What does it mean to honor your mother? Here we are in the month of May. I could be talking about flowers, spring, the beach. But no, I’m still talking about my mom.
I want to honor my mother by remembering her by sharing some pictures that really show her personality!
1950s
While They Were DatingDad & Mom’s Wedding Picture
Mom and Dad married August 28, 1951. She married a cowboy and moved to Branson, Colorado, 50 miles away from her parents. In this move she adjusted! Eagerly she settled in and became a cowboy/rancher’s wife with the dust and manure that came with it. She also became a stepmother to three children: Fred, 7 years old; Larraine, 6 years old; and Sue, 5 years old.
That’s what Mom did—she adjust and adapted. I don’t have any pictures of her younger scanned it, but I have so many of her in elder years. It is in these you see her sassy, fun-loving personality come out.
1999
Mom Dancing in Krakow, PolandA Moment on our East European Trip
Mom and I took a trip to eastern Europe that was so amazing. We went because her great grandfather, Frank Joe Ulbig, entered the US as a stowaway, so there’s no record of him at Ellis Island or any other port of entrance. She did find out he lived in Prussia, so that was the reason we went to eastern Europe. Here she is in Krakow, Poland dancing up a storm and a special moment on the trip.
2002
Mom & Larada in our Branson, Missouri t-shirts
Mom and I scheduled a trip to Branson, Missouri before the Branson-Trinchera Reunion. What a great time we had there. Afterwards, at the Branson-Trinchera Reunion, we wore our t-shirts we bought.
2003
Larada, Mom & Candy Celebrated Larada’s Birthday in Cripple Creek, Colorado
Before my birthday, Mom and I met my dear life-long friend, Candy McMillan Vargas, in Cripple Creek, Colorado for any evening of gambling. We had a blast. Mom was pregnant with my brother when Candy’s mom was pregnant with her, so our shared lives went back to their births!
2008
Mom’s sense of humor shines through!
At the Branson-Trinchera Reunion, Mom donned a Mexican hat that was the table decorations and gave me a photo opportunity. I loved her sense of humor and willingness to jump and participate. I guess I got that from her.
2009
Mom & Helen Waldroup respond to Larada taking a picture!
Again, we were at the Branson-Trincherar Reunion, and I was taking pictures. So, I wanted a picture of Mom, so this was her response. Again she made me laughed with her raspberries response.
2010
Larada & Mom wear our Team Candy t-shirts!
Our dear friend, Candy, was diagnosed with kidney cancer, so a friend of hers made up these t-shirts for the people in her support system. We took this picture and sent it to her, hoping to boost her morale.
Finally,
I am going to stop there and continue this parade of pictures next week, to continue honoring Mom.
How do you honor your mom? Do you call her? Enough times during the week?
I had a horrible experience with my mom. In 2006, a major snowstorm hit Branson, Colorado and Mom was out of electricity for three days, basically snowed in, and I didn’t know it. When I called her, she was frantic. Luckily a neighbor dug her out because the snow had piled in on her door.
When I talked to her, I realized her devastation. From that point until she died, I called her daily.
Especially for a widowed parent, a simple daily call helps the parent know you are there. For the child, it honors that parent and helps her know what’s going on that day. Remember that!
I honor you, Mom!
I honored my mom and dad with this book, A Time to Grow Up: A Daughter’s Grief Memoir.
In the last fourteen years since Lin and I have married, we have visited the coolest places all over the world. Here they are!
Santorini, Greece
Nestled on the top of a mountainous plateau, this town spoke to my heart. We didn’t ride the mules up to Santorini, but we walked down among them. The views were amazing and it felt like a magical city.
Rome, Italy
While we were in Rome, Lin became my tour guide because he’s so good with maps. I clocked 27,000 steps in one day as he took me from one historic sight to another. To end the day, we did a gastronomical tour that required still more walking, but it was amazing. We savored the food and the fun with the guide.
Naples, Italy
We visited Naples twice on a cruise, but we didn’t see much of the city, but we went out to two major sights I will never forget: Pompeii and Herculean. Unbelievable history at its best! So, I always connect them with Naples.
Munich, Germany
The day we visited Munich, our tour guide spoke several times of places Hitler spoke at or had been at, and it resonated with my soul. I had read about the horrors of the Hitler regime, but to hear his name connected with buildings I saw as we drove by shocked me. The tour guide emphatically warned against the Neo-Nazi groups of today.
