Alice was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and lived there until she married Cliff at age 21. They moved to Lawton, Oklahoma (Fort Sill) where they lived for two years. Cliff was sent to the Philippines to help ready the forces to invade Japan. Alice moved to Albuquerque in 1945 with her parents who needed the dry climate for their health. Alice fell in love with New Mexico and never left.  They lived in the North Valley and the Northeast Heights before moving to Placitas in 1971. Alice really didn't want to move up to remote, isolated Placitas. The Merc area was grazing land. They purchased land where the library is now. They set up a mobile home and started planning the home they wanted to build. After five break-ins while Alice and Cliff were away at work, Cliff decided to start his own business - heavy duty transmission repair and work from Placitas. That building he built is now the library. During this time Alice was working for New Mexico Steel doing office work (seventeen years). In 1977 they purchased three acres adjacent to the mobile home and started building their home. It took six years, since they did all the work with the exception of the electrical, plaster and roof. The Cools purchased the library / mobile home property from the Allens and lived for a while in what is now the library. Alice had three children. Her son is retired living in Pueblo, Colorado. He had worked here for Albuquerque Public Schools as a counselor for learning-disabled kids, and now teaches jewelry-making at the community college in Pueblo. While at APS he was a Transition Specialist, then an Evaluation Specialist after twenty years when he got his Masters Degree. Alice's granddaughter Maggie, daughter of Janice, is now 32, lives in Missoula, Montana and runs triathlons. Alice doesn't have a favorite job - it was just a job. Her hobbies now are reading and walking. If Alice won the lottery she would share it with her family, give to kids who need help getting an education, and she would give to breast cancer research in a big way. Both of Alice's daughters died of breast cancer, and Alice herself is a breast cancer survivor. The person Alice most admires is her Mom. She was born with an underdeveloped hip socket so that leg was limp. That didn't stop her from going to business college, working for seven years, raising five kids and helping to raise six grandkids. She never complained. Alice's best trip was taken in 1975 when they took a tour of Europe. They toured London and Amsterdam, then took a coach to Rome and Paris. Alice thinks Venice is the most amazing manmade city, and Yellowstone is her favorite place. The one thing that Alice wishes she had done was to be an archeologist. She is also very interested in DNA / gene research. Alice's five favorite things are books, eggs, science programs on TV, nature, and driving on 313 to Bernalillo where she observes the wildlife. Alice says she loves being in nature and wouldn't mind sleeping on the ground in order to be surrounded by it. Of course Alice didn't have TV growing up but she was a faithful radio listener. Her favorite programs were Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Burns and Allen and the Hit Parade. Her pet peeves are being with people who feel sorry for themselves and people who don't listen to you. Alice used to be physically involved with the Placitas library and the Optimist Club - now she supports them financially. Due to failing health, Alice is now living in the Village of Alameda in an assisted living facility.

Judith was President of Jardineros in 2000-2001, Secretary in 1999, Chair of the Benevolence Committee 2002-2003, and Chair of Day Trippers, 2004-2005. Throughout all positions, she has been, and remains, very active and involved in Community Service, and she currently also serves on the Nominating Committee. ~WM

Judy was born in Bridgton, Maine where she lived until going to Colby College. She met Noel in Bridgton soon after walking in front of his milk truck (Noel's summer job). They married and moved to Burlington, Vermont for one year and then moved to Germany (Noel was in the Air Force) from 1962 to 1966 where two of her children were born and she was pregnant with number three. From Germany they moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she completed her BA in Economics from Duquesne University. In 1969 they moved to Orange Park, Florida.  Noel went to Vietnam from there and Judy stayed in Orange Park. They lived in Albuquerque from 1972 to 1976 and enjoyed it so much they knew they wanted to return. After New Mexico they lived in Prattville, Alabama; Boxborough, Massachusetts; and Durham, New Hampshire before retiring and moving to Placitas in 1997. They have five grandchildren ranging in ages from five to fourteen. Judy taught elementary school during all her moves and was a real estate broker from 1983 to 1997, a career she enjoyed the most. After moving many times herself, real estate was a perfect fit! Judy's favorite things to do are hiking, camping, knitting, quilting, reading and skiing. If she won the lottery, she would invest most of it and send Noel on an African Safari. The person Judy admires the most is Pearl Burns, our 84-year-old Happy Hoofer leader who encouraged Judy to get back to hiking after her hip surgery. Pearl is an amazing woman who is always hiking and interested in wild flowers among other things. She made it to the top of Shavanno (14,000 feet) in Colorado last summer when some of us younger ones didn't. Judy's favorite trip was when they went to Rome over Christmas in December, 2004. While living in Germany she lived close to Paris and enjoyed going there often. Scandinavia and Austria were other favorite places.  For favorite things, Judy lists her faith, wine, the beauty of nature, books and exercise.

Ellen was born in Lima, Ohio and lived there for 56 years until moving to Placitas. Whe was a teacher's aid and bus driver for the Marimor School for 25 years. This school worked the the developmentally and physically disabled from age 1 to 18. Ellen really enjoyed working with the teachers there. 32 years ago Ellen came to visit a friend living in Placitas and fell in love with it. The Bakers built a home in Paradise Hlls eight years ago and would come out for visits four times a year to make sure this was the place. They lived full time in that home for 1-1/2 years while their home in Desert Mountain was being built. Ellen oversaw the design and building of the home, culminating in their move in April of 2007. Ellen and Chris have a son, Dylan who works for Financial Services in Columbus, Ohio; and a daughter Kimberly who works for Valmont Industries in Omaha, Nebraska. They also have two grandkids and two step-grandkids. Ellen's hobbies now are traveling, cooking, reading, volunteering and entertaining friends. If she won the lottery she would first purchase a home for her kids here and then donate money to church, the food bank and other local charities. The person Ellen most admires is her Mom because she was such a great role model. She was kind and always taught the golden rule. Ellen's favorite places to go are to Eulum in Old Mexico and Cancun. They have been there three times - always enjoying their history. Anyone who has been to Ellen's house has seen lots of Mexican influence. Ellen hopes to get to Machu Picchu one day as well as take the Copper Canyon trip. Things Ellen would not like to live without are her ice maker, washer, dryer, books, and her wood fireplace. Her pet peeve is disorganized people. Her favorite TV program growing up was Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Ellen met Dale when she came to dedicate the Marimor School in Lima, Ohio (The Robin Rogers Day Care was the precursor.) Ellen's middle name is Dale since her Dad loved Roy and Dale as well.

Ellie was born in New York City. At age 1 ½ her family moved to Danielson, Connecticut - near Providence. Ellie lived there until she went to Brown University, majoring in Math. After earning her Masters in guidance counseling at the University of Connecticut, she rotated jobs between teaching 7-10 grade Math and being a guidance counselor in Norwich, Ansonia and Greenwich Connecticut. Ellie was at the top of her career game in Greenwich where she lived for 28 years. She worked at Greenwich Country Day School for twelve years where she ran the first computer room, taught math and ended up as Math Department Head. She used to come out to the southwest to ski and loved it. After her divorce she accepted a position at Albuquerque Academy and taught eighth and ninth grade math there. Ellie met her husband Jim in 1992 here in Albuquerque while playing tennis. Ellie has two children: Gregory is married and is a geologist living in Livermore, California. He is a well-known explorer and has been to Antarctica three times. Catharine is an artist teaching at the University of Hartford. Jim has three sons: David works in computer science, Steven is a chemical engineer with the US Navy and Eddie is a biologist. Ellie's hobbies now are sewing, making fabric collages, crafts, golf and bridge. If she won the lottery she would give money to her kids and add on to their home. Ellie doesn't think of this as a "fifteen minutes of fame" but she has had many of her students come to her years later telling her how much of a difference she made in their lives. The person she most admires is Condoleezza Rice because she is such an accomplished person. She is smart, talented and athletic. Ellie's favorite trip was her three-week journey to China in 1991. She went with a group of archeologists who were informed, well-traveled and interesting. Their guide was a teacher from Stanford. Ellie was so impressed with the Chinese people. The one thing Ellie wishes she had done was to travel the Silk Road like Marco Polo did. Ellie's favorite things are fabric, good food, books, flowers/plants and projects around the house. Ellie didn't watch TV growing up. She has no serious pet peeves. She is involved in many activities outside the Jardineros. She is a member of the golfing ladies at Santa Ana, yoga, a book club and bridge. Sports have always been a big part of Ellie's life. She didn't excel in just one sport but she has been very active in ice dancing (figure skating), tennis, skiing and golf. She was never at the top level but knew the benefits of being very involved and active. Ellie and Jim have a home on Martha's Vineyard where, for years, they have spent two months each summer visiting.   

Mary was born in Columbus, Ohio and lived there through the 6th grade. Then the family moved to Buffalo for four years before returning to Columbus for Mary's last two years of high school. Mary attended Ohio State (she is a big fan) for two years before marrying Jim McCarthy at age nineteen. Eight years later they moved to Albuquerque to help Jim's asthma condition. Mary had four children by this time and had two more children in Albuquerque. Jim died in 1975. Mary had been a stay-at-home mom up until 1970. She then started working at St. Joseph Hospital as an administrative secretary. This was back when the nuns were running the hospital. It was a wonderful job for Mary. She worked there for fourteen years. Mary married Harold Anamosa in 1983 and retired in 1984. Harold was the father of nine children who were fortunately all grown (all but two of Mary's were grown by this time). Harold was twelve years older than Mary and unfortunately had a severe stroke while traveling and died nine days later in 2001. Later when Mary returned from a trip, she discovered that her kitchen ceiling had fallen down. She called George Beall who was a builder and whose daughter was friends with one of Harold's daughter's, to ask for advice on getting her house repaired. After the work was complete, all George wanted for payment was a home-cooked meal. They married the following year in 2002. George has only two children! Mary's oldest child, Jim, was killed in 1994. He was an elementary school teacher. He also foster-parented many children, as well as trained foster parents. Mary has a son and two daughters living in Albuquerque. One daughter is a counselor, one home-schools her children, and her son is in food management for large institutions. Her daughter in Wichita home-schools her four children, and her son is head engineer for Phillips Petroleum in Borger, Texas. Mary is really proud to have raised six very good kids. Her hobbies now include playing bridge with Jardineros as well as with another bridge group in Placitas. She used to play the piano before the kids took all her time. She is getting back into that now. Mary loves music, reading and outdoor activities. Mary and Harold each had a cabin. She enjoyed cross-country skiing, hiking and white water rafting then. If Mary won the lottery she would secure her financial future as well as her families'. She would travel to places like the Holy Land and give to her church, food banks, homeless shelters, etc. The people that she most admires are our military who are sacrificing their lives so we can have our freedom and our wonderful life. In the 90s she spent two weeks in Spain, took a 27-day motorcoach trip throughout Europe, traveled through the British Isles, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and Greece on a Greek ship as well as traveling to the Scandinavian capitals. Mary and George spent their honeymoon in British Columbia at Whistler. During that time Mary ignored breathing problems until she returned to the States. In Bellingham, Washington she was checked out; a stent was placed in a major artery in her heart that was 100% blocked. Her healthy life style probably saved her life. She and George built their Placitas home in 2004. Mary's favorite things are good health, Hershey bars, coffee, the outdoors and books. Her favorite radio programs growing up were I Love a Mystery and The Shadow. When she did get her first TV, her favorite program was Playhouse 90. Mary's pet peeves are bad drivers who tailgate and political campaign ads. The activities that she is involved in other than Jardineros are bridge, the Cosmopolitan Woman's Club, as well as being her neighborhood network e-mailer in Trails.

Mary says that Orange Park, Florida, is home legally but there is something in her heart and soul that prefers the west. She loves Placitas, the Rockies and Sierras.  Mary was born in Washington, D.C., and at age eight moved to Berkeley, CA. She met Jim at U.C. Berkeley (Cal) and they married after graduation. Mary and Jim moved around the world with the U.S. Navy and then traveled around the world when Jim went to work for an airline. They have lived in Pensacola, Corpus Christi, Okinawa, Long Beach, CA and Orange Park, FL. They have lived in Orange Park since 1969. They have two children (one of each) and they each have two children (one of each).  They all live in Florida which keeps them going back there. Scott is a property attorney living in Jacksonville and Lisa is a mom living in Orlando; Lisa also takes photos at sporting events. Teaching was Mary's career. She taught third grade, English and Algebra in Middle School but taught the longest as a Homebound Teacher (in homes and hospitals where the kids couldn't make it to school). She started and designed the program. Mary's hobbies revolve around art (she loves to see art, buy it if she can and she also paints), plus some hiking, walking and reading. She loves to travel to find out about new THINGS. When Mary was between her Junior and Senior year in college, she took a 93-day tour of Europe. That laid the groundwork for her love of travel - there aren't many places that she doesn't know her way around after that trip. She has always loved Austria, would like to spend more time in Turkey and found Africa the most amazing. If Mary won the lottery she would see that her family was financially set, make sure her old age was taken care of and then blow the rest on whatever took her fancy including travel, special art and doing nice things for others. Her five favorite things not including family and friends are: mountains, travel, pretty places, good things to read, and her health. Although there aren't too many people that Mary admires she would have to say that Lance Armstrong is one of the few because of all that he's been through and in spite of that all that he has achieved - that takes so much determination and hard work. Mary didn't have access to a TV until college. When she got married, she remembers enjoying the Carol Burnett show, and her son's favorite was the Andy Griffith Show.

Pam was born in Rockville Center, New York, on Long Island and lived there until the age of five. Then her family moved to Grosse Pointe, Michigan for three years, and to Tecumseh, Michigan where she lived through college. Pam attended Michigan State University and regrets not graduating, but life got in the way. After college she moved to Washington, D.C. where she worked at Alcoa as a secretary for two years before moving to Orlando, where she was a customer service rep for Hertz, which she loved. She was there from 1972-73 when Disney had just opened and the space shuttle was so active. She got to meet Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace in her job. This was where Pam met Frank - they married in 1972 and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. When Frank's Stepdad died, Frank stepped in to run his tree business in Green Bay, Wisconsin for 20 years. This is when Pam became a Packers fan. After waiting 27 years, they finally got season tickets which they now sell to their kids.  Pam and Frank moved to Albuquerque ten years ago when Frank was Vice-President of Economic Development for the Chamber of Commerce, and to Placitas five years ago. Pam met Judy Austin at the Officers' Wives Club at Kirtland, they "clicked" and that is why Pam and Frank found Placitas. They have two children.  Julie is married and living in Iowa City where she is Program Director for the children's museum, and their son Neil is press officer with the U.S. Soccer team - he travels all over the world with the men's team. Pam volunteers in the community wherever she lives and taught aerobics at the YMCA for 18 years. Her hobbies and passions are exercise, making baby quilts, knitting (she recently got into felting hats), cooking, working in the yard and entertaining. Pam's 15 minutes of fame occurred when she worked at Hertz.  Hertz was the official sponsor at Disney World and Pam was chosen as the poster girl representative for Hertz at Disney World. There were posters with Pam's photo on it at airports and on flyers. If Pam won the lottery, she would first make sure her kids were taken care of, then set up a scholarship foundation for Civil Air Patrol cadets; arrange for endowments for her two favorite nonprofit organizations, the YMCA and the Placitas library; and finally, purchase property in Door County, Wisconsin to visit in the summer. The two people Pam admires the most are: her mom, who died at age 40; she was a graduate of Cornell and St. Johns Law School and was way ahead of her time and was very smart. Pam regrets not having had a chance to get to know her mom, as Pam was six when her mother died.  Pam's other special people are all the military who served our country because they have given so much. Her favorite trip taken so far was the Smithsonian cruise they took that followed the path of Odysseys in the Mediterranean. She wants to go to Italy and Frank wants to go to Australia. The five things that Pam cannot live without are daily exercise, hobbies, comfortable shoes, pets, and living in Placitas. Her favorite TV programs growing up were Dr. Kildare and The Twilight Zone.

Betty lived in Cincinnati, Ohio until she married Bill in 1986. Then they moved to Pleasanton, California. Betty was a Legal Administrative Assistant for most of her career with a few years as an Executive Secretary. She enjoyed her career and the life-long friends she made. Since they had vacationed in Albuquerque many times because Bill had been running a semiconductor plant in California and one here in Albuquerque, they decided that when it came time to retire, this was the place. They moved to Placitas in 1997 when she retired and built their home in Vista de Oro.  Betty has three children. Brian lives in Tracy, California and is in construction. Stephanie lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and is a dentist, and Darren lives in Sonora, California where he is a fire medic for Hayward County. Bill has four children. Bill Jr. lives in Knoxville, Tennessee and is self-employed; Bayard lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and works in the investment business; Jo lives in Quakertown, Pennsylvania and is a veterinarian; John lives in Columbus, Ohio and is in the mortgage business. Bill and Betty have ten grandchildren and feel they are very blessed that they have a great relationship with all the children and grandchildren. Betty loves fly-fishing. She and Bill fish in the Pecos, the Jemez, and the lower area of Colorado. They will frequently head off to any ole fishing hole on a nice day. She also enjoys taking photos of the beautiful outdoors and of her grandchildren, and cooking although it seems it is more fun to cut out the recipes than to actually make the dish. Betty's moment of fame occurred two years ago when her best friend from high school whom she hadn't seen for over forty years finally tracked Betty down. The connection was finally made through hard work the old fashioned way - through word of mouth. The friend came here for the first reunion and they never stopped talking. They have since met in Mexico and are always emailing and talking to each other. They will never lose this connection. If she won the lottery, her winnings would go to church, family and friends. The person she most admires is her husband, Bill. He is of the "old school'." He believes you should get a good education, work hard and you will succeed in life. He managed to serve his country, earn a PhD on his own while working and supporting a young family. He furthered his career by starting manufacturing businesses in different locations, but the businesses were more than an entity - they were family, of which the friendships and caring of each individual affected the majority of the people in one way or another. He has influenced the lives of many young people who worked for him. He gained the respect of his fellow business people, his children and all who came to know him. Betty is very proud of him and their life together. Their favorite trip together was their 3-1/2 month automobile trip to Alaska in 2001. They loved the freedom to explore the beautiful countryside on their own time. They experienced the history of the early gold settlers, the awesome breathtaking beauty of the mountains, the glaciers, the abundant wildlife, the unusual plants and the people who live there. They drove the Dalton Highway to the northern-most point in North America, Prudhoe Bay. It is a trip she will never forget. Betty loves to explore new places, things and people. Every place has something special that is not like anywhere else and it's fun to see what that might be. Things she wouldn't want to have to live without are church, good food, a rare coffee treat at Starbucks, sunshine and lively conversations. Her favorite TV programs were I Love Lucy, Life of Riley, Leave it to Beaver, etc. Her pet peeve is when people throw things out of their car windows, especially cigarette butts! Betty just completed serving on her Homeowners Board and has recently joined the Membership Committee at Las Placitas Presbyterian Church. She loves to spend time with friends and family, laughing and enjoying life together.

