Dick and Sally Sexton spent a month "Down Under" February thru March 2003 visiting Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, with gigs like a sun­rise balloon ride over the desert near Alice Springs, bush BBQ, scuba­ diving Great Barrier Reef, aboriginal village, Maori dinner, rainforest habi­tat and sheep station, cruising Milford Sound, America's Cup Yacht Race and firewalkers of Fiji. Next: Inland Passage to Alaska.

Our guys are traveling outside ConUS, virtually cavalier about risks from terrorists, al-Qaeda attacks, West Nile Fever, hijackings, dirty bombs and wildfires--ignoring the inconveniences of Biometric-Tech scans, jet-lag, offing shoes for stepped-up airport security, pesky baggage screenings, lost luggage and ... Airline Food!

June 25-July 16, Pat and Earl Van Inwegen visited Amsterdam, Potsdam, Berlin, Prague, Czech spa of Karlovy Vary, Bamberg and Frankfurt. It was Copenhagen in August and 10 days cruising Rostock, Latvia, Estonia, St. Petersburg and Denmark; Oct 26-Nov 9th was a time-share with their chil­dren and grandchildren on Kona. Tony and Carol Bilello also spent a week in August on the "Big Island."

This August, Bob and Jane Odenweller were in Venice to visit daughter Liesl, who gave birth Aug 28th. Bob was in Amsterdam last August (2002), and London that November and Ratzeburg, Germany, to hear Liesl sing Brahms' Requiem at their cathedral. On Sept 17, 2003, it was back to Venice for birth-support, and Sindelfingen, Germany for Bob's philatelic meeting (AIEP). Next: New Zealand in February and Canadian Maritimes July 2004.

Bill (Ed.D.) and Kathleen Gillis spent two months in Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Netherlands, France and Switzerland starting May 2151 with adopted children Sebastian and Cecelia. Highlights: Berchtesgaden, Sound of Music Tour, Neuschwanstein, Garmisch, Zugspitze, Oberammergau, Arc d' Triumph, Eiffel and Notre Dame Towers, Rhein cruise and Heidelberg. It was hot, and Kath lamented: "With dog crap every step in France, the stench was atrocious! I'm glad the French are (finally) admitting their smelly environment!" (R: Ah, those Frenchies! They yank the legs off frogs and eat `em, you know!)

Native of Paxico, Kansas Phil Meinhardt loves all things French since assignment at Chateau Roux in'64; so, it was off to Quebec. Phil flew into Boston in late September, saw the fall colors on the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont and then drove to Montreal and the Trois Riveieres of the St. Lawrence.

Andi Biancur and Carole Kramer cruised the Caribbean on the Dawn Princess last winter, visiting Montego Bay, Aruba, Costa Rica and the Panama Canal. On Jan 7, 2004, they'll cruise around Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. Last April (2003), Jim and Jenny Glaza cruised Belize, Honduras and Mexico with Jenny's parents. In January 2004, the Glazas and Ron and Connie Yates go to Arena's Ski Resort near Innsbruck ("150 lifts serving 300 miles of runs") for some long skiing and glitzy digs. Rich and Midge Hillman recently cruised Mexico, and took a cruise/train tour of Alaska. Debbie and Norm Alexander cruised the Baltic in July and then vacationed in Scotland; September, it was Montreal and Quebec.

Bruce, Caryl and daughter Debbie Mosier went to Ireland this summer, discovering why Ireland is so gloriously green: "It's Guinness' barley shim­mering in those fields," writes Caryl. "And, oh those pubs! We enjoyed the friendly people of the Emerald Isle. Slainte."

In March, Karen and I went to Nassau, Bahamas, where Jerry and Dotty Farquhar picked us up in their Aztec Twin and flew us to their luxurious yacht in Staniel Cay, Exuma; later, it was a week for the Clers' anniversary at Mazatlan, Mexico, in November. Kathy and Charlie Liggett spent three weeks in Portugal and Spain this October, with four days in Lisbon, go­ing to Barcelona and Madrid, and a week on the 300-passenger SilverSea Cloud down Iberia's coast.

Charlie and Mercedes Thompson, joined by their daughter and grandkids, spent July 2-6 in Montreal, Quebec, at the Barbershop Har­mony International Contest. Bob and Lilliane Badger went to Montreal earlier this year.

Dale and Ina Thompson spent six weeks on two consecutive Rick Steves' tours to Berlin, Slovenia, Budapest, Croatia, Alps, Lake Como, Venice, Flo­rence and Rome. "Our favorite meals were in Mom and Pop stores hav­ing great conversations with locals," says Dale. "The greatest difficulty was my shoes--we walked so much I developed severe blisters."

Ron Yates gave wife, Connie, an Alaskan fishing vacation at John McCullough's Quartz Creek Lodge on Kodiak Island for their wedding anniversary. And in Feb 2003, Ron and Connie skied at the chic St. Anton am Arlberg Ski Resort in Austria.

After a time-share in the Canary Islands this summer, Bill and Anne Carnegie flew back through Madrid and Toledo. August 13-27, 2003, it was to Guayaquil, Ecuador, where son Tom is an officer with the U.S. Consulate. Traveling six days in a Jeep Wrangler, Bill "got bit by a mos­quito and did NOT contract malaria!"

Doug Rekenthaler's "been wintering in Buenos Aires and/or Bariloche (Patagonia). Hotels are inexpensive, it has the world's best (steep) down­hill skiing, mountain climbing and trout fishing, Chateaubriand costs $4 in top restaurants, and one day on an executive bus provides a look at the pampas and their enormous rancheros."

Gosling's trips last year were to Trinidad, Bermuda and collecting his MB-CLK-320 in Stuttgart and driving around Europe. This summer, Goose Gulbransen and Susan spent a (relatively) quiet month in Australia.

Gary and Diane Karschnick have taken over 90 cruises and 13 Euro­pean and Asian tours the past 26 years. [They] cruised five days leaving Nov 30, 2003 on Mariner of the Seas for Labadee, Haiti, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Georgetown, Grand Caymans and Cozumel.

The globe-trotting Mayberrys are at it again: In February, they started in New South Wales and South Australia; time-share at Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia, then up the ALCan Highway to cover Alaska like a glove; and, much more.

Visiting Australia, Ralph and Darlene Lalime's trip covered Emu Park, Hervey Bay's whale watch, walking with Koalas and seeing the Mayberrys at Colangatta; in September, it was three weeks in the Vaterland--Bayreuth & Frankische Switz, Dresden, Prague and Schwabisch Hall.

Joe and Sue Higgins and Betty and Jerry de la Cruz cruised Barcelona and around Spain and the peninsula to the Canary Islands, ending in Lisbon. Jerry and Betty then went solo to England to visit friends at RAF Chivenor in North Devon.

"Early this year (2003) I was asked by Footsteps Missions to lead a youth group to Ecuador on a Christian mission June 26th thru July 7th," writes Sid Newcomb. "We did Vacation Bible Schools, constructed a building up an Andean mountain, worshipped with Quichua-speaking congregations, and witnessed baptisms in a mountain river where 23 Ecuadorian Christian Alliance churches had gathered." On a similar mission, Jim Waddle spent Oct 31st thru Nov 14th in Nigeria distributing bibles for the Gideons.

No one went to the Moon or Marrakech or Mombasa, just numerous excursions outside these contiguous 48 states. Armed only with St. Chris­topher medals and their "meds," they were simply on a search for the ultimate nightly pillow mint. Merry Christmas from the Rose.