Thanksgiving Thanks

On a surprise sunny winter's day in Glen Ellyn after all my errands were completed, I sat outside by the warmth of the fire pit, sipped some bourbon, smoked a Cuban cigar and pondered life at 386 Montclair in Glen Ellyn Illinois.

I am thankful for our home, that for the nineteen years we have lived here has provided a constant source of home improvement projects. I am woking on the basement now and getting close to finishing what I started last winter. We only have one more room to do after this. Perhaps it is time to start over!

I am thankful for our neighbors. We have wonderful neighbors whom we like and who like us. We have had many good times together. Eating, drinking, talking, sharing.

I am thankful for the life Sharon and I have had together. Twenty-four years of marriage and we are still going! We have traveled together in the U.S. and Europe, and China. We've been to Hawaii four wonderful, memorable times. We've been to London, Brighton, and Bath in England on more trips than I can recall. We got to take Kathy with us on one of those trips during the Christmas season. I like London at Christmas. We've been to Paris over and over, walked the Seine, admired the Eifel Tower, been overwhelmed by museums, found outstanding little restaurants, sat in cafes and watched the world go by and generally simply enjoyed ourselves. We've been to many other delightful cities in France and never had a bad meal or a bad glass of wine! We've been to Spain every year for the past four and spent relaxing time with the Solers in Sitges. We've seen Madrid and the Basque region. We ran the bulls in Pamplona - well Lee and I stood in front of a statue of the running of the bulls! We've been to Barcelona and driven across much of the country. Like France, we have never had a bad meal or a bad glass of wine!

We went to Italy with the Dunivan gang and saw Venice, and Florence, and Pisa, and San Gimiano, and Sienna, and Cinqua Terra, and Rome. Wow! In 2012 we went to China, again with the Dunivan gang, and saw Bejing, and Shanghai, and the Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Warriors and everything else we could cram into two hectic, sweltering weeks.

I am looking forward to more adventures with Sharon and of course the Dunivan gang, and John and Kristie, and Avery, and Anika. There is so much more to see and to do.

Thanks!