Jan 5 2006 -- Happy New Year!

Well Happy New Year everyone!

I haven't written for awhile. This time it's because Marco was here visiting me so I wasn't going to waste time fussing around with web pages and email. It was nice! Marco and I made the most of these gray days of Midwestern winter - we snowshoed around home and at Afton State Park. We ice-skated in downtown Minneapolis at the pretty Depot Station (renovated from an old train depot). We tried to go cross country skiing but failed to rent skis. And to warm up we cooked ourselves steaming mugs of hot spiced wine.

Marco and I spent New Years Eve with John, who is Mom's, shall we say, gentleman friend. While Mom was basking in the sun and visiting her best childhood friend in Hawaii (coincidentally much like I did only three weeks ago), John took us out on the town all week to rockin' places like Nye's Polonaise Room, the Times, the Loring Pasta Bar and Lee's Liquor Lounge. So in return we got out the fancy crystal, made him a nice New Years Eve dinner, and set off fireworks at midnight. We told him to dress up for the evening (which for us was a nice shirt), and he came downstairs in a full tuxedo! Yes! Gotta like that! John's gotta be the funnest medicare-age guy I know.

This morning Marco and I had one more big hearty American breakfast (eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, juice and coffee .... mmmm) at Dick's Bar in Hudson (a pretty fun place nowadays, only mildly divey), then I drove him to the airport. He'll be back in Paris for two or three more months until he moves here to the US. Tu me manque Hibou! After dropping him off I went and got a couple design magazines and two books about starting a small business, all to help me set up my studio and think up new designs. It's back to work and I plan to work my ass off for the next couple weeks.