 until 4 which should include a siesta) then activities followed by dinner that begins no sooner than 8:30-not our normal schedule so did take some adjustment.   The only other option was tapas (small bites) offered 24/7 at many bars. The real kicker was the continuous flow of wine and food-the Spaniards do enjoy their libations!  "Hablas englis?"...the answer is NO..until we connected with Mutual and their interpreters on Saturday, we did struggle. 

Thursday, May 6 we ventured  from our hotel.  Our first stop was the Museo Naval-a fabulous exhibition of the Spanish Armada through the centuries-just amazing!  Next stop  the Iglesia de San Jeronimo El Real-a lovely church that is often frequented by  King Juan Carlos and his family.  On to Museo Prado which features collections of Spain's outstanding artists;  our focus was the collections featuring Goya and Vasquez.   The museum rivals the Louvre-just grand.  Time for an afternoon break at El Brillante best known for their chocolate con churros-doughnut strips dipped in chocolate-quite delicious.  Our afternoon was spent wandering through the Real Jardin Botanico-19 acres  dedicated to flora and fauna of the country.  Pre dinners each evening were spent at a pub we discovered near our hotel.

Friday, May 7 we walked (almost 5 miles) to the Rodeo Drive of Madrid-Salamanca.  The district featured every imaginable shop that included several Spanish designers.  Fun to window shop!  We selected El Caldero for our final evening alone-the paella that was their signature dish was delicious. 

Saturday, May 8 we moved to The Ritz-home base for our trip sponsored by Mutual of Omaha.  What an elegant venue to showcase such a magnificent city.  And now we begin.....the requisite  "getting to know you"-lunch and cocktail event to be followed by four hectic days.

We begin Sunday, May 9 with a morning business meeting followed by a tour of Madrid which included the Palacio Real-the royal palace often used for official royal events.  Yes, although there were 150 plus persons, we had an elegant lunch at ABC Serrano then  a brief siesta to eat again-this evening in a smaller group at Los Galayos-their specialty was suckling pig.

Many tours were offered on Monday, May 10;  we selected an excursion to Toledo-the religious center of Spain.  The cathedral was spectacular and the surrounding area was breathtaking.  Our group lunched at a villa high above the city.  Then perhaps not the best decision of the day-or week-...we went to the bullfight in the Plaza de Toros Monumental de Las Ventas.  I am not sure I would describe it as a fight-from my perspective the bull had a definite disadvantage.  Been there-done that-will not do again!

The Tuesday, May 11 business session proved quite exciting...Venus Williams (in town for the Madrid Open) spoke to our group;  she was very entertaining.  After the morning session we elected to join the group that toured the Museo Thysson-Bornemisza which featured a private art collection of wonderful masterpieces.   Yes it did get better-we spent the evening at a private hacienda Finca Los Jarales that was charming.  We were entertained by musicians,  a dressage exhibition, flamenco dancers and  a tremendous amount of wines and food.  Overall it was my very favorite experience in Madrid.

There was one more day...Wednesday, May 12 we had the day to ourselves....needless to say we relaxed at the hotel.  There is such a thing as "too much of a good time"!  The final event was an evening at a private casino in Madrid-very surreal!  At this former palace we had an elegant dinner followed by opera.  As I sat enjoying the evening, I remembered that it is a long way from a small town in  Eastern North Carolina to another continent...how lucky I am....Gracias !

THE JORDAN JOURNEY CONTINUES....

To follow the blog I am including a web album of our adventure. Captions are included as well so that you can follow along with our daily journal.   (right click on the picture, select "open link"-which connects you to the web album-view slideshow)  

THE JORDAN JOURNEY

It is difficult to put into words the week we spent with Leslie at her new home in Amman, Jordan. Exciting, interesting, informative, a walk through history, family time....just grand ! Leslie arrived for her first post with USAID in January of this year after a year of language and training in Washington, D.C. Duncan and I were lucky to be able to visit so soon (we were on our way to Madrid, Spain...more on that later). But where to begin? Our time frame was arriving on a Thursday (April 29) and departing Wednesday (May 5); the seven hour time difference took some adjustment but we were off and running as soon as our feet hit the tarmac.THURSDAY evening (an hour after arrival in Amman) we went to the US Embassy for a "Wine & Cigar" evening; the wine tasting was set up around the pool area and later in the evening we danced to DJ music. So great to see Leslie and meet some of her co-workers; many of the attendees were actually associated with the State department as well as the Marine staff who live full time at the Embassy.

