Dear Family and Friends – still working on the photos–most are here.

This was a crazy year, right? You’ve seen what happened. Remember this line early in the year from Saturday Night Live: “I want one day without a CNN alert that doesn’t scare the hell out of me.” Well, we know these alerts just keep coming. Thank goodness for the comic relief from the likes of Stephen Colbert and SNL. I’m hoping that our president either learns to laugh at himself or resigns.   But this newsletter is not about the instability and unpredictability of our president. So I promise to talk not about the craziness that we see in Washington, because our year was just a little crazy, too.

The craziness started at camp—lots of changes all under the guise of making life easier for Bill with the added bonus of making it easier for me, too. Adam had always suggested moving the entrance from the side to the back. The side door cut right through my tiny kitchen (this year, the photos below tell it all!). Since the door was between the stove and the sink, I had no counter space. It’s camp, right? But with the encouragement of our friends, Bill finally said “ok, move the entrance.” Well, after that it was “Katy, bar the door,” and he knew it.

Our masterful son-in-law Zack, who had started his own business last year, was hired for these renovations, starting with the entrance. It made sense to build a deck first to provide firm footing before cutting into the house (I wonder whether he felt as a surgeon must feel before they make that first cut).

After the deck came the doors, and because the new entrance went through a bunkroom, that room needed to be repurposed. I looked on Pinterest for ideas. What I found were amazing mudrooms with laundry facilities and cabinets.   Hmmm. I’ve always hauled laundry from camp. Sometimes ten loads. Maybe a washer and dryer would be a good idea. After a bit of planning, we had the water tank moved to make room, changes were made to the electrical panel and a dedicated 240-volt circuit was installed. The washer and dryer were stacked, cabinets adorned the wall with a built-in bench for Bill to put on his shoes. To see how excited I was over my new washer and dryer, well . . . . it was embarrassing. But no more hauling laundry, right?   (Wrong, as I started hauling laundry the other way—from the apartment to camp. Crazy.)

 

 

 

After Zack added the extra cabinets and counter tops, my tiny kitchen was suddenly transformed. Mike, Zack and I were all happily preparing meals together. So it’s been quite an education into renovations and building materials—toekicks vs kickplates, cabinet screws.   Menards became my new favorite store.

Then came a new walkway. Zack knew the guy doing the masonry work on the camp next to ours, and would check on the price of having a walkway put it. A plain cement walkway was discussed with Zack’s friend—at a good price. Let’s do it. As we got closer to the date when the crew would arrive, I kept picturing a white cement sidewalk. Might look strange. A city sidewalk?   Maybe I should check Pinterest. Oh my! I saw images of beautiful walkways, with different colored cement, and interesting patterns. The night before the project began (and with lots of help from Jim & Ann Golden), I made a few changes. Let’s just say I’m thrilled with our new acorn colored, brick patterned walkway. And the price? Well as I said earlier, Katy, bar the door!

Although Adam didn’t get to Marquette to see the changes at camp, he, Krysta, Jakob and Zachary came to Lake Havasu. On our daily walks, Adam would watch his dad closely as Bill often walks very fast with his walker; it can get away from him as he finds it difficult to slow down and stop (festination). Anyway, I think Adam was a little nervous that his dad would fall on his watch so he kept telling him to slow down. At one point, we were all talking and Adam looked back at Krysta and me to say something, and Bill took off in a sprint. You can’t imagine our surprise; we all laughed as Adam ran to grab his dad. Bill was being impish and the boys loved it.

Now as I write this, I realize it will probably be the last time that Jakob (18) will make that trip. He’s now attending Queen’s University in Ottawa as a freshman. He’s doing well, and I think Adam and Krysta are adjusting. (Krysta said that Jakob’s excitement at being at Queen’s helped relieve some of her sadness at his leaving.) Zachary is a sophomore in high school and still does everything soccer—plays, coaches, refs. We didn’t make it to Calgary so we are hoping Adam will meet us once again in Lake Havasu. Is that a hint? I believe it is.

Shana and family have had a crazy year, too. They started the year off skiing in Breckenridge. A spring break trip to see Adam in Calgary had them skiing in the Canmore/Banff area as well. Raines (almost 10) and Pax (7) are great skiers and hip hop dancers. The family traveled to Cuba in March and to Iceland in September, visiting the Westman Islands, Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, Skogafoss Waterfalls and Reykjavik (I’ve checked my spelling on those!). Thank goodness they still had time to visit Marquette—twice.  Mother’s Day was extra special; we had a mother-daughters night out that included a photo shoot for her blog.

During their summer visit, we took in The Outback,

spent time at camp (we all took turns shooting the boys’ bows and arrows at a bull’s-eye tacked to a tree),

and went blueberry picking. The boys were thrilled with the blueberry crisp—so were we.

In one of Shana’s posts, she described how half a million people descended on Philly in July to watch the largest African-American street festival called Odunde.   They happened upon a hip hop/breakdance dance crew on their way home from the boys’ hip hop class. As they watched the dance battle, Pax (6) stepped into the circle. It took a few minutes for the crew to realize that he was serious – as Pax stood there, clenching his little fists to get ready—and then, they gave him the floor/street. Pax was on. You will need to see the photos. The facial expressions of the people watching are priceless.

