12/30/08

 Camping Background  Don and his brother Ralph went camping with their parents many summer weekends at State Parks in Ohio and Michigan and elsewhere. So, after  Don and Mary were married in 1957 they bought a 7 foot by 7 foot wall tent, put a tarp on the floor and were in the camping business. A few years later week they took a week long trip in Maine, trailering Mary's father's  large power boat.  We spent a couple of days on an island owned by John and Pam Burleigh in Lake Cobboseecontee near Augusta, Maine. The last trip with that tent was in 1965 when they camped at Lake Bomoseen with Bob and Shirley Vose while looking for lakefront property. That weekend they bought one half acre with 150 feet of lakefrontage on Beebe Pond in Hubbardton, Vermont.  The property was part of Senior Hill on Camp Awanee, a recently closed girl's camp owned by June Sherline.  The campfire circle was on the property next to our property. Later they had great family camping on various islands in Lake George with Alan and Eva Breckenridge and their family.

Family Travel  After  we had a camp (house) on a Vermont lake, we could not afford to travel, and spent about 40 weekends each year in Vermont, with season ski passes at Pico.  Here is our original "camp" in the June and in December 1966.  We did rent our camp three different years and spent a week somewhere else: 1971 at Wood's Causeway Motel in Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard (Amy & Karla  , Karen Amy & Karla , all of the Family)  in 1972 thru Williamsburg, Virginia  to  Cape Hatteras, North Carolina,  and  1973 with Don's parents at Lake Keuka, one of the Finger Lakes in New York.

 Vermont Skiing  Don got hooked on skiing the first year he worked in Connecticut.  He and his roommate Bob Goode joined the Hartford Ski Club which owned a lodge near the lift at Mad River Glen in northern Vermont.  After Don and Mary were married, trips to Mad River became the exception due to: its distance,  Don needing to study for the actuarial exams, and the arrival of our children.    So for many years we would get a babysitter and drive to Mt Snow on Sundays. After we had a house in Vermont we started skiing with the children: first at High Pond Ski Area in Hubbardton, then at the Middlebury Snow Bowl, and then at Pico where we met Stan and Harriet Joseph and their family.

Other Skiing  Don finished the actuarial exams in 1962.  In 1963 Don and Mary flew to Munich to ski for over three weeks: Kitzbuhel and  St Anton in Austria, and Davos in Switzerland. We also spent a weekend in Vienna and visited Lucerne before flying out of Zuruch.  Since then our family skied many areas in New England and we have skied together many times at Tahoe.  Also,  Don skied areas in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California with Mary or in conjunction with business travel.  Around 1981 we were invited to visit the Josephs who had a condo at Elkhorn in Sun Valley and have skied there many many times.  Sun Valley is Don's favorite. 

Tennis  Don played doubles for many years in two men's groups in Hartford, Connecticut.  Steve Martin, a lawyer in Government Relations at The Hartford told Don he had purchased a condo at Naples Bath and Tennis Club in Naples, Florida.  We did likewise in January 1993.  To satisfy our desire to play tennis in Vermont, we formed a corporation (Eagle Rock Racquet Club, Inc) bought property a mile from our lake, and built two beautiful hard surface tennis courts with 12 stockholder members, in 1978.  However, we play much more tennis in Florida than in Vermont.

Travel  Don and Mary were invited to many nice places each year where The Hartford had Sales Conventions.  Also, Don traveled in conjunction with committee work and Mary joined him in traveling to  Board Meetings of  the Society of Actuaries.  We both got addicted to traveling which we continue to do in retirement. Here is a summary.

1973 and 1974  Visited Salt Lake City, and three National Parks: Brice, Zion, and Mesa Verde.  Also skied at Lake Tahoe and traveled to London, England. Also went to Tucson, Arizona and Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida.

1975 and 1976   Camped on Lake George, went to New Orleans and Key Biscayne, Skied Santa Fe and Taos in New Mexico. Drove the Skyline Drive and the Blue ridge Parkway.  Went to the 1976 Montreal Olympics and drove to Toledo, Ohio. Visited San Diego Zoo and Tijuana, Mexico.  Went to a convention in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

1977 and 1978  Went to a Sales Convention at Kiawah Island, South Carolina.   Dave and Lois Mc Donald and 3 of their 4 kids visited us for a memorable weekend the summer of 1977, as did Don's parents one other time. Visited San Francisco.  Drove around  Mount Hood and stayed at Timberline Lodge.  Went to a convention at The Greenbrier in West Virginia and one in Palm Springs, California.

1979 and 1980  Skied Keystone, Vail, and Loveland attended a Sales convention at Hilton Head.  Don and David went to an actuarial conference in Banff and went to Lake Louise and Jasper in June 1979.   Canadian Rockies Pictures.  Don and Mary drove around the beautiful Olympic Peninsula and to Mt Rainier.  Also went to St Thomas in the Bahamas and to a meeting in Houston, Texas.  Kirsten Ronnau, from Marburg, Germany, stayed with us for a month of her junior or senior year and has invited us to visit Marburg.

1981  Skied Sun Valley.    Went to a meeting at The Pointe in Scottsdale, Arizona and skied Taos and visited Albuquerque.  Stayed at the Biltmore in Phoenix, toured the Grand Canyon,  and visited Flagstaff, Arizona.

Walter Sondergeld May 1981  On May 22, 1981 Don, Mary, Amy, and Karla drove to Toledo, Ohio to visit for three days with Don's father who had come home from the hospital.  We stayed with Ralph and June in Sandusky.  We learned that he died on May 29, 1981.  He was born on November 10, 1901, so he was 79.5 years old.  We went to Karen's graduation from Colby in Waterville, Maine on Sunday May 31, 1981.  Don flew to Toledo, Ohio and Mary, David, Karla, and Amy flew out the next day.  Visiting hours were at the Worth Clegg Funeral Home and burial was on Tuesday June 2, 1981 at the cemetery in Elliston, Ohio.

Marie Kinsel Sondergeld February 1982  We were skiing in Sun Valley when Don's mother died in the Good Samaritan Hospital in Sandusky, Ohio on February 20, 1982. She was born on February 2, 1901, so was 81 years old.  Don flew from Boise, Idaho to Toledo, Ohio on the 21st whereas  Mary flew to Hartford, Connecticut.  Then Mary, Amy, and Karla flew to Cleveland, Ohio on the 23rd.  We all attended the  11 am  funeral on Wednesday the 24th at the Robinson Funeral Home in Oak Harbor, Ohio.  She was buried beside her husband Walter Sondergeld in Elliston, Ohio.  The four of us flew back to Connecticut that evening.

1982 and 1983   Skied Sun Valley.  Attended another  Sales Convention at Kiawah Island, South Carolina  and sailed with Ron and Nan Streeter on the Bohicket River. The incoming  tide was so strong we were sailing backwards, so had to sail in the direction away from the ocean. Toured the beautiful city of Charleston. Skied Loveland, went up in a glider at Colorado Springs, and took a ride up Pikes Peak in Colorado. Went to a meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada and one at the Del Coronado in San Diego, California. Karla went with Don to an actuarial meeting in Vancouver and we took the train through the Canadian Rockies to Calgary.  We went camping on Lake George.

1984  We skied Sun Valley.  Went to New Orleans.  Don went to a Board meeting at Abby Life in Bournemouth, England and visited Stonehenge.  We climbed and skied Tuckerman's Ravine on Mt Washington, New Hampshire.  Don, Mary, and Karla flew to England in late June so Don could attend a tax meeting.  We toured London.  Then met Eric in London and the four of us drove to Bournemouth and Stonehenge.  Returned to London, attended a tax meeting, and went to Wimbledon.  The four of us  then stopped in Bath on our way to Newport Wales where we dropped Eric off with Andrew Knorz and his family.  Andrew had stayed with us in 1979.  Don, Mary, and Karla then toured Wales for a few days, picked Eric up in Newport and drove to Heathrow.  Eric then flew to Germany and the rest of us to Boston. Some pictures of England and Wales.   Hiked the Monroe Skyline in Vermont.  Attended another meeting in New Orleans.

1985   Visited David and family in San Francisco. Skied in Utah.  Went to Bournemouth, England for a Board meeting.  Rented a houseboat on Lake Champlain.  In September 1985 Don went to Bournemouth, England for a Board meeting and then to Marburg, Germany to visit the Ronnau's, and on to Unterhaun where Don found his German ancestral home and slept in the room in which his great grandfather was born.  Went to Hawaii and also New Orleans.  Skied Squaw Valley and Kirkwood.

1986   Went to Abbey Life in Bournemouth, England in late January..  Then visited  Peter Sondergeld in Munich (and Lilo in nearby Ottobrun) Germany and Sophie Sondergeld in Unterhaun in February.  See England & Germany 1986.

Skied Park City, Deer Valley, and Sun Valley.  Visited New York City, San Francisco, and Montreal.  Skied Heavenly Valley with Stan and Harriet Joseph.  Skied Mammoth Mountain and went to Palm Springs and San Diego, California.  Went Camping on Lake George, New York.

1987  Went to a convention on Sanibel Island.  Don and Walt Rugland gave two actuarial seminars on "profitability" at Snowbird ski area outside Salt Lake City in Utah.  David came out for the week.  Don skied A Basin and Copper Mt in Colorado.  Attended a convention in Colorado Springs and  Don went up again in a glider.  Visited Zwolshe, an insurance subsidiary in the Netherlands.  Went to England and visited Brighton and Sussex with Amy. 

