Holiday Letter 2011

December, 2011

This has been a fun year for us. We spent 156 nights in our HitchHiker LS fifth wheel that we purchased last year. Our travels this year took us to Florida, Tennessee and Kansas. We spent seven weeks in Florida – four at Big Cypress RV Resort on the Seminole Indian Reservation. While there we took a five-day cruise to the Grand Cayman Island and Cozumel, Mexico with Michelle’s family, toured the Florida Keys and visited Everglades National Park. Spring travels included a week in Petoskey, Mi for Melanie and Scott’s wedding.

We enjoyed more group camping events this year than usual – Good Sam, HitchHiker International and the Michigan-Mini related to the HH Owners Forum. We closed out our travels with a trip to Kansas for warranty work on our HH and to Indiana for time with Fred and his family on the way home.

We posted photographs on the ‘Prior Destinations’ and ‘Photo Album’ pages.

 

We took two hours during Melanie and Scott's wedding weekend in May to celebrate our 2011 Family Reunion. Our Family Reunion was short but memorable and Fred made our annual group photograph.

 

This year we spend 25 nights at our cottage. The fishing was good, the catching – so, so.

 

Our health continues to be good. Fred’s restless leg syndrome has been mostly resolved with new medications and a C-PAP machine for mild sleep apnea; Mary Lou’s asthma is being controlled with medication.

 

Fred, Becky, Caitlin and Nicholas: Fred continues his activities in their church as the Worship Chairperson and sings and plays guitar on their Sunday Praise Team. His business is surviving the slow economy. He has reduced his time as a first responder for a local volunteer fire department due to family activities. He continues to enjoy doing ‘farm’ chores for relaxation. Becky is doing some substitute teaching at the elementary school, is secretary of the school’s PTE (PTA) and volunteers at school and church. She is a ‘taxi’ Mom - delivering/picking up the children for various functions. Family activities continue to increase and they share by attending. Caitlin was on the school Raiders basketball team, a member of the Cheerleading Squad and track team. Nick played baseball (team coached by Fred) and basketball this year. After Melanie and Scott’s wedding, they toured the Upper Peninsula of Michigan – one thing they did, play with two bear cubs. It was a fun time for their family.

 

 

Michelle, Steve, Ashlyn and Lillian: Michelle had a challenging schedule at work - traveling during labor negotiations. Steve does a great job filling in at home with the cooperation of the girls. Ashlyn is enjoying lyrical, jazz and musical theatre dance classes, soccer and is a Junior Scout. Lily enjoys ballet, jazz and tap dance classes, Brownie Scouts and soccer. They spent a week at Higgins Lake in an interesting way - they bought a cottage on Houghton Lake. They, including the girls, spent October and November weekends performing much overdue maintenance and painting.

 

 

Melanie and Scott: Melanie and Scott were married May 14 at The Inn at Bay Harbor in Michigan. They did an outstanding job planning and carrying out a beautiful wedding weekend shared with family and friends. It was followed by a ten day honeymoon in Aruba. Unfortunately, when they returned home their basement had flooded causing a BIG mess. A plumber had to dig up some of the basement floor to solve the problem. They are busy making Scott’s house into their home – adding a few female touches. Melanie and Scott are still surviving staff cutbacks due to the poor home building market. Melanie traveled to Arizona on business a couple times the end of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

We regularly update our Web site. Stop by and browse through its pages.


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

Fred and Mary Lou         

 

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