Dear Friends and Family,

I can’t believe that summer is half gone. Unbelievable. When working at Salesian, we always went back by mid Aug. I will have a longer free Aug. this year. I mentioned that Clark and I were both going to take trips this summer. Clark took a business/family trip when he and Luke traveled to Tulsa, OK and Oklahoma City to meet several amazingly accomplished attorney/friend/juddges. While in Ok City they also visited the Memorial, and had good visits with Clark’s friends, Jennie and Peggy. After taking the BAR exam Clark worked for JUdge Holloway, in the 9th Fed. Circuit. The Judge still goes to work every day, and is in his eighties.

I was very skeptical about taking a summer trip back”home” to Falls City, NE, but decided to just go for it and make it work. Sarah, Ellen and I hadn’t been back at the same time for about 20 yrs. Anyway, we met in FC after we had seen friends in KC and Leavenworth and Plattsburg, and family in Baldwin, Ks. near Lawrence. It was 105 when we arrived in KC. When it is so hot, we just had long talks, and cool food in the air-conditioning. I know some of Ellen’s friends also like to hear what she is up to—-so she met nursing school friends Anne Cuppers and Pat Vassos in KC, and then stayed with Johny Stone and wife Carmalita in Plattsburg. Many of you know John, who grew up with us in FC. We first had the bad news that he’d had a heart attack, but now is doing much better, and had to have a bi-pass. I had great visits in KC with Nora Ellen Richard, a former SCL, and Sr. Ann Paula, who works with many women’s issues, and retreats. We had a great overnight visit, went to Church and had brunch, and Ann Paula drove me up to Leavenworth. At the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity, I stayed at the terrific Marillac Retreat Center, and was the guest of the Sisters, and Sr. Noreen, who is the Director of the center. For those of you in our Novitiate group, this was the Jubilee-50 year celebration for our group. If you get the SCL publication, you got to see the articles on our class members. I did get to see Sr. Elizabeth- very briefly- because she was on Retreat. I did have lunch and a great chat with Sr. Karen Guth, who was one of the retreat directors, and Sr. Ann Lucia wasn’t back from some travels. Sr. Noreen and I would walk from about 7-7:45 and then have breakfast at the MOther House. There I would see many of the retired sisters, and lots of the sisters who run the various business of the MH. Names that some of you would know would be Sr. Paula Rose, Sr. Maureen Hall., Sr. Arthell, Sr. Marie Carmel, Sr. Mary Brigid Mullen,
and Sr. Mary Hilaria, who was in FC for many years, and who I lived with several times in community. Sr. Hilaria is now in her eighties, and she and SMBrigid still take classes at our university, there, St. Mary University. I did see a number of other people, but I’m not sure who knows which sisters. Sr. Dominic was there but was not well when I was there, but we at least talked on the phone. Looking at the issues of retirement I was also inspired to see Sr. Marie Carmel making fresh fruit pies for causes and the sisters’ enjoyment and writing poetry. My other poet friend, Marilyn Page Snyder came to visit at Rosemary’s, and we had a good, but too short visit.

My cousin, Rosemary Murphy, picked me up at the MH and I visited with her and her family in Baldwin. We had just seen her brother Bob and wife Mimi and friends in the Bay Area, and had a great visit. They are from Charleston, SC., and we had traveled to SC last Nov. before my surgery, to daughter Erin’s wedding. We caught up with Jack Murphy, and Patty, her sister, and saw sons Owen, and Hugh, and new grandson Oliver, and mom Angie.

Sorry for all the references you don’t get, but I can just see various people knowing all or some of these folks. So Ellen left Stones, and came to Baldwin for an overnight visit and then we drove on up to Falls City.

In FC we stayed with Ellen’s best friend, Nancy Simon Kelley, and husband Ron, who have just finished building a new house in FC. There are a number of advantages to retiring in FC, and Nancy esp. had close family ties, and even friends from school. We were wined and dined, and had a great time seeing everyone. Larry Darveau and Jack joined us for several occasions. Pray for Jack, who is in very poor health. Sarah had gone to the courthouse and gotten a list of FC relatives, who are buried in the local cemetaries, so we had a goal of going to check out some of the geneology. We visited Mom and Dad’s graves, and put a new bouquet in the urn. We also were invited to stop by our family home, which has been kept in beautiful shape, and see the whole new backyard area they have created. Just did a great job. So good to see how they have enjoyed the house, and improved it.

Final final, my energy and adrenalin served me well on the trip. I was actually shocked to see how wiped out I was when I got home. I do feel like I am still quite anemic, but even so, all the recovery issues are going well. I think I mentioned that I was playing a little tennis- doubles and really enjoying it. I notice the neuropathies in my feet so much because I’m slow to start, and running is heavy footed. MUch better than it has been, though. Haven’t made any decisions about more clinical trials, but this is the week I am over-studying the materials and calling on the resource people. Please do continue to remember us all in your prayers as we do you.

Love and Prayers

Annie/Noel