ON THE GO: 2003 thru 2008
February 2003 Don's left Quad On February 27, 2003 we
flew to Florida for two months of tennis and bridge. At 9 am on the
28th Don had a tennis match. In warming up, he hit the ball over the
net twice, and reaching for the third to his backhand, slipped, and tore his
left quadriceps tendon off the patella. Two weeks later he was
operated on, and six weeks after that tossed his second cast away and
started six months of therapy. A bummer. Karen visited us. We
also visited Dulcy and her twin sister Doris in Ft Myers and their brother
Art Burton and his wife Irene.
Don in his cast
Karen in Florida
Don, Art Burton, Dulcy Stark
Art, Dulcy, and Irene
San Francisco, Vancouver, and Vancouver Island
June 2003
In June 2003 we went to SF to visit son David and family for four days.
We then spent two weeks in Canada. The first three days in Vancouver were in
Vancouver attending an actuarial meeting, visiting all the gardens, and
dining at the top of Grouse Mountain. We then took a ferry to
Victoria, staying at the Empress, taking afternoon tea, and visiting the
world famous Butchart Gardens. We then drove up the 300 mile coast of
Vancouver Island, stopping first at the lovely Tigh-Na-Mara Resort. We
then drove to Port Hardy where 15 or more bald eagles soared by the deck
outside our room at the Glen Lyon Inn. The next morning we took a 15
hour ferry up the inside passage to Prince Rupert. Terrific scenery.
We slept in our cabin and did the return trip the next day. We again
stayed at the
Tigh Na Mara Resort
before crossing to the west side of the island where we stayed at the
fantastic Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino. We went on two boat trips: whale
watching and bear watching. On the latter we saw black bears lifting
rocks along the shore at low tide to catch fish. We drove back to
Victoria and took the Clipper to Seattle, stopping for whale watching
(orcas) and at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.
Empress Hotel
Don and Mary in BC
Bald Eagle
Black Bear
Wickaninnish Inn
Orcas
New York City December 2003 We
went to NY City for five days and saw four shows: Wicked, Little Shop of
Horrors, Thoroughly Modern Millie, plus the Rockets with Amy and Aleksey the
last day, a Sunday.
California & Tahoe March 2004 On March 12, 2004
we flew to SF and spent time with David, Shelley, Owen and Kyle. We
watched David
parasail, went
whale seeking (no luck) near the Farallon Islands, and had lunch
near San Francisco where we went to a zoo type safari. Don took a
train thru the Sierras on March 18 to play in a National Bridge tournament
in Reno for ten days. Mary flew to Florida on March 22, 2004 and Don
followed after skiing with
David at Sugar
Bowl near Tahoe one day.
Florida April 2004 We had a nice April in
Naples, FL. Karen, Ryan, Sara, and Caitlin visited for a week and Don
played bridge in Miami part of that week.
Ireland May 2004 On May 4, 2004 we drove
to Sudbury, MA, and Karen took us to Logan Airport in Boston. We flew
to Dublin, Ireland and toured with Stan and Harriet Joseph until May 14.
We were in Dublin two days, staying two nights at Clontarf Castle. We
then visited the beautiful Powerscourt House and Gardens on our way to the
Granville Hotel in Waterford. On Day 4 we visited Waterford Crystal
Factory and had lunch at the terrific Ballymaloe House in Cork before going
to Blarney Castle. The next three nights were spent at the Assolas
House in Kanturk. We toured The Dingle peninsula on Day 5 and the
Killarney lakes and mountains on Day 6. On Day 7 we took the ferry at
Tarbell ending up at the Ardawn B&B in Galway. We were in
Connemara on Day 8 and stayed at the lovely Cashel House with its gorgeous
rooms and gardens. On Day 9 we visited Kylemore Abbey and Gardens and
took a boat trip through Ireland's only fjord and stayed at the expensive
overrated Ashford Castle. On Day 10 we dropped our Hertz rental at
Shannon and flew back to Boston.
Here are three albums:
Album 1
Album 2
Album 3 plus specific
pictures Molly Malone
Guinness
Blarney Castle Cashel House
Cashel House Bedroom
Irish Coast
Cliffs of Moher Fjord Ashford Castle
Mary is 70 June 2004 On June 26, 2004 we
celebrated Mary's 70th birthday. The party was held at the lake under
a 30x30 foot tent, with a caterer and a DJ. Lots of fun. Here
are some pictures:
PICTURE FILE, Family
Extended Family
Grandchildren Tent
Singers
Karen & Don
Cake Dancers:
Don & Mary
David & Eric
David & Karla
David & Shelley
Connie & Owen
Izzumi, Kevin, & Mia
Karen Cindy Harriet
Nuts on the Float
Allison Chris & Simon
David & Amy
Aleksey & Zach
Eric Cindy & Alexei
Don & Izzumi
Beebe Pond
Lake House
Connecticut August 2004 On August 20, 2004 Amy
hosted a family gathering at her home in West Hartford, Connecticut.
Tim Owens took this picture. Family.
Sun Valley Idaho February 2005 We
spent a week at Don's favorite ski area: Sun Valley, Idaho. We stayed
with Stan and Harriet Joseph at their condo in Elkhorn. They are about to
move into a fantastic home they are having built. Here are some pictures of
Don and Stan's skiing buddies.
Don in Red,
Don in Blue,
Yalcin Okaya, Jack Cowan, & Stan
Joseph. Don in
1981.
Otto Kinsel died March 2005 Don was playing
bridge in Pittsburg when Ralph called and told him Uncle Otto had died.
So, instead of flying east, Don rented a car and drove to Sandusky, Ohio on
March 20, 2005 and stayed with Ralph and June. Don helped Ralph hang
some sheetrock the next day and then went to the Harris Funeral Home in
Bellevue that evening. The funeral was at 10 am the next morning at St
John's Lutheran Church in Bellevue, followed by the burial in Union Cemetery
in Oak Harbor, Ohio. Otto was born on January 23, 1909 and died on
March 17, 2005. He was the youngest in Don's mother's family and last
survivor. Uncle Otto was 96 years old.
We returned to the church
for a luncheon. Always good to see relatives: Otto's sons Bruce and Paul,
Bob and Carol Kinsel, Bob and Lee Hetrick, Art and Irene Burton, and
Reverend Richard Sutter. We returned to Sandusky and hung more sheetrock.
