Betty and Tony will not be going to Nerja, Spain this year as Bailey could not cope with the air flight. She has a paralysed larynx which makes it hard for her to breath. She will be 14 in January.

The result is that Betty and Tony with Bailey will be driving down to Florida and staying in Venice on the Gulf Coast for three months. We will be staying in the +55 development called Bay Indes.

We went to visit Bay Indes and some friends who have a house there last week. We had an excellent experience with the journey. We drove to Buffalo where we stayed at Salvatores Garden Place Hotel which is really terrific. Built in an Italianate style with a centre courtyard (roofed in pale blue with skylights). The courtyard is just like being in Italy and one can sit and have a coffee or drink there and eat breakfast. Salvatores have a restaurant a two minute free shuttle away which was decorated for Christmas - magnificent and the food was excellent. All that plus two weeks free parking while away!

A good nights sleep behind us and we flew Southwest Airlines. What a company. They say they are always on time (each leg of our flights certainly were). Very comfortable in the plane. Excellent boarding by a number on your boarding pass and then choose a seat. Seemed to worked quickly and easily. We would certainly fly with them again in the United States.

All in all a great experience!

Betty and Tony are just home from the Pillar and Post in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where they were at a college re-union for ICENEA - the Imperial College Exciles in North East America.