Keebler/Beaver Adventures: Holiday Greeting 2013

Looking over our 2013 photos, including those taken since Christmas 2012, I'm inclined to dedicate this year's greeting. Aunt Lovie, my dad's "little sister" and last survivor of the seven children of Charles and Tressie Kohout has traditionally spent her winters in Sun City and was my bridge mentor for the past five years; she has decided to spend her winters close to her sons and grandkids in Minnesota.
Aunt Lovie was a great friend of our soft-coated wheaten terrier whose arthritis and doggie dementia had reached a point where we made the final decision on 11 November this year. So our snowbird life in Sun City has us missing Aunt Lovie and Butter, especially this holiday season. Good thing we got a photo of them lookin' good together 30 December 2012.

January - Jack joined Robin for a week in Beijing. While Robin attended a conference, Jack had first hand (or nose and eyes and lungs?) experience with record-setting Beijing smog. With no particular schedule or obligations other than to eat and sleep, Jack was able to organize his out of doors explorations to avoid times of peak pollution. When Robin returned to his job in Albuquerque, NM as a Senior Scientist (theoretical physics) at Sandia National Labs, Jack went on for his six week sojourn in Thailand and Cambodia.

World traveler departs for China, Thailand and Cambodia

Meanwhile Karen went to Albuquerque, and brought Ari back to Sun City where they and Butter held down the fort. Ari joined in celebrating her great-great Aunt Lovie's 90th birthday. All five of Aunt Lovie's living nieces -- Diana, Karen, Patty, Irene and Stevie -- were on hand to celebrate along with Patty's husband Dave. Ari and Karen enjoyed hosting cousin Irene for the couple of days she was able to visit.

Ari joins Grandma, Aunt Lovie and cousins for 90th birthday celebration.

"I think she likes me."

We had a major break-through during Ari's visit. In the past she has pretty much co-existed with Butter. She would sneak in a pet when she thought no one else was watching. Karen caught her in a photo as she petted Butter. "I think she likes me," said Ari. Grandma agreed.

February proved to be a busy month of hosting a number of guests besides Ari who became something of a regular because of her parents heavy travel schedules. Meg's father, Ron, died 8 February. So, in addition to travel for her work as an assistant professor and researcher in economics at University of New Mexico, she and her sister, Sara, spent time in Pennsylvania taking care of their dad's estate while Ari stayed with Grandma Karen and Butter.

Jay at The Heard Museum

Late in the month Karen hosted weekend visits of long-time friends from Alaska. Jay Worley finally made it over from his California winter home one weekend. Pam Rio, a former Alaskan and book group member who hosted Karen and Ari in Germany in Summer, 2011, visited the following weekend. The Heard Museum was on both of their lists of things to do in the Phoenix area which provided Karen with two visits there. Pam, Karen and Butter hiked at Badger Springs. Our friends Bill and Randi accommodated Jay and Karen for hiking at Dreamy Draw and hosted Pam and Karen at The Desert Botanical Gardens.

Randi, Bill and Jay at Dreamy Draw Park

Pam at Badger Springs Wash

Pam and Karen at Desert Botanical Gardens

See what Grandpa brought me from China

Grandma got one too

March brought Jack home bearing gifts from Beijing for Ari and for Karen.

We had some warm weather while Ari visited -- warm enough for us to spend time at the pool where Ari became expert at diving to the bottom of the pool to bring up a toy.

"It's down here somewhere."

"Got it!"

Mid-March we enjoyed visits with Jack's sibs & spouses, Jim & Judy and Joan & Jack as well as cousin Rick and his wife Pat. Joan & Jack's daughter and son-in-law, Cyndi & Darrel, have moved to the Phoenix area and hosted all three couples. We got to visit with the group once at Cyndi & Darrel's and again at our place for a meal.

Our Reno hosts, Sara and Dough

Jacob meets his distant cousin

Lorna Dawn and grandson Jacob

Late in the month, Jack and Karen flew to Reno to visit Karen's high school friend, Doug and his wife Sara. Karen had made this trip herself in 2011 and wanted Jack to meet her dad's cousin, Lorna Dawn, and her daughters and families as well as enjoy Doug and Sara's hospitality. Lorna Dawn's daughter, Susan and husband had recently adopted their son, Jacob which made the reunion an extra special celebration.