Edinburgh, Scotland
The castle on the hill overlooking the city stands out in my mind as I think of Edinburgh—so majestic, so regal. After touring the castle, we had a delightful time walking the Royal Mile, shopping and enjoying the culture. A young man adopted us and helped Lin buy a kilt and all its accessories there!
Dublin, Ireland
I booked our accommodations there and wanted an inexpensive place. We ended up in a hostel with spartan accommodations that met our needs. I had to leave my driver’s license as collateral for a blow dryer, but it was right across the street from the Guiness Storehouse, so that worked out well when we did the tour.
London, England
We saw “Les Misérables” in a theater on the West Side of London and my husband said he would never go to a theater in the states again—it was so outstanding!
Once again, Lin’s mastering of maps helped us use the subway there like experts!
Barcelona, Spain
The brilliance of Antonio Gaudí’s artwork graces so much of Barcelona, but my favorite is the Sagrada Familia. When we toured it, the structure and creativity overwhelmed me. I remember the light radiating through the stained glass windows and just walking around in a circle to capture it all.
Seville, Spain
As we watched a Flamenco dance troupe perform, I had to pinch myself. The beauty and stylistic nature of Flamenco dancing has always captivated me, but to actually be in Seville watching it was surreal! The skirts, the clicking of the castanets and the soulful music filled the air. Again it was magical and the coolest!
Óbidos, Portugal
We had an extra day in Lisbon because of an unexpected delay, so we went to Óbidos on a tour. This walled city felt like a step back in time. We enjoyed shopping and sampling goodies throughout the town and didn’t want to leave.
Finally,
Wow! As I identified these ten coolest places I’ve visited, I realized I could add to this list probably ten more. Our world offers such great places to visit! Make sure you visit one or all of these!
Our Christmas letter overflows with our busy year! We traveled to Scotland in May and Germany in September. Throughout the rest of the year, we kept busy with our two passions: Lin’s gardens and my books!
May in Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland – notice my nose!
Lin and I enjoyed two amazing trips this year: Scotland in May & Germany in September. In May, we went with two square dance couples on a 12-day tour, Backroads of Scotland, and we saw some amazing sites.
We started in Edinburgh and went in a couple days early so we could visit the city on our own. I had a nasty fall, and my face ended up badly bruised and skinned, but I didn’t miss a beat!
The tour took us to some amazing places: St. Andrews and it’s famous golf course and then on north to Inverness. The historic site of Culloden fascinated me with its brutal Scottish history. We went on to Loc Ness but didn’t see the monster. From Thurso, we rode a ferry to the Orkney Islands. We visited the village of Skara Brae and the mysterious Ring of Brodgar. We also revisited a small chapel built by Italian prisoners during World War II. Lin and I originally saw it in 2019. The next day, we enjoyed a sunny day over the sea to the isle of Skye and saw “Hairy Coos,” the red long-haired cattle gracing the hillsides. On we went to Glencoe, another site of historic significance. We ended our tour on the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond and on to Glasgow.
We extended our trip in Glasgow and had a delightful time with an international friend of mine, Eleanor, from my meditation group. Eleanor and her husband, Jim, hosted an evening in their home with delicious food, hearty conversation and Jim entertaining us on the guitar. The next day, Jim and Eleanor showed us some of their favorite places in Glasgow!
We connected with our Scottish heritage along the way! What a trip!
September in Germany
Reit im Winkl, Germany
Lin and I had signed up for a 14-day square dance trip to Germany with a square dance caller from Tucson in 2020 which was canceled because of COVID. We finally made it and what a fabulous trip! We flew into Munich and then stayed in Grassau, a small town ideally situated between all of our destinations, so we never had to change rooms! I liked that! We did day trips out of Grassau and returned each evening, square dancing often.
First, we visited Amerang Farmers’ Museum, and the next day we went to Berchtesgaden and went down in the Salt Mines, going down two slides to get to the bottom. We also visited Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s hideaway. How eerie it was to think he had been there.
