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 While
hanging lights on the front peak of the house with care, what to my
dismay did I see but a jolly old man dressed in red, a sleigh and
eight tiny reindeer coming my way. Startled, my weight shifted and
with a grip on the peak from thirty feet up, the ladder went crashing
to the ground oblivious to old St. Nick who was preoccupied with
landing on the 45-degree slope next to the chimney. Hanging
precariously, from over the edge of the roof I watched as 32 cloven
hooves, shuffling to maintain their balance, trashed my brand new
shingles. About that time I lost my grip, and, as I headed toward the
holly and thorn bushes below, all I could think of is "What a
wonderful time of the year this is!" "Wake up, wake up"
someone kept repeating and the next thing I knew there I was on the
floor in my cowboy pajamas next to the bed. It was all just a
nightmare before Christmas and all through the house …
Most of the year was an endless parade of wedding
related activities and planning. Church-based relationship counseling,
photographers, minister interviewing, wedding expos, bakeries, tuxedo
shops, bridesmaid dresses, ice sculptures, limos, catering, rehearsal
dinner and reception coordination meetings, invitation stuffing,
honeymoon planning ... AAAAHHHHHH!!!! I thought June 25th would never
come! We know most of you have been through it all ... I'm sure it's a
common experience. The reception sure was fun though ... too much
fun for some! A 14-hour flight to Germany is no picnic with the
remnants of a hangover.
After the wedding, we spent four weeks touring
central Europe. Starting in Frankfurt, we took a half day river cruise
down the Rhine mainly to relax and experience all the castles and
vineyards built along it. We hopped off in Koblenz, visited some of
the beautiful cathedrals there and took the Eurail on to Munich. We
spent a few days touring the city and negotiated several day trips
touring the magnificent castles of King Ludwig, the beautiful Bavarian
Alps and the pristine Alpine Mountain lakes. Most notable were
Neuschwanstein (Cinderella's) castle and the quaint rural villages
settled beside the mountain lakes. The "biergartens" were
quite an experience ... nothing like starting your meal with a 2-liter
beer to get you in the Bavarian mood. We spent one day swimming at a
lake just outside Munich to escape the unseasonably hot and humid
weather that accompanied us throughout most of the trip.
Austria was next on the agenda. When we arrived in
Salzburg, we unpacked the hiking boots and started up a trail that
wound around the outskirts of the city and eventually lead to the top
of a hill surrounded by an old stone wall fortification that
overlooked the entire city below. Nothing like a 5-hour hike uphill to
get the old blood pumping. From that vantagepoint we spotted a huge
fortress, built in the 1200s, at the crest of a hill in the city
center, which we visited next. What a beautiful area! Then it was off
to Vienna, where while having lunch along the Danube, we stumbled
across an amusement park and rounded off the evening riding roller
coasters and racing around in miniature slot cars. We spent an evening
with Ted (one of the owners of Nora's company) and his wife Lisa, who
treated us to a traditional Austrian restaurant with a few of their
friends, followed by a local tour. One of the highlights of our stay
was attending a Mozart concert in the Hofsberg Castle in downtown
Vienna.
No strangers to train stations, we then Eurailed to
Interlaken, Switzerland nestled in the Swiss Alps between two large
mountain lakes. One morning we rented mountain bikes and pedaled the
day away gathering in all the majestic scenery. Swiss
hospitality is legendary and they made our stay there very enjoyable.
The weather cooled off for a few days, which was a welcome reprieve.
We spent a few days in Italy, visiting museums in Florence and
wandering around the Coliseum, the Roman Forum and Vatican City just
outside Rome. After a 9 hour train ride to Brendisi, an overnight
ferry boat ride to Patrass, a 3 hour bus ride to Athens and another 6
hour ferry to the island of Paros all in succession, we were more than
ready for the beaches of Greece. After a few days of recuperation we
managed to ride around the island perimeter on mopeds artfully dodging
the maniacal taxi drivers who dominate the rural roads. The sandy
beaches were accented by the iridescent blue hue of the Mediterranean
... quite beautiful. Four days of relaxation barely prepared us for
the 22-hour flight home from Athens.