On March 23, 2005 Don drove 175 miles back to the Pittsburg airport for his
flight to Burlington, Vermont. (The airline permitted Don to change the
date of his flight...but not to fly out of Cleveland instead of Pittsburg.
Sicily and Sorrento May 2005 On May 5, 2005 we
flew from Boston to Palermo,
Sicily. Don's luggage did not arrive and it caught up with him at the
Naples airport eight days later. We used one week to drive around the
edge of Sicily visiting Greek and Roman ruins in Segesta, Selinunte,
Agrigento,
Siracusa, and
Taormina We liked the
towns of Erice and Taormina (where we had lunch at the
Timeo Hotel) high
on hills. We rode the cable car up Mt Etna before taking the ferry
across the Straight of Messina to the mainland. We stopped one night
in lovely
Maratea on the
way to Sorrento, where we spent a week at Hotel Settimo Cielo. Our
balcony overlooked the harbor and across the bay we could see Naples and
Mount Vesuvius.
We drove the beautiful Amalfi Coast and had lunch in
Positano at the
San Pietro Hotel.
We also visited Naples and Capri by hydrofoil. We booked a bus tour
to
Pompeii and Vesuvius and
followed by a train to
Herculaneum on our own. We took a hydrofoil to Naples to visit the
Archeological Museum to see the artifacts removed from Pompeii and
Herculaneum and then took a two hour sightseeing tour on a double deck bus.
At lunch, Don was directed to the toilet and as the light was poor, thought
he was walking down a corridor but stepped into a
stairwell falling eleven steps bruising his right side: forearm,
hip, knee, and right instep. Lucky that's all the damage.
Limped for three days. After relaxing a day in Sorrento, we took a bus
to the Naples airport and found many were on strike and most flights
cancelled. Alitalia put us on a 2.5 hour bus to Rome...but we were too
late for our flight and spent the night at the Marriott near the airport and
flew home a day late.
Capri and
Blue Grotto.
We loved our hotel, Capri,
the Amalfi Coast, Naples, Herculaneum, and Pompei. We only needed our
rental car in Sorrento for the Amalfi Coast drive so we did that the first
day. I then took the rental car to the Avis off and dropped it. The
lady came out and looked at the big scratch on the left side and I showed
where it was shown on the rental agreement. She then pointed to a dent on
the other side of the car and I again pointed to the rental agreement. Next
she laid down on her back on the street in front of the car and pointed to
little pebble scratches on the metal plate under the bumper. I said this is
ridiculous - just normal wear and tear. She said its not shown on the rental
agreement. I said
that's crazy. I won't pay. She said: no problem, you
have insurance. I said fine. She said there is a $50 filing fee.
I said I won't pay it. She said no problem: we have your credit card. I
surrendered.
Photos from Italy:
1 Palermo
2 Erice
3 Agrigento
4 Siracusa
5 Mazzaro &
Taorimina
6 Marratea
7 Sorrento
8 Amalfi Coast
9 Pompei & Vesuvius
10 Capri 11
Herculaneum
12 Naples
13 More Sorrento
14 Near Rome Airport
Mount Defiance & Ft Ti September 2005 On September
21, 2005 Don and Mary took the 3 minute ferry across Lake Champlain at
Larabees Point and drove the one mile road to the top of Mount Defiance,
where General Johnny Burgoyne had a
cannon dragged to
the summit. This made the situation untenable for the American General
St. Clair...who vacated Fort Ticonderoga in the middle of the night.
The British caught the Americans the next morning and a successful rear
guard action at the Battle of Hubbardton on July 7, 1777 saved the main body
of the army which defeated Burgoyne at Saratoga a month later. Here
are pictures of Fort Ti and of the
narrowing of the lake between
Fort Ti and Mount Independence.
Woburn, MA (September 29, 2005)
- U.S. Genomics today announced that
Dr. Duncan Whitney joined the Company's management team as Vice
President of Research and Development. Dr. Whitney will spearhead new
and existing efforts in the Company's single molecule technology, which
directly detects and quantitates individual molecules of miRNA, DNA, RNA,
and proteins without the need for amplification.
Duncan brings significant scientific
and product development experience to the Company. Duncan will play a key
role in the development of additional applications for the Trilogy 2020
platform as we accelerate our commercialization efforts, said John J. Canepa,
acting Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Genomics. Duncan's success in
driving research and development at EXACT Sciences Corporation and other
emerging life science companies makes him an excellent addition to our team.
Prior to joining U.S. Genomics, Dr.
Whitney served as Vice President of Technology for EXACT Sciences developing
DNA diagnostic assays for cancer screening. Previously, he held senior
management positions at Molecular Geodesics, PerSeptive Biosystems (now
Applied Biosystems, Inc), and Polaroid Corporation. Dr. Whitney earned
his PhD in Polymer Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and a B.S. in Chemistry from Colby College.
U.S. Genomic's technology has the
potential to revolutionize how scientists perform life science research and
I look forward to utilizing my experience at U.S. Genomics to make this
technology widely available, said Dr. Whitney.
John Towne is honored September 2005 Late
September we drove to Waterville, Maine to go to Broadway Night at the
Waterville Opera House and see Mary's brother, John Towne, MD receive a
Lifetime Achievement Award with the following presentation:
"Towne, a Waterville native, graduated
from Bowdoin College and BU Medical School. He trained at Mass.
General for vascular surgery, then returned to Thayer Hospital in 1970.
He was a charter member of the Kennebec
Valley Chordsmen, and for ten years sang in a competition quartet called The
Stuffed Shirts. He was a founding Board Member of the Waterville Opera
House, which incorporated in 1976 as Waterville Opera House Improvement
association. He was instrumental in fundraising for the major
revitalization of the opera house and for the first air conditioning system
there. John was also a founding member of the Titipu Choral society,
which put on numerous Gilbert and Sullivan productions. his favorite
role was Dead Eye Dick in The Mikado; he also played the Pirate King
in the Pirates of Penzance. Today you can find him still singing, both
in the choir of the First Congregational Church in Waterville and with the
Colby-Kennebec Choral Society.
John has served as president of the
Maine Medical Association; Chief of Surgery at Thayer for eight years; Chief
of staff at Mid-Maine Medical Center, Thayer unit for two years.
Active in other community organizations, John was VP and President of the
Boys/Girls Club and then Board member later when it merged with the YMCA,
and he was past co-chair of the United Way with his wife Connie.
John and Connie, who have a son Nathan
and daughter Allison, have been married 38 years. They now divide time
between Waterville and Bremen."
