Yuletide Salutations, Y’all
Season’s Greetings from the Country’s most celebrated sand bar. Once again, it is time to share a little bit of us with each of you in our annual, albeit brief, summary of the year’s events.
This year began on a somber note. In February, were saddened by the passing of Joyce’s mother. She was one of a kind and very close to all of us. Then in October, my dad passed away with equal sadness. To me, this represented an end of an era. They will be really missed.
In view of the turn of events, it seems fortuitous we made the trip north last Christmas (we really went to show the kids a “White Christmas” and I believe it was colder in Jacksonville). However, we did have a wonderful time with both families. To those of you we were able to see, your hospitality was great, especially in such a busy season. You helped make it a great Christmas for us. We were only sorry we could not see more people.
Now, the Annual Report – Karen is off to college, Georgia Southern, and WOW! The luggage, the clothes(all new, of course) the trinkets and baubles ….. you name with a it, we packed it, plus a few things you would have never guessed. Upon looking at the station wagon “stooped ” under it’s load, it occurred to me that with a few black porters as gun bearers we would have made a dandy Martin Johnson safari. As I stood to see the settling dust of the aftermath with bank book in hand, I kept repeating, ” I can’t believe it took the whole thing!” Karen was ready, though, especially after spending all summer working as a digester tester in the paper mill on shift work.
It was the year of the Eagle for Bruce — yes, he made it, and I think we did, too. If we were all proud, his mother was ecstatic. In case you didn’t know, behind every dedicated Eagle Scout there is an equally dedicated mom. As part of his scouting experience, Bruce also went to the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimmeron, New Mexico for 10 days of backpacking (I was envious). In addition, he received certification for scuba diving, which I greeted with mixed emotions. The fearless deep sea hunters captured and returned home with an octopus — can you believe that? They didn’t and he died. I shall not dwell on the day he slew the wild boar, and the subsequent preparation thereof. If you have wild imagination, us it — whatever you conjure up may be pretty close.
“Mom, I ran over a school bus full of kids today” was all I heard! Once I got my heart started again, I found it was merely Diane describing her day in the Driver’s Ed. Simulator — you’re right, she’s beginning to drive (give me strength!). Other than this, her time is divided about equally between swim team, baby sitting and the telephone, with a few minutes off for senior scouts. This latter was highlighted by a football game and dance at the University of Florida. This trill was enhanced, no doubt, by a 2.5 inch rain during the game.
George was in the thick of things as usual, specifically the swim team, Pop Warner football, and alas his first year in Boy Scouts (here we go again).
During the summer, he accompanied Joyce and me, with the camper to West Lafayette, Indiana, where I was to take a two week short course in Aerial Remote Sensing at Perdue University. Again, kinder reader, I shall not belabor you with the sequence of events unfolding when George managed to lock the keys in the car, Sunday afternoon at Mammoth Caves, Kentucky, 35 miles from the nearest town– if you are looking for one word to describe it, try pyrotechnics.
How about Joyce and me? Are you kidding? Refer to the above. Well, anyway, I wrote this letter, and with it we send our love and wish for a fruitful ’73 for one and all.