December 2001

We had a wonderful Christmas with Lisa and George last year. The next day we flew to Castle Rock, Colorado, to spend a week with Cindy, John, and Sophie. It was really fun to see how much Sophie had changed since Ramona saw her in September and George saw her in October. Even a quick smile here and there; the digital camera saved George from having to shoot a dozen rolls of film to catch one.

Cindy and Sophie flew east in March. They visited us at school, and Sophie got to see the Easter Bunny at the mall. On Sunday they joined us for Meeting for Worship, where Sophie shared some of her thoughts. She was a hit! This was also true at an open house. Sophie also got to meet some of Cindy's friends and relatives, including Owen. Now if Cindy and Katie are first cousins, what does that make Sophie and Owen?

George spent the weekend of his 59th birthday laying track (again) on the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway, a two-foot railroad near Alna, Maine, that's being restored by an active group of volunteers. A night on the floor of a caboose and a slightly strained right arm (darn aging process) did not detract from the fun of the entire weekend.

In June we attended a friend's wedding in St. Louis. We wanted to visit Ramona's sisters on the way, but Phyllis and Melvin were in Las Vegas, and Marlyn and George were "wintering" in warm Texas. So we drove the southern route through Santa Claus, Indiana. We met Lisa, Cindy, and Sophie at the airport; their planes landed within an hour of each other. The five of us got to spend a few days together in a friend's chalet in nearby Wright City. What a special time ~ thank you Louise! Sophie had mastered crawling and standing by herself. Walking did not seem too far away. By the way, the wedding was beautiful.

Toward the end of June George again flew west to his annual NW Logging Modeler's Convention. This year they met in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Many of the guys have nicknames, like Bindle Jim, Engineer Jeff, and yes, Jersey George. A later gathering in Cass, West Virginia, allowed the eastern logging fans to meet and get to know each other.

In July Ramona and George took the big step and joined the waiting list for Medford Leas, a nearby retirement community. Although we do try to keep in shape, Ramona with her daily exercise program and George with his mile a day on a tread mill, we aren't getting any younger. I guess we're aging gracefully!

August found us in Colorado again. As predicted, Sophie was walking... constantly! But she would sit on our laps when we read to her, so we read tons of books to her. All five of us went to the Douglas County Fair, where we saw a lot of animals and watched a rodeo. That evening Ramona and George saw Lorrie Morgan perform. The week ended too quickly.

Cindy and Sophie visited us over the Columbus Day weekend. We were planning to meet them at the airport on Friday after a shortened Grandparent's Day at school, but they arrived Thursday evening and spent the night at Lisa's. They surprised us when they arrived at school ~ now we know the true meaning of Grandparent's Day. Sophie spent some of her time learning how to go down steps safely.

We are thankful that, as far as we know, none of our friends were victims of the attacks of September 11. The reality of how things have changed hit us in October when we had to say good-bye to Cindy and Sophie at the security check and we saw the security person run the metal detecting wand over Sophie.

Cindy, John, and Sophie will join Lisa and George and the two of us for Christmas, so all seven of us will be together for the first time ever. We can't wait! May your holiday season also be wonderful, followed by a happy and healthy 2002. Here's hoping peace and sanity return in the near future.