Christmas 2002

Dear Friends and Family,

Who would have thought that as I sat down to write this year’s Christmas letter that it would be 50 degrees and that I’d be trying to decide between mowing the grass and going fishing?! No... I didn’t start the letter in September... it’s really December, I really might go fishing Sunday and while the grass is still green, it’s NOT really still growing. (It just might be too much fun to say I mowed in December in Anchorage!) Anchorage has been setting warm weather records all winter.

2002 saw both of us get new jobs, but we didn’t move far! Jeannette actually took a voluntary demotion to take a Procurement Specialist I position. (She was a "II".) A few years back, her office reorganized and she became the supervisor by default. She’s never liked that part of the job, but until recently, they haven’t found a way to relieve her of those duties. This fall they finally came up with a plan to allow her to give up those duties and take on additional property and inventory duties. It’s a lower position in the same office (Department of Health and Social Services). But, there’s no loss of pay! She instantly accepted. Bob is also in a new job. In May, he took a job as an Employment Security Analyst with the Department of Labor. Bob’s only about 80’ down from his old desk, but now he’s involved in training and writing procedure manuals for his old office! It was a "lateral" transfer (no raise), but it has possibilities of a raise in the future. And, like Jeannette, he likes the duties better.

We’ve had a few "additons to the family" since the last letter. No... no children or pets! Jeannette bought a new car - a Buick Regal. We’d rented one before and loved it. When it came time to retire the Mazda, we got a Regal of our own! She probably got her money’s worth out of the Mazda. She bought it in 1986! As for Bob’s "addition"... it also spent a lot of time in the garage. Not another car. Bob bought a raft this year! It’s a 12’, 2 person, Outcast cataraft.

And, speaking of the raft, he took it on a float of the Gulkana this year. It’s the second year in a row for the Gulkana float and he’s already planning the 2003 trip. Bob also gave rides to Jeannette and her folks on the Chena River.

As usual, we did have some memorable camping trips. We took two days to mountain bike the Resurrection Trail with Jeannette’s parents. We liked the trail, but it was rougher than they thought it would be. Somehow we lucked out and actually got a Forest Service cabin on just a couple days advance notice! Good thing... it was good to get out of the rain that night. We also took a day trip on the Johnson Pass trail. The trail itself was fine, but it was overgrown with cow parsnip and 80 degrees. For those not familiar with cow parsnip, the juice from broken stalks reacts with sunlight and causes burns and blisters. Jeannette could hardly sleep for 2 nights due to the itching! Bob still has a few scars from the blisters.

We also went on a hike-in trip to Willowaw Lakes. We spent two days in the Chugach State Park, camping above the tree line. We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend for weather. It was perfect and made the camping and hiking all the more enjoyable. We awoke the first morning and were serenaded by flute music from a camp a quarter mile (or more) away. Next time, Bob’s taking a harmonica to play along!

One of the additions to Bob’s camp cooking repertoire this year was desserts. Among his specialties are orange cinnamon rolls fixed in a frying pan and boil in a bag cake (the flavor of your choice).

Last year on September 11th, Jeannette was scheduled to take off on a trip to Victoria, British Columbia for a cross stitch retreat. This September, she was able to take that trip. She was able to meet stitchers and instructors from all over the country and abroad. She finished off the trip with a vacation in Northern California, shopping and visiting family. Jeannette also went on a stitch weekend with a friend to Denali Park on the train.

During the same time period that Jeannette was in California, Bob was on a trip to Washington, DC for his job. Although he wasn’t able to make a “real vacation” out of it, he did have an extra day to go visit an amusement park and ride the roller coasters with his aunt and uncle, Chuck and Karen! Bob was also able to get together with them a couple evenings during his trip.

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday with Jeannette’s family in Fairbanks. Christmas will be at home. And the New Years’ plan is once again fireworks at the cabin.

As the weekend approaches, we contemplate what to do with the upcoming weekend. Go to the new Bond movie? Or maybe get out and use some of last year’s presents... snowshoes and a GPS. Well, since there’s no snow, I guess we’ll skip the snowshoes, then. If this keeps up, I won’t get to use that new winter coat I bought, either! There are worse things than a warm winter.

Whether your winter is warm or cold, we hope you’re having a good holiday.

Bob and Jeannette

P.S. Bob and a buddy DID go fishing on December 8th and caught fish! (No... in open water, not through the ice.) It’s a good thing they did it then, because 2 days later, it began to snow. I looks like it actually will be a white Christmas, after all.