Happy Holidays
from Wine Country!
Another year has passed and I want to wish you and your family the best this holiday season and for 2003. At this time of the year, I think about my friends and family that I don’t see often and who may not know what I have been doing these last 12 months. When you read this letter, I hope you enjoy my summary as much as I enjoy sharing it. Here are some of the highlights of my past year. I invite you to call, write or email me so that we stay in contact throughout the coming year. My email is tmills@sonic.net and my phone is (707) 526-5760.
One of the
ways I stay in contact with my friends in Spokane is through volleyball. In
January, I made my annual pilgrimage there to play in the Cranbrook Volleyball
tournament. I always have fun seeing old friends and catching up with them. In
August, I traveled to Spokane for the Spike and Dig tournament. There were over
200 teams and it was lots of fun. I did my best to see as many friends as I
could. If I missed you, I will be back next year!
As you know,
I love visitors. My dad visited in June on his way to Port Townsend from
Oklahoma. His timing was perfect. He arrived for my birthday and stayed through
Fathers Day weekend for a rafting trip on Cache Creek. The rafting trip is an
annual event and this one was my third. My dad and I shared a boat and had a
couple of rough dumps. Although the name Cache Creek may not sound like much of
a rough river, this rafting can be a dangerous adventure. This year a lady fell
out and drowned. Luckily, when we fell out, we were only bruised and beat up a
bit.
My biggest adventure this year was the week of July 4th. Tim, Alex and I flew in Tim’s plane to Jackson Hole Wyoming with a stop in Reno for a night. We visited the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Flying into the Tetons is an incredible site! We hiked every day through beautiful valleys with mountain views and gorgeous lakes with wildflowers galore in the meadows. On several hikes we found ourselves next to magnificent water falls. On one hike, in one of the Teton valleys, Alex and I took a swim in a lake. Throughout the trip, we saw lots of wildlife including moose, elk, deer (one with fawns) a badger, several white swans with babies, squirrels, chipmunks, a garter snake and a herd of antelope. Although we saw lots of evidence of bears, we didn’t see one. I was disappointed!
In
Yellowstone, there were fantastic geysers. We saw Old Faithful erupt. There
were also colorful hot pots around the geysers. After visiting Old Faithful, we
backpacked overnight to the Yellowstone River. We had a magnificent campsite
along the river near a small waterfall. We only saw a few people the 2 days we
were on the trail. Surprising for the week of the 4th of July! For
the 4th, we stayed the night in Jackson Hole and had a great dinner
and watched fireworks. The next day, we flew home.
Many of you may know that I have had the same car for over 15 years. I have loved my ’88 Prelude and really enjoyed driving all 234,000 miles. After much research and test driving, I bought a Lexus IS300 in September! It’s a blast to drive and I hope it will be as reliable as my Prelude. Here’s to the next 234,000 miles!
October was a busy month. I surprised my dad by showing up to his induction into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame. My sister and I planned it in secret and I think he was very surprised. In the same trip, I also attended one of my best friend’s weddings in Indianapolis. Chris and Gina were married with an intimate dinner ceremony on October 12th.
October was also time for wine tasting here in Sonoma County. We have the Harvest Fair where all the wineries compete for awards at the fairgrounds. After the competition, the public can taste the winners of each category. I also took two trips with friends to taste wines in Alexander and Dry Creek valleys. The fall colors in the dry creek area are incredibly beautiful. Each grape varietal’s leaves are a different shade of red, orange, yellow and green.
A couple things that I want to fit in here somewhere is that in February 2001 I started back to school for my Master's Degree in Leadership Management. In November, I completed my thesis and I graduated! December 19th, I fulfilled a dream that I have had since I was 7. I had LASIK eye surgery. I am recovering now and so far I like the results.
I hope all is well with you and your family during the holiday season and in the coming year.
Best wishes,