We had a busy holiday season this year.

On Christmas Eve we visited with Robert’s brother and sister-in-law in El Sobrante for a few hours. We had lunch with them and Diego and Maya. Bob and Tula were also there. Wendy kept busy preparing for the holiday feast she planned for many guests the next day. Robert kept busy by hiding in a bedroom finishing up some last minute office work.

On Christmas we drove up to Schwirtz manor in Santa Rosa to see John and Meredith. David joined us for an early dinner. Robert had lasagna. Mira had prime rib. The weather was fantastic and everyone had a fun time playing with R3. We opened presents after dinner. Mira got some cycling clothes and Robert II received a paint-by-numbers set. Woo hoo!! But the big winner was R3, who got some wooden game toys and a riding toy for home. David got a bicycle helmet and Robert got a sweatshirt that proclaims his love of the polka. Susan Richter joined the party for a couple hours and prompted some stimulating conversations.

After Christmas we hit the road. Bob and Tula joined us for a tour of the central coast of California. The idea was that Robert and Mira would ride their bicycles from San Simeon to Ojai. About 220 miles over 4 days. Bob and Tula would drive and take care of the baby. As it turned out, we did not do all the riding we wanted, but we did put in about 130 miles of riding. We did enjoy some great weather and scenery. Especially after we got south of Solvang. Once in Ojai, we met Carlos and Kelly Gutierrez and their children for dinner one night. We were also visited by Julie and Richard, who drove up from Studio City for lunch. The wonderful Julie presented us with a painting she recently created, which we will hang with honor in our home.

We all piled into the car and drove home yesterday, where we had a brief New Year’s Eve celebration with Angela and Leo and Etienne. A glass of champagne and were we finished for 2008.

Some photos of our adventures can be found here.