Merry Christmas

Dear Friends far and near,

A mere 24 hours to Christmas, 2008 is almost in the books. Turning 55 this past Saturday had its pitfalls. No question I look older every time I glance in the mirror so I don’t do it much. The boys tell me to comb my hair. I tell them I am lucky to have hair and I tell everyone I am so old I was a waiter at the Last Supper! This year started off like every year, a whirlwind. We got back from a wonderful holiday and New Years at Pamelot, our farm in Tennessee. A week later we put my Dad on the plane back to Minnesota and a week later grabbed a flight to New York City with the boys. Their first visit to the Big Apple! We stayed in Times Square and took in the sights and sounds of the greatest city on earth. We dined at Carmines, did the Lion King on Broadway, shopped on Canal Street, walked to the World Trade site and covered the financial district which on a weekend was a tad boring for the boys among the canyons of Wall Street but it brought back as it always does the great times I had in 1983 when I trained at 20 Exchange Place with the venerable Kidder Peabody. We also went to the top of Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building. It was a great trip. Valentines found Pam and me with friends on a private jet to the Florida coast for my one and only round of golf this year. It was a hoot as I sprayed balls up and down the links. A Tiger wanna-be I am not. A couple of weeks later Pam and I headed to Phoenix for the Super Bowl. It is extremely difficult not to have a great time at any Super Bowl function and a super game it was.

Spring break found the gang in Vail doing the whoosh-n-shoosh in the best skiing of my life. It snowed every day and Vail broke the 500 inch mark for the season. Amazing snow but the mule deer herds in the Eagle Valley and Gunnison Basin were hurt, big time. So much for global warming! The summer warmed up and we headed to the great Northwest. Flying into Seattle with Mt. Rainier clear and calling was just a warm-up for a great family vacation. We boarded a seaplane in Seattle and headed for Canada and out into Puget Sound to chase killer whales on a small Zodiac, hiked towards Mt. Rainier and turned back by massive snow drifts and spent July 1st in Victoria, British Columbia, celebrating Canada Day with our neighbors to the north. The weather was great and we enjoyed so much including Butchart Gardens in BC and the Boeing Field Museum. We even were caught in a parade, the Seattle Gay Pride parade as we walked to the Space Needle. The boys saw more than I wanted them to! After getting home we got back into the swing of summer swim season and Hunters job lifeguarding. He turned 16 in June and took the reins of “Red Rover”, my old 1990 Jeep Cherokee. July found Jordan training in the heat for his 5th year of organized football as a 6th grader. As assistant coach we had a great year and won the league championship. Grandpa Doug Parisian came down for the championship game from Minnesota and watched a great football game as we prevailed 12 – 6. Jordan, playing middle linebacker and running back had a great season and gave his all at every practice. A father couldn’t have been more proud. And grandfather either.

Late July found me in Minnesota with friends at the Minnesota Trappers Association summer convention. Probably a finer bunch can’t be found. Always fun and I managed to visit some old haunts that haven’t changed all that much.

School started the second week in August and Hunter began his second year of running cross-country and Jordan busy with football practice. August sports practices are always hot in Georgia. Just imagine. Early September I ran out to my old love, the state of Montana for a few days of trying to shoot a pronghorn antelope with my bow. I succeeded but it didn’t come easy and had to call on a lifetime of experience to bag my animal. It was another priceless trip to Gods last great place. In late September Pam and I headed with friends to the south of France for a week of food and laughs. We loved the beauty of the wine country and the trip was one of our best. October rolled in and before Hunters swim season got underway we found time to head to South Dakota to gun waterfowl and pheasants with some great pals.

I got in some deer hunting in November and dad joined us for Thanksgiving at Pamelot. We have much to be thankful for and good health is a major gift that we enjoy. Dad will turn 86 in a couple of weeks and still goes hard. He is spry and quick with a joke. Some things seem never to change but they will.

In the most unique place I have ever chased whitetail deer, Ossabaw Island, off the coast of Georgia I spent the past few days with some friends gunning small island deer and pigs. We had a blast camping, eating elk steaks, grouper and most of all, laughing. I have never been in such a unique ecosystem that is void of predators and hence such a massive amount of deer and pigs that need to be controlled by rifles. That makes it both coasts I have had the opportunity to enjoy the ocean’s power and currents while deer hunting and for that I am thankful.

Next year will be Hunters senior year of high school and we will be looking at colleges in January. My how time flies and I am very lucky to be a husband and father of such a great family. I say my prayers every day for what the Creator has provided.

Pam has had a very busy year as she contemplates retirement in about 1,000 days. As the Chief Information Officer of the combined AT&T Wireless and Land-line units her days are hectic to say the least. There is a lot of change at AT&T and she is at the forefront.

From our home to yours I hope that next year is the best year of your life. I still like to believe that the best is yet to come and hope that you do to. Again here’s to a warm and blessed holiday season and a stellar 2009. I want to leave you with one of my favorite Native American prayers.

May the Blessings of the Creator be with you and yours.
May warm winds blow gently upon your home and all who enter.
May rainbows always shine on the shoulder of your life.
May your moccasins make happy tracks on your travels.
May good health be yours to enjoy each day.

With best wishes always,