Puerto Rico 🇵🇷

My first trip to Puerto Rico and I already can’t wait to return! Where have you been all my life? So beautiful - a paradise in fact. And only a bit over a 4 hour plane ride from Chicago. A US territory so no need to get a passport or learn a new currency. The temperature is very consistent all year and the entire time I was there only fluctuated a few degrees. It’s an island but significantly larger than I expected. We stayed in the Rio Grande area which is about 30 minutes from San Juan, so plenty of reasons to go back and see more.

Our friends Jill and Kevin have spent a number of months in that area at a condo on the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Resort the past few winters, so know the area really well. When they invited Margaret and I down for a week we jumped at the chance, and they were fantastic hosts. Thanks so much Jill and Kevin! The property was just gorgeous and we had the benefit of all the space of a condo with access to the amenities the resort offered plus the expertise and planning skills of our hosts. All of this added up to a fantastic week.

Here is our view from their balcony. It never got old😊

We had a balanced combination of relaxation at the pool and beach, fun and interesting activities, great food and exercise. Have you ever heard of a bioluminescent bay? Well there aren’t that many in the world and 3 of them are in Puerto Rico. You can only see the glow-in-the-dark water at night so there are many companies that offer a kayak tour to see it. Jill and I did it one night and it was amazing. The short explanation of what creates the bioluminescence is that it’s an organism that produces luciferin which then makes the light. Similar to what causes fireflies to light up but in the water. It doesn’t photograph well and since you’re kayaking in the dark they recommend you don’t bring anything you care about losing should you tip your kayak and need to find and get back into your kayak in the dark. And the darker the better so it was cloudy the night we went - excellent! Here are a few pictures of what it looks like but clearly not taken by me. Lots of companies to choose from and they all leave from exactly the same place and do the exact same thing. We went with Eco Adventures in the Laguna Grande Bay. It was really fun and also funny because to get to the bay you had to paddle for quite a ways through a canal and we couldn’t really see well in the dark narrow canal so kept getting our paddles stuck in the heavy tree roots along the sides. Totally worth it and got a 2 hour workout as a bonus.

Puerto Rico has El Yunque National Forest, the only tropical rain forest in the US National Forest System. It is on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo Mountains and home to thousands of native plants, trees, ferns, flowers and waterfalls. We wanted to do some hiking there so got up early one day to beat the crowds and were successful in finding parking and getting to some of the busier spots before it got crowded. All thanks to Jill’s experience of course! Beautiful waterfall and the bottom right picture of the 3 of us is at the top of the tower in the lower left picture. Beautiful view from the top.

This beautiful man made pool was built in the late 1930’s by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) as part of the New Deal era to put young men back to work and was used for swimming from 1936 to 1968. There I am in the middle of the bridge✌🏻

Now for some hiking in the rain forest! We saw such pretty flowers and huge ferns plus really beautiful views of the higher mountains.

We went to San Juan for a good part of a day. So pretty and I love the old painted buildings. It’s very hilly and the streets are narrow and lots of cobblestones. Wear comfortable shoes! San Juan is a popular stop for cruise ships so it’s quite crowded during the day. We planned to arrive right after lunch and stay for dinner so by late afternoon it gets way less crowded as people return to their ships. Tons of cute restaurants and shops and places to get drinks.

Did you know the Pina Colada was invented in San Juan in 1963? Now you do! So felt like out of respect we should stop somewhere and give them a try. Delicious!

A must when visiting San Juan is a visit to the National Historic Site of Castillo San Felipe Del Morro. It dates back to 1539 but wasn’t considered completed until 1787 and is the largest fortification built by Spain in the Caribbean. It rises 140 feet above the sea and has walls up to 25 feet thick. When the US acquired Puerto Rico in 1898 after the Spanish American War they used this fortification during the two World Wars. It has 6 levels with the top level being where the lookouts could see anything coming at them for miles, the next level down for weapons, on down to where the soldiers slept in barracks, cooked etc. It’s hard to capture how massive it really is when you’re inside.

We went to hear live music one night at the C Note. A jazz club that has fantastic shows most nights in a small intimate venue.

