2026 | FindPenguins

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Trip start
January 1, 2026
2026 Traveler
Jan 1-Feb 7th
January 1 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
So far 2026 has been full of fun. We saw our first SpaceX satellite launch, went to a sourdough bread-making class, attended a croquet party, and joined a cornhole group. We also went to the Street Fair in Casa Grande and Tempe Blooms (which can't even begin to compare to Portland's Rose Festival for floral displays).

My sister, Marcia, visited last weekend. We had a great time hiking at Picacho Peak State Park, dining on 12th Street in Tucson, then visiting the San Xavier del Bac Mission.

Sunday we gave her the grand tour of our community and relaxed. All too soon her stay was over, but we did manage to tour the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument and grab a bite to eat at Restaurant Row in historic downtown Gilbert before dropping her off at the airport.

Today we got together with our friends from Hillendale Pickleball Club. After some hot play 🥵 at Gilbert Regional Park, we had a fun time catching up and dining on delicious food and drink. Thank you, Dee and Paul, for hosting, and Shery for organizing this event..Read more
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2026 Traveler
Feb 8- March 19
March 19 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 100 °F
We've had a delightfully mild late winter, actually unseasonably warm. It's 99° as I write this. 🥵

The morning of Valentine's Day was spent on the pickleball courts for an all-club social mixer, complete with cookies. 🩷🍪

We flew home to Oregon to visit family at the end of February and had a great week catching up, sharing meals, and playing games, despite the wet and stormy weather.

We co-hosted a fun get-together with some Hillendale South pickleball friends, where we shared delicious food and drinks.

Last week, we had back-to-back happy hours with neighbors from our old neighborhood in Oregon. It was wonderful visiting with them.

Randy and I have been learning the game of mahjong. Thank you Jeri and Tom for introducing us to the game and for being such incredibly patient instructors. 🀄🙏

We ended our cornhole season dead last but had a lot of fun earning that distinction.😅

I've been working on mastering the making of sourdough bread for the past two months. I really think my success is because Gary shared his awesome starter during his class in January.Read more
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2026 Traveler
March 20-April 4
April 4 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F
Despite some unseasonably hot weather, spring has been glorious here in Arizona with the desert blooms arriving earlier than usual.

Though we didn't compete, we had a good time watching our friends compete in the in-house pickleball tournament here at Robson Ranch.

During our monthly Costco/Winco/Trader Joe's shopping run in Chandler, we visited the Chandler Museum where we saw some interesting exhibits. https://www.chandleraz.gov/explore/arts-and-cul…

Next stop was Scheels, a huge store specializing in sporting goods and outdoor supplies where we easily spent a couple of hours browsing.

