Here are a couple pictures of when Dad came to visit me in Austria. Sadly, these are the only ones we took...

Euckre Anyone??

Winter Time

The Nichols Chillins'

Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult. -- Charlotte Whitton

Kathleen was subjected to her first review. The review comes in from the Watertown Daily Times. Watertown is the city that is 2 hours to our West and is the community surrounded by the Thousand Islands and the U.S. Army Base, Fort Drum. The review complements the staff, Kathleen, the chef and Luis' design. Here are some excerpts:









Luscious lunches in NNY

There is a stunning new bistro open in downtown Malone next to the Courthouse. St. Lucia's Cafe is utterly stylish and intimately cozy. A historic building -- originally a coffee roaster and confectioner factory in the early 1900's -- has been restored to its original brick walls and dark wood floors. Modern lighting fixtures hang from the high, blacked-out ceiling. Heavy duty chairs, tables and couches are scattered throughout the spacious eatery.

It's open for breakfast and lunch, with a hip menu. For breakfast you can enjoy eggs Benedict, sweet and savory crepes, create-your-own omelets, and the quiche of the day. Lunch includes soups and salads, sandwiches and paninis, delectable desserts and all the fancy coffee drinks.

We stopped by for lunch and couldn't believe the crowd, considering St. Lucia's has been open less than a month.

Bruschetta was exactly as described...

From here, the reviewer describes the food which is all wonderfully reviewed, even down to, "...the apple pie, which arrived at the table warm without our asking. Nice touch."

He continues: Congratulations to owner Kathleen Nichols, a stay-at-home mom for more than 20 years, for her vision in filling a void in Malone. Judging from the number of customers there the day we visited, she's got a hit on her hands. Kudos, also, to chef Jamie Dupra, an 18 year veteran of Lake Placid's Adirondack Steak and Seafood, for designing and executing a perfect bistro menu. And to the staff -- at least a half -dozen waitresses who were efficient, knowledgeable and personable.

So, there you have it. Kathleen and Luis are a hit.

We were also happy to host our Christmas meal at the cafe with Anne and Rene. For the first time since Summer, Maureen, Claire, Paul, John, Veronica and Magdalene were together with us and Kevin, Pam, Alex and Grace and we had a great time.

Other great news is that Claire is healthy. The health problems that had burdened her just before this last semester have miraculously healed and she is ready for her new semester which starts on my 50th birthday, January 14th.

Maureen is safe and sound in Albany. Many of you already know that she not only has the full time Grad studies in library science, but also secured for herself a job with the New York State library, which she shall work at for a full-time schedule until school resumes in February.

John is doing hockey on Saturday, bowling on Saturday and is on the swim team with meets about 1 to 2 times per week and practice each day. He usually comes in first in the backstroke and second in the free style.

Paul is writing a book. He has written it and it is now being edited by both him and Maureen. I cannot tell you what it is about, but it is sizable in length. I cannot tell you be cause he will not tell me.

Veronica, right now is screaming and teasing Mag, who is screaming and teasing Veronica outside as they slip and slide in the snow.

Some one else's turn to blog, wouldn't you say....

-- Joe