Introducing
Ms. Lindy Michelle Stuckey...
Daughter Cassie gave birth to sweet little Lindy Michelle this month. She was the perfect Christmas gift (to say nothing of a great little tax deduction) :) This little pumpkin is the apple of her mother's eye and is starting the long slog as the shoe in for Miss America 2040. Lindy MICHELLE becomes grandchild # 9. Any more and I will need a Rolodex to keep up with all their names. Two more and we could have a football team. Mom and baby are doing great and we will be on our way to see them all in a few days. Did I mention her middle name is MICHELLE? Just saying...
Ian and Lyne
We capped our season by having the pleasure of inviting island friends Ian and Lyne to fly out and join us for our last week here and then remain for an additional week on their own without any adult supervision. This is their first foray to the center of the universe and we are trying to contain all the hyperventilating over what we are able to see and do locally. We will join them again in a few months at their home in the south of France near ours where they spend part of the year also.
A few years ago when they visited us in France at our home in Brittany, they returned home to Canada, went online and bought a house in France sight unseen. Well, they had Ian's daughter go check it out first, but they actually stepped foot into it months after the deed was done. Hmmm.....I wonder if they will do the same when they leave here.
Vandenberg Air Force base is about 30 miles from us as the crow flies, and is where many military (and some civilian) rockets are fired, often with super secret payloads.
We had the chance to see Elon Musk's Space X rocket launch from our house as we were leaving to go exploring for the day. It happened to contain 10 communication satellites and was a successful launch but the most exciting part was that the booster was not lost at sea like NASA'S but let it self back down upright gently and landed on a ship at sea! Unreal!
Going wine tasting is serious business in these parts
A few years ago when they visited us in France at our home in Brittany, they returned home to Canada, went online and bought a house in France sight unseen. Well, they had Ian's daughter go check it out first, but they actually stepped foot into it months after the deed was done. Hmmm.....I wonder if they will do the same when they leave here.
Vandenberg Air Force base is about 30 miles from us as the crow flies, and is where many military (and some civilian) rockets are fired, often with super secret payloads.
We had the chance to see Elon Musk's Space X rocket launch from our house as we were leaving to go exploring for the day. It happened to contain 10 communication satellites and was a successful launch but the most exciting part was that the booster was not lost at sea like NASA'S but let it self back down upright gently and landed on a ship at sea! Unreal!
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| Photo: Ian Coristine, 1000islandsphotoart.com |
Pre dinner gathering with friends
While Ian and Lyne are terrific friends, we are clearly from different sides of the political aisle. We are hard core conservatives right down to our DNA and they are, well, 'them other guys'. So, out of mutual respect, we have a negotiated agreement for a cease fire of sorts and to a political no fly zone during their stay. You would think that it is an equal effort but the burden is much greater on us since we already live in California, the land of fruits and nuts, and home to the tin cap flat earth lunatic fringe ;)
Having them as guests anywhere results in an embarrasment of riches, as they always come up with some over the top gift. The mantra that "it is better to give than to receive" does not apply here as being on the receiving end of their generosity is by far the better end of the deal. Ian has published 8 books, ( 1 E book, and 7 picture books) The E book and 6 of the picture books are available everywhere. The seventh book had a press run of two. It is a stunning hardcover coffee table photo book of pictures he has taken all over France. Ian and Lyne kept one, the second resides on our coffee table.
Listen, I would love to stick around and chat but we are off to Santa Barbara, San Francisco......
Having them as guests anywhere results in an embarrasment of riches, as they always come up with some over the top gift. The mantra that "it is better to give than to receive" does not apply here as being on the receiving end of their generosity is by far the better end of the deal. Ian has published 8 books, ( 1 E book, and 7 picture books) The E book and 6 of the picture books are available everywhere. The seventh book had a press run of two. It is a stunning hardcover coffee table photo book of pictures he has taken all over France. Ian and Lyne kept one, the second resides on our coffee table.
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| Photo: Michael Laprade Starfire productions ;) |
Feedback from the peanut gallery
Every month when we send the Epistle out, we often get replies, so it is real nice to be able to keep up with your news too. Then again, we sometimes get tongue-in-cheek comments that make us laugh. Last month I posted pictures of our little deck project with the built in waterfall and got this back from a friend...
"But won't
the waterfall splash onto the new lower deck? No - it will disappear
through the deck, and emerge out the far side as a stream, with little
boats you can get into and float directly into the sauna, which will be
moved accordingly, the stream water being diverted slightly to keep the
hot rocks wet. Get on with it!"
OK wise guy, I get it. :)
I am often teased about the amount of work we do or the
number of projects we take on. Words like "workaholic" are frequently introduced into the conversation. Some will ask "Why can't you just relax sometimes"?
It's enough to make some guys feel a
little defensive, but me? Not a chance.
For most of us, our homes are much more than a place to get
our mail or sleep without getting rained on. Our home is a place that not only
expresses who we are but where our family bonds were forged and strengthened.
You know, the place we can't wait to get back to when we are away. Away where?
Doesn't matter. Away just means not home. For us, making our home better in
any way makes our family stronger.
If we are traveling, entertaining friends, visiting kids or
whatever, we don't give a thought to
'projects'. But if we are just home kicking about, we wake up each morning
thinking "what can we do today to make this place nicer, more practical,
more convenient or better in some small way?". On the other hand, I rarely
speak about future plans knowing that the term "premeditated" could
later get bantered about the courtroom.
So what grand projects did we tackle this month?
Absolutely none. See, we do know how to relax.
A trip down memory lane
This year we have started a new tradition by sitting down each New Year (since that is the time of the year we are here) and going through 1 album a day reminiscing about "do you remember when?..." We always knew that this day would come and we would want to flash back to the good times we had with our kids and the times they drove us crazy. We have photographic evidence of both.
We even have a picture of one of the kids (who will not be named to protect the guilty) who decided to try on my work handcuffs when I was at work one day. (I would say that she got them out of her mothers closet but that would put me in the doghouse). The moment was priceless so we made sure to video the bantering between us when I came home to remove them with various keys that clearly would not fit.
Ahhh, the memories...;)
