Christmas 2012
Happy Holidays to All!
We wish you all the very best of holidays and peace and prosperity
in the New Year. The texture of our lives changes as we watch the progress of
our children and their children, and we deal with the infirmities of age. We
still get in some traveling, take on house projects, try to keep up with the
questions of the resident kindergartener, and sometimes enjoy a moment of blessed
solitude.
Chile in January, but warm in Santiago
We traded our SoCal winter for a summery and smoggy Santiago,
alas arriving there two days sooner than our luggage; but clean clothing, we
concluded, is highly overrated. We confined our travels to southern Chile, avoiding
the heat and altitude of the north. Our travels along Ruta Cinco, the
Pan-American Hwy, took us as far as the cooler picturesque Isla de Chiloé. During
our lengthy journey by car, bus, and boat, we saw lakes, waterfalls, volcanoes,
beaches, and postcard-perfect scenery. Evenings we relaxed with glasses of Chilean
wine and a smorgasbord of seafood.
Our time in Chile was fascinating, particularly as it was
punctuated by various encounters with interesting people. We learned a lot about
the history of the country and my dialect of Spanish is so similar that we felt
comfortable chatting up strangers and learning how Chile has progressed in recent
years.
Europe and Iceland in the Summer
June found us in Germany, Scotland, England, and Iceland.
We arrived in Frankfurt after a harried journey through Toronto and the next
day drove to nearby Wiesbaden to see Larry’s son Volker and his wife Marion
and meet Larry’s 1-year old grandson Alexander.
Heading north to Edinburgh, we met up with my sister Teresa
and her husband John. After four days in the Scottish capital, with a side trip
to St. Andrews, we moved on to the port of Oban, our base for a ferry/bus trip
to the Isle of Iona and a day trip north past Loch Ness—no Nessie was sighted—to
Inverness.
Our U.K. visit culminated in a trip to Keswick in the English
Lake District, where we spent a week in a farmhouse at night, while navigating
narrow roads and taking boat trips by day.
Parting company with John and Teresa, Larry and I flew to
Iceland, where Reykjavik greeted us with the warmest weather yet on our trip.
It’s quite a country; harnessing geo-thermal energy to heat the cities was a
herculean task, but it has made Iceland one of the world’s most prosperous economies.
The Icelandic horses, standard-sized but able to lie down on the ground, look
like a field of dead horses at first sight, but then they move! Larry raved
about the Icelandic ice cream—simple matter of cows, I think.
Sgt. Cathy, transitioning to K-mom
Cathy and Tori are thriving here, with LAPD and kindergarten
keeping all of us busy checking schedules. Larry does lots of the school runs
to the same school our kids attended on our return from England in 1980, and
Tori has David’s former 3rd grade teacher! Hope she doesn’t learn that he and
his buddies climbed on the roof and jumped between the buildings back in the
day!
Jenny, temping and being awesome aunt
Jenny is doing some freelance work as lawyer jobs are scarce,
and we are all hoping something opens up in 2013 for her. Meanwhile, she’s the
favorite aunt who knows just what each little niece and nephew needs at a given
moment—a story, a game, a walk, a hug, a romp or whatever.
Meanwhile, up in Berkeley…
Brian and family deal with their busy household day-to-day.
He’s still at Adobe and Marion is doing some freelance graphic design work,
having graduated in May from the S.F. Academy of Art with a Bachelor of Fine
Arts degree, with all of us attending.
Lucie loves kindergarten and the extra
classes in gardening, cooking, ceramics, and drama. Jamie and Nicky turned 3
in September and attend Lucie’s old preschool, running around the playground
with a “cabal” of other little boys, owning the sandbox and generally being
noisy boys. The Berkeley brood skipped the Germany trip this year, but Omi Christine
and Opi Klaus were able to visit a couple of times.
David, working in the O.C.
David is still at the credit-reporting company Experian, spending
half of his time in Santa Monica and the other half in Costa Mesa, where he
has purchased a live/work loft with his business partner. His work involves
online marketing initiatives, including promoting FreeCreditScore.com, one of
Experian’s many sites. When not working, he may be seen at a Lakers game, wine
tasting in Los Olivos, or hosting football watching on Sundays.
Larry and I, keeping busy
Larry continues to assist others with their computer needs,
maintains three websites, and tries to keep up with ever-accelerating changes
in the world of technology. He’s been toying with HDR (high dynamic range) photography,
which marries the camera with the computer. And while expanding his volunteer
activities at church, he keeps fit at a local gym; after lifting over a million
pounds of weight last month, he had to settle for only 2nd place.
School started in late January for me, so it was back to CSUN
for more fun and games with a new crop of freshman students. In the January
2013 semester I’ll be teaching three writing classes and a freshman seminar
course—a full load for a part-timer.
My 50th reunion in Riverside in late July proved to be a lot
more fun than anticipated: reconnecting with long-ago classmates, taking a bus
tour of the city and the old hangouts, and visiting the high school, now a technology-rich
environment for students. Larry’s 55th in October took us to Cerritos for a
dinner and a chance to renew old acquaintances.
A spring remodeling job
A remodeling project on the home front included making the
stairs more twin-worthy (less space between balusters). We replaced almost all
flooring and carpet, painted most rooms, and added crown molding and baseboards
to give the home a fresher look.
Our changing domestic ménage
Our “Grandma Camp” with Lucie and Tori for a week in July
featured trips to the library, the Santa Barbara Zoo, the Reagan Library for
the Disney exhibit, swimming at Jenny’s, and lots of crafts, stories, and running
through the house and yard shrieking and giggling.
Then it was time for a test-run visit from 91-year young Jerry,
my dad, to see whether living here would work for him. We voted for 4-generation
life, and in August he packed up, sold his car and house, and moved in. Some
sweet moments: Tori taking Great-Grandpa’s hand getting out of the car, each
thinking the other was in charge; Tori getting him to kick the ball back to
her as he sat on the patio; and playing the “empty tangerine” trick (peels in
the round with nothing inside). But climate, suburbia, and our busy lives didn’t
work well for him, so he has decided to try ranch life on the Central Coast
(where the deer and the wild turkeys roam), moving in with Teresa and John in
Atascadero in early December.
We wish for all of you a wonderful 2013.