Getting Ready for Christmas

We went a-visiting for Thanksgiving.  Big family reunion with all the cousins and much laughter and story telling. 

Mowgli ate a lot of turkey and rice-crispy treats. 

Now over the course of the long weekend, Mowgli was asked several times what he wanted for Christmas.  And unlike his cousins who want anything and everything, he had no answer.  So I suggested that he take his granddaddy to target, and show granddaddy what he wanted for Christmas.  Well, the long weekend was still too short.  We made it to the zoo, but we didn't make the trip to target. 

But Mowgli remembered.  Since we made it back home, he has asked several times to "Go to target and want for Christmas."

Sardegna

For most Americans, it seems like like the Italian destinations are Rome, Venice, maybe Tuscany....  But Sardinia is where Italians go on vacation.  And that's where I went for a statistics/machine learning conference.  Absolutely great place for a conference, though I do wish it had been late may or june instead of early may. 

Ok, just to start with the basics, here's the view(s) off of my room's patio:




This early in the season, there wasn't a lot to do but walk up and down the beach.  But it was so gorgeous,










And look at the color of the water once the sun came out:






Now there has to be at least one photo with me in it to prove I really was there:



The laguna that Chia Laguna resort is named for


Of course, I couldn't be in the middle of all this beauty and not pull out my paints

From Sardegna

(There were really funky plants in Sardinia, I'll post those pictures next.)