Part XVII
MY LIFE STORY
A BUSY RETIREMENT
(continued)
(2018 - 2019)
The year 2018 began with Francine and I attending a surprise
birthday party for a friend of ours at The Estancia Club.
It turns out that the
party was for Francine who
was very surprised!
I invited about 30 family members and close friends who
congratulated and even roasted her a bit.
Francine, Her 74th Surprise Birthday Party
Jim, Francine, Neal, Beverly, Allan, Colin And Mike (Colin’s
Employee In Background)
A winter visit to IA and MN -
In January Colin again attended the Barret Jackson Auto Auction
in Scottsdale displaying his merchandise and meeting existing
and prospective customers.
In early February, Francine and I travelled to MN to
catch up with her daughter, Heather and family, and for me to
meet Brian and attend Superbowl LII between The Patriots and The
Philadelphia Eagles.
The weather was bitterly cold however the new Minneapolis
Vikings indoor stadium was cozy and packed.
Unfortunately, The Patriots did
not play well and the Eagles won the game.
Francine dined with her daughter and family while Brian
and I attended the game.
The next day, Francine and I drove to Ames to visit with her
grandson, Benjamin
and for some Acacia meetings.
However, the weather was horrible and driving to Ames was
torturous. As we
approached the turn off from I-35 onto Hwy. 30 into Ames, the
traffic was slowed considerably.
We were fortunately able to reach the intersection and
made the turn.
After checking into the motel, a bit later we turned on the TV
only to learn that there was a horrific 70 some vehicle traffic
pile up at the very intersection we had used and the
intersection was closed for hours.
We were very thankful that we had arrived safely.
We planned to meet my nieces Kindra and Kyla and nephew
Keith along with Barry and Denise, and Benjamin for dinner,
however only Keith, Denise and Benjamin made it.
Fortunately, Francine and I were easily able to make our
flight out of Des Moines to Phoenix the following afternoon.
It was not one of our best trips!
In February, Brian and Mike and their
families traveled to
Tanzania to climb Mountain Kilimanjaro.
They had been training for this rugged hike for months.
It was on Brian and Mike’s bucket list.
They all successfully summited with the sole exception of
Mandy who was unable to make it for health reasons.
It was a fantastic trip for all.
L to R, F to B:
Ali, Mike, Guide, Adam, Brian, Kevin, Mandy, Madi, Madi’s
friend, Nicole, Brad, Andrew And Courtney
Sister Nancy nearly every winter travelled to the Phoenix Valley
to visit with her and Neal’s very good friend Betty Cox.
She and Nancy taught
school in Rochester, MN in 1965 and
in Kwajalein for several years starting in 1966.
Betty spends most of the year in Rochester, but winters
in Mesa, AZ.
Whenever Nancy comes to the valley we all get together.
Here are our three sisters in one of their best last
pictures taken in March 2018.
Nancy died two months later of pancreatic cancer.
Janie, Nancy and Beverly
In mid-March we again joined other local and visiting ISU
Acacians for our now annual ISU Acacia Arizona reunion.
It was held
near Bruce Campbell’s rented home in Sun City West at the
Palmbrook Country Club.
Easter was early this year and again we hosted the
Hoffmans, including Gloria Mauer and Beverly and Allan at The
Estancia Club.
In April, Judy and Dick visited Nancy, Neal, Janie, Jamie,
Justin, Jill, Danny and their daughters in WA state.
Nancy was unfortunately nearing the end of her life and
final battle with cancer.
Jamie or Danny took this picture.
L to R, F to B:
Elise, Nora, Judy, Nancy, Janie, Jill, Dick, Neal and Justin
Fran and I traveled to New York in
April to help Lindsey and Lewis celebrate Lewis’ 39th
birthday.
Sister
Nancy Eileen Davis McLemore
dies -
We lost Nancy on May 6th
to her valiant battle with pancreatic cancer, which was her
fifth bout with three different cancers – breast, myeloma and
pancreatic. I
guess she was our family’s designated cancer patient
- in addition to dad’s
prostate cancer.
L to R:
Jackson - Colin’s Twin Son, Raynee - Colin’s Wife, Cody -
Colin’s Other Twin Son, Kevin - Neal’s Oldest Son, Nicole -
Brandon’s Wife, Brandon - Shaun’s Son, Neal, Colin, Melissa -
Shaun’s Daughter, Shaun - Neal’s Oldest Son And Lori
- Shaun’s Wife
A
month later as many of our family that could, gathered for
Nancy’s memorial. Neal’s
immediate family gathered on his home’s front steps for the
family picture. I attended her memorial service and spent
several days thereafter with Neal, staying with him and helping
him deal with the myriad of paperwork following the loss of a
loved one. Neal
handled Nancy’s death with grace and dignity.