Then Don, Mary, Karla, and Megan Donohue went to Europe on June 25, 1987.  Amy toured before we got there with Michelle from Smith College, toured with us, and left early. Amy picked up a Mercedes loaned to Don by Transatlatische in Hamburg, and don dropped it the airport in Frankfurt on July 20, 1987. We flew from Boston to Frankfurt and visited friends and relatives in Unterhaun, Kassel, Marburg and Heidelberg.   Had a nice time at the Lorelei and in Rudesheim where Megan turned 18.  Also visited Mannheim, Freiberg, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Zugspitze, King Ludwig's Castles,  Innsbruck, Igls, Berchtesgaden, Konigsee, Salzburg, and Peter Sondergeld in Munich.   See Europe 1987. 

Also visited Don's favorite and former boss Jim Bruce in Tucson, Arizona.

Dr. Charles E Towne 1988  Mary's father died in Naples, Florida, where he and Evelyn had a winter home, on February 22,1988.  He was  81.7 years old, as he was born on June 29, 1906.  We drove to Waterville, Maine on February 26, 1988 with Eric and Cindy and David and Shelley (who we met at Bradley Field), with a stop in Portland, Maine to pick up Karla (who flew in from Syracuse, New York).  Karen and Duncan drove up from Beverly, Massachusetts. Visiting hours were from 7:30 - 9:30 pm, with a Masonic ceremony.  The funeral was the next day at the Pleasant Street Methodist Church, where both Don and Mary and Charles and Evelyn were married.  That evening we celebrated Mary's brother's 52nd birthday at John and Connie's home in Winslow, Maine.  The next day we stopped at 5 Highland Avenue in Waterville to say goodbye to Evelyn and headed back to Connecticut.  Charles and Evelyn had been married almost 14 years.

!988 and 1989  We skied Sun Valley in Idaho and  Sugarloaf in Maine., Don also skied  in New Mexico.  Went to Ohio for Rob Soule's wedding.  (Rob is brother Ralph's step son).  Visited David and family in San Francisco and went to Napa Valley.  Attended a terrific ITT Conference in Hawaii.  Skied a Squaw Valley with David.  Don and Karla went to an actuarial meeting in Vancouver which Eric and Cindy also attended.

Job Change in 1989  Don retired from The Hartford in February 1989 to work for Mutual Benefit in Newark, New Jersey.  A luncheon on his last day in Connecticut was attended by Jan Pollnow, Len Odell and Dave McDonald.

1990  Skied Sun Valley.  Visited David and family in San Francisco and went again to Napa Valley and to Yosemite. 

1990 German Invasion  On Wednesday June 27, 1990 Heinrich Schott and Sophie Sondergeld arrived on Hapag Lloyd Flight 3611 at 3:10 pm in Newark, New Jersey.  Don worked the next two days while Mary showed Heini and Sophie a bit of New York City. 

We drove to Vermont the next day, stopping in Saratoga Springs and Lake George.  They even joined us in the Hot Tub.  The next few days at camp were relaxing, but we did drive up the auto road on Mt Mansfield, taught the Germans how to play "Oh Hell", went to the Vermont Symphony in Georgetti Park in Rutland, almost climber Eagle Rock.  Sixteen of us took a houseboat trip from Plunder Bay on Lake Champlain (Don, Mary, Karla, Amy, Lou, Sophie, Heini, Mousy Krakauer, Steve Sandy, David, and Mary Earl, plus John and Betty Moran).  Also visited the Hubbardton Battlefield.

We then drove to Karen's in Beverly, Massachusetts.  There we visited Omi Stern's house in Gloucester, Rockport.  The next day Heini and Sophie went to Boston to see Paul Revere's House that is newer than the one they live in, Quincy Market, and the Aquarium.  Back to Cambridge and Boston the next day to visit museums.  On July 12, 1990 they flew from Boston to San Francisco to visit David, returning July 16, 1990 to Newark.  While in SF they toured the City, Napa Valley, and went to Monterey.

Two  days after they returned  from California we drove them to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell, Franklin Institute, and Rodin Museum and spent the night with Mike and Florence Mason in Monkton, Maryland.  We then visited Washington DC and the National Gallery before arriving at Doris Bell's (Don's cousin) house in Clifton, Virginia.. The next day we were back in DC for more sightseeing.  The next day we drove to New Castle, Delaware and spent the night.  The next day we toured Longwood Gardens, Brandywine River Museum, and Winterthur.  Arrived back at our home in Upper Montclair, New Jersey at 7 pm.  The next day we visited Soho. The following day Don worked and others relaxed,.  The following day, July 25, 1990, Heini and Sophie flew back to Germany at 4 pm from Newark.  A nice visit...just under a month.  1990 Invasion

1990  Fall  In the fall we attended the actuarial meeting in Disneyland California.

1991   Skied Tahoe with David and his family in March.  Went to meetings at the Del Coronado in San Diego and in New Orleans in April.  Attended an actuarial meeting in Colorado Springs and visited Aspen, Royal Gorge, and Pikes Peak. Also attended an actuarial meeting in Vancouver and went to Victoria on Vancouver Island.. 

Retirement in the summer of 1991  Don retired from Mutual Benefit in the summer of 1991 and we started traveling.  We  use our condo at Naples Bath & Tennis Club in Naples, Florida  in  January, April, and November.  In February and March we stay in Vermont part of the time and also spend time skiing out West or in Europe, and traveling.  We are usually at Lake Beebe in Hubbardton, Vermont in the six summer months ( May through October) and also in December. We are normally at our condo at Naples Bath and Tennis Club in Naples, FL in November, January, and April.  (Here are some Florida condo pictures: 1   2   3   4   5   6).

1991 Fall  Went to an actuarial meeting at Niagara on The Lake and also visited Niagara Falls.

Canada and England 1991   In November of 1991 Don became President of the Society of Actuaries at the annual meeting in Toronto. This honorary position involved extensive travel for both Don and Mary.  In November we attended the biennial meeting of the Institute of Actuaries held at Grosvenor House in London. 

 Don with British Actuaries         Don with British Actuary Paul Seymour    Don and Mary with Colin Powell

Belgium and France 1991   We then took the jet foil from Dover to Bruges and visited an international actuarial organization in Brussels. Andre Lamens, its president and his wife, hosted a dinner at The Swan, a fantastic restaurant in the old city. As we were in Europe we went on our own to Paris, Chartres, Versailles, and Fontainebleau.

Phoenician 1992  In January and March of 1992 we had Executive Committee meetings at Boca Raton in Florida and the beautiful Phoenician in Arizona. 

Skiing in Sun Valley and Mammoth 1992   In late February and March of 1992 we enjoyed two weeks skiing with Stan and Harriet Joseph at our favorite ski area: Sun Valley. In March we were in CA   so we found time to ski at Mammoth Mountain.

March 1992 in Ohio  Don flew to Toledo, Ohio on his way home from Chicago, rented a car  and met 85 year old Uncle Carl Kinsel and 93.5 year old Aunt Anna Hetrick at Anna's in Port Clinton.  Don then spent the night with brother Ralph and June. The next day he visited 83 year old Uncle   Carl Kinsel in Bellevue and then visited Uncle Lester Sondergeld in Genoa.  Ralph and June treated Don to dinner at the Bay Harbor Club.  The next morning Don drove to Oberlin and visited his college roommate, George Andrews and wife Marlene (Pete) before flying out of Cleveland.   Anna Hetrick is 100     Anna and Otto

Asia 1992  Then in April and May we spent a month in Asia with Don speaking to actuaries in Tokyo, Singapore, Indonesia (Jakarta and Bali) and Hong Kong.  We then went to China (Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai), and Hong Kong before ending our trip in Taiwan.    The Terra Cotta Soldiers in Xian were fantastic. We had a nice trip to the Taroko Gorge south of Taipei.

 Don at Nankai University       Mary in Beijing

Chicago and Western Canada 1992   In the spring of 1992 we went to an actuarial meeting in Chicago (where we took a very interesting architectural tour on the Chicago River), then flew to Edmonton and took the overnight train thru the Canadian Rockies to Vancouver where we attended the annual meeting of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA).  Did manage to visit Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Van Dusen Botanical Gardens, Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park, Stanley Park, Grouse Mountain, and of course Butchart Gardens and Victoria on Vancouver Island.

Don and Mary in Chicago      Don with SoA President's Medal of Office

Montreal, late May 1992  We next attended the International Congress of Actuaries in Montreal and rafted on the Red River.

Disneyland, mid June 1992  We attended a Society of Actuaries meeting here.  David drove down from San Francisco and a day later Shelley flew in from Hartford, CT.  We then spent the next day with David and Shelley at Disneyland.

August 1992:  35th Wedding Anniversary Party  Our kids surprised us with a square dance and line dance party at the Hubbardton Grange.

Mexico City, Canada, DC 1992  In September 1992 we went to an actuarial meeting in Mexico City.  Later that month Don and Mary flew to Calgary, visited Banff, followed by  a Council of Presidents meeting at Lake Louise. The annual meeting of the Society of Actuaries in late October was in Washington DC and Don passed the gavel to his good friend Walt Rugland.  Don enjoyed attending a birthday party for Cecil J Nesbitt the head of the Actuarial Department at the University of Michigan.  We drove back to our home in Upper Montclair, NJ after stopping at Joseph Shipley's mansion "Rockwood" and Alfred Du Pont's even larger mansion "Nemours" in Wilmington, DE.

In Mexico City with Barry Watson, Mo Chambers, and Pablo Noriega. 