Karen was born and raised outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  After attending secretarial school, she went to work for an engineering firm in Pittsburgh.She met her husband, Don there and married in 1966. Three years later Don accepted a job in Charlotte, North Carolina where they lived for 36 years before moving to Placitas. Karen and Don started taking annual two-week vacations out to explore the West beginning in 1993. Actually Don was on a business trip to Los Alamos when he discovered the beauty we have here. When their intended vacation destination of Seattle didn't work out, they booked a flight to Albuquerque and started experiencing the southwest. In 2000 they decided to drive up highway 165 to see what was there - that was the end of wondering where they wanted to retire. They are very sorry they didn't purchase a lot then!  They moved into their home in Cedar Creek in November 2005. They have one daughter, Sara Lynn who lives near Baltimore. She will be marrying a wonderful guy this May. Karen has had various careers, first doing secretarial work in Pittsburgh, then she studied medical transcription in Charlotte. She was able to job share with someone so she was always home when Sara came home from school. In the late 80s she returned to school and received an associates degree in graphic design. She worked for a local magazine for several years and then accepted a position in the Communications Department of Duke Energy. She found the work challenging but very detailed and deadline-oriented. Karen took watercolor classes from Carol Frappier and hopes to continue in 2008. Karen's other passions are yoga, photography, art, and Hopi and Zuni jewelry. If she won the lottery she would do some major traveling. Karen hasn't been outside the United States yet but they have applied for passports, so traveling is on the horizon. She would also like to give money to those in need as the crisis arises. Some day Karen would like to go horseback riding in the snow at Yosemite. Her favorite National Park so far is Bryce. She would like to go there in the winter as well. Karen wouldn't want to have to live without dark chocolate, flowers, books, works of art and sunsets. Her favorite TV programs growing up were Howdy Doody, Sky King, American Bandstand and the Steve Allen Show. Back in Charlotte, Karen detested the sound of leaf blowers. Thank goodness she hasn't heard any in Cedar Creek! Karen is involved in regular yoga classes and the Library's 2008 dinner auction. Karen considers living in Placitas as their dream come true. They have met so many wonderful people - everyone has an interesting story to tell.

Susanne was born in Los Angeles and spent her pre-Placitas years in
Long Beach, Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley.  She graduated from Cal. State Long Beach with a Sociology degree. She started her career in social work before getting into real estate. She became a broker, then a Deputy Real Estate Commissioner for the government, and finally appraised and acquired property on behalf of the government. The Deputy position was her favorite because she was able to meet so many interesting people. When Susanne married Brian, they moved to Fountain Valley. Brian came to Albuquerque often on business trips. He has family members who attended the Menaul School. Susanne and Brian loved their trips out here so much that they changed retirement plans from settling in northern California on the lot they had purchased, to purchasing a house in Placitas. They moved to Placitas in February, 2006. She feels like she is on vacation every day now. Susanne's hobbies and passions now are studying world history, the history of New Mexico, anthropology and art, swimming, reading and traveling. She especially enjoys discovering and experiencing everything New Mexican.  Her fifteen minutes of fame was being on the Steve Allen Show in the early 70s. She was selected from the audience to ask Steve questions about himself and the show. If she won the lottery she would establish college scholarships for low income high school students and donate additional funds to her favorite charities. She would also make a HUGE contribution to Free the Slaves, an organization that is attempting to prevent and eradicate human sex trafficking and slavery throughout the world.On the lighter
side, she would take her friends and family on either an "around the world" cruise or rent a villa in Umbria or Tuscany for them all. Susanne admires all of our unsung heroes - nurses, policemen/policewomen, fireman and our military. She especially admires Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the former Dutch parliament member and author of The Caged Virgin and Infidel. She has put her life on the line fighting for women's rights in the Arab world. Susanne admires people with positive attitudes who take responsibility for their behavior. As for her travels, Susanne considers her trip to Egypt in 1981 to be phenomenal because of Egypt's history and culture. She was there just months after Anwar Sadat was assassinated. She was fortunate to visit Abu Simbel on one of the two days of the year when the sun is in the correct position to illuminate the sanctuary statues within one of the temples.She also especially enjoyed her trips to Russia, China, Guatemala and Belize. Next year Susanne and Brian are going on a 53- day trip that will include Machu Picchu, the Amazon and Patagonia. Susanne wishes she had been a professional dancer (she studied ballet, tap and modern jazz throughout her childhood and teenage years) and wishes she had had the opportunity to live and study abroad.  She couldn't live without her daily coffee, dear friends, books, Placitas library, the web and her sweetheart husband Brian. Her favorite TV programs were The Mickey Mouse Club, Perry Mason, I Married Joan, Maverick, and Wagon Train. Susanne's pet peeves are people who talk on their cell phones while driving, and drunk driving. Besides her involvement in Jardineros, Susanne is also the Acting Secretary of her HOA and a Placitas Library Volunteer.People might not know that Susanne's great, great grandfather, Don Pablo Melendres Sr. was one of the fourteen original founders of the 1843 Dona Ana Bend Colony/Village of Dona Ana in southern New Mexico. After meeting the requirements to establish a foothold in the Mesilla Valley, the founders were awarded the Dona Ana Land Grant in 1849, and her great-great-grandfather was appointed mayor by the Mexican government. After the war between the United States and Mexico, he was reappointed to that position in the United States government. Susanne's great grandfather, Colonel Barncastle, married Melendres's daughter. He was a California Column Company E Volunteer Infantry veteran who left California to fight in the Civil War on the Union side. He relocated to New Mexico and established the first steam-powered flour mill in Dona Ana County and also owned extensive, highly acclaimed vineyards and orchards in New Mexico. When Susanne has time, she is very interested in delving deeper into her family's genealogy. 

Karen was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and lived there until age five. Her family then moved to Mesa, Arizona. Karen graduated from Arizona State with a Home Ec in business degree. Karen and Stew
met in college and married one week after her graduation. After a stint working in a hospital as a dietician's assistant, she returned to school for her teacher's certification in Elementary Education. They moved to Munster, Indiana where Karen taught third grade in Highland, Indiana for four years. During this time she also earned her Masters Degree in education at Purdue. Then they moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho where Karen taught fourth grade for four years. They adopted their son Geoff in Idaho Falls. When Geoff was two they moved to Munich for one year where Stew worked for GRS on nuclear reactor safety issues. While there, Karen learned to speak German and tried to live like a German. They traveled throughout Germany as well as Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland and England. When they returned to Idaho, they adopted their daughter Chrissy. The family moved to New Orleans for six years, then to Jackson, Mississippi for two years (Karen earned her education specialist degree while teaching at Mississippi College). In 1989 they moved to Los Alamos where they lived for nine years. Karen taught at Pinon Elementary. They spent most of their spare time at the pool since both kids were into swimming which was a seven-day-a-week commitment. In 1998 the family moved to Rockville, Maryland where Karen went to graduate school as well as taught. She started her PHD program there. The next move was to Santa Fe in 2000. Karen did her dissertation research at Los Alamos and received her PHD in Curriculum and Instruction in 2002 from the University of Maryland. Karen taught at UNM from 2002-2006. The family moved to Placitas in December 2003 because they loved the open spaces and enjoyed the proximity to both Albuquerque and Santa Fe.  Son Geoff lives in Rio Rancho with his girl friend
Crystal and their son Owen. Geoff works at a call center. Daughter Chrissy teaches third grade at Cochiti Pueblo. Karen has two favorite jobs: teaching second and third combo grades in Los Alamos, and teaching the Masters Certification group at UNM.  Her hobbies and passions now are gardening, hiking, snorkeling, watching grandson Owen and traveling. She has two fifteen minutes of fame. While teaching at Los Alamos she wrote plays for her students in voices of her cats, called "The Adventures of Bart and Tillie." She was famous at school for doing that. Her other proud accomplishment was earning her PHD at age 55. If she won the lottery she would pay off her parents' home as well as buy homes for her two kids. Karen admires people who work hard, and are kind and generous. Their two best trips were going to China for 3 ½ weeks in 2005, and to Egypt for 2 ½ weeks in 2007. Karen wishes that she could dance. She loves to watch others dance. She also would like to publish a children's book.  Her favorite things are sunshine, mountains, plants, swimming in the ocean, and books. Her favorite TV program as a child was Mister Ed. Karen is a docent at the Botanical Garden as well as at the Touch Pool at the Aquarium, and is an active member of LPPC and a hiking group.

Jo was born in Des Moines, Iowa and moved to Santa Fe at age three. Her dad was a landscape architect for the Park Service. Jo graduated from high school in Santa Fe. The summer after attending one year at NMSU in Las Cruces she worked at the Grand Canyon as a line server in a cafeteria and a hostess in a restaurant. She met her first husband there. They married and she left college. They moved to Santa Fe, to Flagstaff, to San Diego and back to Santa Fe. After seven years, they divorced and Jo was left to raise her two children, Shawna age ten months and Jim age three and a half. Jo met her current husband John at a Parents without Partners party in Los Alamos. John has two children, John and Jesse. They are a true 'blended' family. They lived in Santa Fe, Los Alamos and then moved to Placitas in December 2000 after the kids were grown up and gone. Jo and John both worked at the Lab at Los Alamos. Jo worked there for twenty-two years in both the customer service and technical divisions. Her favorite position was Staff Assistant in a technical division managing administrative support staff. Jo commuted 5.5 years from Placitas to Los Alamos after they moved here. She retired July 1, 2005. Jo has four grandkids who are the love of her life: Christopher age six, Alexandra age four, Jonathan age four and Tiara  age fifteen months. Tiara lives in Albuquerque and gets to spend at least three days a week with Gramma Jo. Jo's hobbies now are exercising (jazzercise and walking), Swedish weaving, shopping, dining out and traveling. Jo is pretty quiet and likes to do things behind the scenes, so she would consider her fifteen minutes of fame her retirement party when everyone got to roast Jo. If Jo won the lottery, she would ensure her family's financial future, travel internationally and help others who need it the most. The people who Jo admires the most are her parents who were there for her no matter what, and her husband John who fathered her children in the absence of their biological father. He is always there for them all. Jo has two best trips: their two-week cruise to Scandinavia and Russia when Shawna graduated from high school and Jo graduated from the College of Santa Fe, and their one-week cruise to Alaska to celebrate their 25th anniversary and Jo's retirement. Things Jo wouldn't like to live without are a sense of humor, positive attitude, honesty, integrity, trustworthiness and chocolate. Jo's favorite TV program growing up was the Love Boat - must be why she enjoys cruises so much! Her pet peeves are those who interrupt, those who lie, those who do not treat others with respect and those who do not follow through with what they said they were going to do. Jo's time spent outside of Jardineros activities involve her grandchildren. Jo is really enjoying her new freedom since retirement and having the time to spend with her pride and joy - her grandkids.

Jo Anne was born in Quincy, Illinois and lived there until she was five. Then her family moved to El Paso, Texas where she lived through college University of Texas - El Paso where she received a degree in Secondary Education with a double major in English and Journalism). Jo Anne married Pete in El Paso while he was in the Army and she was teaching high school journalism. When Jo Anne was 28 they moved to Albuquerque. While a stay-at-home mom for ten years, she attended the University of New Mexico and received a Masters in Speech Communication. She also earned an Education Specialist Certificate in Administration. Jo Anne spent her working years in Albuquerque administering projects at the public schools and teaching teachers to use video as a curriculum, traffic safety, and drug-free programs. In 1990 she began her goal to be a principal. She was Assistant Principal of Georgia O'Keefe Elementary School, Hayes Middle School, and Garfield Middle School, before becoming principal of Stapleton Elementary. She was one of five principals who transitioned Albuquerque Public Schools to Rio Rancho Public Schools. Jo Anne was principal for four years after which she became a part time grant writer. Her favorite job was developing prevention programs for teens such as SADD and drug prevention programs. A benefit to still be living in the Albuquerque area is that she has seen what her students have become and she is very proud. She has lived in Placitas for fourteen years. Jo Anne has two daughters: Erika, who has four children and lives here in Albuquerque and is the Operations Manager for Winn Water; and Lisa, who has two children, lives in Phoenix and is Human Resources Director for an insurance firm. Jo Anne's passions are travel, gardening, quilting and holding her grandchildren. Her fifteen minutes of fame is watching her daughters function as great mothers. If she won the lottery, she would buy her children the homes they want, buy a 55-foot sailboat and see the world. Jo Anne admires the women in her family - they each have specific strengths as well as the gift of good humor and playfulness. Her most unusual travel experience was on their honeymoon in 1968 when they drove a sports car on primitive roads from El Paso to Guadalajara and then taking a plane with the door open across the jungle to Puerto Vallarta. Her best trip was sailing around the British Virgin Islands, and her most amazing trip was while on a summer abroad program as a senior taking the train through East Germany in 1966. The one thing that she wished she had done was to join the Peace Corps. Her dream job would have been as a newspaper reporter in Denver. Jo Anne's five favorite things are music, mountains, dogs, adventure and memories. Her favorite TV show was Ed Sullivan. Her pet peeve is grouchy old people who think they can speak for the rest of us. Jo Anne's career choices have been about causes she feels strongly about. She taught a video class at El Dorado High School that eventually contributed to the passage of the New Mexico seat belt law - New Mexico was one of the first states to do so. 

Kathy considers New Mexico her home base now but has some "homelets" that are still special places to her. One is Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she grew up and graduated from the University of Minnesota. Others include Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she spent her working years; Chicago, where her daughter, son-in-law and only grandchild live; and Seattle, where her son lives. Her daughter is an attorney and a Mom, while her son is a physician. Kathy says when researching where to retire to, they chose New Mexico because of the sun, warmth, four seasons, beauty and culture. Kathy was an RN (and still works part time as a nurse). Her favorite job was as manager of a substance abuse unit in a Kalamazoo hospital. She has many interesting stories to tell about those years. Her main passion right now is her two-year-old grandson Noah. Kathy and Alan visit every two months. Her other interests include traveling, learning about New Mexico and learning about crafts. She hasn't found her passion craft yet. When Kathy turned 60 she was wading in the Trevi Fountain in Rome without getting arrested! If Kathy won the lottery she would give most to charities after she did a lot of investigating. Along the same train of thought, the people that Kathy admires the most are Paul Newman and Bono, who have given so much to so many.The best travel memories that Kathy has are of traveling in the Caribbean with close friends. Her two favorite travel destinations are Turkey and Italy.There are two things that Kathy wished she had done but didn't. They are parachuting and hang gliding. Kathy's favorite things are family, friends, chocolate, hamburgers and the newspaper. People might be surprised to know that Kathy is kind of shy, is pretty adventurous and can be quite rebellious. 

Susan was born in Statesville, North Carolina. Her Dad was Swiss and her Mom was German. Her parents are who Susan most admires because they came to the States in 1949 with three kids under age five. They hardly spoke English and managed to purchase and run a dairy farm in North Carolina. Her parents sacrificed everything so that Susan and her four sisters could succeed. They all graduated from college. Susan was raised with the discipline of farm chores until she was eleven. Then Susan and her Mom and sister went to Mainz, Germany for a year so her Mom could get her Master's degree. Susan went to a German school. Then it was back to Charlotte, North Carolina through senior high school. Susan's first year of college was in Leysin, Switzerland which was the best year of her life. She traveled all over Europe, met people from all over the world and got to ski every day after class for four months. Since the school wasn't accredited she had to return to the States. She went to George Washington University in D.C.for a year and hated the large campus. Then she ventured out on her own by driving to Albuquerque with all her belongings in her red VW bug so she could attend the University of New Mexico. She graduated from UNM with a degree in Anthropology. Susan met George at UNM in 1971. They moved to near Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1973 and lived in a 115-year- old farmhouse for thirty years. She loved her beautiful gardens and the rural community. Susan worked as a paralegal for twenty-five years while being on the school board for fifteen years, as well as being chair of the board for special needs and gifted children. Thirty-five years after leaving, Susan and George retired and returned to New Mexico as they always knew they would. Susan and George have a son Matthew who has a business building and repairing computers in Pennsylvania. Susan's hobbies are reading, gardening, walking, hiking, skiing, cooking and baking. She loves being domestic. When Susan was seven years old and was away at 4H camp she had center stage when she performed in a talent show. She sang Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polkadot Bikini. If Susan won the lottery she and George would travel and then set up endowments for the Placitas Library as well as education programs for disadvantaged kids. Susan's best trip was their two-week trip to New Zealand when she turned fifty. They took a rail and bus tour of the north and south islands. The trip that Susan has always wanted to make is to Greece.  Susan's favorite things are books, good food and wine, her bathtub and pets. Susan didn't have a TV until 1971 and she still rarely watches it. Her pet peeves are rude people, racists and people who talk loudly on their cell phones. Things that people might not know about Susan are that she had a hippie wedding in 1972, and that she was a big tomboy. The activities that she is involved in outside the Garden Club are the library and the Happy Hoofers.

Nancie was born in Chicago and lived there until she moved to Placitas in 1997. She and Sandy chose Placitas after Nancie's cousin, Norma Libman, raved about it. They bought property in 1991, and started building in 1996. After high school Nancie worked for General Finance as head bookkeeper for nine years and then found her passion working for a private educational foundation for the next twenty years - working as assistant to the treasurer. This was her favorite job because she had so much responsibility, loved the people and appreciated the great work that they did. Nancie met her husband Sandy on a blind date in 1981 and they were married in 1986. Nancie has a son Steve who is Mr. Mom to his nine-year-old son Zack. Steve and his wife LeeAnn live outside Chicago. Sandy has two sons: Arlen is a project manager for J.M. Family, the largest importer of Toyotas. He lives in Ft. Lauderdale with his wife Liz . Neal works for a division of U.S. Bank in technical sales representing credit card processing. He lives in Tampa with wife Katie and new baby Truman. Nancie's hobbies are bowling in a winter league, playing Mah Jongg, Pai Gow poker, reading and dog grooming. Her time in the spotlight happened when her neighbor won a 40 million dollar lottery, the largest ever at that time, and Nancie was on national TV. If she won the lottery, she would first set up trusts for her grandchildren and then donate to animal shelters. One of the people she most admires is Barack Obama because he has overcome so much to be where he is today. Nancie just recently started traveling. She was amazed during her African trip in 2007 seeing all the animals outside of captivity. She also loved her two weeks in Costa Rica. Her regrets include not going to college and not finishing dog grooming school.  Her favorite things are freedom, books, having a dog as a pet, and sweets. Nancie's pet peeves are people who do not respect our environment, people who don't respect other people's property, and people who lie. Her favorite TV programs were American Bandstand and the Mickey Mouse Club. Besides bowling, Mah Jongg and poker, Nancie is involved in a monthly movie group. Nancie also enjoyed helping an elderly woman/friend during the last seven years of her life. She felt it was an honor to help her and advocate for her since she had no one else. Losing her was like losing her mother all over again.

Sally was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana. After Sally and her twin brother, Ross, were six weeks old, the family moved to Lubbock, Texas (her Dad was in oil). After the eighth grade the family moved to Midland, Texas. Sally returned to Lubbock to attend Texas Tech where she majored in elementary education. Sally and Ed met at T.T. and married in March of their senior year. Ed's first job took them to Alamogordo where they lived for three years. Then he was hired by PNM in 1975 and they moved to Albuquerque. Ed and their daughter Marie were part of the Indian Princess organization (like Girl Scouts but it's father and daughter). One of the Princesses lived in Placitas. Ed fell in love with Placitas then, but they waited until 1995 to purchase their lot. Their daughter, Marie, also a Texas Tech graduate, is married and living in Indianapolis where she is a
marketing assistant for a hotel supply company. Sally's son-in-law Matt is one of her favorite people in the world. Sally taught school for 35 years. The fifth graders were her favorite. She felt that she was making a big difference in the lives of the students and their families for the year she taught them. Her proudest moment was when her fifth graders gave her a standing ovation on the last day of school. While living in Alamogordo Sally taught the visually handicapped and learned Braille. Sally's favorite passions now are bridge, golf, antique shopping, hiking, gardening, reading and attending the Lobo basketball games. If she won the lottery she first would secure the financial future for her family and friends and then would donate to breast cancer research. The people Sally most admires are those with integrity who stick to their beliefs. Sally's most memorable vacation was their trip to Italy in 2004 which ended at Cinque Terra. They loved hiking to and from the five towns. Sally wishes that she could sing - but there is no hope!  Her favorite things are her faith in God, chocolate, wine, movies and books. Her favorite TV programs growing up were Leave it to Beaver and Star Trek. Sally's pet peeves are when someone trumps her Ace in bridge and when a well-hit ball goes in the sand trap - otherwise nothing bothers her. Sally is involved in many organizations other than Jardineros. In Albuquerque she is part of a Bible study group, a book club, a finance club, mixed couples bridge, and she golfs with the Santa Ana Association.

