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| Another year has passed rapidly, with Bruce and Margaret very much enjoying couples time again, without those day-in-day-out kid activities. Catherine (age 19) is in her second year at Sonoma State University, north of San Francisco, and Jay (age 22) was a senior at Albertson College here in Idaho. Maggie has continued her routine of full-time, school-based SLP, feeling thankful that Bruce has the time-flexibility to do so much. He supports us all in a million ways...cooking (getting good!), cleaning, pet care, trips California to fix computers and such for Catherine, trips for cabin projects & maintenance, as well as working part time at BanBury Golf Course. We and our 3 cats miss Clipper's companionship. He developed cancer and left us in February to join Ginger in dog heaven. |
Catherine likes the mild weather at Sonoma State and enjoyed recent electives in anthropology and ethnic studies. She's made frequent trips to San Francisco (Dad knows because he pays the gas credit card bills) to see friends, shop, and participate in California's political activism--hence the picture of an anti-war rally this fall. In September she moved into college apartments with single rooms & baths for each of 4 students--luxurious compared to our college days! Sara Masterson, a Boise friend since 2nd grade, was one of her roommates. Despite the pluses, non-resident tuition at California state schools seems exorbitant to Catherine, so she's thinking about returning to Idaho to attend Boise State University.
As Catherine and Mag think about 2005, they cherish time together on several trips. Catherine's juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), which continues to be a struggle but not an insurmountable one, meant occasional trips to specialists in Chicago. They were there for 8 days in July, when a surgeon successfully removed the majority of the painful, needle-like intramuscular calcifications caused by JDM. Surgery and recovery were no fun, but mother and daughter really enjoyed the post-surgery time together, just hanging out in the sun, parks, with no particular schedule. In early October, Catherine, Mag, & Bruce managed 3 1/2 wonderful days at the cabin, with pleasant days & fires in crisp evenings. It had been too long since we'd been there together, and no one wanted to leave! Next time, it will be great to have Jay there too. |
Last week, we moved Jay back home with 3 carloads and 1 rented trailer-load of 4 1/2 years of college things--his undergraduate work at ACI is almost complete. He will finish his senior project in January, then "walk the line" in May 2006 with a BA in Psychology. In his last year-and-a-half: he joined a fraternity, moved in & lived in the basement of the fraternity house, drove to a Southern California convention, became president of the fraternity, went to a National training in Pennsylvania, lived through two floods in the fraternity house (basement fills 1st), which led him to move back to a dorm (same one as his freshman year) to complete this fall semester. He says the stint among freshman made him so aware of how he's changed and grown in four years. Jay's plans are to complete his senior project, relax, and look for a job...not sure what. He wants to get an apartment with college roommate Dylan Baker. Longer term he's thinking about graduate school in psychology, possibly in a school psych program, so has talked about getting a job as a Special Education aide in the schools.
Reflecting on 2005, Jay recalled how much he enjoyed his summer job with ACI campus safety and "getting my tooth back." Several years ago, he chipped a front tooth in a river water accident, which eventually led to a dental implant--a long process he's glad is complete. In the mean time, he occasionally removed the temporary tooth to play 'pirate,' as seen in the picture cavorting with his sister. |
More so each year, Maggie enjoys family, Bruce, the child-related part of speech/language therapy (as opposed to the paperwork!), friends at work, and gardening. Our front yard has a maple tree with glorious fall color! Her gardening favorites are winter puttering with houseplants, planting loads of annuals in pots & beds for summer-fall color, and recent attempts at growing orchids.
Maggie says--I thoroughly enjoyed last spring's reunion of Cal-Berkeley Delta Gamma's who lived in the house from 1968-72. Two pledge sisters planned the event that almost 80 attended! To hear us chatter you'd think it was months, not 30+ years, since we'd seen one another. |
Bruce traveled to and from California a number of times this year and enjoyed getting reacquainted with cousins and their families in the Sacramento area. He drove & picked up Maggie who flew down to see Catherine several times. After having the full set of testing for this year's annual physical, Bruce's internist pronounced him remarkably fit for an almost 60 year old young man! Bruce walks 18 and sometimes 36 holes of golf a day, four/five/six/or even seven days each week--oftentimes before or after working at the golf course as a marshal. He has been asked to assume additional responsibilities at BanBury Golf Course this coming year, as well as maintain the Internet website of the course. In July, the USGA held its first-ever-in-Idaho national championship at the course. Bruce and his friend (fellow course marshal, Pete Salvato) ran the driving range for the duration of the Junior Girls Championship---from 5:30 am until as late as 9 pm--sort of like teaching hours again! This was a most rewarding experience where they got to know almost all the competitors and their families.
Bruce has also rediscovered the library and reads nonstop! Slowly we're working to empty our house of many unneeded things, so we can one day downsize...we're trying to support the library, rather than Barnes & Noble! --Think Globally, Act Locally--we drive 4 hybrid vehicles...the last purchased in June just before gasoline jumped.
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Webpages highlighting the year in pictures can be found at the following URLs:
http://www.webpak.net/~bmartini/fam/SFtripMarch2005.htm--Maggie and Bruce travel to SF http://www.webpak.net/~bmartini/fam/CabinAug05.htm--moving Catherine into apartment in August http://www.webpak.net/~bmartini/fam/CabinOct05.htm--Catherine, Maggie, and Bruce 3-day trip to cabin |