At the awards ceremony we see
John and Connie,
their family,
Allison and Chris,
plus Don, Mary , and
Evelyn. Here are pictures of
Connie and Nate in
Waterville and John and Connie's new
house on Muscongus
Bay in Bremen.
Vermont October 2005 Our fall colors in Vermont
were not striking this year. Here is
Eagle Rock late October 2005 and colorful
Aleksey on
Halloween.
Carl Apstein November 2005 Dr Carl Apstein a
terrific person, a neighbor at Echo Lake, and the best player in Eagle Rock
Racquet Club died at age 64. See
obit and
picture of Carl and his wife Barbara in 1983.
History of Hubbardton October 2005 Don published a 200 page book
titled History of Hubbardton Vermont in October 2005. He sold 100
copies in 10 days, ordered 130 more and sold 50 by Christmas 2005. He
reprinted 260 copies of a revised
208 page book in July 2007.
Cover (Use 50% size)
Inside of Back Cover
Don is 75 November 2005 On November 13, 2005 Don celebrated his 75th
birthday with his twin cousins Dulcy (on right) Burton Stark and Doris (on
left) Burton Bell and of course with Mary:
Don and cousins,
Mary
and cousins,
Don and cake.
Don's Dislocated and Broken Thumb January 2005 We spend
the month of January in our condo in Naples, Florida. On January 2,
2006, Don and Mary flew to JFK from Burlington. Then Don flew to
Orlando to play bridge for a week and Mary flew to Ft Myers. Don had a
tennis match on Monday January 9, 2005. At 8:15 AM he fell and
dislocated and broke his right thumb. A
bummer. No tennis
for a month or so.
Dominica February 2006 In February 2006 Mary and Brita
Tate flew from Boston to Dominica on the 16th, returning on the 24th.
They had a terrific time and even took the ferry to Guadaloupe for two days.
Although French speaking, Guadeloupe is very depressed, but
Carnival was interesting. They much preferred English speaking
Dominica, spending two nights at the Fort Young Hotel in Rosseau and four
nights at the lovely Papillote Wilderness Retreat. Here is some of the
staff at Papillote.
Los Angeles to San Francisco March 2006
In mid March 2006 we flew to Los Angeles and visited La Brea Tar Pits
and the beautiful
Getty Museum building. We
then took a whale
watching trip by the Channel Islands from Ventura, and saw a number of
humpback whales and
thousands of dolphins.
We then stayed at the Cliff House in Pismo Beach and took two tours of
Hearst Castle at San Simeon. Spent a night at Carmel and visited
Point Lobos
to see sea lions and
otters. We even saw a
bluebird. Also drove the 17 mile drive on the Monterey Peninsula.
Then spent four days with the
Sondergeld family:
David,
Shelley,
Owen, and Kyle in
Daly City.
Morning Doves April 2006 We had three broods of two babies each
this year in a hanging basket at our condo.
North Carolina and Gardens May 2006 After six weeks in Naples,
Florida...we flew to Durham, NC on May 4 and visited with
Karla, David,
Zachary, and
Erin Principe for four
days. This was our last trip to NC as Karla has accepted an English
teaching position in Somers, CT and the Principe family expects to move to
West Hartford, CT this summer. We then rented a car and drove to
Wilmington, DE. Here is
Mary at
Winterthur, New Castle,
Wilmington Art Museum (where we saw a Liza Myers, of Brandon VT, exhibit),
Wyeth paintings at the
Brandywine River Museum at
Chadds Ford, PA and of course
Longwood Gardens.
We spent the night at John and Betty Moran's
lovely home in Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania and then toured a
"Show House" that Betty did a magnificent job of coordinating all the
work for this fund raiser for the Allentown Art Museum.
Iceland May 2006 On May 30, 2006 we drove to Sudbury, MA and had dinner
with the Whitneys. Karen then drove us to Logan airport and we flew to
Reykjavic ICELAND for a tour. We left at 9:30 pm and arrived at 6:30
am...a five hour flight and a four hour loss of time on the clock. We
took a City Tour of Reykjavic where about two thirds of Iceland's 300,000
people live and had a fantastic dinner at the Seafood Cellar. Don had
lobsters and Mary had lamb. Prices are very high and dinner with only
one beer and one glass of wine was $225.
The next morning the tour bus for Scanam World Tours picked us up. We
had a small
tour group, which
consisted of only twelve people plus our driver
Jonis Runolfsson
and our tour guide
Margret Einarsdottir. There were two couples from England (David &
Catherine Freeman and Derek and Doreen Whiting), Yoko and her parents from
Japan, Geoff Kellerman from New Castle (north of Sidney Australia), Ann
Carden from New Mexico, and Caroline Diericx from San Francisco (Caroline's
husband is from New Zealand and is climbing Denali in Alaska.
Caroline will visit
friends in London and then her mother in Belgium before returning to San
Francisco.) We did a counterclockwise tour of the island, logging 1200
miles in 7 days. Here are pictures of us at various spots on the
island: a Foss
(waterfall), on the
moon, by
the ocean,
by the sea,
seeing mountains,
at another
waterfall, in a
glacial lagoon, another
waterfall,
more mountains,
lava,
hiking, with
a Viking,
at the Gullfoss,
by a geysir,
and on a whale
watching boat.
Here are some scenes: many many
sheep,
sod house, the
eider duck,
other ducks, the
Icelandic Horse, and the
terrific Blue Lagoon.
Iceland Photo Albums: Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Amy wrote an article about the
Blue Chip Card
at Central Connecticut State College, June 5, 2006.
Fauna Mid June 2006 we put our float in the water and found a
water snake
under the pallets that fit in the top. Also found the
frogs in our frog ponds
weathered the winter. On June 23, 2006 a
Vermont Turkey flew
across Monument Hill Road north of Biddie Knob Road and broke Don's
windshield.
Lilies July 2006 We have had a lot of rain in June and July
2006...but Don's lilies are terrific. Here are three pictures:
Lily 1
Lily 2
Lily 3.
Champlain Canal July 2006
On July 26, 2006
Don, Mary,
Aleksey, along with
Amy and Steve took a
boat tour in Schuylerville, NY south through
lock 5 and north to a nineteen foot high
waterfall. We
learned the canal's waters flow south to the Hudson (and Erie Canal) and
north to Lake Champlain. The mules along the towpath are all dead. A
few days later
Mary and
Aleksey went shrooming.
