| This Christmas letter is about the weather. (How exciting is that?)
Fortunately, and to keep things interesting, the unusual weather this year forced us to
pursue different activities. For those of you waiting to hear about the ski and bike
trips, well, sorry, but here we go. The rainy spring provided a perfect opportunity to work on our kitchen remodeling plans. We spent countless hours designing the perfect kitchen for us. And perfect it was, at about 5 feet square and featuring that most important of all kitchen appliances—the coffee maker. Our contractor balked, mumbling about resale value and encouraging us to be more traditional (he might actually have said "open-minded"). We ended up with both our dream kitchen and a kitchen full of shiny appliances for our guests to use. C’mon over if you’d like! |
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Of course, you know what happens when you remodel one room in a 25-year-old house—the rest of the house looks old and worn. We wound up remodeling and modernizing the rest of the place, too, living in a state of constructive disruption from May to November. |
| Summer in New England was the hottest since records were started. When we were young, we’d endure the heat and still get out on our bikes—at the least, getting out at 5 am to beat the heat (did we really do that?). This year, though, seeing no end to the heat wave and wanting very much to get out of the air conditioning, the more mature us bought a canoe. We’d heard that where we live in the Farmington Valley was a popular canoe destination place, and now we understand. The Farmington River is a beautiful place to play, providing a new perspective on the small towns in our back yard. Gaining confidence in this new sport, we ventured out onto the Mighty Connecticut River and even tried a few tricky sections of the Farmington. We hope to get more time on the water next year. |  |
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We took a mountain bike vacation in New England this fall, staying close to home for a change. Weatherwise, all but one day were rained out. No worries, though. We spent the time checking out Waitsfield, Vermont—a town with all the essentials, being close to 4 of Vermont’s best ski areas and 2 paddling rivers, and home to a cool outdoor gear store and some outstanding restaurants. One rainy day with a friendly real estate agent turned up a tiny condo for us to rent for the winter. If it snows again, we have a place up north to hang our hats and parkas. It even has a kitchen, which we would welcome any of our friends to use. |
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Sue spent the year on a consulting job in Connecticut, so she’s been living (or sleeping, at least) at home. She begins to travel again in January, but it’s been a nice break from the road. Doug is still managing at Torrington—no major changes for him this year, but time will tell. Have a healthy, happy Y2K! |  |