Author: mike_bianco

T’was a sunny day around Halloween,
I was sitting at my computer screen,
Thinking about the craziness of the world today,
And how important it is that in touch we all stay,
So it’s time to show what we have been up to of late,
Through our 25th annual rhyming update*!

Our family continues to thrive,
Rebecca and John now are a family of five,
As John’s 16 year-old son, Jules, visited and stayed,
And is now in Arlington High School 11th grade.

Rebecca continues with Google, where her four-day work week is wise,
Since it gives her more time to be a mom, cook, read and even exercise.
John continues his physics start-up work of late.
And is in good spirits about its progress to date.

Arthur is seven and loves Legos and Martial Arts,
He is in second grade and is showing his smarts.
Ivy is a sassy toddler extraordinaire,
She is cute and sweet, except for at bedtime, beware!
Rebecca got a cat and named her Tiramisu, but that’s not her name now.
This little kitty is quite loud, so Ivy named her Meow.

We were able to take both kids out together on our triplet bike.
With Ivy in the kiddie seat, power came from Arthur, Caren and Mike.
When folks yelled “She’s not pedaling”, as they often do, you see,
This time, I figured that they were referring to Ivy and not me!

Julia and Josh are happy together living in LA,
Julia is working on the film version of the Wicked play.
During the writer’s strike, you could see Julia on the picket lines,
While still employed, she managed to make time to carry some signs.
She is a cat mom to Rigatoni Anthony and S’more,
And in June she joined us helping out on a tandem tour!

As for us, our year has been quite busy, I must confess,
We ran seven tours in Canada and the US.
And scouted a tour in Wisconsin – think cheese and beer,
But even without the business successes, it’s been quite a year!

In the spring, Mike had surgery on his back,
It was a huge success and he is back on track.
After adding titanium spacers and rods – complex surgery for sure!
He’s back to hiking, biking, climbing and more.

And we have sold our New Jersey house with all of its demands.
To spend time in Arizona and in Mass, near our grands.
We bought a second home three miles from Rebecca,
So Medford, Mass will be our new summer Mecca.

That’s our update after a quarter century of annual rhymes,
We hope that you enjoyed it during these turbulent times.
We are grateful for everything life has given us, it’s true.
But life would be even sweeter if we could hear from you!

Happy Holidays!
The Biancos

*Yes, this is the 25th poem!  All of our poems are on this website!

Our new main residence is 13518 N Trailing Indigo Court, Oro Valley, Arizona 85755. But if you are ever in the Boston area in the summer, please get in touch!

T’was an afternoon in October of Twenty Twenty Two,
I’m at my desk thinking of a poem to send to you.
Giving you an update with Poem Number 24,
Telling you one or two things or perhaps a bit more.

This year has had some challenges with the pandemic, you see.
We have all gotten COVID, except for Arthur and me,
Yet despite this plague, the family continues to do well.
But there is more in this poem that we would like to tell.

Rebecca, John, Arthur and Ivy are living in Arlington,
They are always quite busy and have a lot of fun,
Arthur loves to ride his new bike and take Martial Arts,
He is six, and in first grade, he is showing his smarts.
But Arthur’s favorite pastime is to build with Legos,
I think he will be an engineer someday, but who knows?

Ivy will be a year and a half on Christmas Day,
She loves to follow her big brother looking to play.
She likes to climb up slides with a smile and a squeal.
And the kid can polish off five bananas in one meal!

As for Rebecca and John, they are a couple of busy bees,
With work and the kids, it’s hard for them to find any time free.
But John managed to take five weeks off, and it’s a wonder,
That he took Arthur to see family in the Land Down Under.
And Rebecca’s work week is now four days, so she can indeed,
Have some time to take the kids to the park, cook, hike or read.

Julia lives with her boyfriend, Josh, and two cats in LA,
She works on the movie version of the Wicked play,
and also on a dramedy that will someday air on TV.
In her spare time she is writing a pilot and bakes a lot, you see!
While we miss her and only get to see Julia a couple of times a year,
We hope to spend more time with her in Tucson since we will be near.

