A small group of us hiked to an out of the way patch of beach on Drake’s Bay, known to Terry and friends as The Cylinder. There was the ritual sock-burning (long story), contemplation of what had been, hugs, tears, staring at the calm ocean, and watching the kids happily rock-scramble, forgetting for a few moments that their dad and uncle Terry was gone. One way off the beach was climbing up a— small 15-foot rock face. I don’t do much climbing anymore and was a little nervous without a rope, but I thought, "Just do it. All that can happen is you’ll fall." This year we have all tried to meet challenges, both necessary and fun, and in doing so have created new memories and new family connections.
Greetings! This year has zipped by, full of time spent with grandchildren, family and friends, house projects and traveling. In January we went to Redding to hear our friend Bruce play in his band Manzanita, and have a nice visit with him and Martha. And although we had record snowfall in the Sierra this year, we took the grandkids for a snow play day at a local children’s museum. (A lot less expensive!) This was a preview of our trip in February to the Mt Shasta area. Unlike last year, there was snow, and no one was sick! In fact, snow conditions were perfect. Tim and I got to watch Lily and Jackson learn to ski, and Kyra snowboard, and Tim and I did a little snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The best part was sledding on a fantastic hill and having breakfast at Lily’s restaurant in Mt Shasta.
By March, we were ready for some hiking, enjoying a city walk through the Presidio in San Francisco. We traveled to Death Valley, hoping to catch the wildflower bloom. Instead, we found many hydrological features! Yes, it was a wet spring in the desert, and we experienced flash flooding, road washouts, and beautiful light, but few wildflowers. We met Jocelyn and Martin there. They had decided to camp, and the campground is downhill from a parking lot. We found their site — a large puddle with a soggy collapsed tent on top of a little sand dune. They experienced a dust storm, thunderstorm and flashflood all in the same trip! They finally took us up on our offer to stay in our room — a small double hotel room with four adults and two kids! The trip was fun though — stargazing, a sunrise visit to Zabriskie Point, and other Death Valley sites. Martin’s brother and his family drove there from San Bernardino, so the cousins had some playtime together. Tim and I decided to return home via the Kern River Canyon where we did see a brilliant display of poppies, lupine and other wildflowers.
In April we were off on an overnight trip to Yosemite for a late anniversary celebration. Tim told me he booked a room at Yosemite Lodge, but when we arrived, he turned in the other direction- to the Awahnee!!! Surprise! Just one night, but we explored the Valley by bike, crossing little rivulets, watching the falls, hiking, swimming and relaxing.
Then Tim was off on another adventure - another photo workshop with Kerrick James in Utah and Arizona. In the meantime, I was starting my third year as a volunteer instructor in a three-week swim program that teaches second graders in the town of Sebastopol water safety and basic strokes. It was especially fun, as I had Jackson as one of my students. In May, Tim traveled to Maryland for a reunion of his old Navy reserve unit.
For Christmas gifts last year, we pledged activities for the four grandkids, and we managed to have some really fun times — at an indoor sports center, a swimming day, a mini-golf, water-blaster boat, and go cart day, a tie day session and art studio day, ice skating, California Academy of Sciences. and fishing (thanks Ruby for that idea!), With Lauren, we took all four kids to Chinatown, shopping for souvenirs, touring the fortune cookie factory, sampling tea, and having dim sum for lunch. With Jocelyn and Lauren, and the kids, we went to a local tearoom for another fun adventure. We cherish our time with them, and it’s so good to see the cousins having fun together.
Our bike-riding efforts - starting Fall, 2018, in spite of wildfire smoke, rain, and other obstacles - were for a reason: It just so happened two of Amanda’s photography friends had signed up for a bike and barge trip, leaving eastern Germany, arriving in Budapest in June 2019, and asked if we were interested. I was a little apprehensive, as we were told we would be riding 30-50km/day! The most we had done here was a 10-mile ride! We decided to go to the Azores first. They are beautiful, with many volcanic features, including hot springs, places to hike, sail, dive, and the people and the food were wonderful. Then off to Passau, at the confluence of three rivers. It is rich in history, with beautiful architecture and lots of shops, including a museum devoted completely to Dachshunds. Our small river barge had a fun crew, and 98 passengers from all over the EU and the states. Our first day out, we did indeed bike 50 km. Some of us had e-bikes, but Tim and others had regular cruising bikes, so it was a challenge. But we all arrived to rendezvous with the barge by 2pm. The following 6 days were similar, but not quite as far, following the Danube and seeing beautiful countryside in Austria and Slovakia. We toured a wine region, castles and other points of interest, passing through small towns. At the end of the day, we shared stories on the deck of the boat, or at dinner. Even though the boat broke down for a day, and we did not make it to Budapest, we still had a wonderful trip. We also finally met Amanda’s friends Wendy and Nancy, their husbands and cycling friends, as well as many others. The biking was easier than we thought, as there are few hills, and most of the bikeways are paved and smooth.