With actuarial roommates (Summer of 1955) in 1992: Dave Wakley and George Andrews

Boca Raton, Mid November 1992  Don and Mary attended the Casualty Actuarial Society's annual meeting.  After the meeting at Boca we looked at condos in Ft Myers and Naples.  In Naples visited Don's lawyer friend from The Hartford (Steve and wife Betty Martin).  Decided to make an offer on a condo, we did, and it was accepted.  We flew to Naples and  closed on January 8, 1993 and stayed until the end of the month.

Arizona 1993   In early 1993 we attended an Executive Committee at the Regency in Scottsdale. Drove up to Tucson to spend a day with Don's favorite boss Jim Bruce and his wife Beedee. We had then  planned to attend an actuarial meeting in Banff and go on to Whistler/Blackcomb for skiing...but Don had a double by pass  at Dartmouth/Hitchcock Hospital instead. His first warning attack of angina occurred skiing at Sugarbush with the Josephs, Kemlers, Greenmans, and Mary's buddy Sue "Flash" Gordon.

Vermont to Florida 1993  On April 4,1993, we drove south 1845 miles to our condo in Naples.  We stopped in Clifton, VA to visit Don's cousin Doris Bell, Richmond, Savannah and  Amelia Island.  In the Clearwater area we visited Dave and Fran Wakely and cousin Art and Irene Burton. We left Florida on    May 10, 1993, stopping at St. Simon's Island, visited the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, NC, Blue Ridge Parkway, the Sisley Exhibit in Baltimore, Garden Tour in Newcastle, stayed at Dupont Hotel, visited Brandywine, Longwood Gardens, and Winterthur.  Managed to log in 2085 miles on the return trip.

 Quebec City and Nova Scotia 1993  In June 1993 we attended an actuarial meeting in Quebec City at the Frontenac and then retraced our honeymoon with a trip around the Gaspe Peninsula followed by a few days on Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia (Halifax and Peggy’s Cove) and the Blue Nose Ferry from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor, where we slept in the former viewing room of a funeral home that is now a motel. From there we visited John, Connie, and Evelyn Towne in Waterville and Karla in Harrison, Maine.

Stan Joseph is 60 in 1993   On September 12,1993  we drove to Mt Kisco,  New York to help Stan Joseph celebrate his birthday.  He attributed his long life to his "genes".  Later in September we visited Don's buddy Curt Rosser, and wife Bobbie in Orleans, MA on Cape Cod.  Curt is so happy in retirement (10 years ago at age 55) with his painting and Bobbie is very involved with the theater.

Ron and Marian Champion from Melbourne in 1993   On October 5, 1993 Ron and Marion Champion surprised us with a visit to Hubbardton, Vermont.   Ron  is President of the Institute of Actuaries in Australia and President of an insurance company in Melbourne that funds teachers retirement plans. Ron and Marion are on a trip around the world (A Safari in Africa, London, Wales, Italy, NYCity, VT, Chicago, and Hawaii).  Ron  and Marion subsequently entertained us with a  tennis "barbie" (barbeque) party with two other actuaries and their wives on Ron and Marian's backyard clay tennis court when we were in Australia in March of 1994.

New Mexico and Colorado in October 1993  Mary flew from Burlington Vermont to Albuquerque New Mexico on October 7, 1993 to tour with the Old Broads. Here she is with Brita Tate, Ilse Krisst, Pat Barry, and Cesily Singer.  Another with Rema Krisst.  Mary bought a turtle sculpture in Santa Fe.  Don met her at the Newark airport a week later on October 14, 1993.

 London and Germany 1993   In November 1993 we attended an actuarial meeting in London, England so spent some time in Europe.  In London we renewed our friendship with Pablo Noriega and his wife Amy from Mexico, flanked in this picture by  Walt Rugland and Mary Sondergeld.  We then flew to Berlin and also visited Potsdam.  Drove to Unterhaun and Oberhaun in Hesse to visit the Sondergeld relatives and flew home from Frankfurt. A nice ten days.

Mexico1994   In January 1994 we took a five day cruise to the Yucatan Peninsula from Tampa and visited “Chicken Pizza!”.

 Australia and New Zealand 1994  In late February 1994 thru early April we spent three weeks in Australia  followed by  three weeks in New Zealand. We were about a week in Port Douglas spending time on the Great Barrier Reef and on a nature safari.  We then had a wonderful week with Don’s cousin Neville Sondergeld and his wife Joy in Toowoomba west of Brisbane.  Queensland pics. Then beautiful Sydney where we did the lunch boat cruise of Sydney Harbor with a US actuary, Steve and his wife Janice Niehaus. We  drove from Sidney to Canberra and then through the Snowy mountains to Melbourne  where we visited Ron and Marian Champion.  We visited three state capitals: Brisbane in Queensland, Sydney in New South Wales, and Melbourne in Victoria.

We then flew to Auckland, New Zealand.  Map  We thoroughly enjoyed  one week on North Island in New Zealand and two weeks touring South Island.  On North Island we toured Auckland, saw a Maori show in Rotorua and  loved "windy" Wellington.  Then two weeks on South Island where we visited Christ Church, rode in a helicopter that landed on a glacier on Mount Cook, took a super jet boat ride in Queensland (where we also saw bungee jumping), took boat trips on both Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, and saw an Albatross colony outside Dunedin.  We then flew from Christ Church to Auckland and then back home.  We liked  everything about New Zealand.  If you walk around Auckland with a question on your face, a Kiwi will come up and say "Can I help you, Mate?"  One of the few places in the world where we are not "Ugly Americans".

Don and Mary in Kuranda               Neville and Joy Sondergeld in Toowoomba

California in May 1994  We flew from Florida to California to visit David and his family for the last ten days of May.  We did the usual tourist stuff: Fisherman's Wharf, Point Lobos at Carmel, Monterey, Muir Woods, Napa Valley, and watching David parasail.

Don's Broken Ankle in June 1994  Don was playing tennis with RJ Contant, Steve Earl, and Tom Spangenberg. on the day after Mary's 60th birthday.  In attempting to drive RJ's second serve thru RJ's navel, Don's left foot did not move and the torque snapped the small bone in Don's leg requiring an operation to insert a plate and eight screws. Don was back on the court in a month with his bionic ankle.

Neville and Joy Sondergeld arrived from Australia 1994  Don met his cousin Neville at the Albany airport on July 24, 1994.  They spent a week with us sightseeing Vermont (Middlebury, Queeche, and Trapp Family Lodge near Mt Mansfield in Stowe, Vermont )and two days in Boston, where we went to a Red Sox game.  They then flew from Albany to New Orleans for three days, four to five days in Salt Lake City, four to five days to see Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon before flying home from LAX.  Australian Invasion pictures.

Germans: Herlinde, Hermann, & Alexander Eimer-Sondergeld    1994              On August 5, 1994 we met their plane at JFK and arrived back in Vermont late. We did some sightseeing in Vermont.   On August 9, 1994  Don drove his "German cousins" over the scenic  Kancamagus Highway to Conway, New Hampshire where we camped.  The next day we did the Cog Railway up Mount Washington, with dinner, at the lodge in Pinkham Notch, and camed at Covered Bridge.  The next day we camped neat Freeport, Maine and visited Pemaquid Point and Boothbay Harbor, with dinner at the Cannery in Yarmouth.  The next day we did the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, Maine  and visited Karen and family in Beverly, MA.  Don got a ride with Karen to Vermont and the Germans  stayed in Beverly for a few days: took the train to Boston, and also visited Rockport and Gloucester. They then drove to Vermont where they did more sightseeing until August 25, 1994 when we drove them to NYC.  Stayed at the Sheraton.  The next day we took a sightseeing bus, followed by a  trip to the top of the World Trade Center.  That night we saw Carousel.  The next day we went on  a boat trip around Manhattan and visited museums .before flying back to Germany at 6:05 pm on August 27, 1994.  A lot of sightseeing in three weeks. See German Invasion 1994

Colorado, Utah, and California 1995  In March 1995 we skied one week with Steve and Sandy Earl at Steamboat Springs.  Loved skiing with “The Over the Hill Gang”.  We were even invited to their banquet.  Tom and Barb Aicher, from Rutland were also at Steamboat that week. We then flew to Salt Lake City for one week at The Peruvian Lodge at Alta skiing with Walt and Millie Rugland. Had drinks with a retired actuary, George Swick and his wife Lois at their home at Alta.  As Don had an actuarial committee meeting on elections in San Francisco, Mary flew to Vermont and Don flew to SF, where he spent a week, sightseeing SF and also skied one day at Squaw Valley and one day at Alpine Meadows before Don flew back to Burlington, Vermont.                                    Don and Mary in Alta, Utah

Actuarial Meeting at the Waldorf Hotel in NYC  late May 1995  Spent three days there and saw many old friends: Liz and Jim Reisktyl, Yuan and Mary Chang, Curtis Huntington, Bob and Diane Berin, Dave and Faye Holland. We saw Showboat.  One night we had dinner at the Algonquin Hotel and went to the top of the Marriott Marquis with Dave and Fran Wakely.  We also went to our favorite gay Piano Bar: "Don't Tell Mamas".  The last night Dave and Fran Wakely plus Steve and Sandy Earl had a great dinner at Rene' Pujols.  After dinner the Wakelys went to Showboat and the rest of us saw Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard.  After spending the night with Steve and Sandy Earl we drove to CT where we had lunch with David and Lois McDonald and David beat Don 6-1 on Dave's tennis court.  We spent the night with Eric and Cindy Sondergeld before returning to Vermont, thru North Adams (where we drove to the summit of Mt Greylock) and Williamstown (where we visited the lovely Clark Museum)..

