Christmas Spinning.
Dear Friends and Family,
As the gentle (and predictable), pre-Christmas drizzle falls on Seattle, it is time once again for us to look back on the past year and ask the question, “What in the world just happened???” (Please note that as it is the fashion of the current administration to “spin” events excessively, we will follow their lead.)
The big news items include Michaela’s move to Eagle River, Alaska in October. She is now 16 and a sophomore at Eagle River High School; her new hobbies include scaling Mt. McKinley and hunting polar bears. Apparently, it is not quite as exciting as Seattle, but she is glad to be able to spend some time with her father. We attempted to ask Jeff if sharing a house with a very independent-minded adolescent girl was sometimes a challenge, but he could not be reached for comment.
Seth, 18, is working hard, simultaneously earning high school and college credit at a local community college and working part-time for Peet’s Coffee & Tea. In his English class, he had an assignment to give a five-minute presentation on the war in Iraq. Apparently, Seth was so knowledgeable about the subject (and from more than one perspective) that he and his team were allowed to talk to the class for nearly an hour. And in fact, yesterday the White House called and wants him to take over the rebuilding of the country’s infrastructure. Seth, however, declined the offer as it would interfere with his electric guitar practice.
Callie, the MFA candidate, had a very challenging but successful quarter at the University of Washington. One of her many projects included a five-minute, experimental film, with Will assisting with some of the camera work. The finished product, distilled from over an hour’s worth of footage, was a very impressive first effort. Will indicated that if Callie wants to be a film maker, that’s fine with him…as long as there are no opening weekends grossing less than $30 million.
Will still enjoys gainful employment with AVST, Inc. in Bellevue, a mere hour-and-ten-minute commute from the homestead. Somehow, he found time to paint the house this summer. Gone are the pale yellow hues that first signaled to him that the little house was a diamond in the rough. Thanks to Callie’s keen sense of color, the house now sports a robin’s egg blue coat with a nice, cream-colored trim.
Other recent highlights include Thanksgiving visits from three out of four McCeney’s (hey, three out of four ain’t bad) and Tish, who dog-sledded in from Cle Elum. And next door, our nice neighbors, Conner and Mo, are building their dream house. Unfortunately, it is so large that their friends now think our house must be Mo and Conner’s garage. But overall, Seattle continues to be a very stimulating place to live, with a highly outspoken, well-read, and scandalously liberal populace that ranks right near the top of the nation in dog ownership.
And speaking of dogs, how could we not mention the news regarding Oslo and Mies, the Weimaraners extraordinaire? Earlier this year, Oslo took a “Best of Breed” award at a local dog show; we were so proud. But we have told him not to brag to his friends about it. (That would just be sooo unseemly.) And Mies, who you may recall was rescued by us from an unloving home last February, has become a very sweet and loving dog. He is not as classically handsome, perhaps, as his nephew, Oslo, but people comment on his good looks just the same. He is a fierce watch dog and lets no random sounds in the house or on the property go unnoticed. He earns his keep (not counting Callie’s $80 Pumas we just found beyond repair and baring his signature teeth marks).
Like other educated, middle-class families who enjoy penning long, holiday patters, this one wouldn’t be complete without a brief mention of our family travels. This year, we took several trips to the local Costco to replenish our supplies of organic milk, dog food and macaroni & cheese, and on at least two occasions, we all hopped merrily into the car, traveling north on Seattle’s infamous Highway 99 to fetch a couple dozen Krispy Kremes.
We could go on about lots of other esoteric details of our lives, but we need to save some of this for next year. So, until then, take your pick and have a politically correct:
a.) joyous and peaceful holiday
b.) Merry Christmas
c.) Happy Hanukkah
d.) Happy Kwanzaa
e.) none of the above, just wish Bill O’Reilly a hearty “Bah, humbug!” or, better yet, “Happy Holidays!” for me.
Hailing cheerily from the ever damp and soggy Pacific Northwest,
Will, Callie, Seth, Michaela, Oslo, Mies, and Stieglitz (the cat).