See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champlain_Canal
The
Champlain Canal connects the Hudson River to Lake Champlain, a total
distance of 64 statute miles from Troy on the Hudson to Whitehall on Lake
Champlain..
There are twelve locks to be transited. The
first, the Troy or Federal Lock, provides access to both the Champlain and
Erie Canals. The Champlain Canal itself, which
begins where the Erie Canal leaves the Hudson, is comprised of eleven locks.
From Troy north it follows the Hudson for 40 miles to Fort Edward,
with locks, dams, and dug channels to bypass falls and rapids in the river.
At Fort Edward the canal leaves the Hudson and follows a dug channel
for an additional 24 miles to Whitehall, at the head of Lake Champlain.
August 2006 On August 3 we celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary with dinner in Chittenden,
Vermont at the
Mountain Top Inn. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his
entourage stayed there during a fishing expedition in
1955. A few days later
this picture was taken of Karla, David, Zach, and Erin Principe on
Eagle Rock looking west over Beebe Pond
at the Adirondacks. We had our annual meeting of the Eagle Rock
Racquet Club on August 19. Our genial hosts were Mary and Joe Wolons.
A good time was had by all. Captain Joe Wolons donated the motor for
Auntie EM, the
Eurasian Milfoil vacuum cleaner to be used on Beebe Pond. Here we see
it docked at Steve and Sandy Earl's waterfront.
Gray died October 2006 In early October 2006, Don
flew to Naples, Florida to play bridge. Early on October 3, our
wonderful cat
Gray had a stroke and
Mary made the right decision to have Dr. Susan Hayden, his vet, put him to
sleep. Here he is
sleeping.
New Shoulder in Florida October 2006 On October 24, 2006
we flew to Florida for four weeks. Don received a
left shoulder replacement on October 30 and should be finished with some
of his rehab before it is time to shovel snow in Vermont. He also has
a
Metal
Detection Card...although none has been needed for the plate in his
ankle or the wire in his chest. Here is an
X Ray .
Thanksgiving 2006 in Connecticut In November 2006
we went to West Hartford, Connecticut and had Thanksgiving at Karla's.
In mid December we returned to CT for two days: one to celebrate
Karla's birthday
(Karla and Erin)
and one to stay with
Amy and Aleksey and attend
Aleksey's concert
(he sang in the choir and played the French horn). We also visited
Eric, Cindy, and
Alexei who are now renting a house in Canton, CT.
Christmas 2006 We saw Karla and family
(Zach and Erin)
over Christmas as they also have a house at Beebe Pond. Amy and
Aleksey and Amy's friend David and son were here over Christmas. Here is
Don and Aleksey in
matching outfits.
Karen and her kids were
up the day after Christmas. Here are our three daughters:
Karla, Karen,
and Amy.
Eric's family skied Killington a few days after Christmas
and then joined Karla's family and Brita Tate at our house for dinner.
Here are Eric's
family, Dave
and Zach,
Karla and Cindy,
Alexei and Zach, Erin,
and Brita.
At year end Karen and Duncan went to a Black Tie Wedding at Cipriani's Restaurant in New York City. The
Cipriani family also founded and owns Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy.
Florida January 2007 On Sunday, January 14,
2007 Don had one of his favorite Sunday lunches of Grouper and Key Lime Pie
in Everglades City at the historic Rod and Gun Club, once owned by railroad
developer Baron Collier. We then met Steve and Edith Kraysler who have
owed property on the water on Chokoloskee Island for 20 years. Steve
is a partially retired
actuary that
Don and David Sondergeld skied with at Snowbird, outside Salt Lake City
during a week in March 1987, when Don and Walt Rugland taught a
seminar on Profitability. Steve and Eddie took us on a beautiful
boat
ride through the Everglades. We stopped on the
island
once owned by Ed
Watson, who raised sugar cane but killed his sugar cane workers at the
end of the season instead of paying them. The townspeople of Chokoloskee
decided on vigilante justice and killed Mr. Watson on the dock at
Smallwood's store.
On Sunday January 28, 2007 we had lunch at HB's On The
Gulf and then drove to Naples Pier.
Mary and
Don saw
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
and a camel.
On Saturday February 10, 2007 we went to Brian Brent's
surprise 70th birthday party.
Brian and Margie live in
1518A, the condo under ours in Naples, Florida.
Cousins February 2007 On February 11, 2007 we had
lunch at Dulcy Stark's in Ft Myers Florida. Twin sister Doris Bell was there
plus 85 year old brother Art Burton and wife Irene, who will be celebrating
their 60th wedding anniversary this summer. Card players:
Dulcy, Irene, Mary,
Doris. Cousins:
Don,
Doris, Dulcy, and Art. Siblings:
Doris,
Art, Dulcy. Family:
Dulcy,
Irene, Art, Doris. On July 4, 2007 Dulcy's daughter Gail Stark
Winans was in Ohio. This picture of Gail, TJ, Timothy (12), Kate
(7), and Max (5) was taken at
Sandusky Bay, OH.
Ryan's Graduation June 2007 We went to Sudbury, MA to see
our first grandson,
Ryan Whitney graduated fro L-S (Lincoln Sudbury) High School.
Atlanta 2007 On Wednesday February 14, 2007 we flew to Atlanta
and our flight to Burlington, VT was canceled so we flew half way to
Hartford to pick up Amy's cat Samantha. Returned to Atlanta and got a
Delta Deal: A $35 Holiday Inn for $55. Had a Valentine's dinner at
Steak & Ale.
Vermont February 2007 Upon arriving in Hubbardton, VT on Friday
afternoon February 16, 2007 we found
30 inches of
snow. Karen and the gang came up President's Week to ski. Here
is Don with the Whitneys, Principes, and Roaricks
at Pico. And
here are
Karen and Caitlin also on February 21, 2007. Caitlin complained of
a stomach ache so that evening she had her appendix removed. Here she
is the next day at
Porter Hospital in Middlebury, Vermont.
St Louis March 2007 Don roomed with
Scott Hiller at a
bridge tournament in St Louis. Here are pictures of the
old
courthouse and the Arch, a view of
the courthouse
and Busch ballpark
from the Arch. The infamous Dred Scott decision was made in this
courthouse.
April 2007 Magazine Article:
The Power List: Who's Who in Annuities 2007.
Senior Market Advisor Magazine. "The 10
people who have made a significant impact in the annuity market. The
Researcher Eric T Sondergeld. In his 12 years at LIMRA International. Eric T
Sondergeld, ASA, CFA, MAAA, has built the industry's most comprehensive
annuity research and senior markets research/retirement income programs."
