Dear friends and family,

Only ten more days till Christmas!  Time just seems to fly by these days.  Last year we were just getting ready for a holiday cruise to the Caribbean.  Celebrating Christmas on the beach in Martinique was different, but enjoyable.  Debi and Candi really enjoyed the cruise ship.  I could have done without it.  We visited five ports in seven days.  We started in San Juan, Puerto Rico and visited St Thomas, St Martin, Dominica, Barbados and Martinique before returning to San Juan.  I enjoyed the various ports, and did some snorkeling and diving.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend much time in any one port.  The cruise line was always in a hurry to get us back on board and out to sea.  That way, folks would spend more money in “their” gift shops and casinos.  The last day was a full day at sea.  Again, another chance to separate the passengers from their money.  Next time, I'd like to visit the islands and skip the cruise ship.

The past year had lots of ups and downs for all of us.  Aaron dropped out of classes at Universal Technical Institute in Houston, Texas.  After nearly a year off, he is ready to try again at St Phillips Junior College in San Antonio.  The Jeep Renegade he borrowed from is Grandparents was totaled in an accident.  Fortunately he wasn't hurt.  He's been working for several quick oil change stations and a car wash, and finally saved enough money to buy another Jeep.  I got passed over for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel this summer, so I may be forced to retire in three years and get a real job.  Oh well, if that's the worst that happens to us, I guess we're pretty lucky.

Candi is doing well in school, and recently received certificates for perfect attendance and making the honor roll.  She's taking seventh grade chorus as an elective in school, and has been in several performances lately.  She sings a duet with her boyfriend, Derek.  The chorus was invited to join a group of eight graders who are planning a weeklong trip to Washington, DC over spring break.  With a little help from the local congressman, they are scheduled to sing in several prestigious locations, including the White House and the Capitol.  The trip is expensive, so they set up a booster club to help raise money.  I've had enough candy and fundraisers to last a lifetime.  We find out in January how well the kids did; then the parents have to make up the difference.  Candi is still studying piano, and doing quite well at it.  She just performed at a recital over the weekend.  She has a lot of spunk and good stage presence.

Debi bought a new car again this year.  She got tired of a small car where she had to look up at everyone's tailpipe.  She also wanted a four-wheel drive for when it snows in Albuquerque, so she finally chose a Chevy Blazer.  It's still small compared to my truck, but it's a little more practical when driving the family around town.  Her job is still going well.  She was promoted to “personnel manager” early this year.  The office manager and accountant quit in the spring after her husband died of cancer.  Debi picked up her duties; although, one partner's wife refuses to allow her the title because the firm isn't doing well financially.  They've really come to depend on Debi, and she runs the office when the managing partner is out of town.  I'm still managing their computers and network.  In fact, I was doing so much business with them, I had to start my own business.  I call it Independent Computer Solutions.  On paper I'm doing real well, but as usual, getting the customers to pay what they owe is difficult.

We bought a pop-up camper this summer and took it on a trip to the Grand Canyon for its maiden voyage.  We really enjoy it.  It gives us a chance to get away from Albuquerque on weekends and see some of the local sites.  Our home-away-from-home has a king and a queen size bed, a dinette, a couch with a card table, cooking and cleaning facilities.  There's even an outdoor shower to help clean up.  The stove can be used either inside or outside, and we have a awning to shade us from the sun.  Candi and I enjoyed watching the stars so much on our little trips that I bought a four and a half-inch reflector telescope in August.  Unfortunately, we've not been camping since.  Light pollution is bad in town, severely limiting what we can see.  So far, we've seen Jupiter, four of its moons and Saturn.  I'm looking forward to the dark skies of our camping trips in the coming year where we hope to see many more deep space objects.

Back in April, we took a trip down to Alamogordo, NM to visit Trinity Site, the site of the first nuclear detonation.  The Government only opens the site two days a year, one in April and one in October.  There was a huge crowd of people, many with Geiger counters looking for residual radiation.  Most of the high level radiation is gone, much of it was removed in the years after the explosion.  There's not a lot to see at Trinity Site.  The explosion vaporized the tower and the nearby structures.  You can still see one of the concrete footings from the tower, and there is a monument marking the location.  Some samples of Trinitite on display in a nearby shelter.  Trinitite is a green glass created when the intense heat of the explosion melted the sand and gravel around “ground zero.”  Trinitite is radioactive, so most of it has been bulldozed away.

Time is getting short, so I need to close this letter and get your card in the mail.  Let me close by listing some information about our World Wide Web page and email addresses.  Both Candi and I have web pages.  There are pictures of some of our outings posted there.  Most recently, I've posted pictures from the Balloon Fiesta held annually here in Albuquerque.  I also posted an article that appeared in the Ocala Star Banner about my father and his family living in and near Pedro, Florida.  I hope you will visit our web pages and feel a little closer to us, and don't forget to send email!