December 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

It’s the end of a long and eventful year for us, unusually full of travel. We’ve had so many unforgettable experiences that there isn’t enough room to write about all of them in detail. We were lucky to visit with many of you this year, and hope that this year has brought you God’s blessings, His peace, and hope for the future.

Our busy travel year began in March, when we boarded a plane headed for London for two and a half weeks in four European countries: Switzerland, France, Scotland, and England. Gina spent weeks perfecting the itinerary before take-off, and we were prepared with good walking shoes, an ergonomic backpack, and several pounds of trail mix. Since neither of us had ever been to France, we initially focused on Paris and the surrounding area. We have such memories of the extraordinary works of art and architecture: da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the Code of Hammurabi, the rose window in Cathedral Notre Dame, Rodin’s The Thinker, the hall of mirrors in Versailles, the Bayeux tapestry, the Nike of Samothrace, the Eiffel Tower, the deep blue in the windows of Chartres Cathedral…. Ed couldn’t get enough pictures of all that stained glass. We visited the beaches of Normandy, stood at the site where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, and gazed at Napoleon’s Tomb. We took an exceedingly long train ride from Paris, France to Glasgow, Scotland (which included a segment on the Chunnel), hoping to catch a glimpse of the Loch Ness monster. Back in England, we took two full-day tours to different attractions outside of London, including Warwick Castle, the white cliffs of Dover, Canterbury Cathedral, Stratford-upon-Avon, Christchurch College in Oxford, and Leeds Castle. We spent hours at the Tower of London. We saw (and heard!) the changing of the Buckingham Palace guard, found the Rosetta Stone, wandered around Stonehenge, and stood on both sides of the Prime Meridian. We watched a Shakespeare play starring Judy Dench, sat enraptured listening to the Philharmonia Orchestra play Mahler, and happened upon first-rate seats to Phantom of the Opera. It was a remarkable journey.

But was this enough for the likes of us? It was not. In August we boarded another plane, this time headed in the opposite direction. In Seattle we were welcomed aboard the lovely Oosterdam, a cruise ship destined for Alaska. It was such an incredible trip, and truly the most relaxing vacation we can remember. In addition to the comfortable accommodations and plentiful food, we were treated to the sounds, sights, and smells of wild and wonderful Alaska. We docked in Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria. We spent a dazzlingly cold morning in Glacier Bay, listening to the thundering and creaking of the slowly breaking walls of ice. We saw whales and bald eagles. We were overwhelmed by the lush beauty of Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island. We weren’t ready to go home.

Contributing to our year of travel were the weddings we attended. In July, Gina played her violin in the outdoor wedding of her longtime friend, Grace Takami, to Dmitry Lossev, in Angwin, California, where we were joined by Gina’s mom. At the end of our Alaska trip in August, we met up with Ed’s parents in Vancouver, British Columbia, to go to the wedding of Ed’s cousin, Susan Siklos, to Jeffrey Epstein. In September, Gina’s family gathered in Pasco, Washington in celebration of the marriage of her brother, Ron Cummings, to his Peruvian sweetheart, Edith Perez. Gina loved planning the music for this special family event!

Both of us are still working in our respective careers: Gina in private practice and Ed completing his endocrinology fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Ed’s work has allowed him the opportunity to write a few papers for publication. He also participated in two poster presentations at the yearly convention for the American Diabetes Association in Orlando, Florida in June. Since the dates coincided with our five-year anniversary, Gina joined him for a little R&R (and a little continuing medical education credit). We look forward to returning to Southern California next summer.

Have a great Christmas and New Year!

Love,

Ed & Gina