May the spirit of Christmas dawn on your life each day of the New Year
Sunrise over Death Valley -- March 2005
As I was
reviewing my past Christmas letters to see where I left
off, I was horrified to discover that I have not sent one since 2002,
and that one was late. I see that I had started a letter in 2003,
and never
got it finished. What a shame! After the less
than upbeat 2002 Christmas letter, the 2003 news was vastly
improved. I didn't even start a letter in 2004. We took on "The
project that ate last Christmas". 
Yes,
we finally got a modern kitchen. The project proceeded in fits
and starts
from September until the week after Christmas. We love the
kitchen.
I had already started remodeling the hall bathroom when we found a 20% off coupon for redoing our kitchen so we switched to that project and had an ugly bathroom for a year. After the kitchen was done, I went back to the bathroom project which I am doing entirely by myself. This has been a huge, time consuming,
laborious
project for me, learning as I go, but
it is very
interesting and I have loved it.
I am particularly proud of the job I did plumbing the new
thermostatically controlled valves for
the tub
and
the
showers in both
bathrooms.
Bet you never got a Christmas letter with a picture of plumbing
before.
The
tub surround, paint job, vanity, vanity top, faucet, and
medicine cabinet also look great. Lona likes how the bathroom is
looking but is not enthused about
the fact that I am the one doing it, and hates how long it has
taken -- months and months. It threatened to become the
"Project that ate this Christmas". Because of these
projects, we haven't done much traveling.
When we heard that Death Valley was having the desert flower display of the century, we were determined not to miss that, so we did take time off to spend two weeks camping in the Mojave Desert. Many of you got a report from that trip. The picture at the top is one I have not published before. No one alive has seen Death Valley so in bloom. It was fantastic.
Looking back to the end of 2002, a lot has happened since then. I'll give a brief review of the highlights even though many of our friends already know much of it. In Sept. of 2003, Lona got her leg pain solved. After nearly 9 years of struggling, the doctors finally concluded it was due to a pinched sciatic nerve. She had spine surgery that completely solved the problem. We are back enjoying hikes together again. It is like a miracle.
In June before the surgery, we decided that we could stand being house bound no more, so we traveled and camped our way up the coast of CA clear to OR. Then we went inland and came back down the Trinity Alps. The scenery on this two week trip was beautiful and it lifted our spirits immensely.
The following August, I took my great, one-day hike up Mount Whitney with friends. Most of you were subjected to a report of that trip.
That pretty much takes us to 2004. The highlight of that year occurred February. The College of Arts and Science at MU chose me to be one of 7 to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award . That was a very big deal, the highlight not only of the year, but one of the highlights of my life. Each recipient gives a short speech. Normally I think nothing of giving a speech, but that evening, I was a total nervous wreck. My speech was somewhat involved and had a point -- pursue your passion and don't give up. I wanted to do well, and I felt a little unworthy compared to many other recipients.
When I went
up to give my speech, I was so
choked up by the tribute that I 
had just been given that I wondered if
I was going to get any words out. My speech was very well
received, and Lona seemed to appreciate the credit I gave to her.
By June, Lona was rehabilitated and fit enough to take some serious day hikes. We went to the Sierra Nevada Mountains for a week of spring wildflower hiking after the snow had melted. It was such
a joy to be able to
do that again after so
many years of not being able to
walk.
Since 1996, we have traveled back to MU each fall. I serve with a group of physics alumni who mentor the students and support the department. I also serve on the College of A&S Strategic Development Board. The results from both activities have been most gratifying. I recommend it to anyone looking for something useful and rewarding to do.
Other than occasional local diversions, we have pretty much been plugging away to get these projects done. The end is in sight, and then we are going to do more things and live it up a little.
Best wishes for a joyous Christmas season.
Yes,
we finally got a modern kitchen. The project proceeded in fits
and starts
from September until the week after Christmas. We love the
kitchen. I had already started remodeling the hall bathroom when we found a 20% off coupon for redoing our kitchen so we switched to that project and had an ugly bathroom for a year. After the kitchen was done, I went back to the bathroom project which I am doing entirely by myself. This has been a huge, time consuming,
laborious
project for me, learning as I go, but
it is very
interesting and I have loved it.
I am particularly proud of the job I did plumbing the new
thermostatically controlled valves for
the tub
and
the
showers in both
bathrooms.
Bet you never got a Christmas letter with a picture of plumbing
before.
The
tub surround, paint job, vanity, vanity top, faucet, and
medicine cabinet also look great. Lona likes how the bathroom is
looking but is not enthused about
the fact that I am the one doing it, and hates how long it has
taken -- months and months. It threatened to become the
"Project that ate this Christmas". Because of these
projects, we haven't done much traveling.When we heard that Death Valley was having the desert flower display of the century, we were determined not to miss that, so we did take time off to spend two weeks camping in the Mojave Desert. Many of you got a report from that trip. The picture at the top is one I have not published before. No one alive has seen Death Valley so in bloom. It was fantastic.
Looking back to the end of 2002, a lot has happened since then. I'll give a brief review of the highlights even though many of our friends already know much of it. In Sept. of 2003, Lona got her leg pain solved. After nearly 9 years of struggling, the doctors finally concluded it was due to a pinched sciatic nerve. She had spine surgery that completely solved the problem. We are back enjoying hikes together again. It is like a miracle.
In June before the surgery, we decided that we could stand being house bound no more, so we traveled and camped our way up the coast of CA clear to OR. Then we went inland and came back down the Trinity Alps. The scenery on this two week trip was beautiful and it lifted our spirits immensely.
The following August, I took my great, one-day hike up Mount Whitney with friends. Most of you were subjected to a report of that trip.
That pretty much takes us to 2004. The highlight of that year occurred February. The College of Arts and Science at MU chose me to be one of 7 to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award . That was a very big deal, the highlight not only of the year, but one of the highlights of my life. Each recipient gives a short speech. Normally I think nothing of giving a speech, but that evening, I was a total nervous wreck. My speech was somewhat involved and had a point -- pursue your passion and don't give up. I wanted to do well, and I felt a little unworthy compared to many other recipients.
When I went
up to give my speech, I was so
choked up by the tribute that I had just been given that I wondered if
I was going to get any words out. My speech was very well
received, and Lona seemed to appreciate the credit I gave to her.By June, Lona was rehabilitated and fit enough to take some serious day hikes. We went to the Sierra Nevada Mountains for a week of spring wildflower hiking after the snow had melted. It was such
a joy to be able to
do that again after so
many years of not being able to
walk.Since 1996, we have traveled back to MU each fall. I serve with a group of physics alumni who mentor the students and support the department. I also serve on the College of A&S Strategic Development Board. The results from both activities have been most gratifying. I recommend it to anyone looking for something useful and rewarding to do.
Other than occasional local diversions, we have pretty much been plugging away to get these projects done. The end is in sight, and then we are going to do more things and live it up a little.
Best wishes for a joyous Christmas season.