Greetings to all!
Our travels this year have mostly been close to home, more "stay" than "-cation", but we started the year spending a weekend in nearby Bodega Bay with friends Gretchen and Stu. The weather was clear, mild, and we couldn't get enough wave-watching and sunset/sunrise viewing. A trip to Death Valley in March, again with Gretchen and Stu, followed. It was as magical as last year, although there were high winds and dust storms the first day or two; this time we had a 4 wheel drive which took us farther into the back country. We had a great time exploring ghost towns and areas of the park we hadn't seen, hiking, taking photos, and relaxing at the end of the day , watching the sunset. If you stop by the Two-Dollar Store near Ballarat, be sure to say hi to Rocky and George. You might want to buy the desiccated burro hoof, some semi-precious minerals, a can of beans from 1940, or the piano. Everything is $2 !- except the Red Bull, which they bought at Costco and was $3. Also in spring, we attended the 40th Anniversary of Redwood High School, Tim's alma mater, kayaked a local vernal wetlands, and to an island in SF Bay. We explored a creek in Pt Reyes - an area we had never seen - and attended an unofficial fireworks show over the water in the Pt Reyes area. It was fun seeing Kyra play with kids of some of my high-school classmates. In August, Tim, Amanda and I were treated to a special after-hours tour of Alcatraz, open only to our group of 40 photographers and 4 rangers. It was a clear moonlit night, and the light and shadows made for great pictures inside the prison, as well. At the end of the summer, we spent a great weekend with friends in the Eureka area.
Spring also kept me busy helping to implement electronic medical records at my work, cramming for the Physician Assistant recertification exam, babysitting Kyra and baby Lily, getting out to hike or kayak, singing with the Petaluma Chorale, and going to local concerts. It seemed to a be a year for gardening: Tim built some raised beds, we planted veggies in the front yard, and Amanda's boyfriend Chris helped tremendously with some other garden projects. Critical mass was the third week of May, when I worsened from a pneumonia I'd been trying to shake, I performed in our spring choral concert, and we launched the EMR in clinic. Tim anticipated a work assignment near Paso Robles in central California for several months over the summer, but as it turned out, he went for only two weeks in July - during the time we planned a weekend camping trip in Tahoe with friends Bob and Karen. The three of us had a great time hiking, sunning and swimming. I even studied a bit for my upcoming PA boards. Poor Tim spent his days in the heat (10-hour days and 108°F) watching a construction crew build a pipeline running under a river, and of course taking lots of pictures. We attended two beautiful weddings this summer - kids of close friends - both outdoors, and both had the bride or groom performing their own music. Our friends' granddaughter, Reina, and Kyra had a blast dancing the night away (those 4 and 6 year-olds these days), and were dying to stick their fingers in the wedding cake. Tim continues being active in politics and is now an appointed member of the City of Cotati's Design Review Committee dealing with important decisions like oak tree removals. He also helped organize and manage the semi-annual meeting of the state Green Party in Cotati. Tim has become Mr. Photographer, having a lot of fun with his Pentax, and sharing pics with other Pentax users around the world. Speaking of connections, I found one of our former neighbors from the 80s in Maryland via Facebook and in the same week, we received a surprise phone call from some other neighbors, the Kings, who live in England, but were in Sonoma, visiting! We spent a very pleasant evening with them, and had a lot of catching up to do after 25 years!
Terry and Lauren have finished building their garage (a huge project), put in a patio area, and are continuing their home improvement projects. Lily is a real character, and I loved our weekly babysitting visits, seeing her grow and change. With Mom as a music teacher she responds to all kinds of music, "playing" the piano - with her foot, even - and singing along. At about 10 months, she had some really interesting hand motions - part interpretive, part conducting. She loves playing with cousin Kyra, and you can almost see her thinking, "Hmm, now how does she bounce around and run like that?" Lily celebrated her first birthday here, with family and friends, a really wonderful day. One of her favorite pastimes is hiding things: Terry's cell phone, Lauren's keys (under the house??) Poor Lauren: her birthday was quite memorable as that evening they all heard a MEEOOWW - HISSS!!, as one of the cats shot through the house to hide under the bed, after having a skunk confrontation in the backyard. For several days afterward, Lauren's students were saying, "Ms. Chroninger, what is that bad smell?"
Jocelyn started a nursing program, for LVN, in Ukiah, about an hour from her house, in August. She carpools with three other people and is currently doing her clinical hours at a major hospital there. She loves it, is getting As, and we're rooting for her all the way. She also still works for a local hospice on her "days off". Martin is working as a CNA also. They had a whirlwind vacation at the end of the summer to - Omaha(?). They visited some relatives there, but the vacation part was stopping at Great Basin and Yosemite and a park in Colorado, to hike, camp, fish and swim. They also went on a trail ride with a real cowboy, according to Kyra. Kyra keeps us on our toes. Just recently, Martin got a call from her daycare, about 100 yards from her classroom, that she had not arrived. He and Jocelyn went to the school, the police came, and she was found a short time later watching a movie at the daycare. It was a scare for all of us, but fortunately had a good ending. One day, we were talking about how her mom and dad work really hard and I asked if she helped, too, by cleaning her room. She said, "Yes, I clean up everything, but then the clothes just pop out again!!" I told her I have the same problem. One day after school, she excitedly told her mom about the people on the television news who tell us about the weather, the "teleporters." Jocelyn interpreted: television reporters. A few weeks ago, we attended an annual Petaluma event, the lighted boat parade. Kyra befriended a racially blended family with about 5 kids, including 3 rambunctious little boys. I got talking with the mom, and she insisted on including Kyra in a family photo. I can see the kids 10 years from now, looking at the photo: "Who the heck is the little Mexican girl?" But one sign that she is 6-going-on-13 came one day in a conversation with Martin. He commented on how tall she is getting. I answered, "Wait until she is a teenager." Kyra looked back with hand on hip and said knowingly "Yeah, my dad won't know what to do with me!"
Amanda is continuing at Academy of ART in San Francisco, majoring in photography. It's a lot of fun to see her work, and every semester is one step closer to graduation! You can see her pics on flickr.com. She and Chris are still living in the city, with their cat Sasha and several housemates, but are planning to move across the Bay in the spring. She works as many hours at Petaluma Health Center as she has time for, so she stays with us a couple nights a week. When we went to SF's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, held in Golden Gate Park, near their house, in early October with friends, family (and 500,000 other people), Chris and Amanda staked a claim 50 feet from the main stage, by camping overnight on their tarp. The music was great and Chris met Emmylou Harris! Besides work and school, Chris and Amanda had some getaways camping, and to Humboldt County to visit his parents.
With so many changes in people's lives this year, good and bad, we're even more aware of what matters: friends and family close, a place to live, work, food to eat, and reaching out to those who aren't as fortunate. We wish all of this to you and more. Here are hopes for a Merry Christmas, a joyous New Year and a Happy 2010!
Holiday Wishes from Tim and Sharon Morgan and Family
Email: Tim - or Sharon -
We're on Facebook, too (except Tim).