2013 REMEMBRANCES

The year 2013 is only hours away from fading into the sunset, and for the most part, it was a good year for us.  We got settled into our new home on the outskirts of Tucson, made an 8,000+ mile trip to Alaska in the motor home, and enjoyed being only minutes away from part of our family.

Even though we made the physical move from Lake Havasu City in late 2012, it was during the early part of this year that we started getting everything organized, including the finishing of a 48'x32' garage to hold all of our stuff.  Due to a county building restriction of 1,500 square feet, I wasn't able to have the garage built large enough to house the motor home, but eventually, it will have a protected parking place under a new metal building on the other side of the house. 

We returned to Alaska after a 6 year absence, and except for a sick kitty (Gracie), and some dental problems, it was a fantastic trip.  We were gone for 5 months, covering a lot of ground, and seeing many old sights, along with some new ones as well.  I think the highlight of the trip was spending over a week in Skagway, Alaska, our old summer home from 2004 - 2007.

For the last several months, we've been busy with projects around the old homestead, and even though there have been times when I felt like firing up the diesel engine in the motor home, we've enjoyed being home, and spending a lot more time with Marc, Chandra, and Laila.

Speaking of Laila, the kids came out for pulled pork sandwiches yesterday evening, and I must admit, with a little of Ray's famous BBQ sauce, they were pretty darn good!  Marc & Chandra are flying to CA this morning, and we have our Granddaughter Laila for the next several days.

A special thanks to Patty's brother Michael, for redesigning the blog header, to include the newest member of our family, the Snoopy cat, along with a new picture of Patty.  I decided to debut the new graphics one day early, and am kind of up in the air regarding the daily morning post schedule that I've been following for quite some time.  The original idea for doing this blog, was to keep our family and friends up to date with our travels, and adventures.  I also wanted to create a written record of part of our life, along with my views and observations regarding a range of subjects.  With each years blog turned into a book, the 2013 book will be the fifth that each of our 3 boys will have received, and that might be just about enough.  I never intended on doing this forever, but, in a way, it's kind of taken on a life of its own, but at some point becomes a bit redundant.  We'll see how the wind blows during the coming year, and in the meantime, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy 2014.