1/28/2016

Hello All,  January is almost gone.  We have had another very mild winter.   The good news this year is that there is snow in the mountains and on sunny days those mountains are so beautiful.   We have spent a lot of time enjoying friends and family this month.  We have gone to listen to music with friends and we have gone to listen to friends play music.    We finally saw the last Hunger Games, Star Wars and also the Revanant, which was beyond amazing.


Social:

Bill got together with some old friends from high school. The picture below was taken at Dan Pedersen's house on Whidbey Island. From left to right are Bill, Autumn Scott, Chuck Easton, Norm Gustavson and Dan Pedersen.  Chuck is Bill's oldest friend from the 1st grade. They lived down the street from each other in Mt Vernon growing up. Autumn is Chuck's wife. Norm is a high school friend who now lives in Afghanistan. Dan lives in Langley on Whidbey Island. We had our 50th reunion last August. it brought up feelings in Bill of wanting to reconnect more deeply with classmates from 50 years ago. Norm and Bill had know each other from grade school. Norm now works with his wife at an NGO Afghanistan. He was fortunate to survive a heart problems at his home and then to return to the US for recovery. Bill didn't know Dan well in high school but looked forward to getting to know him better. They started the day with lunch at a Langley cafe and then visited Dan's home nearby where this picture was taken. Each person told a little about their lives. The stories were varied and very interesting. Norm explained how the homes in Afghanistan are very different by existed in a walled enclosures. Autumn described a brush with death while doing a  landscaping job. The upshot of the conversation was to continue this at another time and location with others from the class.

Knitting:

I finally finished a cardigan sweater I have been working on since 2012.  This sweater challenged some of my knitting skills, especially learning to read a pattern and follow multiple directions "at the same time".   I kept putting the poor thing in "time out" because I was frustrated then I would get it out again and work on it until it attacked me again.   This went on for years.   My January goal was to get that thing off the needles and I am so proud of myself and this sweater.  

A real photo of the finished project next time. 

Ahead:   This weekend we are expecting 16 house guests for Saturday night.   We are excited about this reunion and connecting with some special friends.   

Until Next Time: