2011年締めくくりに送る家族レター：2011 End of the Year Letter

2011 End of the Year Letter

Here comes another one,
Here it comes again
Here comes another one
When will it ever end?
-Monty Python

Well, another Xmas has been Xed off the calendar and I’m cleaning up the detritus, including all those tree needles. After a ten-year study, I’ve concluded that there are an average of 2,848,321 needles on a six foot Douglas Fir, 1,249,634 of them that end up on the floor. Go ahead, count them. See, I told you.

The best birthday present this year was that the world didn’t end as predicted. The rapture was scheduled to happen on my birthday, but due to a mathematical error, we dodged it again. Like Barbie says, “math is hard!”

We’re spending the holidays at home this year. We’ve had fabulous weather for hiking, bike riding, and playing tennis. You know the guy who wrote “White Christmas” lived in California. I’ve been working as Interim Director of the Nature Center for 3 months, so it's been busy for me. I’m ready to get back to teaching nature and away from deciphering financial reports. Although I have to say that having 11 bosses (board of directors) is at least 11 times as much fun as having one. The new director looks promising.

Masami got a bigger house for Christmas. I got more work. The two things are curiously related. All I ever wanted to own was a bike, a saxophone, and a Volkswagen camper van. Somehow I ended up with two houses to take care of. How did that happen? Don’t even ask me about toilets.

This spring, Masami went in for a routine colonoscopy and they found a tumor almost completely blocking her colon. She went in for surgery a few days later and made a full recovery. The doctors said that if you have to have to have cancer, that’s the way to do it. She continued to be the University’s “Outstanding Teacher of the Year” for the whole year.

We went to Europe for a month this summer, to Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, and Italy. Highlights were: a castle cruise up the Rhine, kayaking in the Czech Republic, the ballet in Vienna, ropes course and hot springs in Budapest, Venice at night. Other trips: Masami went back to Japan a bunch of times (I’ve lost count), Theo went with her for the rest of the summer, and we all went to LA to wish my great aunt Margot’s 100th birthday! We got to meet my brand new niece Charlie when she came to visit (with her parents) in May and my mom and Masami’s mom came in April for Masami’s fundraising event for the Japanese earthquake and tsunami survivors. Masami’s mom is enjoying her dementia for the most part, although the trip was disorienting for her, and she kept trying to walk home to Japan. So Masami thought it would be a good idea to take her to Las Vegas.

Theo has had a good year in 8th grade, doing well in all his classes, but getting an “Outstanding Gator Award” for being a “Fantastic kid and amazing artist” in his ceramic class. He has been making some great art and setting a great example for his fellow students. He’s switched to electric bass for his main axe.

Hope all is well with you and best wishes for the New Year.

Love,

Jon, Masami and Theo