⛷️🏔️🥾🚴‍♂️🏋️ Reliving 2023 🎾🛺🚤🌵👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Happy New Year

from Barbara & Stan Levine

Stan & Barbara at 11,053’ at the top of Mammoth Mountain in December 2023

2023 was an unusual year for us. Half of it was filled with Family, Sporting & Social activities in our local Hills & Beaches and at our vacation homes in the Mountains & Desert in California.

Most of the latter half of the year was consumed with health difficulties experienced by both of us and our 17-year-old dog Ginger. During that time, our travel plans had to be canceled, including Barbara's annual Family Reunion in Michigan in July.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Holiday Party Last January 🏡

For the first time in a long while, we had all of our three kids and five granddaughters and their significant others together at one time at our annual family gathering last January.

Our Family Holiday Party at Our Home in January 2023

Upper left: Stan on the right with his daughter Tiffany and son Dave

Upper right: Barbara with her son Mike

Lower left: Stan's four granddaughters – Tiffany's daughters Jessica & Juliet with Dave's twin daughters Sammy & Maddie (inset on upper right)

Lower right: Barbara on the right with her granddaughter Charlotte and Barbara's sister Liz

🚴‍♂️🥾🎾🥋🏋🏻‍♀️ Activities Around Our Home Base ♜🥧🚜🔥

When we are home in Rolling Hills in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, we lead an active lifestyle. Stan plays tennis three times a week, does Tai Chi one day, and walks the dogs on our horse trail at least once a day (sometimes Barbara joins them). We try to bike along the SoCal beaches, as well as hike the trails of Palos Verdes Peninsula with a group called The Wandering Jews once a week.

Our personal trainer (also a medical doctor) works us out in our gym in our stable – three days a week for Barbara and once per week for Stan.

Some of Our Local Athletic Activities in 2023

Upper left:  Stan at Torrance Beach at the beginning of our usual bike ride

Upper right:  Barbara at the helm of her son Mike's new 34' Catalina sailboat

Center: Stan with our personal trainer in our stable gym. Jennifer is showing off the 5 medals she won in a recent International Bikini Muscle Contest.

Lower left:  Barbara rock climbing at the Sender One gym near the LA airport

Lower right:  Barbara with our Boxer Henry on a hike on top of the cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula

We also have regular social activities, as well as occasional parties. Stan has Breakfast with the Boys on Saturday mornings. When we aren't biking on Thursdays, Barbara meets in El Segundo with a group of ladies formerly called the Pandemic Pod (the name has recently been changed to The Fruitcakes, because we are all sweet and a bit nutty at times).

Since we live on an acre and a half of hilly land with a multitude of fruit trees and vegetable gardens, Stan is constantly working in the fields, either with his tractor or climbing up and down the hillsides pulling weeds, fixing broken water pipes, etc.

We occasionally BBQ down below in Stan's retreat. Our favorite pastime is playing 2-3 games of chess with each meal.

More Local Activities in 2023

Upper left:  Stan hauling rocks with his tractor below our stable

Upper right:  Barbara with cherry and apple pies she just spent the afternoon preparing from scratch – using cherries she picked from the cherry/dairy farm she was raised on in Michigan and apples from our trees

Middle left:  Barbara (center rear) at the weekly gathering of the Pandemic Pod on the 'terrace' (aka driveway) in El Segundo

Middle right:  Stan and Barbara (on the right) from a photo in Stroll magazine at a neighborhood gathering at the Shade restaurant in King Harbor in Redondo Beach

Lower left:  Stan firing up the stone fireplace that he built out of our rocks in his retreat below our house

Lower right: Barbara playing chess during the BBQ dinner that Stan prepared in his fireplace

In December, another of Barbara's missives (life stories) was published in the Stroll Rolling Hills magazine. This one recounts our treks in Africa in 1989 in search of the mountain gorillas.

There we were, you wouldn't believe it! We thought we were going to die! We were face-to-face with a humongous 550-pound Silverback gorilla, who was charging directly at us, roaring as he came!

Click on the photo on the left to read my entire missive. You can also read the abbreviated version in the magazine by downloading the pdf file below.

Dec_2023_Stroll_Rolling_Hills Gorilla-Shade articles reduced-final

.pdf

Download PDF • 3.67MB

To wrap up our local activities, below are photos featuring two granddaughters who are currently studying in universities out of the state or country.

Granddaughters in College Out of State/Out of Country in 2023

On the left: Barbara and granddaughter Charlotte (age 18) wearing their Michigan State University Spartan shirts. Charlotte is a Freshman at MSU, where Barbara graduated 62 years ago in 1962 with her BS degree in electrical engineering.

On the right: Jessica (age 20) and grandfather Stan. Jessica, who is enrolled locally at Pepperdine University in Malibu, is spending her Sophomore year at the University of Heidelberg in Germany as part of their study abroad program.