Annie was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut and lived there until age nineteen. After two years of college at the University of Connecticut she transferred to the University of Colorado in Boulder. Annie had never been further west than Philadelphia before she packed up her red VW Bug for the cross-country drive. In 1973 she moved to Aspen with her college roommate - they were maids in a bed-and-breakfast for a year. In 1974 Annie returned to Aspen after spending six months travelling around Europe. She traveled as far east as Asia Minor and ended up the trip with her relatives in County Wexford, Ireland. Annie met her husband Shelly in Aspen in 1983 at a mutual friend's birthday party,  and they married in 1987. In 1989 they purchased land and built a house 25 miles "down valley" from Aspen in Carbondale, Colorado.  This is when they added to their household of cats with dogs and horses. They spent their winters skiing and their summers hiking, biking and horseback riding. Annie's jobs revolved around life in Aspen. Among them was working in various ski shops and for the Aspen Skiing Company. Managing a gift /home accessory store (working for a wonderful couple who sent her on a buying trip to Paris) and as head concierge at a private Golf/Fishing Club in Basalt, Colorado were her two favorite jobs. When Shelly was ready to retire from the pharmacy business, they wanted to be within an hour of a city. They first looked at Denver which was familiar to them. Annie had run in the Albuquerque marathon ten years earlier. That and several other trips camping and hiking in New Mexico and the four corners area, and visiting Santa Fe, persuaded them to take a look at Albuquerque. They moved to Placitas in September 2005. Annie's hobbies now are skiing, hiking, biking, horseback riding. She is now learning to play golf. If she won the lottery she would travel around the world with Shelly and donate more to her favorite charities. The person Annie most admires is her Mom and other single parents. Her Mom raised seven children on her own since Annie was age six. Her Mom went back to college to get her degree in library science. At age nine Annie became caregiver for her siblings when her Mom went to night school. Although they have travelled a lot and have taken many wonderful vacations, one of the most memorable trips was to China in October 2008. Her nephew, who was living in Shanghai had been married five days before they arrived so they were able to meet with them and his wife's family and really got to know China through them. Annie has always wanted to run in the Boston Marathon - it still might happen. Things she wouldn't want to live without are her automatic coffee maker, chocolate, the outdoors, animals and the sound of birds in the morning. Her favorite TV programs growing up were The Little Rascals, Leave it to Beaver, Dobie Gillis and Gilligan's Island.  Annie's pet peeve is unwarranted cheapness. Activities Annie is involved in other than Jardineros are the La Mesa welcoming committee, volunteering at the Placitas Library, birding with the Audubon Society and building up her pet-sitting business. People might not know that in 1976 Annie left Aspen and moved to Kodiak, Alaska for two years, where her sister lived. She worked on fishing boats and as a bartender.

Nancy was born and raised in northern New Jersey. She graduated from Kean University with an undergraduate degree in education and a Masters in counseling. She and Frank stayed in New Jersey until they moved to Placitas in 1999. Nancy taught elementary school for 26 years with fourth grade being her favorite. She also was a part-time counselor working with people affected with addiction and women going through separation or divorce. After moving to Placitas, she volunteer-counsels seniors, mostly living in the pueblos. Nancy and Frank have three daughters, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren with another one on the way. Joan has three children and has returned to school so she can earn her degree in education. Pat is a Vice-President at Chase Home Mortgage in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has three daughters and two grandchildren. Teresa lives in New Jersey, has three children. She and her husband have a beauty parlor and spa, and he is a contractor. Nancy's passion now is her pastel painting. She loves getting lost in creating a new painting. After retiring she missed working with children so she enjoys working with the junior optimist club at Placitas Elementary School so she can give kids a better understanding of the world. The kids participate in food drives, make things for the pediatric patients at the hospital, writing letters for the troops in Iraq, etc. Nancy also volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul Society - part of Our Lady of Sorrows Church. She runs their monthly senior wellness clinic and is on call to help with financial or medical emergencies of those in need. Nancy also loves to curl up with a good book. One of Nancy's proudest endeavors was working on a project honoring MIA/POW's from New Jersey. She helped create awareness of their plight and worked on getting a monument built in their honor. Also, at the age of fifty, Nancy received her Masters in Counseling. If Nancy won the lottery, she would share it with family, set up trust funds for her grandkids and great-grandkids, support her favorite charities including stem cell research, then travel and of course, go on a shopping spree. The people who Nancy most admires are those who make the most of their lives, who face their challenges, struggle through them and come out the other side a better person, such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Golda Meir. She admires people who are organized, who are content with who they are and who strive to learn. Nancy also admires people who stand up for their convictions and try to make a difference in this world. Her friend Margaret does this all the time. Nancy's best trip was to Australia in 2005 where she loved snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and walking with the wallabies on Kangaroo Island. When Nancy was fifty, she made a list of things that she most wanted to do in her lifetime. She has crossed off most of the activities, but she still wants to learn how to play the piano and travel more outside the country (especially to Ireland, England and Scotland to connect with her roots). Things that Nancy wouldn't want to live without are her faith in God, her art, working with and for children, her new Prius, naps and chocolate. Nancy's favorite TV programs growing up were Howdy Doody, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, I Love Lucy and Ed Sullivan. Her pet peeves are slow drivers, trying to get through to a live person when calling a national company (and hoping you are not calling India), people who can eat anything and not gain weight, and slow computers. Nancy is very involved with St. Vincent de Paul and the Optimist Club.

Linda was raised in the south valley of Albuquerque, graduating from Rio Grande High School where she was valedictorian. Her college years were spent at New Mexico Tech in Socorro where she met her husband Ted. They both were math majors. Linda lived in San Antonio off and on for twenty years with seven years spent in Saudi Arabia. She was fortunate in that she was able to work while in Saudi. There was a great need for computer experts so her being a woman didn't hold her back. They lived and worked at the Aramco compound in Dhahran. Linda and Ted have two grown sons - one living in San Antonio married to a beautiful English gal; they have two adorable daughters. The other son lives in Austin, Texas. Career-wise, Linda worked for 25 years in the computer industry, moving from a programmer trainee up through director of new technology at USAA. Her fifteen minutes of fame would be discovering the potential of GPS integrated with GIS maps and introducing them to the company. She gave a 'think piece' talk at one of the first GPS conferences in Washington D.C. and she is pretty sure she is responsible for the concept of spoken driving directions. No one had thought of such a thing back in 1990.  Linda's passion is her second career - oil painting. After retiring in 2000 she attended the San Francisco Academy of Art to refresh her painting skills. She has become more professional every year. She even has a website www.lindaheath.com if you want to follow her progress. If Linda won the lottery she would first, of course, pay the taxes. Then she would help her oldest son purchase a larger house and give her younger son funds to go back to college full time. After that she would put enough away to fund two overseas trips per year and enough for her granddaughters to go to college. Then she would give more to charity and build a bigger studio and garden room. Linda admires anyone who has used her time on this earth to fully develop her talents, whatever they are, and share them with the world at large. She especially admires women who are outspoken and brave in public as she is actually quite uneasy with strangers and shy. Having lived in Saudi for seven years, she got to know Saudi women and Linda has a unique perspective on the values of being veiled. Linda and Ted have had many wonderful trips and continue to explore new places. They are off to Russia this summer and then in the fall will return to their very favorite amazing place - Luxor and the Temple of Karnak in Egypt. It is overpoweringly mystical to Linda. Linda wished she had learned to sail. She did learn to fly and got her pilot's license at age 29 but hasn't used it since. The five things that Linda couldn't live without are: hot, running water, a reliable car, an art community, fast internet access and chocolate (family and friends are a given). 

Ann was born in Texas, but lived there only six months. Her father was in the Air Force, so the family moved frequently on the West Coast. She graduated from High School in El Dorado, Arkansas, attended college at Lindenwood in Missouri, then the University of Texas at Austin where she earned her BA and MA.  Her love of teaching developed there, and she taught English Composition and Literature for years. Her last and favorite job was at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California.  Being closely involved with students who succeeded in spite of numerous difficulties was the best part of those 25 years. In 1975 a work/study opportunity to Egypt provided her with a truly memorable experience.  As a representative of her college in Huntington Beach,  Ann spent seven weeks studying various aspects of the country along with 21 other teachers from the United States. As a result, "Project Egypt" produced teaching modules to share with colleges in this country. Visiting many of Egypt's historical sites such as the temples of Abu Simbel and Karnak, and experiencing life in Cairo and Alexandria were rare treats that she still values. Tennis has always been a big part of Ann's life. In fact, she and
Jack met on the tennis court in Huntington Beach and married in 1976.  After enjoying the West Coast for many years, they traded it for New Mexico's captivating "Watermelon Mountain" in 1994.  Jack moved his building skills to Placitas, and Ann took early retirement to accompany him. Sharing "his and hers" children is one of Ann's favorite pastimes.  Her son Whit heads computer operations for a health-care company in Greenville, South Carolina, while daughter Leslie practices law as an Assistant United States Attorney in Alexandria, Virginia. Jack's children include Mark the "computer whiz" in San Diego and Kurt with Walmart in Fresno. Daughter Dawn who trains animals for the movies, lives in British Columbia. She and her husband sometimes fly their 1,600-pound grizzly or 1,100-pound polar bear to "shoots" in Austria, France, or other nearby countries. (As a cub, Agee the polar bear "starred" as Cubbie in the family film "Alaska.") Ann's hobbies include exploring fascinating New Mexico, tennis (still!) and reading. Travel in our spectacular country takes top billing as Ann's favorite hobby. She and Jack are currently trying to decide on their next "Hostetler Adventure": a road trip or a cruise.
If she won the lottery, she would first secure her family's financial future, then enable medical research to progress faster toward a cure for Parkinson's Disease . . . and Lupus, too, while they're at it!  (We can all be better off without the Auto-Immune Diseases.) Also, she wouldn't want to live without the amazing array of flowers we have in this beautiful world, a good Chardonnay, friends, books, and travel.

Cynthia was born in Barberton, Ohio where she graduated from high school. Then she went to the University of Akron where she met Jim. They lived in Bellflower, California; Huntsville, Alabama; and Titusville, Florida when Jim worked for the Space Program. From there they moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, where Jim earned his PHD; Penn State, where Jim taught for twelve years; Houston for six years; and Charlottesville, Virginia for nine years before retiring.  Intel made Jim an offer he couldn't refuse so they moved here. They purchased their current home in two days. Cynthia has two daughters, five grandchildren and one great grandchild! Unfortunately they all live on the east coast. One of her hobbies is to make clothes for her grandchildren, especially American Girl outfits to match their dolls. Tennis used to be a large part of Cynthia's life. She played for thirty years and taught for fifteen. She played in three leagues at the same time. Her fifteen minutes of fame occurred when she played in the national tournament in doubles and got to the semifinals in the consolation round. If she could find an indoor court nearby, she would love to get into the game again. After leaving her tennis career behind, she was manager of a clothing boutique in Charlottesville, Virginia. After moving to Placitas, Cynthia worked part time at the Galleria at the Tamaya where she had a loyal following of Jardineros members! She always enjoyed helping them find something they couldn't live without. If Cynthia won the lottery, she would bring both mom and mom-in-law out here to live, would travel more, share the wealth with family and give to the cancer and heart charities. The person she most admires is her daughter Laura. Laura earned her PHD by the age of 24, taught at Lehigh and then gave up her career to home school her three kids. She had never worked so hard but never doubted her choice. She is raising three well-behaved, composed kids. Cynthia often travels to England and Scotland for two to three weeks at a time. She also enjoyed her trip to Madrid and their train ride from Finland to Russia in 1984 before perestroika. The only regret she has is that she hasn't gotten to Wimbledon but she still has time. Her five favorite things are lattes, talk radio, her favorite robe, a glass of wine and books. Cynthia's favorite TV program growing up was Fathers Knows Best, but with brothers in the house she also watched the Lone Ranger and the Cisco Kid. Her pet peeve is being with people who don't keep their kids under control. 

Wendy was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and soon moved to Chatham, New Jersey and then to New Vernon, New Jersey. She lived there until about the middle of her tenth grade in high school. Wendy's Dad was then transferred to Dusseldorf, Germany, to open the DuPont office there. Since there were no English-speaking schools in Dusseldorf, Wendy and her sister were sent to school in St. Gallen, Switzerland, for a year and a half. There were competitions all year at Institute Auf Dem Rosenberg, so each student was put on one of two teams. The big event was the track meet in the spring. As someone who had never excelled in sports, Wendy finally found a coach who motivated her. She learned the joy of running barefoot in deep cool grass. Wendy's "15 minutes of fame" was winning every ladies event, both years, and in the first year her winning points earned her team the championship! Wendy spent her senior year in Wilmington, Delaware, and then on to the College of William and Mary. Midway through college, Wendy's Dad was transferred to Buenos Aires, and while living there Wendy met her first husband (A Texan) while on a skiing trip in Bariloche, Argentina. After college, Wendy moved to New York City and went to the Traphagen School of Fashion, taking sewing construction. She worked at B. Altman's Department Store before moving to San Francisco where her future husband was in the military in Monterey. After they married, they moved to Fort Worth, Texas and then to Austin, Texas, where Wendy's husband got his MBA. They then moved to Toronto for two years and then to Bobcaygeon, Ontario, 100 miles away, for five years, where they had a wood stove business.When that marriage ended, Wendy moved to Reston, Virginia, where she met Glenn at a singles club. After they married, they lived in Reston for 17 more years, before moving to Placitas in 2002. Glenn has sons in Denver and Arizona, and they each have two sons. Over the years, Wendy has had a number of jobs, but the one she enjoyed the most was her accounting job with Datatel in Fairfax, Virginia, where she worked for twelve years before retiring. Wendy handled payroll, insurance, 401Ks, etc., for all employees and loved helping them through their challenges. She also interviewed everyone for the company newsletter (so THAT's where she gets that skill!) and loved networking people who had common interests. Wendy loves knitting, patchwork, scrapbooking, beading, painting tiles - being creative and working with color. She also enjoys books, square dancing, traveling and hiking. If Wendy won a huge lottery, she would first secure their own future, and then would love to be able to give to people in need as the occasion arises. Wendy admires Oprah, because she has used her life to teach others how to succeed in theirs. Wendy and Glenn have had some unusual travels - the most unusual of which was in 2004, taking a week-long land rover trip from Kathmandu, Nepal to Llasa, Tibet. They crossed a 17,000 foot pass on the way. The isolated, primitive conditions made Wendy realize how blessed we all are. Their best trip was to Greece in 2001; Greece is such a beautiful, charming country with so much history. She considers the trek they did in Nepal in 2000 with friends for eight days to be her most amazing trip - the villages they walked through, the children they encountered on their way to school who put their hands together and said namaste to them, the women washing their clothes on the rocks, or knitting as they were running down the hill, the quiet lush countryside with no cars, the gentle people who had so little and were so happy. Wendy thought about Nepal every day for a year after that trip. When asked if there was anything she wanted to do but never did, Wendy said she wished she had learned to play an instrument and be a member of an orchestra or band while in school. And thinking about things she'd not like to live without (not counting family and friends), Wendy names color, chocolate, hiking in beautiful places, emailing friends, TV, and Zoe (her dog). Growing up, Wendy's favorite TV programs were American Bandstand and the Mickey Mouse Club. As for pet peeves, Wendy names people who think going through life being unethical is acceptable; and people who don't understand that our reason for being on this earth is to make it a better place because we were here. Wendy and Glenn are both very active in their Sundance Mesa community. They both participate in the functions of their Homeowners Association, Glenn being the Treasurer and Wendy being the Bookkeeper and organizer of quarterly neighborhood dinners. Wendy is also on the Membership Committee of the Las Placitas Presbyterian Church and is a Happy Hoofer (hiking group). 

Joan was raised in Chicago for 22 years before moving to Washington D.C. where she worked for the CIA for three years as a secretary in the liaison department. After getting married Joan moved to New Orleans for three years and then to Gary, Indiana, where she lived for thirty years in the same house. While there Joan taught English and writing at Indiana University for twenty years.
She even taught for two years in Malaysia while working for Indiana University in 1986-87.
Joan moved to Placitas in 1991. Joan has three children: Alan lives in Rio Rancho with two kids and is a printer; Brian is a physicist and electrical engineer working for Tyco, living in Freehold, New jersey with two kids; and Karen lives in Milwaukee and is a librarian at the University of Wisconsin. Traveling is Joan's favorite passion along with skiing and anything to do with reading and writing. Joan has been to 96 countries on her path to the Travelers' Century Club. She says she usually likes the last trip the best. That would be to Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Her favorite place was Damascus, Syria, which is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Middle East. She also loved her trip to Antarctic in 1995. Their ship was the first one allowed in that November. They almost got stranded on shore when the icebergs came rolling in. Joan's fifteen minutes of fame happened in the eighth grade when she was awarded the American Legion Award for being an outstanding person and student. If she won the lottery, she would take a luxury trip around the world and give the rest away to her favorite charities, including the Placitas Artists Series, to assure their successful future. The person Joan most admires is Alice Allen for her strength, courage and upbeat attitude. They did a driving trip together four years ago to Seattle. The one thing that Joan hasn't done yet is hang gliding - it still might happen. The five things excluding family and friends that Joan would not like to live without are good health, books, music, her computer and good wine. The thing that people might not know about Joan is that she is getting married in the fall to Simon Shima. He is from Japan and they are taking a two-week honeymoon there.

Toni was born in Memphis, Tennessee and lived there for thirty years. She did move away to take LPN training in West Plains, Missouri after her second child was 1 ½ years old. Toni's career was in nursing. Her favorite job was working in the teaching clinic at the University of Tennessee. She trained doctors to be compassionate and have a great bedside manner. She also worked for the American Heart Association, teaching CPR to health professionals. Toni was working at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis when Elvis died. She can confirm that he is indeed dead. She and husband Tom met as dance partners. After moving seven times in 25 years, Toni has settled in Placitas. Her husband is in the building business. They moved here from Arizona in July 2007 because of our land costs and unspoiled beauty. They built four custom homes in Anasazi Meadows and won two awards, one for "Best Curb Appeal" in 2007, and one for "Best Kitchen" in 2008. Toni has two daughters: Courtney lives in Rio Rancho and was just certified as a personal trainer; Brandi lives in Mesa, Arizona and is a reverse mortgage specialist. Toni has five grandchildren. Her hobbies now are planning events and social activities. She is the social director for Anasazi Meadows and Anasazi Trails and is also forming a Bunco group. She also enjoys entering her two dogs in beauty competitions. Besides being in the hospital when Elvis died, Toni's other moment of fame was seeing her six-month old daughter spotlighted on her local TV channel because she was able to swim under water and come up for air. If Toni won the lottery, she would donate part of it to animal shelters as well as shelters for abused women and children. Then she would purchase a second home on the ocean. The people she most admires are people who stand up for what they believe in. Toni's favorite trip was their ten-day vacation beginning in London and stopping in Switzerland, Paris, Venice and Rome. The one thing that she would like to do more of is travel with a group of women. Things Toni wouldn't want to live without are her dogs, her flavored coffee, makeup, a comb, and God in her life. Her favorite TV program growing up was the Three Stooges. Her two pet peeves are tailgaters and gossipers. People would be surprised to know that Toni used to be shy. She and her husband used to own and operate a 50's dance club in Orlando, Florida.