Jill got tickets for us all to see Christian Nieves, a Quattro player along with Anthony Carrillo, a Master Bongocero (bongo musician). From what I could find on the internet both quite famous and while I’m not an expert in this area I can’t imagine that they aren’t considered highly talented. In one article I read it said Christian Nieves brought Jennifer Lopez to tears with his soulful playing. Anthony Carillo’s hands were moving so fast they were a blur! Really reasonable and I would definitely return.

The resort has golf, tennis, pickleball, a fitness center, pools, a spa, restaurants, etc. We signed up for a pickleball clinic and were the only participants so it was actually like a private lesson. Finally I learned how to get my serve in the appropriate place!

We went to the pool almost every day for at least awhile. Parked myself under an umbrella and succeeded in not getting burned. This was the pool closest to the condo so we stuck with it. Thankfully it was never very crowded although now with spring breaks starting that could change.

The beaches are gorgeous. A beach walk was on my list every day as well. That never gets old. Not many shells but I did find two sand dollars that are drying out nicely on a ledge here at home. Here is one picture but if you would like another 50 more I definitely have them🥰So easy to pull your lounge chair under a palm tree and enjoy the beach without getting fried.

I could do a whole post just on food! So many delicious meals. A few of the best ones were when Jill and Kevin cooked for us. That was such a treat. Jill made delicious salmon one night with rice and beans and broccoli, and Kevin grilled ribs and chicken thighs with great sides that were fantastic. They took us to some of their local delicious favorite spots. Here are the highlights:

Bungalu - a great local place that started out as a stand on the road. So popular they now have a large covered outdoor restaurant.

These were appetizers we shared. Some kind of fish cakes (might have been with mahi mahi) and a shrimp marinated dish with these little biscuits called arepas that are delicious. Such amazing sauces. We had tacos that for sure were made with mahi mahi and another dish that came in a huge avocado but I forgot to take pictures! Sorry! All so good.

We ate at the Cannon Club in San Juan. Really cool inside and had a fantastic outside garden and rooftop. We had coconut shrimp, fish croquettes, charcuterie and marinated mushrooms. The coconut shrimp were my favorite!

Inside the piano bar seating for royalty😊

La Estación was a barbecue spot that was awesome. In an old filling station with a roof but all open sides. The smell alone just made your mouth water.

The smoked swordfish dip with arepas to share and I had this extremely large pulled pork sandwich with bacon, cheese, cole slaw on a delicious bun. I had no idea it would be the size of a melon and didn’t come close to finishing it.

Sama was a place that Jill and Kevin hadn’t been to but had heard great things about. I’m glad they got to try somewhere new too. We all loved it. A beautiful location right across from the beach that has the biggest waves so popular for surfing.

Margaret and I shared the Branzino with roasted veggies, Kevin had a pasta and Jill some kind of ceviche. Good wine and a bite of lemon cheesecake with fresh berries that we all shared.

For lunch one day when we were on the beach we walked down past the hotel to a cute spot called Carabali Beach House. Right on the beach where a Pina colada and fresh cream cheese and spinach empanada tasted delicious.

18 Degrees has two locations for wonderful smoothies, açaí bowls, coffees etc. We went to both! One right after the rain forest hiking and then as luck would have it they have a food truck right at the pool by the condo Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So I got to try it all! That’s a Funky Monkey smoothie I’m drinking and I wouldn’t mind one right now!

We saw lots of little iguanas and one giant one!

Well that wraps up my trip to Puerto Rico. I have a feeling it won’t be my last time there. Thanks so much to Jill and Kevin for planning such a great week and hosting us, and to Margaret for being a super fun and easy going traveling companion. I can see why the people there are so proud of their country and of their heritage. Thanks for coming along as you read this. I wrote this in the sand because it’s something my mom always said and it’s so true. Happiness is a choice. I hope you make it yours💕

Back to NYC….Finally!

I love to visit New York City. My son lived there for 10 years and I worked for a company headquartered there so had many great opportunities to visit, and tried to take advantage of every single one. Then Covid happened and my son ended up moving away, so it’s been awhile since I was there, and I’ve been missing it. I love to spend months planning long trips out of the country, but it’s also fun to change it up and spontaneously decide to go somewhere for just a quick change of pace. So when a great airfare came across on email I said to myself why not do it! I planned the trip just a few weeks ahead, got a good rate on a hotel right by Bryant Park and started to plan my itinerary. In a nutshell in basically 2 days I went to 4 museums, toured the NYC Public Library, saw a Broadway Show, shopped a tiny bit, ate some good food, and walked over 20 miles seeing some of my favorite landmarks. Not bad! I was blessed with great weather which was the only variable I had zero control over. It was overcast the entire time but the actual temperature varied from the low to high 40’s, and no rain. All in all a pretty perfect trip. Read on for details and pictures if interested.

