Tues 04.19.11 - Yesterday marked the end of an era, when at approximately 12:30pm in Palm Desert, California, Great Aunt Babe passed away after a couple months of illness at the age of 97. Yes, people, 97 years old!

Great Aunt Babe was my Grandma Grace's older sister and I am not sure that anyone told her that Grace passed away three weeks ago. I prefer to remember both of them in good times, like the above photo I took at Thanksgiving 2006, they had a lovely time hanging out and my Grandma had on a badass pair of sunglasses from Oakley that my cousin Brian gave her.

Babe was one of those great flinty, tell it like it is, but very loving ladies. Last year at Thanksgiving she told me that she was still playing bridge weekly with the young men (70-something). One of my fondest memories is when she and my Grandma Grace were sitting across the table from me at my Grandma's 85th birthday party and both of them finally answered some old family questions that I had.

Goodbye Grandma and Babe, I love both of you. I hope when I am in my 80s & 90s, that I will be one fraction as fabulous and inspirational to others as you both have been the last 10-15+ years, as you helped redefine what it meant to be elderly and active. Y'all kicked serious bootay.