🌨️⛷️Snowbound in the Mountains in Early 2023 🎿❄️

We normally spend a week during each of 9-10 months a year at Mammoth Mountain. It is an eight-hour drive for us in the Tesla with our two dogs. That's counting a stop for breakfast and two stops to charge the car while we walk the dogs and have lunch. Barbara does most of the driving – she doesn't trust Stan's failing eyesight on the crowded freeways or mountain highways.

In the winter months, Stan does the skiing – Barbara hasn't been able to ski or play tennis for 16 years since she started having body parts replaced. In the late spring through fall months, we take Barbara's electric adult Trike along and ride bikes or hike.

Mammoth experienced an all-time record snowfall in the 22/23 winter season with over 700 inches (58 feet) at the main lodge and 900 inches (75 feet) at the summit. An epic blizzard dropped 6-9 feet of snow during 5 days when we were there in January!   We were snowed in for two days, with the roads home and even up to the main lodge impassable! Unable to ski, Stan spent his days shoveling out the car every couple of hours.

At Mammoth in Early 2023

Upper left:  The sidewalk with snow banks between our condo on the left and the street on the right

Upper right:  Barbara walking our dog Ginger behind our condo in a snowstorm

Middle left:  The snowbank in front of our living room window with just a few inches of visibility when seated on the couch – you couldn't see out when standing

Middle right: Our dogs walking on a plowed path up the snowbank behind our condo – the snow is up past the roofline of the second story

Lower left: Stan & the dogs in the condo living room while we were snowed in

Lower right:  Stan getting into the outdoor covered jacuzzi at our condo complex

In the evenings, we were gathered with the members of the On the Hill Gang Los Angeles (OHGLA) who were able to make it to the mountains. The roads in Mammoth Lakes village were passable with chains.

During the three weeks we spent at Mammoth from January through March, Stan only got in one day of skiing out of the 15 ski days were were there. Living in our first-floor condo was like living in a tunnel – we could only see a few inches of sky at the top of the window if we were sitting on the couch. The snow completely covered the bedroom windows.

Finally in April, Stan was able to ski a full five days.

In May, we spent a week at Mammoth, but Stan had no one to ski with. At this time of year, he would normally ski for two hours in the mornings and we would ride our bikes in the afternoon. However, we didn't want to haul my 75-pound Trike to the mountains when we didn't know if the bike paths would even be clear to ride. Instead when Stan finished skiing, we walked the dogs and went into the outdoor jacuzzi. One day, Barbara got her free season pass (for those who are 80+) and rode the gondola to the top of the mountain.

At Mammoth in May 2023

Upper left:  Barbara at the top of Mammoth Mountain. Normally the sign is 15' above her head.

Upper right:  View of the gondola from the top of Mammoth Mountain

Lower left:  View from the gondola of the top of Chair #3 and McCoy Station below it on the left. McCoy Station is halfway up the mountain.

Lower right:  Stan walking the dogs in a park a half-mile from our condo

⛷️ The Desert 🎿

We usually spend a week each month, excluding July-October when the temperatures are too high, at our place in the desert in Indio, 30 miles east of Palm Springs. We own a lot at the Motorcoach Country Club where we keep our 36' motorhome that we use as a bedroom. We have our own waterways, a dock and an 18' electric boat, tennis/pickleball courts, a golf cart and a 9-hole golf course (which we don't use). There are three swimming pools, a gym and a large clubhouse/dining room.

In previous years, we added a small Casita and a large Shade Structure, which has one solid wall and large retractable sunshades on the other three sides. Over the summer, our contractor enhanced the Shade Structure by adding four large, sliding-glass doors on three sides, as well as air conditioning.

We always expect to find a couple of things that have failed after the place sits in 110+ degree heat through the summer. But this time, when we went out on our first trip in the fall in November, we found a disaster – almost nothing functioned, including the motorhome! We couldn't start the engine or put out the slideouts. In the shade structure, most of the outlets didn't have power (so no TV or music) and the fan was broken. The refrigerator didn't work, the golf cart (which we store in the shade structure when we leave) wouldn't start, the new sliding-glass doors wouldn't lock, etc., etc.

Scenes from the Motorcoach Country Club in the Desert in 1923

Upper left:  Barbara on her Trike with dogs Henry & Ginger (in the bucket seat). Seventeen-year-old Ginger needs a lift after running beside Barbara for a mile.

Upper center: View of our newly glassed-in Shade Structure on our lot with our newly painted boat at our dock on the left

Upper right: Stan with Ginger & Henry on the rear of our golf cart in front of our Casita

Center: Close-up of our glassed-in Shade Structure

Lower left: Stan on an elliptical trainer in our fitness center

Lower center: Barbara at the helm of our 18' electric boat with Henry in his favorite position.

Lower right: Barbara on the left front in the large pool during a water aerobics workout session

By the time we returned in December, most things were fixed. A new refrigerator and new boat cover were delivered, and we got new carpeting for for our recently painted boat. The sliding glass doors retain the heat well and dust no longer covers everything inside when we are away – it now feels like we are living in a home instead of camping outdoors. And we now have a tall glass entry door instead of having to open a shade to enter!

