We are on the Adriatic somewhere between the islands of Vis and Hvar, Croatia. That sounds like an impossibly glamorous sentence, and I do apologize. However, to temper the glamour, I will report that it is freezing cold, the wind is fairly strong, and we are rocking rather dramatically.

We are on a small boat, part of the Sail Croatia fleet with about 30 other people. There are, obviously, two kind of sailors: those who get seasick and wonder why they ever paid good money to take this trip, and those who don’t get seasick.

One of the first people I met when my husband and I moved to the Santa Ynez Valley was Doris Holzheu. We met at the Y swimming pool. Doris, being the friendly soul that she is, welcomed me to the area and asked me about myself.

When we both spoke of our love of travel, she wanted to know if I’d ever been to Germany. I said I had not. Doris, a still-beautiful woman approaching 90, and who speaks with a German accent, was surprised.

Live theater has a special place in my heart. In the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to see two thrilling theatrical productions without having to travel to London or New York. Both happened to be just minutes from my home in the Santa Ynez Valley. The first, a performance by the Laketown Players, was in Santa Ynez, and the second was in Buellton, where the Jewish Women’s Theatre performed “Family Secrets.”