One thing I like about being in North Idaho this time of year is that we usually have a White Christmas. In the last couple of days the lake has froze and now there is a light dusting of snow on it. The sun is out and it's cold, around 10 degrees. The only way it would be more magical is if it had just recently snowed and the trees were heavy with snow, which they aren't, but, it's also a good thing, since the driving would be difficult.
The kids were bugging me last night about not having the annual Christmas letter / blog done so here it comes.
In late January we made our annual trip to Hawaii to visit some of Mona's relatives living there, primarily Mona's two aunts. This is her Aunt Helen who will be turning 100 years old next month. We will be there to celebrate along with Mona's family.
I decided to trade in the motor home for a truck and trailer. Here it is parked as a friends house before our winter trip south. The winter ice this year was especially bad and we couldn't wait to get going. I couldn't walk out of my house without traction devices on my shoes. With the ice, there was no way I could get the truck and trailer up and down the road to my house.
Along the way we visited several friends, Mona's son and his fiancee in LA and my brother in Palm Springs. We kayaked the Colorado River in Yuma and Lake Havasu. Mona had not been to the National Parks in Utah for many years so we wound our way across Southern Utah visiting them. She also had a life goal of hiking a slot canyon which we fulfilled in the Grand Staircase / Escalante National Monument.
An area I really wanted to visit in the monument was the Wahweap Hoodoos. It's over a 9 mile round trip hike to get to them but well worth the effort. What a spectacular place. It is really ridiculous that Trump and the Republicans want to reduce the size of this National Monument just so a very few people can make more money.
Towards the end of the trip we were in Moab with Teresa, John and Caanann. It was great having some time extended time with them and to watch Caanann to while Teresa and John went mountain biking. We also had a chance to meet up with some friends and sight see in Moab along with visits to Arches and Canyon Lands National Parks.
After the trip Mona had her left knee replaced. It had been bothering her for some time. It was amazing that she was able to hike to the Wahweaps, but she paid for it for several days afterwards. She made a much faster than normal recovery from the surgery, impressing everyone. What a Gal!!
On of the things in my Bucket List was to travel up the east coast of Canada in the Fall. We took off in early September and took a couple of months traveling to, from, and around Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
The highlight was having Lucy, Mona's daughter, come up and explore the area around Halifax with us. There were many highlights this trip including a chance meeting with friends in The Bandlands National Park, visiting Cape Breton with friends, listening to the local music, seeing the only known Viking village in North America, and, spending a couple of days on a small island in Newfoundland when they were having an annual festival.
Seeing the fall colors in Cape Breton was also a highlight. We also spent a couple of days at Acadia National Park riding bicycles on the carriage road and exploring Bar Harbor.
A Christmas Letter would not be complete without a little update on the family. Here are the grand kids. Saray is twelve, can you believe it? She is doing really well in middle school and is quite the athlete playing volleyball and basketball. Little Caanann is just over one and the happiest baby ever. He seems to be always smiling and just now is walking. Mila is a year and a half and just the perfect little girl. She has this great little smile that she uses to great advantage when with us. Celine is five and is just a bundle of energy, doing a pretty good job at keeping up with her brother and sister. Raif is seven and in second grade. What a smart kid. He loves school and can put together Lego's faster than anyone. He takes after his uncle Eric that way.
Michele is still a intensive care nurse at the local hospital. Stan continues with the Forest Service where he takes care of the forest fire tanker base in Coeur d'Alene. Christine changed jobs and now is the Executive Director for the none profit The Juniper Fund. Clint works for Boeing and is still working on his engineering degree. I don't know how he does it. Eric is still an engineering manager at Boeing which really has been keeping him busy this year. He relaxes by doing things with his girl friend Angela and playing on his boat. Teresa still is teaching but has transitioned from first grade to teaching the advanced students. And John is a stay at home dad. I just love watching him around Caanann and his nieces and nephews. What a great dad and uncle.
I already mentioned the Mona had knee surgery. Her recovery has been awesome. She may opt to have the other knee done in the near future, maybe even this year. I'm doing well health wise. I did bang up my leg mountain biking in Moab and then did the same thing to the other leg while riding in Sandpoint. Other than that and a small back issue, things have been good.
That's about it for highlights. Again, check out our blog for more details of our adventures. It is at www.knotaklu.blogspot.com.
Hope you all have a great Christmas, New Year and a wonderful 2018!
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