Margaret still thrives on the therapy part of her job as a school-based speech-language pathologist. She says there's nothing like being greeted by the smile of a child who's looking forward to the next 15-30 minutes of pretty-much undivided attention as you listen, elicit talk, and play with him/her & peer. I do this 1 day/wk with elementary kids (noticeable that they actually talk) & 4 days enjoy teaching delayed 3-5 year olds to communicate. The 'however' is that the paperwork, documentation, & adult meeting demands of the job grow worse every year. I've gotten pretty down & irritable ask Bruce) this fall, with no seeming end to evening hours on paperwork. Sometimes I contemplate going into private practice, maybe specializing in autism, other days I think of just cutting back to a part-time position with the District. I'm really NOT ready to give this up & retire, but do know life's too short to be so stressed on an ongoing basis. Next year, we'll give you the next installment on any changes I try!

Bruce still works part-time at BanBury golf course, plays golf most every day, and is in the process of selling our cabin at Huntington Lake in California. We have a buyer & an agreed upon selling price. They need to sell their old cabin to close the deal--we'll probably have most of this coming summer to say goodbye to our 20 year place in the high Sierra. The photo of Maggie, Jay and Catherine was taken in August at a ridgeline above our cabin where Mammoth Mountain and the high country of Yosemite National Park can be seen.

Like many of our boomer generation friends, we are beginning the process of down-sizing. We have begun weeding out the extra stuff from 34 years living together. Maggie still loves gardening but would do with a little less yard. Margaret and Bruce have looked inside a lot of model homes this past year in Florida, Arizona, and Idaho. Bruce uses the public library to whet his reading appetite and has donated hundreds of our books to the library. A friend's daughter began teaching earth science this year, and Bruce gave her his entire collection of science teaching videos. Good to know his materials are once again opening up the dynamic of planet earth and the universe to a new generation of kids. It's not easy to part with years of acquired things..but things are things!

Jay graduated from Albertson College of Idaho in June with his BA in psychology. ACI is quite small, and their graduation reflected the familiar, personal touch. We enjoyed getting a flavor of what he'd experienced there. Jay moved to Tampa, Florida to seek fame and fortune, and we visited Florida last summer. He's taken up the clarinet, and enjoys how easy it is to get out for exercise in the southern climate.

Catherine is living and working in Costa Mesa, California. She withdrew from school at Sonoma State, and is now taking courses at Orange Coast Jr. College. Her GPA is great, but she needs to take units to attain junior status for transfer to another school. This fall she had 3 part-time jobs, including one making campaign phone calls for a political candidate.