Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:10
Last year's experiment was so successful, I decided to do it again. I will leave the music off, though. That seemed to be the main stumbling block for folks last year. 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. And as you saw last year, you can click on any picture below to enlarge it.
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1999 was a difficult year, but one with much joy as well. Mid-January found me taking the train to Birmingham, Alabama for the New Image International Winter Conference. Drove up to Whitefish in the evening, in the worst weather and driving conditions we had yet had. The train left at 7:00 a.m. and I was on it. Very surprised at how quiet the double decker trains are. If you don't look out the window, you're not aware that the train is moving. Headed east through Glacier Park then across the plains to Minneapolis, Wisconsin Dells, and finally Chicago. The midwest was suffering from a horrendous cold snap and heavy snow. Tried to walk to a restaurant during the Chicago layover, but it was just too cold to be outside. Left Chicago on the "City of New Orleans" and arrived in the Big Easy the next afternoon. Spent two nights in N.O. then on to Birmingham on the Southern Crescent. The picture here is one of the more scenic shots I took from the train--a crane in a Louisiana swamp. I wasn't impressed with the track-side scenery down south. | |
Nor was I very impressed with Birmingham. Our hotel was right in the center of downtown, an area that seems to be dead after 5 p.m. No restaurants, no entertainment, no nothing. Just big buildings and parking lots. The conference was held the same weekend as Martin Luther King's birthday, so we had the extra advantage of having a Ku Klux Klan rally almost exactly halfway between our hotel and the convention center. What joy.
| The good part about the trip was stopping in New Orleans on the way back to bring home, as the song from Milk and Honey puts it, a 6-foot souvenir. Gary and I had been corresponding on-line for some time, and for whatever reasons of his own, he decided that January 1999 was a good time to leave New Orleans for the wilds of Montana. He rode back on the train with me, and a good thing it was too. I became quite ill on the trip, and ended up sleeping or being sick all the way home. Gary couldn't have taken better care of me had he been a trained nurse. Once home, I spent the better part of January and February travelling to the doctor, but he was never able to tell me what was wrong. I hope the disease has passed by now, but I have never recovered the energy I used to have, and I tire very easily these days. That condition, however, didn't keep me from my favorite winter-time activity, and here's a picture of my southern boy on his first attempt at cross-country skiing. |  |
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The ski trip was another of our Gay Outdoors trips, and I'm happy to
say that Gary's a good sport and has decided he likes skiing. Let's hope
there's some snow this winter so we can get some more skiing in. Other
Gay Outdoors trips this year included a hike to the Bear Creek overlook
in the Bitterroot Mountains, and another hike to Iceberg Lake in Glacier
National Park. We also rode our mountain bikes up the Rattlesnake Canyon
north of Missoula, where we saw a young bear alongside the trail. Unfortunately,
my pic of him didn't come out, but here are pics of a wild orchid on the
Bear Creek trail and a small lake in Glacier Park. And yes, that is snow
in July. (More snow than we've seen so far this fall.)
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In May, mother had the first of two surgeries to remove the cataracts that have been bothering her, and since she was facing being home alone while recuperating, I drove to California and surprised her at the hospital. Spent the better part of a week there with her, but her recovery was remarkably fast and the doctor was very pleased. While there I had to spend some time on the coast. This picture was taken at the Brother Jonathan Cemetery in Crescent City, California. |
Also in May, Gary and I had the opportunity to adopt a young female
MinPin. Faylene Grace is a 3 year old black and rust female who needed
to find a new home. Gary, Speedy and I drove over to Wallace, Idaho, one
Saturday to meet the young girl, and the two kids got along beautifully.
The next weekend, Faylene came to visit us in Missoula, and at the end
of the day, she was making herself at home here at 806 Stoddard. She's
been a little jewel, and she's certainly brightened our lives. These pictures
are from the trip to Wallace when Speedy and Faylene met each other for
the first time.
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| The end of July saw us flying back to Lexington, Kentucky, for the Summer New Image International Conference. The conference was as inspiring as ever, and a special treat was getting to hear featured guest speaker John Maxwell. If you haven't heard Mr. Maxwell, or read his books, you owe it to yourself to run, don't walk, to the nearest Barnes & Noble, or surf over to Amazon.com, to buy any of his books on leadership. One day, for lunch, we drove to Georgetown, New Image's home with Shirley Schaan and her cousin Rita Mullins. While in Lexington, we spent time with Mike Esposito and his mother, and drove out to Ashland, Henry Clay's home. Here's a picture of Gary at Ashland. |  |
September found us driving the Travel Queen to Tacoma, Washington, where
we stayed a night with AOL friends Steve and Pete, then on to Seaside,
Oregon, where we played on the beach with our dear friend Ted. The weather
was an amazingly warm 80 degrees, so even the dogs enjoyed playing in the
water. On the beach, Gary, Ted and I flew kites and generally had a great
time. Here's a picture of Speedy and Faylene swimming for shore after being
caught by the incoming tide. Once they dried off, they sought relief from
the heat by basking the the shade of Ted, who proceeded to try and bury
them in the sand.
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| The way home found us driving through Mount Rainier National Park, my first time in that area. In case you've forgotten what I look like, here's a pic of Gary and me standing in front of the mountain. |  |
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Early November gave us the opportunity to take in one more of God's creatures. Rocky, a 3 year old black and rust MinPin, had been taken in at the Bitterroot Animal Shelter in Hamilton, Montana. We heard about his plight, and thought to take him as a foster home until a suitable place could be found, but our hearts got the better of our heads, so now there are three MinPins living at 806 Stoddard. I don't have a good picture of Rocky yet, but here's the one the Animal Shelter used in their notice. |
We all 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.
