Happy Holidays,
We began 2017 by celebrating our 36th anniversary on January 3. Over the next couple of months, we flew to KY to be with Lulu's Mom for Sonny's memorial service, drove to Dallas with a load of furniture for Whitney and Brian, took Sarah on her 12 year old trip to Disneyworld and Kennedy Space Center, then drove back through south Texas to visit Lynne in San Antonio. In mid-March, we enjoyed our last days on the ranch with Carla and David staying with us a couple of days, hiking and enjoying sunsets. We made multiple trips to Tucson with loaded Hummer and truck. By early April, we made our final move from the ranch to Tucson. We hosted a "come and take our stuff party" for our Boys & Girls Club kids. We pared down, settled in, redecorated a bit, and soon we felt at home!
We flew to KY in mid-April for Lulu's Dad's heart surgery. He has made good progress since. In late May, we celebrated Papa's 71st birthday with Brian & Whitney's families in Dallas, and flew to Rome the next day on a seven week trip in Italy. We stayed in a convent in Rome where we visited basilicas we hadn't seen before, took the train north and hiked the Cinque Terre, spent an afternoon in Pisa, stayed a week in Tuscany where we enjoyed Siena, Florence, countless small villages, and a day in Orvieto visiting the University of Arizona Study Abroad Program. We took the train to Verona where we rented a house for 10 days, with Audrey, Claire, and Whitney's families staying with us and celebrating Lulu’s 60th birthday. We made family visits to Lake Garda, the waterfalls of Molina, and the Verona Arena. We left Verona via train and enjoyed four days in Venice during the Biennale. Then we flew to Sicily for three weeks, spending time in the Aeolian Islands, a few days in Trapani, then crossing the island to visit the Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto. Claire and her children spent the last week with us, hiking on Mt. Etna, exploring the theater of Taormina, hiking the Valley of Temples, and visiting Selinunte. We walked over 250 miles while in Italy, ate our weight in gelato, and saw numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We had a wonderful trip!
We visited Audrey's family in Wilmette in mid-August, enjoying a family dinner with Dan's extended family. We spent a few days in October with Lynne in San Antonio. We explore Tucson every free day, visiting farmer's markets, libraries, museums, historic walking tours, UA campus, enjoying the flora of the Sonoran desert while hiking daily, and volunteering at the Boys & Girls Clubs. We enjoy lots of meals with "our BGC kids." Papa bikes daily on Tucson's Loop Bike Path. He continues to work in his leather workshop. Lulu writes at luluandpapa.blogspot.com.
We took a cruise from November 3-December 10, from Dubai to Cape Town, with visits in the UAE, Oman, India, the Maldives, Seychelles, Zanzibar, Mozambique, Kenya, and South Africa. We enjoyed every day, exploring and talking to locals. Our impressions of every country changed considerably from our thoughts before traveling. We particularly loved Oman and South Africa, with Mozambique a close third. We are always up for an adventure! Claire's family will join us for the holidays in Tucson. We hope 2017 has been a healthy, happy year for you. We wish the same for 2018. We love hearing from you!
Happy Holidays!
Love,
Lulu & Papa