Returning home, we dove right away into family events: a nice birthday lunch and day at train town with Lauren’s mom Ruby and all four grandkids, watching Lily at her surf camp, and then a surprise birthday party for Tim and me, given by our kids. Lauren and J were off on a wonderful trip to Spain and Mallorca, enjoying some yummy restaurants and the sights. On their return, we camped with Lauren and kids on the beautiful Eel river. It was fun, with swimming, kayaking, bike riding and s’mores — except that poor Jackson cut his finger and had to be taken to the emergency room for stiches. After a day, he was still able to do some swimming, and kayaking.
September 1 brought a much-anticipated event - Lauren’s marriage to Jordan (J) Wardlaw. It was a beautiful, fun, travel-themed outdoor ceremony at a local garden, then with wedding party and guests walking in a New Orleans- style parade through downtown Santa Rosa to a restaurant where the reception was. Lily and Jackson stood with their mom and “J-Dad” when they said their vows, which made the day extra special. Jackson made his entrance on his hoverboard! We were so grateful to be part of this beautiful day. J is a great step-dad, and they’re all settling into family life together.
Shortly after, we were guests of Lauren and J at an outdoor performance of Transcendence theater, with a pre-show picnic with Jordan’s mom, Diane. J and his dad, Mark, play in the orchestra. We then left for a trip to the Northwest, where we visited friends and family,(thank you all!) and seeing some sights in Seattle, including the address where Tim’s mother lived as a child, which is now downtown across from Amazon! After a few days home, we were off on a camping trip at lake Tahoe with our kayaking group, involving heavy happy hour activity, socializing, hiking and biking.
Two years ago, around the time of the fires, Jocelyn and Martin bought a fifth wheel trail. They’ve been working on mounting it on their truck, and finally this fall, they both had a week’s vacation, and planned to take their rig on its maiden voyage. And then came warnings of 70mph winds, power shut-offs, and sadly, another devastating fire. So, ironically, even though their house was just inside the evacuation zone, not wanting to leave, they were house-bound during their whole vacation! We were on a short bike-kayak trip on the North Coast but returned early because of 1) mass evacuation of the county (but not us), and 2) a Halloween party at Lauren and J’s. It was a morale booster and more of a fire-watch party!
Lauren, J, Lily and Jackson enjoyed a trip to Mexico early in the year and Lily and Jackson were on the move all summer — visits with all sets of grandparents, surf and fencing camps. Lily is playing sax at school, and Jax is continuing with fencing. Lily played Nala in “The Lion King— this fall and really enjoyed it. They’re both doing well in school in 5th and 3rd grades. Also, in October, they attended —Camp Hope”, a weekend camp for kids who have lost a loved one. I was really glad to attend the moving closing ceremony with Lauren and J.
Kyra has been busy this year with ice and roller skating, attending junior roller derby camp, recently started an aerial silks class, also Goju-Kai karate with her dad and grandpa. Just yesterday she broke her little toe, so will have to take a break from those activities! Odin is a busy six-year-old, learning arithmetic and starting to read, and he likes Minecraft. They both like hiking and being outside. Jocelyn was promoted to director of staff development at her job at a skilled nursing facility, which is an improvement. Martin is still studying Goju Kai karate with Tim and earned his brown belt this year.
Amanda is still working for Data File, processing medical e-documents, and is involved with Roller Derby. She developed a training curriculum for the new recruits this year and did some coaching. The annual trip to Roller Con in Las Vegas was fun — until she suffered a concussion, and took a few weeks to recuperate. She was able to travel this year — to Cozumel to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and visits to the southwest, but a big trip for her was in September — visiting Portugal, Croatia and Monte Negro with her photography group. The scenery and the food looked spectacular! She and Jocelyn completed “The 52 Hike Challenge” this year. During one Sierra camp out, in her sleep, Jocelyn kept pushing back at something pushing on her head from just outside the tent. Apparently, Amanda stood up in the tent and said, “It’s a bear! Grrr!” The next morning, they realized it was, in fact, a bear!
Tim Earned his second-degree black belt this year, and continues with photography. I’m still playing music, hiking, attending concerts, volunteering, and we’re both always grateful for those times spent with friends and family, (including the grand-doggies) whenever and wherever.
We miss Terry every day. This January 4th will mark three years without him. It’s a comfort to see how well Lily and Jackson are doing with Lauren and J. If you feel so inclined, light a candle, and take a moment to remember.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and a joyous holiday season.
Tim and Sharon Morgan and Family