A major highlight of the trip was visiting the Munich Oktoberfest! It’s a major carnival and beer party. I loved the oompah music and the enthusiasm of the participants. During the tour, we visited two of King Ludwig’s castles: one on Herrenchiemsee Island and the famous Neuschwanstein castle. I loved the village of Oberammergau where I bought Lin a cuckoo clock for his birthday. It was back to Munich the next day. Timed perfectly, we headed to the Marienplatz to see and hear the Glockenspiel. We ended up at the Hofbrauhaus and sat right across from the band—and enjoyed sauerkraut and sausage!
The next day it was on to Innsbruck, Austria. The mountains surround the city—no wonder it’s a winter sport paradise. Then we visited a beautiful mountain village: Reit im Winkl and enjoyed a Bavarian Traditional Schuhplattlers Show that night with dancers of all ages! They are keeping their traditional dances alive!
Next day, we headed to Salzburg, Austria and I felt Julie Andrews and the “Sound of Music” all around me. We visited the fortress on the hill and experienced the thrilling sound of the church bells when they rang out together in the late afternoon. We ended the evening at a Salzburg Mozart Dinner Concert!
Both of us would return in a heart beat we had such a great time!
Life at Home with the Millers
Lin continues to enjoy his garden! We hosted our second Annual Garden Party, and what a joy it was to show off all his hard work. Lin also enjoys his sports teams: the Liverpool soccer team and Philadelphia Eagles. We had the pleasure of going to the NFL Experience in Phoenix, AZ in February before the Super Bowl. His good friends, Bob and Linda, hosted us and we had a blast seeing the Super Bowl rings display, and Lin had his picture taken with the Eagles’ cheerleaders.
Larada continues to write and has released her seventh book, Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir. She just finished recording an audiobook of it in her make-shift recording studio in their walk-in closet. She also received a second New Mexico/Arizona book award for Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? in the self-help category. Larada and Lin also enjoys trips their family ranch as often as they can!
They continue to square dance as much as possible and still host the Hot August Nights square and round dance festival. They just did their 17th year!
Sad to say, they lost their cat, Jesse, this year. He was 20-years-old and had feline diabetes. Jesse had been failing for over a year. He died in October while Larada was at the ranch—what a loss for both of them!
Our Christmas letter summarizes our year every year and is a delight to write! I hope you enjoy reading it!
Do you do a Christmas letter? Do you like receiving them?
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Larada & Lin welcome you to the Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg, Austria
Days 12-15 came so quickly! We opted to stay in Grassau and explore then on to Salzburg. Then we had another free day to pack up and enjoy a farewell banquet. Then we flew home—our magical Bavarian trip ended!
September 23
Day 12: Free time. Optional tour offer—Tolzer Twirlers Anniversary Dance in Bad Tolz.
May pole in Grassau
I know most people who know Lin and I will be shocked that we opted to not dance that day but to explore Grassau. We made that decision because of three reasons:
The trip to Salzburg the next day—we wanted to be rested for that because we both looked forward to the city and the Mozart concert that night.
We had been going at such a clip, we both worried about our current health situation, and needed a break.
We had been in Grassau for two weeks, but hadn’t had the time to explore this quaint little village.
After breakfast, we walked to town in the rain. First, we went to the Information office and inquired about restaurants for dinner. Interestingly, being a Saturday night, we thought we’d have lots of options! No, we had two choices, both Italian! We visited the May Pole—each village had a May Pole that told about the life there.
Inside the churchAltarView from the park
Next, we went into the church, the church of Assumption of Mary, right across the street from the Information office. We had walked by this church often and did not know the magnificent interior. It’s amazing how this small village supported this gorgeous church, stunning and ornate!
What made it fun, too—we watched a wedding party prepare for a wedding that afternoon!
Our next stop—a steamy latte for me and cappuccino for Lin, and delicious German sweets in a coffee shop. We relaxed, enjoying people-watching and no rush!
Our favorite thrift shop we had visited earlier wasn’t open this Saturday—Heidi’s is only open one Saturday a month. Then we found out that all the shops in town closed between 12 and 1! What a difference in commercial attitude than what we are used to!
We found a nice-size department store though. Lin bought a much-needed umbrella because ours had died! I bought two sweaters—one gold and one lime green for a great price. I got a nice discount on the first one I bought.