At the end of March we bid farewell to cousins Patty & Dave and Aunt Lovie who would be returning north to Minnesota before we returned from our April travels.

April 2nd through 11th found us on our long-awaited visit to Costa Rica to spend time with our friend, Seth in his home away from Alaska, a tiny village in the mountains where Seth has purchased land and plans to build a house.

We spent two nights in San Jose before meeting Seth and his friend Jessie for the bus and taxi trip up the mountain and another night before our flight back to Phoenix on 12 April.

Dinner at a seafood restaurant in San Jose

Loading up on groceries in Miramar before the taxi ride up the mountain

Costa Rica land baron Seth enjoys the view from his piece of Paradise

Last week of April in Fairbanks with no Spring in sight!

Once back in Sun City we had less than a week to prepare for our flights home to Fairbanks on 18 (Jack) and 20 April (Karen & Butter). As Alaska residents we can check two free bags apiece on Alaska Airlines. We fill those bags with groceries, produce and dairy products that travel well (no tomatoes or eggs) and frozen meat all purchased at a fraction of what we'd pay in Fairbanks. This year we were especially eager to stock up on items to take to Tozi in May for the marathon work projects Jack and Robin had spent the winter planning. We were looking forward to spring. Unfortunately, Spring did not happen in Interior Alaska this year.
Aside from anticipating spring, the two things Karen looks forward to the most on her return to Fairbanks are visiting her hairdresser and hosting book group. The photo above left was surely taken before the hairdresser visit!

Mike and Mary await slices of Kendall's cake.


Not Jack's idea of Spring!

Book group met at our house 28 April and celebrated Kendall's birthday.

May

Seth and Deanna

Anna and Josh

Roxy and her daddy, Trevor

We look forward to catching up on our social life when we're in Fairbanks, juggling having friends over for a meal with all the tasks of getting ready for our times on the Tozi -- a month in the spring and another in the fall.

In early May we got together for dinner with Seth, recently returned from Costa Rica to resume his job as a naturalist at a research station in the Brooks Range, our friends Trevor, Deanna and Roxy and our housesitter for last winter and her friend, Anna and Josh.

From 15 May to 16 June we were on the Tozi executing the plans Robin and Jack had been developing for the past 6 to 8 months. The first stage of the plan involved sawing lumber for a storage building Robin wanted to build. One half of our Montana kids, Russ of Russ and Erin, was able to spend from 15 to 27 May helping Jack saw lumber with the chain saw mill for the storage building Robin planned to build.

15 May - Russ, Karen & Butter flew to Tozi in the Helio and waited on the airstrip while the pilot flew to Tanana to pick up Jack, our neighbor Tom and two of Tom's dogs.


Tom prepares to hike to his place, but was turned back by rotting ice on a slough he needs to cross to get there. Instead he helped us dig our way into our house and spent the night.


16 May 2013


View from the outhouse 31 May 2013

It's been a long while since we've seen break-up on the Tozi, but the prolonged cold weather held the river ice firm until the 23rd of May after which Summer came along with temps in the 80s and 90s -- oh yes, and mosquitoes!

June

Reinforcements arrive!


Jack, Sean (pilot), Ari & Robin, Tom

Ari, who turned 5 in April, and Robin flew out from Fairbanks on 1 June after a day of shopping and visiting in Fairbanks. Robin and Jack sunk a well we plan will provide water inside the house.

On 7 June, Robin's friends, Colin and Mouser arrived to help with projects that included the construction of a storage building and a gray water sewer line. Tom and his dogs flew home to Tanana on the plane that brought Mouser and Colin.

Going fishing: Robin, Ari, Jack, Mouser & Colin

Colin, Mouser & storage building

13 June - Our Funniversary

The six of us flew back to Fairbanks on 16 July in time for Mouser and Colin to catch their flights back home and for Robin to drive to Denali Park where he and a couple of colleagues sponsored a week-long physics conference they hope will become an annual event with physicists attending from around the world.