I’ll start with my favorite thing first. I took a tour of the NYC Public Library, and it totally blew me away. Excuse me as I gush about this. This was basically the Venn diagram of the things I love most (outside of my family of course). The sweet spot where architecture, history and books meet. Just some quick facts. This library was designed by the architects Carrère and Hastings started in 1897 and completed and opened in 1911. It is a Beaux-Arts Neoclassical style and is the 2nd largest library in the world. (Largest is in London) It is 2 city blocks long and made of solid marble. The library tour is free and given at 11AM and 2PM daily by very knowledgeable docents. The tickets become available the Sunday before the coming week and you make a reservation online. Maximum number on the tour is 25, but it appears there is some wiggle room on this. My tour was filled with 25 reservations but they allowed 8 more people to join by walking in prior to the tour beginning. But to be certain I would make a reservation because there’s no way they could have one guide walking 100 people around the building. Here is a picture of the front but it’s so big not possible for me to get the whole thing. There are two large lions - Patience and Fortitude at the front entrance that are quite famous. You can see one at the lower right corner of the picture.

Our docent was excellent and we saw so much in an hour, but still so much left to see! I can’t recommend this enough. It was really the highlight of my trip. Here are a few pics of the spectacular interiors.

Do not miss the Treasures Room! This changes frequently and has things on display that will amaze you. Top left - entrance to the Treasures. Top right - Charles Dickens’s desk and chair. Bottom left the Gutenberg Bible (only 5 or 6 in the US and this was the first in the US). Bottom right - the very first Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends stuffed animals. Other things that were displayed were The Bill of Rights, Virginia Woolf’s walking stick, Shakespeare’s First folio and more!

The library also has a fantastic gift shop with a nice coffee shop. Don’t miss it! And now I will move on to museums - another favorite of mine. A new one for me was seeing the Neue Gallery. Have you seen the movie Woman in Gold? Well if not it’s worth seeing. A true story and inspired me to visit this museum. The artist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) who was from Austria painted a number of very famous paintings, one being Woman in Gold. (Another is The Kiss) During WWII Woman in Gold was confiscated by the Nazi’s and later after the war ended up in the Belvedere Museum in Vienna. The original family that owned the painting were living in California and tried to get their painting back but the Austrian government refused. Long story short they sued and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court and in 2006 they won and got the painting back. They then sold it to Ronald Lauder who agreed to always display it at his museum in NYC. It is housed in a beautiful mansion on 5th Ave on the upper east side. These are pictures of the outside and the entrance inside. They don’t allow any photography in the exhibit rooms. The third floor was closed but I got to see the Klimt paintings and other items on the second floor and the admission was half the cost so I was fine with it.

While I couldn’t photograph the actual Woman in Gold they do have a copy on the lower level that you can take a picture of so you might recognize it. And the movie is really good!

They also have a very European cafe inside called Cafe Sabarsky that looked to have a nice selection of food. One of my favorite things about Austria are the fantastic desserts so I treated myself to a slice of Sachertorte and a pot of tea while I was there. Delicious!

Just two blocks from the Neue Gallery is the Guggenheim Museum. I had been there a number of years ago before I developed such an interest in Frank Lloyd Wright, and since he was the architect and it was his very last project completed before he died at the age of 91, wanted to see it again. It’s on the UNESCO World Heritage Sight of the most important buildings in the world. It has beautiful art inside as well, but for me it’s really about the building.

The spectacular inside.

The Guggenheim has a small but interesting in my opinion permanent collection - a few Picasso’s, Monet’s etc. They typically have a number of special exhibits that vary in type but tend toward more modern artists.

Next up was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My purpose was to mainly see the Women Dressing Women fashion exhibit. The Met is so huge that I find if I don’t have a specific goal I won’t get too far past the front door.