FRIDAY is the start of the weekend. The lovely cadence of prayers from the mosques begin at 4:30 in the morning and repeat five times during the day ending in the early evening. It is a wonderfully soothing sound and what devotion !! to stop five times each day to pray! Our day begins at "home" which is a lovely apartment in West Amman (mandatory within two miles of the Embassy) that is selected and furnished as part of Leslie's position; there is an armed guard stationed outside every residence that houses Embassy personnel for security. It is a lovely neighborhood with several private residences as well as apartment buildings. We had a full day ahead...we drive to Mount Nebo (site where Moses looked over to The Promised Land), a wonderful hike in Bethany along the Jordan River (where Jesus was baptized ) with a close look to the West Bank-both sides with armed guards patrolling the area and then on to the Dead Sea-yes, we did swim and yes you do automatically float ! You feel like a buoy-there is no stopping the "float" ! Dined in and watched videos-great to relax.

SATURDAY we spent exploring Amman; we were joined by Wayne, a friend Leslie has met since arriving in Amman who strangely enough is from Wallburg (right outside of Winston-Salem, attended UNC-CH and is a Marine officer at the Embassy-the world is getting smaller and smaller!) We began at The Citadel, the highest hill in Amman and the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon-a fortress for thousands of years destroyed by an earthquake in AD 749. Lunch was at a popular Lebanese cafe (we ate in the alley) and then had a leisurely coffee and she-sha (fruit flavored tobacco smoked with a water pipe-a popular social event in many cafes. Shopping afterwards in the town center we realized how well Leslie spoke Arabic-what a treat to have our own interpreter. Strangely enough with her stature and Arabic speech, she was recognized from previous visits in many places we dined and shopped. There is a stark contrast once you pass though the city center to East Amman-the poorer section of the city of over 2.5 million people.


SUNDAY was the beginning of Leslie's work week. She had arranged for a driver, Hasan, to take us to Jerash, about 45 minutes from Amman. It is one of the best examples in the Middle East of a Roman provincial city. The amphitheater presented a mini version of "Ben Hur" with chariot races and gladiators. Back in Amman Hasan treated us to the Royal Automobile Museum which featured a collection of 90 cars and 35 motorcycles from the reign of King Hussein. Dinner out with Leslie's boss, Laura, who had been with the agency for over 30 years was delightful-Lebanese again-I really do like olives, hummus and other strange delights.

MONDAY we began at 6:00 AM for the three hour drive to Petra. Although Leslie had already ventured here several times, it is so spectacular that one could visit many times and always be humbled by the experience. Hewn from towering rock walls of multi-colored sandstone, the imposing facades of great temples and tombs are a living monument to the desert tribes of Nabataeans-Arabs who dominated the region in pre-Roman times. As a new addition to the NEW seven wonders of the world, it is not to be missed. A special dinner back in Amman with Huda, Leslie's friend from graduate school at Columbia, who is native to the area-what a treat ! Jordanian hospitality is their signature-even when shopping you are offered tea and coffee as a gesture of welcome and always depart with a blessing for you and your family. In all of our travels, it stands alone as the most welcoming country we have ever visited.

TUESDAY we spent the morning and early afternoon with Hasan driving through the city and visiting the only mosque that is open to non-Muslims, in honor of King Abdullah, the grandfather of King Hussein. Visitors were allowed excluding prayer times. The structure and grounds were quite spectacular; although I had dressed conservatively, the mosque requested that I wear a full length robe with hood while walking around the property. This was the only occasion during our visit that the dress code was strict. We were able to visit Leslie at the Embassy in the afternoon and meet the persons she works with including the director of the mission in Jordan. There are a dozen Americans on staff with USAID and 70 Jordanian staff members. The Embassy itself is heavily guarded with armed soldiers, armored cars and machine guns. Our clearance into the area was quite extensive and sadly there were no photos allowed. Leslie is currently training in several areas with USAID but after a year will be assigned a project that she will supervise. We dined in preparing for a 5:00 AM departure on Wednesday for Madrid. We will be back......so much more to see and do !

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME.....ETC.!