We got to keep Ari for that week and made the most of it.

Picking out books at Gullivers

Dinner on the deck with Jay


Makin' music

Geography lesson with Grandpa

A day at Chena Hot Springs

July - With our travel schedule between Fairbanks, Tozi and Sun City, we often miss First Friday at the art galleries in Fairbanks. We were lucky to be in town for July's First Friday. The art of our former Tozi neighbors, Ann O'Brien and her daughter, Iris Sutton were featured at the Morris Thompson Cultural Center.

Prints of some of Iris's paintings


Ann, Iris and Karen

On 12 July we participated in the long awaited dedication of a bench designed by our friends Jay and Aaron Worley to honor wife/mother Pam at Creamer's Field. It was over a year since Pam, Karen's best Fairbanks friend, died; she is missed daily by many. 12 July was Pam's birthday as well as her and Jay's wedding anniversary.


"Rejoice with me in the Splendor of Nature"

The Worleys: Jay, Silas, Erin Juliet & Aaron

Weather-wise, July made up for our late winter weather with lovely summer weather. It seems the birds were, however, confused by the weather and we began to hear of odd behaviors by them such as not breeding. It's pretty difficult to live in the northern latitudes and not believe in climate change. We are witnessing such massive alterations of animal behavior as well as changes in vegetation -- not to mention receding glaciers.

Probably the biggest event for us in July and August was Jack's hiring of a helper to get the yard and shed cleaned up. That clean-up included the sale of the tent-trailer we brought up from Arizona in 1990; it's been taking up space in our yard since then after which we never used it!

Tent Trailer

Good-bye and Good Riddance

Sitting in the sunshine on the deck

After a year of waiting for the price to come down, our neighbors, Steven and Susan, were able to buy the two acres of land between them and us. The previous owner had terrified both them and us by carving out a driveway and tearing up the property to build two houses before he left the state. In early July we helped our neighbors celebrate by planting their address sign firmly between their first and second driveways.

Helping plant the address sign

We continued to try to catch up with our social life -- especially with our young couple friends with small children who keep our grandparenting skills up to speed.

Trevor, Roxy and Deanna

Aaron, Silas and Erin Juliet Worley

In August The fine weather persisted bringing with it another surprising event -- a Tanana Valley Fair with very little rain.

We go to the fair for the food. Sunshine is a bonus!

Our neighborhood had lost a much beloved friend and historian in January. Jim Matthews died suddenly at age 85. He had been the Interior's first Cooperative Extension agent and was our neighborhood's primo gardener. We looked in on his lovely and equally kind widow from time to time when we were in town. In June Ari and I had visited with Barbara and in August we were on hand to "help" harvest Jim's awesome crop of raspberries.

Visiting Barbara Matthews in June

Raspberries bigger than Jack's thumb!

In mid-August we finally got to meet Seth's brother, Brendan, who visited from California.

At the Thai House with Seth and Brendan


Seth and Brendan

Then it was time for our Fall Tozi trip. We left on 24 August and returned 20 September. It was just the two of us for a month enjoying Robin's, Russ', Colin's and Mouser's contributions to our Tozi lifestyle in May-June.


View of the house 25 August 2013

View from the outhouse 25 August 2013

View from the outhouse 19 September 2013

View of the house 19 September 2013

September - After flying home on the 20th, we spent the entire next day in our jammies connecting with both Robin and Kim by phone. Getting ready for these transitions seems harder every year. We've taken to making checklists on the computer to be sure we don't forget something like turning on the electric bear fence that surrounds the house, which we actually did forget one year!

Karen made her book group meeting on the 22nd. We spent the rest of the month doing maintenance catch-up on things like arranging to do our taxes for which we always take an extension because of our transition from Sun City to Fairbanks in April.

The Tozi may have had snow, but Fairbanks was in full color in late September.

27 September - Our first roller derby

"Gazelle from Hell," Heather

Our neighbors' (Steve and Susan) daughter, Heather, is a jammer for the Raven Rebels. We've wanted to see her play. On 27 September we went to a match at the Carlson Center. We learned a lot and enjoyed!

