Christmas Week on the Ranch

We've had a busy week of family time on the ranch, hiking, riding in the ranger, eating together, playing games, doing crafts, making s'mores, rock hunting, roping goats, riding horses, and more. 

Merry Christmas

Papa and I enjoyed a visit yesterday afternoon with friends from Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson.  They came bearing gifts, including a small tree with ornaments made by BGCT kids.  We are grateful for our relationship with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson over the past years.  They make a difference in thousands of children's lives.  Those children are our future leaders.

Our family begins arriving this afternoon for our week of Christmas celebration.  Merry Christmas!

Dollhouse Repairs

Papa's Dad, known also as Papa to our girls, built a dollhouse for Claire and Whitney.  It has seen a lot of play time and our grandchildren continue to play with it.  Papa brought it downstairs yesterday to make a few repairs in anticipation of the arrival of our little ones.  The construction of the dollhouse was a labor of love, as are the repairs.

 

Finding our Tree

After delivering several gifts this morning, Papa and I came home and set off on a mission to find our Christmas tree.  I hiked up the hill while Papa drove the Ranger.  It was a beautiful sunny and warm afternoon.  We looked around a bit and found just the right tree.  Papa cut it down.  We like our tree!

Preparing for Christmas

Papa and I are in a full press to prepare for our family's visit next week, to celebrate Christmas.  

Papa got out our boxes of Christmas things yesterday afternoon.  Most of our ornaments 

and Christmas things are 25+ years old.  We are flooded with memories as we get 

each item out of the box.  This pillow was on top.  Merry Christmas!

Winter Storms

Papa and I woke to light rain yesterday morning and again this morning.  The clouds were incredibly beautiful with sun peaking through blue patches of sky, and lighting up parts of the surrounding mountains.  We are blessed to have had these views over 13 years!

Elf Work

Over the past ten days, I have been busy doing elf work.  Our girls and their families are coming to the ranch for Christmas.  I've been wrapping gifts and getting craft projects together, cooking, cleaning, and planning games and activities.  I am listening to Christmas carols while 

all this elf work is going on.  I'm having fun!

Moon Over the Mountain

Papa and I spent several of the past few days in Tucson.  We returned to the ranch late yesterday afternoon.  We were greeted by a full moon rising over the mountain.  Spectacular!

Happy Holidays 2016

Happy Holidays 2016,

We hope this holiday letter finds you healthy, happy and preparing for the season. 2016 began with our winter ranch roundup. Colter planned well, so the roundup, preg checking, and separating cows from calves was done in a day and a half. In late January, we met Whitney in San Diego for a few days. While there we caught up with Bob and Paige over dinner and enjoyed some beach time.

We went on an Arizona driving trip in February, with a stop in Prescott for lunch with Mary. We hiked in Sedona and the Grand Canyon, and visited Wupatki and Walnut Canyon. The Arizona landscape is beautiful! We volunteered on Tuesdays for our third year, at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson. We had a big group of high school seniors this year, so BGC hosted a graduation ceremony for “our kids” in late April.  We attended several of their graduations in May. We continue to stay in touch with many of “our kids” over meals and email.  We are so proud that most are now first generation college students!

We spent a few days with Audrey’s family in Chicago in March and had fun with Lauren and Taylor. In late April, we flew to New Orleans and had dinner with Louise’s childhood friend, Pam, and her husband Kenith. They drove three hours each way to meet us. Thank you Pam and Kenith! We drove up the Natchez Trace Parkway and on to Kentucky to visit family and attend cousin Elizabeth’s wedding. A few days later, we flew from KY to NJ to visit Whitney’s family. We watched Toby play hockey and helped get their house ready to put on the market as they move to Dallas in the summer.

Dale turned 70 in May. We celebrated with Mary over lunch at the Ritz Carlton and later in July with our children and their families, on a week-long beach visit to Eleuthera, Bahamas. So many memories made! We went to Mexico in late June, for a few days in San Miguel de Allende and then to Doctor Mora for a friend’s quinceanera. It was an unbelievable cultural experience that we loved! Louise flew to Florida in June to spend a few days with friend Joy, while she was receiving medical treatment. Time in Joy’s garden was a treat! 

Our ranch branding was in July, a busy and unforgettable time each summer. Claire came to the ranch in early August with Emerson and Colby.  Emerson took riding lessons, and she and Colby roped goats. We enjoyed sharing the ranch with our friend Joy in late August. We flew to Dallas in September for a few days with Whitney and Brian’s families, plus time with long-time friend, Linda.  Throughout the year, we enjoyed dinners with Linda and Bob in Tucson, the Mayhall and Salinas families coming to the ranch, hosting a donor party for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson in October, breakfast with Brenda and Newton, and so many more moments with friends.

We left in late October for five days in Spain, visiting Cordoba, Granada, and Sevilla. We went on to Portugal for a month-long visit. Whitney joined us for Thanksgiving week. For most of the trip we stayed in castles, palaces, and other national monuments. We love Portugal!

Our big news this year is that we sold the ranch to Colter and Carly in October. We are going to stay on the ranch until we figure out what comes next. The past thirteen years on the ranch have been like icing on the cake of our lives together. We’ve made incredible memories, hosted friends and family, hiked and discovered the beauty of Winchester Ranch, while running a cattle operation. We are looking forward to having our girls and their families, Louise’s Mom, and Mary spend time with us at the ranch over the holidays.

We wish you and your family a very happy holiday season and a happy 2017.  We love hearing from you! Be in touch when you are coming our way.

Love,
Lulu and Papa

Progress of Tonight's Sunset

The sunsets of Arizona are incredibly beautiful.  Tonight's sunset just kept getting better!  I was making dinner and every time I looked up, the clouds had moved about and colors were deeper.

Back to the Ranch

We returned to the ranch yesterday from our trip to Spain and Portugal, with piles of mail to go through and holiday preparations ready to begin.  We woke up to a beautiful sky, but windy and cold.  A good day to catch up on the mail and holiday cards!

Dallas Overnight

After a long day of flying, that began at 3:30 in the morning, a 10 hour nonstop from Madrid to DFW,  and a train ride from DFW into Dallas, we were happy to spend the evening with Whitney's family! After dinner, we decorated their Christmas tree.  Greta lost her first tooth a couple of days ago,
so we loved seeing her missing a front tooth!