Spring is finally here and with age seems to come a change in my body's tolerance for the "unknown" pollens, weeds, etc. Never before has it been an issue but thanks to my advancing age, it is just another gift of Father Time. Thanks, huh? It has not kept me from enjoying the spring-after such a cold and miserable winter. In addition to golf, dancing, gardening, etc., Duncan and I are enjoying the new baseball park-home of the Winston-Salem DASH. Has been lots of fun to take friends-yes, the picture is myself and friend Prudy with Bolt-the mascot. We look forward to more baseball through the summer; the bar, buffet and spirited staff has raised my level of tolerance for the game. GO DASH !

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !

"God couldn't be everywhere, so he created mothers."

Yiddish Proverb

APRIL IN NEW YORK !

Duncan and I shared a great weekend in New York with friends Gail and Jim Bland in early April. Beginning in Raleigh, NC on Friday evening, we revisited a favorite "The Angus Barn" for a great start to our weekend. Saturday morning we flew out to the city-it was glorious! I love the city and we arrived with an agenda that kept us on the move for two days. We were entertained with musicals "Billy Elliott" and "Wicked" (this one may be my favorite of all time!), dinners at "Scalini Fedeli" and "Mas Farmhouse", brunch at "Blue Fin" and a little culture with a tour of The Cloisters which houses the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection of art and architecture from medieval Europe-views of the Hudson River from its gardens made us feel as if we were not even in New York! We taxied, we walked, we ate, we watched and overall had a tremendous time. Just had to share the fun!

"....THE ONE IS SILVER, THE OTHER GOLD"

"Make new friends, but keep the old.....the one is silver, the other gold! Should I call us the golden girls? It was a great evening when ten college friends who graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1971 met March 27th at Sara Hill's home in Greensboro. Many of us had "misplaced" each other for many almost 40 years-I had not seen Virginia (Ginny) and Terri since graduation and the others since a reunion in 1981. Over the years paths crossed on soccer fields with Ivey and Lee, Betty was great staying connected through emails and my roommate Sarah regaled us with a wonderful online journal in 2006 when she and husband Roy took a cross country motorcycle trip. Susan had been busy with a career and family-now enjoying retirement- and Beverly, who married while in college, is still supervising many at work and at home-she took the prize with 13 grandkids! Christmas card photos and emails put time in perspective for many of us over the years but nothing can compare to actually spending time together. Although everyone's story was important I enjoyed confirming Lee's singing talent (she and daughter Lauren had won second place in a national contest hosted by Garrison Keiller), Betty's math acumen (she has a PHD in math and a "force" in the Mathematical Association of America) and then there is Ginny (Virginia Wright-Frierson) an amazing artist and author (who created a mural in the remodeled Columbine High School- www.hopecolumbine.org/pictures.html and www.acolumbinesite.com/remodel.html) Brief and lengthy histories helped recall so many memories not the least of which were stories shared about our good friend Bettye Rose who had passed away in late 2009. As we listened to the soundtrack of "Hair" and drank wine from glasses instead of plastic cups, I was back on campus in Cone dormitory-it seemed our last conversation was just yesterday- you are golden, girls!

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN!

The winter months seem longer this year...could it be because there has been no sunshine for days on end? HIGHLIGHTS: Dancing (another fun trip to The Odyssey for a talent show)... Dancing demos for many weeks at Creekside Terrace-a retirement community-where Duncan and I probably received more blessings than the residents we performed for and danced with...A brief and chilly beach trip-did you realize that on any given day you can find "Top Gun" on TV? And then there was the eighth annual MAC-MAR INVITATIONAL in late March hosted by myself and good friend Betty. Photos do not do justice for the great time sixteen women can have when they get together to golf (three rounds), gossip (endless), drink (bottomless) and dine (divine)! Four days pass too quickly-I am already looking forward to 2011!

SKIING AT MY AGE ?

Birthday week was spent with friends in Vail, Colorado skiing-last time I was on the slopes was 1999 ! Yes, ten years makes a difference in attitude but thankfully not aptitude. Duncan and I were able to make our way down the mountain for five days without a fall or any broken bones so we considered the trip a huge success. Never more than a basic intermediate level skier, the years proved to make me more cautious but was still exciting to once again prove that sixty plus can survive a "run down the mountains". Down time with Lynne, David, Jane, Paul, Stevie and Kevin to include the hot tub, movies, puzzles or just reading by the fire was a great way to celebrate. And not to worry, why just yesterday (the 16th) I had another wonderful birthday lunch-the month is not over yet !