The big house project this year was pouring a
65-foot long exposed aggregate cement driveway leading to the new
garage (last year's project). I spent most of September prepping for
it and most of October nursing my back. The new shingles for the house
are still staring at me from their corner of the garage but hey,
there's always next year! "Mr. Home Improvement" ... that's
me! At this point, I've no clue as to how many hours we've spent
fixing this place up. If you can believe it, Nora and I have been
discussing moving in few years to a house with larger rooms, some
closets and an acre or two of land.
Sports activities this year ranged from
"paintball" to flag football. Unless you're in stellar shape
I wouldn't recommend the latter, especially when most of the other
participants are in their early energetic 20s. Nora joined a
local health club, while I continued my weekly volleyball ritual. I
signed up for several golf tournaments in late summer, earning an
impressive "Elk Run" baseball cap for second place in one of
them. We did the bowling league thing again with our friends John and
Suzy but missed a substantial portion of the season while on our
honeymoon. We saw "Steely Dan" in a rare concert appearance
at the Gorge in George. Memorial Day weekend found us on a beautiful
lake in upper Washington just south of the British Columbia border
with our friends Thuy and Marty, setting up tents in a thickly wooded
spot to avoid the high winds infamous in the northeastern part of the
state.
I am now officially a University of Washington
"Husky", earning that prestigious title when I began a
9-month Certificate Program in Microcomputer Management there in
October. Two 3-hour night classes each week until next June! The
reality of what I'd done to my spare time hit about the third week. Oh
well, it's somewhat fun to be a college student again. Speaking of the
Huskies, UW had a mediocre year but managed to tar and feather the
Hurricanes in Miami mid-season. We're off to the Kingdome this weekend
to watch the Seahawks take on the L.A. Raiders. The Hawks haven't
changed their losing ways but the Sonics managed to balance the
regional sports scale with an impressive season of hoops, winning 24
straight at one point. An avid ice skating fan, Nora once again
enjoyed the championship skating events as they toured through the
Pacific Northwest.
What better way to hail the approach of winter than
by starting it off with a "Bonfire"! Roasting wienies,
marshmallows and singeing all the hair off your eyebrows and arms in
the process. Great idea, L.A ... hope it becomes an annual event! Nora
and I eased into the holiday spirit by attending David Lanz's
Christmas concert; he's a local pianist whose compositions are
hauntingly beautiful. We spent last weekend in Leavenworth (a
Bavarian-type village in eastern Washington) with our friends Bob and
Jodi for the "Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony" which has
become a northwest tradition over the years. Since Leavenworth is only
about 45 minutes from "Steven's Pass", the ski resort Bob
and I teach at, the women shopped in the village while we slipped away
during the day for ski instructor clinics. It's Christmas at home this
year, but we're heading to "Mission Ridge" during the
holiday break with our friends Rick and Denice for a few days of
skiing over in Wenatchee. We have friends instructing at
"Whistler/Blackcomb" (BC) and also "Mt. Bachelor"
(Oregon) so I'm sure we'll sneak in another weekend skiing getaway
sometime before the season is through.
So ends another year filled with challenges and
changes. It's what makes life interesting and presents us with a
variety of new stimuli and responses throughout our lives. I guess
we're all just "lab rats" in the game of life. In the end,
our ultimate reward will be ... a big hunk of cheese! I have
definitely been reading too many "Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy" type books. Hope all is well and you're headed in the
proper direction on the information superhighway. Guess I've been
reading too many college textbooks as well. As always, if your travels
bring you in our direction, a spare bedroom complete with city tour
awaits! We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in
1995!
Sincerely,
P.S. - We're still here!
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