We hope this letter reaches you and your families in good health and happy times. This year has been a whirlwind of events, both good and bad, and we are reminded once again how deeply we appreciate the friends and family around us.

We planned a trip to S. Lake Tahoe in January with Terry, Lauren, Amanda, Tim and I and our friends Gretchen and Stuart, renting a cozy and adorable log cabin. Yep, Jan 7, 2005 - it was the worst blizzard in 30 years! We had more snow than we knew what to do with! Amanda, the first to arrive, late at night, couldn't get the key out of the frozen lockbox, and all I heard on the other end of the cell phone was a chattering, slightly frightened voice with icicles crashing in the background. Everything worked out and we had a wonderful weekend of skiing, snowshoeing and sitting around the fire.

In April, Tim and I, with our friends Karen and Bob, went to the Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and saw Richard III. Fantastic! May and June were very busy, with Terry and Lauren graduating from Sonoma State University, Lauren performing in her senior recital and having her bridal shower, all over Memorial Weekend. In June, Terry and Lauren were busy finalizing their wedding plans for the big day on July 1. On the morning of the wedding, Terry called to say "So, Mom...I made the wedding cake and finished at 6:00am..." He had told me he was doing this, having searched the area for the right size cake pans, and I was hoping Lauren wasn't in tears. "It's a cheesecake and tastes fantastic, but it's a golden brown. It has to be white, so we can decorate it with fruit." I thought, Hmm, how about a ganache (a thick frosting) I called Amanda to brainstorm and she said "I'm thinking a ganache..." I started a mad recipe search, also calling local bakeries to see if we could purchase this white chocolate confection. No such luck. Actually, they thought I was crazy. Then I remembered a work friend of Tim's, whose son is a pastry chef. I called him, he gave me a recipe he liked, and I was off to the store to buy all the white chocolate I could find to make several batches of frosting. Terry brought the cakes to our house for frosting, and storing in the fridge. By 4:30, Terry needed to leave for the wedding, and we were left with transporting the cake! We made it, cake intact, and the wedding party went to work garnishing the cake with berries. It turned out beautifully (surprise!) and tasted good, too. Lauren's grandmother led the ceremony, which added a special touch. Terry and Lauren are still living in Santa Rosa, now working like crazy without the distractions of exams and papers to write. They're already looking for a house to buy, and with the current market in Sonoma County, that's not easy. Terry is still a fermentation analyst at Beringer Estates Vineyard and Lauren teaches private flute and piano lessons. For their honeymoon in August they went to Florence, Italy, and hope to do some more traveling soon.

Tim and I have spent most of this year remodeling: first landscaping our front yard, then re-doing our kitchen, painting and more painting, tiling and carpeting. With luck, we may be able to put up our tree and decorate. It was interesting in the fall when we had no water in the kitchen and did dishes in the back yard.

Amanda found a new interest this year - surfing! Her roommate Scott is an extreme sports guy, and got her hooked on that, and now, we hear - snowboarding! He said that even though she's been a skier for 13 years, it just isn't "cool" and made her switch. She is still playing bass, electric and upright - although with a different band - working at the clinic with me, and getting very excited about next semester, when she will start studying Fashion & Textile Design at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. She recently started dating a new boyfriend, Chris, so she is keeping busy. She loves being an aunt to 2-year-old Kyra, and marvels at every new thing Kyra learns or does.

Jocelyn and Martin are very busy working as CNAs at a nursing home. Whenever they aren't working, they are trying to keep up with their rambunctious 2-year-old. What a character! We were a little concerned about Kyra not talking, but now she won't stop - in English or Spanish! One day, in the middle of remodeling, I had some bookshelves ready for finishing, sitting in the middle of the living room with an old sheet draped casually over them as a dust protector. She looked up at them, looked at me, and said, "Nice," in a tone that expressed approval of my decorating acumen. Kyra also loves her grandpa! A few months ago one of her phrases was "doing?" as in "What are you doing?" She was sitting in Grandpa's lap and he started reading to her. First she yawned and then, looking up at him said "doing, Grandpa?" Just the other day, Jocelyn was telling Kyra about Christmas and Santa. "You know - Santa Claus - 'ho-ho-ho!'" and Kyra answered, Grandpa?!