I enjoyed seeing the clothing of basically the last 100 years, but what I found most interesting was the history it detailed of women’s role in fashion design over that time period and many years prior. Women were very involved long before that but never given any credit. Prior to 1850 there were no labels in clothing so difficult to link them to their creator. Just a few of my favorites. Top right - House of Chanel 1927. If you told me I could have anything from the exhibit it would be this. I would wear it for the rest of my life to any fancy occasion I attended and it would always look perfect. Bottom left is by Ann Lowe 1968. I read a book about the life of this designer titled “By Her Own Design”. She was a very talented black woman that designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s 1953 wedding dress, but never received credit for it. The exquisite handmade flowers were a defining characteristic of her beautifully constructed gowns.

Since I was at the Met I thought I would see if they had anything from Frank Lloyd Wright in their American Wing - thinking that maybe they would have a few pieces of furniture perhaps. Well much to my surprise they have an entire room from the Francis Little prairie home from Wayzata, MN. This beautiful home unfortunately was demolished in 1971, but this room taken apart piece by piece and reconstructed inside the Met. Bonus!

The last museum I visited was the Whitney. It’s all American art and I really love the building. Located right on the Hudson River it has great views of the city from the many decks that extend from the top couple of floors. They have quite a nice permanent exhibit but then usually a special exhibit. On this visit the special exhibit was by Henry Taylor (b. 1958).

I liked this self-portrait he did based on a painting of the English king Henry the VIII he saw at London’s National Portrait Gallery. He was the youngest of eight children so that’s what he called himself.

I went to a Broadway Show - Kimberly Akimbo at the Booth Theater. It won the Tony for best musical this past year. I just went to the box office and bought a ticket there to save on all the online ticket fees. Ended up in the center of the mezzanine for a good price and since it’s a fairly small theater had a perfect view. I enjoyed it. A somewhat sad story but funny parts as well. Good casting and the orchestra was wonderful.

On my 20 miles walking I saw some famous places. Times Square, beautiful clock and flowers on Saks Fifth Ave, and a couple of shots around Rockefeller Center.

Macy’s Herald Square claiming to be the World’s Largest Store. Not sure that’s true🧐

Turn right around and see the Empire State Building!

Best subway stop in my opinion…..at the National History Museum. Gorgeous tile work.

Now for some food! As I’ve said over and over - I’m not a foodie. Eating to stay alive is more my thing. But so much quick easy delicious food in NY so here’s some of what I ate. Joe’s Famous Pizza. A number of locations around the city. Been around since I think 1975. The best slice anywhere for just $4. Eating it while standing at a tiny counter if you’re lucky. Packed all the time.

I finally made it to Zabar’s on the upper west side. Been there 90 years and mainly a gourmet grocery store where you can get a bagel, sandwich, soup etc. First floor is all kinds of specialty stops - meat, fish, cheeses etc. Second floor is an awesome housewares store and the prices were great. If you like that kind of thing it’s a mecca. I wanted to see it and get a quick bite before walking across Central Park to go to the Met. Had chicken noodle soup that came with a large piece of bread and a black and white cookie. It was all good and while the soup just looks like broth it had nice pieces of chicken and delicious noodles that were all at the bottom. I could only eat half of the cookie but saved the rest for later.

I got a great recommendation for a place to go for a glass of wine and light bite prior to the theater called Vanguard. It was perfect. Nice atmosphere and just a few blocks from the theater area but not touristy. Had a glass of wine and an Camembert Apricot tarte.

Went to one of favorite little spots in the West Village for a nice breakfast my last day. Buvette makes me feel like I’m enjoying Paris and NYC at the same time. Very tiny but delicious. Had steamed eggs, prosciutto with shaved parmesan and a cappuccino. No reservations so get there early or be prepared to wait.

If you’re on the lower west side, by the Whitney or Meatpacking District a fun little stop is the Chelsea Market. An indoor market with so many cute places to eat and grab something to go. Oyster bars, tacos, pizza, homemade spaghetti, bakeries, coffee shops and more. I stopped to get a few things to take home. Did someone say brownie?

Can you go to NYC and not get a bagel? I think not so I did have a great one at the Brooklyn Bagel and Coffee Company but forgot to get a picture.