June 2007 Danube & Eastern Europe We traveled the last two weeks on a Grand Circle Tour of Eastern Europe with our friends Bev and
Jack Grald. We enjoyed three days in beautiful Prague in the
Czech Republic followed by a bus trip to Bratislava in Slovakia
for lunch and on to
Budapest in Hungary for 2 days. We then boarded the
M/S Aria a wonderful river boat (410 feet long and 38 feet wide) that
carried 129 of us on the Danube. We sailed at nite and went on guided
sightseeing trips in cities along the way: Vukovar in Croatia, Belgrade in
Serbia, Veliko Tarnova and Arbanassi in Bulgaria (where we saw
fields of
sunflowers), and thru a canal to Constanta, Romania's chief port on the
Black Sea, where
Mary and Bev went swimming. Although some are EU countries,
none of them use the Euro. We had to use local currency in all of
them, although US dollars were OK in a few.
A Chi Omega on our tour was
Marilyn Jackson Shuler, Mary's sorority sister who also lived in the Chi
Omega house in Ann Arbor. Although we traveled with Bev and Jack Grald,
six of us usually dined together. Our new friends are
Bob and Jeanne Levan from 79th Street in Manhattan.
Prague We saw many beautiful buildings but also visited
the old Jewish cemetery downtown and the new Jewish cemetery next to our
hotel.
By the sixteenth century, Prague was the center
of Jewish life in Europe.
The
oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe was founded in Prague in 1478. The lack of
space forced people to bury the dead on top of each other. It is amazing to
imagine how it was possible to bury over 100.000 people in such a small
space, but there are 12 layers of tombs. The most prominent person
buried in the Old Jewish Cemetery is the great religious scholar and teacher
Judah Loew ben Bezalel, known as
Rabbi
Loew
(1520-1609), who is associated with the legend of the Golem.
In the abutting Pinkas synagogue, the
walls are painted with over 80,000 names of the Jews that were deported
from Prague and killed in WW2. We also visited the new cemetery and
saw the grave of the writer
Franz Kafka (1883-1924).
Budapest, Hungary was lovely with Buda on one side of the Danube
and Pest on the other. Budapest is the capitol of Hungary. Mary
especially enjoyed the
dining in Pest. A
luncheon picture in Budapest.
Vukovar, Croatia Historically the boundary between
countries, has seen many wars. Recently, in the war resulting from
Croatia declaring independence,
Vukovar fell to the
Serbs in November 1991 after a three-month siege and the
Vukovar massacre took
place. Survivors were transported to prison camps. The town of Vukovar
was almost completely destroyed. A monument is there depicting the
rebuilding of Vukovar from this tragedy as well as a newer monument of
6 candles in commemoration of the 6 million Jews who died in the World
War 2 holocaust.
Belgrade Serbia this large city is the
capital of Serbia
Veliko Tarnova, Bulgaria A historical
city, at one time the capital.
Bucharest, Romania The most beautiful part of the Danube was
thru a section called the
Iron Gates with high cliffs on both sides of the river, which was the
only day we did not go ashore. there the river flows between Romania and
Serbia From Constanta we took a 4.5 hour train
ride about 150 miles to Bucharest, Romania for our last two nights before
flying back to Boston. A very educational trip. We did not
really appreciate fully the war torn history of these small countries, each
about the size of one of our states, and the horrible life under communism,
which ended not too long ago.
The Canal from Constanta on the Black Sea to the Danube is about 40
miles long and saves about 300 miles of travel on the Danube. It was
notorious as the site of labor camps in 1950s in
Communist Romania, when, at any given time,
several tens of thousands of
political prisoners worked on its
excavation. The total number of people used as a workforce for the entire
period is unknown, as is the number of people who were killed in the
process. Work was completed in 1984-1987, more than three decades after
camps were disestablished. Someone said the canal was the only good end
result under communism. Here we are
at dinner on board the M/S Aria.
June 2007 Danube Photo Albums:
Prague
Slovakia to Hungary
Budapest
Croatia
Belgrade
Iron Gates 1
Iron Gates 2
Bulgaria
Black Sea
Canal
Train to
Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest to
Boston
August 1, 2007 Brita and Mary at Lake House on Lake Bomoseen in
Castleton, VT.
Our 50th Wedding Anniversary August 2007 On
Friday August 3, 2007 we celebrated our
50th wedding anniversary with
dinner and dancing
at the
Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden, Vermont. Don's brother
Ralph from
Sandusky, Ohio flew in the previous day for the festivities. There
were 70 family and friends that attended. (See
West Hartford News.) Situated on an 850 acre reservoir, named after
Thomas Chittenden the first Governor of the Republic of Vermont and
subsequently the State of Vermont. Those that spent the night took
boat rides
on the reservoir and could see the trails on Pico, where our family had
skied for many years. Here is a
group picture of our family. The head table contained most
of our wedding party:
Don and Mary,
Don's brother and best man Ralph, ushers
John (and Connie)
Towne,
Bob (and Lee)
Goode and
Bob (and Mary Lou) Vose with Ann Smith (Dave McDonald's daughter).
Dave
McDonald one of Don's best friends and associate from The Hartford and
daughter Ann also sat at the head table. Our family gave us a lovely
picture of
Beebe Pond
taken from Eagle Rock, 700 feet above the lake. Each of the many
little squares in this unique picture contains different pictures of our
family.
Wedding Anniversary Photo Albums:
Album 1
Album 2
Album 3
Album 4
Album 5
Sondergeld
Rutland Herald
|
August 26, 2007
HUBBARDTON � Don and Mary Sondergeld of Hubbardton
celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary on Friday, Aug.
3, 2007, at the Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden. A dinner was
followed by dancing. The event was attended by family
members and friends, including their five children (Karen
Whitney of Sudbury, Mass.; David Sondergeld of San
Francisco, Calif.; Eric Sondergeld of Princeton, N.J.; and
Amy Magno and Karla Principe, both of West Hartford, Conn.);
and nine grandchildren.
The couple was married 50 years ago in Mrs. Sondergeld's
hometown of Waterville, Maine.
Mr. Sondergeld was senior vice president and chief actuary
and director of The Hartford�s Worldwide Life Insurance
Operations. He was also president of the Society of
Actuaries. Mrs. Sondergeld was a special education
administrator, and Don was the first president of the Lake Beebe
Property Owners' Association he formed in Hubbardton,VT.
