Before Christmas 2009 

 

Our Christmas letter was almost complete but when we got to Howard and Yvette’s in CA, my computer locked up and I was unable to get it working.   I used Yvette’s computer to try to get something out before the end of 2008, but I failed because it is now 2009. Howard fixed my computer and sent us home to Andreas in NC.  Her house is shown here. I sure hope I finish this before 2009 is over.

 

We visited Howard, Yvette, Kelsey (10) and Morgan (8) for Christmas and had a wonderful time except for the #%#$ computer.  Yvette is a fantastic cook and we are good eaters, so we get along very well.  We gave Kelsey and Morgan a “Bananagrams” game which they been makeing us play with them.  I am trying to memorize all the words I use in this letter so I will have a chance of winning.  The kids like to call out “Banamarama”, a word invented by our friend Betty Coles.

 

We have been living at Andrea’s because she keeps going out of the country and needed someone to take care of her house and 18 year old cat.   I know Cleo is because Andrea had an 18^th birthday party for her.  Andrea invited lots of her friends and neighbors to the function.  I don’t think Cleo knew what was going on, but she looked like she was having a good time.

 

Andrea contracts for projects with US AID, which sends her to lots of places where she teaches people how to recognize, protect themselves from and eliminate avian flu.  She has spent time in Ghana, Israel, Palestine, Pakistan, Egypt, Nigeria, Azerbaijan and Georgia this past year.  She loves the traveling and especially likes the people she meets. Here is part of a note from one of her emails:
 
"I’ve been traveling in mainly Muslim countries this year where I met many wonderful people.  Instead of saying hello, they say "sallam alacu" (my spelling), which means peace be with you.  I visited Israel this year where the common greeting is "shalom".  What everyone has in common is that we all want

peace.  Jesus is the reason for the Christmas Season; his message was one of love and peace. Through out this season and throughout the year, may we all pray for peace between our nations, peace for all people. 
Peace be with you, Shalom, Sallam Alacu, With Love Andrea”   

 

Howard’s Robotics business, Positronics, is doing well so they can afford to feed and house us.  While we were there, we got to see the Christmas program that Kelsey and Morgan were in.  The show was presented at the Salvation Army in Oakland.  It is a musical about some of the 700 names of Jesus.  It was a wonderful show with more than 30 children singing and dancing.  The men at the Salvation Army loved it and so did we. This Salvation Army has a live in program for rehabilitating men addicted to drugs and alcohol and it is a very nice place for them to live.

 

Yvette had back surgery one week before we arrived.  I thought we would need to spend a lot of time helping Yvette.  However she is doing fine and all we had to do is tell her “take it easy”, pick up heavy objects for her, and be her part time driver.

 

This summer we attended my 60th Bell High School Reunion.  I thought that there were a lot of old folk there, but Carol said they were all my age. It was a lot of fun.  This was the first class reunion that I have attended.  I thought I ought to go to this one because we might not have any more. However someone suggested we have another reunion in two years when we all turn 80.  My high school girl friend, Rosa  was there and it was nice to see her again and get a picture of her and Carol. We took Carol's younger sister, Lynda who also graduated from Bell High. It made Lynda feel like a kid again because she graduated many years after us.

While we were in CA we attended Kolohe, Lynda’s 1^st grandchild’s, second birthday party.  He is an energetic and happy little guy who is loved by one and all. We also visited Carol’s aunt Ruth who will be 101 this January.  We also visited my cousin Fred and his wife Barbara. We played cards for three days.  I don’t think I won a single game, but I had fun.  We also visited Larry & Jo, David, Kyle and Donna. We had a busy and happy time in CA.

 

Edward, our NC son is having a very good time teaching his son Ethan (10) and daughter Tessa (12) how to play baseball.  Ethan and Tessa played on summer and a fall baseball teams.  We saw many of the games and loved watching them.  Ethan is a good pitcher and hits the ball hard.  I coached Little League baseball when Howard and Ed were growing up.  It was a lot of fun, but I did not I expend nearly as much time as Ed is with Ethan. We think Ed plans on Ethan becoming a professional baseball player.  If it ever happens, you can be sure that I will let you know. Tessa was also playing fall ball, but I don’t think she will become a professional because she interested in many other things, like animals and weather.  We spent a lot of cool fall evenings watching Ethan and Tessa play ball.  I can take summer ball, but fall is a little to chilly for me.  I am sure glad they do not have a winter league.

 

Our 17 year old granddaughter, Jenna lives with her Dad Brian and his wife Jamie, brother Jordan and sisters Breanna and Briely in Scotts Valley California.  She is learning to figure skate.  When we last watched her, we thought she was very graceful.  Of course we were looking through grandparents eyes.

 

Wendy, our PA daughter still sings, plays the guitar, teaches during Swing Week at Augusta VA each year,  and works full time with her husband Rik at Bourne Graphics.  Their son Sam works for Little Airplane and edits many of the Wonder Pet shows.  Carol watches the credits very carefully and gets very excited when she sees his name.  We will have lots of good food at our next family vacation, because Zak, Wendi and Rik’s #2 son will be graduating from the Philadelphia Culinary School.   I am looking forward to some wonderful meals and deserts.

 

Carol and I went on a Jazz cruise in November with our good friends Pat and Mary Frawley who seem to talk us into going each year.  We also had two waiters who made meal times a lot of fun. One of the groups we really liked was the Freddy Cole’s quartet. Freddy is the 70-year-old brother of Nat King Cole.  We got to meet and talk to Freddy’s bass and guitar players, Elias Bailey and Randy Napoleon, who are very good musicians in their 30’s.  They said they loved Freddy and enjoyed playing with him.   Carol and I plan on going again in 2009 if Pat asks us.

 

 

Carol and her sisters Lynda and Debby got together again this year.  They met where we were living at the time (Eds.) and then Carol took them to Virginia Beach for a week where they say they had a wonderful time shopping and sight seeing.  I get jealous.  I wish I had a couple of brothers I could run away with for a couple of weeks.

 

Carol and I still lead a small Christian Group and really enjoy the experience.  We meet each week at Ed’s house.   It is really generous of Ed to let us meet at his home.  He always has the house ready for us and tells us he is happy to have his house used for this purpose.   In our group, we share our beliefs, our lives, and we study the Bible.  We also pray for each other.  These groups have really blessed our lives.  One of the things the group lets us do is practice loving one another.  If you have an opportunity to join a small group, Carol says “don’t miss it”!!

 

We asked our group the following questions at our Christmas Party:. 

1. What is one thing Jesus gave you last year?

2. What are you going to give Jesus this year? 

I said He has improved my breathing and I am going to volunteer at the Lung Association this next year.   We pray that God gives you a wonderful and blessed new year and that you all had a Merry Christmas.

 

Dick and Carol.