Season’s greetings! We hope that 2021, while not normal, has allowed you to bring back some traditions and plans we all had a couple of years ago.

For the first time since I was born, our family did not get together at the end of the year to make mochi. Having just the two of us around the holidays felt strange, but we still managed to hang onto some of our routines. I made ozoni (soup with mochi in it for good luck) for two, and Noël made some, much fancier than mine, for her and Kellen.

We did start to get a bit of cabin fever, so took a few days to do some snowshoeing in the Lake Wenatchee area. There was only a bit of light snow while we were out on one trail, but the weather was great for the others. We were the first people on the trail for part of our hike along Nason Ridge, so we got to stomp in deep (for us) powder rather than the rain-soaked “Cascade concrete” we normally snowshoe in.

When the weather warmed up, we took another trip, this time along the Columbia River Gorge to do some hiking. We went across the river a couple of times into Oregon, marking the first time leaving Washington since late 2019; it felt momentous at the time. We did two major hikes, Hamilton Mountain and Dog Mountain, as well as smaller ones and some sightseeing. We made sure to see the Marymount Stonehenge replica (which overlooks the Columbia) and the Goldendale Observatory (newly re-opened after pre-pandemic renovations).

The last trip of the year was to Tucson where Melody had a conference. We hiked in Saguaro National Park and went to the Desert Museum, and I got to spend time with family who live in the area. Since it was November, it was a good chance to enjoy some warm weather.

As you can imagine, we spent quite a bit of time in our garden this year. We were able to give away many more plums than the year before, yet our freezer is still pretty full with them. We got more blueberries than ever before, and plenty of raspberries and asparagus. The rabbits are still around and as hungry as ever, but we put up fencing right after planting, protecting the seedlings.

Last year the lot next to us was razed, and as expected, construction began this year. We now look out the window at two large houses which are nearing completion. And just down the block, another house is being replaced by two new ones, so we’ll probably see several new neighbors next year.

Both Kellen and Tynor changed jobs this year, continuing their careers in software development, while Noël’s design and dice businesses are momentum. We’ve been able to get together several times throughout the year, which has been a good change over last year.

Melody continues to do German-to-English translation, keeping quite busy with all sorts of projects. The UW opened up offices again, but our group has a mix of people, some going in each day, some working completely from home, and the rest doing a some of both.

We hope the past year has been a positive one for everyone, and we send our best wishes for a happy 2022.