October is one of two whole months we spend in Fairbanks. (July is the other.) We have one last chance in the year to catch up with friends, have hair and medical appointments and take care of home maintenance. With no snow until Halloween, we were able to enjoy an extended autumn.

Ready to turn the cake out of the skillet

Success!

Dinner with Seth at our place gave Jack an excuse to make a skillet pineapple uspside-down cake as Karen doesn't like pineapple. It surely does look great, however.

Jack and his helper, Geneva, had finished up the outside work he wanted done. So, they turned to tiling the downstairs hallway -- a learning experience for both of them, but it was also a success.

Long-awaited tile job

Geneva did a lot of the bending and crawling

Meanwhile, in Albuquerque, Ari was playing soccer and starting ballet . . .

Our ballerina

. . . and back in Fairbanks social events rounding out the month included an evening with our Tozi neighbor Tom who was in from Tanana, Jay, Seth and his friend, Mike, another evening with another former Tozi neighbor Ann, her daughter Iris, son-in-law AJ and her granddaughter, Hazel, a birthday barbeque for Jay at his son and daughter-in-law's cabin, as well as a surprise visit from a friend and co-worker of Jack's from pipeline days, William.

21 October - Mike, Jay and Karen start on Jack's famous barbequed ribs.

21 October - Jay and Tom awaiting the ribs.

25 October - Jack grills the burgers for Jay's birthday celebration at Aaron & Erin Juliet's

30 October - AJ, Iris, Ann and Hazel

31 October - Catching up with William

31 October - Our Trick or Treaters were satisfied with twigs and leaves

The first snow promising to stay until spring fell in time for Fairbanks to have a white Halloween. We had a couple of trick or treaters in very authentic cow & calf moose costumes.

November had to be the busiest month of the year. We'd learned in the Spring that Jack's daughter Kim and her long-time significant other would be getting married 30 November, that date having been selected so we would be sure to be there as we typically transition to Sun City in November. So, much of the month of November anticipated our trip to St. Louis for Thanksgiving with Jack's family and the wedding.

Having traveled to Sun City 5 November, we had a week to settle in before having Ari for a week while her parents traveled for work. We picked her up at Sky Harbor airport 12 November and, on the 16th, drove her home to Albuquerque where we attended a birthday party with Ari and Robin.

Grandma may not be the best knitting teacher

Ari starts a project to make a Xmas gift for her daddy


Cutting pineapple with Grandpa


Ari is an avid reader at 5 -- just as her daddy & mommy were.

Ari and Grace at the birthday party

Ari and friend, Grace, sample birthday cake

After a weekend in ABQ, we drove back to Sun City in time to host our Alaska friends, Joyce and Julian, for a night before they returned from their Southwest trip to their home in Anchorage. The next day we enjoyed a lunch at an Italian restaurant before they drove off to catch their flight in Los Angeles.

20 November - Julian, Joyce, Karen & Jack

On Saturday 23 November we flew to St. Louis for an 11-day stay that would include lots of visiting with Jack's family, Thanksgiving at his brother's and Kim's wedding. Since Ari was scheduled to be Flower Girl in the wedding, we were able to spend some time with them.

Bedtime story at The Hyatt Regency by the Arch

25 November - After resting up the weekend at Jim & Judy's we spent Monday afternoon visiting Jack's youngest sister, Dianne, and her husband Ron at their home. Then we went down the street to Jack's middle sister Joan's and had a pork roast meal with Joan, Jack and daughter Megan.

Later that evening we met Robin and Ari at their hotel in downtown St. Louis and stayed with Ari while Robin went back to the airport to pick up Meg who arrived separately from a business trip. Meg had left the University of New Mexico at the end of June and over the summer established an economics research consulting business, MBK Analytics. She has an impressive website you can google to learn more.

26 November - visiting with Bev's family

On Tuesday, 26th, Robin and Meg drove to Fulton, MO for Thanksgiving with Meg's sister and brother-in-law, Sara and Nate, who had moved there earlier this year for Nate to begin his professorial career at Westminster College.

Jack and sibs look at family photos - Dianne, Bev, Jim, Jack and Joan

Over the next several days we visited with as many of Jack's family as we could arrange to see, winding that visiting up with Thanksgiving dinner in Jim & Judy's spacious family room space which is more like a church hall with a bar!

