Happy Holidays!

We celebrated the end of one great year and the beginning of the next with our good friends Susan and Simon Tuffs and their two boys, playing music, chatting and visiting local sights. 

The drought in California worsened, as winter precipitation and the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada were minimal.  The water levels were so low in the reservoirs that ruins of towns inundated by dams in the mid-20^th century were exposed.  Matthew and I hiked around one that is normally at the bottom of Folsom Lake.  My only skiing was in Aspen when I was there teaching in January and March.  

In February, Matthew, Peter and I met up in San Francisco with Peter’s Uncle Tim and Aunt Rosemary, who were on a cruise around the world on the Queen Mary II.  We spent a day with them seeing a bit of the city and then driving down the coast as far as Santa Cruz, stopping at beaches and lighthouses. 

I spent a couple more weeks in Aspen in March in addition to a couple days in San Francisco visiting friends and museums and walking through city neighborhoods and taking lots of photos.  In addition, along with a couple friends, we hosted a music sharing party at our house.  The potluck meal provided delicious food, and we were entertained with a wide variety of music.  

In April, Matthew spent a week in San Francisco with the Conway boys and had a great time exploring the city and going to museums on his own.  Meanwhile, with our friends Patty and Shalako, Peter and I rented a boat in Marina Del Rey in southern California and sailed to Catalina, picking up mooring balls in Two Harbors and Avalon.  

We hiked some trails through valleys and along bluffs over the water, roamed around Avalon, kayaked in the harbor and relaxed on the boat.  Although everyone else thought the water was too cold, I was not deterred from snorkeling around the coves through the kelp beds, delighting particularly in the bright orange garibaldis and sleek sea otters.

After Easter, Sam, our Rotary Exchange student from Belgium, moved back in with us.  I joined a trip for some of the exchange students to Lake Tahoe on Memorial Day weekend.  The weather was beautiful, and, over the three days, we circumnavigated the lake by car, took short hikes, visited historic Vikingsholm at Emerald Bay, and spent an afternoon on the beach on the Nevada side. 

One of Sam’s brothers and his sister arrived in early June to spend two weeks with him in America.  They stayed with us for a couple days before setting out to explore the coast of California, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Utah and Yellowstone National Park.   While Sam was gone, Peter, Matthew and I went to New York for eight days of practically non-stop activity.

The details of our trip, which we took to celebrate our 20^th anniversary and Matthew’s 18^th birthday, can be found at:  http://20thanniversarynyctrip.blogspot.com.  I had not been to New York for over 20 years, and our visit was worth waiting for!

As the date for Sam’s return to Belgium loomed, we realized that we had not put enough effort into showing him around northern California, so we went to the Monterey Peninsula for a couple days, where we visited with the Tuffs in Pacific Grove, went to the Aquarium, hiked at Point Lobos, walked around Monterey, and stopped in San Juan Bautista to learn about the California missions and attend a festival.

We took a day trip to the wine country, visiting the historic sights in old Sonoma as well as the Valley of the Moon, Jack London’s property that is now a State park.  In early July, as Sam was celebrating Belgium’s victory over the United States in the World Cup, we hosted a going-away party for him.  He was a great temporary addition to our family and, as he knows, is welcome to return any time.

I flew to West Virginia a couple of days before Peter and Matthew to spend time with my dad and get him ready to go to the beach with us this year.  Not only did he revel in the time with family during the weeklong annual family vacation in Ocean City, Maryland, but he also enjoyed our stops en route at St. Michael’s and Annapolis.  We had great weather and good times.

We returned just a couple days before Katya’s much-anticipated return from her eleven and a half month stay in Hokkaido, Japan, as a Rotary Exchange student.  We were at the airport on the night of July 31, waiting for her to arrive from Los Angeles.  Unfortunately, she could not find the gate at LAX for the last leg of her trip home, so she ended up spending the night at the airport and catching a flight to Sacramento the next morning.

She was only home for two and a half weeks, during which she relaxed and ate favorite foods she had missed.  We took a quick trip to San Francisco as a family and then began getting ready to go to Honolulu, where Katya began her freshman year as an honor student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Peter, Matthew and I stayed on the windward side of Oahu at the condo of our friends Brian and Kaye Walsh for two and a half weeks—much longer than it took to get Katya settled in, but, hey, who would pass up a chance for a Hawaiian vacation!  

We visited Pearl Harbor, the Punchbowl, the Bishop Museum, and some historic sites in addition to snorkeling and hiking when we weren’t simply relaxing at a restaurant or on the lanai or the beach. 

Matthew took the opportunity to get SCUBA certified.  (Katya got certified about a month later through a University-sponsored program.)  Kaye and Brian are the proud owners of two King Charles cocker spaniels, so we joined them at an AKA dog show, which was an interesting introduction to the world of show dogs. 

After we returned, I spent a couple weeks teaching in Aspen.  The fall foliage was at its peak, so the scenery was gorgeous.  It was a thrill for me to ride in the co-pilot’s seat in the cockpit of the private plane for the flight to Aspen.  The views were spectacular and learning a bit about piloting and navigating was fascinating.

Matthew, who graduated from high school in May and passed his BSA Eagle Scout Board of Review in June, is taking a gap year and doing some tutoring.  A highlight for him this year was his Eagle Court of Honor, which we held in early November.  His cousins Rick (who is an Eagle Scout) and Michael flew out to celebrate with him, as did my dad, who was recognized during the ceremony for his accomplishments in scouting in the 1930’s and 40’s.  

Dad stayed with us for 20 days.  During his visit, we celebrated his 88th birthday; went to Lake Tahoe, local historic sights and San Francisco; enjoyed a Veteran's Day concert; and relaxed at home.  He managed to beat us all at croquet in the backyard and also enjoyed a round of golf with the boys. 

Except for Katya, my whole family was together in West Virginia for the Thanksgiving holiday, which, for us, consists not only of the big meal on Thursday, but the annual placemat coloring competition, a shopping day for the women, early Christmas gift exchanges for those who will not be there in December, celebration of winter birthdays with the family, a movie outing and lots of games.  Since Katya has not seen anyone in my family for a year and a half, the four of us are going to West Virginia for Christmas too this year. 

I took a day trip to San Francisco to have an early Christmas gift exchange with my friend Paula, who, with her husband Andrew, will be spending the holidays in England.  I took a few hours to wander around downtown, stopping to delight in decorations in hotel lobbies and store windows.  Katya flies in to San Francisco on the morning or Dec. 20, and she and I plan to go to a sing-along concert at Grace Cathedral, shop and enjoy the holiday ambiance in the city before driving home. 

We have lost some friends this year and experienced other sadness, but we are grateful for the wonderful experiences we have enjoyed, the privileges we take for granted, and the love and companionship of family and friends.  As we learn with dismay of the dreadful situations and conditions of so many in the world, we do what we can in small ways and realize how blessed we are.  We hope for you that this past year has been, and the coming year will be, filled with small pleasures, great joy and peace for all of us.

With love,

Sherri, Peter, Katya and Matthew

11913 Sailor Creek Court, Gold River, CA  95670  USA

sherribro3@pacbell.net and peterbro3@gmail.com

916-989-5184 (home); 916-205-5184 (Sherri); 916-207-5184 (Peter)