Earlier this week we experienced a storm where Mother Nature put on quite a show with plenty of lightning and thunder.Read more
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2026 Traveler
April 4-7
April 8 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
Saturday, Randy and I began our Italian adventure! We flew from Phoenix to London, where we met up with my sister Marcia and friend Harvey before continuing on to Pisa. We arrived the evening of Easter Sunday for a couple of days of exploring before starting the Nisei Legacy Tour.
Monday was spent exploring the city, visiting some of the many churches, the Baths of Nero https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baths_of_Nero_(Pisa), the Baptistery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisa_Baptistery, Camposanto Monumentale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camposanto_Monume…, Mura di Pisa https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mura_di_Pisa, and ending with sunset views from the top of the Leaning Tower https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_….
Tuesday was a little more relaxing; we took in the Duomo Di Pisa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisa_Cathedral, the Sinopie Museum https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_delle_sinopie, and the Opera del Duomo Museum https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_dell'Opera_….
After an afternoon siesta, we crossed the Arno River to the Borgo Stretto https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borgo_Stretto, for a bite to eat and a bit of window shopping, strolling through residential neighborhoods, the University of Pisa, and churches along the way. Tuesday evening, we met with our tour group and our guide, Nora. We'll be following the path of the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, of which my father was a member. They were the most decorated unit for their size and length of service in U.S. military history during World War II.
So far, we're loving Italy! The history, architecture, food, and people are beyond compare.Read more
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2026 Traveler
April 8-9
April 9 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
AFTER THE LIBERATION OF ROME NISEI TOUR
Rome to Arno
Day 1: The Liberation of Suverto and Belvedere.
The Battle of Belvedere, specifically in the context of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team near Suvereto on June 26, 1944, was a critical action in Italy where the 100th Battalion helped seize key high ground. This victory, involving Japanese-American soldiers, was a vital part of the Allied push toward the Arno River and Pisa.
Our group was enlightened by Roberto, a local historian, who displayed WWII artifacts from the region, after which we enjoyed many glasses of wine and a delicious multicourse meal. Our home base for the next two nights was the medieval city of Volterra, where we stayed at a charming hotel. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volterra Due to time constraints, I was disappointed that we were unable to visit the Etruscan Museum, but we were able to do a walking tour exploring this ancient, hillside fortress of a town.
Day 2: Hill 140, nicknamed "Little Cassino," was a crucial and bloody World War II battle site in Italy, fought in July 1944 by the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Nisei soldiers (Japanese-Americans) faced fierce resistance from German SS and Luftwaffe troops near Castellina for five days. It was called Little Cassino due to the intense, localized fighting reminiscent of the main Monte Cassino battle.
We were led on a hike to the battle site by the men of Toscana '44 a volunteer organization who excavate and maintain Hill 140 and who reenacted a skirmish, along with the Iron Cross. https://www.facebook.com/share/1CYvEJbgUp/
https://www.instagram.com/ass.toscana44?igsh=MW…
We thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon meal in Castellina Marittima, followed by a documentary film, presentation and gifts from Toscana '44.
Source: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRDc6whWMOw
It is amazing how the people we've met honor the Japanese-American soldiers who fought here. They are far more knowledgeable about our shared history than we are. Especially since my father and his peers rarely spoke of their war experiences.Read more
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2026 Traveler
April 10-12
April 12 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
AFTER THE LIBERATION OF ROME NISEI TOUR
The Gothic Line

What a whirlwind of activity, sights, and information to process! So instead of reinventing the wheel, I'll direct you to our tour guide, Nora's Facebook page, where she's done an excellent job of describing our adventure.
I will mention that we sampled every form of local alcohol, thanks to Mauro, during our meal at Archivi della Resistenza. Needless to say, our tour bus was late getting back to our hotel. What a long but awesome day!
https://www.facebook.com/share/1Kei4maJg6/Read more
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2026 Traveler
April 13-15
April 15 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
Once again I will direct you to our intrepid leader, Nora's, Facebook page for the details of our tour and just chonicle our off tour activities.
https://www.facebook.com/share/1AziKW8wJc/

Our first night in Florence we shared cocktails and dinner with some our tour group. We dined on Bistecca alla Fiorentina. An enormous T-bone steak prepared very rare...much too rare for me, but many thought it delicious.

We had a great mix of people on our 16-person tour, with folks from Switzerland, New Jersey, Utah, North Carolina, California, Hawaii, and our contingent from Oregon. Our tour director, Nora, hailed from the UK by way of Belgium.

We had a "free day" in Florence, Tuesday, April 14th. Randy and I spent our morning at the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze admiring priceless works of art. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleria_dell'Acc…

Our afternoon was spent wandering the streets of Florence. We especially liked the Central Market and its food court.

The last day of our tour
Some of us climbed the Guinigi Tower which offered panoramic views of Lucca not to mention a good workout.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinigi_Tower

The Nisei Legacy Tour came to an end Wednesday, April 18th. It more than exceeded our expectations and brought to life the sacrifice and hardship, both mental and physical, that my father's generation exhibited during WWII. Most enlightening was how organizations in Italy are so passionate about keeping the Nisei story alive and continue to show their gratitude to the Japanese American soldiers and their descendants for liberating them from fascism and for their kindness. They did not display any prejudice towards the Nisei or toward the African American Buffalo Soldiers, both segregated units that faced discrimination in their home country.

Taking this tour was a wonderful way to honor my dad's memory and wartime service.

