Memories by the Mile
Logging miles and miles of memories – Music and poetry have long celebrated the joy of heeding the call of open roads that beckon. Here’s a look back at some of the roads Milette and I took by auto, motor coach, and jet. The big challenge in my photo research was finding pictures of Milette and me together in one photograph. We were always taking snapshots of one another:
Looking at us – Above left, Evelyne, Fatima, Portugal, October 1998; at right, Milette, Alta Loma, California, November 2000
Beyond the beautiful sea – Overlooking the Adriatic Sea, this restaurant terrace in Croatia, trellised with lovely blooming vines, was a respite towards the end of our travels. Photo group of European stops, October 1998
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In February 1999, Milette and I were still checking on one another’s progress in compiling our photo albums of our European pilgrimage the previous October. We had barely finished that absorbing task when we began planning her visit to Washington, D.C. Plans for May and August 1999 fell through due to our work demands; but at last we settled on November. “Shall we consider it ‘carved in stone'"? she wrote excitedly. “I am now booked on TWA Nov. 4 arriving at National 4:33 p.m. Will you be able to pick me up at the airport then? Am I really saying this? Pinch me!” Two photos of Milette’s visit to the nation’s capital are featured in the “Home” and “Our Friendship” pages of this memorial. Here are two more:
On the go – Above, Evelyne and Milette at Narbonne, on the French Riviera, before the drive to Cannes, Nice and Monaco. Upper right, at the lounge of Hotel Europa Centro, Palencia, Spain. At right, on the street outside the home of Fatima visionary Lucia, Cova da Iria, Fatima.
Capping a capital visit – At left, after a farewell brunch for Milette at the Washington Hilton. At right, a sign at the entrance of the Franciscan Monastery declares the site a “Commissariat of the Holy Land.” The monastery provides assistance to Christians in the Holy Land and ensures that Christianity thrives there. Photos November 1999
Soft landing in LaLa Land – Another flurry of e-mail planning hit cyberspace when I wrote Milette in the summer of 2009 that I was coming to L.A. in August. Milette’s organizational skills as a travel operator, combined with efficient planning by Lorna Cayco Cruz and several classmates in the area, brought a day of enduring memories. We began with a guided tour of the Disney Concert Hall designed by architect Frank Gehry, followed by lunch at Patina. Later, we toured the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and finished up at the Cruzes' condominium in downtown L.A. for afternoon refreshments.
The photographs at left show Milette (top) and Evelyne in front of a Frank Gehry sculpture in the gardens of the Disney Concert Hall. Rendered in the shape of an opening rose, the sculpture, titled “A Rose for Lilly,” is a gift from Lillian Disney’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Photos August 2009
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©1998 Photo group Europe, ©1999 Photos Washington, D.C., ©2000 Photo Alta Loma, California, ©2009 Photos Los Angeles, California; by Evelyne R. McFeaters