As for us we had a busy year – running a bike rally and tours totaling eight,
We led tandem tours on four continents¹ and they all were great!
But now we’re glad to take a bit of a break and we will be free,
To hike, bike, climb and bask in the sunshine of Oro Valley.

This year we bought two new cars and a fancy new bike,
And a new house² too! Lots of changes for Caren and Mike!
With all of these purchases, you might say that we,
Are doing our part to bolster the economy!

We hope that you are healthy and staying away from the virus,
We would love to hear from you via call, text or old-fashioned papyrus.

Happy Holidays!

The Biancos

¹We ran tours in Chile, Spain, Italy, France, Denmark, Prince Edward Island (twice) and Morocco. We also ran the Eastern Tandem Rally which was a weekend with nearly 300 participants. And we scouted a tour in Vermont. A busy year indeed!

²Yes, we are moving! After 30 years, we are selling our NJ home and we’re moving to a new house in Tucson. For a short while, we’ll own three houses, but hopefully that will be down to one soon. Our main residence is now:

13518 N Trailing Indigo Court

Oro Valley, Arizona 85755

We will live there roughly from November through May. We will be on the East Coast from June – October. We will be looking to rent or buy something small in the Boston area.

– – – – – – –

If you want to see what one of our tours is like, click here.

T’was a morning in autumn with a chill in the air.
As I penned our update with the utmost of care.
This year has been a challenge trying not to get sick,
We are sure tired of this never-ending pandemic!
Yet despite all of this, the year passed quickly for sure.
As the Biancos are well and we want to tell you more…
We have a new grandchild – Ivy was born in late June!
Having a boy and a girl grandchild is a nice boon.
Ivy is sweet with saucer eyes of blue,
Her smiles can light up a room, it is true.
Arthur started Kindergarten and also takes martial arts,
But his favorite thing to do is to play with Lego parts.
He also loves being baby Ivy’s big bro,
Especially the big brother gifts, as we all know.
Arthur loves his sister and we think that it is cool,
That he writes her name beside his on projects at school.

Rebecca continues to work at Google – still from home,
She likes to cook, read and take Ivy on many a long roam.
John’s physics research project is almost done,
He likes to spend time with the kids and is known to go for a run.
As for Julia, she lives with her boyfriend Josh and two cats in LA,
In her spare time she loves to read, bake and crochet.
Julia finished work on Season 1 of Head of the Class, so she can relax.
Now she hopes that it will be renewed at HBO Max.
In the meantime, she’s in between jobs and freelancing a bit,
She even baked cake pops to sell, which were quite a hit.
Mike keeps busy puttering and listening to many a podcast,
On most days you can find him climbing or riding with me fast.
As for me, I’m saving time, hassle and money in a new way,
I’ve stopped coloring my hair, so it’s going a bit gray.
Nobody tells you when you start to color your top,
What a pain in the ass it is when you want to stop!
Covid made us replace our tours in France and Spain,
With great trips along the coasts of Virginia and Maine.
We ran seven tours this year, making it our biggest year yet,
Are we a bit tired? For sure, you bet!!!
We spent last winter in Tucson, renting a house with a view.
Where we enjoyed biking, hiking and rock climbing, too.
We loved it so much, we bought our own pied-a-terre,
We are now snow birds, returning to Tucson each year.
So this is what we have been up to of late,
What wonderful things do you have on your plate?
Please reach out to us – we would love to hear from you.
Before we know it, it will be 2022!

Happy Holidays!

The Biancos

T’was a day in October, with another big election this fall,
I was thinking about this year’s challenges large and small.
Reminiscing about life before the COVID pandemic disease,
When you could travel and meet up with folks as much as you please.
This year has been interesting as the Chinese proverb/curse states, so I fear,
You must wonder how the Biancos of Montville are faring this year.

