Our 2024 Continued: Chronological Travelogue

We started the year 2024 in San Diego and went to the light show at the Botanic Garden on January 1 with friends Rick and Carol Gold. Always a favorite expedition. Soon after we went back to Texas for a bridge event and caught a snowstorm in Arizona!

We visited with Michael Gurwitz in San Antonio. Walked the river walk and visited the Alamo again (photo on the right).

We also visited old friend Mark Feldman and his wife Valerie in Austin. Kitty caught up with Kathy C, her best friend from grade school, who lives in Austin plus their mutual friend Edie, from East Hampton summers, who was there for a conference.

Next we headed to Florida for Bart's step great granddaughter Victoria's college graduation; the first in her family. We stayed with his step daughter Kathy and saw a space X launch from afar. Had meals with various other friends and enjoyed the lovely weather. On the way back to Texas, we had a nice visit with friends Jim Krekorian and Zoe in Pensacola.

Our next road trip was to Louisville for the Spring National Bridge Championships. No great bridge successes to report from there.

Kitty visited with close friend Ellee's son Brett and his wife Jan on an excursion to Churchill Downs. Did you know that Secretariat's heart was more than three times normal size? His triple crown records still stand today.

Back in Texas it was time to pack up. Kitty tried unsuccessfully to get Bart to do some serious decluttering. Nancy Passell helped find good homes for the many fine clothes that Judy, Bart's late wife, had collected. The movers did almost all the packing and took it all away. Then we started driving. Bart was surprised by the weight he felt leave his shoulders when we crossed the state line!

On the way to Connecticut we went to the Gatlinburg regional for one day, staying at the elegant pet friendly hotel on top of the hill that we found on our last visit there. An undistinguished 10th overall in the pairs (won by our friends Norman Beck and Marc Jacobus) but now Kitty can say she has been there. From there we visited Bart's cousin Nick Greer in Virginia again, but Kitty forgot to take photos. Click here for his website

Next stop, Cornwall Bridge to stay with Bart's brother and family. Rockie loves it there as she can run around outside freely. Spring in Connecticut was amazing. Forsythia and azaleas were in bloom everywhere!

Then we arrived at our new very empty home on April 18. Stayed the night in sleeping bags on the floor over a puffy quilt Patty lent us. The furniture arrived the next day. After a day of unpacking the kitchen, we headed up to Southbridge MA for a day of regional pairs (4th this time). It was fun to tell everyone we now live in New England again and to take a break from unpacking. We found a nice new dog sitter in Avon with a big backyard.

Kitty soon discovered that Bart was fairly useless with the unpacking process since he had to look at everything carefully, so half a box every few days at best. She quickly got most of the key rooms unpacked but then she flew off to San Diego for the memorial service of a friend, Evie Coufal, and to pick up her car.

The plan was to drive it to Chicago where Bart was playing the Open and Senior Trials and Kitty the Woman's. Kitty's solo road trip stopped with friends Marc and Brenda Jacobus in Las Vegas. Then visits with Kitty's brother and friend Rochelle in Salt Lake City (including some research at the library). Then a fast drive to Chicago with two nights in motels and a speeding ticket in Wyoming (Bart is a bad influence).

After we both had unsuccessful Bridge team trials in May, we headed back to Connecticut in Kitty's Volt. Stopped to see Fred Schenker near Pittsburgh. He had a very cool wine bottle opener called a Rabbit which Kitty had to get for the CT home!

Next came the regional in Nashua, NH, where we won 2 events and were 2nd in another. Our swiss team consisted of us and old friend Cenk Tuncok playing with Emma Kolesnik, daughter of Alex and now a fine player. Kitty also did a day of teaching the intermediate players how to preempt and was pleased to find she could still teach bridge.

We got to know our new home area in June and most of July. We visited the dog park, the Mark Twain house, the Rose Gardens in Elizabeth Park, and walked along a few river trails.

We also played mini-golf with friends Ann and David. We had them over for the Trivia contest in our clubhouse and we were paired up with four younger folk whose knowledge complemented ours well so we won!

By mid July it was time for the Bridge Summer Nationals in Toronto. On the way, we stayed in the Beyer home on Lake Ontario (aka the Lake House), where Kitty had spent much time as a child. Lance and his Debbie were great hosts.

The next day on the way to Toronto, we found ourselves stopping to see Niagara Falls even though we had both been there before, always an awesome sight.

Toronto

What a beautiful city Toronto is in the summer! On a day when we were both not playing bridge we went up the CN tower and stood on the glass floor. Glorious views including of the ballpark where we caught a game later that day. Lots of nice restaurants for dinners. Nice lake view from our window. Kitty managed to catch the "unauthorized" Banksy exhibit there, which is touring various cities.

We drove home on the opposite side of the lake, crossing at the Thousand Islands and driving through the northern part of New York State.