Our Place

One of Diane's Favorite Views of Ireland

December 2007

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

The big adventure for this year was our visit to Ireland. This is something we both enjoyed immensely, but it held a special meaning for Bob because of his Irish heritage. Ireland is a fabulous place to visit. The buildings lack the grandeur of Italy (partly because the English made a point of destroying all the Catholic churches in Ireland) but the people and the country had a charm that couldn't be missed. There is a pub experience and a rocky green beauty that you just won't find elsewhere... or at least that we haven't found elsewhere.


After a couple of years being bound to the West Coast, we finally made it back to visit family on The Other Coast. We were able to spend several days on Cape Cod with Ed & Kathy, Michael and Abby. It was great to have the chance to be together again. The great news is that the leg pain Ed experienced for two years is gone! He's pain-free, feeling good and playing golf. Along with the time we spent with family we were able to include trips to Lexington, Concord and Salem to soak up some New England charm and history. Lots of photos...		Dinner with Kathy and Ed


This is the year Dustin moved out of the house. He's renting in a co-op building in Seattle, not too far from where he works. The view from his livingroom is fabulous. That's the Space Needle directly ahead, with Elliott Bay and Olympics behind it. Dustin spent most of the year working for a creative agency in Seattle. But the company was downsizing and moving to Portland, so Dustin got a similar job, working on a six month contract.


The big project this year turned out to be deck construction. Even the beermaking was put on hiatus for six months. Bob started in June, but the process was slowed by the need to move the new retaining wall, and by the 'learn as you go' process. Along the way we rebuilt and extended the retaining wall, bringing in more than ten yards of fill dirt and topsoil to create a lot more usable yard. The easy part was tearing down the old deck, because the beams and joists were untreated, and dated back to 1968. Digging up the old footings and disposing of them was more of a chore. The deck itself went up pretty quickly, but building the railings have been slow going. Diane has been helping with the painting, caulking and supervision. Fortunately, the work is nearly complete, and we have until June of 2008 to finish, according to our permit.		Oh, no! What have I gotten myself into now?


Diane on the misty trail to Twin Falls		The kayaks went unused this year, mostly because we had so much else going on. But we did manage to get out and do some hiking. We found several excellent treks, not far from our front door. We ended up with some rainy days for hiking, and it gave us a chance to test some of our foul weather gear, but we hope 2008 will be a bit drier!

Our sincerest wishes to all for a happy, healthy year in 2008. Drop us a line at