Daniel ‘n Dave

Our 2004 Update—Page 2

THE TRAVELOG

Every year we say that we are going to pull back the travel a little bit, and every year we prove ourselves to be big, fat liars. We enjoyed great trips this year from beginning to end.

Highlights:

February:           Vancouver & Whistler, British Columbia

May:                   Las Vegas

July:                   Wisconsin

July:                   Provincetown & Boston, MA (Daniel)

September:        Palm Springs

October:            Paris & Berlin

We started off at Gay/Lesbian Ski Week in Whistler, British Columbia. If you are a skier and you’ve never been to Whistler, make it your next stop. The terrain is amazing and the village is perfect. And then when you compare it dollar for dollar to US resorts, it becomes a bargain as well. We met a whole bunch of great guys and enjoyed the best week of skiing ever.

Daniel asked for a trip to Las Vegas for his 40^th birthday. We were six months late making it happen, but we did finally go in May. Procrastination paid off, as we scored a suite at the brand-new property, “THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay.” It is amazing luxury, over the top even by Las Vegas standards. We enjoyed the typical Vegas experience – a little gaming, a show and some good food.

Ever since we have been together, we have tried to visit Dave’s family in Wisconsin for the holidays, either Thanksgiving or Christmas. This year we skipped the insane holiday period and went home over the summer instead. Wow, what a difference! The weather wasn’t perfect, but it was a far cry from the usual December cold. Wisconsin is a beautiful place in the summer and it was fun to show more of that to Daniel. We also lucked out schedule-wise. It just so happened that nearly every member of Dave’s extended family was in the state that weekend. We saw the immediate family, both aunts and uncles, every single cousin from both sides and nearly all of their kids. We had a blast. In Madison, we got up on the water skis for a couple laps. We took the pontoon boat out in Iola for an afternoon with the family. Fourth of July fireworks in Wisconsin Rapids were amazing! We will start to make a habit out of summer trips.

Daniel took a side trip to Massachusetts with his friend Derek. He spent a few days in Provincetown with the bears then headed back to Boston to catch up with some friends from the days of his youth.

We always enjoy our quick trips down to Palm Springs to see the hordes of friends who have relocated there. Paul and Randy were great hosts again. The weather was perfect as always (wonder why everyone keeps moving there…). We took the Aerial Tramway (cable gondola) up to the top of the mountain on the clearest morning we have ever seen there. The view through dry, desert air stretched almost 200 miles to a mountain peak located in Nevada.

In October, Daniel’s grandmother celebrated her 90^th birthday. Her children arranged a surprise birthday party. We were really happy to be there, and it was a great excuse to plan a longer vacation in Europe. We rented a small one bedroom flat in an old neighborhood in central Paris. Daniel’s aunt, uncle and cousin live just outside the city, so we had the opportunity to catch up with them quite a lot! His cousin, Karine, visited us in San Francisco several times, and we really enjoy our time with her a lot.

The birthday party was in a city called Reims, about 90 minutes outside of Paris by train. Reims is the center of the Champagne region. The party was a blast with over 60 friends and relatives celebrating the occasion.  Dave got to meet many of Daniel’s family members for the first time.

After Reims, we took the overnight train up to far northern Germany.  Long, long ago, Dave was a Rotary Exchange Student in Germany. His host parents, Peter & Maren Wollgens, retired to their hometown, Bremerhaven. Dave had not been back to see them for 17 years. The reunion was fantastic. We spent two days with them, Dave reconnecting and Daniel getting to know them.

We ended the trip with 5 spectacular days in Berlin. Dave’s last experience there was years before the wall fell. Daniel visited once shortly after the reunification. What a difference! Aside from the obvious, the city has a vitality and fresh beauty that is hard to explain. The most striking impression was the new glass dome perched on top of the old Reichstag (Capitol).

AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT

On the whole, the year has been a good one. This letter would be incomplete if we didn’t call out to our dear friend Lee, who left us in October.  We will miss you!  We are grateful for our health, the well being of our families and the love of our friends.

We wish you all the best for this holiday and the years beyond.

With love,

Daniel & Dave