Happy New Year! 

I think this year for us was all about heritage and legacies…

-In January, Jen and I walked with friends in the Women’s March, making a stand for the respect for women in society. 

-In May, a lovely visit by John and Elaine Telford sparked memories of our connection with Ngiyampaa people and Murrin Bridge, NSW, Australia.

-In June, Jeanette Stanfield and I traveled to Newfoundland. The L’Anse aux Meadows Viking settlement,on my bucket list for years because of my Swedish heritage, was outstanding. We also saw ancient fossils at Gros Morne National Park, hiked along the sea, saw icebergs and whales from a small tourist boat, visited the Basque whalers’ site at Red Bay, Labrador and the Air Museum in Gander, culminating in exploring St. Johns and more with friends from St. Johns. 

-The annual “camping trip for single women of a certain age” turned into a “glamping trip” with 7 women at a lovely cottage owned by a colleague, including a hot-tub soak.

-I discovered in October that my book “Art of Focused Conversation for Schools” in Simplified Chinese has sold more than 3000 copies across China.  And a woman director of a wonderfully diverse, inclusive, and participatory community development project told me that a facilitation I had done in 1999 was the inspiration for her work. 

 Tim: took over a coordinating role for his drum and bass club night on Wednesday nights. In May, he and I stained our Muskoka chairs. In July, he and a friend rebuilt our back deck and flagstones, upgrading our backyard considerably. Most of his spare time is spent creating music and spinning music. In a visit to the Viking Exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum, he soaked in all the information about our ancestors that he could, including getting a copy of the Prose Edda.   

 Aaron: ran a half-marathon, two different length triathlons, and a marathon. He is working up to do an Iron Man in 2019. He is still working in management at an Apple store, but changed positions to keep things interesting.

 Jen: is a sought-after art teacher, in both her classes at private and independent schools as well as in her community outreach programs. A big event was getting her driver’s licence, which allows her to take on programs in communities that were previously too remote to get to on public transportation, and  to go camping on her own, as well as supporting Aaron on his adventures. 

 In November, the Reese/Zahrt family had a reunion in Carson City Nevada to celebrate the birthdays of my 80-year-old brother and two brothers-in-law.  A delayed flight meant I got to spend 23 hours on my 69th birthday with both my sons, much of it hanging out in the Denver airport.

 Zahra: is in her 3^rd year of college at Hobart-William Smith. This fall, after training hard, she ran a 50-mile ultra-marathon.  We were able to get together at her school for a weekend in early December when classes were out for the break.