With Thanks at Christmas and for a Happy Year!

Christmas 2016

Hello, Friends & Family,

Merry Christmas from Joanne and Richard in Punta Gorda, Florida! We send you our best wishes for a love and peace-filled Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year.

This year were are so grateful for family, friends and wonderful trips. We recently spent Thanksgiving in Connecticut. My sister, Mary and brother-in-law, Alan, retired to Beacon Falls, CT to live closer to their daughter, Holly's family. They sold their home in Indiana and bought a beautiful new home. It was a memorable Thanksgiving because we took my Mom and our cat, Bleu Kitty, on Jet Blue airlines to visit them. Both did very well! Mom was turning 96 and she was blessed to celebrate her birthday, November 27^th, on Holly & Andrew's new baby, Luciana (Lucy)'s Christening Day.  Lucy was baptized in her great great grandfather's 126 year-old Christening Gown.

We traveled with our Friendship Force Club on an exchange to Costa Rica in February. We enjoyed meeting the Costa Ricans and actually living in their homes for a week. They were so friendly and hospitable to us. We'll remember exciting white water rafting and zip lining, beautiful scenery and delicious food.

In August we went on an African Safari with Overseas Adventure Tours to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. It was a 3-week kaleidoscope of magnificent animals in the wild. Victoria Falls was awesome and we loved the view from Table Mountain in Cape Town.

After 5 months on the market, we sold our sailboat, Eagle's Wings, and bought a 40 ft trawler that we named Indigo Star. She is only 10 years old and in great shape. Her operation is quite different than a sailboat – we are busy learning how to successfully dock her.

 

You can keep up with us by clicking on our blog. We wish you “fair winds for the holidays and calm seas for the New Year.”

Bleu Kitty wishes you a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Joanne & Richard