I haven’t written a Christmas letter in several years. However, we have been receiving cards and notes with season’s greetings so I am starting to fell like I am no longer doing my share. I write online almost daily, but this probably doesn’t count for much with many folks. I have found a couple of pictures so everyone can see how Cindy and I have aged and I will try to write something here without complaining about the sad state of the country and that low life now in the White House.
First, a little personal history. Cindy and I are retired. We have moved from North Dakota to Richfield, Minnesota, with a second residence on a small lake in Northern Wisconsin. The location in Minnesota allowed us to be close to our kids and grandkids who all also live in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area. We think we have adjusted well and have avoided all of the “issues” the oil patch downturn brought to North Dakota. Leaving North Dakota has given me less to complain about, but I am adjusting and have taken to posting things on Facebook (I guess I already explained just what I mostly write about). I miss the gang at the university. I also try to be productive and have revised our book once and wrote a second. None of my writing really pays for my nearly daily trips to think deep thoughts in local coffee shops, but Cindy thinks it great that I have a hobby. Cindy continues to explore technology herself and provides equipment to the grandkids and tutorials to pretty much anyone else who needs help. It looks like we are joining a group to offer suggestions to our local school system.
We travel as much as we can. At first, we thought we could purchase a small camper and go south like the Iowa farmers do. We tried this and found that it is more complicated than we thought. We thought you just showed up and paid the fees and you could hang out with the other old folks. Not so. Evidently, to get good spots and any spot in many locations, you have to reserve spots a year in advance. It also turned out that Texas and Florida were not as interesting as we had hoped. It would probably help if we played golf, but we don’t. We have decided to spend parts of the winters in Hawaii instead. This year we are headed to Kona (Big Island) late in January and will be joined by various friends and family members. The coffee is great and it is warm. The vegetation is green and far more interesting than what we found in south Texas.
Our kids are all doing well. Our kids and their spouses all have interesting jobs – a couple in education (Jess and Jim), three in health care, administration, and research (Lynn, Kim, and Josh), and Todd in media production. Family gatherings occur regularly and we have the opportunity to hear many stories as their careers mature and their accomplishments accumulate. We have lots of time with the grandkids, watching their events and spending time at the lake. We have been able to include everyone in our travels. If we could just get to the point I could convince them that the sour beers they prefer are intended only for those with a younger palate, all would be good.
We are headed to the lake to celebrate the holidays. We are forever thankful to mom and dad for leaving us the money to purchase this retreat for our family. We could not have done this on our own. We hope everyone has the opportunity to spend the holidays engaged in whatever traditions they find meaningful.
Best wishes,
Mark and Cindy