Diane was born in Cranbury, New Jersey where she grew up on a farm there until age fifteen. She lived in Belfast, Pennsylvania and Easton Pennsylvania until returning to New Jersey and graduating from Hightstown High School. Diane worked for McGraw Hill as a keypunch operator for one year and for a research firm for five years before marrying her first husband. They had two children and lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Chicopee, Massachusetts, and New Jersey before the marriage ended. Diane then moved to East Brunswick for fifteen years before looking up her high school sweetheart. They have been married for fifteen years (thirteen years in East Brunswick and now two years in Placitas). David always wanted to live in New Mexico. Diane has a son and daughter. Her son and family (with granddaughter) have also moved here, and live in Rio Rancho. He works for Stanley Doors; her daughter-in-law manages the new Jackalope store near Old Town. Her daughter recently earned her Masters degree and is a newlywed living in Ewing, New Jersey. She is an IT consultant for ESPN and her husband is a writer and teacher. Diane also has two stepchildren. One has moved to Rio Rancho also and the other lives and works in New York City. Her favorite job was as Information Technology Manager for Schrader Research where she has worked for 27 years. She still works for them part time. One of Diane's passions is skiing (in Colorado, Montana, Utah and Canada). She runs a ski trip every year for old friends. She has gone to Gray Rocks Ski School, north of Montreal, every year for fourteen years at the beginning of the season to brush up. While there she has won two gold metals at their end of week competition. Diane loves to travel but is limited to the United States for now while she is working. Her other two hobbies are dance and jazzercise. If she won the lottery, she would pay off her mortgage, save for her grandkids' college educations, quit work and travel. Diane admires many people for different reasons. The main attribute is that they are strong women who are their own person. She admires Oprah because she has come so far in her life and has helped so many along the way, and Mia Farrow because she worked with her two autistic twin children determinedly until she got through to them. One is now a doctor and one a lawyer. After that she only adopted children who had handicaps. Diane's great-aunt had fourteen children and she pretty much raised them on her own. Diane's most memorable trip was to China and Hong Kong in the late 80s. This was about the time they started letting Americans visit. Diane found the trip so fascinating and the locals found her with her red hair very fascinating as well! One thing that Diane wants to do is to spend the summer in Greece. Things she can't live without other than family and friends are the GPS system in her car, her computer, lipstick, and a nail file. Diane's favorite TV programs growing up were My Little Margie, Topper and American Bandstand. Her main pet peeve is people who litter.  

Susan was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She moved to Des Moines, Iowa to attend Drake University. Susan met her first husband while at music camp between her freshman and sophomore years. They married and she left college. So began the trek from Chicago, to Minneapolis, back to Chicago, finally settling in Los Angeles where she lived for twenty-four years. This marriage produced two children, two degrees in counseling psychology both from Cal State Northridge, and after seventeen years, one divorce.  Susan spent the next twelve years doing what people do when they have to survive. She took an accounting position at Universal Studios, eventually becoming a department manager. This was pretty amazing considering that Susan had never taken an accounting class. She spent her evenings counseling in a community mental health clinic. Susan met her husband Ed at the only singles party she had ever attended. They married eleven months later and moved to Scottsdale. Twelve years after being married and following 9-11, Ed was laid off. He accepted a position in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They made wonderful friends there but hated the weather. Susan worked as a museum docent at three museums in Fort Wayne. They accepted a transfer to Albuquerque joyfully and are happily settled into the best time of their lives together here in New Mexico. Susan is a licensed family therapist but has retired to "play." She most enjoyed working with couples and their relationship issues because of the energy present.Susan has two children who are both "brilliantly" living their dreams. Her daughter, HOLLY, is the kind of teacher every child should have at least once. She teaches primary grades, does staff trainings, and has a personal goal that each child leaves her with higher self-esteem than they brought with them. She lives in Los Angeles. Her son, BENJAMIN, is a self-taught saxophonist who has been with the group Galactic since its inception. They both headline and support artists like B.B. King. Ben lives in New Orleans. She has been a quilter for more than thirty years. She has done both traditional and art quilts. She began making pottery after taking a class with Jardineros' own Lillian Gerity. She also knits, and enjoys cooking. She's involved with the Albuquerque Newcomers Club, Pot Shop and will be in the next docent training at the Folk Art Museum. If Susan won the lottery, she would first secure her family and then spread the rest around helping others learn to help themselves. She most admires the unsung heroes who make a difference in the lives of others. Susan and Ed both love to travel. Their most memorable and exotic trips have been visits to Petra in Jordan while visiting Ed's family in Israel, and being on the Great Wall of China. Susan regrets not learning to ski earlier in her life and not having the opportunity to live and work outside the United States. She couldn't live without laughter and her creative outlets. She has fond memories of her family all sitting down to watch the Ed Sullivan show. Her pet peeve is people who have no integrity. The one thing Susan would like people to know about her is that she lives in the very good company of Eva Marie Saint and Audrey Hepburn. Her husband Ed has had only three crushes in his life: Eva, Audrey and Susan.

Patsy was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and lived there until 1952 when her family moved to Albuquerque ( Nob Hill area ). She graduated from Pius X High School in Albuquerque and then graduated from the College of St. Theresa in Minnesota. She majored in Social work and Psychology and minored in interior decorating. Her husband Marty went to St Mary's University. They met while in college and married soon afterwards. Patsy's first job was with the state government as an employment counselor. Two years later she gave birth to her daughter Cara and started selling Avon. While on her deliveries, she met a woman who ran Decorama. Patsy started working there and was very successful. At the same time she was taking correspondence courses in interior decorating. Her big break came when she started working for Home Art ( brought art to the home - like a bookmobile ). She was their #1 salesperson. She worked for Home Art for ten years before starting her own business - PK Designs. She was a decorator for residential and commercial establishments for fifteen years before Marty took a buyout from Zenith and they moved to Albuquerque - as Marty promised Patsy. They moved here in 1993. Patsy worked as a designer for American Home for three years before starting her own home building business - Design Details.  Daughter Cara owns Animal Assisted Counseling of Colorado which is a business that counsels humans using dogs. Son Tim is a designer for Patsy's business. Patsy's hobbies now are decorating, reading, yoga, bridge and Bible studies. Her fifteen minutes of fame occurred when the first house that Patsy built ( her own current house ) won the People's Choice Award on the Parade of Homes. If she won the lottery she would finance her daughter's farm so Cara could purchase more kinds of animals to help more people, and she would finance homes her son would build. Patsy admires people who are moral and just, and who stand up for the downtrodden. Her most memorable trip was their journey in 2005 to Israel and Jordan. It was after 911 and during the time that Arafat died. It was pretty scary at times. Her favorite things are her Bible, family photos, makeup, dogs and sweets. Patsy's pet peeves ( according to Marty ) are dust and messy things. The activities that Patsy is involved with besides Jardineros are her job, church, several birthday clubs and her niece's life in El Paso.

Vickie was born in the Hondo Valley - south of Ruidoso and lived there for eighteen years. She attended several colleges before graduating from the University of Santa Clara, California with a degree in Computer Science and a Masters in Marketing. Vickie then moved to New York City and worked for IBM as a sales rep for ten years. Then she left IBM to open her own gallery in the SOHO area. She sold mostly Native American Art, art from Canada, United States and Mexico. She was connected to the Smithsonian and the Natural History Museum in New York and could take advantage of their mailing lists. She worked with twenty artists and is still brokering art sales now. At one point Vickie had a gallery in New York City, one in Summit County, Colorado where they had a home, and in Santa Fe where she also had a home. One of Vickie's sisters developed terminal cancer and all the siblings relocated to the Albuquerque area to be with her. Vickie moved to Placitas in October 2007 and has since sold their homes in Colorado, New York, and Santa Fe. She still has artwork to sell and has space on Central called Art and Antiques. She attends shows and still has many contacts who ask her to find certain artwork for them. This was her favorite job and still is. Vickie's hobbies now are her business, skiing (Santa Fe, Taos, Argentina, Canada, France, Italy), hiking, cooking and family. Vickie has had many fifteen minutes of fame due to her living in New York City and being in the gallery business. She says that "fame is wrapped in many ways: such as taking first place in the 10K Napa Valley Run, running the San Francisco Marathon in less than four hours, having Mayor Feinstein presenting you with your medal. Fame is working with Tom Brokaw on the 7:00 news; fame is meeting several actors such as Lawrence Fishburne, Cher, Naomi Campbell, Tom Hanks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Madeline Kahn, Robert Taylor, Georgia O'Keefe, Tommy Miggs, Peter Hurd, John Grisham, Roger Dautry, William Dafoe, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Scheiffer and many more. Fame is having your sister painted by Peter Hurd and hanging in a museum. Fame is sitting in a polo match with Georgia O'Keefe, Peter Hurd and Ansel Adams. Fame is fighting Al Pacino for an orange coconut muffin at our favorite Gotham muffin place; fame is sharing her picnic with Luciano Pavarotti at a concert in the Park; fame is teaching a class in the Learning Center in New York City about HUICHOL Culture." Daniel Day Lewis was one of her favorite customers. However, 9/11 was also a moment of fame. Her husband was in the financial building at the base of the World Trade Center. Because he decided to not attend a breakfast meeting at the restaurant, Windows of the World, he walked out one minute before the building collapsed and walked home to 61st street. If Vickie won a huge lottery she would first fund cancer research in a big way in honor of her sister, help her family financially and then travel. She most admires her Mom who was so dedicated to ensuring that her children went to college. She was a real health nut in the 60s, was an independent woman with very high standards, ideals and values. She believed in our country and gave her children the will to become anything that they wanted. Vickie still thinks of her and her wonderful advice. Their most unusual trip was to Australia in 2000 because there were so many establishments that didn't allow women. In October 2008 she went on a cruise with six women to Croatia, Greece, Albania and Turkey. Their ultimate trip was their 1998 first-class trip around the world in twenty days. Vickie has always wanted to attend the Goethe Institute in Rothenberg, Germany to learn to really speak German. She still wants to do this but will take several months to complete. Things she couldn't live without are black coffee, music, books, pinot wine and Pacifico beer. Her favorite TV programs were Bonanza, Peyton Place, American Bandstand, Hawaii Five O and Perry Mason. Her pet peeves are people who whine, people who are lazy, bad drivers, and people who don't listen. Vickie is on the advisory board of the Placitas library, involved in ski clubs and her Art and Antiques business. She is a major collector of snow globes. She has over 200. They have to have snow, water and music. Vickie loves opera. They usually attend operas during their international travels. She also ice fishes although this is more of a love that her husband has.

Judy was born in Brooklyn, New York and lived there until age six. From age seven to ten, her family lived in Morristown, New Jersey. Until this time Judy was spending a lot of her life either in hospitals or at home on oxygen due to her severe asthma. It was suggested that they move to a dry climate, so the family moved to Albuquerque. She was immediately off her oxygen and running up stairs upon arriving in Albuquerque. Her Dad was transferred here to help run Sandia Labs. Judy graduated from high school in San Fernando Valley, California. She spent three years at UCLA before marrying. She graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Sociology. Judy earned her Masters in Library Science at USC and got divorced. Judy was awarded a Post Masters Fellowship for the US Public Health Service in biomedical information at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. From there she spent two years working for Allergan Pharmaceuticals, then two years at Cedar Sinai Medical Center working in the biomed library. This was followed by three years at the University of California at Irvine Medical School biomedical library (her most rewarding job because, as a clinical librarian, she got to participate in bedside rounds so she could provide doctors with information to help patients. It was very challenging). Then two years at McGaw Pharmaceuticals in Irvine. Judy's favorite job was working for Cetus in Oakland where she headed the biotech library getting involved in IT (Information Technology) and database design. She worked there for ten years and loved the people who were all so excited to be a part of this new and challenging field. Her next career move was to Syntex Pharmaceuticals in Palo Alto where she worked for five years managing basic research IT support. She ended her career at Merck as an information architect in West Point, Pennsylvania where she worked for ten years. Judy retired in January 2005 and moved to Placitas then. Friends from Merck had told her about Placitas. Judy has a step-daughter-in-law and three step-grandkids living in Las Cruces who she is very close to.  Her passions now are jazz and blues music, attending concerts, being involved in the Placitas library, volunteering at the Albuquerque Children's Grief Center, reading, cooking and wine tasting. If she won the lottery she would make sure her daughter-in-law, grandchildren, nieces and selected cousins were financially secure. The balance would be spent on educational traveling, i.e. with the Smithsonian or Elderhostel. Judy admires Margaret Mead and Eleanor Roosevelt for their accomplishments in the time they lived, lots of accomplished and competent Placitas women who are giving back to their community in a variety of ways, and her father for his values and love of life. Judy especially remembers a three-week wine tour of France with three friends in the early 80s as well as a trip with her Dad to Prague and Vienna in 2006. Things she wouldn't want to live without are red wine, books, music, mountains/and or ocean and her dog Beau.

Charmaine was born in Brady, Texas and lived there through the fifth grade. The family then moved to Galveston so her Dad (at age 40) could go back to school to become an ophthalmologist. He was invited to join a practice in El Paso where Charmaine graduated from high school. She moved to Fort Worth to attend TCU (Texas Christian University), majoring in Fine Arts with a minor in education. Charmaine's favorite job was working at the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art where she ran the bookstore and was the membership secretary. She worked there for five years and loved getting to know the artists, pitching in wherever help was needed and interacting with the visitors. Her next job was working for an art consultant who also had an office in New York City. Charmaine was fortunate to be able to spend one summer living in Soho and the Hamptons. Charmaine met Dan while working at Pier One in Fort Worth. They married and started a family. During this time she did a lot of volunteer work, especially for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and giving student tours at the museums.  Her son Mason is a sophomore at TCU and Daniel is a second-year med student in Houston. While Dan was Senior Vice-President of merchandising for the Bombay Company, he was recruited to open a sourcing office for furniture in Hong Kong. The family lived there from 1999-2001 and it was a wonderful experience. Their life was pretty cushy with many cultural places to explore. When they moved back to Fort Worth, Dan knew he needed to pursue owning his own business. The opportunity arose in Albuquerque and he now owns Pan American Fixtures. They moved to Placitas in October 2007. Charmaine's favorite pastimes now are golf, knitting, exploring her new environment here in New Mexico, and cooking. She has several fifteen minutes of fame: Charmaine danced on Broadway (she was sitting in the first two rows of Five Guys Named Moe and those two rows were invited on stage to do a Conga line); she was Homecoming Queen in high school; sang backup on one of her first husband's records; and was asked out by Robert Duval (she was at the cast party for Tender Mercies - he didn't believe she was married). If Charmaine won the lottery she would pay off her kids' educations and then would financially and physically help with an acquaintance's orphanage in China. The person she most admires is her Dad. He is 89 ½ and still golfs, still works, does all the marketing, does tons of volunteer work, teaches Sunday School and visits shut-ins. He never stops learning or giving. Charmaine loved her travel opportunities while living in Asia. Her favorite trip was taking her son's class on a one-week bike riding trip in southern China. It was very primitive. They stayed in ½ star hotels. Many of the kids had never learned how to ride a bike since they can't in Hong Kong. The school had the bikes and there were lessons before starting the trip. She loved seeing the scenery at a slow pace and bonding with the kids. There are two things that Charmaine wishes she had done - play tenor sax in a swing band, such as Count Basie's, and been a Rockette. Things she wouldn't want to have to live without are humor, music, beauty (natural and manmade), good food and wine, and iced tea. Her favorite TV program was Davy Crockett (she wanted to BE Davy Crockett) and Laugh In. Her pet peeve is people who don't turn off their cell phones.

Nat was born in Winchester, Massachusetts and lived there until age three. She lived in Highland Park, New Jersey until graduating from high school, followed by four years at Colby College (where she and Judy Austin were friends), graduating with a degree in Sociology.  She and Buck married four days after her graduation, and moved to Washington, Connecticut. Nat and Buck began to focus their careers working at independent schools. Her first job was teaching French to second graders at Rumsey Hall School where she and Lucy Noyes became friends and godparents to each others' sons. After taking several years off to have her two children, they moved to Boca Raton, Florida where Buck was teaching at St. Andrews School and where Nat taught decision-making to sophomores for several years. Their next move was to Rocky Mount, North Carolina where Nat taught social studies and English. She says that she always taught the kids, not the subjects. Their next move was back to the Boston area where Nat taught fifth grade philosophy. Then she moved into the area that she loved the best. She worked at the Pingree prep school where she was the school counselor. While working there she earned her Masters in School and Community counseling. Those twelve years were the highlight of her career. She loved the live theatre of teenagers. In 1992 they semi-retired to their weekend cottage in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Nat then worked part-time as an advisor to the counselor at Pingree for seven years, at times by phone from Placitas. In 1997 they started spending more time here. They first lived in a small adobe house near the Windmill Store. Then they built near where they live now. When a lot closer to the mountain became available and could potentially take their view, they built on that lot and didn't block their old house's view. They have permanently lived here since 2005 but go back East frequently to see family.  Their son Jonathan lives in Plano, Texas. He is married and the father of Madison. He works for Perot Systems in the area of medical records software. Their daughter Melissa lives in Stonington, Connecticut, teaches second grade in an independent school, and is Mom to Maeve and Owen. Nat's hobbies now are pottery (mostly for fun), kayaking, reading, knitting, biking, hiking and always taking a class at UNM OSHER program - she highly recommends it.  If she were to win the lottery she would fund her grandchildren's education and then would support local charities such as the Placitas Library and the Menaul School. Nat most admires her grandmother who was a woman of her time but wasn't defined by it. She was born in 1890. She was first in her town to attend college (Mount Holyoke). The summer she graduated she hired a male guide to take her through the Canadian wilderness. During that time, she found a lake in Algonquin Park north of Ottawa that was very remote. When the Canadian government decided to give out four leases on that lake, she obtained one. It is still in the family and Nat and Buck go there every summer for six weeks and just love it. It is her favorite place to travel. There is no electricity or plumbing. Water is pumped by hand from the lake. From the car, it is a boat ride to the cabin. Groceries are 1.5 hours away. The cabin is 22 feet x 22 feet. They spend their days kayaking, canoeing, reading, and waiting for the grands to arrive. When asked what her favorite things are - Nat isn't attached to things. Good for her! She wasn't allowed TV growing up. Her volunteer activities include working for Obama, and she would like to volunteer at the UNM cancer center. She volunteered at Massachusetts General in the Cancer Resource Room for twelve years. That was Nat's way to try to give back after surviving advanced ovarian cancer seventeen years ago. It returned after three years and she has been cancer free since then. She is available if anyone wants or needs to talk to someone. She wants people to know that having a great life after cancer is very possible.

Pat was born in York, Pennsylvania and lived there until age twelve when her family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.After graduating from high school, she attended Elizabethtown College for two semesters, followed by working and taking college courses in the Harrisburg area until she graduated with an associates degree in data processing from Harrisburg Area Community College. Pat worked for Fruehauf Corporation in data processing through a marriage, divorce and transfer to Detroit. A person who worked with Pat introduced her to Tom and it was love at first sight. Tom was an automotive engineer with Ford. They married in 1982.  They have two children. Dan has a few courses to complete before graduation. His two-year-younger sister Sara will graduate this spring and is planning on moving to Albuquerque. They both live in Michigan. Pat was a full time Mom until Dan was in the fifth grade. Then she went back to college to earn her nursing degree at Wayne State University at age forty. Pat worked in nursing until they moved here in March 2008. Her favorite field was home care nursing - her passion. Tom traveled a lot with his job testing cars. They frequently came to the southwest and fell in love with Albuquerque. Pat's hobbies and passions now are nursing (she is looking for a part time job), music (listening to it on her iPod and singing in the Las Placitas Presbyterian choir), dogs and cats (she does some pet sitting) and reading. Her fifteen minutes of fame happened recently when her photo was in the Signpost along with the article about the opening of the Casa Rosa Food Bank. If she won the lottery she would first tithe her church, pay off her mortgage, invest wisely, choose some charity donations and then travel. The people she most admires are those who have overcome adversity and became a better person for it (such as Elizabeth Lyman - pastor at LPPC), people who have a sense of humor and people who have a kind nature. Her best vacation was a trip to London that she and Tom took during a midwinter break from nursing school. They spent a week there staying with friends. They had such a wonderful time - they were energized long afterwards for the experience. She hopes to travel to Australia one day. Her favorite things are music, chocolate, pets (furry animals), her phone and books. Her favorite TV program growing up was The Monkees. Her pet peeves are inconsiderate drivers and people who use improper English on TV. Pat is involved with LPPC, Casa Rosa and is a recent addition to the Placitas volunteer Fire Department.

