Happy Holidays!

 

Since I do not stay in contact with many of you throughout the year, I have taken this opportunity to write a short letter to share my adventures and other doings. The highlights of my year have consisted of traveling to many places - some near and some far.

In March, I had the opportunity to travel to Singapore and Thailand with Alex Liff, a friend from work. He was in Singapore on business and we met in Singapore and then traveled to Thailand. I liked both places very much and will return someday. Singapore is a multicultural thriving city with friendly people. Through some friends of Alex, I was able to play volleyball at the HP gym and then partied with some of the people that I met there. From Singapore, we hopped a plane for Thailand. We were there for 4 days and stayed in a hotel just off the beach. The typical day went something like this: Get up around 9AM. Eat breakfast. Go to the gym and workout. (They had a great gym.) Walk to the beach and swim and soak our tired muscles. On the way back to the hotel, get an hour massage (just $6!). Eat lunch. (The meals were terrific. We would eat lunch for about $2 and It is some of the best food that I have ever had.) Take a short nap. Go to the beach and soak some more or go into town and shop. Eat dinner. Soak at the beach or go into town. Get ready to go out. Party on the town until late. Return to the hotel and sleep. It was an exhausting yet totally relaxing and satisfying four days. Check out the photos on my web page: www.cet.com/~mills

This summer, I went to Port Townsend on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula where my Dad has a beautiful house overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I was joined by my Sister Valerie, my Aunt Jackie, my cousin Charlie and girlfriend, my cousin Mary and her husband, Ken with their daughter Payton. We had a wonderful time journeying to Victoria by ferry. We went killer whale watching near Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. My sister got some wonderful photos of the whales. We also toured the island and had a delightful picnic lunch on the other side. My Dad, Charlie and Lisa hiked up the Elwha River. We found one of the most magical spots I have ever seen. The color of the water and the patterns in the water worn rock made an enchanting combination. I have some photos that came out good, but somehow they did not capture the magic of the moment.

Over Labor Day weekend, I visited my friend Chris who used to live in Spokane. He lives in Crawfordsville, Indiana, but we met in Chicago. This is the first time I visited Chicago and I was very impressed. I expected a cold windy city. What I found was a sunny vibrant metropolis full of fun sites. We ate in some very nice restaurants and had drinks in a very tall building. The best part was visiting with my friend who I don’t get to see as often as I would like.

The other grand adventure of the year was a trip to London. With about 8 days notice, HP sent me and another engineer, Bill Vojak, to London for four days of training.. Afterwards, Bill’s wife Cheryl joined us and we spent five days in downtown London. If you have not been there (and if you have) the architecture is the most impressive aspect that greets you in London. Almost every building is impressive in one way or another. I was so impressed that I took over 200 pictures mostly of buildings. (I will be posting these on my web page before too long.) The first day in London, we rode a tour bus to familiarize ourselves with the area. Afterwards, we rode the tubes (underground trains) to areas that looked interesting.. We took a tube to Piccadilly Circus and walked the main strip of shops in the area and stopped into some of the local pubs. Another day, we toured the Tower of London and saw the Crown Jewels with the largest diamond in the world. We walked across the Tower Bridge. We checked out Camden Market and bought a few souvenirs. It was an absolutely wonderful time and I wish that I had more time to spend there.

I hope all is well with you and your family during the holiday season and in the coming year.  Best wishes,