Austin - 12/12/07

Stacie (Ex. Dir. of San Jose Clinic) invited me to be her guest today. We drove up to Austin for this very exciting event...not at taxpayers expense, by the way!!! Everyone seems to admire Cardinal DiNardo SO MUCH! We had been to Mass w/him the night before at Magnificat House. the audience today was very different & his speech was approipately directed to both groups. Today he said he hoped to make a difference in the quality of life of all people. He is most eloquent, dynamic, & charismatic. We are unbelievably fortunate to have him in Houston!

Nonnie Greets Cardinal DiNardo - 12/12/07

What a thrill!!!

Lunch with the Governor & Cardinal - 12/07

Favorite Color/Favorite Fruit

Market in Avila...the sweetest, juiciest oranges I have ever tasted...as good as a Louisiana satsuma!

Salamanca Oct. 2007

Inside the very interesting cathedral in Salamanca...a lovely town to stroll around.

Avila, Portugal Nov. 2007

"The sausages were hung from the ceiling with care...In hopes that a shopper soon would be there"
Corny, of course, but irresistible! A typical Spanish market where we were the only non-Spaniards. Our mission was to buy saffron to make the paella, which I have not yet done. Oh, well.

Fatima, Portugal- October 2007

Another picture from Fatima. The penitents "walk" several hundred yards across the concrete courtyard to the Shrine of Fatima in atonement for their sins.

Fatima, Portugal- October 2007

This is the spot where Mary appeared to the 3 little children. It was awesome for me to be there. I knelt on the concrete & said the rosary & cried. It is 58 years since I first heard the story of Fatima and here I was! Overwhelming!!!

Sintra, Portugal - Oct. 2007

This was our favorite small town. We opted out of the usual "castle tour" & spent the afternoon wandering around this village, enjoying the people & an ice cream cone. Great decision!

A Portugese Gypsy

This lovely lady sold me a lightweight black scarf. It amazed me how warm it kept me on our chilly days.

Nonnie's Masterpiece

Ha! Ha! I wish I had made this exquisite paella but the bartender was nice enough to let me pretend. Tapas, anyone?

Seville - Oct. 2007

This is a beautiful garden seen from the House of Pilates, which is famous for its thousands (millions?) of handmade tiles. Seville was the prettiest city of all...no skyscrapers allowed so the tallest building is 4 stories...wide boulevards.

Gibraltar's Monkeys

These creatures were all over the place. the legend is that Churchill told the British people that as long as the monkeys were on Gibraltar, Gibraltar would remain in the hands of the British...first I ever heard of that. They are truly all over the place & I only hoped one did not jump on me. i was lucky!!!

Coast of Africa Oct. - 2007

We saw a bit of Africa through the fog from the coast of Gibraltar...exciting!

Ronda, Spain Oct. 2007

This was one of our favorite small cities on the trip. It is the oldest bullring in Spain (the world?). Our ONLY disappointment was that the season ended about a week before we arrived. Another trip, I suppose!

Oranges & Mist 10/07 Spain

Costa del Sol - Oct. 2007

Nancy & Linda luxuriate on the Costa del Sol waiting to be served "mixed fish," which included fried baby octopus. DELICIOUS!!!

The Alhambra - 10/07

Happy Fall Y'all

Lovely mid-October day in Houston.

Happy Fall Y'all

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Took this picture a few days before Spain trip...a lovely day in Houston.

Convenience at Round Top

Can modern porta-potties really be any better than this variety w/Sears catalogs readily available? I ask you!!??