He continues to live alone in their house as this is
being written.
Flying home from Seattle we had a
fantastic view of Mount Rainer.
Mt. Rainer
Kim and Dave made a quick trip to
visit us in Scottsdale in mid-May as David had a business
meeting here. In
late May, Brian and family visited us for some golf at Estancia
and family visiting.
L to R:
Nicole, Brad, Andrew, Jim, Francine, Brian, Kevin, Mandy
And Adam
They all helped me remove the trash
from Dynamite Blvd in a Sunday AM outing. Thoughts of Cindie
were ever present as we spent another two hours together,
remembering her and how much she meant to each of us.
L to R:
Jim, Brian, Nicole, Adam, Kevin, Mandy, Andy and Brad
Brett and his future wife, Judy
Zhou, graduate from UCLA with MBAs -
On June 15th, Brett and
Judy, now his wife, graduated from UCLA with their MBAs.
Kim and Dave flew to Los Angeles, CA to attend their
commencement. Then
they all boarded a redeye flight to Boston and drove to Portland
to attend Courtney and Andrew’s wedding.
Brett And Judy Zhou
Andrew and Courtney Marry -
Courtney and Andrew were married in
a wonderful ceremony at a rural wedding destination near
Portland, ME. The wedding was proceeded by a wonderful dinner
and social gathering the night before at a nearby farm turned
entertainment venue hosted by the bride and groom’s family.
The outdoor wedding was
held in a garden perfectly groomed for weddings. Fortunately,
most of Andrew’s family were able to attend the wonderful
wedding. There simply are too many attendees to identify all of
them in the photograph below.
The reception following the wedding was joyous and action
filled.
Concurrently, Rich Davis was having
his retirement party celebrating his 26 years as an officer in
the U.S. Navy. He
retired as a Captain.
The U.S. Navy officer retirement parties are a
significant event.
We are very sorry we missed it as we also missed his dad’s
retirement party from the Navy also as a Captain with 26 years
of service. Several
of our family members who attended Andy and
Courtney’s wedding also
attended Rich’s retirement celebration and then flew from
Washington, D.C. to Portland, ME!
In July, Francine and I travelled
to Los Angeles, CA to visit our sister-in-law Lee Swanson, her
daughter Lynn and Lynn’s husband David.
We also caught up with grandson Brett for a great dinner.
We visited and dined with our good friends Debbie and
Gary Hourihan, who lived in Pasadena, CA most of the year,
although they had a home in Estancia.
They toured us around their part of Southern CA and
visited their sons and families’ homes.
The highlight was a visit to the Ronald Reagan Library in
Simi Valley, CA the home of his beloved ranch. The Library visit
that I will always remember.
It was simply fantastic.
The Reagan Library
L to R:
Jim, Lynn, David, Francine and Lee
Late in August, we hosted Beverly
and Allan on a very scenic train ride through the central AZ
mountains. It was a
fun day to be out of doors.
Jackson started kindergarten this
August.
Jackson starts school
In early September, Fran and I
traveled to Pittsburg to help Emerson and family celebrate her 2nd
birthday.
Emerson’s Second Birthday
Francine
and I travel to Spain, with Brian, Jill, Dave and Kim -
In October we
traveled to Spain.
Neither Francine nor I had been to Spain or Portugal.
We were celebrating Kim’s 60th birthday and
she picked Spain as the place she wanted to tour.
Brian and Jill had been to Spain; however, they were
anxious to go again. Fran and I had a connecting flight from
Phoenix to Barcelona, Spain via Philadelphia on American
Airlines.
Unfortunately, there was bad weather in Philadelphia and our
plane was delayed in landing.
Finally, we landed only minutes prior to the departure of
our flight to Barcelona.
However, we were first off our plane and the Barcelona
flight’s gate was not far away.
I ran ahead with my and Francine’s carryon luggage and
got to the gate just as they were ready to close the door.
I convinced them to give us another few minutes until
Francine caught up with me.
We boarded the flight and departed for Spain.
Francine did not enjoy the flight as she was absolutely
convinced that our checked luggage was not on our plane and we
did not know when it would catch up with us!
Other than that, the flight was uneventful and we arrived
in Barcelona on time early the next morning.
We disembarked the plane and headed for baggage claim and
immigration control.