Washington and Vancouver 1995   In June 1995 we flew to Seattle and then drove the Olympic Peninsula. (Quinnault Lodge, Hurricane Ridge, Port Townsend, and Bloedel Preserve on Bainbridge Island).  We booked a super whale watching trip with lunch at Friday Harbor  in the San Juan Islands. We then took a train to Vancouver and did the usual garden tours in Vancouver.

Deer on Olympic Peninsula    Orcas  

 Florida 1995  In November 1995 we met the Whitneys in Orlando (Magic Kingdom, Watermania, EPCOT, and Sea World), also visited Busch Gardens in Tampa, and then spent some time in Naples with a boat trip to Keywaydin Island.  They helped Don celebrate his 65th birthday at HBs on The Gulf.

   Stan and Harriet Joseph  in Naples

Costa Rica 1996  In January 1996 Mary went with the “Old Broads” of West Hartford, CT to Costa Rico for a week.  Loved it. 

Sun Valley 1996  In March 1996 skied Sun Valley with Stan and Harriet Joseph.  We stayed in a tiny condo at Warm springs.  Here are some pictures of Stan and Harriet's family and friends.  We even met John & Jenny Whitney on the slopes.

Bahamas April 1996  We flew to the Great Abacos  in the Bahamas and stayed with Mary’s brother John and wife Connie Towne on their large power boat.  Here are seven pictures:  One  Two  Three  Four  Five  Six  Seven

Karla's Bridal Shower at the Earl's on May 18, 1996 A nice Bridal Shower at 35 The Fairway in Upper Montclair, New Jersey.

Megan Donahue Bridal Shower on June 1, 1996  A nice Shower at the Davidson's in West Hartford, CT.  Here are two pictures:  One  Two

ALASKA 1996   In June and July 1996 we spent three weeks in Alaska with Jack and Bev Grald and Stan and Harriet Joseph.  A super trip. We flew to Anchorage and stayed at the Copper Whale Inn. We flew to to Brooks Lodge on the Katmai Penninsula to see the bears catching salmon. 

We then flew back to Anchorage and flew to Fairbanks, where we stayed at the Cloudberry Lookout B & B, a massive lovely log building. We  took a riverboat trip in Fairbanks on the Cheena River. After breakfast with our Innkeepers, Shawn and Susie, we took a 120 mile train ride to Denali, where we stayed at the North Face Lodge, 90 miles from the train station.  There, we took hikes to see wildlife, but only got occasional views of Mt Denali (Mt McKinley).  We returned to Anchorage (240 mile train ride) and stayed at the Copper Whale Inn. 

Next was a super drive around the Kenai Peninsula.  (First we dropped Stan & Harriet at the airport, as they had done the second half of our trip first, and flew home). We drove along the beautiful  "Turnagain Arm"  south to Homer.  We stopped for lunch at Cooper Landing at the Kenai Princess Hotel, with it's terrific view, high on a bluff above the Kenai River.  We stayed in Homer at Bob & Gayle Ammeron's Halcyon Heights B & B  (240 miles from Anchorage). We had dinner at Land's End on the "Spit" of land that sticks out into the Bay.  Theany many tents pitched there, are inhabited by "Spit Rats".  The next day we took a 4.5 hour boat trip around Gull Island and saw many types of birds, including puffins.   That evening we took the "Danny J" for a one hour boat trip to Halibut Cove on an island for dinner.  The next day we drove north and had lunch again at the Kenai Princess followed by a terrific 3 hour rafting trip steered by Meryl Streep (no, Leah from Texas & Oklahoma). We then drove to Seward and stayed at Stoney Creek B & B.  The following day we boarded the Kenai Fjords Boat at 0930 and returned at 1830.  Saw glaciers, a humpback whale, eagles, steller sea lions, mountain goats, black oyster catchers, puffins, etc.  Our next day was a drive to Anchorage, stopping at 3900 foot high Mt Alyeska, a ski area with a 2100 foot vertical.  At 6:30 pm we flew 1.5 hours to Juneau.

Watched the Wimbledon final: Richard Kracjek beat Malvi Washington in straight sets.  At 11:30 am we took a 20 minute flight to Gustavus where we boarded a small boat and took a 2.5 hour tour, seeing sea otters, a humpback whale, and eagles.  We were then bused to Glacier Bay Lodge.  The next day we boarded the Spirit of Adventure at 0700, returning at 1615.  A great trip where we saw: 3 glaciers (none calving), a black bear, some brown bears, sea otters, steller sea lions, eagles, horned and tufted puffins, black winged kittywakes, raufus hummingbirds, etc. etc.  The next day we went with Bev & Jack Grald sea kayaking, with our instructor Michelle of Spirit Walker Expeditions.  Our sea kayaks had pedals to turn a rudder.  At 5 pm we flew to Juneau and stayed at the Westmark Juneau.

The next day we toured Juneau, too touristy with lots of huge tour boats.  The next day we took a bus to see the 80 foot high Mendenhall Glacier.  Small as compared with the 100 feet high glaciers at Glacier Bay and the 200 feet high glaciers in Seward (hight as measured at the foot of the glacier). At 3 pm we flew to Seattle and had a great dinner at Etta's in the Pike Street Market.  The next morning we flew to Chicago, where David, Shelley, Owen, and Kyle arrived and we all flew to Burlington.  The next day Jenny Breckenridge and David Mendenhall were married at the church in Sudbury, VT with the reception in a tent on the lawn west of the church.

 Anchorage & Brooks Lodge  Fairbanks & Denali  Kenai Peninsula  Glacier Bay & Juneau

Jenny's Wedding: July 1996  On July 13, 1996  Jenny Breckenridge and David Mendenhall were married at the church in Sudbury, Vermont.  The reception was held in a tent on the west side. Here we see  the mother and father dancing.

Karla's Wedding July 1996  A week later, on July 20, 1996, Karla and David Principe were married by Molly Lowden at the Lilac Inn in Brandon, Vermont.  Many pics.

Thanksgiving 1996  Don attended his first National bridge tournament just for a few days in San Francisco.  Visited Don's fraternity brother and college bridge buddy Larry Allen and wife Caroline.  The Whitneys were also in San Francisco so Karen and David and their families were also invited to have Thanksgiving dinner at Anne and Wells Whitney's home in Sonoma Valley.

Germany Austria Italy in 1997  In February and March 1997 we visited Germany, Austria, and Italy.  We flew to Frankfurt, visited the Roessels (Jane Sondergeld Roessel from Australia), the Ronnaus in Marburg, the Sondergelds in Unterhaun and Oberhaun, and the Sondergelds in Munich. We met Steve and Sandy Earl there.  Peter Sondergeld went with us for a skiing week that started in Garmisch, Germany and Innsbruck, Austria and ended in Cortina, Italy. When we were in Garmisch we went to dinner and a yodeling show in Partenkirchen, where Don astonished everyone by volunteering to play a huge "alpenhorn".  We had a very expensive (and not good) dinner with the Earls at “Harry’s Bar” in Venice before they flew home.  We then toured the lovely, but small, Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice and the nearby glass blowing island.  We then toured  Florence, San Gimignano, Pisa, Portofino, San Remo, Monte Carlo, Aosta, Lake Como and Verese.  Returned from Milano. Here are some pictures.

Sophie Sondergeld and Heinrich Schott in Oberhaun Germany ,:                           

Peter Sondergeld in Italian Alps

Houseboat Trip on Lake Champlain 1997  On August 7, 1997 we had a pre 40th wedding anniversary party by renting a houseboat at Plunder Bay on Lake Champlain.  There were 17 of us wearing T shirts that said Happy 40th August 3, 1997 with two smiling faces.  The 17 sleeping at Beebe are Don and Mary, five children, four spouses, and six grandchildren (Zach, Erin, and Alexei had not been born yet).

Wyoming and Idaho 1997  In the summer of 1997 we flew to Salt Lake City and visited Jackson Hole, Wyoming and went rafting on the Snake River.  We then stayed at the beautiful Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park, and toured Yellowstone for a few days. We then went to Sun Valley for Richard Joseph’s wedding to Maggie at Trail Creek.  We also took a glider ride over Mt Baldy. 

Don and Mary Rafting on the Snake   Mary in Yellowstone    

Gordon River early 1998  The Breckenridges and Morans visited us in Naples, Florida.  We took a boat trip on the Gordon River to Keywadin Island.

Skiing and bridge in 1998  In March 1998 we skied in Sun Valley with Stan and Harriet Joseph and then stayed at Chinquapin in Tahoe City with David and family and skied Tahoe (North Star, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, and Heavenly Valley)..  We then went to a bridge tournament for two days in Reno and with Mary’s help and two ladies from Prince George, British Columbia, Don became a Life Master in bridge.

Anna Hetrick is 100 in 1998  On Friday March 27, 1998 Don and Mary flew from Burlington, Vermont to Cleveland, Ohio, rented a car and returned the following Thursday. We stayed with brother Ralph and June in Sandusky, Ohio.  On Saturday March 28, 1998 went to Aunt Anna Kinsel Hetrick's 100th birthday celebration.  There were 90 attendees including all living nephews (except Bob Kinsel) and nieces. The Mayor of Port Clinton declared this day Anna Hetrick Day and gave her a plaque.  Anna also received letters from President Bill Clinton and the Governor of Ohio.

Anna's 100th      Anna and Otto

Don and Mary also visited Kelly's Island to see the lot Ralph is planning to build on.  We also visited Anna in Port Clinton and Uncle Lester Sondergeld in Genoa, Ohio.  Also visited Uncle Otto Kinsel in Bellevue, Ohio.  He cooked lunch for us.  Then Mary won two games, and Otto won one game of pinochle.  We visited with George and Pete Andrews in Oberlin, Ohio and drove them to the Cleveland airport.  Their plane to San Francisco was at the gate next to ours.  We flew to Ft Myers, Florida.