In September, Tim, Amanda and I hopped "across the pond" for a three and a half week sampling of Europe, something we've wanted to do for 30 years. Though Amanda had seen Paris and London before, it was Tim's and my first time. We also stayed in Brugge and Antwerp in Belgium, Prague, and Cornwall, which we've been told, indignantly, is "NOT" part of England, whatever the atlas may say! I could write a whole book of stories about our trip, but I think Tim's 600 plus digital pictures say it all. We had an informative guide in Cornwall, who drove us anywhere we wanted, including the beach, so Amanda could get her surfing fix ("I can't go three weeks without surfing!!!"). The cobblestone streets nestled amongst overgrown hedgerows and stone houses in every town were beautifully picturesque and mystical. Our main interest in Cornwall was historical - Tim's grandfather was one of the hundreds of Cornish miners who emigrated to the US, and it turns out, my great-great grandparents were also from there. We found the tiny village of St. Neot, where they were married. And of course, we had to have Cornish pasties and cream teas. Yum!

Next came three days in Paris, where we choked on Amanda's dust as she zoomed around the initially confusing Metro system. We made a day trip to Monet's gardens at Giverny, and the palace at Versailles. Each morning, we ate breakfast at a wonderful outdoor cafe that served us cafe au lait and bread with about five different jams, spreads, and chocolates. We hit all the usual tourist attractions: Arc de Triomph, Eiffel Tower at sunset, Musee du Louvre, Notre Dame. Amanda was thrilled when we climbed down to the catacombs, miles of underground ossuaries filled with 400-year-old bones! We even had time to shop. Amanda and I discovered a three-story fabric store filled with gorgeous silks and woolens! Luckily, we had little room to spare in our suitcases, so we couldn't buy much.

Then it was on to Belgium. Brugge, a small, walled city literally on the river (think Venice!) has more chocolate shops on every corner than Los Angeles has Starbucks. I was in heaven! Tim was also in heaven sampling a few of the hundreds of local beers. He would still be there if he had his choice. We stayed in an eclectic bed and breakfast run by a very friendly and artistic couple. Their creations involved dolls, in various reincarnations, mannequins, a glittery toilet seat in the bathroom that played techno music, vintage ad signs, and of course, dried hops everywhere. After that place, the rambling Victorian B&B in Antwerp seemed downright bare! Almost everywhere we stayed we had time to talk over breakfast with our hosts and the other guests.

Prague felt very old, dark, and majestic with its gothic architecture. We went to the opera, and saw many shops selling marionettes, amber and garnet jewelry, glass, and crystal. We took a funicular to the Prague castle, and ate delicious Italian food. Apparently the Czech Republic is a good place to go if you want food from other countries. We also ate at Buffalo Bill's, an authentic Tex-Mex restaurant run by an American. Amanda had been looking forward to this restaurant after nearly two weeks without a burrito! Our hotel was right above a farmers market, so we bought fruit every morning. We went to a very old pub, well-known to tourists, and met two Brazilian orthopedists, who were really feeling culture shock, as they only spoke a little English and no Czech. They were happy to have someone to speak Portuguese with.

Arriving in London we made every day count: we saw Measure for Measure at the Globe, the Tower of London, the British Museum, and Amanda and I saw Guys and Dolls, starring Ewan MacGregor, while Tim went to Greenwich and saw a play called Longitude. In each city we spent hours just walking and seeing the sights, finding local cafes or pubs, and trying to strike up conversations. The trip confirmed what we suspected - that we want to spend a couple of months in each area! Shopping was always on the list, but most of the time prices kept us in check.

With all the great things we've done this year, we've also experienced three devastating losses. On June 4, my father, Don Joslin, passed away at the age of 89. My mom, Marion, held on for another 6 months, but passed away Dec 9 at age 86. They lived long, full lives as divers, travelers, and Dad as a sailor, and mountaineer, and most importantly, parents of four children, nine grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren. We miss them, especially this time of the year: my mom loved Christmas decorations, music and food. In October, right after our return from Europe, Amanda received news that one of her best friends, Justin Daubs, had gone missing while kayaking on Fox Lake in Illinois. She held her breath for eight days as search parties did everything possible to find him. On October 18, we received news that Justin had drowned in the frigid water. At 22, He was an Eagle Scout, an independent thinker, and had an unforgettable mischievous grin. We all miss him terribly, but hope that he is in a better place.

Tim is still with Environmental Science Associates and I am at Petaluma Health Center. Tim, after 30 years of commuting, is now working in Petaluma, and likes getting home in the daylight - even in winter! He hasn't done much brewing this year, but has stayed active both in the Green party and the local retired military officers association (well-balanced, I suppose). In March I began a job one day a week as the Pediatric Clinic Coordinator in a local free clinic. It's a complement to some of the more complicated patients I see at the health center. We're hoping in 2006 to resume some of our outdoor activities and have a weekend when we're not working on the house. So for those of you who are in the area, get out the hiking boots for our New Year's Day hike!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Healthy and Happy New Year!
Tim and Sharon Morgan
Terry, Lauren, Jocelyn, Martin, Kyra, and Amanda