Robert & Cathy's 2024 Newsletter

Well, 2024 is over. Now we should be setting goals for 2025! Will it be magical?

Will we have new adventures, meet new people, make new friends, or maybe just refine what we've already got going?

2024 was a good year for both Cathy and Robert. While Cathy effectively stopped working for Columbia University

in April (they call it retirement, but it's actually shifting one's focus to new things, including gardening and quilting),

Robert has been working increasingly hard, having played over 130 gigs this year, including a rigorous practice routine.

Most of the gigs have been regular weekly residencies, ranging from solo piano performances to orchestral work.

Two of Cathy's collage quilts

Regular Tuesday gig at Latin Quarters, Sarasota. (March 12)

In June we went on a road trip to visit friends along the East Coast. First in Asheville (North Carolina), then along the

Blue Ridge Mountains to Princeton (New Jersey), with a brief lunch stop with friends in New York City, then on to

Wakefield (Rhode Island), followed by Portland (Maine), and finally back down to Charlottesville (Virginia).

Our last stop was in Charleston ( South Carolina ) where we had lunch at the famous Hyman's Seafood restaurant

and stayed in a superb AirBnB. It was a fun trip, catching up with friends, eating out and seeing the sights.

Blue Ridge Mountains (June 1)

On September 24, Cathy and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. After 20 years we are still a great team!

20th Wedding Anniversary at Post Kitchen and Bar, Sarasota. (Sept. 23)

Hurricane Milton was devastating for many homes and businesses around Sarasota. We were lucky,

with minimal damage to our house, but we did lose many trees. Our roof was in the middle of being replaced,

so we were a little concerned for its integrity after the storm, but it held up fine.

Scene from our back window after hurricane Milton (Oct 10)

The highlight of our year was a visit from Robert's brother, Martin, with his wife and two sons, for Christmas.

Cathy worked really hard to prepare for it (full turkey lunch) as well as make all the baubles for the Christmas tree,

a job that took her about 2 months of daily work!

The Christmas Tree Hand-made decorations

We took Martin's family to visit Sarasota landmarks like the Planetarium and the Ringling Museum,

and even had a relaxing day on the beach!

Robert's takeaway lesson from 2024 is to be more trusting of the "universal plan", accept what you can't

control and focus on what you can control. Cathy wants to continue with her sewing project while staying

healthy with walking and gym.

Thom, Luca, Robert, Cathy, Martin & Leo (December 26)

Lots of love and warm greetings to all our friends and relatives across the globe.

Be well and enjoy 2025! I hope it will be really meaningful!