The Beinlichs' 2001 Holiday Letter
Page 6
The end of September brought another opportunity to go sailing with Captain Raúl, once again in the San Juan Islands in Washington State. Barry decided to join us too, and we all spent a leisurely week exploring the area, enjoying the great weather, and contemplating the September 11 events.
Here's a page of photos
from our San Juan sailing trip.
We were very fortunate to not have lost any loved ones in the attacks, but we all felt the emotional impact, even far away in Oregon. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those of you who lost loved ones or whose lives were significantly affected.
While we were away sailing, Brian's employer, STEP, was acquired by Integrated Information Systems (IIS), based in Tempe, AZ. STEP's small-company, people-centered focus is clearly a thing of the past, but it's shelter in the storm of rampant high-tech layoffs and busted dot-coms.
The
end of October saw the re-appearance of Sharon's Catbert costume and the
sprouting of "a little chili pepper" that made the rounds on Halloween
night. Sharon’s mother Susie visited us again during Thanksgiving, which we
celebrated with Sharon’s brother’s family (Mike, Karin, and Sean). We also
stayed very busy during that time canning and preserving peppers, apples, and
other harvest bounty from the area. Speaking of peppers, this is the fifth year
we’ve grown peppers with our neighbors James and Polly (who also supply us
with our organic vegetables), and this year’s pepper crop was one of the best.
On a related note, Sharon has also been accepted into the Master Gardener program operated by Oregon State University, and she’s looking forward to the eleven weeks of classes that begin in January. Her formal gardening skills will serve us well if we ever find another house. After two years of unsuccessfully looking for a modest house with a second bedroom on the same floor as the master bedroom and enough sunny land for a garden, we’re a bit weary and frustrated. But we’re hopeful that 2002 will be the Year of the House for us.
Well,
that about sums it up for another year in the Beinlich household. We are all
happy and healthy, for which we are extremely grateful. We hope that all of you
will find a way to enjoy the peace, beauty, and serenity that Mother Nature
presents to us at this time of year. Our best wishes for a peaceful
and joyous holiday season go out to each and every one of you. May your New Year
be filled with health, happiness and contentment.
Love,
Brian, Sharon, Mason, and Mingus
Well, that's it. Did you like it? We hope you'll take a moment to sign our guest book and let us know what you think. Or drop us an e-mail to let us know what you've been up to! Don't forget, Brian needs a way to justify the time he spends creating the web version of the letter!
Did you miss last year's Holiday Letter?
Last updated: 12/31/2001.
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