HOLIDAY LETTER - 2009

December, 2009  

This has been another great year of traveling in our HitchHiker II fifth wheel. Our spring trip included the last three states we needed to have visited 49 of our 50 states – Delaware, West Virginia and South Carolina. We used our HHII for 92 nights during 2009.

During our spring trip, we visited a couple from our Army days. We had not seen Jim and Diane for 40 years but it seemed like yesterday. Within a fifty mile radius of them in PA, we took Chris, the author who helped Fred with Web site issues, to lunch and picked up the Aluma utility trailer we bought on the Internet in January. We continue to appreciate how fortunate we are to be able to travel in retirement and enjoy friendships at Higgins Lake, Good Sam Samborees and the HitchHiker International rally. We have posted photographs and information from our travels on our Prior Destinations page.

This year we had no projects planned at our cottage. We enjoyed 44 nights at Rolling Hills. However, Fred was bummed all summer – the fishing (catching) was terrible.

We are doing fine except for the usual common colds, minor aches and pains 'old' people endure. Last February, Fred built a bathroom in the basement of our condo.  It will be nice to have when we have overnight guests. We have no plans to go south for part of the winter this year. That gives us a few months to accomplish some things around home before the 2010 camping season begins.

Our annual family reunion was held at a different location and in June this year. We met at a campground in Ohio. It worked out very well. We played lawn games, swam and fished. Enough fish were caught that we had a fish fry the last day in camp. We had our usual ‘Happy Birthday Everybody’ party for the grandchildren. Eating cake and ice cream was followed by the children exchanging gifts. We continue to appreciate how nicely the grandchildren and adults play together. This helps make the family reunion something we all look forward to.

Fred, Becky, Caitlin and Nicholas: Fred is active in church as the Worship Chairperson and sings and plays guitar in their Sunday Praise Team. His business is surviving the slow economy. Due to family activities, he did not fish much this year. Fred’s truck was totaled by a kid not making a curve and hitting him with a glancing blow on the driver's side of his truck. No one was hurt. He found a used truck to replace it. While we were there, Fred cooked eggs from their chickens for one breakfast. Becky is busy volunteering at school, co-leading a Girl Scout troop, leading Kid’s Club at church and delivering/picking up the kids for various functions. Caitlin is on the school Raiderettes dance team, taking a gymnastics class and active in Girl Scouts. She is excited that her mom is painting her bedroom lilac. Nick played baseball and flag football this year. He is the proud owner of five stitches in a finger from a self inflicted knife cut during a craft project. He accompanied his dad on a successful deer hunt this year. Becky brought another stray dog home. Sometime afterwards, they had to put their black lab down.

 Michelle, Steve, Ashlyn and Lillian: Michelle is swamped at work – working long days. Steve is picking up the slack at home. Michelle took a small pay cut. Steve's hours were cut to 32 a week. But, it only lasted a couple weeks before the company won a new contract and he was working some overtime. They have a busy family schedule. In spite of their schedule and the cool summer, they found time to use their boat a lot, spend some time at their cabin at Rolling Hills and enjoy two weeks at Higgins Lake. While at Higgins Lake they hit a deer with Michelle’s van. The girls had been told to watch for deer – that is not the ‘look’ they had hoped for. Ashlyn is enjoying jazz and tap dance classes, Girl Scouts and play dates with friends. Lily is in half-day kindergarten, a combination jazz/tap dance class and Daisy Scouts. They both love jumping into the water off the bow of the boat. This fall they painted their living room, halls and master bedroom.

Melanie: Work is keeping Melanie busy. Her business travel continues to be limited – however, a couple traveling weeks in December are planned. One of her vacations this year was a week long road trip with Kathy, a college friend, to some New England states this summer. They enjoyed hiking, sea kayaking, a visit to Eartha (the "World's Largest Revolving/Rotating Globe") and visiting local micro-breweries. She continues in her position as youth leader at church. Melanie still enjoys being the ‘handyman’ around her house - sometimes with Fred as a consultant. This year, it was a little electrical and a little plumbing. She and her boyfriend have known each other for five years – officially dating since January. Both work for Pulte Homes. Scott is very nice and has strong family ties. Scott spent a day with our family at the reunion and three days with us at Higgins Lake.

We regularly update our Web site with a current message, information and photographs of our family and prior travel destinations.

 Best wishes to you and your loved-ones for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Fred and Mary Lou         

9-1-04

Thru 12-6-06 = 316

Thru 12-11-07 =