Sarasota

Pat and Bill have a lovely home here in Sarasota with their very own pool attached to the house. It is beautiful! We had a fun burst of activity the first couple days here with an old friend of Harry and Pat's: Wendell. Wendell and his wife Greer live near Orlando and drove down for a couple days. We did some of the excellent Sarasota attractions, the Selby Botanical Gardens and the Ringling Art Museum. I bought a book on the history of Venice that I am really enjoying at the museum gift shop after seeing the Canaletto Venice exhibition. I would love to see Venice and Florence someday.

We are relaxing now, or at least I am relaxing, the guys have been preparing for a large dinner party tonight with some of their friends we have not yet met. We have been playing Mexican Train a lot and eating See's chocolates and drinking good wine and port.

It is fun to be back in the states after a very challenging week just before we left. (There may be a need for more details on this topic later, but hopefully not.) I heard from my friend Liz in Cabo today and she said the estuary is burning... again. She said the noise is frightening. A snow storm probably would have been preferable. Merry Christmas to all! Keep in touch!