I cooked my annual pork & sauerkraut dinner, had a few folks over and cleaned up and relaxed the rest of the day.
The only snag was my printer. I wanted to print off a few photos for my sister, but the printer was not cooperating. I did diagnostics, tried checking the settings, but nothing worked. I finally uninstalled the printer software, reinstalled and was able to get it working at last. The printer is only a year old, and I wasn't ready for this!
As I do most at the start of most new years, I reflected back on the past year. It was one filled with travel and visiting with friends and family I don't see as frequently as I'd like. Some of the travel was good, some not so good.
My friend Mae and I traveled to the Southwest to see our friend Bonnie and her husband Junior in March. Mae, Bonnie and I all worked together many years ago, and Bonnie retired in late spring 2011. Our trip was a sort of retirement party.
We flew in to El Paso, Texas, about an hour from Las Cruces, NM, where Bonnie & Junior live. After a stop at an outlet mall, we continued to Las Cruces, where we had an early night. Early the next day we started the drive to Phoenix. In Phoenix, we saw six baseball games in three days. We visited Tempe Diablo Stadium, Surprise Stadium and the three newest ballparks - Goodyear Ballpark, Camelback Ranch Stadium and Salt Fields Ballpark. As always, it was wonderful to sit in the sun with my friends, watching major league baseball without the high prices and crowds of the major league parks. Spring training must be my very favorite vacation.
On the way back to Las Cruces, Junior detoured so we could visit Tombstone. I grew up watching westerns on television, so this was a treat for me. My husband, daughter and I visited Dodge City in 1987, and I really looked forward to seeing Tombstone. The only disappointment was that the OK Corral was closed. It's located behind a big garage-like door, and we were several hours before it opened. However, we needed to get back so we enjoyed the rest of the town, strolling down wooden sidewalks, watching stagecoach and covered wagons roll down the dusty streets and stopping off in mercantiles and other shops. Much fun!
While we were in Las Cruces I got a call that I would have to go to San Antonio shortly after my return.
As luck would have it, by the time I reached San Antonio, I was barely recovered from a bout of bronchitis, so I was miserable. It was HOT (97 and up) and very humid. I had trouble breathing, was coughing and not comfortable at all. My room at the Grand Hyatt, however, was very nice and everything in the area was air conditioned. I did take one morning and take a trolley ride around the city, stopping at various old missions in the area. I didn't get off the trolley, but enjoyed the driver's narration of all the sites and took a few photos from the vehicle. My friend Felicia and I had dinner several times at the hotel's restaurant, which had outdoor dining on the Riverwalk. It was fun watching the people walking by and the little birds standing by watching for crumbs.
Despite the oppressive heat and humidity and the bronchitis, the conference was much better than the 2010 one, and I came back with some great information.
Shortly after I returned I received orders to report to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, the last week of May for two weeks. Schofield Barracks is just south of Oahu's North Shore, and my friend Tracey, who used to work with me, lives there now. I haven't seen her since she left here about 5 years ago. I was able to spend a little time with her, her mother and two children. Although it was more humid there, it wasn't as bad as Texas and there was an almost constant breeze. I had my first shave ice (loved it), saw the Banzai Pipeline (kind of tame in May, no super large waves) and visited the town of Hale Iwa, surf town extraordinaire. When I wasn't working, I enjoyed watching the birds, looking at the sea and the flowers. Good trip, but I was really glad to get back to Fairbanks.
By this time, I'm tired of traveling and looking forward to staying home for a while. At the end of June, my dad had a heart attack and bypass surgery. The day after the surgery, he had a stroke. I had planned to go to PA at the end of July to help my mother when Dad returned from rehab. However, following the stroke there were several scares and I changed my plans and flew down July 4. I spent a couple of weeks, visiting Dad and spending time with my sisters, brother and mother. It was good to see everyone, but a very tense, frightening couple of weeks. Dad is home now, and recovering slowly. It's so hard to see one's parents age - and I don't get to see it happening, so it seems like a drastic change when I do see them. I did manage to get in some reflective, meditative time on Dad's front porch watching the sunrise over the Susquehanna River and enjoy his flowers. It's very hard to think of them as aging, but it is happening fast.
The photo of Dad is at the rehab center. It's good to see him laugh. He was so very sick, I wasn't sure I'd make it across the country in time to talk with him. I'm so grateful we have him for a while longer.
The rest of the year fairly flew by. In September, Mae and I took our annual train trip to Denali National Park. Although it was cloudy and rainy, the colors were still very pretty and we had a relaxing time.
The Tuesday before our Friday trip, I had an inspector out to tune up my furnace. I asked him for an estimate on a new furnace, as this one was pretty old and I planned to replace it in the spring. He told me he had to disconnect the unit, as it wasn't safe, and state law requires it. I was shocked - this was September after all, and I couldn't go without heat. I found someone who could install a new one that week. So I had a friend sit at the house all day Friday (while I was enjoying the train ride and Denali) while the crew removed the old furnace and installed the new one. I wasn't too happy spending nearly $6,000 - wanted to save some more so my credit card didn't get hit too hard - but now as it's 20 below, I'm so glad I replaced it before winter hit. I remember sitting here worried every time I didn't hear the old one run, wondering if I had to call a repairman. And at the same time, I hated all the times it ran, imagining all that money just going up in flames. The new one is quiet, keeps the house nice and toasty and doesn't run nearly as much as the old one. And so far it's using 1/3 to 1/2 the fuel the old one used.
After seeing family in the summer, I decided to visit my granddaughters in Spokane, Wash. They live with their dad and stepmother there, with a little sister and 2 little brothers. The family welcomed me and made me feel a part of their family. I was so happy to see two beautiful young girls, 13 and 14, well-adjusted, polite, witty - well, all the things a grandma would say about her girls. I thoroughly enjoyed spending a long weekend with them and hope to see them again this year.
November and December flew by and we're now in a new year. I will likely go back to PA this spring and hopefully make another trip to Spokane. I'm hoping the business trips will be curtailed - I really like staying here, especially in the spring and summer.
I wish for all of you a 2012 filled with good health and great joy. Happy New Year.
