Well, since I don't seem to get my Christmas cards and letters out before Valentine's Day, I thought this year I'd try something a little different. By putting my Christmas letter on the web, it gives me a chance to share the past year with friends and family, but doesn't oblige anyone to read what I've written. Oh and by the way, click on any picture below to enlarge it. The tobacco and the landscapes are really spectacular full sized.
1998 has been a year of ups and downs, and I'm not just talking about all the skiing I did. But that's a good place to start. One of the highlights of 1998 was our Gay Outdoors group. This group came together largely through the efforts of one man, Matt, who didn't want to spend his time playing in the woods alone. As a result, we now have a group in Missoula who skis, hikes, and bikes together. Had a great ski trip to Lolo Pass in January and another one to Chief Joseph Pass in February. March brought nicer weather so we rode our bikes on a 21 mile loop just on the west side of Missoula. More hikes in April, May and June--when I lead a group up the Kootenai Canyon. Speedy went along on that hike which ended with a potluck barbecue up at the cabin. Here's a picture of Speedy on the Kootenai Canyon Trail.
Another highlight of Spring was re-connecting with an old MYF friend, Don Frueh, who's now living in Portland, Oregon. I flew out to Portland in April and had a wonderful weekend with Don, just catching up on old times. While there I got to hear the Portland Gay Men's Chorus singing in concert with the San Diego Gay Men's Chorus. It was a great evening of Cole Porter songs and a lot of fun. Also got to attend church with Don at the UMC where he's the music director, and attended a brass choir concert that the church hosted on Sunday afternoon. Here's a pic of Don and me outside the church.
My one big trip in 1998 was to attend the New Image National Convention in Lexington, Kentucky in August. For a while, I despaired of ever reaching Lexington. I had arranged to fly out of Great Falls instead of Missoula because the trip would have come hard on the heels of the annual Missouri River Canoe Trip and I wouldn't have had time to get all the back to Missoula to catch a 6:30 am flight (the joys of flying out of Montana), but after I paid for my plane reservations, the canoe trip was cancelled. So, in order to get to Lexington, I drove over to Great Falls, spent the night with my good friend Rick Reynolds, and dutifully got up in the middle of the night to get to the airport. Our plane left the terminal on time, but almost immediately returned to the terminal because of unspecified mechanical problems. By the time the plane could fly safely (?), it was two hours later and my connecting flight from Salt Lake City had already left for Cincinnati. Delta graciously changed my booking to a later flight, but that one too was delayed almost an hour and a half out of Salt Lake, so I missed the last connection of my trip. Eventually, however, I did make it to Lexington, and only 4 hours late. The National Convention was great and very inspirational. We had terrific speakers and also heard two hours of testimony of how our products are changing people's lives. Makes you feel an almost moral obligation to get the word out. Speaking of which, thanks to New Image products I've lost 21 pounds, enough inches that I'm having to buy a new wardrobe (bought my first 34" Levis in years--and they're beginning to be too big!), and watched my triglycerides drop 200 points--first time in 12 years they've come down! They kept us pretty busy at the Convention, but I did find some time for sight-seeing. Here's a pic of tobacco fields just outside of Lexington--definitely not a sight you'd see in Montana.
As I have every year for the past six, I spent a week in August and a week in October up at the Arrowhead Condominiums at Seeley Lake. In August I had several friends come for a visit, and got out and did some hiking, including a hike up the trail to Pyramid Pass, one of the trails into the Bob Marshall Wilderness area. Also hiked into Glacier Lake in the Mission Mountains Wilderness and found wonderful swimming holes in both places. In October, some of the Gay Outdoors guys came up to Seeley to help celebrate my 49th birthday, and I led them up the Pyramid Pass Trail again. It was a bit cooler than in August, so no swimming this time around, and indeed we even had a slight snow fall while on the trail. Here's a pic of the wonderful little no-name lake just below Pyramid Pass.
Still speaking of ups and downs, a couple of other wonderful Gay Outdoors trips included a hike up Mission Falls just east of St. Ignatius on the Flathead Indian Reservation and a mountain bike trip on the Hiawatha Trail. The Mission Falls trip was spectacular, but the trail was so steep that I wondered if I'd be able to walk once we got back down--my legs were definitely wobbly by the time we reached the parking lot. The Hiawatha Trail is the old Milwaukee Railroad bed crossing the Montana/Idaho border. A 13 mile section of railbed has been turned into a hiking/biking trail, complete with 9 tunnels and numerous trestles. The ride was breathtaking--and a tribute to the human spirit when you realize that some of these trestles were over 200' high and the railroad was built at the turn of the century. Here's one of the terrific views from the road bed.
Lest you think my year was all fun and games, I should report that I'm still working in the Dean's Office, School of Fine Arts, at The University of Montana--a position I've had for 18 years now, and one which is getting increasingly uninteresting. Don't get me wrong, I love the School of Fine Arts and my colleagues in the School are terrific, but the bureaucracy just keeps getting worse and worse, and the lack of funding makes everything we attempt very difficult. I also agreed to a third three-year term on the Board of the Wesley Foundation, United Methodist Campus Ministry where I serve as treasurer. This position was complicated by the sudden and unexpected retirement of our campus pastor who had held the position for the previous eleven years. We're in a transition period now with a new, young pastor and everything is changing. We'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers for this work. And finally, at the end of August I was diagnosed with adult onset Diabetes, a not-completely-unexpected diagnosis since the three main factors are 1) family history, 2) being overweight, and 3) being over 45. With a grandmother, two aunts and at least one first cousin all diabetic, I think I have the first one down cold, and at 230 pounds I was a bit overweight as well. As for being over 45--well, seems like that happens when we're not paying attention. The good news is that I can control the diabetes through diet and exercise and don't need to take any insulin or other medication for it.
And the year ends as it began--cross country skiing at Lolo Pass.
I still live at 806 Stoddard in Missoula, and the phone number is still 406-543-8553, as it has been ever since 1975 when I moved into this house. If you're passing through western Montana, I'd love to see you and offer the hospitality of my home. Just let me know where and when and I'll give you the directions. Or send me e-mail at [email protected]
I hope this finds you and yours in good health and spirits, and wish you the best of this holy holiday season. If we can ignore the crowds at the mall and the traffic that backs up further and further each day, we can focus on the most precious gift given to us and reflect on how we can be like Him every day. That is my fervent prayer for each and every one of you.