During her annual physical in 2024, Linda’s physician decided that she should see a heart specialist. After a series of tests, Linda had an operation in January of 2025 to repair a heart valve. By late March, she had recovered enough that we gladly accepted Allen’s invitation to fly with them to the Big Island of Hawaii to help celebrate Janet’s 60th birthday.
The first day, we drove to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and walked through a lava tube.
While a volcano is active, lava flows downhill in large channels. The outer edge starts to cool and solidify while the interior continues to flow until it empties, leaving a hollow tunnel.
There had been a major eruption the day before we arrived and we were hopeful we could see some activity, something more exciting than steam rising out of the ground.
A couple of days later, Allen got a notification on his phone of a lava flow. It was 7:00 in the evening, but we had to take a look.
The next day we were rewarded with a 600-foot lava tower. The previous eruption reached over 1000 feet, but what we saw was impressive.
Everything else was anti-climatic but very enjoyable, including flowers, waterfalls, the rugged coastline, a coffee plantation, a macadamia farm, and food markets. We managed to avoid the cow cuddling.
In late June, we took a quick trip to New Mexico. On the way, we met Mike and Lisa and watched the Senior Open in Colorado Springs.
There is a lot to see in New Mexico. We usually find a stop along our way. One of our favorite places is Bandelier National Monument.
In Las Cruces we had a good visit with Carol, Elaine, Alice, and David.
Janet joined our four-day Senior Bike Tour in the Colorado high country, including Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Vail Pass, Glenwood Canyon, and Aspen.
Here we are at the annual Labor Day Hardy Party, exploring the site of a nearby old quartz mine.
Our big trip of the year took us on a cruise through the Mediterranean Sea. We started in Barcelona and ended in Malta, the reverse of the following map.
Here you can see the Barcelona Cathedral in the background.
The City of Arts and Science in Valencia. We had no idea what to expect, but were delighted to see a variety from ancient to modern.
Roman ruins in Malaga.
The Rock of Gibraltar contains several hundred miles of tunnels. This provided an important observation and storage site during World War Two.
This is how to make bread on a farm in Morocco. The visit was low-key but very enjoyable.
Few Americans visit Algeria each year. Everyone there welcomed us with open arms. Here we are with a group of Algerian women on a bus tour.
Here we are at an American Cemetery in Tunisia, a country that experienced bitter fighting during the Second World War.
We were scheduled to make a stop in Sicily, but high winds prevented us from docking, so we continued to Malta, an island nation so small that it does not even show up on most maps. We arrived just in time to record the sunset. The next day, we walked the crowded streets. For good reason, this is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.
Brian and Cheryl hosted Thanksgiving. We had a large turnout and were delighted to include Jess and Elli to the Hardy family.
We relaxed at a beach resort in Cabo for a week in December, then returned home in time for Christmas with Janet, Allen, Sean, Kyle, and Erin.
