In October of 1992 Diana wrote this letter and enclosed Xerox copies with each 1992 Christmas card.

DIANA’S 70th BIRTHDAY TRIP BACK EAST (October 1992)
[by Diana]
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Ariel and her husband Jay live and work in Salt Lake City, Utah. When we arrived, we headed for the Red Lion Inn where we had a very pleasant stay. We called Ariel to make plans for the next day. Richard had an appointment for an interview with the head of Xerox in the Salt Lake City office for a possible job in their Document Management Operations.

The next day, Ariel met us at Xerox and took us on a tour of Salt Lake City, starting with her offices nearby. Ariel is the head of Tempest Reporting, Inc. … a Court Stenography service she founded over a decade ago. While in her office, we saw the sculpture in
marble of Hokusai’s “Wave” that Aunt Selma sculpted for the office. Although we had seen it in San Francisco, it wasn’t quite finished at that time, so we were happy to have seen it in its completed form.

Ariel took us to see the Mormon Temple, the State Capitol, the University of Utah, where Jay works, some of the canyons and then took us to an overlook where we could see the expanse if Salt Lake City below us. We could envision the land where Joseph Smith decided to settle … truly impressive.

The next morning early, we took off for Cincinnati, the second leg of our trip back East. We boarded the flight and, after takeoff, our thoughts turned to Tony Rocha, our vest pal who is a Flight Supervisor with Delta Airlines. Richard had prearranged for Tony to meet us in Buffalo and we wondered if he’d make it. I thought I’d ask the stewards and stewardessess if they knew Tony but they told me that there were 18,000 of them working for Delta and, unless I knew where he was based and they had been based there for a while, most likely they wouldn’t know him.

After lunch was served and the and the carts were cleared away, Tony Rocha appeared like magic at the side of our seats crouched down! He handed me a gift with a card and a Birthday kiss!!! Well, that was the biggest surprise I’ve ever gotten while up in the air over the middle of the country! We asked him how on earth he appeared in mid-air???

He said he watched us board and then hid out in first class until the flight was well under way. He managed to go cross country to Portland, Oregon, and then catch a direct flight to Salt Lake City where he was able to board our flight. What a maneuver!!!

It was a good thing that Tony was with us when we had to board for the flight from Cincinnati to Buffalo because we didn’t have much time to go from one gate to the next and Tony knew the way! We all ran to get on board and did make it with a little time to spare. Of course, Tony was flying Space Available and we sweated that out!

After a comparatively short flight, we landed in Buffalo. This was where O.V., my kid brother, was supposed to meet us. Tony told us to turn right when we got off the ramp from the plane. The scene that greeted us was unbelievable … there was a crowd of people with Groucho masks (big eyebrows, big noses, big square moustaches), smoking fake cigars and a big sign that was held up reading “M/M Phree3ly” (the “3” is silent!) !!

After a few moments we realized it was O.V. and his girls and their children and children-to-be plus Jack and Ginny Masi, our long-time friends from Buffalo! What a great, great surprise!!! By the way, the airport was up for grabs after this display of family unity!

When all the laughs and picture-taking were over, we all headed for Jacobi’s Restaurant for my birthday supper. My nieces in order of appearance are Evelyn, Jeannie, Ruthie and Marianne. Jeannie showed up later at Jacobi’s because she had to drive all the way from Barberton, Ohio. It was incredible to see “my Girls” all grown up … like fast-forwarding to the future. When last I saw them, they were not even teen-agers.

Evelyn is married to Dr. Paul Tenser, Professor of Anatomy at the University of Buffalo. They have two children, Jenny Ruth and Nicholas. Evelyn will be a doctor in four years.

Jeannie is married to Jeff Graves, who fashions beautiful stained glass lamps as Tiffany once did. She works for the US Post Office and can drive while standing on her head! They have two boys, Bernie and Jeffie.

Ruthie is working for Ecology-Environment Inc., in Buffalo at the present time. She had been working for the County for a number of years. She is active in her Church work also.

Marianne is married to Bill Anna, an electrical engineer and a super-mechanic. They are expecting their first child in Jan./Feb. of 1993. On Sunday morning, Jeannie and Jeffie picked us up and took us to Niagara Falls. Richard had never seen them except from the air on a trip to Rochester, so he was curious to see what they looked like close up. I also hadn’t been to the Falls for years and wanted to see them again.

We crossed to the Canadian side in order to get the best view. Of course we had to stop at the other end of the Bridge to go through Customs. It was a brisk but sunshiny morning, reminding me of the cold weather in the East. I loved it because California is always warm!

We took the long way back via the Pearce Bridge through lovely residential areas ’til we eventually got back to the United States. Of course, we all congregated for supper and, after a sad farewell to Jeannie and her boys (and Tina, Bernie’s girl, who came along too), we all ended up at Marianne’s and Bill’s darling house where we got caught up on all the family!

Naturally, we got to bed late at the hotel. Ruthie and Evelyn came back with us and we talked ’til three the next morning! Tony stayed at the same hotel, but we said goodbye earlier because he had to fly to Florida the next day and then on to Paris, France. We
were awakened the next day by Marianne and Bill, who had come to have breakfast with us before we left Buffalo. Of course, the alarm didn’t go off and we had egg on our faces! I had to get dressed, pack and then meet them in the dining room! Was my face red!!!