They enjoy skiing, tennis and playing bridge. A skiing
family, they were members of the Pico Ski Club for many
years.
On August 19, 2007 Amy and Aleksey found a
water snake
sunning on a log on our lake. On August 27,2007 Don, Karen, and
Caitlin hiked Tim's Loop Trail on
Bald Mountain in NY. Caitlin counted 32
Leopard Frogs. We had great views of
Lake Champlain.
Maine September 2007 On Thursday September 6, 2007
we drove to lovely Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, ME and then to Kennebunkport
where we viewed the
Bush
compound at Walker's Point and had a
terrific dinner across the road at the
Cape Arundel Inn. We spent much of Friday on Pemaquid Point, with
lunch at Harbor and climbing the
rocks by
the
lighthouse.
We spent the night a few miles away in Bremen at
the
new home of Mary's brother...John Towne.. on Muscongus
Bay. On Saturday evening there was a 40th wedding anniversary
party (dinner and dancing to a four piece combo under a
tent) attended by 70 or so family and friends. Guests had the
opportunity to see John and Connie's new home and see Muscongus Bay on 30
minute lobster boat rides. Here are two pictures:
John, Connie, Allison and Nate plus
Allison and Chris
DiMatteo.
On Sunday afternoon we took a
ferry
from Port Clyde to Monhegan Island and stayed at the
Island Inn. As the weather was foggy and rainy we left the island
on Monday morning and drove to N Conway, NH. On Tuesday, the weather
had not improved, but we drove the scenic Kancamagus Highway along the Swift
River returning to Vermont. We stopped at
Rocky
Gorge and viewed the
waterfalls. Along the Kancamagus we saw many wild
turkeys.
October
2007 Late October 2007 was very
beautiful:
Eagle Rock and
Beebe Pond pictures. On Sunday October 21, 2007 we attended the
wedding of
Nancy
Dellamonte and Angelo Efthimiatos at the United Methodist Church of
Purdys in North Salem, NY. The reception was held at Le Chateau in
South Salem (where Peter Joseph was married).
This
estate was built in 1907 by JP Morgan.
Many of the Turtles from
Beebe Pond attended. The next day we flew from JFK to Florida.
Florida October 2007 On Sunday October 28, 2007
we drove to the Turner River Road off Tamiami Trail past the Everglades City
turn off. The road is a "borrow" (a ditch was dug and the
material used for the road.) The resulting "ditch" is where we see
many alligators and birds, such as an
Anhinga and a
Wood Stork. We then went to
The Rod and Gun Club on the Barron River in Everglades City, where
Don always has Grouper. The Club was built by W. S. Allen but
subsequently owned by Barron Collier in the early 1920s when Everglades City
was the county seat. Five presidents were guests there: Roosevelt,
Truman, Eisenhauer, Hoover, and Nixon.
On Tuesday November 13, 2007 Don turned 77 and had a
great dinner with Mary and
the Earls
(Sandy and Steve) at the
Ritz Carlton.
On Sunday November 18, 2007 we had brunch at The Lexington Country Club in
Ft Myers with Don's twin cousins
Dulcy and
Doris (nee Burton). Then Don helped Dulcy with her new laptop
before going to the lovely apartment Doris recently purchased where we
played bridge and euchre.
San Francisco November 2007 On Tuesday November
20, 2007 we flew from Ft Lauderdale to Washington Dulles to San Francisco.
We were delayed on the outbound from Florida, so arrived over 4 hours late
in San Francisco after midnight. The next day
Don
and David built a small
slate wall
across the front of the house while
Owen and Kyle played. A
Kite was flying overhead
and we saw him land and take off with a mouse in its talons. The next
morning we walked along the beach in Pacifica. Here are some pics of
David and Mary, plus
Owen
and Kyle. That evening we went to the Beach Chalet for dinner.
Here are pics of
Mary and Owen,
Mary and Kyle, and
Kyle with
spoons. On Thanksgiving an older neighbor Bill Adams , plus friends of
Shelley's (Linda, Linda's daughter Danielle, and Danielle's friend Amanda)
came for dinner. Here are pics of
Shelley and Bill
and also of Mary
and Shelley After dinner, David's buddy Ken Davis came over.
Owen, Kyle, David, and Ken each played a home made "Didgeridoo". Here
we see three of them blowing away on their
Didgeridoos.
On Saturday November 24, 2007 David treated Don, Mary,
Owen, and Kyle plus Ken Davis to a boat trip to the Farallon Islands, 28
miles off shore. We started from Fort Mason on a catamaran, going
under the
Golden Gate
bridge. A great day and we saw
sea lions, elephant
seals, many birds and two orcas. Some more pictures
Don David & Ken
Owen David
Kyle & Ken
Ken & Mary
Don & Mary
Owen & Kyle
Kyle & Owen
Orca 1
Orca 2
Orca 3
Don played bridge with Eddie Katten the last seven days of the National
Tournament after Thanksgiving in San Francisco. Here is
our team of Don,
Carl Brame, Joanna Chau, and Eddie Katten. On Sunday December 2,
2007 had breakfast at Sears (Scott
had eggs benedict) near Union Square in San Francisco where Scott Hiller
and Eddie Katten saw
Tony Bennet's heart. A bunch of us had a great
Dim Sum luncheon.
Don and Scott then met a
sea lion and a seagull
at Pier 39 before having dinner at Alioto's with David, Owen, and Kyle.
Connecticut December 2007 On Friday December 7, 2007 Mary, Karla, and
Amy went to the annual "Old Broads" Christmas Party at Winnie Moore's home
in West Hartford, Connecticut. The next day our gang went
shopping at the new
Blue Back
Square in West Hartford. Noah Webster, America's first
lexicographer lived in West Hartford and his red salt box house is now a
museum. The Noah Webster Library (with his statue in front),
Noah Webster Boulevard, and Noah Webster Elementary School (where Aleksey
went) were named in his honor. Blue Back Square is named after his
Blue-backed speller. Then, Don and Mary spent the rest of the weekend
at Karen's in Sudbury, MA.
February 2008 in Naples, FL Brita Tate visited us in
Naples, Florida from the 5th to the 12th. Here are
Mary
and Brita at the Naples Beach and Golf Hotel just after viewing the
sunset. Mary and Brita
then went to Key West for a few days, so Don took Norma Cooke to
the Phil and had to wear a
tie.
