Adios 2017

Trying to squeeze in one last letter before the clock strikes midnight.  Plenty of time.

Where to start?  How about the weather?  John and Marilyn sent us pictures today of them playing golf and later swimming.  They had obviously returned to Florida from a week or so up here with their children.  We talked to them and they were enjoying their week of winter, but obviously eager to put away the fleeces and head back to outside warmth.

Elsewhere, frigid cold.  Today, we reached a high of 5 degrees.  Haven't felt like this since we left Ottawa.  One of Mary's friends from there wrote her and said it was minus 30.  That ought to make you feel warmer already.

We had a full household, including Annie, who came in from Oakland - via Boston - and then headed out to Nicaragua for a friend's wedding.  She too has sent pictures of the beach there and sea turtles.  Andrew and Margaret (and D) drove up, and they got to stay in our newly renovated basement suite.  And the little electric heater works.  They went into NYC to see Bruce Springsteen on Broadway one night, which sounded terrific.  

They they left, with an incomplete jigsaw puzzle on the coffee table.  Not sure we're going to get around to finish it.  But, we'll make sure we send a photo to prove it.

We talked with Joe and Leonor, and even Thomas, quite a few times this past week.  It sounds like Thomas was a good passenger, but had trouble adjusting to the new timetable.  They are renting an apartment for a month in Lisbon, right around the corner from Leonor's mother.  Wonderful to see Thomas surrounded by his large Portuguese family - so happy.

The Dundee Dicksons were all home for the holidays, including Daniel and Claire, and Bill and Jen.  We even got to hear the voices of Miles and Auden shouting Merry Christmas (Elliot not quite yet talking.)

Remember when it was warm, just a couple of weeks ago?  Mary and I spent a long weekend in New York City, living it up.  We saw a play called The Band's Visit (recommended, and we saw it featured on the PBS News Hour a few days later.)  We exhausted ourselves in the Met art museum walking through with 25,000 of our closest friends the Micelangelo exhibition.  If that were not enough, we went to a bar and watched football, and then went to a movie about Churchill, The Darkest Hour.  The next day, we had our meeting at the UN on refugees and migration.  Too much fun, too much money.

 

We've been to a couple of other movies up here, it being the good movie season.  We all went to the new Star Wars movie, the day after Christmas and had another celebrity siting - Al Roker.  Then, we watched Get Out at home.  We still have a number of others we want to watch, but not the one Al Roker went to: Jumanji.  Really?  Yes, you heard it here first.

Anyway, we will try to brave the cold tonight to go to a New Year's party.  Marj and Lew are here, and we'll see if the cars start so we can go to Bob and Jody's.

Got any resolutions?  Of course, you do.  It's what we do.  

We saw some wonderful Christmas celebrations from around PWL world on Facebook.  We'll close with a couple from Fairport and NJ.

Happy New Year.  Stay safe.  Love from up here..

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