Turkey, Greece, Scandanavia, Russia, Rome 1998   In the spring, Mary went to Turkey and the Greek Isles with the “Old Broads”...loved Turkey.  In June we went to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia (St Petersburg and Moscow). We also had a stopover for a day and a half in Rome. We were lucky as the Scandinavian tour had  a terrific guide. 

Don in Moscow      Moscow

California & Tahoe1999   In February 1999 we were with David and Shelley  in San Francisco and skied at Lake Tahoe (Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, and charming Homewood).

Meribel and Provence France 1999  In March 1999 we spent one week skiing in Meribel, and two weeks touring in Provence.  The Eterlou Hotel in Meribel was right near the lift. We had dinner most nights with new friends from Quebec: Denis and Helene Cote. 

Provence was fantastic: We toured with Steve and Sandy Earl one week meeting them at Chateau des Alpilles in St Remy. We then saw the Roman Amphitheater in Arles, Le Baux, lunch at Oustau Le Maumaniere, Palace of Popes in Avignon, Chateau Neuf-di-Pape, Orange, Pont du Garde, stayed at Les Marronniers in La Brugiere run by two terrific gay men, Uzes, Nimes, Gordes, Roussillon, Aix, Grimaldi Chateau, Mougins, Cannes, and the last night with the Earls at Chateau de Vergiers outside Marseille.  The Earls then flew home from Marseille.

We continued touring for another week in Provence: La Bastide de Moustiers in Moustiers was terrific, the Grand Canyon of Verdun, perfume factory in Grasse, Le Moulin in Mougins, Pourriers, Vauvenargues, Lourmarin, L' Isles la Sorgue, Fontanne de Vancluse, back to Roussillon and David's Restaurant, Glanum's Roman Ruins, Van Gogh asylum in St Remy.  We flew  home from Marseille.

Mary in the Alps       Mary the Gourmand

Africa 1999  June 1999 we booked a two week Safari to Kenya and Tanzania. We flew into and out of Nairobi, Kenya staying at the Safari Park Hotel.  We generally stayed two nights at one hotel and did safaris and travel to the next location. The first stop was a night at "The Ark" where we could view animals from our room.  We stopped at the equator and watched water swirling clockwise and counter clockwise only 50 feet from the equator, where there was no swirl.  William Holden's Mt Kenya Safari Club was terrific where we took nature walks with two armed guards to protect us from animals.

We flew from Nanyuki  air strip to Massai Mara, staying at a tented Mara Intrepids Club.  The accommodations were great and this was the only unrestricted area, as  our driver could drive anywhere. We visited a Massai village, where the houses are made from dung, children were fly infested, and for protection, their cattle are driven each night into the center of the area surrounded by their huts and a stick fence.  So the entire area was paved in cow plops. Flew to Nairobi for lunch at the Norfolk Hotel.  We then drove towards Kilimanjaro and stayed at the Amboseli Serena Lodge.  Then to Tanzania into the Great Rift Valley and stayed at Lake Manyara Serena Hotel.  Next stop was the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge and a drive into the  Ngorongoro Crater.  We then journeyed to Serengeti thru the Oldupai Gorgs, and stayed at the Serengeti Serena Lodge.  We then flew home from Nairobi.  We took a lot of pictures.  The film and developing cost us about $400.  Now we don't use film with the advent of the digital camera.

African Dancers      Don and Mary at a Watering Hole

Bavarian Invasion 1999  On August 2, 1999 we met Peter, Gregor, and Lucas Sondergeld from Munich and Gregor's friend Mike Wallner at the Newark airport.  Drove into NYC nd up into the World Trade Cener to view the city before crashing at a Days Inn on 8th.  The next day we did the Guggenheim, Times Square, a three hour boat tour around Manhattan, and drinks at the revolving cocktail lounge at the top of the Marriott Marquis. The next day we drove to Old Saybrook, Connecticut  for a swim in the Atlantic at Megan and Bruce Roarick's and arrived in Hubbardton, Vermont at 11 pm. The next few days we relaxed at camp but managed to climb Eagle Rock.  We then climbed Camel's Hump.  Mike got separated from us, took a wrong turn, and went down a trail on the west side of the mountain. David Sondergeld had his cell phone and went down the west side to find Mike.  We went down the east side to our car, and called Mary who told us David had found Mike and where to meet them.  Otherwise a nice day. Then more days at camp, with Gregor becoming a "turtle". The Germans visited Ft Ticonderoga one day and met as at the Dog Team Tavern north of Middlebury for dinner.

On August 11, 1999 we rented a houseboat on Lake Champlain at Plunder Bay.  there were 14 of us: Don & Mary, four Germans, four  Sondergelds from CA, Karen and her three children.  Mike made as a "Schweinfest" for dinner: pork loin, red cabbage, and dumplings.  The next few days included Pico's Alpine Slide, a Concert On The Green in Castleton, horseback riding at Pond Hill Ranch, an over night visit to Montreal, and unsuccessful water skiing at Lake George where only Gregor got above the surface for a short distance.  Gregor turned 15 on August 17, 1999 and celebrated it with a "thanksgiving" dinner with turkey, etc. 

The next day Don took the Germans camping. We drove over  the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire where Lucas slipped and slightly sprained his wrist at Rocky Gorge. We camped in North Conway, New Hampshire  along the Saco River.  We then drove thru Crawford Notch to the Bretton Woods Mt Washington Hotel and to Pinkham Notch for dinner at the Appalachian Club.  We then shopped and had lunch in  Freeport, Maine and took a 2.25 hour Harbor Tour of Boothbay Harbor on a 65 foot sailboat.  Put our tents up in the dark at a campground 4 miles from Boothbay Harbor, Maine.  The next day we had breakfast in Damriscotta, stopped in Camden, then visited Perry's Nuthouse, and camped at Somes Sound View Campground on Bar Harbor, Maine.  Drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain and then did the Loop Road visiting Thunder Hole and the Germans swam at Sand Beach.

The next day we drove to Karen's in Sudbury, MA.  We stopped in Freeport, ME to purchase shoes for Lucas, and the Germans took a brief swim at Old Orchard Beach.  Next, Don dropped them at one end of the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, ME  and picked them up a mile later at the other end.. Mary had arrived at Karen's yesterday so Don, Mary, Karen and the three grandchildren and the Germans visited Boston, MA the next day: a Duck Tour, Boylston Street for lunch, Quincy Market, top of John Hancock building, and riding on the T.  The next day was "beach day" at Gloucester, MA.  Drove to Vermont the next day to relax.  for two days.  Lucas has become a good sailor.  On Friday August 27,1999 Mike Wallner became a turtle and was awarded his turtle pin.  We then drove to Newark, NJ airport so the Germans could fly home after a 25 day visit.

Here are some pics of the Bavarian Invasion.

New York 1999  On August 27, 1999 Don and Mary stayed at a Best Western on 48th between 8th and Broadway after driving to Newark yesterday.   As Karen and family are at the Marriott Marquis the seven of us went to "Tickets" and bought tickets to see Cathy Rigby as Peter in "Peter Pan" followed by cocktails at the top of the Marriott.  The next day Don and Mary drove home to Vermont, stopping in Saratoga Springs to see the Travers.

California 1999  On October 10, 1999 we flew to San Francisco for ten days.  We stayed two nights at the Marriott at the Society of Actuaries annual meeting and its 50th anniversary.  Attended a black tie dinner where Tony Bennett sang and a Harbor Boat tour.  Met David and Fran Wakely and son Steve (also an actuary) at the actuarial reception.  We also had dinner with Larry Allen (whose wife Caroline died of cancer last year), Don's fraternity brother and college bridge partner. Then a week with David and Shelley visiting Monterey, Carmel, Point Lobos, a trip to Angel Island, and watching David parasail.

Skiing 2000  In February and March 2000, we had a week of skiing at Mt Tremblant north of Montreal, and then skied one week with David and Karen and their families at Lake Tahoe, followed by ten days of super skiing at Sun Valley, staying with Stan and Harriet Joseph.

North Carolina 2000  Erin Salvia Principe was born on March 8, 2000.  We flew to Durham to see her on March 23.  Mary stayed 10 days before fling to Florida.  Don left three days earlier so he could play bridge in Ft Lauderdale.

Lester Sondergeld April 2000  Don's Uncle Lester was born on July 19, 1904 and died on April 13, 2000, three months shy of his 96th birthday.  Don flew from Florida to the funeral and got to see brother Ralph, cousin Nita Chambers and husband Joe, cousin Blanche Batesole and family plus some of his mothers family: Uncle Otto Kinsel and cousin Bob Hetrick and wife Janet.  Also visited George and Pete (Marlene) Andrews briefly in Oberlin before returning to Florida from Cleveland..

Equador and Peru 2000  In May 2000, we had one week in Equador in the Amazon Rain Forest and visited the Achuar Indians discovered only 30 years ago.  The following eight days in the Galapagos Islands were truly outstanding (perhaps the most interesting place we ever visited).  We next spent one  week in Peru, also wonderful: visiting Cusco and Machu Picchu (The lost City of The Incas) .

Mary in Galapagos  Don in Machu Picchu 

Don was 70 in 2000  We had a birthday celebration at the Naples Bath and Tennis Club (NBTC) attended by 45 people: brother Ralph, our children and grandchildren (except Ryan, Sara, and Caitlin) plus the Josephs, Friedlanders, Ed Rhode, and other friends from NBTC.