We are doing okay…
We continue to be healthy each day.
At four and a half, Arthur is as adorable as can be,
Last summer we took him on our triplet bike made for three,
We rode to parks, ice cream shops and even a petting zoo,
It’s really fun on the triplet with Arthur pedaling too!

Arthur loves to play with cars, especially if they are red.
He enjoys reading by himself when he should go to bed.
He helps in the garden where each veggie thrives,
But beware as he is known to sneakily eat the chives!

Becky is still working at Google and for much of the year,
She has worked from home, watching Arthur, the dear!
But in between all of that, she has had a bit of time,
To enjoy baking, knitting, hiking and a good glass of wine!
Beware, when Becky and John come to visit, though,
They come complete with a starter for fresh sour dough!

Julia lives in LA and loves to read, play with her kitty and bake,
She’s mastered French macarons and the most sublime cupcake.
She adopted a cat, named her S’more, and it’s hard to believe that “smore.b”,
Has followers on Instagram that number 963!
Julia recently was offered a job that she could not pass,
As assistant show runner for the reboot of Head of the Class!

Our business has been slow this year due to the coronavirus,
So we have gotten to relax and pursue things that inspire us.
This year we have postponed five tours, but were able to run one,
Traveling to Hawaii in February – what fun!
We were also able to scout future tours in Chile and Maine,
But since March we have avoided traveling by plane.

We have been tandem cycling A LOT for sure!
We expect to ride 6000 miles this year, perhaps more.
In the meantime, we are looking forward to running tours again soon,
Socially distanced and wearing masks, until we are all immune.
We can’t wait until we can see the end of Covid-19,
And are counting the days until we can get a vaccine!

We hope that you are all staying healthy and well,
With good lungs and your complete senses of taste and smell.
We would love to hear back from you in the months next,
Perhaps not in person, but by phone, email or text!

Happy Holidays!

The Biancos

T’was an afternoon in October around midday,
When I was sitting at my desk dreaming up what to say,
Reminiscing on rhyming about our family,
We started our verses in 1999, you see!

So much has happened in the last two decades, it’s true.
We raised two amazing daughters, and became grandparents, too.
But we also lost our parents, so there have been sad times as well.
That’s what happens with the passage of time, as far as I can tell.
So another year has gone by and we are happy to say,
That we’re doing quite well as our 21 st poem will portray.

Becky, John and Arthur are living near Boston, Mass,
Driving a Tesla, they visit without buying gas.
Becky’s still with Google, and is so busy with motherhood,
That she doesn’t get nearly the sleep that she should!
Yet despite a full life, she manages to do things that she likes,
Such as knitting, cooking, reading and going on hikes.

John now has investors to fund his start-up dream.
He is busy setting up a lab and hiring a team,
He is lead physicist in a firm called Switchgear,
He hopes to see results perhaps by next year.

It’s hard to believe that sweet Arthur is nearly four!
He loves all things that move – trains, cars, bikes, planes and more!
He is beginning to learn to play piano and swim,
And of course we love to ride the tandem with him!

Julia got her MS from BU,
She’s living in LA full time, it’s true.
She works at a comedy management firm,
And has friends and a life there, so I think it’s long-term.
Julia was sick in the spring, but is now much improved.
Since, in June she had her tonsils removed.
She takes improv classes in her spare time,
And joined a local gym to indoor rock climb.

We continue to be incredibly busy, Mike and me,
As we have just completed a great AIT* year three.
We have been travelling all over and running our trips**.

And enjoying our time at home in one or two week clips.
Our friends laugh when we say how hard it is,
To run our tandem travel biz.
So I sit back now and marvel at how many years have quickly passed,
Boy didn’t 2019 fly by so fast?!!!
We consider ourselves so very lucky that life has given us so much,
And it would be even better if we kept in touch!

