Seems "Lo," as she is known, was the 50 millionth passenger of the year to alight at Frankfort Airport. This was a few days before Christmas: she and her daughter Nina, 16, had flown over to spend the holidays with her parents, who live in Hanover, and her brother and family. A red carpet and red carpet treatment awaited.

First off, the two were whisked through airport lines, led to a red carpet and then to a makeshift stage, where a hail of some 100 TV, newspaper and radio reporters peppered them with questions and photos. There was a violin quartet playing, flowers were presented, champagne corks flew, interviews were conducted and cameras were clicking continually.

The whole fanfare took about an hour. Two major gifts were part of the lavish proceedings, too: two business-class tickets to any destination in the world from Lufthansa, the airline they had taken from San Francisco, and an all-expense-paid party for 50, a gift from the airport.

But that wasn't all. The Saratoga duo had to take a connecting flight to Hamburg and there the whole thing was repeated again, though on a much smaller scale—flowers, interviews, photographs.

The Sevastopouloses will probably use the expense-paid party for a birthday celebration for themselves in Carmel. Lo's husband is Nello Sevastopoulos and the two met through friends 25 years ago on the Greek Isle of Myconos, where they were both vacationing—separately.

Nello is an electrical engineer for Linear Technologies in Milpitas. The couple has a son, Alexi, who is a senior at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo majoring in electrical engineering. Daughter Nina is a junior at Los Gatos High.

TSUNAMI RELIEF: Saratoga Lions Club member Selvi Rajamanickam headed for her home in Tamil Nadu, India, last week with a check which she presented to the Lions Club of Chennai on behalf of the Saratoga Lions.

In addition, Marlene and Ron Duffin and Marty and Joe Clevenger leave late this month for an Elderhostel program in South India, a trip they've been planning for six months. The group will visit a Lions Club in Chennai (Madras) and deliver a $1,000 check to add to that area's disaster relief fund.

The check is a donation from AAUW member Claire Campodonico. They'll also bring eyeglasses for recycling to India residents. After the Elderhostel, the Duffins will fly to Sri Lanka to give a check to the Lions Tsunami Disaster Relief there, from both Lions and AAUW members.

To contribute to these funds, send a check to the Saratoga Lions Foundation to Bob Louden, 21110 Sullivan Drive, Saratoga, CA 95070. The contact number is Marlene at 408.867.1410.

Lions International has awarded $470,000 in grants to Lions in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia. This includes $220,000 in emergency grants to secure and deliver food, water and blankets; and a $250,000 major catastrophe grant designated for long-term relief.

There are 73,000 Lions in the hardest hit regions of the affected countries, working to aid those in need. LCIF has a long history of disaster relief, planning long-term recovery by working with committees of Lions, government officials and other organizations. In Sri Lanka the Minister of Housing is a Lion.

EVENING WITH FRIENDS: One of the winners of Santana Row's Holiday Luxury Packages was Suman Goel of Saratoga. The prize was called "An Evening with Friends" and included an in-home catered dinner for four from Left Bank; table settings from Sur La Table; and party invitations from Jax.

Also included was a $1,000 Best Buy gift certificate. Not a bad haul from a leisurely stroll around the European-style setting of Santana Row. The prizes were given out by Santana Row merchants during the month of December.

NEW WORKS: Kay Duffy's work is on display at the Triton Museum of Art as part of "New Works by California Artists: Allied Artists West." The show is in the rotunda of the museum in Santa Clara until March 10 and represents the work of 20 local professional artists with diverse approaches and media.

Paintings and whimsical constructions featuring shoes are included. An artist reception will be held Jan. 20, 6­8 p.m.

JEWELRY FROM FOUND OBJECTS: Saratogan Dawn Hart will teach a class on Found Object Jewelry with Polymer Clays on Jan. 22, 10 a.m.­5 p.m., at the Saratoga Community Center. Participants can learn to recycle former treasures into new jewelry.

Mold making, texturing, coloration and attaching techniques will be taught. Bring a variety of found objects and a 12-by-12 (or larger) non-porous work surface.

Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to maryanncook@earthlink.net.