Merry Christmas!

This year was the year of the brief summer. We started out our year with a long weekend getaway to Traverse City, MI, ostensibly to do some snowshoeing, but encountered the coldest and windiest weather of the season. We passed on the snowshoeing adventure and explored the offerings in-town instead. In March, we finally got away from the winter by escaping to San Antonio, TX for a vacation with good friends. We thoroughly enjoyed the food and sights we found there, and the warm weather and walkability of the area was wonderful.

May brought torrential rains, which turned a re-roofing project into a disaster when the rain in our family room was almost as bad as that coming down outside. Nothing like a full-scale moving project at 4:00 AM! Fortunately, when all was said and done, the roofer took full responsibility and restored the room to its original condition.

We were able to launch Lotus earlier than ever due to mild temperatures later in May, but then the cool rainy weather persisted and kept us off the boat for a few more weeks -- so much for an early start! Once summer did arrive, we were able to enjoy several weekends on board, including a nice long 4th of July. Watching the fireworks from the water never grows old.

Later in July we took the "Hobo trailer" out to New York to join the family at Letchworth State Park, the site of this year's family gathering. We had a great time out there, hiking, touring nearby Niagara Falls and catching up with one another. We also surprised Mom & Dad with a 60th anniversary celebration and renewal of vows.

By early September, it was already time to haul Lotus back out. We were heading for an extended trip out west, and knew we wouldn't have time to enjoy her once we returned. Our Fall vacation was very nice. We took a full three weeks and dragged the little trailer out to Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. We were joined in our travels by a couple of good friends that made the trip even better. The parks were beautiful, although surprisingly crowded. We were finally chased out of Glacier by an early winter storm that dumped four feet of snow on the site where we had been camped!

I returned to work for a week, then we headed to Tennessee for the annual Father-Son trip, which took Dad, Craig and I to the North Carolina side of the Smoky Mountains for a 3-day backpacking adventure. The women took their own trip to North Carolina, but their adventures included antique and other shopping conquests.

Mom & Dad traveled north to join us for Thanksgiving. Dan & Dee were able to swing by for a visit on their way to his folks place. We had a nice visit and a lot of food.

The veterinary business continues to do well. I'm spending more time training younger veterinarians to do some of the more advanced surgical procedures, so I can cut back gradually. Our branch office is moving to a new location, if construction ever concludes. We were planning on a September move, but now it looks like we'll be lucky with a late January opening.

Kathy and I hope your year has been good, and that you enjoy a wonderful holiday season and a very happy and successful 2020.