Greetings from Colorful (and dry) Colorado!

It was another interesting year for the Hoffmans. We started out with a visit to Estes Park in and the old Stanley Hotel (the supposed setting for Stephen King’s book, The Shining, and later the movie) in January. We didn’t see Jack Nicholson, but it was a pretty cool place anyway.

February was a visit to Albuquerque and an opportunity to attend some southwestern cooking classes. It was fun and tasted good too.

In March we spent a couple of weeks exploring Sedona, the Grand Canyon and northern Arizona. We topped that off with a visit to friends and family in Phoenix. The weather was great and a nice respite from the Colorado winter.

April was a trip to Hawaii with friends to revisit some old haunts and discover some new ones. We spent a week on the Big Island and then moved on to Oahu. We split our time between a hotel on Waikiki and a Bellows cottage. Unfortunately, we had an old Bellows cottage that needed a lot of work, but they have a renovation program that will eventually cover all buildings, plus thy have a new multi-story condo complex that was slated to open later in 2012. Our real excitement started on departure, when Mary had a heart attack at the departure gate in Honolulu. We extended our Hawaii stay at Tripler Army Hospital where Mary was treated. Thankfully, her cardio rehab back in Colorado went well and she’s recovering nicely.

June brought the Waldo Canyon fire that threatened Colorado Springs, burned almost 350 homes and forced 36,000 people to evacuate. We hosted an evacuee family while the fire was brought under control. Thankfully, their home was spared.

Marc and Rana visited in August after their vacation in Brazil. A visit from kids is always too short, but we hope to see them in Turkey next year.

Our travels the rest of the year were a bit curtailed with the exception of a brief fall trip to Albuquerque for a Jane Butel southwestern cooking class and some more exploring.

Gary has been busy working on the new home, facilitating some leadership and character development seminars at the Air Force Academy, and a little consulting in between.

If your travels bring you to the Pikes Peak area, please let us know. We’re in the Black Forest and look forward to seeing many friends and family. Be sure to bring rain with you when you come!

We wish you and your family an enjoyable Christmas and our best wishes for a great new year!

Gary & Mary