Lenny's Summertime Adventures (Basque Originals)

"I am the granddaughter of Benito Uruburu and the great-niece of Tiburcio Uruburu, original founders of the Centro Vasco in New York in 1913. In 1918, my grandfather was hired to do some work in the area of Pomona, New York. He liked the area very much and he, my grandmother (Victoria Ercoreca), and her two sisters, found a house and a piece of property in a small town called Ladentown, located at the foot of the Ramapo Mountains. Eventually the area became a small summer enclave of Basque immigrants. From the age of two, my father spent every summer in Ladentown. That tradition continued until my family moved there year-round when I was eight years old. Lenny's story is inspired by places, events, and stories from my childhood. Juan Ara-Uruburu is the nephew of Benito and Tiburcio Uruburu. His father was imprisoned in Spain during the Franco years, and as a teenager Juan was smuggled into France and then sent to America to live with his aunt, Benito and Tiburcio's sister. He and my father, Philip Uruburu, met once as young adults in Ladentown. After a few years Juan relocated to California, where he now lives. He is 95 years old. In 2000, my father and Juan reconnected and began writing letters to each other-a tradition that was passed on to me when my father died in 2006. On each envelope Juan paints an original watercolor. The paintings in this story come from that collection and have all traveled thousands of miles through the mail"--