It’s hard to believe that Christmas has rolled around again and one year has passed so quickly. I guess that old saying is true: “Time flies when you are having fun!” Yes, this first full year of retirement has really been fun.
I have had time to do my photography, taking and printing pictures for Drama Workshop plays and taking color prints of my major projects and trips. In October I got “back on the boards” with a small role in The Sting although I really have not had much time to devote to the rigors of rehearsal and performance.
From March 1-15 the world’s Figure Skating Championships were held here in Cincinnati and I attended them just as if I had traveled to Calgary or Hungary to do it. I bought 2 all-events tickets (15 months before!) so my seats were on the third row 1 section left of the judges. I boarded out my dog and “lived” at the coliseum and downtown from 9:30 AM to 11:30 PM for 2 weeks, watching most of the skating practice sessions and all the competition performances. I got to talk to Carol Heiss, Debbie Thomas, and several other competitors, and shot 7 rolls of color film, getting some fantastic action shots. It was like a fantasy come true to be able to immerse myself into the world of the top ice skating champions from all over the world — a real mountain top experience.
Four days later Hecuba and I drove to Richmond, Va. for a marvelous 10 day visit with my cousin Fred Munier and his family. We steeped ourselves in the history of the region, touring old homes, Williamsburg and Jamestown and much more. At Fred’s home, the most fun was watching Hecuba, usually a blustery bludgeon – especially with 4 year old Joey’s exuberance, so we had to watch closely to see she did not hurt him. Yet, amazingly, Hecuba would gently nuzzle and play with 14 month old Suzanne. At one point we lost Suzanne and Hecuba and looked down in Hecuba’s dog crate, to find the two of them, 2 happy playmates, deep inside the crate having a fine time loving on each other. My other trips included New York City in June with Bill where I saw many shows including Fences with James Earl Jones, and Les Miserables. I flew home for Dad’s 96th birthday, then Barbara Sorensen and I drove to Memphis Tenn. to see the Rameses Egyptian exhibit.
Since that time I’ve been kept close at home, involved in my major project for the year, which started in earnest in April with an architect. Large cracks in the north east corner of my house appeared while we were in Alaska, signaling sinking and a need to underpin the house. All my investigation for this and other needed maintenance led to major construction of a 2 room addition to the house, a new flat driveway and stone wall around its edge. The 2 new rooms are on the basement level. The existing garage became an exercise, recreation room. Then the garage door was closed in and a normal door now leads into a 16 x 18 all purpose workroom for carpentry, painting, potting plants and puttering, with one corner partitioned off for storage.
I’ve really enjoyed doing the many varied skills and jobs needed to complete a project like this: surveyor, draftsman, carpenter, painter, etc. Bill and I did the topo graphical survey of my property in May, the last weekend before the 17 year cicadas emerged and inundated Cincinnati and our neighborhood for 6 weeks! Then I transferred the notes into drawings and Bil1 drew in the contour lines. Architectural drawings were finalized in July, then Bill and I spent August rearranging, cleaning out, and preparing for the professional construction people. They started September 15– carpenters; a giant backhoe to dig the huge foundation hole out of the hill; bobcats, concrete trucks and pumpers; 2 ton dump trucks hauling out dirt, dumping 30 tons of stone for my wall, and bringing hot asphalt for the drive; all invaded my drive and small backyard, ending with more carpentry, roofing and drywall work. I had to constantly monitor the construction men to keep them from cutting corners, making mistakes, and especially destroying existing structures and plants.
Then I had a freak fall in October that tore up ligaments and chipped a bone in my foot and left me on crutches and a cane for 4 weeks. That drastically slowed my active participation for a month, but I still managed to plan and help run wire for all the electricity – though Bill did most of the work. The construction people left Nov. 7, and I happily played carpenter, putting up the siding and finishing final details on the outside. A lot needs to be done before the inside is finished and there is so much dirt in my house I may never get it clean again, but I’ve declared a moratorium for December and Christmas.
I joked that I spent so much money I would have to go back to work to pay for it. Then mid-Nov. I got a call from Univ. of Cincinnati to teach a couple of speech classes part time (TTh) in the Arts and Sciences College Communication Department starting Winter Quarter. I’ll still teach UC Evening College speech as I have for 22 years. Perfect timing for the perfect job.
Dad is doing quite well for 96, but is somewhat more unsteady on his feet and sometimes gets more recent memory events mixed up. Considering his difficulty in seeing and hearing, I think he has wonderful spirit and energy. And Faye takes such good care of him.
Bill has 2 or 3 years left to teach before he can afford to retire – and he’s not sure he’s going to make it. He’ll put it all aside when he makes his annual Christmas trek to Florida to see Susie and Sarasota and his brother’s family in West Palm Beach.
I hope all is well with you and yours, that your holidays are happy and 1988 will be a year filled with peace, joy and love.