Sue was born in Oakland, California, and lived in the Bay Area until she
was 31, when she moved to Hanford, California for one year.Then she moved back to Marin County and the east Bay Area until she moved to Placitas in 2006. Sue and John found Placitas when the Placitasinfo.com website kept coming up in their web searches. When Sue walked on what is now their lot, she knew she had to live here. While in high school Sue worked typing song labels for juke boxes. When her boss was hired by a radio station, Sue took over her boss's job as manager, programming all the juke boxes for the Greyhound bus stations in California, and bars and restaurants in the San Francisco and Oakland area.By this time Sue was out of high school. Sue's old boss then called to ask her to work for the radio station. Sue was the first woman in sales working for RKO General. When she was 26 she took a five month break, moving to Tahoe so she could ski for the winter while working as a Keno runner for one of the casinos. When the gas crisis struck in 1973 the casinos closed and she returned to the Bay Area and went back to work for the radio station.Sue met John who was also in radio sales with another station - they married in 1994. Sue's favorite job was working for a Hispanic radio station as National Sales Manager selling the station to advertising agencies in major Hispanic markets across the US. This allowed her to travel to New York, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Austin and Seattle, and also allowed her to make friends along the way. She still maintains those friendships. Sue's son Michael works in Seattle and is employed by Kimpton Hotels in the hospitality business.She has two stepdaughters as well,Lauren and Lindsey.Lindsey graduated from Cal Berkeley this summer and Lauren will be studying in Bilbao, Spain in the fall.Sue's passions now are cooking, reading, skiing, golfing and other outdoor activities.Her fifteen minutes of fame was having the lead in her high school musical - Good News.If Sue won the lottery, she would donate to educational needs and then go on an around-the-world cruise with her family.One of the people that Sue most admires is Maya Angelou because she is such a powerful and eloquent voice for women. Sue's most amazing trip was for their tenth anniversary when they took a cruise through the Panama Canal. They docked in Costa Rica and proceeded down the Pacific Coast to a beautiful cliffside hotel. The second night they experienced a 6.2 earthquake five kilometers away. There was no water or power and they were stranded for several days. As it turns out, that earthquake was six weeks prior to the Tsunami on the same fault. They met a couple from Rio Rancho at the hotel and they are still friends today.When asked if there was anything that she wishes she had done, Sue would have liked to be a cabaret singer for a day or two.Things Sue wouldn't want to live without are her dog, music, reading, nature and Trader Joe's.The favorite TV programs that Sue grew up with are Howdy Doody and Spin and Marty. She loved listening to the radio on Saturday mornings to Big John and Sparky.Her biggest pet peeve is bad drivers.Sue is a member of Las Placitas Association. She is also looking for a place where she can help geriatric people since she saw the great need when she was caring for her Mom.

Mickey was born in Toronto. She graduated from York University in Toronto with a degree in Accounting. Mickey worked for the Better Business Bureau for twelve years in accounting before starting her own business specializing in audits for banks, large corporations, credit unions and the Toronto Theatre Alliance. She had that business for twelve years. In 1993 Mickey and Ron decided to get out of the cold and moved to Treasure Island, Florida. Ron was a commercial and graphic artist. Mickey needed some artwork, walked into his place of business and it was love at first sight. They have been married for 38 years. They adopted a three-year-old son David right away and then Mickey became pregnant with Tracy. David is a professor at Guelph University. He created a computer language that he is teaching to robots for future government use. Tracy is a dental hygienist in Toronto. When Mickey and Ron moved to Treasure Island they purchased an eleven-unit hotel. That venture lasted two-and-a-half years. Then Mickey purchased a health food store in St. Petersburg which she lovingly ran for twelve years. She wanted to find out more about her own body as well as helping others. She worked with medical doctors, eye surgeons and chiropractors. She sold the business in October 2005 and retired. In April 2006 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As that process was waning, she developed ovarian cancer in January 2007. She went to Toronto for treatment to be near family. Prior to these diagnoses she and Ron had decided to move out of Florida to escape the hurricanes. They chose New Mexico initially because we have state pool medical insurance that doesn't take pre-existing conditions into account. They purchased their current home in La Mesa in 2005. The Internet led them to Placitas. The house lay vacant until Ron moved out in early 2007. Mickey was in Toronto having surgery and treatment. She was released in August 2007 to move to Placitas. On a lighter note, Mickey's favorite jobs were her auditing business in Toronto because she had so many interesting cases, and her health food store in Florida because it was so gratifying. Mickey loves the theatre, gardening, reading, traveling, yoga and Qigong. Her fifteen minutes of fame happened when she was asked to sing a solo for the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto at age twenty-four. If she won the lottery she would travel, travel and travel. Mickey most admires everyone who has had to deal with cancer. Being diagnosed changes your whole perspective on strength and courage. Her most memorable trip was her solo 5.5 month nonstop trip to Europe, the Middle East and Greece in 1969. She had her backpack, her Eurail pass, and was young, free and unafraid. Ron is from Ireland so they have traveled there quite a bit, as well as to Spain, Africa and Mexico. The one trip she still hopes to make is to India. Mickey wouldn't want to live without love, trust, exercise, salmon (and other comfort foods) and good wine. Her favorite TV program was I Love Lucy. Her pet peeve is toilet paper holders in commercial establishments! Mickey volunteers at Watermelon Mountain Ranch and Placitas Artists Series, and is involved with the Placitas Community Center.

Peggy was born in Hornell, New York while her Dad was stationed there. The family moved to Colorado since her Mom's family had lived there since 1840 (Denver). Peggy was raised in the house that had been in her family since the early 1900s. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in elementary education. After graduation she went to Mexico with her roommate because the Olympics were there at that time. They stayed until the end of the year.  When she returned to Denver, there was a glut of teachers on the market so she started working at JC Penney in the men's department. Her Dad stressed that this was a waste of her time, so she headed to Connecticut to see her roommate and to try her luck at finding a job there worthy of her degree. On the way, she stopped in New York in Greenwich Village to see friends. She parked her car on Washington Square. The next morning she discovered her car had been broken into and all her possessions were gone. She was friends with Barry (now her husband) so returned to his parents' house in Old Greenwich, Connecticut where they kindly gave her a room until she found a job. Barry helped her find a job with an ad agency in Stamford, Connecticut. After that, she and a friend rented an apartment in New Canaan for three years. Peggy and Barry started dating at this time and married in 1972. They lived in Riverside, Connecticut until they moved to New Mexico in 2001. Peggy wanted to move to Colorado but couldn't tolerate the traffic around Denver, where they would have to live to be near an airport. In 2000 they drove all over New Mexico, and Albuquerque, with its airport, won the search. They lived in Tijeras for six months before noticing Placitas on a drive to Santa Fe. They moved here in March 2002. Peggy has two children: Colin lives in Oakland and works for a bio-tech company. Erin is about to move to Bend, Oregon. Peggy's favorite job was as a volunteer for the Audubon Center in Connecticut where she was a teacher naturalist taking kids on walks in the woods for the learning experience. As we can attest having her as a speaker for Jardineros, she was awesome at it. Peggy did this for seven years. When they moved to Albuquerque she happened to learn about Wildlife Rescue at the only time they have ever offered a certification course in basic wildlife rehabilitation. Peggy knows she has found her calling. Peggy's hobbies and passions are Wildlife Rescue, scrapbooking (she is a Creative Memories consultant), skiing and hiking. If she won the lottery she would help her kids pay off their college debts, give a huge chunk to Wildlife Rescue, and travel (Ireland, Asia) as well as take an RV around the US. The person Peggy most admires is Penny Elliston who is one of the founders of the Wildlife Rescue here in Albuquerque because of all her knowledge and experience. She always knows the answer. Peggy's favorite trip was the one to Europe when they had first gotten married in the 70s. She most loved France. Peggy was going to be a ski bum when she finished college but ended up going to the East Coast instead. Peggy's favorite things are birds, books, nature, photography and Poe (her raven). Her favorite TV program growing up was Bonanza because she always wanted to be a cowboy. Her pet peeve is Albuquerque drivers in general. Peggy is involved as a volunteer at Wildlife Rescue, is a Happy Hoofer (hiking) and a Creative Memories consultant. 

Susan was born in Colorado Springs and lived there until marrying at age 22. She earned a degree in elementary education at San Jose State. While her husband was earning his PhD, they lived in Madison, Wisconsin. His first job was at the Nuclear Research Center in Karlsruhe, Germany. They lived there for five years.  When they decided to move back to the States to improve their childrens' education, they moved to Albuquerque where her husband took a job at Sandia Labs. They moved here in 1974. They were divorced in 1978 and Susan was left raising her three children until they went off to college. They were ages nine, ten, and twelve at the time. Susan earned her Masters degree in Gifted and Special Education from the University of New Mexico and taught at Onate and Dennis Chavez Elementary schools from 1978 to 1986. At this time computers were just coming out. Susan joined a task force of twelve teachers, all with different specialities, who were assigned to twelve different APS schools to demo computers. This was a wonderful time for Susan. She learned so much so fast and had a great time. After APS decided to close down the program, Susan accepted a job in Moreno Valley outside of Riverside, California, at double her salary teaching Special Education. Susan's children were grown by this time. Susan met Al who was the international marketing manager for Apple Computer when he started bringing international visitors to observe APS's exemplary program. Al lived in the Bay Area and when Susan moved to Southern California, her son, a pilot, gave her his passes to fly to San Francisco frequently. Al moved to Indianapolis for business and Susan followed. She taught gifted kids there and loved it. This was followed by having her own second grade class and she loved that, too. She retired in 2005 and they moved to Albuquerque. Susan still has her house here in which she raised her children. Even though she and Al built a house in Placitas her children and their families use her house off and on and she still loves to maintain her grass and garden there.  Her oldest son Bob lives in Minneapolis and is a pilot for Delta. He has three children. Her next son Tim lives in Albuquerque and is a partner in an advertising firm called 3 Advertising. He has one child and one on the way. Her daughter Leslie lives in Tempe, Arizona, and is a stay-at -home mom of a three-year-old. She was a Special Education teacher. Susan's current passion is using her camera and computer to create family movies with music and titles. She signed up at the Apple store for their weekly one-hour private lesson on anything she wants her computer to do. She just loves using her creativity on these projects. She is transcribing old letters she wrote when her children were small telling the funny things they did and putting it into an Apple book for gifts. She is also transcribing her childrens' voices from old tapes, singing and talking when they were small, and recording them to a CD. Her other interests are reading, yardwork and doing anything with and for her kids. Susan had two fifteen minutes of fame . . . she was a lifeguard at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. There was an annual beauty contest held at the hotel. The other lifeguards said they would purchase a swimsuit of her choice if she would enter. She did and came in fifth AND got a great swimsuit. Her second moment of fame occurred in the mid 80s. The Red Baron Pizza Company had an aerobatic flying team. They came to town to do a show. Susan's son convinced her to take a ride in this open cockpit plane. She did and survived all the stunts including flying upside down. If she won the lottery, she would put enough money aside for her nursing home care, would pay for her grandkids' college education and then would donate significantly to Alzheimer's research. Susan most admires her children because of their accomplishments and devotion to their families. Susan's most admirable trips include going to Russia for a week in 1970. She was almost arrested because she left her tour to try get inside the palace of Nicholas and Alexandria.  When she opened the door, she was met with men in military uniforms telling her to get out. She traveled to Berlin before the wall came down. The difference between East and West Berlin was very striking. Then in 2003 she and Al traveled to Machu Picchu. The one thing that Susan wishes she had done was become a flight attendant. She just couldn't leave her children to do all that traveling and working on holidays. Things she couldn't do without are faith in the goodness of people, her car (freedom), her MAC computer, her camera and books. Susan's favorite TV program was Ozzie and Harriet. Ricky Nelson was such a babe. Her pet peeve is when service people take phone calls while waiting on her. Susan spends a lot of her time doing the yardwork for her Albuquerque home and her son's home (because she loves doing it) as well as babysitting her grandson once a week.

Susan was born into a German Lutheran family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During the war Susan's Dad was stationed in Hobbs, New Mexico. The love of the southwest then brought them to Muleshoe, Texas when Susan was six years old. Her Dad became the manager of the Chamber of Commerce. That job took them to Portales, New Mexico, and then to Santa Fe where Susan graduated from high school. Then she moved back to Portales to attend ENMU where she studied voice and music. When Susan married, she became a military wife and traveled all over the world - first to Charleston, South Carolina, then to Ottawa, Canada (during her first winter they had a record 174" of snow); Camp Springs, Maryland; Brussels, Belgium; Rapid City, South Dakota; Burke, Virginia; and finally Albuquerque. Susan divorced, then married John in 1983, blending their two families of four boys. Susan and John were childhood sweethearts at Santa Fe High School. Her Mom always knew he was the one for Susan. Son John lives in Rio Rancho and builds beautiful homes; Matthew, just married, is a realtor for Exit Realty in Rio Rancho; Townsend, also just married, works at Sprint as a supervisor; and Peter is an Air Force Captain, and is in Special Operations - he goes to places they don't even know. So far no grandchildren, but Susan is waiting, impatiently. Aside from working the hardest job of being a mom to boys, she did start working at George Mason University when John was stationed at the Pentagon. She was a Fiscal Tech and worked for the Dean of Student Services. She really enjoyed being there when they got their first computer and loved working with the students and personnel. After twenty years in the Navy, John retired and they returned to New Mexico. Then Susan started her own decorating business and at the same time sold Noevir skincare products from Japan since they make her look younger and healthier! She even won a free trip to Japan! When the boys grew up and went to college, Susan and John built their house in Placitas and moved into the peace and quiet of this beautiful place. One thing that Susan did which she is very proud of in the work arena was to start a nonprofit women's networking group here in Albuquerque. It was set up to help each other in business as well as to help needy women in the community. That group is still going strong, even without Susan's involvement. For Susan's entire life her passion and joy was music. She played the flute and sang until surgery paralyzed a vocal cord and there were no more notes. Now she loves beading, quilting and especially reading. Susan's claim to fame was more than fifteen minutes. In 1966, while in college, in a most unusual manner she won the title of Miss New Mexico. She can tell you the story. This small town girl went to Miami for a week to participate in the Miss USA pageant, a most wonderful and eye- opening experience for her. She certainly wouldn't advocate this for young girls but it was a huge learning experience for her. She saw so much that a small town girl wouldn't ever see. If Susan was to win the lottery she would set up an agency to provide surgeries for children born with facial deformities. There is nothing more that Susan needs money for. God has blessed her in so many ways - they have always had "enough". The people she most admires are her parents as well as her siblings. She has seen them all struggle through their lives and come to the realization that loving others is the most important thing. Her parents taught them all to love God, others and themselves. She says as her boys are starting to become men, she is starting to admire them too. Susan's most exciting travels occurred when they lived in Brussels. They traveled all over Europe and realized that people are just people wherever they live. She loved Germany since her ancestors came from there, and Paris was another favorite. For a small town girl, this was an amazing opportunity to grow as an adult. She loved calling Belgium home for three years. Excluding family and friends, Susan lists her favorite things as chocolate, color, music, her Noevir skincare products, books and air conditioning. Purple has been Susan's favorite color forever. The only thing that Susan missed while growing up was owning a horse. She loves horses and dogs. She read every book in their libraries growing up that had anything to do with horses and dogs. She has owned wonderful golden retrievers but never a horse. Now she rides her friend's horses to get it out of her system. Susan's favorite TV shows growing up were My Friend Flicka, Fury, Rin Tin Tin and Lassie - of course. One pet peeve (and she has many) is hearing a stainless steel spoon scrape on a stainless steel pot. Her mom used to have to use a wooden spoon for stirring. Also people who mistreat their children and pets. Other than Jardineros, Susan is a mentor for a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at her church which helps to nurture young mothers and their children. It is a Christian international organization that brings moms together and helps them in rearing their children and nurturing their marriages. She has found the mothers to be amazing - she loves their hearts and spirits for mothering. They are the women who are making a difference in our world by teaching and loving their children. One other thing that Susan is proud of is that she helped start a Lutheran Church on the west side. Last month, they celebrated their 25 years of exciting growth. This church is her extended family and she and John go every Sunday in spite of the 25 miles each way.        

Claudia was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and at age one moved to Rockford, Illinois. After high school there, Claudia attended the University of Illinois dental assistant program in Chicago. She worked for four long years as a dental assistant in Oak Park, Illinois. It was there she met and married her first husband. After living in Barrington Hills, Illinois, where her two daughters were born, the family moved to Colorado Springs where she lived for 27 years. After her marriage ended and her two daughters were on their own, Claudia attended interior design school. She had her own business for several years and really enjoyed the challenge of creating designs for homeowners and some offices with her team of seamstresses, paper hangers and painters. Claudia has been married to Robert for ten-and-a-half years. He is a retired architect and a talented artist. They met while attending an artist's workshop at La Romita in Umbria, Italy. Robert also has two daughters who live in Albuquerque.  Claudia's daughter Jeannie is a freelance graphic designer living at 9,000 feet in Blackhawk, Colorado, on the Continental Divide. Heidi lives in Boulder, Colorado and designs handbags that she sells on the internet. She just designed a nurse's bag and is looking for a manufacturer. Claudia's hobby and great passion now are oil painting as well as traveling. She and Robert have combined these two loves by attending painting workshops in Italy and Southern France. Her fifteen minutes of  fame happened when she starred in a TV commercial in Colorado Springs as a model for a petite fashion store. It ran locally for about a month. If Claudia won any money she would donate it all to the University of New Mexico Cancer Treatment and Research Center. Claudia has admired many people over the years but her current favorite is Oprah Winfrey who has used her fame and fortune to empower other people, especially women. Travel has always been a big part of Claudia's life. In 1949 at the age of five she and her father crossed the Atlantic aboard the Queen Mary. He was taking her to meet her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in Offenbach, Germany. Prior to boarding the ship in New York, they took the 20th Century Line train (Red Carpet Service) from Chicago to New York. There were celebrities on board (Edgar Bergen, Morton Downy Senior and her Dad's favorite, Hedy Lamar). When the ship docked in Cherbourg, France, they needed to be transported by tug boat from the Queen Mary to the dock because the ship was so huge. They went from Cherbourg to Paris via an overnight train where they saw the sights for a few days - then another overnight train to Frankfurt where they were greeted by the entire line-up of the family welcoming them! The station was still in shambles from the bombings, and rubble lined the streets all the way to Offenbach. Once there at her grandparent's home she was treated to a summer full of love and exploration, and began absorbing the German language. Claudia is a 'closet performer;' she always had a secret desire to act on stage (a talent show in high school was as close as she got). She would have enjoyed being a disk jockey on the radio. She got a taste of this during her last two years of high school when the Junior Achievement kids had an hour long broadcast on Saturday afternoons. Things she wouldn't want to have to live without are moisturizer, music, her oil paints, good books and her shoes! Her favorite TV program growing up was the Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca show because of their myriad of facial expressions that had her in fits of laughter! Her biggest pet peeve is being put on hold on the phone and being forced to listen to music she hates. Claudia is extremely dedicated to the promotion of the Placitas Community Library. She is also involved with the UNM Cancer Treatment and Research Center where she has established a memorial fund in memory of her mother who died from colon cancer when Claudia was three years old. One fact she doesn't mind sharing is that she is a bonafide "shoe fanatic." She owns at least a hundred pairs and many are over twenty years old. She has passed this gene along to her two daughters.

