Dear Friends and Family,
As I write the letter for this year I am reminded of Christmas at the turn of the century (1800 to 1900 that is!). You see we have had no electricity since 6:30am Sunday December 9th, and they keep changing the date we will again have power. The latest estimate is December 18th. That song “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth” takes on another meaning.
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Our ancestors were indeed made of sturdy stock. I am frustrated by not being able to print labels for the xmas cards while they probably didn’t have ball point pens. The lack of electricity has made us stop and appreciate the modern conveniences we have today.
Since I am particularly interested in electricity this year, I discovered that in 1887, John Barth a German Methodist minister in Louisville Kentucky patented a tiny oil lamp with a protective glass globe. This was in an effort to reduce the number of Chirstmas tree fires. In 1882, Thomas Edison’s coworkers hand blew small balls and wired the first electric Christmas tree lights. It took GE until 1903 to sell the first strings of electric Christmas tree lights.
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Enough with the electricity fixation ---- |
 All year long the state of Oklahoma has been celebrating being a state for 100 years. There have been fireworks, parades and a multitude of special events. We both got to watch the inaugural celebration which was a multimedia show in downtown Tulsa. There were laser lights, video projected on the sides of the downtown buildings and fireworks coming from the building tops, all carefully coordinated to music.
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How many people can say they celebrated when their state turned 100 years old?
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 We actually had a very quiet year. We vacationed in Colorado with family, we shopped at Nordstroms and the outlet mall in Castlerock, hiked in the Rocky Mountain National Park and searched the park for elk, deer and big horn sheep.
We also rode the narrow gauge railroad from Durango to Silverton. |
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 Quite by accident we discovered that Colorado has a wine country. One wine we tasted was chosen as a winner for best wine in the Chardonnay category, beating a California Chardonnay. At another winery we found their vintner was from Europe. Yes, we did make a few purchases.
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In February, they finally finished the last details on the house remodel! The landscaping came in May. We are truly enjoying the new space and are glad the ordeal has finally come to a conclusion. |
Dan is still working for EDS and had the opportunity to complete the first phase of a redesign of the Dollar Thrifty website. He has been involved with two other projects since then. This year was the first time ever for being called to Jury Duty. Dan got to see the justice system at work first hand. He was chosen as an alternate juror on a gang murder trial. Quite an eye opener.
Martha is staying busy and active. She was chosen to teach her district how to use their new computers in June. Her computer survival kits were a big hit. She is also active as treasurer in her local dietetic association and an appointment to a state committee for PEO (Womens education organization). In her spare time, she plays bunko, mah jongg and enjoys Pilates.
We hope you have a happy holiday season and a very happy new year. |