California & Tahoe 2001  In February 2001 we visited David, Shelley, Owen, and Kyle in SF and skied at Lake Tahoe (Homewood, Alpine Meadows, and Squaw Valley). 

France, Spain, and Portugal 2001  We then went to Europe for three weeks in March 2001: Two days in Geneva, four days skiing in Val d Isere, five days in Paris, four days in Basque Country in Northern Spain (beautiful Hondarribia and the Guggenheim in Bilbao), and five terrific sunny days in the beautiful Algarve of Southern Portugal.  A super trip! We loved the Algarve and dined at Vila Joya http://www.vilajoya.com/eng/index.php  in Albufeira and spent two nites at Dolly Schlingensiepen's Casa Tres Palmeiras in Portimao.   http://www.casatrespalmeiras.com/english/home/english.html . Dolly, her villa, and the beach below were terrific.

Don's Sweet Tooth  Hondarribia Dining  Hondarribia View    Guggenheim   Guernica Picture

Mary and Dolly    Beach below Dolly's    Sailing in Portugal    Land's End in Portugal  

Delaware 200I  In late May 2001 we drove to Wilmington, DE and stayed at the beautiful Hotel Du Pont and attended the formal wedding of John Contant and Betsy Ruttenberg.  Also visited Longwood Gardens, Shipley’s Rockwood Estate, Nemours, and Hagley Museum. 

Anna Hetrick: June 2001  On June 25 we drove to Niagara Falls, had lunch in Niagara On The Lake, and slept on the Canadian side.    The next day we drove to Oberlin, Ohio and ha d lunch with George and "Pete" Andrews. We arrived in Sandusky at 4 pm on June 26 to help celebrate Ralph's 68th birthday.  We took a ferry to Kelly's Island, had dinner at the Island House, and spent the night at Ralph and June's house on the island.  June returned to Sandusky the next morning to work, but we spent another night on Kelly's with Ralph.  Took the ferry back the next day to visit  Dulcy Stark in Fremont and were saddened to see her husband Richard dying of cancer. We then returned to Kelly's Island for the night.  The next day we took the ferry to Marblehead and drove to Belleview and Don's Uncle Otto Kinsel and his son Bruce.  Stopped at Aunt Anna Kinsel  Hetrick's grave and noted the tombstone needs to be fixed.  She was born on March 27, 1898 and died earlier this month on June 9, 2001. Her date of death is listed as 1 9 _  _ , as she assumed she would die before 2000 when the stone was purchased. Also visited with her son Bob and Janet Hetrick before returning to Kelly's.  The next day we took the ferry to Marblehead and visited with June Sondergeld  before she went to work. Aunt Anna was 103 years old.

Canada 2001  On June 30, we took the 2:30 pm ferry from Sandusky, Ohio to Pelee Island, Ontario to the Canadian mainland, arriving at 6:30 pm. We spent the night in London, Ontario. Saw the Tall Ships in Kingston the next day which was Canada Day (July 1).We had lunch in Gananoque followed by an hour boat trip thru the 1000 Islands. Crossed into New York at Ogdensburg, had dinner in Keene Valley, drove thru Lake Placid, and  arrived at Beebe Pond at 10 pm.

Toronto & Vermont 2001  In July 2001 Don flew to Toronto for 12 days to play in a National Bridge Tournament.  Did not do as well as he had hoped, but still picked up over 30 points.Vermont  In mid August our entire family was at our lake in Vermont: David, Amy, and Karla for over a week, Karen for five days, and Eric for three days.

New York City 2001 In late August 2001 we attended  the wedding of John Earl and Julie Katz at The Russian Tea Room in NY City and saw “Kiss Me Kate”.

North Carolina & New York City 2001  In December 2001, flying to Vermont from Florida,...via NC,  we visited Karla, David, Zach, and Erin Principe in Durham, NC.  In mid December we joined Woody and Marjorie Friedlander in NY City at the Broadway Inn and saw four shows, including The Producers, which was excellent.

Tahoe, Sun Valley, Arizona, & New Mexico 2002  In late February and early March 2002 we skied with Karen and David and their families in Tahoe, staying at the Chinquapin Resort just north of Tahoe City.  David and family stopped there on their way back from the Olympics in Salt Lake City.  We then flew to Sun Valley, and stayed with Stan and Harriet Joseph...Don skiing his favorite mountain.  Don had a Bridge Tournament the first week of April in Ft Lauderdale. So, Mary went with Brita Tate to Arizona and New Mexico, visiting the Grand Canyon, Georgia O Keefe’s Ghost Ranch, Mary Sarty in Santa Fe, etc.

San Francisco and Oregon 2002   In late May 2002, we flew to SF and spent four days with David, Shelley, Owen, and Kyle.  We then drove up the California Coast to Mendocino where our rental car developed an ignition problem.  It could not have occurred at a more beautiful spot.  The movie “Murder She Wrote” was filmed in Mendocino (Cabot’s Cove, Maine).  Our next night on the beautiful northern coast of California was in Trinidad.  We then drove to Grant’s Pass in Oregon and took  a jet boat trip thru Hellgate on the Rogue River.  Next we went to the outstandingly beautiful Crater Lake.  Then back to the Oregon Coast and Reedsport.  The next day was especially nice:  Dune Buggy ride in Florence, Sea Lion Caves, and the Heceta Head Lighthouse.  We stayed in Lincoln City and then drove to Mount Hood and Timberline Lodge.  Three climbers were killed two days before we arrived...but we had no climbing plans.  We then drove along the Columbia River Gorge to Portland, and flew to Burlington Vermont the next day.  A nice two weeks.             

Don and Mary at Crater Lake     Don and Mary in a Dune Buggy

45 Years of marriage 2002 In August 2002, our children surprised us with a 45th wedding anniversary party at the Clubhouse at the golf course in Middlebury, Vermont.   Dinner and dancing was included.

45th Wedding Anniversary Picture

New York City 2002  In December 2002 we went to NYC  with Woody and Margery Friedlander for five days of theater.

Don's left Quad 2003 On February 27, 2003 we flew to Florida for two months of tennis and bridge.  At 9 am on the 28th Don had a tennis match.  In warming up, he hit the ball over the net twice, and reaching for the third to his backhand, slipped, and tore his left quadriceps tendon off the patella.  Two weeks later he was operated on, and six weeks after that tossed his second cast away and started six months of therapy.  A bummer.  Karen visited us. We also visited Dulcy and her twin sister Doris in Ft Myers and their brother Art Burton and his wife Irene.               

Don in his cast            Karen in Florida        Don, Art Burton, Dulcy Stark    Art, Dulcy, and Irene

San Francisco, Vancouver, and Vancouver Island 2003  In June 2003 we went to SF to visit son David and family for four days.  We then spent two weeks in Canada. The first three days in Vancouver were in Vancouver attending an actuarial meeting, visiting all the gardens, and dining at the top of Grouse Mountain.  We then took a ferry to Victoria, staying at the Empress, taking afternoon tea, and visiting the world famous Butchart Gardens.  We then drove up the 300 mile coast of Vancouver Island, stopping first at the lovely Tigh-Na-Mara Resort.  We then drove to Port Hardy where 15 or more bald eagles soared by the deck outside our room at the Glen Lyon Inn.  The next morning we took a 15 hour ferry up the inside passage to Prince Rupert.  Terrific scenery.  We slept in our cabin and did the return trip the next day.  We again stayed at the Tigh Na Mara Resort before crossing to the west side of the island where we stayed at the fantastic Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino.  We went on two boat trips: whale watching and bear watching.  On the latter we saw black bears lifting rocks along the shore at low tide to catch fish.  We drove back to Victoria and took the Clipper to Seattle, stopping for whale watching (orcas) and at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

Empress Hotel      Don and Mary in BC     Bald Eagle     Black Bear    Wickaninnish Inn     Orcas

New York City 2003  In December 2003 we went to NY City for five days and saw four shows: Wicked, Little Shop of Horrors, Thoroughly Modern Millie, plus the Rockets with Amy and Aleksey the last day, a Sunday.

California & Tahoe 2004  On March 12, 2004 we flew to SF and spent time with David, Shelley, Owen and Kyle.  We watched David parasail, went whale seeking (no luck) near the Farallon Islands, and had lunch near San Francisco where we went to a zoo type safari.  Don took a train thru the Sierras on March 18 to play in a National Bridge tournament in Reno for ten days.  Mary flew to Florida on March 22, 2004 and Don followed after skiing with David at Tahoe one day.

Florida 2004  We had a nice April in Naples, FL.  Karen, Ryan, Sara, and Caitlin visited for a week and Don played bridge in Miami part of that week. 

Ireland 2004  On May 4, 2004  we drove to Sudbury, MA, and Karen took us to Logan Airport in Boston.  We flew to Dublin, Ireland and toured with Stan and Harriet Joseph until May 14.  We were in Dublin two days, staying two nights at Clontarf Castle.  We then visited the beautiful Powerscourt House and Gardens on our way to the Granville Hotel in Waterford.  On Day 4 we visited Waterford Crystal Factory and had lunch at the terrific Ballymaloe House in Cork before going to Blarney Castle.  The next three nights were spent at the Assolas House in Kanturk.  We toured The Dingle peninsula on Day 5 and the Killarney lakes and mountains on Day 6. On Day 7 we took the ferry at Tarbell ending up at the Ardawn B&B  in Galway.  We were in Connemara on Day 8 and stayed at the lovely Cashel House with its gorgeous rooms and gardens.  On Day 9 we visited Kylemore Abbey and Gardens and took a boat trip through Ireland's only fjord and stayed at the expensive overrated Ashford Castle.  On Day 10 we dropped our Hertz rental at Shannon and flew back to Boston. 

