Debra uses this page for sharing photos with family and friends. The newer photos are always added to the top.
Debra moved into the house she bought in 1986 - it had been a rental and needed lots of work. The kitchen was completely ripped out and both baths were redone. The rest of the house got new flooring and paint. In early July the house finally was livable. The kitchen has plywood countertops until a decision gets made on permanent solution. Mostly everything else is done except for some trim. Here are pictures showing the progress of the project for the kitchen and two baths.
Debra and Laura spent two weeks in Oaxaca, Mexico, at the Instituto Cultural de Oaxaca learning Spanish. They lived with a family, shown here with Laura, and they toured a lot of ruins. Monte Alban was their favorite site where Laura enjoyed getting Debra to climb a huge, steep, stairway to the top. They also got to attend the yearly festival of folk dancing, where troups from all across the state of Oaxaca performed.
In 2003, the 6-week bath remodel project stretched for 16 weeks! The bath is in an L-shape, with Debra's vanity visible from the bedroom. The pictures show the bath starting with Debra's vanity and moving around the L past the tub, shower, toilet, and finally Ira's vanity. The primary stone is travertine on the walls and floors and black marble for the floor trim and vanity tops and backsplashes.
The bedroom got a facelift, too, with new window treatments and duvet cover.
In 2003, Debra's parents had a celebration of their 50th Anniversary and gathered all their children and grandchildren in San Diego. More pictures of this event are on the Dolsberry Family Website.
Laura's school photos over the years
Laura and Debra went to Alaska in 2002. We shopped in Anchorage, where Laura and I both bought many varieties of moose (slippers, decorations, pajamas, etc.) and where we enjoyed the great outdoor art paid for by oil money. The city is lovely and very compact, and it has something we here in Santa Cruz do not- a Nordstroms. Lucky ducks. After the shopping, we went backpacking into a state park where we stayed in a yurt (that big round tent in the pictures). It has a wood burning stove and so the winter temperatures were not so bad. Did you ever think that I would backpack in Alaska in the winter and eat freeze dried food? I'm pretty sure that my pack had only sleeping bags in it. My nephews had to carry the heavy stuff. We packed in at sunset and got beautiful light on the mountains just as we were setting up at the yurt. About 9pm I went out and looked at the stars and said to Chet, "You're right - the stars are great here." He looked up and said, "Hey, that's the Aurora Borealis!" We got a celestial show for about 10 minutes as the "dancing curtains" form of the Aurora played along the mountain tops. It was the highlight of my trip.
In late November of 2002, Ira's cousin Elaine's daughter Abigail's son Benjamin (did you get all that?) had his Bar Mitzvah in New York City. All three of us flew out on Thanksgiving Day (airplane only one-third full) and spent 5 days in New York. We had a very full day Friday as we went to a Swedish restaurant, Aquavit, to meet my sister Karen and her husband Jim. Pictures at Aquavit below:
Afterwards we spent a little time shopping along 5th Avenue where we dreamed a lot, but spent only a little - in the Godiva store! Laura got stars in her eyes as she held up the outrageous ball gowns in Bergdorf Goodman, but at over $5000 each, I wouldn't let her try them on. That night we went to Ira's cousin Elaine's 29th floor apartment for dinner where Laura and I met with a huge crew of relatives. Ira had not met many of them himself, and the last time he saw most of the ones he did know was at a wedding around 1980. Laura was stunned by what she calls "a whole room full of Iras." After dinner, we went to see "Beauty and the Beast" on Broadway which we all three enjoyed. On Saturday, we went to the Bar Mitzvah service and a party afterward. We then got treated to a shopping trip with Ira's cousin Robin, who we did know from prior trips to NY. That evening, we had a wonderful meal at a place called just "Avenue" with Ira's cousin Robin and her two sons, Jacob and Henry. On Sunday, the big party was held, where we met a few more relatives. Monday afternoon was spent at the Natural History Museum which was right across the street from our Excelsior Hotel. That night we went to see the musical "Chicago"- I like those sorts of jazz dance moves and the more sophisticated songs. That was a packed 4 days!
Pictures taken in New York below include Robin and her two sons and Laura dressed for the big party.
Debra often visits her parents, Betty and Buzz, in Tucson where she goes to the Tucson Gem, Fossil and Jewelry show each February. Most of the fossils in the bath remodel were purchased at the show.
In 2002, Laura had her Bat Mitzvah, an occasion which brought family and friends together.
Laura's photos from 2001, some with her little rat friends.
You can see more of the family at the following sites:
Debra's Home Page Debra's Art Pages Debra's Parents and Siblings Ira Pohl's UCSC Home Page