December
2008

Happy Holidays to all.

One would think that as retirees we would have plenty of
time to prepare for the holidays, including sending our annual greetings before
Christmas. No such luck, but we are hoping that we’ll send it before the
end of December.  Fortunately,  because we
didn’t send last year’s letter until March, we don’t have
much new to report.  Our time has
been spent primarily acclimating to our new life in Arizona.  It took us until June to find new
doctors (takes several months here even to schedule a “new patient”
interview, which isn’t an exam).
In the meantime, one goes to same day care if one needs medical
attention.

We’ve
added bocce ball to our activities – the group plays once a month, followed
by a potluck supper at a member’s home.  The hosting rotates and our turn will
come in the next few months.  Our
Cellar Dwellers group took a trip on the Wine Train, an evening ride on a
restored train through the Verde Canyon (about an hour north of Phoenix).  We went on a beautiful June night and,
in addition to enjoying wine and snacks, saw hawks and eagles and a multitude of
stars on a clear night.

In
August we took a three-week road trip to Minnesota.  We spent five days in Minneapolis, attending to work and medical
business and seeing friends.  To
those of you we didn’t see or call, our apologies.  There was only so much time and we
couldn’t fit in everyone.
Deanne spent almost every day in her office, working on client matters
and the firm’s client report, which was published in November.  Deanne officially retires as of December
31.

We spent ten days in northern Minnesota, at Breezy Point and Grand View
Lodge.  An auction that included
items still remaining in Deanne’s dad’s estate was held while we
were there.  An old-fashioned
country auction – so much stuff (only part of which was ours), but given
the economy, not much proceeds.

On our return, we drove through South
Dakota, visited the Badlands, and stayed for two days in a
casino-hotel in Deadwood, our base for visits to Mount
Rushmore and Crazy Horse.
In Colorado Springs we took the cog train
to the top of Pike’s Peak.  The heat of the valley did not make to
the top of the mountain, where it was cold, damp, and windy, but the views were
magnificent.

It was a great trip – generally good weather, and no
bad weather on our travel days.  The
visit to South Dakota and Colorado brought back childhood memories for
Deanne – her family had taken that trip in the ’50s – and
created new memories for John, who had never been there.   We’re hoping to squeeze in
many more road trips, especially now that gas prices have come down.

In
October we traveled to Virginia
for the wedding of Karen, John’s niece.  The wedding was held in one of the
oldest Episcopal churches in Virginia.  Before the ceremony, we had fun walking
through the adjacent cemetery, reading the headstones (those that were still
readable.)  John had a chance to
visit old haunts, including the building where his high school and elementary
school were previously located.
Like the schools of many of us, these buildings no longer are schools,
but are used for a different purpose.

Otherwise, no real excitement in our lives
– but maybe that’s fine.  Except for the various aches and pains
of aging, we’re in good health – though many of those around us are
not (one of the consequences of living in a
“active adult” community is that a higher percentage of our
neighbors suffer from serious illness).
We try to exercise regularly, with mixed results.  We’re golfing regularly, but even
after attending a three-day golf school in April, we don’t seem to get
better!!!  Maybe
more practice and more playing?

Here’s hoping that all of you are doing well –
or at least holding your own in this economy -- and that in 2009 we’ll
have reason to feel better about ourselves and the world.

Deanne and John

P.S. Actually, we waited to finish this letter until after
the Vikings either clinched or lost the division title.  We thought they might “snatch
defeat from the jaws of victory,” as they have in prior years.  Now we’ll have two teams in the
playoffs.  But we’ll probably
still live in a town that hosts, but doesn’t win, a Super Bowl.  We’ve learned not to get our hopes
up!