Hi, ho ... hi, ho ... it's off to shop we go ...
With an empty wallet and a maxed credit card,
Hi, ho ... hi, ho ...

Enough of that!  You know what time of year it is by the type and quantity of commercials shown during your favorite television shows.  There's nothing more annoying than eight fashion Barbie and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle spots while you're trying to relax and enjoy "Ren and Stimpy" on Sunday morning. "Ren and Stimpy?" ... hey ... just because you're responsible and older is no excuse to grow up!

The Huskies reigned victorious in Pasadena.  The "92 Rose Bowl" experience was wild!  There were ten thousand or more at the Husky New Year's Eve party the night before.  We hung in Hollywood and LA a few extra days and did Universal Studios and the Hollywood walk wearing the Japanese camera necklace that seems to be in fashion down there.

I jumboed out to Grand Rapids and visited a few old friends there from my Michigan days in mid-March.  Janet and her friends took me to upper Michigan for some "mid-west" skiing.  They stripped our wallets of $35 for a lift ticket for five minutes of downhill per run!  My friends Doug and Paula have been busy job-hopping across the U.S. and pro-creating but settled down long enough for me to see them again.

I had my front teeth unexpectedly rearranged in late April while playing volleyball ... root canals are a pleasant experience, NOT!  I left quite a nice set of chopper prints in my friend Mark's forehead for him to remember me by.

Nora and I did a 14-week bowling league stint in the summer with another couple.  The "Alley Cats" took fifth place by the time the beer got warm and the dust settled.

Weddings once again were a very popular summer activity. I attended my 30th in August ... can now repeat the entire ceremony from my little gray brain.  Nora and I keep missing the bouquet and garter tosses but they appear to be heading more in our direction lately.

During the summer I helped a friend roof his house and another friend roof his garage.  Then I turned around and hit them with paybacks when I started building a 20x30 foot detached garage in the back west side of the yard.  As always the male parental unit put in several dozen hours of manual labor under the close scrutiny (and undying appreciation) of his youngest son.  The maternal unit took care of us all, as we hammered the sunny days away.  The finish work, siding and painting took me, Nora and my friend Jim until Thanksgiving to finish.  The garage door gets installed in a couple of weeks and I'll be wiring and wallboarding during the winter months.

In an attempt to mix work with play during their visit, Nora and I took my parents to the Olympic Peninsula for a few days cabin stay on Crescent Lake.  While over there we swung down to Bremerton and visited with Nora's parents.  Nora's Dad always seems to whip me in golf, even with my new clubs!  Keeps me humble in my low 80s.

Musical diversity ranged from "Dire Straits" to "Toad the Wet Sprocket".  "Dire" was one of the best concerts I've ever seen (and heard) ... only Knoffler could achieve sound quality like that in a domed stadium.  The "End Fest" was an outdoor concert that mixed grunge groups like "Mud Honey" and "L7" with more refined cutting edge groups like "The Posies ', 'Sarah McLaughlin" and "Toad".  Stage jumping and moshing must be seen to be believed!

The "Roasted Wienie" birthday party in early July had a high turnout.  Before the garage was built, I took the opportunity to make an in-ground brick fire pit behind the old garage.  Quite cool to have an outdoor bonfire in the middle of the city.  We all had a good time roasting dogs and toasting marshmallows.  I may have to find a place in the back for another one.

I went with Nora to her "tenth" high school class reunion with a group of her friends.  When the karaoke VJ couldn't act anyone to participate ... well ... the Elvis in me just had to break the ice.  I sang 'Good Luck Charm" in front of about 400 strangers and even took a bow at the edge of the stage when finished.  Then I watched in awe as Scott and Tarn (from our table) butchered "Back in the Sattle" by Arrowsmith ... I guess you just had to be there to appreciate it.

Nora and I went to a Seahawks game last Monday night and we were shocked with a win.  They tied the game with a touchdown pass in the last second of the game against Denver and proceeded to win in overtime.  Miracles can happen!  Needless to say, we're expecting several top round draft picks next year.

Ski instructor clinics are in full swing.  Nora decided to skip them this year and take a ski class instead.  Rick and I have been faithfully attending them and managed to bypass the "cadet" training.  We've been getting top notch instruction in advanced skiing techniques with the instructors themselves.  It's been great!  Last week's most memorable class was "Intro to Bumps" ... so look out below!

It usually takes me 6- 10 hours to draft this letter each year ... this one has taken less than 3 hours so far ... so I guess practice makes perfect (this is my tenth annual letter)!  As is tradition in the close of this letter each year, I extend the offer of a place to stay (and a few beers) on a visit to my neighborhood.  Several have taken me up on it, but not enough ... I miss you guys!  Out here I'm really isolated from my midwest roots and old friends ... surely you have an old aunt out here to visit that you can't stand ... so just do it!  Once again, it is our hope that you all have a Merry Christmas and a 1993 filled with laughter, compassion and accomplishment.