We'll continue our Italian adventure in Venice, back to Florence, and ending in Rome.Read more
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2026 Traveler
April 16-18 Venice
April 18 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
We spent three nights in Venice at a cute VRBO rental in the center of town. It was nice to get caught up on laundry as our unit had a washing machine. Thanks, Marcia, for arranging our lodging.
Venice is enchanting but can definitely overload your senses. It's very crowded, and one can easily get lost. Thank goodness for Google Maps.
It seemed like Randy and I took in every museum in the city, even though I know we missed many. The Museum of Natural History was a welcome change from Renaissance art. It had some modern exhibits, I found the historical displays more interesting but sad (lots of taxidermy and stealing from other cultures).
The opulence of the Doge's Palace is almost overwhelming, and it's such a contrast when you open the door leading to the Bridge of Sighs and into the prison.
All in all we had a great time In Venezia!Read more
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2026 Traveler
April 19-20 Back to Florence
April 20 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F
We bid Marcia and Havey farewell as they headed back to Oregon before taking an easy trip back to Florence on the high-speed train for a two-night stay. Monday, we started our day ascending Brunelleschi’s Duomo, 464 steps, to view the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore from above and the ceiling's frescoes up close. "Awe-inspiring" doesn't even begin to describe the experience. The views of the city, from the top were beautiful.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Cathedral
We hadn't had enough climbing or gorgeous views, so we climbed another 414 steps up Giotto's Bell Tower. I'm really glad we made the effort because the views of the Duomo were worth it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giotto's_Campanile
Next, we took in the Baptistery before touring the Duomo Museum. I really appreciated the exhibit of the construction of the Duomo, as well as the many works of art by Italian Masters.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_dell'Opera_…
After a siesta, we made our way across the Arno River via the Ponte Vecchio, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Vecchio,
for another climb up to Piazzale Michelangelo to admire views of Florence from yet another vantage point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazzale_Michelan…
Veering off the main route on our way back to our lodgings, we stumbled upon a real gem of a neighborhood restaurant. Randy had pappardelle with wild boar ragu, the best ever. I chose lampredotto risotto. I later found out that lampredotto is tripe—great texture and delicious.
We've been shopping at Conad, an Italian chain, about every other day. Great prices, for snacks and very good wine.
I'm really glad we decided to spend the time for further exploration of Florence.Read more
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2026 Traveler
April 21-22 Rome
April 22 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
We had a lovely morning on Trenitalia's Frecciarossa high speed train. With speeds up to 180mph we traveled from Florence to Rome in 1.5 hours.
After checking into our hotel we spent the day exploring. We got our steps in visiting Tivoli Fountain, Trinità dei Monti (the church at the top of the Spanish Steps), walking around the Colosseum grounds, the Presidential Palace and
Parliament.
Wednesday we were up early for an hour's walk to the Vatican Museums, where we took a guided tour of the museum's highlights. All I can say is WOW! I thought the Doge's Palace in Venice was the height of opulence, but the Vatican trumped it.
We only spent about four hours at the museum and saw maybe 30% of the exhibits. You could easily spend two days to take everything in.
I'm sure glad I booked the first tour of the day because the line was blocks long when we departed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_MuseumsRead more
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2026 Traveler
April 23, 24 Rome part 2
April 24 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
Thursday we took in the Colosseum, just a 15-minute walk from our hotel. The Colosseum is indeed colossal. It's difficult to express the scale of the place and hard to imagine the engineering that went into its construction. Come to think of it, I can say the same for many of the ancient, medieval, and Renaissance structures we've seen here in Italy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum
We were hoping to tour Palatine Hill and the Forum, but the lines were way too long even with pre-purchased tickets, so we took a siesta then went out for our last meal, Syrian cuisine and gelato, followed by a sunset stroll through the streets of Rome.
Randy and I had a fantastic adventure in Italy. Delicious food and drink, met great people on the Legacy Tour, experienced a different culture, were impressed by the prowess of Italian drivers, and awed by Italy's vast history.
Not being world travelers, we were surprised at how relatively easy it was to navigate international travel. We especially loved the Italian rail system and the friendliness of the people.Read more
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