I did a very tiny bit of shopping in SoHo. Got a new pair of jeans and stopped at one of my favorite local shops called Goods For The Study. Nice journals, notebooks, pens etc. Always something there that calls to me so I bought a few new travel notebooks. Now that’s something I can definitely use.

So that was my trip! I covered a lot in two nights and two and a half days. It felt so good to be back. And I already can’t wait to return. New York City thanks for the warm welcome. 💕

Chicago Auditorium Theater

WARNING!! Historical architectural post ahead. If it’s not of interest to you feel free to skip this one. Sometimes I write this mainly so that I can remember what I learned and relive my excitement of seeing it in person. I feel so fortunate to live in an area that has many people like myself that love to preserve the history of our beautiful city, and celebrate what has made Chicago a special destination for over a century. The Auditorium Theater is one of those buildings.

Thanks to Ferdinand Wyeth Peck Chicago is considered to be the most architecturally significant city in the United States. Who? You’ve never heard of him? Well me neither. Until today. Saying it’s all due to Ferdinand might be a bit of an exaggeration, but he certainly played an important role. After the Chicago fire of 1871 there was a concern that Chicago wouldn’t rebound and be one of the most important cities in the US. After all, a huge portion of the city was burnt to the ground and 100’s of people died. Well Ferdinand had a vision to build the largest, grandest, most modern building in the world, and persuaded other important businessmen like himself to join his efforts. He hired the architectural firm of Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan to build his vision of the first multi use building in the world. It was the Auditorium Theater which was a theater open to all Chicagoans - not just the wealthy. It had a hotel and office space which helped lower the cost of tickets making it an option for maybe not the poorest people but middle class and the wealthy. When it opened in 1889 it was the tallest building in Chicago and the most modern in the world. It utilized electric lighting to a massive degree and the first ever building with air conditioning!

Adler and Sullivan was the perfect architectural firm to hire. Adler was renowned for his engineering skill and knowledge of acoustics, and Sullivan the creative which created a new American style of building utilizing gold leaf, terra cotta and elaborate stencil design. They also had a young man by the name of Frank Lloyd Wright in their employ who had some ideas of his own. There are a few things that Frank was so fond of in the design of the building and ornamentation that he added them to the home he was building in Oak Park and even in some of his later designs.

The building was so impressive that it secured the Colombian Exhibition in 1893 for Chicago - the World’s Fair that put Chicago back on the map.

But like so many historic buildings it had some tough times. It was used for not just performances, but weddings, political events, and even housed soldiers during World War II. But sadly was closed in the 1940’s and stayed closed until 1967. It had been purchased in 1947 by Roosevelt University, but sat there vacant falling into even worse condition until a woman by the name of Beatrice Teller Spachner, who had wonderful memories of attending performances there as a child decided to take action. She worked tirelessly to raise funds to renovate the theater and take it back to its original grandeur. It reopened in 1967 and was added to the National Historic Registry in 1975. Here she is and thank you Beatrice for all your hard work. The Auditorium Theater will be here for future generations thanks to you. One person CAN make a difference❤️

Now for the pictures! First the entrance to the lobby where tickets are sold. Six beautiful arches with art glass depicting 6 of the arts you might see performed there ie. dance, music, opera, theater etc. The bottom right picture is of the central lobby. A concept Sullivan loved was an idea Frank Lloyd Wright embraced called “compression and release.” A lower ceiling creating a compressed feeling but then upon entering the theater your breath is taken away by the contrast. Many theaters you have probably been in have very high ceilings in the lobby - and this is the opposite of that.

Another angle of the central lobby. In this picture you can see the beautiful detail of the design, the abundance of electrical lighting and the delicate ironwork of the stair rails.

This picture is just for fun. I love Wes Anderson (American filmmaker, photographer, and genius known for his visual style) so this is my poor attempt at imitating his pictures.

Now we enter the theater! Stunning! I am obsessed with the semicircular rows of lighting on the ceiling. Lit with 3500 Edison lightbulbs it creates a vision of gold. Also so much larger than what it looks like because those bands of lights are actually walkways where men went inside to change out the bulbs. Artwork on the walls and above the stage. The acoustics are still considered to be some of the finest in the world thanks to Dankmar Adler. There were no sound systems or microphones when this building opened, and from the stage you can hear a whisper all the way in the gallery. He used a bullhorn shape with arches and angled panels to carry the sound out and up.

