2001-This is the email we received on New Year's Eve from Sandra, German keyboard errors and all:

Dear Friends,

I hope this goes out to all. Last mail to <janice and Goldie and Herm came
back.

Thanks to all of you that have written. I only have one week left here. It
will be very hard to leave Sophie and Miranda. They are so loving to me
that I cannot believe I am so fortunate to have them. <peter and <Lisa have
put themselves out as usual. Don´t know where the time has gone. Haven,nt
done much outside stuff even though The <magic Flute, Gianna Schicci and <le
Rossignol are playing in repetory and there are no end of concerts.
<usually spend the evening playing with, reading to the girls. <on my
official birthday--as opposed to the celebratory one scheduled for
January--I saw the "Frog King" in Basler Deutsch at the Basler Kinder
Theatern and a charming little circus in the most incredible firetrap disco.
IT HAS BEEN UNusuallz cold. i forgot how much time it takes to get kids
ready to go outside in winter.

We spent a couple of days in a ski hut with Peter,s family for his father,s
eightieth birthday. It was snowy and beautiful and we went sledding and
hiking and I slept in Peter,s brother,s army sleeping bag on a cot in an
unheated bedroom. The family were extraordinarily welcoming to me. Three
out of four is a winning hand at my age and stage. I was sort of nervous
about meeting the left wingers in the family. They than seemed to actually
bend over backward being nice.

I am looking forward to the <nutcracker performance. I know I have said
that one of the rewards of old age is not having to go to the nutcracker
every year. However, this will be the Kirov-Marinsky Company which ought to
be the World Series of Nutcrackers. The Swiss Railroads have some
interesting tours to summer opera festivals at far lower prices than I HAVE
seen in opera News for those of you who are interested in that sort of
thing.

Tonight we will head into the altstadt for some fun. A HAPPY AND HEALTHY
NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL.I do look forward to seeing the San Diego gang again and
hearing from all.

Tomorrow is Euro Day which will be important in this three currency town.
The Railroad has signs saying auf weidersen, au revoir, and arreviderci to
the Franc, the mark, the lire, the guilder etc. The stores have polite
signs announcing that they will no longer accept the French Franc or the D
Mark after 1-1--02. They will accept, most happily, the Euro.

I don,t think I will sleep on the plane--just walk up and down the aisles
for eleven hours looking for someone playing with his shoes or his watch or
his necktie.

Bernie,
Sorry we missed Ben.

Love, The Fliegende Grössmütti.


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