💔 Health Difficulties 🏥

Three health events greatly reduced our active life during the last half of 2023, but at year's end, we are fully back into our normal busy schedules.

🧗‍♀️ Heart Attacks 💔!! – In early June, we were rock climbing with daughter Tiffany and granddaughter Juliet in a gym near the Los Angeles airport. Thirteen-year-old Juliet was belaying me while Tiffany was giving a lesson.

The easy route that I usually climb was in use, so Juliet started me out on a more difficult one. The holds were spaced further apart and my legs didn't have the strength to lift my body up, so I was straining mightily while using my arms to pull myself up.

After a dozen or so feet, I started having bad chest pains. I thought that I had just pulled some chest muscles, and I ignored the pain because my heart had always checked out perfectly.

I asked for mercy and Juliet let me descend. I went to the easier route and made it to the top. I still had bad chest pains, but I didn't say anything to anyone.

Although still in a lot of pain, I went sailing with my son Mike the next day on his new 34' Catalina sailboat. I finally had the blood tests that my doctor requested – when he saw the results, he said I was having a massive heart attack and to get to the ER immediately!!

Read all about it in my missive titled 🧗‍♀️Rock Climbing, ⛵️Sailing & 💔Heart Attacks💔!! by clicking here.

I was admitted into the hospital and kept for two days. Three days later, Stan had to call 911 when I started having strong chest pains once again. This time I spent four days in another hospital.

Fortunately, I had no blockages – the doctors said my heart damage must have been caused by a viral infection, although none were ever detected. It has taken me the last half of 2023 to almost fully recover.

🏥 Prostate Cancer 🦀 – Meanwhile, Stan was diagnosed with an aggressive malignant tumor on his prostate. Fortunately, it had not yet spread to other parts of his body.

In the fall, Stan had to travel 2 hours south to San Diego for CyberKnife radiation treatments.

Stan beside the CyberKnife gigantic robotic arm which directs high-dose, focused radiation beams at a cancerous tumor

Daughter Tiffany drove him on the first one-day trip in September.

I finally felt up to driving him on the last two trips for 2 days and 5 days respectively in October. We took our two dogs with us and rented Airbnb bungalows with enclosed backyards.

So far, the CyberKnife procedure appears to be a success.

🐕 Ginger's Malignant Tumor 🦀  –Ginger, our 17-year-old Australian cattle dog, has undergone surgery four times in the past 2 years to remove a malignant tumor the size of a fist on her left thigh. Each time it grows back after several months because it is embedded in the muscle below. Her last surgery was in early December – she just has too much life left in her to let her suffer or put her down. She has also been wearing diapers for the past couple of years.

⛷️ Stan, The Legend! 🎿

Every December since Barbara had to stop skiing in 2008, Stan signs up for a week of skiing at Mammoth with the Ski/Ride/Race Camp. He has been skiing with the same group of mostly ladies and the same instructor for years. The females love to have him ski with them in spite of his vision impairment – it is best if he can follow someone else in poor visibility.

This year, he almost decided not to go – he wasn't sure if his eyesight was up to it and he didn't want to hold anyone back. But the ladies kept pressuring him to go, so he decided he would take a couple of runs with the group to see how it went.

The instructor they normally have for the week had been injured when struck by a moped in Cambodia and was unable to ski for awhile,

Stan is in the blue outfit between the ladies in the middle of his Ski/Ride/Race Camp class, consisting of nine students and two instructors.

She split the group of nine in two and found two other female instructors to take her place.

Well, Stan was not only able to keep up with the group, but the instructors named him The Legend! When he asked them if that was because he was so old, they replied, "No, it is because you ski so beautifully that we can't find any fault with your technique!" They even wanted him to take the test to qualify to be an instructor himself!

View a video of The Legend skiing down an easy run from halfway up the mountain by clicking on Stan's photo on the left.

Even though Mammoth had only a 13" base in December with half of the runs open, the weather was beautiful the entire five days and Stan had a great week of skiing. Barbara was happy to be able to see the mountain again from her seat in the condo with no snowbank blocking her view. What a change from the first three months of this year!

Scenes from Mammoth Mountain in December 1923

Upper left:  View of Mammoth Mountain from our condo

Upper right:  Statue of Woolly Mammoth at the main lodge

Lower left:  Stan beside his locker in the main lodge – he has Locker #1!

Lower center:  Stan and Barbara in front of Woolly Mammoth at the top of the mountain

Lower right:  Stan and Barbara at 11,053' at the top of the mountain

🌊🩱 A Blast From the Past 🐚☀️

1978: Stan and Barbara, 45 years ago, in front of the Either-Or Bookstore

in Hermosa Beach, CA

This is my favorite photo of the two of us, taken after we had been dating for three years. We started dating in 1975, and have been together for 49 years now – including 17 years of dating and 32 years of marriage.

Have a Wonderful 2024 and Beyond!!!