Digital Mama in Europe

Getting my mother a digital camera for her first trip to Europe was my good deed.  She got it early so she could practice shooting pictures and deleting the goofy or overexposed shots.  Being a very cautious lady she was concerned about running out of room on her memory stick. 

Even though we went through an exercise of calculating the average size image and how many would fit on her memory stick, her verbal panic on the phone and general worry of space after being in Europe for three weeks convinced me to buy her a second memory stick.  Clearly she didn't need it but if it made her happy and cost me less than $20, it was a small price to help her focus more on her sight seeing.

Recently I got a postcard from my sister describing her joy at being in Paris and how AWESOME it all was.  She made no mention of my mom or anyone else on the trip for that matter.  Now I have two postcards from my mother.  One is digital that my brother produced off of an iPhone App and the other a traditional card from a Paris gift shop.

She sounds like she is having a good time.  They will "van" to Normandy soon and they had a great river cruise on the Seine.  My religious mother who had many alcoholic family members even went wine tasting.  That is HUGE because she has a clear position on drinking and alcohol of any kind.  I thought she'd keel over in a faint at Thanksgiving several years ago while I had a martini.  

Wine tasting, taking lots of photos and feeling empowered to delete the worst ones - this sounds like my mother really committed to having a good time on the trip.  I can't wait to hear more when they return next week.  In person is always better.

P.S.  Here is my mother SMILING in the gardens at Versailles in France.  Notice her outfit?  Do you think she looks uncomfortable as my sister-in-law implied she would?  Her outfit looks pretty cute & neutral for an over 75 lady. Reminds me of older Japanese ladies I'd see traveling.]