Friday, February 14, 2014

Christmas 2013 Visiting Mom in her New Home and Facing getting older


Ausin found that glass float at sea
Emerson and Greg and I
  photo by Aunt Laura

Dixie and Greg Goode


Merry Christmas 2013 and Happy 2014
Photo Card 2013


This was a year of changes for our extended family, but we are finding ourselves at the end of it with a lot to be thankful for.

As things and people grow up and grow older, and move in and out of our life, we find ourselves with a lot more time to rediscover the relationship we began when we got married thirty year ago (May 21st) and the fun part is that we still find out that there is much we enjoy best of all when it is just the two of us.

When the year began, we had my Mom and Lance still living in Cody, Wyoming where my Mom and her Dad had both grown up, as did my brothers and I. Since spring, her health became so bad that she really couldn’t continue to live with just Lance. That was sad for Lance because he had to give up the job he has loved and been proud of for 19 years, but things have a way of adding blessings when other things are taken away and they have been living a new adventure in Virginia with my oldest, younger brother, Brett. Lance has even learned to drive around to take care of animals on the farm there.

I got to go visit them for ten days in July and then this Fall, Brett married Emily. Emily and her two teenagers, were really nice to me when I met them and wonderful to Mom and Lance. I am glad to have them in the family.

Greg’s Sister, Laura came to visit us at the start of summer, and that was wonderful. She is always energetic and fun to have around. Then Greg’s other sister, Wendy scared us by wrecking her motorcycle and getting some serious facial injuries but she has recovered ok, or so we hear as we didn’t actually make it to Wyoming to see them or Greg’s parents.

We also had our former Brother-in-law, Vince and his wife living only 5 hours away, in Salem, Oregon when the year began, so visiting family was possible any weekend – but now they have moved to West Palm Beach, Florida. So we find that family has spread apart from Coast to Coast and we are more thankful than ever for the speed of contact allowed via phone and text and internet.

And at the start of the year, Austin was together with a girl we love, and her 18 month old daughter. Since then they have broken up and maybe that was best for them. But remembering how my kids were adopted by their daycare grandparents, and just had three sets of real grandparents, we decided that simply because we got to be Angel’s grandparents because our son met her Mom, didn’t mean we had to give her up when they broke up, so we have stayed friends with the mom and daughter and see them sometimes more often than our boys.

Emerson and Lula were in their Freshman year at UC Santa Cruz as 2012 began. As it ends they are living here in Crescent City and taking time off from college as they await their own child, due in May. Emerson has gotten hired by the school district to work with handicapped children and seems to be getting along well there.

Austin has been out of town, both up the coast at Westport, Washington fishing for tuna, and down the Coast at Bodega By, California crabbing. He is on a fishing boat called the Barbara Marie which is supposedly based out of Crescent City, but the harbor still is undergoing rebuilding from the tsunami damage. Maybe someday he will be able to fish from home.

Greg has been active. He started a new youth Choir here in Crescent City in the evenings on Mondays and sings in the Crescent City Community choir on Wednesdays. His school classes expanded to include a period of Drama as well as the band and choir he was doing, so he is pretty much on the go non stop.

I have been writing, and when not writing have been trying to market my books. I got a set sold to a school district so the 5th grade can teach from 38 of the Oregon Trail books. I have done school presentations as an author and am working with one class to try and publish their class writing by the end of the year. I have been researching Pompeii and Mt. St. Helens for my next novel and really having fun with the small successes that are coming more frequently. I have had favorable interviews and reviews from Europe and India, just a couple but enough to smile and call myself an international author, and my first novel, Duffy Barkley is not a Dog, won a “Betty Award” for favorite tween series.

We devoted some time this summer to trying to save the local drive in theater from going defunct after the movies all switch to digital projectors, a change which would cost them about 80 to 100 thousand. Honda had a project to but projector for 9 theaters, but we didn’t manage to win that. So unless we find a miracle that era ends. I haven’t given up on miracles yet however.

I love Christmas and the gift of going through my family and friends list each year and remembering why you are so special and important to me. I hope that this finds you weathering the changes and remembering the blessings.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Dixie and Greg


New Years Goals

Brookings High Music Trip met up with a couple college freshmen

I have lived 1,000 lives
Trying to Save Red's Drive in
at Honda's Project Drive-In


Crescent City Harbor

Greg, Patty and Willie

Wave Watching

Grandpa tries to do hair

Crab feed

The old folks at home

Austin Dropping by for a minute

Emerson and Lula flew home for spring break

Home airport

in the redwoods

Walker Road

Ford and Em on the LoveSac

Making Music

The Lady Washington

Ford

Art with an Angel

Leaving Santa Cruz

UCSC Koi pond

You've been framed

visiting the NEIGHbors

Greg and Caesar

Greg and his sister Laura

South Beach Sunshine

Lance working at his new home

Mom at Virginia Home

walking KoKo Jo

My New Sister in Law and Lance and Mom

Lance learned to drive

Lance and his Niece, Lacy

Me and Mom

Emily and Brett

Vince and Marcy before they moved away

playing in the Smith River

Summertime

The Smith

Checking out the tuna haul

Austin showing Dad where he lives

Ford

Christmas at Charleston, Oregon

Shore Acres

Austin on a Crab run
Austin and Trisha

Rocky being adored as is his due

A long time ago in a country far far away