Ft Lauderdale and Miami Beach, April 2011

We booked a hotel (Riverside Hotel) in Ft Lauderdale for one night. John made reservation to see the "Vatican Splendors" exhibition at the Ft Lauderdale Museum of Art. It was our first trip going to south Florida.

What a charming city! I particularly loved the late dinner (9 o'clock). Restaurants and shops were busy with customers, the sidewalk was filled with people and families with young children. I hadn't had such "night life" for years!

The next morning we drove to Miami Beach.

The north half of this island were filled with highrise condos, the south half (South Beach) with quaint little Art Deco hotels and guest houses. We struggled to decide whether to have Jewish or Cuban lunch, and settled on Cuban. Later (after we got home), I found out that the Cuban restaurant where we had lunch (David's Cafe) is right around the corner of the Versace mansion.

After 32 hours being away from home (which felt like a long, foreign vacation), we came back to the blooming gardenia plants. Ah, home, sweet home!

Later in 2011 we took another two-day trip to Savannah.

Oaxaca, Mexico. May 2011

In May of 2011, John went to Oaxaca for no particular reason but to visit. We used to go four, five times a year. This was his first trip since 2009. I was in California visiting my parents and John went to Oaxaca by himself.

He stayed at the Camino Real. They welcomed him warmly.

The main reason for that trip was, of course, to see Irma.

John said, "Oaxaca took us in her arms. We took Oaxaca in our hearts". The same can be said about Irma.

Chicago. August 2011

On the bridge between the Millennium Park and Art Institute's new pavilion.

The courtyard of the Art Institute. We loved coming here for lunch. Life couldn't be any lovelier.

At the Morton's Arboretum. We always came visit the arboretum whenever we went back to Chicago. This picture reminds me so much of Dad, Bill Henders.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. September 2011

Dreams Vallarta, one of the all-inclusive hotels we represented.

We usually spent the whole day sitting under the palapas, reading. Well, John would read and I would listen to podcasts. John turned me on to NPR's "This American Life" by Ira Glass. He loved Fresh Air with Terry Gross and On Being with Krista Tippett.

Savannah, Goergia. October 2011

We always loved going to Savannah, Georgia. It is a lovely southern city yet it reminds us so much of Chicago.

Last year we stayed at a small guest house (Azalea Inn) with seven or eight rooms and a small patio/ pool.

The cemetery of Savannah. It is very old. The carving on some of the tombstones are hardly legible. We loved sitting there quietly and watching the city marching on.