2025 in Review and Holiday Wrap

The sun rises on a new year

It felt as if I didn’t do much traveling in 2025. But feelings aren't facts. Here are the facts:  Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (February), Tucson (March), Japan (May), Vancouver and Berkeley (July), New Hampshire and Vermont (August), Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (September), Sebago Lake, Maine (October), Berkeley (November) and Tucson (December). 

Franky and the Dalai Lama

In April we hosted the triumphant return of Franky after his six-month stay in India, which was travel adjacent. We heard about aggressive monkeys, the largest religious festival in the world, and a meet-up with the Dalai Lama.  

 January and June, two of Washington’s cruelest months, I didn’t go anywhere. 

A Turkeyless Thanksgiving in Berkeley

Guests at Thanksgiving

This was our first Thanksgiving in California. Peter and Franky and Nila and her sister Tvisi, took on the enormous task of cooking, serving and hosting the Holiday Meal.  I finally experienced being the guest, and I liked it. I always wondered what those people were doing in the living room while I was sweating it out in the kitchen. 

Thanksgiving at Tvisi's

The Thanksgiving Turkey and I broke up two years ago, our relationship was becoming dysfunctional. I used to yell at the turkey in the oven, and the turkey became emotionally distant and withheld its pop-up thermometer to spite me. 

Who needs turkey anyway? The dynamic foursome prepared a delicious vegetarian meal. We started with mushroom soup, the entrée was an outstanding Vegetarian Wellington, a pastry crust stuffed with mushrooms, squash, and carrots, with a creamy sauce. Plus the usual sides, all vegetarian by nature—scalloped potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cornbread dressing, pecan and pumpkin pie, and kofta and raita prepared by Nila’s mother Sunitha. 

It was great to spend time with the full Ravi family, our eventual “to-be” in-laws.   One price of admission to the Ravi family is competence at the game of Rummy. (I almost said skill, I only aim for competence.) Nila and Tvisi’s grandfather Tha Tha likes playing Rummy more than anything in the world and that's what Peter and Nila did when they visited him in Chennaii. 

Sunitha, Nila, Franky

After dinner the site of our feast was converted to a card table. Peter and Tvisi cleaned up at the game. Darr and I stayed up, a true triumph after Thanksgiving dinner. Tryptophane or not, the holiday dinner may cause drowsiness. Avoid using heavy machinery. 

Post pizza at Jupiter

The next day we went to lunch at Chez Panisse Cafe so the cooks could get a rest. At our last dinner at Jupiter Pizza, the three meat eaters (Darr and Sunitha and I) were quarantined at one end of the table so the vegetarians didn’t even have to smell the pepperoni. But at their end they were adding ranch dressing to their pizzas. Thank God I was spared the sight of that. 

Berkeley Boys

Berkeley is always a fun visit, we continued to be charmed by the panoramic view from Franky’s house,  the ceaseless numbers of café opportunities, the world kitchen selection of restaurants (Tibetan and Japanese on the same block), the beautiful Berkeley campus, and its attendant bundle of brainiacs, professors, and students. 

 

A Chile Christmas in Tucson 

Finger Rock

We rented a house high up in the foothills, they were more like the knee-hills or thigh hills, they were that close to the Catalina mountains. We were so far north that you could walk to Finger Rock Trail. 

It rained twice while we were there, a Christmas miracle. The scent of the desert after rain can’t be bottled, although I’ve seen gift shops try. It’s like your favorite perfume wafting out all over the city. 

Wagon wheel Christmas

 I ate like Brendon Fraiser preparing for his role in The Whale. 

One day I had a chicken flauta for lunch at Michas, and a fish taco for dinner at El Torero, both preceded by cheese crisps. We went through two dozen tortillas from Tortillas Bryan, a dozen tamales from Tortillas Don Juan, a pint of refried beans from Casa Molina and a pint of salsa from Rosa’s. And that was just the take-out.

This is how we decorate in the desert

For Christmas Eve dinner we chose to go Italian, and bought a homemade four cheese lasagna, and tiramisu at the wonderful Roma Imports market. Our family suffers from tiramisu terror, the fear that the caffeine content will keep us awake after dinner. So we decided to have it for Christmas breakfast, a safe time for caffeine excess. It was a delicious extrrvagantly decadent breakfast, but not very stimulating. The label listed Kahlua as only coffee flavoring, and if you know anyone who can’t sleep after Kahlua (40 proof alcohol), be sure to let me know.

At one with nature

Cactus cloning

We made one exception to the Fab Four (Michas, Rosas, El Torero and El Minuto) by having lunch at El Charro Cafe Ventana on the east side. Why? Because we had just hiked in Sabino and I was too hangry for a long drive? No, because when we pulled into the parking lot, still arguing about where to have lunch, there was a roadrunner on the patio. Belying his name, he was stock still, posing for us. We took it as an avian omen, and stayed there.

Passenger lounge, Tucson International Airport

“Best green corn tamales in all of Tucson,” declared Franky. And I have to admit my Chile Relleno was perfect. So reluctantly, I will recommend the over-promoted, overpriced, self-aggrandizing, egocentric El Charro. The food is damn good. Even if the waiter does introduce himself and tell you he will be your server today. That’s just so wrong.

The rental house was large and lovely. We had a heated pool and jacuzzi, we had sunset in the front yard and sunrise in the back. We had so many presents to take home my suitcase weighed 46 pounds. We watched seven good movies, Diner, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, The Apartment, Marty Supreme, Do the Right Thing. 

But mostly we watched the desert in its glory, the mountains changing their look with every twist of the clouds and  sun.

From the living room