We were in Rome for two weeks in April. The first week we were part of a group from NYU on an exchange with a hospital in Rome. The second week we were joined by Damian, Jaime, Tessa, Xavi, Sebastian, Isca, Hudson and Sanders. We rented a lovely house near the Villa Borghese. Everyone had a good time being tourists, eating pasta and gelato, and just hanging out.

Sanders Timothy Thomas, Hudson Toby, Tessa Tobias Clementine and Tobias Azarian Xavier (AKA Xavi Baby) checking out Xavi's super heros shirt outside the Pantheon.

Jaime, Tessa, Xavi and Damian

Isca, Hudson, Sebastian and Sanders

In the aftermath of hurricane Sandy the hospital was closed until early January. In April there was a retirement party for Tom at the hospital. He retired officially as Chairman of Anesthesiology in June. However, he is still working at NYU. He has a new lab and is hoping to finish his career as he started it - doing research.

I am still madly involved with my web site. I have more or less moved from genealogy per se to an over view of a specific occupation, place or time period. I have recently been working on a neighborhood just south of us in Brooklyn where both Tom and my families spent some time when they first arrived in America. The families lived a few blocks apart and Tom's grandmother and my grandmother's brother were delivered by the same midwife.


Tom in Croatia and Maggie in Venice.

In May Tom went to a meeting in Croatia and I went with him because anytime you have an opportunity to go to Croatia you should. We stopped in Venice for a day on our way back to the States because anytime you have an opportunity to stop in Venice you should.


The Grand Tetons

In June we went west: spending a few days in Tucson, then to Victor, Idaho to visit a friend of Toby's, then to Jackson, Wyoming, the Grand Tetons & Yellowstone, and then to Denver to visit our niece Suzanne.


In August Tom and Damian did a sprint triathlon in Baltimore. It was a 300 meter swim, an 8 mile bike and a 5K run. As Tom came around the last lap of the run, Xavi ran and jumped in his arms. Tom carried Xavi over the finish line to much applause and many photos.

The Dining area in our house in Baltimore

We get to Baltimore about once a month - usually by train. We rejoined the Swim and Tennis Club we were members at years ago and where we spend many a happy moment during our first 11 years in Baltimore.


Tom, his friend Hugo Villar, and the FIAT in Tucson

We don't get to Tucson as much as we would like. We were there in June and November. Every year we say we will spend more time there the next year. Hopefully one day that will be true.




maggie@maggieblanck.com