Molly Malone    Guinness   Blarney Castle   Cashel House   Cashel House Bedroom   Irish Coast   Cliffs of Moher    Fjord  Ashford Castle

Mary is 70 in 2004  On June 26, 2004 we celebrated Mary's 70th birthday.  The party was held at the lake under a 30x30 foot tent, with a caterer and a DJ.  Lots of fun.  Here are some pictures:   Family   Extended Family   Grandchildren  Tent  Singers    Karen & Don   Cake    Dancers:  Don & Mary   David & Eric   David & Karla  David & Shelley   Connie & Owen   Izzumi, Kevin, & Mia      Karen Cindy Harriet     Nuts on the Float  Allison Chris & Simon   David & Amy   Aleksey & Zach    Eric Cindy & Alexei          Don & Izzumi    Beebe Pond  Lake House

Connecticut 2004  On August 20, 2004 Amy hosted a family gathering at her home in West Hartford, Connecticut.  Tim Owens took this picture. Family.

Sun Valley Idaho 2005  In February 2005 we spent a week at Don's favorite ski area: Sun Valley, Idaho.  We stayed with Stan and Harriet Joseph at their condo in Elkhorn. They are about to move into a fantastic home they are having built. Here are some pictures of Don and Stan's skiing buddies.          Don in Red, Don in Blue,  Yalcin Okaya, Jack Cowan, & Stan Joseph. Don in 1981.

Otto Kinsel March 2005  Don was playing bridge in Pittsburg when Ralph called and told him Uncle Otto had died.  So, instead of flying east, Don rented a car and drove to Sandusky, Ohio on March 20, 2005 and stayed with Ralph and June.  Don helped Ralph hang some sheetrock the next day and then went to the Harris Funeral Home in Bellevue that evening.  The funeral was at 10 am the next morning at St John's Lutheran Church in Bellevue, followed by the burial in Union Cemetery in Oak Harbor, Ohio.  Otto was born on January 23, 1909 and died on March 17, 2005. He was the youngest in Don's mother's family and last survivor.  Uncle Otto was 96 years old.

OtWeWe returned to the church for a luncheon.  Always good to see relatives: Otto's sons Bruce and Paul, Bob and Carol Kinsel, Bob and Lee Hetrick, Art and Irene Burton, and Reverend Richard Sutter.  We returned to Sandusky and hung more sheetrock.  On March 23, 2005 Don drove 175 miles back to the Pittsburg airport for his flight to Burlington, Vermont.  (The airline permitted Don to change the date of his flight...but not to fly out of Cleveland instead of Pittsburg. .

Sicily and Sorrento 2005  On May 5, 2005 we flew from Boston to Palermo, Sicily.  Don's luggage did not arrive and it caught up with him at the Naples airport eight days later. We used one  week to drive around the edge of Sicily visiting Greek and Roman ruins in Segesta, Selinunte,  Agrigento,  Siracusa,  and Taormina  We liked the towns of Erice and Taormina (where we had lunch at the Timeo Hotel) high on hills.  We rode the cable car up Mt Etna before taking the ferry across the Straight of Messina to the mainland.  We stopped one night in lovely Maratea on the way to Sorrento, where we spent a week at Hotel Settimo Cielo.  Our balcony overlooked the harbor and across the bay we could see Naples and Mount Vesuvius.  We drove the beautiful Amalfi Coast and had lunch in Positano at the San Pietro Hotel.  We also visited Naples and Capri by hydrofoil.  We booked a bus tour  to Pompeii and Vesuvius and followed by a train to Herculaneum on our own. We took a hydrofoil to Naples to visit the Archeological Museum to see the artifacts removed from Pompeii and Herculaneum and then took a two hour sightseeing tour on a double deck bus.  At lunch, Don was directed to the toilet and as the light was poor, thought he was walking down a corridor but stepped into a stairwell falling eleven steps bruising his right side: forearm, hip, knee, and right instep.  Lucky that's all the damage.  Limped for three days.  After relaxing a day in Sorrento, we took a bus to the Naples airport and found many were on strike and most flights cancelled.  Alitalia put us on a 2.5 hour bus to Rome...but we were too late for our flight and spent the night at the Marriott near the airport and flew home a  day late. Capri and Blue Grotto.

Mount Defiance & Ft Ti 2005  On September 21, 2005 Don and Mary took the 3 minute ferry across Lake Champlain at Larabees Point and drove the one mile road to the top of Mount Defiance, where General Johnny Burgoyne had a cannon dragged to the summit.  This made the situation untenable for the American General St. Clair...who vacated Fort Ticonderoga in the middle of the night.  The British caught the Americans the next morning and a successful rear guard action at the Battle of Hubbardton on July 7, 1777 saved the main body of the army which defeated Burgoyne at Saratoga a month later.  Here are pictures of Fort Ti and of the narrowing of the lake between Fort Ti and Mount Independence.

Woburn, MA (September 29, 2005) - U.S. Genomics today announced that Dr. Duncan Whitney joined the Company’s management team as Vice President of Research and Development.  Dr. Whitney will spearhead new and existing efforts in the Company’s single molecule technology, which directly detects and quantitates individual molecules of miRNA, DNA, RNA, and proteins without the need for amplification. 

 "Duncan brings significant scientific and product development experience to the Company.  Duncan will play a key role in the development of additional applications for the Trilogy 2020 platform as we accelerate our commercialization efforts,” said John J. Canepa, acting Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Genomics.  “Duncan’s success in driving research and development at EXACT Sciences Corporation and other emerging life science companies makes him an excellent addition to our team."

 Prior to joining U.S. Genomics, Dr. Whitney served as Vice President of Technology for EXACT Sciences developing DNA diagnostic assays for cancer screening.  Previously, he held senior management positions at Molecular Geodesics, PerSeptive Biosystems (now Applied Biosystems, Inc), and Polaroid Corporation.  Dr. Whitney earned his PhD in Polymer Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Chemistry from Colby College.

 "U.S. Genomics’ technology has the potential to revolutionize how scientists perform life science research and I look forward to utilizing my experience at U.S. Genomics to make this technology widely available,” said Dr. Whitney.

John Towne is honored in 2005  Late September 2005 we drove to Waterville, Maine to go to Broadway Night at the Waterville Opera House and see Mary's brother, John Towne, MD receive a Lifetime Achievement Award with the following presentation:

"Towne, a Waterville native, graduated from Bowdoin College and BU Medical School.  He trained at Mass. General for vascular surgery, then returned to Thayer Hospital in 1970.

He was a charter member of the Kennebec Valley Chordsmen, and for ten years sang in a competition quartet called The Stuffed Shirts.  He was a founding Board Member of the Waterville Opera House, which incorporated in 1976 as Waterville Opera House Improvement association.  He was instrumental in fundraising for the major revitalization of the opera house and for the first air conditioning system there.  John was also a founding member of the Titipu Choral society, which put on numerous Gilbert and Sullivan productions.  his favorite role was Dead Eye Dick in The Mikado;  he also played the Pirate King in the Pirates of Penzance.  Today you can find him still singing, both in the choir of the First Congregational Church in Waterville and with the Colby-Kennebec Choral Society.

John has served as president of the Maine Medical Association; Chief of Surgery at Thayer for eight years; Chief of staff at Mid-Maine Medical Center, Thayer unit for two years.  Active in other community organizations, John was VP and President of the Boys/Girls Club and then Board member later when it merged with the YMCA, and he was past co-chair of the United Way with his wife Connie.

John and Connie, who have a son Nathan and daughter Allison, have been married 38 years.  They now divide time between Waterville and Bremen."

At the awards ceremony we see John and Connie, their family, Allison and Chris, plus Don, Mary , and Evelyn.  Here are pictures of Connie and Nate in Waterville and John and Connie's new house on Muscongus Bay in Bremen.

Vermont 2005   Our fall colors in Vermont were not striking this year.  Here is Eagle Rock late October 2005 and colorful Aleksey on Halloween..

History of Hubbardton 2005   Don published a 200 page book titled History of Hubbardton Vermont in October 2005.  He sold 100 copies in 10 days, ordered 130 more and sold 50 by Christmas 2005.  He reprinted 260 copies of a revised 208 page book in July 2007.      Cover (Use 50% size)     Inside of Back Cover

Don is 75 in 2005  On November 13, 2005 Don celebrated his 75th birthday with his twin cousins Dulcy (on right) Burton Stark and Doris (on left)  Burton Bell and of course with Mary: Don and cousins,  Mary and cousins, Don and cake.

Don's  Dislocated and Broken Thumb in 2005   We spend the month of January in our condo in Naples, Florida.  On January 2, 2006, Don and Mary flew to JFK from Burlington.  Then Don flew to Orlando to play bridge for a week and Mary flew to Ft Myers.  Don had a tennis match on Monday January 9, 2005.  At 8:15 AM he fell and dislocated and broke his right thumb.  A bummer.  No tennis for a month or so.

 Dominica in 2006   In February  2006 Mary and Brita Tate flew from Boston to Dominica on the 16th, returning on the 24th.  They had a terrific time and even took the ferry to Guadaloupe for two days.  Although French speaking, Guadeloupe is very depressed, but  Carnival was interesting.  They much preferred English speaking Dominica, spending two nights at the Fort Young Hotel in Rosseau and four nights at the lovely Papillote Wilderness Retreat.  Here is some of the staff at Papillote.

