You're Such a Breath of Fresh Air

Parchment, especially, I love. So durable it can last for centuries, so fragile it can be destroyed in a careless instant. parchment is leather, essentially, but it looks and feels different because the dermal fibers in the skin have been reorganized by stretching. --Geraldine Brooks, PEOPLE OF THE BOOK 

I want to buy some parchment paper. I love the feel of it. It reminds me of what the inside of an onion would be like if it were paper. I need my parchment paper to write extraordinary letters.  

My first cousin, Liz Lucero, send a lovely GEORGIA O’KEEFE card of a Red Poppy as a thank you for the wedding gift I sent: 

7-30-97 

Dear Michael, 

Thank you so much for the beautiful cake platter.  

Sorry you couldn't make it to the wedding. 

Love,

Liz and Leonard 

Mom’s first cousin, Marie Antoinette Lucero de Anaya sent me a lovely note with some of her own photos that she took before and after the Albuquerque LUCERO reunion: 

July 31, 1997, 11:30AM 

Dearest Michael, 

I hope and pray this short letter finds you and all the family in wonderful health and enjoying the best life has to offer. I just received your great postcard, and I was so happy to hear from you. 

The feeling was mutual in meeting you and I hope I get to see you again. I hadn’t enjoyed talking to anyone as much as I enjoyed talking to you.  You’re such a breath of fresh air!  

I took a few pictures that night. I thought I’d send you a few of them. I’ve told my son, Jose Antonio (Joe) about you and he’s really looking forward to meeting you. His address is 501 N. Margarita Avenue, #F, Alhambra, CA 91801; 818-570-0750. I checked and he has no email. 

It was so good hearing from you and you’ll be hearing from me again. Take care and God Bless. 

Love your cousin, 

Marie Antoinette 

P.S. Ruben sends his regards and my daughter, Bernadette, hopes to mee you one day soon! 

I’m still using mom’s Alameda address from my auto insurance because it’s highway robbery to use my Los Angeles address. It’s amazing how much more insurance can be based on your home address. Mom sent my latest Auto Insurance card along with a note:  

8-1-97 

Mike, 

Ashley was going to babysit her brother and sister, so she picked up her things and she left. 

I was going to vacuum and dust. I didn’t today because Lauren and Leigh were here. And yesterday, I cut the grass. 

So, have fun in San Diego. Thank you for everything. 

Love you...you’re the best son, 

Mom 

On August 3rd, I persuaded Alan to go on a field trip with me to the UCLA Fowler Museum because my cousins, Krissa and Joseph Lopez (who are professional fine artists in Santa Fe, NM) had an exhibit there. That was a fun outing. I took a few photos from the day.  

I told Alan, “We should come to the UCLA campus all the time to watch the students, read a book on the lawn and have lunch!” 

Cousin Edna Garcia-Maestas also wrote to me this week from Santa Fe, NM. Her card was an oil on linen depiction that is at the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of New Mexico: Lindsay Holt II, LA MORADAO DE ABIQUIU.  

I remember my mom mentioning this town of ABIQUIU. On the card, it states something on the reverse: 

Built sometime between 1820 and 1850, the distinctive east morada at the village of Abiquiu, is the oldest surviving building of its kind in the region. It stands today as a material expression of this religious and ethnic brotherhood, strengthening the cultural identity of Hispano New Mexicans through a union of function with form, and spirit with place. And Edna wrote: 

8/4/97 

Dear Michael, 

It was great meeting you and all the other family members in person! I’m sure that in future reunions attendance will increase. Having one in Ledoux, NM next year is a great idea.  

My husband and I discussed the idea of hosting it on our property and we both realized it wouldn’t be practical. WE don’t have the facilities to accommodate campers. The nice thing is that Morphy Lake is close to Ledoux and so is Storie Lake (30 miles away).  

Perhaps a family picnic and/or camping for those who can at one of the close-by lakes is a better idea. 

By the way, “Lindsey” gave me this card. He is an office neighbor. I thought you would like it. My maternal grandfather was a “penitente”. When I was younger, I discovered a chest while ‘snooping’ filled with ritual relics. There is a morada (dwelling place) in Mora, NM that I once went to with him and my grandmother. Take Care and keep in touch. 

God Bless You and Yours, 

Edna 

“Never lose what’s valuable.” --PACHINKO, a novel by Min Jin Lee