Less than half the crowd at Thanksgiving dinner

Brothers - Jim & Jack

The wedding rehearsal was in the morning of Friday 29 November, followed by lunch at the Olive Garden.

Left to right: Bride's stepdad Jim, brother Jay's s/o Wendy, Robin, Meg, Ari, Karen, Jack, Bride's son's s/o Addie, Brian, Kim, Phil, Best Man Bob

Attendants in back row are Wendy, Matron of Honor Vicki, Addie, Brian, Bob and Jay

Mr. & Mrs. Phil Campbell

On Saturday, the 30th, the wedding party met at Tower Grove Park for photos in the afternoon. The wedding and reception were in the evening at Andre's where a good time was had by all, especially the bride and the flower girl.

Bride's son, Brian, father and brother, Jay

Flower Girl Ari

Bride's father, Uncle Jim and Aunts Bev, Joan and Dianne


She could've danced all night!

December continued to be as busy as the previous month with the added stress of both Jack and Karen having "colds" that dampened their holiday spirit somewhat. Nonetheless, they enjoyed the company of relatives and friends throughout the month. Karen's cousin, Christine, drove down from suburban Chicago for the wedding and spent the night and Sunday morning 1 December at Jim & Judy's. Robin, Meg and Ari spent the afternoon and were able to visit with several cousins. Jack's cousin, Rick, and his wife, Pat brought their 5 y/o granddaughter, Sophia, who hit it off pretty quickly with Ari.

Our hosts, Jim & Judy


Jack, Jim, Rick and Pat look at old photos

Cousin Christine and Ari look at wedding photos

Sophia & Ari coloring

Floor Exercise


Takin' a break on Grandma's lap

Robin's cousin, Annette visits with Meg


Judy, Meg and Robin's cousin, Shannon

Later that evening we joined Jack's eldest son, Jay, and his s/o, Wendy, as well as Jay's daughter, Megan, and her s/o, John, and children for dinner at a restaurant where we got to meet Jack's great grandchildren, Cohen and Stella.

Grandpa Jay & Stella

Cohen & Stella meet great-grands, Jack & Karen

Granddaughter Megan & s/o John

On Monday 2 December, Jack and Karen each had lunch with long-time friends. Ron is a friend of Jack's from elementary school and high school. Karen met Peggy at a social work conference in the early 1990s and learned she'd gone to elementary school with Jack's sister Dianne.

Ron & Jack

Karen & Peggy

We flew "home" to Phoenix on 3 December by which time Jack's "cold" was alleviating and Karen was coming down with it. We were looking forward to a visit from another old friend, also named Peggy. She was Karen's first woman friend in Fairbanks back in 1972 and she'd made a couple of trips to the Tozi in the late '70s before she left Alaska. Jack was sorry to miss seeing her after 3 decades, but Robin and Meg could use some help in the week before they left for their Caribbean Christmas Cruise. So Jack flew to ABQ and got a brief visit with Peggy via SKYPE on the evening of the 7th. Karen drove over to ABQ on the following Monday and returned with Jack on Thursday 12 December.

Jack got to watch Ari on the climbing wall

We both got to take Ari to her ballet lesson

Back in Sun City, we enjoyed a low key Christmas with minimal decorations and shopping and just enough baking to get off a few care packages to Alaska friends and a couple of bags of cookies to neighbors who help us out a lot.

Aunt Lovie's youngest son, Todd, and wife, Colleen, came down to Sun City to take care of the sale of Aunt Lovie's house and car here. They treated us to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Amuse Bouche on 21 December. Karen attended the Nutcracker ballet at Phoenix Symphony Hall with her grad school friend, Randi, on the 23rd. Our Christmas Day prime rib dinner was compliments of Robin, Meg and Ari who sent us a box from Omaha Steaks. New Year's Eve we joined Randi and Bill at the Luminaria festival and Chihuly exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden and then went to dinner at L'amore. We welcomed 2014 at Bill & Randi's with Champagne (gifted by Robin & Meg) and dessert.