Hi Matt & Nat! It's Patti from Cave Junction, OR. Appears the two of your are having a WONDERFUL time....thanks for sharing. By the way, Foris (as in the winery) is latin for "out-of-doors". Have a great time visiting your family on the East Coast - they must be THRILLED! Love all your pictures - they inspire me to do more traveling. Thanks again. Patti

Nat, thanks again for bringing Cousin Eddy through Texas. Hope the "classic" shoes fit. Can't send a holiday card to you guys, so this is it for you. Happy Kwanza, Hannahka, Xmas & most importantly Festivus!

Sunday, 12/11 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Writing from historic Philadelphia at Mer & Scott's house; we've been here for 3 nights and we thank them for their hospitality. Yes, in true "Cousin Eddy" fashion, we are the guests that refuse to leave. Our Philly trip has been marked by endless food and drink binges -- after all, with tempatures hovering in the teens/low 20s, there's little room for anything else. Philly steak and Yuengling (sorry, lagers) at Market East, Sushi and Saki Gold with Joy & Kevin (we owe you a feast at some point), Vietnamese in West Philly -- needless to say, we don't miss El Burro's Mac & Cheese!

So, after drunk snowball fights, tours of the city and a few pounds around the waist, we're off to Jersey and NYC for a few days before we head north again to Mass. to spend some time with Ma & Pa Provost and the rest of the family. We are grateful to Mer & Scott, Twinkles & Suzy-Q, Brian, Joy & Kevin for opening their homes and taking time out to show us Philly. Happy holidays! M & N

Matt,
Don't you wish you were in the office selling radio ads? Remember your boss said "you're winning." He is crazy - I think you're winning now. Love the Utah pictures. Neil Diamond plays KC this weekend - made me think of you kids - Have fun. Be safe.

Hey Matt and Nat,
It was great to hang out with you (and Brian and Mer) in phreezing Philly! Who knew that goiters, enlarged prostates, and gallstones could be so much fun!
I hope you both continue to work on your high-jumps and goal-keeping skills as you press-on to your next wild-on destination.
Susana and i hope to meet up with you in Spain on the camino of the pilgrims.
We'll bring the Yuengling.

Happy trails,
Twinkles

Hey Pro,

Don't they have razors at any of the places you are stopping @?

This trip sounds awesome! Have a great time!

Happy Holidays.

Louie

Hey Kids....

Sorry Nat, but you just missed Neil Diamond in MA.... my Dad actually just saw him. Hope all is well and you two stop running into things with that RV (by now also known as the "short bus").

Have happy holiday!!

Nice beard Pro! Go Pats!

We got your "I told you so" message last night about the Beatles. Glad we cleared that up!

The Rawitches/Fockers/Meinhardts and Will/Karen got together on Sunday night and had some drinks in your honor. Sorry you couldn't be there, but you were missed. Have fun on the East Coast and we'll talk soon!

Tuesday, 12/6 -- Washington D.C. -- Just arrived in our nation's capital and were greeted with 3-5 inches of snow. Off to the Smithsonian, White House and other landmarks this afternoon --my first visits since 8th grade. Spent a few days in "America's most beautiful city" -- Savannah, GA -- over the weekend. Needless to say, that wasn't a misprint in the guidebook. Block after block of restored 18th and 19th century homes, interspersed with oak-lined squares that seem unchanged in 200 years. That, and the sincerity and friendliness of Savannah residents, let us know that "southern hospitality" is alive and well. Long live the Confederacy! Sorry, I got carried away there . . . Quick "El Burro" story: We arrived in Savannah late Friday night and had no idea where we should stay. So, we called the nearest B&B and found they had a room. We checked the map and found our B&B to be on the outskirts of the "main areas" -- that is, where the main historic areas and restaurants are congregated. We drove up and found the B&B to be an 1853 brown-stone with no available parking. After driving around what seemed to be a "shady" area, we opted to park on the nearest square/park. Needless to say, we felt uneasy about the locale and were sure to wake in the AM to find El Burro gone or at least violated. Boy, were we wrong. As it turned out, we actually parked in one the most desirable areas of the city. In fact, El Burro was parked directly in front of the famous Mercer House -- home of the events and background for the novel/film, Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil. This is probably the most-visited tourist area in the entire city with tour buses making their rounds every minute of the day. El Burro, having been parked right in front of the grand old mansion, ruined the view/photo-op for many a tourist that day. I don't think the family-owned and occupied Mercer House were too fond of El Burro either. M & N

Hey you two! We sure enjoyed catching up during your "bed & breakfast" experience in Virginia Beach. Misha seemed to really enjoy meeting the "original Mini Me" as evident by the picture I sent you earlier. Hope DC was fun and that you guys have an opportunity to enjoy some quality time with your families during the holidays. Please stay in touch. All the best. ~ DE

Friday, 12/2 -- Savannah, GA; Writing from an old school B&B -- circa 1853 -- in historic Savannah. Even El Burro needs an occasional break to recharge his batteries -- 32 straight days and more than 6,500 miles can have that effect. Since Turkey squared in Tejas, we've witnessed a bipolar and resilient New Orleans -- mile after mile of desolate devastation with veins of virtually untouched higher ground. The French Quarter remains intact -- the allure of which we could not resist. 3-7 Hurricanes later -- insert ironic smirk -- we quickly immersed ourselves in the unique culture found only on Bourbon Street. Mobile, Alabama for a day -- followed by 2 relaxing days on nearly deserted Dauphin Island on the Gulf of Mexico. Canoeing at Ginnie Springs, Florida followed by an overnight in historic St. Augustine, home of the remarkably tacky "Fountain of Youth" -- the 2nd biggest waste of money next to Seattle's $26 Space Needle elevator ride. Oh well, we made up for it with a visit to "America's Smallest Church" -- which was fantastic! See the pics. M & N