Lana grew up in Los Angeles (without a car!) and spent all her higher education years at Berkeley where she earned her Ph.D. in History of Education. She meant to teach but got involved in other areas. She moved to New York City with her first husband (lived there from 1971-1976) and worked at Rutgers doing research. She then moved to Washington D.C. to work in the federal government, and lived there until 2003. She met her husband, Steve, there. Starting in 1990, she worked in her husband's research firm. Lana is still working on similar education research projects, although only part time. Lana and Steve moved to Placitas in 2003 having done no research on where to retire to. They had been out here some on business and some on vacation but made a snap decision to move to Placitas when their home sold in D.C. They are happy with their decision. Lana has a long and varied resume but when asked to choose her favorite job, she picked the year she spent as Planning Director for a local United Way, mostly because it was a job with little stress. Her hobbies revolve around fiber art (quilting, fabric painting and fusing) and lots of reading. She is in two book groups. She is a member of a fiber art group that meets exactly the same time as Jardineros, so she rarely gets to monthly meetings. Lana has two 15 minutes of fame. When she was four years old, she won a contest run by a Los Angeles newspaper, although she has no recollection of winning. She recited a poem called Marco by Dr. Seuss, which she can remember. Her prize was free dancing lessons at Megland Studio which meant that she was now a Megland Kiddy (Elizabeth Taylor was also a Megland Kiddy.) She ended up taking tap, ballet, voice and tamborine there. Her Mom had high hopes that she had a star on her hands! Lana had a brief career as a pianist on TV at age six, when TV was still experimental. Her second moment of fame was in 1964. Lana was one of the 800 arrestees during the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley. If Lana won the lottery she would purchase a large apartment in Manhattan since she is really an urban person. Her next purchase would be an apartment in Paris. She and Steve had a five-year consulting job in Paris and they traveled there four to five times each year. The people that Lana admires the most are those ordinary people who achieve extraordinary things when the situation demands it, such as Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Lana went to the 1960 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles. She and a friend managed to get seats in the convention hall when they were handing out publicity items for the Stevenson campaign. She got to see Eleanor Roosevelt and John Kennedy via spotlight. Lana also admires historians who write well such as David McCullough. Lana has done extensive traveling including trips to third world countries, although those places are more to her husband's liking. She would have to say the most amazing trip was to India. They went over the holiday season in 1982-1983 and she found India assaulted her senses as no other place. They were there six weeks. Lana's favorite places to go are Italy and southern France. She has also been to Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and China. She would like to spend more time in South and Central America. There are several things that Lana would have liked to have done but didn't. Although she doesn't like to fly, she would have liked to pilot a plane, thinks she would have been good at medicine (studying epidemics) and thought being an air traffic controller with so much going on at one time would be challenging and fun. Lana's favorite things are books, fabric, color, her sewing machine and hamburgers. Her favorite TV programs growing up were Leave it to Beaver and the Mickey Mouse Club.

Paula was born in Atlanta and lived there until she was fifteen years old. Then her family moved to Orlando where she lived until she moved to Placitas in 2005. Paula met  John
at the Orlando Youth Center while she was in high school. They married two years later. Paula went to the University of Central Florida after her first child was born - earning a Masters degree in Elementary Education. She taught second, third and fourth graders over her 25 year teaching career. She now substitute teaches in Bernalillo. John worked for various contractors at the Kennedy Space Center, beginning with the Apollo Program to the current Space Shuttle Program for 37 years.  Paula's daughter Andrea lives in northern Michigan and has six children. Her son Ryan lives in Salt Lake City where he works as a Branch Manager for
Wells Fargo Bank.  Paula's hobbies are hiking, ballet, decorating, reading, shopping, and traveling.  Her fifteen minutes of fame was earning the Teacher of the Year in 1990 at her school.  If she won the lottery, she would travel around the world and help schools in need.  Two people Paula admires the most are Christopher Columbus for his adventurous spirit to explore the unknown, and George Washington who thought he was following his destiny to be our first president rather than our king. Paula has three favorite trips. One was during their cruise to Alaska when they stopped in Fairbanks at the sculpture museum (the ice sculptures from the previous winter are housed in a museum at freezer temperatures for the all to see). They visited St. Petersburg on a cruise this year. The highlight for Paula was attending the Russian ballet to see Swan Lake. Her son spent two years in Recife, Brazil. Paula enjoyed the opportunity to visit there - exploring the culture and meeting the warm-hearted people. The one trip Paula would still like to take is to visit Southern Italy to see where her grandparents immigrated from. Paula's favorite things are books, rock and roll music, church, classic movies (think "Gone with the Wind"), and pecan pie. Her favorite TV programs growing up were Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, and American Bandstand (while in Philadelphia). Paula loves history and sharing children's literature. Her favorite children's author is Beatrix Potter.

Lucy grew up in Pine Orchard, Connecticut where her 96-year-old mother still lives. Lucy's great-grandfather, who brought electricity and trolleys to Connecticut, purchased acreage in Pine Orchard, had a farm and built a huge Victorian house on the Sound where his four daughters were married and raised their families. Much of the land now has been given to various conservation entities and the Town of Branford. Lucy went to a boarding school called Westover in Middlebury, Connecticut. Most of the girls in her family went there. She graduated from Smith College with a degree in History of Art. Later she earned an MA in International Administration from the School of International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont.  Lucy married after college and had two children. George is now Chairman of the Foreign Language Department at Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts. He takes students abroad and brings foreign students to his school. Her son Andrew
is a geographer in Nyack, New York. Most of his doctoral work was in Latin America but currently he is an urban geographer. He is Executive Director of Keep Rockland Beautiful. He teaches and runs environmental programs. Lucy raised her two sons on a 350-acre one-time farm in Hanover, New Hampshire and lived there for twenty years before marrying Dick Hopkins and moving to Placitas in 1983. Dick has five children and together they have eleven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren (Missy and Joe who live in Placitas). Dick's children live in Minnesota, Denver, Las Vegas, Albany, Washington, D.C. and Placitas. Dick was an administrator in the early years of the Peace Corps, mostly training volunteers for duty in Latin America. They moved to Placitas because many of the Peace Corps people Dick knew had come to live in this area close to the Hispanic and Indian peoples they were so fond of. It would take pages to list all the things Dick has done in his life. He has taught in many universities, been a Dean, college president, organization consultant, editorial writer, poet, actor, author, and on and on. Suffice to say one of the most important things he has done, in Lucy's opinion, was to bring Lucy to Placitas! Lucy's first and clearly one of her favorite jobs was working for Watkinson Library, a City of Hartford research library, which was housed at the Trinity College Library. The job was to explore the wealth of the library and publicize it to the people of Hartford. The library is rich in Americana and also has a collection of incunabula. She prepared exhibits such as : What Makes a Rare Book Rare?  History of Printing;  History of Book Illustration and many others. Experts on these subjects were selected for panels which were moderated by, guess who? George Will, conservative political critic, who was then a young not-so-conservative lad at Trinity College. This was also the year when Henry Miller's book Tropic of Cancer was banned and removed from the shelves of a Hartford, Connecticut bookstore. Lucy and the curator of the library, who was selected to testify to the literary worthiness of Tropic of Cancer, read all of Henry Miller's books, and Lucy also obtained several of Henry Miller's watercolors for one of her exhibits on "What Makes a Banned Book Banned?" Lucy had several other fascinating jobs working for Dartmouth College, first in the Daniel Webster Papers Project and later administering Dartmouth's foreign study programs all over the world. It was fun having the opportunity to work with Dartmouth's faculty and especially being able to take language and literature courses every semester. Lucy's life has been rich and adventurous. When her boys were six and eight, the family set off on a two-year trip bumming around Central and South America, living in their Toyota Land Cruiser most of the time. Their itinerary took them from Hanover, New Hampshire to Tierra del Fuego, back up the east coast of Argentina to Buenos Aires where they sent the car home and then backpacked up the coast of Brazil and through the Guianas, Trinidad and home. They climbed volcanoes in Central America, fished the Andes, tracked down and lived with nomadic peoples just emerging from the South American jungles to the massive acculturation that awaited them. That is a couple of books right there. They spent a month in the Galapagos Islands. Their press cards enabled them to interview political incumbents, opposition leaders, military groups, missionaries of every brand, zoologists, United Nations project managers, Peace Corps folks, and hundreds of very interesting Latin Americans. They also explored prehistoric ruins from one end of the continent to the other, trudging through the jungle to get to some of them. Lucy's favorite leisure-time activities are hiking, gardening, travel (mostly in Mexico now where she and Dick have a casita in San Miguel de Allende), enjoying the great outdoors in all its forms, her two Welsh Terriers, art, and reading--mostly fiction in English and Spanish. Things she wouldn't want to live without are the things mentioned above, adventure and beauty in all its forms. She isn't a media person. Her pet peeve is folks who don't know what they want and can't make up their minds. There is just too much to learn and do to delay getting on with it. Lucy has no idea what her fifteen minutes of fame might be, but folks she knows seem to remember the time she was challenged to do one of her famous headstands between four lighted candelabra on a Duncan Phyfe table. She did it! If she won the lottery, she might do a headstand again and then help her kids send their children to college. Lucy admires her elderly Mom who has a wonderful philosophy on ageing and who has lived with grace and dignity to the age of 96. Lucy admires Dick's wide range of knowledge and experience in the world and particularly his writing, and is grateful for guidance towards writings she surely might have missed if they hadn't been brought into her daily life. Besides Jardineros, Lucy is a real estate broker and one of three partners owning Placitas' La Puerta Real Estate Services, LLC. Lucy has been very involved in the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors, including as a director of Southwest Multiple Listing Service, and various committees. She has held officer positions in the Women's Council of Realtors. She helped found the Placitas Artists Series and was a director for many years. Some things people might not know about Lucy - she is a good learner, she has confidence in her ability to tackle some really hard projects, she is good- natured, rather fun and funny at times. She is really interested in the lives of people around her. She has also lived with monkeys and crocodiles; eaten tapir, iguana, dog heart and guinea pigs; and had to have an octopus pried off her leg--which she didn't think was funny at all.

Moreau was born in Red Bank, New Jersey. She spent her youth in Little Silver on the Jersey shore until going away to school at age fifteen to the Northfield School for Girls in Northfield, Massachusetts, a school where the kids do all the work, from cleaning the dorms to preparing all the meals. After graduating from Northfield, Moreau spent two years at Duke University before transferring to Beloit College in Wisconsin, so she could major in Anthropology. One field trip from there took her to Quemado, New Mexico and that was when she fell in love with New Mexico and her future husband. After graduation Moreau went to the Buffalo Museum of Science to take a course in museum methods. She then worked in that museum for two years as a science instructor/docent. Moreau married another Beloit alum in 1956. They worked two summers at Glacier National Park -husband as a park ranger, Moreau as cabin keeper. During the school year she taught science for grades two through nine at The Buckingham School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Moreau is following her husband around as he collects his degrees!) Then they returned to Beloit where husband had an internship and their first daughter was born. The next move took them to Milwaukee when her husband joined the Milwaukee Public Museum as a curator in Anthropology. A second daughter was born. Less than a year later, the family of four went to Guatemala to participate in a dig at a Mayan site on a coffee/banana "finca" on the hot humid Pacific coast. Moreau did lab work and learned how to live with two babies in rather primitive conditions. The cultural experience was marvelous, and the Spanish she learned is helpful here in New Mexico. In the late 60s, Moreau was getting a divorce and earning her Masters in elementary education at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Moreau taught in the Milwaukee Public Schools for 27 years, at first as a middle grades classroom teacher.  After earning her Masters she taught Title One reading in grades one through six. Then she became a reading specialist in charge of reading and the testing programs at Anna F. Doerfler School where she spent the last eighteen years of her career. Moreau retired and took care of her Mom and a close friend. In 2001 they had both died, so she felt finally free to move, and arrived at her townhouse in Placitas on August 11, 2001. Her daughter Pamela is an artist - associate professor teaching at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Daughter Karla is a paleontologist - associate professor, teaching at Oberlin College. Moreau has one step-granddaughter, Amy, also a Beloit alum and working on her doctorate in bio-archaeology at Ohio State University. Moreau's favorite job was as a reading specialist. It was always a thrill to watch a child's face, that moment of triumph and realization as he or she "cracks the code" and is able to begin reading on his/her own, knowing that she had helped bring the child to that point-- most of those children already having experienced great difficulty in learning to read. Her hobbies and pastimes in Placitas are choral music, visiting archeological sites, reading, yard work, enjoying new friends made and the visits of old ones. If she won the lottery she would fund her schools and environmental groups. The person she most admires is Abe Lincoln. He was an amazing person for his time. He had a sense of humor, knew right from wrong and was so wise. Moreau has been on some wonderful trips. In 1962 she went to Tikal, Guatemala, a Mayan archeological site, when it was still in a relatively unexcavated condition. The sight of the white temples rising up out of the rainforest on a moonlit night was an awesome, indelible experience. In 1976 during the U.S. Bicentennial, her chorus in Milwaukee (165 singers) was chosen to sing for the Pope at the Vatican on July 4th. They sang Mass in St. Peters and then outside for the Pope. Afterward he spoke to them in English. In 2006 Moreau joined Joan Jander on a trip to North Africa. They visited Syria, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan. Among many wonderful experiences along the way, one special one was the opportunity to witness the total eclipse of the sun. The Egyptian government went to extremes to provide its many thousands of visitors with every possible amenity to help make the viewing serene for all, by widely spreading the various groups across a high desert plateau above the Mediterranean Sea. One trip she still hopes to take is an Elderhostel passage through the Panama Canal. She wants to take a "small ship" route which will include educational side trips in the surrounding rain forest. Things Moreau can't live without are the pleasures of friends and family, the exhilaration and awe of the outdoors, classical/choral music, reading, and her butter spreader. Moreau sings in the Las Placitas Presbyterian Church choir, is a member of The Morning Walkers, the League of Women voters, the Sandoval County Historical Society, the Coronado Monument Friends, and "umpteen" environmental groups. The past seven months of her life have been dominated by the care and training of her new family member, a dear little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named La Princesa Patricia de Las Sandias, aka "Patty Paws" Parsons. Moreau has lost eight to ten pounds since Patty's arrival, and while she realizes it is not for everyone, recommends raising a puppy as a guaranteed weight loss technique.

Sharon was born in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. She lived in that area until she married at age 22. David's military career moved them to Indiana, then to Zama, Japan for two years. Sharon just loved it there and cried when they left. From Japan, they moved to Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Erlangen, Germany. After service they went to Ypisilanti, Canton and Brighton, Michigan until they moved to Placitas in 2004. Sharon and David had chosen Albuquerque for retirement during a vacation through the area in 1976. Sharon has always had malamute dogs. She currently has one, Barak, as well as a combo dog, ChiSai. Sharon was in banking for 23 years. She was a teller for one year and a manager for 22 years. She then felt the need to step away from the stressful workplace, so she worked as a receptionist for six years, and this was her favorite job. There was no stress, just eight-to-five, and for the first time she felt appreciated. Her main hobby passion now is pottery. She takes lessons, has a kiln and currently is making pots, vases, bowls, cups, tapas plates, whatever. She also makes jewelry, loves reading and flower arranging. If Sharon won the lottery, she would return to Japan for two months, would help two of her friends with financial needs, and donate money to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. A person she most admired was her friend Connie who just died of a brain tumor. Connie had a hard life, but was always positive. She also admires her mother and mother-in-law, both strong women. Sharon has been to Hong Kong three times - she just loves it. She and David also spent three weeks in Thailand. They stayed in the northeast of the country, in a house found on EBay. The wife of the owner took them up into the mountains one day and the whole village came out to welcome them. They put on a Buddhist ceremony for them. They were asked to make a wish. Sharon asked that their land in Nevada sell, and David wished for their house in Michigan to sell. They both sold soon after that! Sharon loved the interaction with those people. Sharon used to want to sky dive, but is no longer interested!  Her favorite things excluding family and friends are books, lobster, pottery (is very therapeutic), the possibility of going back to Japan for a visit, and dogs. Her favorite TV programs growing up were The Mickey Mouse Club, American Bandstand, Howdy Doody, Lassie, and Sky King. Sharon tries to forget pet peeves - she tries to let the irritation go. One thing that people might not know about Sharon is that her mother-in-law, who lives with them, loves to travel by motorcycle. They have a motorcycle with a sidecar as well as a little trailer. Mom wants to sit in the Queen seat so Sharon usually rides in the sidecar. They have taken two trips, one to Chicago and Detroit (4000 miles) and one to Billings, Montana, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, Prince George and Vancouver (5000 miles in 18 days). Mom's wheelchair fits in the back of the sidecar.

Sandy was born in Omaha, Nebraska, where she lived on a farm with her parents through high school. She graduated from the University of  Nebraska in Lincoln in 1972 with a BS in chemistry and a minor in German. Sandy worked in Omaha at Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer after graduation. She married her chemistry T.A. who is the father of her son James. His academic career took them to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Chicago. Sandy went back to school to earn a degree in engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology, graduating in 1980. At this point Sandy was single, working as an engineer and raising her son. Her jobs as a chemist and as a design/development engineer moved her to Lisle, Illinois, Fort Wayne, Indiana and Algonquin, Illinois. Her favorite job was working for Fenwal Inc., a division of Baxter Healthcare in Chicago. She had a challenging career in medical device development. She still consults with Fenwal today. She loved working with great customers and co-workers including many professional females. In 2003, Sandy went to her high school reunion and re-met Jim whom she hadn't seen since high school. They married in 2004. In May 2007 they moved to Placitas when Jim was offered a job here as a pharmaceutical account manager. Sandy's son James Liakus is an engineer in Melbourne, Florida working for Boeing at the Kennedy Space Center. She also has a stepson Josh, a daughter-in-law and two beautiful grandchildren. Sandy's hobbies and passions now are exploring New Mexico, the art scene here, theatre, opera in Santa Fe, hiking, diving (Caribbean and Puerto Villarta) and getting involved in Jardineros. She wants to get involved here in community theatre. She has been in front and back stage (stage lighting design is her speciality) back in Illinois. She is currently working on a script that she hopes to pitch to an agent. Sandy has just completed the Master Gardener program and is getting started re-doing her landscaping. Her fifteen minutes of fame happened in Chicago in 2004 when she acted in the premier of "We are our Mother's Daughters" - a fifteen- minute play. She had the role of the mother. It was that summer's director's workshop. They even sang a couple of songs. If Sandy won the lottery she would take it in a lump sum, meet with an investment planner and re-plan their life. They would set up a philanthropic company that would provide support and education to disadvantaged people to improve employment opportunities, and take their family on an around-the-world trip.  The person she most admires is her Mom who passed away in December 2006 just prior to her 80th birthday. Her Mom instilled a sense of independence in her children, to love life, family and to travel the world. She was a golfer, active in sports and had many friends. She was Sandy's role model. Her most unusual trip was traveling to Eluthera with girlfriends for a week to a camp for women. It was a trip to help women become independently sports-minded. They stayed at an education resort in open cabins on the beach. They learned how to snorkel, scuba dive, explore caves, fish and kayak. It was like summer camp for women, with great food! The beauty and accessibility of the ocean and beaches were memorable. Sandy hopes her future includes more travel (Egypt, Galapagos, Costa Rico for starters) and finishing her script (she is taking a script-writing class at UNM) and pitching it to a film agent. Things she couldn't live without are good novels, significant plays/movies, great food, back massages and beautiful vistas. Her favorite TV programs growing up were Father Knows Best, I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, Ozzie and Harriet and Sky King. Her pet peeve is dealing with mean people. Sandy is involved with the Master Gardeners of Sandoval County, and the upcoming fundraiser for the Placitas Library. 

