We’ll meet Scott and Janet in Miami Beach again this year and then head back to Sarasota for Christmas. Travel plans beyond that are up in the air (so to speak) as I write.

I see that there are still some openings on the calendar, so if you want to make a return visit, or get your picture up on the wall, make your reservations soon.

We want to wish all of our dear friends in Ann Arbor, Sarasota, and scattered around the globe and our families – nuclear and extended – joy, safety, health and peace. We are so fortunate to have all of you in our lives.

Click here for this year’s Jib Jab HO HO HO!!!

The icing on the cake has been Billy and Becky Scott coming down. Along with Keith and Anna Townsend we now have a Maine community and, better yet, a band! Watermelon Wine, our country roots band, actually had – among other gigs – a regular Friday night job at Spanky’s Restaurant. It’s hard to convey how much fun we had playing both tunes from the old Appalachian days and new stuff as well.  Ellie still sat in at the Monday night blues jam at the 5-O Club and we enjoyed catching Skip Eaton play whenever we could. Music is a huge part of our lives in Florida. If you haven’t been down to see us – or even if you have – reserve your time on the calendar to the right of this page – C’mon down!

It’s hard to believe we’re nearing the end of another year! I guess time flies when you’re old.

2014 started out with the sad loss of my sister, Barby (see post below). We are still waiting to hear what discoveries have come from the donation of her brain to UC Davis but we hope that doing this will in some way help all of us gain more insight into autism – its causes and its treatments. The PBS series on the brain that will mention her is due to be aired in April; we are all curious to see it.

Last winter in Sarasota deepened our connections down here. Listening to Skip Eaton and Al Fuller at the 5 O’clock, Ellie’s yoga class and Meditation Group, birding, the Sunday night drum circle – life is rich and we’re starting to make real friends, especially Skip and Mary. Of course we love our guests, and we got a pretty good group down here last year – John and Ginger, Paul and Wendy, Dorothy and Bill, Mark and Marty and Scott and Janet from Ann Arbor and we got Brian Hart’s family and Gary and Debbie and then Lea Kone, from upstate New York. Who am I forgetting? Please leave a comment below. And, if you’d like to make the list next year, please reserve your time on the calendar to the right of this post.

We had two fantastic trips last year (see posts below) to largely Spanish-speaking areas, so Ellie worked on Spanish and joined Johanna’s kitchen class in Ann Arbor. Although this year was a wash-out as far as the boat was concerned (long story – but can you say “blown head gasket”?) we still had a wonderful summer, hanging out with friends, going to Conditioning for Life Class (owe it all to Dan), and playing with the band for ellie and golf for Kevin. Kevin really enjoyed Radrick Farms this year and is swinging as well as ever. Ellie joined forces with bandmate, Dave Solo, and they formed a duo that played several times and even cut a CD in Mark Hauptschein’s studio (copies available on request). We also had a nice little trip to Boulder to see Patience and my cousin Anna. Boulder is cool and we plan to go back when it isn’t also freezing.

As for this winter in Sarasota, we’re pleased that John and Ginger will be renting nearby for three months and our old friend and music pal, Bill Scott, bought a place in Ellenton. We are already in rehearsal with Kevin playing U-Bass (a trick we picked up from Dave Solo), Ellie on vocals and percussion and Bill playing pretty much everything else and running the show.

Here is wishing all of our friends and family great happiness for the holidays and throughout 2015. Come and see us in Sarasota (November through April) or in Ann Arbor (May through October). Merry Christmas!

After a side trip to Toledo with its old city and magnificent cathedral, we drove through the olive groves to Granada with the even more spectacular Alhambra. We had another day at the beach in Nerja on the Costa Del Sol before driving through the White Hill Towns with stops in Grazalema and Ronda. Last stop is Spain was probably the most Spanish place of all – Sevilla, home of Flamenco. The show we saw was spectacular – one male and one female dancer, a guitarist and a singer.

After a stop in Tavira, Portugal, we headed west as far as one can go to Cape Sagres at the southwest tip of Europe. We loved this windswept little town with its empty beach and the ancient sailor’s school where Columbus and Vasco De Gama learned to navigate. Last stop was Lisbon where you get lost in the Alfama while the Fado music pours out onto the narrow streets after dark

As someone diagnosed very early with the disease, she provided an opportunity for study which was not lost on my brilliant brother and the family has donated her brain to UC Davis. We will miss our visits to the DC area several times a year to see her, her caregivers, and our dear friends there, Doug Bellis and Suzanne English.  An interesting side note is that PBS is doing a series on the human brain, narrated by David Eagleman, author of the very interesting book Incognito, and they are planning a short segment about Barby on the program, scheduled to air sometime in April of 2015.

Barby was a fascinating character and I learned so much about her condition and about human nature as people would react to her. We all miss her very much.

Click picture to view Video

And bright and sunny it is in Sarasota! Especially fun has been jamming music with Keith Townsend and my old road buddy, Billy Scott – too much fun! So with 2013 almost behind us (see below for details), we wish all of you a peaceful, plentiful and joy-filled holiday season, on into 2014 and beyond. Since we are traveling a bit from Sarasota this year (South America with John and Ginger in March), the calendar is filling up fast. So please check it and book your stay at K&e’s B&B south; we’d love to see you.

Merry Christmas!

 Feliz Navidad!

Joyeaux Noël!

Buon Natale!

Nollaig Shona Dhuit!

Love, ellie and Kevin