Scotti, Zack, and Greenlea are still here in Marquette. Every time they head to Philly for a visit with Shana, I hold my breath expecting they will tell me they’ve found a home to rent by Shana’s. Zack is busy with his renovation business, and Scotti is booked with bridal makeup every weekend during the wedding season.  She writes for Shana’s blog and it’s become a full-time job for her with Zach often the photographer for her photo shoots.  This first set of photos was taken in January; the second set, in March!

They came to Lake Havasu for a week of swimming in the pool (Greenlea calls it Nana’s pool), and hanging out.

They’re so easy when they come. They just want r and r by the pool. They helped me get their dad to and from restaurants—it was a win for both of us.

Greenlea turned three in July and started nursery school this fall. She was so enjoying her school sessions every Tuesday and Thursday afternoons until one little boy pulled her hair. Poor sweetie. I babysit about three afternoons a week, and this year we’ve had three overnights together. She and I snuggle in our guest bedroom, which is the best, and we have blueberry pancakes in the morning. Today, she said, “Look at my hair, Nana. It’s a little bit beautiful.” Yes, it is!

We enjoyed our two months in Lake Havasu because of the family and friends we were able to see while there. We celebrated the birthdays of Bill’s sister Janice and brother Gary in Sun City.

We had a visit from Bill’s sister Donna; she and I floated in the pool for an hour every morning contemplating all manner of topics. The Yooper picnic, which boasts 300 Yoopers, was fun. The location of Lake Havasu (so close to Las Vegas) just makes it easier for family on the west coast to visit.

We considered not going to Lake Havasu this coming year, as it’s getting difficult for us to get anywhere. We especially missed our annual dinner at the Downs in Winnipeg. Arlene & Al Schick arrived here with Canadian goodies in tow, which helped to ease our sadness in not getting to Winnipeg as we have done every year since we’ve been together.

I planned a trip to Philly for the end of November, but I canceled at the last minute. Broke my heart, but many things are just getting more difficult to do. We still plan to make the trip to Lake Havasu for February and March, with a little help from our friends.   My thinking is that we can sit here in our apartment and watch the snow blow outside or we can sit on our balcony in Lake Havasu enjoying the 80-degree weather. Tough choice, I know.

Scotti wrote a lovely post for The Mom Edit, called “a love letter to mom.” She talked about the disease that her brilliant father has and used some precious and tender words to describe my daily caregiving of him, but what I liked best was her description of the joy that is still in my life. This joy comes in the form of my children and wonderful grandchildren, and for so many of you, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Joy is found in the wonderful support provided by family and friends. I’m so grateful for the help, encouragement, and support that is given so freely.

Because I can no longer leave Bill alone, my friend since high school, Mary, has joined Toni in helping me get out of the apartment to babysit, run errands, or attend my P.E.O. meetings. As I end 2017’s newsletter, we again wish you the gift of time with your family and friends and may you have a peaceful Christmas filled with the things that make you feel appreciated, loved, and comforted. Bless you for all that you do.

Love, Tina and Bill (Email: costwald@nmu.edu)

See below for Remembering, Rejoicing, Summer Photos, 

Remembering Karen Kunkel, whom we lost just a few weeks ago.  Karen was a professional baseball player, skier, and advocate for women’s sports; she brought olympic training to Northern and was the adviser to the film,”A League of Their Own.”  She will be remembered for all her amazing accomplishments.

 

Remembering Tom Baldini.  Our friend, Tom Baldini, currently serving as Marquette’s Mayor passed away on Tuesday, December 26.  Bill first met Tom when Tom was a social studies teacher and Bill was a counselor at Marquette Senior High School.  They served on the negotiating team together.  In 1983, Tom became the U.P. representative for Governor Jim Blanchard; Tom showed up at our house with the new van he would be using.  Governor Blanchard referred to Tom as the “Governor of the UP.”  We all did.  Tom was appointed chair of the International Joint Commission under President Clinton in 1998.  In 2003, he was appointed district director by U. S. Congressman Bart Stupak.  After retiring from federal service in 2010, he was elected to the Marquette City Commission in 2011 and again in 2014; he was elected Mayor in November.  Tom was also a part-time instructor in the Political Science Department at NMU and a member of the Michigan Tech. Board of Control (Gov. Jennifer Granholm appointment).  Tom passed away on the 6^th anniversary of MAPS Education Foundation’s Annual Holiday Homecoming party.  He helped get this event off the ground in 2011.

Remembering:   June Oslund, Jim Hendricks, Warner Peterson, Barry Kurcz, Rosie Meldrum, Lillian Johnson, Tom Cook, Joan Ericson.

Rejoicing:  Lena & Kevin’s daughter Frankie, Jan. 12.    Janine & Dylan’s marriage July 8.  Becca & John’s daughter Adla, Nov. 23.

Summer photos:

 

 

Memories of Mom when I make her rhubarb torte every year.  Chatting with Sharon and Mark Engle at the Outback.  Whitney, Tom and Vivian visiting camp with her dad, who is tough to get into a photo.  Woody is probably afraid it will end up here.

Amazing help at camp from the Goldens and the Oslunds.  Sam and Gay took down trees that were almost falling into the water.