yellow

Springtime in the desert.  Here are backyard palo verdes in bloom, complete with extensive blossom-drop.  Yellow above, yellow below, backlighting.

Sunday 22 April 2018

newly-minted citizens of Luxembourg

Not sure who's primarily responsible - but via several of my sisters, we are following up on an opportunity to acquire dual citizenship status in Luxembourg.  They have managed their way through the various details involved in establishing a link to an ancestor resident in Luxembourg prior to the prescribed 19th century date.  We (so far me, Nicole, Patrick) are piggybacking onto their efforts.

It's official!

One of the requirements:  a visit to Luxembourg.  EMG, Barb, Carol and Therese completed this requirement in April 2018.  Text messages from Europe indicate, and subsequent phone calls confirm, that this was a pretty wonderful trip.  Sounded like they encountered the finest hospitality wherever they turned (no surprise there).

Celebratory meal with Ruiz/Lanners group . . . 

. . . dining with Mich Lanners.

Anyway, that group of four is pretty well finished with the process.  Our group is arcing toward a 2019 visit. Perhaps an EU passport will follow?

A shame that Mom and Claude Lanners weren't there to join in.

Only one way to properly celebrate the
occasion - select the finest Gales wine.

Meghan & Scott wedding/weekend

Friday 13 April - just five days after wrapping up the Jon/Jaz wedding weekend, we all (except Romie-minder Nedda) gathered in Santa Barbara for Scott Turner - Meghan Stern wedding. Nicole & POC and Chris & Dharma are on our flight; at airport we run into lawyers from Nedda's new firm plus Melaine and Daniel.  Lunch at a public market in downtown Santa Barbara.  PJ and I join up with the group involved in the rehearsal (PJ being a reader) - lovely church up in the hills.  After, we meet up with a bunch of wedding folk at a bar, followed by the rehearsal dinner (at Santa Barbara Wine Collective) - nice event.  Back to hotel for chatting etc. 

Rehearsal; interior of 1930s church

Saturday 14 April - a group of us wander around looking for breakfast and end up having a fine if gluten-free time of it - lovely morning.  The ladies go do hair-stuff; the gentlemen gather for light lunch back at the public market, which fits the bill.  We prep and jump on a bus for the wedding ceremony - all quite lovely - then there is some time to kill prior to the reception, which is accomplished by a bus tour down to the beach and around (and around) downtown - but this is quite fun as it's a good crew and definitely in the mood. 

Bus ride with marachas and hydration options.

Bus people

Outdoor reception venue and it really is quite excellent (including, surprisingly, the meal) - very nice speeches, lotsa dancing.  Walk over to the "Wildcat" lounge for post-reception ear-splitting fun; then we walk back to the hotel.  Some late-night dining in our room and that's it.

With the mother-of-the-bride.

Sunday 15 April - a nice brunch is hosted down in the pool area - this was one of the better opportunities of the weekend to just sit around and talk (which was the idea).  Kerry & Luis with early departure time, unfortunately; also PJr.  Later the rest of us walk down pretty much all the way to the water; our group looking for lunch; enjoyed a tapas place; then it was back to the airport.

Fun to be together; nice to show up for the Sterns after the way they supported the weddings in our family; everything was so well arranged; nice.

Jon & Jazmin wedding/weekend

Back seat in the Uber.  Suit
coat shade screen helps.

Had a fine weekend with everybody in town (except Luis the Mae-minder).  Kerry arrived evening of Thursday 5 April and we had dinner at Richardson's; Patrick & Shane arrived Friday 6 April - which was the wedding day for Jon & Jazmin.  Lunch at Fuego; then we get organized for the wedding; most of us meet up at 706 for an Uber ride all the way out to Mesa - which ride turned out to have non-functional A/C on a really warm afternoon - we survive and refresh at Oro Brewing right across the street from the wedding venue.

Wedding was rather small in numbers but very fun - a really good crew - our group plus the ASU crowd responsible for much of the evening's momentum.  Matt gave a funny speech.  After everything wraps up there is another Uber back to 706, where we play Five Crowns; home at 3 a.m.

Saturday 7 April - a group of us meet for late breakfast at Essence; the main event for the day is a get-together at Chris & Dharma's place.  Lots of badminton; a fair amount of beer tasting (successful as inventory was assembled by experts); great food; lots of chatting all night.  On Sunday - late breakfast via 32 Shea and then folks start peeling off.  And I'd say all of us were rather tired after all the nonstop action - fun.

OK we didn't have any time to explore in depth, but Oro (Mesa) seems promising.

Reception just getting started.

Better behaved group (up to this point)

Reception unfolds.

Chris & Dharma with newlyweds.

Serious work by Saturday food prep crew.

Saturday crew (most of it)