Season’s greetings! We hope this finds you well and that you had a wonderful 2023.

We had planned on going to mochitsuki at the end of 2022, but once again didn’t make it down there. We were able to have ozoni and dinner with the kids on New Year’s Day, which has turned into a great tradition.

The main trip of the year was a three week road trip around Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Lots of hiking, lots of seafood, and surprisingly little bad weather. We got lucky with the timing, since the wildfires were settling down when we arrived, so there wasn’t a lot of smoke. The trails that were closed opened up by the time we got to them, too.

Frank continues to work at the University of Washington, but plans to retire in the fall of 2024, after almost 33 years. He’s been continuing with projects here and there around the house, with a list long enough to keep him busy during retirement.

Melody still keeps busy with German-to-English translation. It’s always interesting to see her working on different kids of jobs, such as short stories or video subtitling. She is still involved in  book groups, hiking, and skiing.

This year’s bumper crops from the garden were plums, raspberries, and asparagus. We continue to underestimate the rabbits’ appetites, so have been putting up more wire and netting around plants.

Kellen and Noël still keep busy at work, and enjoy doing dinners with friends who live near them. They also went back East for two weddings, one for Noël’s brother, and one for her sister. Noël’s mom and sister flew out in the fall, and it was great to see them.

The big news for Tynor and Mallory is that they’re engaged! They’ll be getting married in the summer of 2024, and both are really excited. Both Mallory’s mom and dad made trips to Seattle, which were packed with events. Tynor has started going into the office downtown some days, while Mallory has a very quick commute not far from where they live.

Frank’s dad ended up going to the hospital last December, and is now in a small assisted living home in Anaheim. The people there take really good care of him, and he seems to be enjoying his time there. Frank made it down several times though the year, and his dad was always very chatty and would remember small, passing details from several days before, which is pretty good for someone who is now 97 years old.

Best wishes for this holiday season, and all through 2024!