Barb was born in the Bronx, and lived in Forest Hills, New York until age four before moving to New Rochelle, New York until her college years.Barb graduated from the University of Rochester majoring in French with a minor in Political Science.She majored in French because she had a fabulous French teacher in high school; many of her classmates also used French in their careers because of this teacher.Barb married right before graduation and taught French at Monroe High School in Rochester for three years. In 1967 she and her first husband moved to Albuquerque for his job in educational research, and started their family in 1968.Barb joined AAUW (American Association of University Women) because her aunt said she would meet interesting women there. The organization helps women earn advanced degrees.In 1978 Barb started teaching French at West Mesa High School, moving in 1984 to Albuquerque Academy until her retirement in December 2004. Her years at West Mesa were her most fulfilling because the kids really needed her there.Barb has two children: Meredith is married, lives in Santa Barbara and has her own graphic design company. Adam sells cell phones commercially and lives in Scottsdale. Barb's hobbies and passions are reading, cooking, music (listening and singing), hiking and yoga.Her claim to fame is her four TV appearances - most recently regarding the Highway 550 traffic problems - and in the early '90s when the original Range Café burned down.Barb's wants are few - if she won the lottery she would hire a gardener.She most admires people who have the courage of their convictions and are not afraid to fight for a difficult stand. Her high school French teacher is a hero to her.Barb has been to France more than a dozen times. She never tires of it because with her ability to speak the language, she feels at home in another world. Her favorite trip, however, was to the Cajun area of western Louisiana where they speak French and are preserving their heritage through music.Things that Barb wouldn't want to live without are her new dog Lucie, good food, music, books, and loving and positive people.As a child she watched "Howdy Doody," because Buffalo Bob Smith was from her home town, and she listened to "The Shadow" on the radio.Her pet peeves are negative people and gum chewing.Barb is on the Board of the Placitas Artists Series, publishes the monthly bulletin for her temple, is a member of Happy Hoofers, supports the New Mexico Jazz Workshop, and volunteers with Chamber Music Albuquerque and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. She plays bridge and mah jongg often and is a member of two book groups.Barb has one of the longest courtships on record. She married Del Packwood in December 2004, having met in 1986 and moved to Placitas in 1992.

Cathryne was born in Glendale, California where she lived until age nineteen. She attended Parochial School for all twelve years and waited another twelve years to go back to College. Instead she went to UCLA and received her Certification as a Dental Assistant. Then she moved to Studio City where she supported herself working for a dentist to the stars. Four years later she moved to Layton, Utah where she lived off and on until she moved to Placitas in 2005.While in Utah, Cathryne was the Clinical Coordinator of the dental hygiene school. During this time, she also went to college and graduated from Weber State University with three degrees (Communications, Child and Family Studies, and Health Service Administration) over a seven-year period. During her last year in college, Cathryne fell in love with Geology so she added those courses to her load, along with all the field trips! She was a member of the Scholastic Society, graduated Magna Cum Laude and was a member of Phi Kappa Phi (scholastic honor society). Cathryne met Tom at Weber State University. From 1984 they lived in California, Colorado and Utah; then a job transfer led to a three-year stay in Washington State. From 1992 to 1994 they took a fabulous two years off and became full-time RV-ers, seeing the United States, Canada and Mexico. They traveled 50,000 miles and went to 164 State and National parks. She found the history of the United States so fascinating. After that experience they had to decide where they really wanted to live. They wanted lots of sunshine and lots of things to do. That place was Las Vegas, Nevada. They loved it. Tom's job transferred them back to Utah, and another transfer brought them to Albuquerque. They also love it here. They will build their retirement home (Home Base) here.  Cathryne worked in dentistry for 22 years, but her favorite job was working for the Salt Lake City Olympics as an Event Specialist, which is a glorified name for security. She worked there for four months while Tom worked the event for two years. They were given tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the medals ceremonies. The parties were the best - The Sponsors' parties were especially lavish. She has celebrated three fifteen minutes of fame: she was her high school class Valedictorian; her Sweet Adeline chorus sang in the Hollywood Bowl in 1969; and she was featured on the front page of the Rio Rancho Journal in November 2007 in an article celebrating
gourds. Did you know that Cathryne and her husband are in the Rio Grande Gourd Band? If Cathryne won the lottery, she would purchase a new bus for camping, buy a house on the ocean on the Big Island of Hawaii, and sponsor many charities including building a Habitat house in Sandoval County. The person she most admires is the Dali Lama. Cathryne met him and was so impressed with his wonderful calm and compassionate demeanor. The meeting occurred when she went to the Thai Buddhist Temple in Utah for World Peace Meditation after 9/11. Cathryne's highest personal achievement was taking a two-day trek from Driggs, Idaho, over Hurricane Pass to Jenny Lake in the Tetons. She crossed over the 12,000-foot pass which gave her severe breathing challenges. She was also sent on a health survey in the Four Corners area which really opened her eyes to how poorly the Native Americans are served.  Things Cathryne wouldn't like to live without are her
craft studio, her DVR for taping her favorite TV programs, her car, a well-stocked kitchen, and the prospects of going on another trip. Her favorite TV programs growing up were the Mickey Mouse Club and American Bandstand. Her pet peeve is the lack of customer service. Organizations that Cathryne is involved in other than Jardineros are The New Mexico Gourd Society, The New Mexico Bead Society, and Friends of Coronado. She is a Sandoval County Master Gardener , a Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, aVolunteer for the Xeriscape Conference, and Is on the Board of Directors at her church.

Lin was born in Cincinnati and lived there until her family moved to Orlando (Pre-Disney). Lin graduated in 1969 from the University of South Florida in Tampa, majoring in Humanities - thus being totally unprepared for gainful employment. She went to work for the State of Florida as a social worker interviewing those applying for welfare and soon moved up to administration where she was supervisor of community services. In 1976 she moved to Sarasota where she was United Way Planning Director for two years. Lin had to make the big decision as to whether social work was going to be her career or should she try law school. Law school won and
she went to Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg full time for three years.  During her second year of school she married the love of her life, Larry. They set up a law practice together in Sarasota, limited to trial and appellate work, with emphasis on defense of medical malpractice cases - whereby she learned a lot more about medicine than she ever wanted to know. In 1991 they sold their practice to take a sabbatical. After that Lin worked for another firm for two years. That wasn't much fun, so she and Larry started another firm specializing in appellate work until their retirement in 1996. This was Lin's favorite part of her career. When they were free to leave Florida, they spent a month in New Mexico trying to find that special place with good healthcare and a university. Originally Lin and Larry settled in Rio Rancho where they built a house. After 1-1/2 years they decided they would prefer to live in Placitas where they have been since 2000. Lin has no children of her own, but when she married Larry, she became an instant grandmother. She now has eight grandchildren. The second grandchild is getting married in August in Jerusalem (first grandchild to be married) so the future might hold great-grandchildren. Lin's greatest enjoyment comes from living in and traveling throughout New Mexico, exploring its magnificent beauty, history, and art, with Larry. She is also crazy about her two "absolutely adorable" cats. Lin's fifteen minutes of fame was courtesy of her great-aunt and uncle. W.B. and Lillian Ritchie were married for 83 years and as such were in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest-married couple alive. Their story was reported in newspapers around the world. If Lin won the lottery, she would first make the rest of her family rich and then would like to have a fulltime cook and housekeeper, and would give the rest to places such as Haven House, animal welfare organizations and early childhood education projects. There are two people that Lin most admires. First would be her husband Larry because he was an excellent lawyer, is socially conscious, very intelligent and was a mentor to Lin. The second person would be the current Dalai Lama because of his magnificent spirit and compassionate nature, as well as his outstanding intellect and sense of humor. Lin's most 'out there' trip would be her five-day rafting trip down the Colorado River from Moab to Lake Powell that Larry talked her into. Lin hates to camp so this trip was way past her comfort level but she had a ball. The thing Lin always wanted to do but never did is lose that last ten pounds.  

Nancy was born in Chicago, was raised in Wilmette, Illinois until she and Tom married, They lived in Westmont, ILLinois for three years before moving to Downer Grove, ILLinois for 25 years. They moved to Placitas in 2002.  Nancy and Tom chose Placitas for their retirement location because Tom had family here. Nancy worked for Illinois Bell for 30.5 years.  Her last job was as a dispatcher and that was her favorite position. Her favorite hobbies are crocheting, hand sewing and baking. She also goes along with Tom to his old car shows. If Nancy won the lottery she would give to charities such as the humane society and help some of her family members. The people that Nancy admires the most are her parents because they are always helping others. Nancy's favorite place to visit is Carmel, California. That trip also included a visit to Napa Valley.  Her other favorite place is Kauai. Nancy's five favorite things are her dog Chase, her Expedition, JoAnn Fabrics, the mountains and TV. Her favorite movies growing up were Rin Tin Tin, My Friend Flicka, and Fury.

Shirley was born and raised on a large cattle and horse ranch outside Sturgis, South Dakota. She was a barrel racer, judged and showed cattle at County Fairs, and was a very active member of 4H.  She attended a two-year business college and married another Sturgis native. They lived in Denver for five years, then Billings, Montana for five years before moving to Los Alamos. Shirley did a lot of volunteer work in hospitals and schools while in Billings. In Los Alamos she worked for a financial institution for twelve years, working her way up to loan officer before working for Los Alamos National Labs for sixteen years. Shirley met her husband Fred in Los Alamos and they have been married for eighteen years. Shirley worked in administration and in technical fields for LANL. Shirley and Fred purchased a condo in Rio Rancho years ago and used that to live in while their house was being built in Placitas. For three years they would work a four-day work week and come down to Rio Rancho/Placitas Thursday nights, returning on Sunday evening. They sold their home in Los Alamos and moved into an apartment there. When Shirley retired last year they moved to Placitas full time, but Fred is still working in Los Alamos for another year. She is thrilled to now only have one house to clean! Shirley has a son Brian who lives in Seattle and is a program manager for Expedia. She has three stepsons: Todd lives in Foley, Alabama and is retired Navy; Bobby lives in Stafford, Virginia and will be retired Army next year; and Scott lives in Idaho Falls and is a restaurant chef. Her favorite job was working for LANL because it was so much fun and after her wonderful retirement party, she left on such a high. She considers that to be her fifteen minutes of fame – hearing so many nice things said about her. Shirley’s hobbies are decorating for herself and others, making jewelry, sewing (she used to make all her square dance dresses), gardening and shopping. If she won the lottery, she would help her kids and pay for the education of her six grandkids and great-granddaughter. Then she would travel. She most admires her mother because she taught Shirley all the domestic skills that she sees are lacking in many other moms nowadays. Shirley is very anxious to really start traveling – they will start in earnest when Fred retires next year. Her two regrets are not graduating from a four-year college, and not having been a stewardess so her yearning for travel could have been met earlier.  Her favorite things are dogs, chocolate, gardening, the ability to take showers and her creative hobbies. Shirley’s favorite TV programs were American Bandstand, Gunsmoke and Big Valley (from her Montana years). Her pet peeves are tailgaters and people who talk too loudly on their cell phones.

Sharon was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a bachelor of science degree in Medical Technology. Sharon's career was working in the hospital's laboratory as a Medical Technologist, analyzing blood samples. She did have one deviation from that career path when she was an independent consultant for the State running all the State licensing exams. Sharon and Jerry met in college and married while he was in basic training. Someone kindly gave up their standby seat so he could make it to his wedding. His plane was the last one to land in Chicago before the airport was closed down due to fog that day - otherwise it would have been a proxy wedding. Sharon and Jerry moved to Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin nine years later and have been happily married for 35 years. They still have their home there. Jerry retired eight years ago after selling his corrugated box manufacturing plant, and Sharon retired last summer. Two years ago, Sharon and Jerry came to Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta, and that is when they discovered Placitas and fell in love with it; and that is when, and why, they moved here. Sharon's two children came into this world at a stressful time for their parents. Daughter Susan was born six weeks early while the family was up at the family cabin in northern Wisconsin. The nearby hospital was small, but Susan survived between incubators as the family took her home to their Milwaukee hospital. Susan has been a band director for a middle school in Green Bay. She is now going back to school to earn a second degree in graphic design. Son John also came into the world early - three weeks, as the family was moving to Menomonee Falls. Sharon left her home in Milwaukee for the hospital as family and friends packed up, and was driven home from the hospital to their new home in Menomonee Falls. John is now a network engineer for a law firm in Milwaukee. Sharon's hobbies and passions now are reading, travel, gardening, doing outdoor work, hiking and most recently learning about natural health. Her fifteen minutes of fame happened in Milwaukee. There was a weekly Bowling for Dollars show on TV. Sharon entered with her father-in-law. Since they were winning during the week's tournaments, they qualified for the finals on Friday. They came in second. Bowling was a big thing at that time. If Sharon won the lottery, she would help her family financially, travel and donate to children's causes. She most admires people who take in foster children, especially those who take in children with special needs, and people who dedicate their life with passion to humanitarian causes. Sharon and Jerry have taken many wonderful trips. Some highlights are their four-week trip to South Africa including an amazing safari in Botswana in 2002; a five-week trip to Australia and New Zealand in 2005 with the highlight of having a private plane and two pilots for four days; and a trip to the Tuscany region of Italy including staying in a fifteenth-century hamlet. Her most rewarding trip was when they took Jerry's Dad to Sicily at age 91 to see the town where his parents were born. Sharon has always wanted to take ballet and tap - that might still happen. Things she wouldn't want to live without are old movies (40s), books. music, hamburgers, good red wine, chocolate, and blue jeans. Her favorite TV programs were Sea Hunt, Fury and Sky King. Sharon's pet peeves include misbehaved, unruly kids in restaurants or airplanes, the use of profanity in front of children, and having to carry around so many store key tags.  Sharon still visits family and friends in Wisconsin, and enjoys vacationing in Mexico. They are new to Placitas so she hasn't gotten involved in too much outside of Jardineros yet, but she volunteers several days a month at Watermelon Mountain Ranch. Sharon and Jerry still have a house in Wisconsin that they hope to be selling soon. She is looking forward to having more time in Placitas and traveling throughout the West.

Adriana was born in Amsterdam, Holland and at age fifteen her family emigrated to the United States. Her uncle sponsored them, so they settled in Chicago. Adriana's Dad was a baker in Holland and eventually bought his own bakery in Chicago (A Little Touch of Holland). Adriana didn't speak any English when she arrived. After taking English during the summer she was placed in the grade with her peers. She struggled for several years. After high school Adriana went to beauty school. Eventually she had her own business. Adriana was widowed from 1972 - 1997 and her business enabled her to support her two kids who were nine and eleven when their Dad died.  Rudy and Adriana met through a Rotary friend in Chicago. While attending a business convention in Albuquerque they started looking for a place to retire. The last place they looked was Placitas and they knew this was it. They were looking for an area with space and larger pieces of property with amazing views in the "Land of Enchantment." They found it in Sundance Mesa. They were the sixth house built in their community, which has become an area of friendly and caring people. Adriana and Rudy moved to Placitas in 1997. Adriana has two children: Deanne lives in Winter Park, Colorado with her husband and two children. Michael lives in Arvada, Colorado where he works for AT&T. Rudy has three children: JR lives in Lake Forest, Illinois; Cheryl lives in Greenoaks, Illinois with her husband and two children; and Tina lives in Mead, Colorado with her husband and one child. Adriana's present hobbies are hiking, golf, skiing, yoga, gardening and pastel painting (she took her first art class eight years ago). Her fifteen minutes of fame happened when she won the State of Illinois Amateur Racquetball Championship. If she won the lottery she would take care of her family first and then give to favorite charities. She would like to build an "Aqua Center" where people can swim and could engage in water therapy.  The people Adriana most admires are her parents because they had the fortitude to pack up the family and emigrate to the United States, especially since they didn't know a word of English. The family lived in a trailer for 3.5 years until they were established and then purchased a beautiful colonial home. Adriana's most amazing trip was to Hong Kong. She accompanied a friend whose daughter was getting married there. The relatives of her friend had the money to show Adriana the best of Hong Kong and the surrounding area. Her trip to Egypt was a close second. The one thing Adriana wishes she had done was to be a KLM Airline hostess. She chose marriage instead. The things that she wouldn't want to have to live without (excluding family and friends) are mascara, hiking, green chili, her house and chocolate. As a child in Holland, Adriana didn't have TV in the home. They listened to the radio, read books and played games. When she did have a TV she enjoyed Dallas on Friday night after a hard week at work. Her pet peeves are people who talk too much, especially on the golf course when she is trying to sink a putt. Adriana is a member of two hiking groups, is on the library committee and is a member of the Pastel Society of New Mexico.  

Karen was born in Vancouver, Washington. Her family moved when she was only two weeks old to Dallas, Oregon.They lived in a logging camp for years because Karen's Dad managed the equipment for a company that was eventually purchased by Georgia Pacific.They moved around Oregon during her school years.Karen graduated from high school in Coquille, Oregon and then from Oregon State University with a degree in elementary education.Then she moved to San Jose, California, where she taught second and third grades and then kindergarten for a total of three years teaching. Her favorite job was teaching the innocent kindergartners. Karen and Frank met in San Jose while playing touch football and softball. They married in 1967 and lived in San Jose until 1980 when they moved to Albuquerque. They moved to Placitas in 1997. Frank works for a consulting firm as a mechanical engineer.They have two children. Michael works for Pegasus in Phoenix where he sets software and hardware performance requirements for hotels. Tamara has a geology degree from UNM and she currently manages a store in the Santa Fe ski area.Karen's hobbies are many and varied. They include skiing, badminton, tennis, scrapbooking, knitting, cross-stitch, reading, singing and her new house in Pagosa Springs.Her fifteen minutes of fame happened during her senior year in high school. She was chosen as the student of the month out of one hundred students. The teachers did the voting and the award was based on sincerity.If Karen won the lottery she would invest in the areas of greatest need that would help others, both locally and internationally. Then she would invest in their retirement and travel. Her travel wish list includes Tuscany, Australia, New Zealand, a Mediterranean cruise, Lake Louise and Banff and a tour of all the National Parks in the United States. The person that Karen admires the most is Billy Graham because he is totally devoted to God and his teachings.Karen's most memorable trip was to Sicily in 2000 when Frank met some of his relatives who lived there. She also loved going to Alaska, Provence and Salzburg.The two things that Karen wished she had done are to become a professional singer and dancer, and to parasail. The five things that Karen wouldn't want to have to live without are God, unconditional love, faith, mountains and music.Her favorite TV programs growing up were Lassie, Fathers Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver. Karen's pet peeve is being with people who aren't listening. Karen is involved in many activities outside the Garden Club. She is her church lector, sings in her church choir, sings for weddings, and plays badminton and tennis.

