Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Christmas Newsletter 2009

We wish you all a Merry Christmas. Our major event for 2009 was moving into the new house at Mount Vintage in June. It was a lot of work, but we're very happy with the results. Once the few remaining punch list items are completed, we hope to start entertaining again.

Lisa enjoyed the pool during the summer, floating, reading and swimming. We had chosen to do all the landscaping ourselves so she worked on the garden in her free time. On the weekends, Steve dug holes as instructed and carried heavy items. If you'd like to see pictures of the house and garden, please visit "Construction Central" on the web.

Summertime in the pool allowed Lisa to finish all her book clubs' books for the next year and she continued to be involved with several local organizations including the Suburban Woman's Club of Augusta, the Cherokee Rose Garden Club and the Pawprints Foundation.

Cleo immediately loved the new house because she is able to run free on the empty lots all around us. She enjoys chasing deer and any other wildlife she can find. We don't enjoy chasing after her through dense woods, but Lisa doesn't like to let her out of her sight so she plunges along behind. Heidi enjoys a couple of short walks a day, also relishing her freedom. Her arthritis seems to be under control and she's a very happy old dog, still enjoying the occasional tug of war with Cleo, who sometimes lets her win.

Steve is writing software from home four days a week, and petro-commuting on Mondays. He finds that working at home on his trusty Mac is not much different from being in the office, except the commute is noticeably shorter and the dress code is somewhat relaxed.

Steve is now attending church at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Edgefield, about ten miles north of our house. The granite church was constructed by Irish stone masons around 1860. It's a small parish of about 150 friendly people. We share our priest and a deacon with another parish in a neighboring county. Edgefield is a quaint old town, the home of ten governors and a turkey museum.

In October, Steve attended his 25-year reunion at Stanford. He had a great time reconnecting with old friends. While he was in town, he also saw schoolmates from Bellarmine and St. Christopher's. His parents are doing well in San Jose. His sister and her family live nearby. His brother came down to visit from Davis. It was a wonderful trip.

We're looking forward to settling into the new house in the coming year and becoming a part of the community.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Steve and Lisa