... lots of places in Florida

First, Orlando for the Osceola County contract start. Six beautiful libraries and a wonderful staff! And really good local cookies at our meetings - pink lemonade and apricot white chocolate! (The lavender cookies were not for everyone.) Meetings over, time to visit my always-hospitable cousin Lois and her husband Gordon in Ocala - with Mia along for parent-daughter bonding before the trip.

Today's treat: lunch with our dear friends Bob Muller and Maggi Boid from Vienna. Bob was the guy who sold us on the concept of around the world cruising, and it was appropriate that he miraculously turned up in almost the same part of Florida the day before our trip began.  

A final New Year's miracle: the glasses we ordered in CA before Christmas actually showed up in Orlando - before we left! - after their own vacation travels from the lab, to California, to Maryland, and then on to Florida after the personal intervention of the store manager. Thank you, Karen! Now we can read the fine print...