On the 12th we drove with Steve and Sandy Earl to Harold's On the Bay in
Fort Myers and had
dinner
with John and Betty Moran and Betty's sister Joan Burns. A great
dinner and evening. We learned that concrete weighs 145 pounds per
cubic foot.
On Sunday the 17th we looked at the Earl's new house in Wyndemere, and then
drove to Ft Myers for an early dinner at
Harold's On the Bay with Steve and Sandy Earl and Evelyn Towne. We
then went to the Florida Repertory Theater and saw a terrific production of
"Something Funny Happened On The Way To The Forum".
EGYPT February 2008 On Saturday, the 23rd of February we flew to Cairo
with
Steve and Sandy Earl, Jack
and Bev Grald, Anne Holland, and David Westring. We spent 5 days
in Cairo, visiting the Egyptian Museum, the
Pyramids, the Citadel, and the Mohammed Ali Mosque. .During that
period we took a train ride to Alexandria on the
Mediterranean to see the Roman Amphitheater and beautiful
library, returning by bus. We then flew to Luxor and spent seven
nights
on the Nile
on Grand Circle Travel's boat, the River Anuket. This boat was the
hotel with 144 on the tour. The ship was docked every night but stopped
along the way upstream (south) to Aswan. In Luxor we visited its
Temple and the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. Mary
met a
Nubian Dwarf at one
of the temples. Don took a
ride on a camel
and noted its
big head and also its
large mouth.
Here is Mary
with Don and the camel. We sailed to Dendera and visited the
Temple of Hathor and returned to Luxor where we took a terrific
balloon ride before visiting the Temples of Karnak. Next we sailed
thru some locks on the Nile to Esna and docked. The next day we
stopped in Edfu and Kom Ombo and visited
temples. Our last stop on the Nile was at Aswan where we visited
the Low Dam, the newer High Dam, the Philae Temple and took a
Felucca (sail boat) ride.
The next day we flew 180 miles to Abu Simbel to see the relocated temples
built by Ramses II and returned to Aswan. One night we had a "Galabeya
Party on our ship the River Anket. Here are Mary and Sandy Earl
in their galabeyas.
The next day we flew 400 miles back to Cairo for one day before returning to
JFK. We felt safe, but uncomfortable with all the
armed policemen,
the
machine gun on the stern of the top deck of our ship, and going thru
security when entering our five star Marriott hotel in Cairo.
Here are two Photo Albums:
First Half
Second Half
John & Connie in Florida April 2008
On April 2, 2008 Mary's brother
John Towne and wife
Connie, came to Florida for a week and spent 3days with us. The
first evening we saw the
sunset at
La Playa Restaurant. The next day we played tennis with Steve Earl in
the morning. We then drove to Turner River Road and saw only a few
birds but many gators. We had lunch at the
Rod & Gun Club,
and then stopped at the Marriott on Marco Island for drinks. We
ordered ribs from Michelbob's and ate in. The next day we rented a
pontoon boat and did the Gordon River trip to
Keywaydin Island
where we were greeted by some
Royal Terns. On
our return to the Port O Call marina we looked at the beautiful homes in
Port Royal. A
pelican greeted us upon our
return. Don played bridge in the afternoon and the others had
lunch at Brio's. That evening we had a nice dinner at Marie
Michelle's. The last morning we had a good tennis match.
Ed Drotleff was
our fourth. Then John and Connie left for Sanibel and then a few days
with friends in Bradenton.
Driving North April 2008
On April 30, 2008 we drove 625 miles from Naples to Charleston, SC where we
spent to nights.. We had a great dinner at the Charleston Grill the
first night. The next day we visited
Magnolia
Gardens on the Ashley River in the morning. There we saw
alligators sunning themselves on "alligator boards" as well as
turtles. In the
afternoon we took a 1.5 hour Harbour
boat trip
past Fort Sumpter,
followed by a 1 hour buggy ride with
Marty our
Belgian Percheron to see the many
beautiful houses in the Historic District. That evening we had
dinner at Fleet
Landing. The next day we drove 675 miles to Kennett Square PA and
had dinner
at
The Gables, formerly a cow barn, in Chadd's Ford. The next day we
went to a Wine and
Jazz Festival at the beautiful
Longwood Gardens, created by Pierre du Pont and his wife Mary Belin.
Here is their
house and a cat,
Belin, named after his wife. The gardens and the flowers in the
Conservatory
were spectacular. In the afternoon we drove 70 miles through
Intercourse and Bird in Hand
and Lancaster to Hershey PA where we spent the nite. There we toured
Hershey Gardens,
beautiful but paled in comparison to Longwood. The next day we drove 420
miles home to Hubbardton, VT.
MS for Amy May 2008
Amy
received her Master
of Science Degree, dated December 2007 from Central Connecticut State
University.
Sally MacKain June 2008 June 13, 2008
Sally
MacKain and husband Bob Cutting and sons David and Henry spent two days
with us. They helped install a new sailboat buoy, launch the sailboat,
and move the buoy for the raft about 12 feet closer to shore.
The
next morning we went on a terrific boat trip around Bird Island and saw
puffins and other
shore birds and
visited Fortress
Louisburg in the afternoon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortress_of_Louisbourg. This French fort was destroyed by the
British in 1760, but today 20% has been reconstructed and is a National
Historic site. Its fall was related to the expulsion of the Acadians from
Nova Scotia, which has been immortalized in Longfellow's poem "Evangeline".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangeline and
http://www.hwlongfellow.org/works_evangeline.shtml
The poem elevated Longfellow to be the most famous writer in America and has
had a lasting cultural impact, especially in Nova Scotia and Louisiana,
where most of the poem is set.
The next day we continued counterclockwise on the
Cabot Trail (named after the Italian navigator and explorer, Giovanni Caboto,
known in English as John Cabot, as his voyages were funded by King Henry
VII.) We stayed at the lovely Keltic Inn in Ingonish,
http://kelticlodge.ca/ but cancelled
our afternoon whale watching trip as it was misty. The next day we
drove to Pleasant Bay at the north end of the island and went
whale watching
there and saw pilot, fin, and minke whales.
See
http://whaleandsealcruise.com/
We then continued south along the
western side of
the island with its
spectacular
scenery to the Margaree Valley. On our way we stopped at a number
of artisan shops. Mary bought a
pewter turtle. There we stayed at the Normaway Inn where we went to the
Barn to
enjoy a folk singer,
who was terrific and listened to a great fiddler.
http://www.thenormawayinn.com/ The next day we drove 200 miles back to Halifax, had
a super meal at The
Press Gang Restaurant.
http://thepressgang.ca/ We spent the night in Halifax and flew back to Vermont on
Monday. A nice trip.
