Our Christmas letter overflows with our busy year! We traveled to Scotland in May and Germany in September. Throughout the rest of the year, we kept busy with our two passions: Lin’s gardens and my books!

May in Scotland

Lin and I enjoyed two amazing trips this year: Scotland in May & Germany in September. In May, we went with two square dance couples on a 12-day tour, Backroads of Scotland, and we saw some amazing sites. 

We started in Edinburgh and went in a couple days early so we could visit the city on our own. I had a nasty fall, and my face ended up badly bruised and skinned, but I didn’t miss a beat! 

The tour took us to some amazing places: St. Andrews and it’s famous golf course and then on north to Inverness. The historic site of Culloden fascinated me with its brutal Scottish history. We went on to Loc Ness but didn’t see the monster. From Thurso, we rode a ferry to the Orkney Islands. We visited the village of Skara Brae and the mysterious Ring of Brodgar. We also revisited  a small chapel built by Italian prisoners during World War II. Lin and I originally saw it in 2019. The next day, we enjoyed a sunny day over the sea to the isle of Skye and saw “Hairy Coos,” the red long-haired cattle gracing the hillsides. On we went to Glencoe, another  site of historic significance. We ended our tour on the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond and on to Glasgow.

We extended our trip in Glasgow and had a delightful time with an international friend of mine, Eleanor, from my meditation group. Eleanor and her husband, Jim, hosted an evening in their home with delicious food, hearty conversation and Jim entertaining us on the guitar. The next day, Jim and Eleanor showed us some of their favorite places in Glasgow! 

We connected with our Scottish heritage along the way! What a trip!

September in Germany

Lin and I had signed up for a 14-day square dance trip to Germany with a square dance caller from Tucson in 2020 which was canceled because of COVID. We finally made it and what a fabulous trip! We flew into Munich and then stayed in Grassau, a small town ideally situated between all of our destinations, so we never had to change rooms! I liked that! We did day trips out of Grassau and returned each evening, square dancing often.

First, we visited Amerang Farmers’ Museum, and the next day we went to Berchtesgaden and went down in the Salt Mines, going down two slides to get to the bottom. We also visited Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s hideaway. How eerie it was to think he had been there.

A major highlight of the trip was visiting the Munich Oktoberfest! It’s a major carnival and beer party. I loved the oompah music and the enthusiasm of the participants. During the tour, we visited two of King Ludwig’s castles: one on Herrenchiemsee Island and the famous Neuschwanstein castle. I loved the village of Oberammergau where I bought Lin a cuckoo clock for his birthday. It was back to Munich the next day. Timed perfectly, we headed to the Marienplatz to see and hear the Glockenspiel. We ended up at the Hofbrauhaus and sat right across from the band—and enjoyed sauerkraut and sausage!

The next day it was on to Innsbruck, Austria. The mountains surround the city—no wonder it’s a winter sport paradise. Then we visited a beautiful mountain village: Reit im Winkl and enjoyed a Bavarian Traditional Schuhplattlers Show that night with dancers of all ages! They are keeping their traditional dances alive!

Next day, we headed to Salzburg, Austria and I felt Julie Andrews and the “Sound of Music” all around me. We visited the fortress on the hill and experienced the thrilling sound of the church bells when they rang out together  in the late afternoon. We ended the evening at a Salzburg Mozart Dinner Concert!  

Both of us would return in a heart beat we had such a great time!

Life at Home with the Millers

Lin continues to enjoy his garden! We hosted our second Annual Garden Party, and what a joy it was to show off all his hard work. Lin also enjoys his sports teams: the Liverpool soccer team and Philadelphia Eagles. We had the pleasure of going to the NFL Experience in Phoenix, AZ in February before the Super Bowl. His good friends, Bob and Linda, hosted us and we had a blast seeing the Super Bowl rings display, and Lin had his picture taken with the Eagles’ cheerleaders.

Larada continues to write and has released her seventh book, Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir. She just finished recording an audiobook of it in her make-shift recording studio in their walk-in closet. She also received a second New Mexico/Arizona book award for Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? in the self-help category. Larada and Lin also enjoys trips their family ranch as often as they can!

They continue to square dance as much as possible and still host the Hot August Nights square and round dance festival. They just did their 17th year!

Sad to say, they lost their cat, Jesse, this year. He was 20-years-old and had feline diabetes. Jesse had been failing for over a year. He died in October while Larada was at the ranch—what a loss for both of them!

Our Christmas letter summarizes our year every year and is a delight to write! I hope you enjoy reading it!

Do you do a Christmas letter? Do you like receiving them?

Celebrate Christmas & the 12 Days of Christmas with me and big savings at my Shopify store, Larada’s Bookstore: 50 off individual each day, starting with

• Christmas Day – This Tumbleweed Landed – Discount Code: TTL50%OFF
• December 26 – Hair on Fire: A Heatwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir – Discount Code: Hair50%OFF

Keep an eye out until January 6th for daily 50% off specials!

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