It’s called the Backstage Tour because they take you everywhere. You have the main floor and dress circle, the balcony, and then an even higher tier called the gallery. I’m not a big fan of height and when we went to the gallery I almost lost it. I felt like at any moment I was going to flip right over the side because it was quite steep. The guide Kevin said they usually don’t sell those tickets unless it’s such an in demand performance that people are happy to sit anywhere. Also the gallery still has the original wooden seats so I went up because I wanted to see them. Compared to the seats most theaters now have I’m not sure how woman in big dresses even fit in the seats because they are about two thirds the size of what we would consider a normal seat. The bottom left picture is the seats in the gallery. Bottom right is a very cool monogram on each of those seats that is an A and a C. Stands for Auditorium Chicago. Top left picture is a stencil pattern from the ceiling in the lobby and the one Frank Lloyd Wright copied for the stencil border in the primary bedroom at his home in Oak Park. Top right - two things to see. The light fixture Wright also copied for his home in Oak Park, and the scroll cone is one of the fixtures that supplied air conditioning into the gallery.

On the tour we went down into the lower levels below the stage to see the orchestra pit, the large dressing rooms, laundry rooms, break/snack rooms, physical therapy rooms, and the smaller private dressing rooms for the stars. Very clean and modern.

One other innovative feature the Auditorium Theater had when it opened was a hydraulic lift system that enabled the stage to raise and lower in sections so sets could be brought up as if by magic and performers elevated on stage from below. It allowed much quicker set changes than what was done in the past all manually. This hydraulic system was powered by water so operated by pipes attached to the city water system and levers adjusted by humans. Now of course there is a new electric hydraulic system but in recognition of this accomplishment there is still one of the original lifts for you to see.

Lastly we got to go onstage. Another innovation is that the area above the stage is 10 stories high with all kinds of ability through a weighted system to store sets and raise and lower them quickly. Unless I really pick it up with my tap classes this is the only time I’ll ever get to be on the stage!

Many of the most famous entertainers in the world have performed there. Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Prince, the Boston Pops, American Ballet theater to name just a few. It’s still going strong and a fantastic place to see a performance. Two for one. A great show and an architectural landmark. We had a great tour guide Kevin and tours are available several days a week at noon. Check their website and I suggest you purchase a ticket in advance.

When I was taking the tour I had a flashback and realized that my mother took me to this beautiful theater in the early 70’s to see a ballet. I remember even where we sat and I’ll never go in there again without the feeling that she is with me.💕 That made a really good tour a great and special day for me. Thanks for coming along. Fun trip coming very soon so check back!🤗

Happy Holidays! Hello 2024🥳

This is one of my favorites posts to write, because it gives me a reason to look back on my year and pick out the best parts and appreciate and enjoy them all over again. Not to say that my life is only unicorns and rainbows, but I try to move past the bumps as quickly as possible and focus on the positive. My motto continues to be life is what you make it. You’ll be as happy as you want to be. All in all this was a happy year for me. No major health issues for me or those closest to me - and the older I get the more I realize if you have your health than you are blessed indeed.

No deliberation on this one - the most amazing happening this year was that I became a grandma! Tom and Anna had a beautiful little boy and he is one special baby. Every baby is a gift and he is one we are all grateful to welcome to our family. They are doing a fantastic job working as a team and things are going smoothly. I am looking forward to spending time with their sweet family and getting to know my grandson.

Keeley and Matt are doing well and I’m able to see them fairly often and dog sit their sweet pup Monica. She is a 60 pound dog that underestimates her size and likes nothing more than to sit in your lap. They have done a great job training her so she’s really a pleasure to be around. Her ears are my favorite.

I traveled a decent amount which continues to be something I enjoy very much. I spent the month of February in Southern California starting out the first few weeks in Pacific Beach by myself. Then my good friends from Kansas City came out and joined me in Newport Beach and while the weather was a little rainy we had a great time. Deidre stayed out and went with me to finish up the last week in Santa Barbara. That was my first time in Santa Barbara and we both thought it was really beautiful. Lots of great hiking so it was a month of beaches and mountains - very fun.