Los Angeles to San Francisco in 2006   In mid March 2006 we flew to Los Angeles and visited La Brea Tar Pits and the beautiful Getty Museum building.  We then took a whale watching trip by the Channel Islands from Ventura, and saw a number of humpback whales and thousands of dolphins.  We then stayed at the Cliff House in Pismo Beach and took two tours of Hearst Castle at San Simeon.  Spent a night at Carmel and visited Point Lobos to see sea lions and otters.  We even saw a bluebird.  Also drove the 17 mile drive on the Monterey Peninsula. Then spent four days with the Sondergeld family:  David, Shelley, Owen, and Kyle in Daly City.

North Carolina and Gardens 2006  After six weeks in Naples, Florida...we flew to Durham, NC and visited with Karla, David, Zachary, and Erin Principe for four days.  This was our last trip to NC as Karla has accepted an English teaching position in Somers, CT and the Principe family expects to move to West Hartford, CT this summer.  We then rented a car and drove to Wilmington, DE.  Here is Mary at Winterthur, New Castle, Wilmington Art Museum (where we saw a Liza Myers, of Brandon VT, exhibit), Wyeth paintings at the Brandywine River Museum at Chadds Ford, PA and of course Longwood Gardens.  We spent the night at John and Betty Moran's lovely home in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and then toured a "Show House" that Betty did a magnificent job of coordinating all the work for this fund raiser for the Allentown Art Museum.

Iceland 2006  On May 30, 2006 we drove to Sudbury, MA and had dinner with the Whitneys.  Karen then drove us to Logan airport and we flew to Reykjavic ICELAND for a tour.  We left at 9:30 pm and arrived at 6:30 am...a five hour flight and a four hour loss of time on the clock.  We took a City Tour of Reykjavic where about two thirds of Iceland's 300,000 people live and had a fantastic dinner at the Seafood Cellar.  Don had lobsters and Mary had lamb.  Prices are very high and dinner with only one beer and one glass of wine was $225.

The next morning the tour bus for Scanam World Tours picked us up.  We had a small  tour group, which consisted of only twelve people plus our driver Jonis Runolfsson and our tour guide Margret Einarsdottir.  There were two couples from England (David & Catherine Freeman and Derek and Doreen Whiting), Yoko and her parents from Japan, Geoff Kellerman from New Castle (north of Sidney Australia), Ann Carden from New Mexico, and Caroline Diericx from San Francisco (Caroline's husband is from New Zealand and is climbing Denali in Alaska.  Caroline will visit friends in London and then her mother in Belgium before returning to San Francisco.)  We did a counterclockwise tour of the island, logging 1200 miles in 7 days.  Here are pictures of us at various spots on the island: a Foss (waterfall),  on the moon,  by the ocean,  by the sea,  seeing mountains, at another waterfall,  in a glacial lagoon,  another waterfall,  more mountains,  lava,  hiking,  with a Viking,  at the Gullfoss, by a geysir, and on a whale watching boat.

Here are some scenes:  many many sheep,  sod house, the eider duck,  other ducks,  the Icelandic Horse, and the terrific Blue Lagoon.

Amy wrote an article about the Blue Chip Card at Central Connecticut State College, June 5, 2006.

Fauna  Mid June 2006 we put our float in the water and found a water snake under the pallets that fit in the top.  Also found the frogs in our frog ponds weathered the winter.  On June 23, 2006 a Vermont Turkey flew across Monument Hill Road north of Biddie Knob Road and broke Don's windshield.

Lilies 2006  We have had a lot of rain in June and July 2006...but Don's lilies are terrific.  Here are three pictures:     Lily 1  Lily 2  Lily 3.

Champlain Canal 2006  On July 26, 2006 Don, Mary, Aleksey, along with Amy and Steve took a boat tour in Schuylerville, NY south through lock 5 and north to a nineteen foot high  waterfall.  We learned the canal's waters flow south to the Hudson (and Erie Canal) and north to Lake Champlain.  The mules along the towpath are all dead. A few days later Mary and Aleksey went shrooming.

 The Champlain Canal connects the Hudson River to Lake Champlain, a total distance of 64 statute miles from Troy on the Hudson to Whitehall on Lake Champlain..  There are twelve locks to be transited.  The first, the Troy or Federal Lock, provides access to both the Champlain and Erie Canals.  The Champlain Canal itself, which begins where the Erie Canal leaves the Hudson, is comprised of eleven locks.  From Troy north it follows the Hudson for 40 miles to Fort Edward, with locks, dams, and dug channels to bypass falls and rapids in the river.  At Fort Edward the canal leaves the Hudson and follows a dug channel for an additional 24 miles to Whitehall, at the head of Lake Champlain.

Vermont 2006  On August 3, 2006 we celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary with dinner in Chittenden, Vermont at the Mountain Top Inn.  President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his entourage stayed there during a fishing expedition in 1955.  A few days later  this picture was taken of Karla, David, Zach, and Erin Principe on Eagle Rock looking west over Beebe Pond at the Adirondacks.  We had our annual meeting of the Eagle Rock Racquet Club on August 19. Our genial hosts were Mary and Joe Wolons.  A good time was had by all.  Captain Joe Wolons donated the motor for Auntie EM, the  Eurasian Milfoil vacuum cleaner to be used on Beebe Pond.  Here we see it docked at Steve and Sandy Earl's waterfront.

Gray died 2006  In early October 2006, Don flew to Naples, Florida to play bridge.  Early on October 3, our wonderful cat Gray had a stroke and Mary made the right decision to have Dr. Susan Hayden, his vet, put him to sleep.  Here he is sleeping.

New Shoulder in Florida 2006  On October 24, 2006 we flew to Florida for four weeks.  Don received a left shoulder replacement on October 30 and should be finished with some of his rehab before it is time to shovel snow in Vermont.  He also has a Metal Detection Card...although none has been needed for the plate in his ankle or the wire in his chest.  Here is an X Ray .

Thanksgiving 2006 in Connecticut  In November 2006 we went to West Hartford, Connecticut and had Thanksgiving at Karla's.  In mid December we returned to CT for two days: one to celebrate Karla's birthday (Karla and Erin) and one to stay with Amy and Aleksey and attend Aleksey's concert (he sang in the choir and played the French horn).  We also visited Eric, Cindy, and Alexei who are now renting a house in Canton, CT.

Christmas 2006  We saw Karla and family (Zach and Erin) over Christmas as they also have a house at Beebe Pond.  Amy and Aleksey and Amy's friend David and son were here over Christmas. Here is Don and Aleksey in matching outfits.   Karen and her kids were up the day after Christmas.  Here are our three daughters:  Karla, Karen, and Amy.

Eric's family skied Killington a few days after Christmas and then joined Karla's family and Brita Tate at our house for dinner.  Here are Eric's family, Dave and Zach, Karla and Cindy, Alexei and Zach, Erin, and Brita. 

At year end Karen and Duncan went to a Black Tie Wedding at Cipriani's Restaurant in New York City.  The Cipriani family also founded and owns Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy.

Florida  2007  On Sunday, January 14, 2007 Don had one of his favorite Sunday lunches of Grouper and Key Lime Pie in Everglades City at the historic Rod and Gun Club, once owned by railroad developer Baron Collier.  We then met Steve and Edith Kraysler who have owed property on the water on Chokoloskee Island for 20 years.  Steve is a partially retired actuary that Don and David Sondergeld skied with at Snowbird, outside Salt Lake City during a week in March 1987, when Don and  Walt Rugland taught a seminar on Profitability. Steve and Eddie took us on a beautiful boat ride through the Everglades.  We stopped on the island once owned by Ed Watson, who raised sugar cane but killed his sugar cane workers at the end of the season instead of paying them. The townspeople of Chokoloskee decided on vigilante justice and killed Mr. Watson on the dock at Smallwood's store.

On Sunday January 28, 2007 we had lunch at HB's On The Gulf and then drove to Naples Pier.  Mary and Don saw Jonathan Livingston Seagull and a camel.

On Saturday February 10, 2007 we went to Brian Brent's surprise 70th birthday party.  Brian and Margie live in 1518A, the condo under ours in Naples, Florida.

Cousins 2007  On February 11, 2007 we had lunch at Dulcy Stark's in Ft Myers Florida. Twin sister Doris Bell was there plus 85 year old brother Art Burton and wife Irene, who will be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary this summer.  Card players: Dulcy, Irene, Mary, Doris.  Cousins: Don, Doris, Dulcy, and Art.  Siblings: Doris, Art, Dulcy.  Family: Dulcy, Irene, Art, Doris.  On July 4, 2007 Dulcy's daughter Gail Stark Winans was in Ohio.  This picture of  Gail, TJ, Timothy (12), Kate (7), and Max (5) was taken at Sandusky Bay, OH.   

Atlanta 2007  On Wednesday February 14, 2007 we flew to Atlanta and our flight to Burlington, VT was canceled so we flew half way to Hartford to pick up Amy's cat Samantha.  Returned to Atlanta and got a Delta Deal:  A $35 Holiday Inn for $55. Had a Valentine's dinner at  Steak & Ale.

Vermont 2007   Upon arriving in Hubbardton, VT on Friday afternoon February 16, 2007 we found 30 inches of snow.  Karen and the gang came up President's Week to ski.  Here is Don with the Whitneys, Principes, and Roaricks at Pico. And here are Karen and Caitlin also on February 21, 2007.  Caitlin complained of a stomach ache so that evening she had her appendix removed.  Here she is the next day at Porter Hospital in Middlebury, Vermont.

St Louis 2007  In March 2007 Don roomed with Scott Hiller at a bridge tournament in St Louis.  Here are pictures of the old courthouse and the Arch, a view of