T’was a rainy morning in November – on Election Day,
I was sitting at my desk—after voting, by the way.
I recalled that it was time to write our twentieth update,
Of what the Biancos have been up to of late.
After a rough start to the year, we are happy to tell,
That we are all now doing quite well.

Becky, John and Arthur have moved back to the USA,
They bought a house around Boston. Hurray!
Becky is working on Flights dot Google dotcom,
And when she’s not working, she is busy being a Mom.
John has emigrated to the US and now,
He’s writing a paper about getting power from nuclear fusion somehow.

Arthur is almost three and is incredibly cute and sweet,
Living just a few hours away has been a great treat,
We love taking Arthur out with us on our bike,
Testing out playgrounds and ice cream wherever we like!
Arthur loves puzzles, trains, books and cars, although,
At two and a half, his favorite word has become “NO!”

Julia is finishing up her MS in LA,
And after she graduates, it looks like she will stay,
She is now interning at Funny or Die, so soon,
She hopes to get a job in a TV writing room.
LA is the place to be if you want to write for TV,
California seems close, at least compared to Sydney!
Julia spent last summer writing a novel, and now we all wish,
That she could find an agent to help her publish.

As for Mike and me, we do not feel retired,
Our cycling business continues to keep us inspired,
This year we cycled in New Zealand, Morocco, Holland, Canada and Israel,
Plus Arizona, Georgia, Virginia, Vermont and Massachusetts, as well.
Our business is doing amazing and we are happy to see,
That all of our tours are full for 2019, Whoopee!
However, we have been on the road so much we cherish our time at home,
Until wanderlust hits and it’s time to again roam*.

Well that’s all we have to say,
We would love to hear from you all in any way,
So regardless of your politics in this midterm election year,
Please call or email or perhaps stop over if we are still here.

*This urge appears to affect Caren before Mike.

This poem is dedicated to Judy Levitt.
August 25, 1930 – January 10, 2018

T’was a morning in November, when I said, oh my,
Another year has passed in the blink of an eye,
Leaving me with the task of penning a new rhyme,
To update you about us for the 19th time.

Our grandson, Arthur, is now nearly two,
He walks, talks and each day does something new.
He loves giving cuddles, hugs and kisses – so sweet,
Watching him play with his trains and cars is such a treat!
He’s a lot like his parents when it comes to loving books,
And he definitely inherited the gene for good looks!

While Arthur lives quite far, we did see him in both August and May,
As Becky took him on business trips and we babysat each day.
We even took him tandeming with a kiddie seat, and we three,
Rode 250 miles through Seattle and Silicon Valley!

We could not be more excited and happy to hear,
That Becky, John and Arthur are moving to Boston early next year.
Becky has transferred and will be working on the Google Flights Team,
While John hopes to continue his physics research and nuclear fusion dream.
We look forward to helping them move and settle into a new home,
It’s so exciting to have them in the same time zone!

So soon both of our daughters will be in Beantown, it’s true,
As Julia is pursuing a Masters of Science at BU.
She hopes to someday write for a TV show,
She’s learning script writing and is quite talented, we know.

Julia has managed to turn her favorite pastime into her work, you see.
Her homework assignments generally involve watching TV.
Julia is also earning a bit of extra money to pay the rent,
Writing for a website named Looper covering entertainment.

As for us, we have been busier than ever, we are happy to tell,
Our first year with our business has gone very well.
We have scouted trips in the US, Europe and Lake Louise,
We ran four tours, and for the most part, it’s been a breeze.
We get along well making decisions and planning each trip,
But we can’t decide who’s the real boss in this partnership.
(It’s Caren.)

This past year we have also ridden over four thousand tandem miles,
But the most fun has been seeing our customers’ smiles.
But one major downside of all of this travel is that Mike and I’ve,
Been having trouble keeping our house plants alive!

So with all of our traveling, we probably aren’t at home,
And when we are home, we don’t tend to answer the phone.
But you could certainly try us on our cells or by email,
Just drop a note and we will get back to you, no fail!