The day after Christmas in Birmingham we took off for Arizona; arriving at our daughter's home on the 29th. That Monday was a second Christmas for all of us since we exchanged gifts and merry wishes shortly after arrival. For New Year's Eve, Melissa planned a round trip into Phoenix on their new Metro with lunch downtown. As we were walking around the area near the Suns and Diamondbacks stadiums, a nice man volunteered to take the picture above. Pictured are Savannah (12), Treacey, Melissa, Ian (10 this month), Nancy, and me. We are squinting a little in the very welcome and bright desert sunlight.

It was only the fifth day of operation for the Phoenix Metro, and for those first 5 days no fare was charged. And that meant large crowds. If you run your cursor over the picture above, you'll see what I mean. Nancy is on the left (white hair) with Melissa standing in front of her (back turned). Treacey is almost facing the camera with his Arizona Cardinals shirt. You can't even see the kids who were sitting on the floor. It was still lots of fun.

I'd like to wish each of you a happy and healthy New Year and invite you to continue to visit this web site each week. I'll try to keep it moderately interesting.