Here are many pictures.
1. Notes:
Visit
Fortress Louisburg.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortress_of_Louisbourg
Learn
about Longfellow’s Evangeline
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangeline
and
http://www.hwlongfellow.org/works_evangeline.shtml
The poem elevated Longfellow to be the most famous writer in America and has
had a lasting cultural impact, especially in Nova Scotia and Louisiana,
where most of the poem is set. We used to play the card game
AUTHORS where 11 authors and 4 of their works were featured.
4.
We stayed at the lovely Keltic Inn in Ingonish,
http://kelticlodge.ca/
Drive to Pleasant Bay at the north end of the island and go
whale watching
there and see pilot, fin, and minke whales. Go to
http://whaleandsealcruise.com/
6.
Drive along
the
western side of the island with its
spectacular scenery to the Margaree Valley. On our way we
stopped at a number of artisan shops. Mary bought a
pewter turtle. There we stayed at the Normaway Inn where
we went to the
Barn to enjoy a
folk singer, who was terrific and listened to a great fiddler.
http://www.thenormawayinn.com/
In Halifax, the
Press Gang
Restaurant is nice.
New "Gray Cat" July 2008 On July 2, 2008 we went to the Addison County Animal Shelter
and got a replacement for Gray, our cat who died in early October 2006.
The shelter had called him
"Little Man", but we will call this
13 pound 2.5 year old male
"GRAY". He
looks like a cat that Don petted at the Swedish physician Alex Munthe's
villa (San Michele) in
Capri
in May 2005. The floods of visitors to his museum-home and the fact that
his book, "The Story of San Michele", can be read in 45 languages testify to
the writer's global appeal. Built in 1880, the position of San
Michele, is considered unique, perched, as it is, on the cliff edge to the
North of the island, 300 meters above sea
level. From the bedrooms and numerous terraces there are
enchanting views of Capri and the
entire Gulf of Naples, with Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, and Mount Vesuvius.
LBPOA Meeting & Battle Reenactment July 2008 On July 5, 2008 we had the annual meeting of the Lake Beebe
Property Owners' Association and
Mary was
reelected president. The next morning we went to see the reenactment
of the July 7, 1777 Battle of Hubbardton, which is always terrific.
Pic 1
Pic 2
David and boys in Canada July 2008 In the middle of July 2008 David, Owen, and Kyle
flew to Calgary and spent 10 days in the beautiful Canadian Rockies in the
Banff area and up to Jasper. Here are some pics:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10 Here are pics
of Don and David in the
Canadian Rockies
in June 1979 taken many years ago.
Sandra Sue July 2008 Brother Ralph's daughter Sandra Sue Sondergeld has a
career in the US Air Force. Here she is with a taller NCO. They
were both recently
promoted.
Don's lilies are
great Here are pictures from the end of July 2008.
Mary's Heart Attack August 2008 Mary was returning
from her daily swim across our lake on Saturday morning August 16 and needed
assistance getting to shore as she was very "tired". She did not
realize she was having a heart attack. She then went 24 miles to the
Farmer's Market in Rutland with Eva Breckenridge and Brita Tate and fell
asleep on the return trip. They stopped at Castleton Medical Center
where they placed her in an ambulance and took her to Rutland Regional
Medical Center. They subsequently ambulanced her to Dartmouth
Hitchcock Hospital in West Lebanon, New Hampshire where she arrived around 5
pm. She had 2 stents placed in her right coronary artery around 5:30
pm.
She seemed to be doing fine but the next day her
oxygenation level was too low and she was placed on a ventilator.
After two weeks she was about to be released and the same thing happened
(perhaps an infection) and was reintubated. After 27 days she was
released to Eden Park, a Nursing/Rehab facility, in Rutland , Vermont for 12
more days. She finally came home on Wednesday September 24, 2008.
Autumn in Vermont 2008 This had to be the
nicest longest most colorful fall we've ever experienced. Truly
terrific.
View from Deck
View
of Eagle Rock and Beebe Pond
View from Eagle Rock looking West
Rebecca Earl Wedding October 2008 On October
4 Rebecca Earl and John Wilson were
married at the
Lilac Inn in
Brandon, Vermont.
Don's Heart Attack October 2008 We flew to Florida on the
21st of October. On Monday the 27th, Don played tennis for 1.5 hours.
Upon returning to the condo at 11:10 am he felt completely exhausted and
took the elevator to the second floor. Mary noticed he was white as a
sheet and Don sat down in a chair outside the condo and then fell asleep or
passed out. Mary called 911 and the ambulance arrived 10-15
minutes later. Don was in the ER at Naples Community Hospital by noon,
and although the first EKG showed nothing, Don complained of chest pain, so
a second EKG confirmed a heart attack. Don was in the Cath Lab from 1
- 2:30 pm having 2 stents inserted in his right coronary artery (same as
Mary). A small heart attack. Don was released from the hospital
on Wednesday morning. As there was a blockage in his Obtuse Marginal
"OM" coronary artery he had a third stent inserted there on November 12, and
was released from the hospital the next day on his 78th birthday.
Twin Cousins November 2008 On Sunday November 16, 2008 we met
Don's
twin cousins for lunch at the Grill Room in Estero, Florida. Don
received a package of butterscotch cookies for his birthday, made from his
mother's recipe. The twins will be 80 on the 28th and celebrated,
early, with the 24 in their family renting a house in Williamsburg,
Virginia with six apartments, each containing 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a living
and dining room and a kitchen. They had a terrific long weekend there.
November 2008 On November 20, 2008 we flew to Boston from Fort
Lauderdale. Don played bridge for a week at the Marriott Hotel with
Cathy Chell and roomed with Scott Hiller. Mary stayed with Karen and
family in Sudbury, MA. Then on Thanksgiving Karen had a terrific feast
attended by Amy and Karla and their families. We drove to
Vermont the next morning.
We had a nice six weeks in Vermont. Karen and
family visited us Christmas Eve and Christmas and Don skied with Karen and
her family the next day. Amy, Tom, and Aleksey then arrived that day
and stayed until after New Years. Eric, Cindy, and Alexei also visited
us for one day and night. Of course Karla and her family were at their
house at our lake the entire vacation. We had our annual New Year's
Eve Party...attended by over 50 friends and family.