|
 Last
year I didn’t write. Well, it just
seemed like nothing
interesting had happened. This year made up for it. Nature abhors a
vacuum, and actually sends 130 mph winds toward it. Hurricanes.
Three! By October we (all Floridians) were a little shell-shocked. Our
family was luckier than many. The worst--maybe 50 trees down around the
Oviedo
house with some roof damage. I’m a lot better now with a chain saw. In
fact, we have a much bigger one! And of course, the roof came off
Carola’s office and she’s stopped the private practice for now.
Jacksonville faired better, but
Orlando is still a town of blue-plastic-covered
roofs and signs saying “roofers needed”. It's also been the year when
Audrey (next to youngest) got married and a really nice motorcycle trip
for me.
Carola's sister Joanna
came to the Kanapaha
Botanical
Garden
in Gainesville
November 6th to perform Audrey and Dave’s
wedding. The
reception was at Ransford’s (Carola's ex.) home on the quarry—two
beautiful locations and Audrey and Dave were very happy. Carola didn’t
quite know how to do the recessional at the wedding, she put Ransford on
one arm and me on the other! (Mormons would be proud.) Carola’s family
seems to have weddings in their blood. Carola performed Alexis
Goodman’s wedding in at the Garden this Spring and her sister also
performed our wedding three years ago.
 Last
fall I bought a different motorcycle. I know, "has he no sense?" It’s
a turquoise and white, 1998 Honda Shadow 1100 Tourer. They're intended
for longer rides, so in June I rode to
San Francisco and back. My emails from the road
were named for the music playing in my head at the time, so they ranged
from "On the Road Again" by Canned Heat when leaving
Jacksonville
May 27, through "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" crossing
Northern Arizona, to The Grateful Dead's "Truckin" arriving
home in the rain on June 27.
Memories: The beautiful
Arizona desert. Crossing
Death Valley at 1200--never again! A picture of
me in Roswell
with a small, green flying saucer pilot named A. Leon. The Tropicana
Hotel in Las Vegas--I
thought I was at Motel 6! Huevos Rancheros in cool sunshine on a ridge
above the Pacific at Alice's
Restaurant. Crossing Nevada on "The
Loneliest Highway in
America--next gas 110 miles." A sign
on the interstate in Little
Rock, "Toad Suck Park Next Right" (didn't stop).
I'll send the emails if you want.
The real highlights were
of course visiting with friends and relatives in
Baton Rouge
(Joanna and David), Houston (Linda), Tucson
(Sue), Hayward
California
(Jim and Charlotte), San Francisco (Vera
and Bill) and Memphis
(My brother and his family).
Last year Carola's youngest
daughter Jessica gave birth to Phoenix Blue Pyle-Lindsey, Carola's 4th
grandchild. Her first words were probably "NO WAY"! Jim's youngest
daughter Jean Marie gave birth to Lilly, Jim's first grand daughter.
She hasn't quite reached the "terrible twos" yet.
Carola and I continue to love the cabin. We
had the three oldest grandchildren up for a week in August. North
Carolinians Jody and Chuck have been doing some carpentry for us. We
now have a new kitchen cabinet with an ancient cherry top, kitchen
shelves (blue, French farmhouse style), and knotty pine walls in the
bathroom, yellow pine flooring in bath, kitchen and hall, and the “mud
room” entry was completed. Please come and visit!
In October I had
arthroscopic knee surgery. I'm getting around pretty well now after two
months of physical therapy, but I'm still not sure whether the disease
was really worse than the cure! They sure don't tell you what you're in
for.
While in
Hayward I fell in love. Yes, machinery as
usual. I bought Jim and
Charlotte's 1980 Triumph TR-7 and had it shipped
home. Such a deal, I couldn't turn it down--and they wanted it to go
with a friend. Garage kept for 24 years, it has a beautiful body,
although mechanically it is pure obstinate, iconoclastic, and
frustratingly British.
 Carola
is concentrating on her second source of income. She writes reports
that help ensure foster-care children receive the services they need.
We are all so fortunate to have had caring, non-abusive parents, and not
institutionalized care!
Wow, all that and I haven't
gotten political. (We're all still in mourning--I wonder if it's too
late to move to
Canada?) In any case, we wish you a
Merry Christmas, a very good New Year, and we hope to hear from you, or
maybe see you this year!
…John and Carola
Write
John
|