Deidre and I spent a day in the wine country inland from Santa Barbara and Solvang was so cute! Known for its Danish-style architecture and good wine. Also stopped in Los Olivos which is just a few miles away. More great wine!

In April I headed to North Carolina for a family wedding - congrats Jack and Kristy! Always so great to see my brothers and their families and our super fun cousins.

May was a trip to Tahoe for some fantastic hiking with friends Liz and Peggy. The weather was gorgeous and we hiked almost everyday - Liz was a wonderful and gracious hostess and knows lots of great places to hike.

June was a trip to North Carolina for a fun baby shower. The theme was books. This baby has an entire library already.

Mid August I left for two weeks in Scandinavia followed by 12 days in France. Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and then Paris and the Alsace region seeing Strasbourg and Colmar. I still pinch myself that I was there. I loved it all. I saw and did so much - from the Fjords in Norway to the Dior Museum in Paris. I ate Plukkfisk in Bergen and fantastic croissants in Paris. Too many pictures to post so I’ll just pick one - my first view of a fjord. I was diligent about blogging almost everyday so if you’re interested in reading more details feel free to click back through my posts.

I miss Kansas City and my wonderful friends there so made a fun trip down in late October. Got to eat great barbecue and get together with lots of people I love. Thanks for being a great hostess Cheryl and even indulging my desire to go to the Eras Tour movie. I have become a total Swiftie so seeing the movie if you can’t get to a concert is an absolute must. We wore sparkles!

I’m not done traveling. I have quite a bit planned for 2024 including a big trip hiking the Alps! If not now when? It’s going to happen so check back because I will be blogging.

When I’m not traveling I keep busy here volunteering at Frank Lloyd Wright. I enjoy doing tours of the home and studio here in Oak Park, and learn something new everyday that I’m there. Keeley and I got the opportunity to get inside one of my favorite Wright homes here this last year and here is a picture from the outside. As gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside. The Arthur Heurtley home built in 1902.

What else? I’m still tap dancing with Keeley. She continues to be the best in class and I’m not the worst. Both winning! We performed in two shows this year. Here we are in our New York New York costumes.

And most recently the Holiday Showcase - Walking in a Winter Wonderland. I love getting to spend this time with her 💕

I have always loved to read and like many people that dramatically increased during Covid. I find I enjoy reading more than I like watching TV so this year read 46 books. According to Goodreads I read 16,822 pages! Who knew? Usually I pick my top three favorites from the year but this year I just couldn’t narrow it down and ended up with my favorite five. Here they are:

• Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kindsolver

• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

• Horse by Geraldine Brooks

• The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende

While I don’t make resolutions I did do something this past year that I wanted to share. Every week I took a piece of paper and wrote down the best thing that happened that week, folded it up and put it in a container. I did that every week and just did the last one today. Next week I will pull one of those papers out and read it, and then will do that every week. There was never a week when I couldn’t decide what the best thing was, and of course there were some weeks like when my grandson was born that clearly stood out as the best thing. Those big moments are easy to recall but I’m really looking forward to reliving the smaller moments that brought me joy too. I’m going to do it again this year because it has made me realize how many good things happen to us that we might not take enough time to appreciate.

Other things that brought me joy? The Chiefs won the Super Bowl!!! Another thing that brought me joy was Keeley and Tom meeting back in Kansas City for the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead that the Chiefs won to go to the Super Bowl! Sibling fun! It was very cold but they had the best time! And I didn’t know they were doing it till they FaceTimed me from KC and I was confused and trying to figure out what technology they were using to make it look like they were together in KC!😂 We love the Chiefs!❤️

I love New Year’s Day. I get to crack open my new planner and start fresh with the hope that the year will be a good one. I never lose sight of how fortunate I am, and that there are many people struggling - now more than ever. I’ve learned many things from traveling around the world none more important than that as humans no matter where we come from we all have so much more in common than any differences we might perceive. I’m going to continue to try and spread kindness and inclusion because if we all do a little we can accomplish a lot. Sending out a wish for you all to have a good 2024 and beyond. Enjoy each day, because before you know it tomorrow will be yesterday💕

Goodbye Paris!

