Merry Christmas!! All is well here in Texas. Jeff and I have been kept very busy with family and friends. We wish you all much happiness this day and throughout the year. Perhaps after taday We may be able to have a little rest and relaxation to go along with the busyness of holiday preperation. But I have to get throught dinner for 19 today!!

Hi all. This is coming to you from Houston. I've haven't been a good updater of late. It seems if I don't have some interesting trip to report, I can't think of anything. I did make it to a Benvenuto club meeting last Tuesday and there was Jeff's company dinner on Thursday night. Friday morning found me on an airplane through Paris, a last minute date change from Sunday and a preference to avoid Newark and it's winter storm advisory! Liz picked me up and we didn't let Tricia in on the change of plans. She was surprised. Now to trim the tree, bake cookies and send Christmas cards. Hope everyone is glowing with love and happiness as we enter into this very special time of year!

Hi!! I'm not quite sure where to start, but here goes, anyway. L and D left this morning after a very packed visit. I think by next year I'll be really good at this organizing and guiding business. My last entry left us awaiting L and D's return from Rome. Wednesday we went on the tour of Milan, which people take to get into the Last supper, the last stop on the tour. We met up with Jeff and walked the expensive shops to Armani's and I dinner date at Nobu with Alma, Stephano and Ingrid. Thursday we ate a big American breakfast and headed to the Grand Hotel in Florence for a night. It was very cool there, but not rainy, so headed for the Academia and 'David'. WOW!! Wandered Florence a bit, which I was unable to do when we'd come down with T and S. Next morning was the Uffizzi and so much art and statues it's hard to comprehend. We left around 6PM and found out what Florence rush hour was like. It added an hour to our 45 minute drive to Lucca. Lucca is a smaller medieval town, with an 17th century intact wall around it. We checked into another Grand Hotel, this one not as grand, and were directed to a restaurant in the old city. Probably one of the best meals I've had in Italy so far.The next morning we toured Lucca, and then headed for the sea, and a beach. I found both. the Tuscan coast west of Pisa and south is flat and home to wide beaches, and lots of summer rentals. Again it was cool and overcast, so we only took a short roam on the beach. Back in the car and off to Santa Margherita, a town Jeff and I had been to in September. We overnighted there, and in the morning took the short but intense drive into Portofino. We wandered around a bit, looking at art, and enjoying our prettiest day in northern Italy thus far. We were home by 2, or should I say we would have been if we hadn't stopped at the Carrefour for gelato. L and D weren't finding good gelato in Rome, and that theme continued in Florence . Less tourists and cooler weather slows the sales in resort places, but not in Milan! We had a quiet dinner last night followed by uploading pictures and playing card, and Oh I forgot to mention Danny and Jeff going to the music store to buy a guitar!