NEWS FROM AND ABOUT THE CROMEYS

My grandson Eric graduated from Johns Hopkins last Wednesday. His sister Mary Charlotte works at Mass. Gen. Hosp. Jessica’s son Caleb is a workingman and so is Daniel, Leigh’s son. Catherine Leigh’s youngest is the last of the college student grandchildren – at Boston University.

Ann’s Mormon brother Bryson attended a conference on urban life here in SF. He resided on the floor of our flat for three nights so he could spend time with us in the mornings and evenings instead of at a hotel. Last night he treated us to dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant, La Ciccia, which had splendid and tasty food and wine. He spent his Mormon Mission in Italy and learned to love the Italian food and culture. Ann and Bryson’s sister Beau and her daughter Emi joined us. It is nice to have him here but I have to watch my language and limit my feeling up of Ann and curb my Manhattans. Those Mormons are a bit Puritanical.

I enjoy my new exercise trainings very much. I am rather surprised. I now have a series of exercises to do at home. We’ll see how much I enjoy doing those. Am I supposed to cry tears every time he gives me a new torture?

Ann has been working on her travel memoir with the delightful working title Vagabond Virgins. It recounts how Ann and Beau in their twenties travelled by themselves around the mid-east doing their best to preserve their virginity. Mormons are supposed to do that. If you want to know if they succeeded you’ll have to buy the book.  Ann describes nature with lovely picture-words, delightful events and interesting fellow travelers. She is starting this weekend on the second draft.

I continue to work on the memoir of my retirement years. The longer I live the longer it gets. I retired from Trinity 14 years ago. My working title is Joy Years. Chapters include, Brain Massage, Health, Geezer Sex, Money, Ageing, Children, Grandchildren, Travel and Death.

Ann and I are planning to go to week long writer’s workshop at Esalen in late June. That should perk up our writing skills.

I finally finished Virginia Wolfe’s To the Lighthouse. I am glad I read it. Nothing much happens in terms of action. It is mostly the inner dialogue of Mrs. Ramsay and later Lila. It does have beautiful descriptions of nature, flowers and the sea and sky. Over the weekend I’ll find a new book to launch into.

I am also half way through A History of European Art. It is eight CDs of lectures and illustrations of artists, paintings and sculpture from Giotto to Picasso. When I get through with those, I’ll view the CDs of American Art. Each lecture is 30 minutes long. I find the lectures and the art works quite wonderful.