My final Paris post. The last two days and a bit of a recap. I said goodbye to the sweet wonderful little hotel I stayed at in Strasbourg - The Hotel Suisse. If you’re ever planning to be there you won’t find a better bargain or a better location. Right in the center of the old town but still provides privacy and a warm welcome. The rooms aren’t fancy but very clean and comfortable. I loved the front terrace where you could sit and have a glass of wine, beer, coffee or the most delicious dessert you would want. In just the couple of days I was there it felt like home.

My train back to Paris was right on time. Just a bit of advice if you’re ever taking the trains in Europe. They are wonderful as I’ve mentioned on this blog repeatedly, but it’s best if you’re traveling with luggage to arrive at the train station 30 minutes in advance. Each car probably seats 40 to 50 people, but there’s only a luggage area to accommodate about 8 suitcases. First come first serve and the rest of the people are just stuck having no where to put there bags. Often the correct train platform for each train isn’t listed until 15 minutes before departure time, but if you’re there ahead of time the goal is to be one of the first on to your car. The train to Paris was full and it was painful to see people getting on with huge suitcases and no where to put them. Two women had a duffel that possibly had the body of a large man inside, and to see the two of them struggling to get it not only on the train but up the stairs to the second level was like a Laurel and Hardy routine - only not really funny.

After getting to Paris and taking the metro from the train station to my hotel my goal was to visit the Carnavalet Museum. It’s one of the few museums in Paris I hadn’t been to - Paris history inside a 16th century mansion. And actually free. It was quite a bit larger than I expected, with lots of high tech interactive displays. It starts in the basement going as far back as prehistoric, ancient Roman through Louis XIV period rooms, Napoleon, the French Revolution and the 19th century. A lot to take in, and especially when the temperature inside and out felt like 1000 degrees. I usually deal with heat pretty well but yesterday I actually felt like I might faint. Here’s a picture of the entrance.

I really loved the architecture of the huge mansion. The fireplaces in almost every room were so massive you could actually get inside of them. Then seeing the elaborate period rooms and furniture were fun too.

Sometime when it’s cooler I would love to go back and spend more time. What I enjoyed the most was the wonderful courtyard where you could sit in the shade and drink tall cool beverages. Lovely! I did that and thought about what it would have been like to actually live there.

This has been a fabulous trip, and I’m so fortunate to have had the chance to do it. I’ve been gone 27 days, visited 4 countries, walked 150+ miles (I know because I tracked it😂), stayed in 10 hotels, and met lovely warm friendly helpful people in every one of those places. This was my first big trip post Covid and I was a bit nervous at first. Every day I got more confident and it felt so good to be back out there doing something that makes me happy. One thing that has changed and maybe it is due to Covid, but you literally never need cash for anything. In fact the first three countries I was in - Denmark, Sweden and Norway, don’t use the Euro and each have their own form of currency - what a pain! Well I never got one single coin in any of those countries and just used my credit card for everything - even if it was for an apple! Not kidding! Here in France they use the Euro and I went to an ATM once when I got here and got 120 Euros and still have some left. I could totally have used my credit card for everything.

A credit card and a smart phone and you can go anywhere in the world I believe. I felt safe by myself in every country as violent crime is quite low - the biggest concern is pickpockets. And one thing they love to grab and run with are smart phones. I purchased on Amazon a phone lanyard and it was fantastic. Your phone has to be in a case in order to attach it to - but then I secured it to my ultra safe travel purse and didn’t feel nervous pulling my phone out to take pictures or use my GPS to direct me to where I was headed. If they tried to grab my phone they were taking me with them. And since they are looking for the easy prey I never felt in the least nervous.

I’m also so happy I traveled light - just a carryon and a personal item. That definitely was helpful maneuvering between planes, trains, subways, buses, boats and automobiles. I did laundry 3 times and it’s time for me to go home. I have basically nothing left that’s clean but I feel good that I had what I needed when I needed it - and that includes going from 40 degrees to almost 100! I was never the best dressed person anywhere - but then again I never am😊

Today thankfully has been cooler, so I just took some time to wander and see once more some of the places that are my favorite - probably number one being the Jardin du Luxembourg. Just sat in one of their famous green chairs and enjoyed reflecting on my time in France. I couldn’t think of a better place to do it.

Au revoir Paris! It’s been awesome💕