Ruth lived in Euclid, Ohio until her kids were in high school. She graduated from what is now Case Western Reserve with a degree in English and History as well as a teaching certificate. When her youngest child was in first grade she went to work, first teaching Social Studies to seniors for nine years, then she became a guidance counselor, Dean in charge of discipline, and finally an Associate Principal, all while at Euclid High School.As soon as Ruth began working she started on her Masters Degree in Education at Case over a seven-year period. During this time, Ruth was also writing a syndicated school column for the Cleveland Plaindealer.The family moved to Chesterland, Ohio which is close to Euclid, so they could have horses. A year after Ruth retired, she and George moved to Sandia Heights (1984) where they rented for two years to make sure they liked the southwest. The family used to visit the southwest on camping trips, and New Mexico just felt like a special place to them. Ruth has been in her current home since 1987. Ruth has three children. Her oldest daughter lives in Australia, has a doctorate in Japanology. She is raising alpacas and doing some translating. Her husband is a professor; a teaching job brought them to Australia. Her son lives in New Hampshire where he is an engineer with two sons. Ruth's other daughter is teaching languages at the Euclid Senior High School where Ruth worked for so long.Ruth loved every one of her jobs and especially being with the kids.For hobbies, Ruth loves making quilts, riding horses twice a week in Corrales, swimming three times a week,as well as writing for pleasure. If she won the lottery she would always travel first class, give the rest to her kids and to the humane society in Chesterland, Ohio. The person Ruth most admires is George Washington because he was such a solid individual in such trying times. He set the goal and direction for future presidents.Ruth's favorite trip was their trip around the world. They had sold their home in Ohio and didn't have a place to live in Albuquerque yet. The trip started in Tahiti, Australia, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Greece. Ruth's husband caught a bug that worsened his heart condition and they had to come home from Greece to their daughter's house for recovery. The one thing that Ruth wanted to do but hasn't is to write a book of fiction.Her five favorite things are: cats, books, needle and thread, indoor plumbing and a warm bed.There wasn't TV around when Ruth was young but her earliest show that she loved was Hall of Ivy - a weekly show.

Cynthia was born in Clinton, Indiana and lived in Aurora, Illinois, and in Rockville, Indiana for eighteen years. She attended Park College in Parkville, Missouri for two years before marrying and moving to Eugene, Oregon. While there she had her two children and attended the University of Oregon part time for two years. She graduated from Southern Oregon College in Ashland, Oregon with degrees in English and Psychology. Cynthia divorced and moved back to Rockville, Indiana. Then she remarried her husband and they moved to Indianapolis where she taught English for two years. After divorcing him again, she went to graduate school in Bloomington, Indiana earning a Masters in rehabilitation counseling. Cynthia then moved back to Indianapolis where she became a guidance counselor in the public school system for thirty years. During this time she was married to her second husband for seven years. Then in 1982 she married Jim and has been happy ever since. They moved to Sea Ranch in California for ten years where they were very happy. The two-hour drive to any major services forced them to rethink their retirement spot. They moved to Placitas in 2005 to be closer to one of her sons.  Son David is a lawyer living in Albuquerque and son Nathan is a psychiatrist in St. Helena, California. Cynthia's hobbies now are books and cats. She has a lot of both. She calls herself a papyraphiliac (her own made-up word) as well as a gizmophile. She says her life goes from one obsession to another which provides much of her everyday joy. Over the years she has been deeply interested in Japanese and British culture, in rabbits and sharks, in doll houses, Africa's wildlife, travel, Tudor clothing, gardening and most recently daily life in Los Alamos during it's first years. She loves to know things and has lots of reference books. She keeps a diary of the books she has read. In between obsessions, she is anxiously waiting for the next one. If she won the lottery she would first assure her and Jim's financial future, then she would spend whatever it would take to get hair transplants for her sons who looked so much better when they had hair and who miss it. Then she would pay off their mortgages and provide for her grandchildrens' education. Cynthia admires Gene Kelly, which needs no explanation, and Gerald Durrell because he is so committed to saving endangered species. He has committed his entire life and fortune to establishing the Jersey Zoo and the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust in England. Of living people whose works she admires, she likes Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt, Bill Gates, Al Gore and George Soros, because they used their wealth and/or influence to try to bring about significant positive changes. Cynthia has been to West and southern Africa three times and has taken horseback rides in France, Ireland, England, Africa, and Mexico. The most enchanting place is Lewa Downs, a farm in Kenya, where she rode out every morning on horses to see the wildlife up close. Years ago, Cynthia thought she would like to live in England for a few years, perhaps in Dorset or Devon - but it would have to have been in 1938. England today isn't like the England of her reading-based fantasies, so maybe she wouldn't like it at all.  Cynthia wouldn't like to live without her books, her cats, good food and wine, her computer and her sewing machine. There wasn't TV when Cynthia grew up so reading was her entertainment. Her favorite books were the Oz books, The Teeny Weenies, Mary Poppins books, Master Skylark, The Secret Garden, the Alice books, The Bears of Blue River, the Jibby Jones books, Mrs. Mike, and Ray Bradbury stories. Cynthia volunteers at the library. Of pet peeves, her first is pervasive racket: the shrieking and howling "music" that is ubiquitous. Next is bad grammar by people who should know better, followed by impenetrable packaging, and the little stickers on fruit.

Laura was born in Brooklyn, New York. At age three her family moved to Dallas, Texas; she lived there until graduating from high school. Laura graduated from Texas A & M
in Commerce, Texas with a degree in education. She taught in various schools in the Dallas, Richardson area until 1970 when she and her first husband moved to Ayer, Massachusetts, outside Boston. He was learning how to decode in Russian while Laura worked at the General Radio Company doing clerical work. They were transferred to Augsburg, Germany which she loved. Laura only stayed for ten months because she wanted to give birth to her first child in the United States. Laura's next job was working for a doctor of bariatric medicine in Dallas, learning lab work and billing. After eighteen months she decided to return to school for her Masters in counseling psychology. When her second child was three months old and Laura was still in school, her first husband left. The family struggled and then thrived for ten years before Laura met Herb through her sister. Herb and Laura were married in 1990. She was licensed for private practice in Texas in 1990. They moved to Placitas, in August of 2000. Laura recently earned her doctorate degree in Integrative Medicine specializing in Holistic Healing. Her research was in breast cancer. The degree took four years, culminating in March 2007. Her work now is the most meaningful to her. She is a part-time school counselor at the Village Academy Charter School in Bernalillo. Her goal at this time is to educate and counsel women, promoting breast cancer prevention and healing. Laura and Herb often traveled to New Mexico to ski. When they were ready to leave Texas, a friend told them about Placitas. When their realtor drove up the hill where their house now stands, the wind was blowing like it does. When they got out of the car, the air stilled and it started snowing. That was reason enough to know that this was the place they should live.  Laura's son Nicholas is operations manager for the Pappas Brothers in Denver, and is in line for a promotion to a general manager position. Daughter Niechele works for a radio station in Lampasas, Texas and is working on her Masters in counseling. Laura used to focus on dance. She was offered a scholarship at Julliard. Her dancing days are over but now she loves exercise (weights, cardio, Qigong), re-learning bridge, reading, gardening and cooking Italian foods from scratch. Her mother's heritage is Sicilian, and her grandparents blessed her with their cooking skills. Her fifteen minutes of fame happened at age thirteen when she did a ballet duet in front of 30,000 people at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. If Laura won the lottery she would take care of the people she loves, establish outlets to all those in need as well as establish clinics for Integrative care. There are two people she most admires. One is Vera, who is an RN, a doctor, and is registrar at Holos University where she earned her doctorate. She was a nun for 27 years. Laura loved the quality of her heart. Norm Shealy is the founder of Holos University in Missouri. He is an amazing man who was also the doctor to Kennedy and Eisenhower. Laura's favorite travel spot is the Amalfi coast which she visited in 2006 - she didn't want to leave. Her favorite things are pasta, homemade sauce, music, love and joy. Her favorite TV program was the Honeymooners. Her pet peeve is people who speed through Placitas.

Elaine was born in Macomb, Illinois. She spent most of her life in the Chicago area until moving to New Mexico in 1998 and Placitas in 2000. Elaine graduated from Roosevelt University with majors in Biology and Psychology. Then she earned her law degree at De Paul University. Elaine was a practicing attorney in Chicago for over twenty years. Her favorite job was her position as an Administrative Hearing Officer for the City of Chicago - partly due to her working only three days per week! Moving to New Mexico was a lifelong dream after traveling out here on vacations. She had never seen the horizon before. Her hobbies now are reading, traveling throughout the west and spending time in nature. Elaine's fifteen minutes of fame came when she played the mayor's wife in a holiday spoof program hosted by the Chicago Bar Association - her photograph made the Chicago Tribune. When she wins the lottery, she will set up trusts for their children, grandchildren and other family members, give money to childrens' charities, and travel extensively in a private plane so she can take her dogs. Elaine and Bernie have a son (hers, Paul), a daughter (his, Sabrina) and two grandchildren - all living in the Chicago suburbs. The person Elaine most admires is Nelson Mandela because he brought change through peaceful means and was always able to maintain hope even in perilous circumstances. Elaine's most adventurous trip was their journey to Costa Rica in 1995. During their stay they were flown in a small plane to an area that was cut off from civilization. There they took a river boat and camped for five days among the animals, flowers and trees of the rain forest with no amenities. There are still has many things she wants to do. One thing she is particularly anxious to do is to spend time in and travel in Africa. Things she wouldn't like to live without are animals, birds, books, solitude and flowers. Her favorite TV program growing up was The Little Rascals. Elaine doesn't have any pet peeves that last longer than a day. The reason she doesn't include drivers on that list is she rarely leaves Placitas. The activities Elaine is involved in other than Jardineros are: attending the Presbyterian Church women's Bible study group, New Mexico Democratic party political activities, and children's charity work - including having just completed an appointment by Governor Richardson to the Board of the Children's Trust Fund of New Mexico. She also enjoys Mah Jongg. Elaine loves living in the west and learning more about its history, culture and people, and exploring this beautiful place.

Sylvia was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and lived there for 27 years.She met Dennis in Calgary while she worked as a floral designer and Dennis worked at a flower wholesaler. While in Calgary, Sylvia also worked as a drapery seamstress. They moved to Vancouver British Columbia in 1977 where they lived for eighteen years. Sylvia started her own business there called Preferred Custom Interiors that she ran for twelve years. While living in Vancouver she took a scuba diving course with a couple of friends. Dennis had been diving for many years, and he was excited about the idea that they could go diving together. So in 1992 Sylvia was certified as an Open Water diver. On a trip to Whidbey Island just outside of Seattle, she was coming up from a dive in an underwater park and was suffocated by her Buoyancy Compensater and stopped breathing.  Dennis saved her life
by administering artificial respiration. She was flown by helicopter to Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle and spent six hours in a decompression chamber. That ended her diving adventures. Dennis is truly her hero and best friend. The Szarkas moved to Kelowna, British Columbia (four hours east of Vancouver) in 1995 and lived there for five years. The weather there is similar to here - desert with lots of sun in the summer but valley clouds in the winter. Sylvia worked part-time in a large home improvement store in the paint and décor department, which was fun. Then Dennis found a job as a project manager at a large mapping company in Austin, Texas where they lived for four years before moving to Albuquerque for a better job. While in Austin, Sylvia returned to floral designing. Now she is retired and they are both very happy here. When they moved to Albuquerque they drove around trying to find a place to build a house and fell in love with Placitas. They bought their lot and decided that Sylvia would become the General Contractor. She was a little scared about the whole thing, but Dennis assured her that she would do fine. He was busy at work, but did help her - when she thought she was at wit's end. Dennis was her finishing carpenter and her tile layer, and fixed up anything that all her other contractors screwed up. It was one of the biggest accomplishments of her life. They have two sons. Sean lives in Vancouver and works as a project manager at Stollco Industries. He heads the Metal Laser Division. Chris lives in Regina, Saskatchewan and plays pro football. He is married to Serena. They have a son, Kaiden, and a daughter, Shalamar. Sylvia's hobbies now are golf, skiing, hiking, stained glass, sewing and beading. If she won the lottery she would spend it and have a ball - but she never buys a ticket so it isn't going to happen. Sylvia cannot say that she admires one acquaintance more than the other. She admires everyone she knows for some quality or talent that they possess and she has learned something valuable from each and every person she knows. She is amazed at the ladies she has met in the Garden Club -so much talent and intelligence. Her fifteen minutes of fame happened when she won the Georgie Award, presented by the Homebuilders of British Columbia, for Best Interior Design in a master bedroom. Her favorite trip was a Caribbean cruise they took twelve years ago with two other couples. One of the ladies was in remission from ovarian cancer so there was lots of laughter and good times. Sylvia's favorite things are wine, golf, gardening ,a set of wheels to get around in, and people with a good sense of humor. Her favorite TV programs were The Ed Sullivan Show, Lassie and the Twilight Zone. Her pet peeves are drivers who don't signal, drivers who cross over the center line and those who talk on their cell phones while driving. Besides Jardineros, Sylvia also volunteers at the Placitas Library.

Betty was born in Jackson, Mississippi and lived there until she married Jerry at age twenty-two. She graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in art. Jerry was in the hotel business and that led to their twenty-two moves. They were stationed in Panama for three years with the Air Force before starting in the hotel business. Panama was the adventure of Betty's life. For the first time she could see the United States from a different vantage point. Their most glamorous assignment was in Acapulco for two years where Jerry managed the Holiday Inn. Los Angeles and Chicago followed. While at these three hotels, the Temples always lived in the hotel. Orlando was their first opportunity to have a home, and the kids actually could ride their bikes on the street instead of on the roof of the hotel! San Antonio, Austin, Columbus, Ohio and Sacramento followed with shorter moves. They moved to Albuquerque in 1999, and Jerry retired in 2003 after managing the Pyramid Crown Plaza. They have two daughters. Sarah lives in Albuquerque and is a speech therapist; Katie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area as a sales rep for an insurance company. Betty's jobs have ranged from working in the graduate school library at Cornell to tutoring inmates in maximum security in a juvenile hall - she helped them graduate from high school. She liked the structure of that job and always felt safe - it was a very interesting experience. Her favorite job is the painting she does now.  Her hobbies and passions now are painting, writing, hiking and rocks. Her fifteen minutes of fame happened when her book of children's poetry was published. If Betty won the lottery she would travel and then she would give anonymous gifts to those in need of financial help. The people she most admires are her parents. Her Mom put herself through business school starting at age sixteen, after skipping two grades; and her Dad for his common sense. Betty's best trip was sailing to the Bahamas where they were the crew. Her most amazing trip was to Africa for a month last year. Her most unusual trip was camping in the jungle in Panama where she got to know their culture. Two things Betty wishes she had done: hitting a baseball into the next county, and going on a fantastic exploratory treasure hunting trip - such as searching for the lost ark. Things that Betty would not like to be without (excluding family and friends) are zip-lock bags, rubber bands, paper clips, scotch tape and peanut butter. Betty's favorite TV program growing up was Wagon Train or other westerns. Her pet peeves are tailgaters and liars. What matters most to Betty are other people and adventurous experiences. Betty is involved in many activities outside of Jardineros. She volunteers at the Museum of Natural History, is a member of the Fresh Ink writing group, the Pastel Society and two hiking groups.

Patsy was born in Dallas and lived there all her life until she married Bill. They moved to Plano, Texas in 1981 and lived there until 1988 when UPS transferred Bill to Albuquerque. They were then transferred back to Plano in 1990 and lived there until they retired in 1995 and built their house in Placitas and moved in 1996. They now live in Bosque Encantado. Patsy worked for 1st National Bank in Dallas for twenty years. Her last and favorite job was being Assistant Vice President of Investments for ten years. She loved working with people and helping them with their investments. Patsy and Bill have been married for 28 years. They met on the dance floor in 1980.  Daughter Lorrie has two teenagers and is the secretary for the Allen Athletic Department. Son Eric has a step-daughter as well as a son and daughter. They live in Washington D.C. where he is project manager for Washington Properties. Patsy loves playing bridge and is in four bridge groups. She and Bill enjoy hiking in the open space. Their favorite trip was a hiking trip in 2005 to Austria and Switzerland. They hiked from their hotel in Lech, Austria and their hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland for two weeks. Patsy works out four or five times per week at home with DVDs, loves to read, is a member of a Bunco group and enjoys giving small dinner parties trying out new recipes. Her fifteen minutes of fame occurred when she was eight years old. She went to the Howdy Doody show when it was in Dallas. Uncle Bob asked her a question and she answered it. If she won the lottery she would pay off her debts, pay off her kids' debts, pay her grandkids' college education, and set up a foundation for troubled kids to interact with the animals at shelters. Patsy most admires people who work hard and get what they want. Things Patsy hasn't done yet and always wanted to do are being a professional photographer, and finishing her college degree. Her favorite things are her two dogs, bridge, listening to music, good wine and her DVD workout program. Her favorite TV programs growing up were I Love Lucy and The Red Skelton Hour. Patsy's pet peeves are people who run late, and people who won't acknowledge you when you are trying to purchase something or ask a question. Other than Jardineros, Patsy is involved in her homeowners association, two other bridge groups, and she and Bill are members of the Rickshaw Car Club. They own a turquoise '57 Chevy Convertible. They have monthly meetings and run fundraisers for the Ronald McDonald House. People might not know that Patsy loves competitive sports. Until recently she was a bowler (her best score was 278) and in her early thirties she was on a softball league church team. They went to State twice. She also ran track and played basketball. Now she is an avid Dallas Cowboy fan.

Diane was born in Goliad, Texas, and lived all of her life before Placitas in the Houston area. She graduated from Rice University cum laude. Diane taught seventh and eighth grades for fifteen years, then worked in a public library for five years. Her favorite job was teaching senior citizens birding at the community college. She said she would teach the class if at least five people showed up - she was overjoyed that thirty came to learn about birds. They were so enthusiastic about learning. Diane and Doyle did a careful search of a place for their retirement home. In the 80s they had driven around Placitas but didn't know if it would ever develop into a community. Albuquerque won their search and they moved to NE Albuquerque in 1991 while they searched for the perfect place, which they located … in Placitas! To no one's surprise, Diane's hobbies and passions are birding, wildflowers, baking and travel. Diane's fifteen minutes of fame occurred in 1960 when she won a twist competition in Houston. When Diane wins the lottery she will purchase a 747, hire a pilot and travel without all the current flying hassles. She would plan an extensive leisure birding safari in Africa and give the rest to conservation groups and birding rehabilitators. The person Diane most admires is Dewitt Ivey, who is the author of "Flowering Plants of New Mexico." He has so much knowledge of the plants, is such a wonderful teacher and is also able to draw all the plants. Diane has done quite a bit of traveling in her quest to find new birds and plants. Her most unusual trip was to Australia in 1985 before the country had been discovered as a tourist destination. They traveled independently and made it to the top of Ayres Rock. One of her two best trips was to Iceland in 2000. It was a total revelation to Diane that the country was green and full of wildflowers. Her other favorite trip was to Costa Rica twice in 1998. It was an Elderhostel trip that was a birder's paradise. Costa Rica was a clean democratic country. Diane's most amazing trip was to Cuba in 2001. For two years tourists were allowed into the country and she managed to get there in that window. Again this was an Elderhostel trip. Diane was so excited to see the smallest bird in the world there. It was the Bee Hummer and is only 2-¼" from tip of the bill to tail. The one place Diane has never been and has always wanted to go is to Death Valley. They are going next year to see the wildflowers. The five things that Diane wouldn't want to do without are chocolate, birds and wildflowers, open spaces and distant vistas, freedom to experience those spaces and the silence and quietness of nature. Appropriately enough, Diane's favorite TV program growing up was Death Valley Days. Since there was no TV in Houston during her early years, her favorite radio programs were Let's Pretend and The Shadow. Diane's pet peeve is Americana Piggy - people who throw trash outside their car window.  Besides all of Diane's wonderful bird and wildflower talks at every Garden Club meeting, she and Doyle have been teaching birding for fourteen years at the Bear Canyon Senior Center and each summer usually give a program at the Elena Gallegos Open Space as part of the Sunset Series.