December 2025
Dear Friends & Family:
All we can say is “Whew! No hurricanes in 2025 for the Southwest coast. In fact, no hurricanes landed in the United States. Life is good. As usual, we were busy working and traveling. As the adage says, “Work hard, play hard.” We certainly did that. In January, we went to Madrid, Spain, for Jeff’s birthday. He is an admirer of the famous Prado Museum, which holds numerous masterpieces, including one of Jeff’s favorite Renaissance painters, Caravaggio.
Madrid also had numerous hotel roof bars that overlooked the city. The other nice thing we enjoyed was the sheer number of taxis available. We never had to wait, and they were inexpensive.
In May, we went to Seoul, South Korea, for a few days before meeting up with Zoom Vacations to tour Japan. Our friend Mychael joined us because it was his birthday, and he is a sushi lover!
We flew into Tokyo to take in the sights and sounds of the city. We went there over 17 years ago, and it has certainly gotten even more crowded and less well-kept. However, the people were as kind as ever. We toured many temples and ate very well. One of our most special meals was the Omakase experience. The chef prepares all the food in front of you, one piece at a time. You eat it, and then another piece is ready and put on your plate. The Japanese enjoy the freshest of fresh. At one point, a clam was moving, and the chef whacked it with a kitchen knife, stunning it. He placed it on our plate, and we ate it (GULP). 22 sushi pieces in all.
In July, we flew to Rome, Italy, for the weekend to see the most extensive Caravaggio exhibit presented in 60 years. 24 works were on display at the Palazzo Barberini. 
We went twice during that weekend. It saved us a lot of time and money. By now, you might have guessed it, we plan some vacations around places where we can see Caravaggio’s work. We are passionate about his work and life.
In September, we went to Las Vegas & Aspen. We stayed at the Encore, which is a beautiful hotel. We gambled, ate at some great restaurants, and attended the “Wizard of Oz” at the Sphere. It was a “4 D” experience. The movie played, and we felt the elements on screen, like wind blowing, chairs shaking, Styrofoam apples being thrown at you, etc. It truly was a memorable experience.
In November, we went on a cruise to see the “A B C” islands - Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. We walked around the ports, ate and drank local food, and enjoyed people watching. While we were in Aruba, we had the most delicious pizza, with toppings of jerk chicken, onion, yellow and green peppers, and jalapeño peppers. One of our top three pizzas for sure.
Jeff is still working as a partner with his firm, Naples Pathology Associates, and Rob/Bob is still working in real estate. In 2024, he bought a Weichert, Realtors franchise. He is still Broker/Owner, but Nardi Realty is now Weichert, Realtors – Paradise Homes. Both Jeff and Rob/Bob have long days. As Gilda Radner from Saturday Night Live would say, “It’s always something.”
We wish you health, happiness, and love always! Happy Holidays!
We are on Instagram and Facebook. Here are our emails:
Jeff Larkin (pathman92@aol.com)
Rob Nardi (nardirealtor@gmail.com) – www.BuyNaples.Net