We ended our afternoon back at our apartment, then we met John & Barb Sloper for dinner at Mama Mia’s Pizzeria for dinner. I had rigatoni with pepperoni. When the server brought our dishes, I didn’t see any round meat on my dish. I took a bite, and it blasted me out of the room. Then, I grabbed the server and asked him about the pepperoni—I found out in Germany pepperoni is a chili pepper, not meat. So, I drank lots of water and ended the meal with Tiramisu, then we went to the ice cream parlor near and Lin had his usual ice cream.
NOTE: Everyone who attended the Tolzer Twirlers Anniversary Dance in Bad Tolz raved about their experience. They had over 300 dancers!
September 24
Looking up at the fortress in Salzburg
Day 13: Salzburg: City walking tour with English-speaking guide. St. Rupert’s Day Evening – Salzburg Mozart Dinner Concert. No dance, live Classical Music tonight!
This day became one of my favorites! When I think of Salzburg, I will think of two things: The Sound of Music and the bells ringing!
When we left the bus once we arrived, I asked about leaving our bags. “Yes, that’s okay,” so we did. As we prepared to go on a walking tour of Salzburg, Kim Oxendine and Gina handed us our bags and said, “The bus is not coming back!” Thank you, Kim and Gina, for taking care of us.
Colorful Mirabell GardensArchway Julie Andrew & Kids Danced Through!
We started the walking tour at the Mirabell Garden, the same place where they filmed a memorable scene from the Sound of Music. It sent chills over me! When Lin and I got home, watched the Sound of Music and stopped it every time we recognized a place we had been—what a thrill!
The garden features gorgeous flowers, statues and fountains—and the Sound of Music!
Then we walked to Old Salzburg. It was the Feast of St. Rupert, the patron saint of Salzburg and the city overflowed, even though it was a Sunday! The narrow streets fascinated me—metal shop signs hung over our heads!
Mozart’s Birthplace
On the tour, we saw Mozart’s birthplace, “The house where Wolfgang Amadé Mozart was born on January 27, 1756, is now one of the most visited museums in the world. No other place makes the person behind the artist Wolfgang Amadé Mozart and his music as tangible as his birthplace.”
At the end of the tour, Lin and I stopped in an outdoor beer garden and enjoyed venison sausage and sauerkraut and a cheese tray. So delicious!
Cemetery in Salzburg
After lunch, we shopped some and then walked to the cemetery. The cemetery plots overflow with flowers. We visited the chapel there and lit more candles for our friends.
Funicular ride to fortress
Then we rode the funicular up the hill to the fortress overlooking Salzburg. We spent a lot of time wandering around the fortress. My favorite part—standing near the wall and listening to the bells and taking pictures of the skyline full of church steeples! It felt other-worldly!
After our great time in the fortress, we rode the funicular back down and arrived at the restaurant just as our group went in. We savored a three-course meal. The entertainment began during the meal and continued. They did a section of one of Mozart’s opera, then a course, then singing! It was fabulous!
Night time view of church & fortress
September 25
Tony Oxendine, Jet Robers & Tom Crisp at Last Dance in the Barn
Day 14: Free time for last-minute shopping and time to pack. Last dance 11 am—1 pm. Please bring luggage to the hotel lobby to be loaded onto busses no later than 4 pm. Special Farewell Banquet. No dancing after banquet—party or early to bed.
Sadly, our trip was ending! We had a last dance and enjoyed our last time in the barn dancing. After lunch, we shopped some more, and I bought a fantastic pair of shoes! Wore them to church today! We packed up our bags! That’s always a major event, trying to get all our souvenirs in, but once again, we succeeded.
The day ended with a Farewell Banquet. I thoroughly enjoyed a highlight of the evening—each person in the group shared if they wanted to share their favorite memory of the trip. It really brought back so many outstanding memories as I listened!
September 26
Day 15: Depart Grassau for an early flight from Munich to USA.
Because we had people who had early flights, we left Grassau at 6:00 A.M., breakfast at 5:00 A.M.!
Our travel day home was eventful for sure! We had delays and friends missed connections in London, having to stay a night there. We made ours, but we got home later than planned with a delay in Denver.
Finally,
Days 12-15 sped right on by! What an amazing trip we had! Tom, Gina and Curtis Crisp provided a trip of a lifetime with their experience and knowledge. If you’re interested, the next trip is September 16-30, 2025. Tony, Jet, Tom and the international callers entertained us with their great calling! Thanks so much!
I leave you with a closeup of a church steeple & fortress in Salzburg!
Our group that went to Germany
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