O.V., Evelyn and Ruthie met us in the dining room and we all had breakfast together before our teary farewells to the girls and Bill. Then O.V. loaded our bags into Quentin Quantum, one of his cars and he drove us to Rochester, where we had lunch at the Red Lobster, a place that I’d wanted to visit for awhile. We weren’t hungry but I did have a delightful Strawberry Daiquiri and some fabulous little cheese muffins that I tried to duplicate immediately upon our arrival home. I called three chefs long-distance to get the recipe but finally had to figure it out myself! We WILL hit the Red Lobster here for
the recipe!

After lunch, O.V. drove us to all the houses in which we’d lived as children. It has been my ambition for a number of years to see the old neighborhoods again before I die. Amazingly, most of the houses were the same as I remembered … the streets were being widened and a lot of the old trees had been replaced by new trees. But the old candy store was still there on the corner of Pershing Drive, and O.V. said Joe McConnell, the proprietor, was still alive, but very old. Of course, everything was still the same, and yet not the same. I wondered where all our old pals had gone. As Tom Wolfe said, “You
Can’t Go Home Again.”

We then went on to supper at a nice restaurant at Watkins Glen, and after supper, O.V. drove us to The Barn, his place in the country at the head of Seneca Lake. It’s a magnificent property and now boasts a runway for radio-controlled planes plus a redecorated upstairs bedroom with a huge picture window overlooking Seneca Lake … no obstructions of the view. O.V. and I played duets … loudly! … he on the “Mighty Wurlitzer” (Rodgers) and me on the piano. Boy, were we magnificent! It was a real lease-breaker.

The next morning we rose early to drive to Bethlehem, PA., where Mary and Lizzie were waiting for us. It was a beautiful drive … all the autumn leaves were turning to brilliant reds and yellows over the rolling countryside. When we arrived at Mary’s and O,V.’s house, Lizzie came out to welcome us and, naturally, we romped and rolled on the floor and galumphed about the house! She is such a pretty little (she’s BIG now!) Bundle of Joy that I couldn’t stay away from her. I’m certain I’d want to play with her all the time if I had my druthers.

We got cleaned up and had a chance for a visit with Mary before we had to leave for the Skweir’s home. Leon and Betty are Beautiful People. For years, we’ve corresponded and spoken on the phone with them so, naturally, we were very anxious to meet them in person! Well, they didn’t disappoint us in our expectations. Dr. and Mrs. Skweir greeted us at their front steps, we hugged and hugged, and my mission was accomplished! After a lot of laughs, we were treated to a grand assortment of canapés, prepared by Betty along with great champagne. I was presented with an unusual but much-appreciated Birthday gift, and a grand tour of their Star-Quality home, complete with a fantastic Steinway Grand piano, which Leon allowed us to touch. What a tone! And Leon had just put in a pergola that was visible from their living room window. It was decorated with tiny lights that gave it a festive look … something that I think enhances a house no end!

The grand finale to my Big Day took place at the Lehigh Valley Country Club, where the Pezzis and the Skweirs are members. They play golf and take part in the tournaments and have won trophies a few times … so we are very proud of their accomplishments.

Mary made me a tremendous confection of cake … a Venetian Custard Crunch cake … decorated with a Gondola on top and a Pole next to it. It was covered in meringue and baked before we left for the Club. Had I been in charge, it would have ended up all over the back seat of the car. I don’t know how Mary can keep her composure at times like that! She is so Co-o-o-o-l! Well, after a great dinner of REAL LOBSTER with REAL BUTTER, the wonderful cake, the laughs and my lack of decorum and a few drinks, I can truthfully say this was the best Birthday ever! My gold-plated thanks to all who made this possible!!!

The next morning we reluctantly got on the plane and headed home via Atlanta and Salt Lake City again. And, yes, it was hard to get back to reality again! I invited my neighbors over to see all the great gifts I got and to show them the pictures of our trip and they were duly impressed. I’m glad I don’t have to plan the encore for the 80th Birthday Bash!!!!

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Note: The last sentence above, re-reading it a quarter of a century later, makes me wonder what Diana meant. Was she anticipating not being well enough to plan anything a decade later? (Her calendar shows October 24, 2002 we had lunch at her favorite restaurant in Sunnyvale, the Country Gourmet and she spoke by phone with Tav and Anna.)

She did plan her 71st Birthday Bash in 1993: a trip to the big island of Hawaii with helicopter tour over the caldera of the volcano (she said it was her “big candle”), views of molten lava beneath the ocean still steaming from the red-hot flow after several weeks and, on the way back to the Hilo Airport, various waterfalls not visible to people without aerial vantage. Diana likened that experience to climbing staircases with floral sights unique to the island.

She said that, as good as the National Geographic footage is of the volcanic activities using telephoto lenses, there is no substitute for being above it in person so you can smell the sulfur and, even in the air-conditioning of the helicopter a mile above the lava, feel the heat beneath your feet. Beyond that, she said the perspective is also only possible when in the helicopter so you can see how small we mere mortals are compared to the scale of power exhibited by nature.

The only slight drawback to the trip was that, shortly after our arrival, Diana developed a cold. Still she said that the ride over the volcanic formations afforded her among the most fascinating sights she had witnessed anywhere well more than offsetting the temporary nuisance of the cold. Her exact summation was, “Let any repo guy try to recoup anything from my memory bank!”

This synopsis of the 1993 trip is provided because i find no copy of the letter Diana wrote and enclosed with the Christmas cards.