When we reached the baggage claim, there were our four
suitcases waiting for us!
We were both relieved.
We caught up with Kim, Dave, Jill and Brian at the hotel
and prepared to tour Barcelona.
Fran and Jim On A Barcelona Street
One of the first places we toured
was the Guell Palace.
It was originally a home for a very rich Barcelona
business man who commissioned the famous architect Gaudi to
design and build the house. Gaudi was relatively young at the
time and just beginning his career.
It is a fantastic building with stunning interior rooms.
Guell Palace
The Entrance To Guell Palace
The Guell Palace Roof Is A
Magnificent Art Display.
We enjoyed a driving tour of the
city, including the waterfront which was the location of the
1992 Summer Olympics.
The next day we had a priority tour of the very famous
Sagrada Familia a huge Basilica originally designed by Gaudi
with construction begun in 1882.
As of about ten years ago the projected completion date
was about 2050, however, with the increased tourism traffic and
visitor’s fees it is now expected that it may be completed by
2026! It is
currently the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church.
It simply must be seen to appreciate the architecture,
size and beauty of this church which is projected to be the
largest Basilica in the world – and probably the most beautiful.
One could spend all day in this structure and still not see all
there is to see inside and outside this exceptional building -
soon to be a Basilica.
The exterior is nearly finished however, much of
the interior is yet to be completed.
The Sagrada Familia - Architect’s
Rendering
The Sagrada Familia Exterior View
In 2018
The Sagrada Familia, An Interior
View
The Sagrada Familia, An Interior
View
The Sagrada Familia, An Interior
View
We also spent considerable time in
the Guell Parc a huge park on the outskirts of Barcelona named
for the same business man who had the Guell Palace built.
This Parc had several buildings and features designed by
Gaudi. We also
toured the Cathedral of Barcelona and several other Gaudi
designed buildings.
It was a full three days of tours in Barcelona.
From Barcelona we traveled by train
to Madrid. Madrid
was a disappointment to me.
The only memorable attraction was the Prado Museum.
A couple of days in Madrid was one too many.
From Madrid we traveled to Toledo about an hour south of
Madrid in a seven passenger van.
The city of Toledo is a province capital located high
above a river which surrounds the city on three sides.
It is delightful stopping point for lunch. Brian also
found a wonderful place to purchase a set of steak knives.
The City Of Toledo
The Toledo Cathedral
The Toledo Cathedral is a
magnificent example of medieval Gothic architecture and has
famous artwork inside. After
touring the Cathedral, we drove the remaining four hours to
Granada, which is the capital city of the Granada Province.
The major attraction in Granada is the Alhambra Palace.
It is named “The Red One” and is a palace and fortress complex.
It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture
and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic
world, in addition to containing notable examples of Spanish
Renaissance architecture.
It is a
fantastic example of Moorish architecture.
The fortress complex includes many buildings with unique
architecture, extensive and wonderfully colorful gardens and
considerable art.
One Of The Several Entrances To
Alhambra Palace
Another View Of This Fortress
One Of Many Examples Of Interior
Artwork
More Interior Artwork
The Magnificent Gardens
We drove some 2.5 hours
in heavy rain to Seville, which was our last stop..
Seville is known for its architecture and is the largest
city in Southern Spain.
Hercules is credited for building the city.
Its fascinating history attracts many visitors.
The two most visited buildings were the Seville Cathedral
and the Real Alcazar de Sevilla which is a royal palace.
Both buildings
are wonderful architectural accomplishments.
Kim had enrolled the six of us in a cooking class where
we ate the meal we prepared as lunch.
The Seville Cooking Class Chefs
We spent two days in Seville and
caught our plane from Seville to Lisbon, Portugal where we
boarded our flight back to Atlanta, GA.
Our return flight was much less hectic than the flights
to Spain. The trip
to Spain was quite enjoyable.
Both Francine and I added two additional countries to our
list of countries that we had visited.
Kim had celebrated her 60th birthday in great
fashion,
Lindsey and Lewis joined Francine
and me for Thanksgiving in Scottsdale.
Lindsey particularly enjoys staying in our casita.
They sit on the front porch at night and wait for the
javalinas to come noisily by them.
We always eat too much when they are here as Lindsey is a
trained chef and has a particularly well trained palette.
We ate at our favorite Mexican restaurant located at the
Princess Hotel where they do an exceptionally nice job of
decorating for the Holidays.
Francine and I again flew to Boston
and Lincoln, NH to celebrate Christmas.
Lindsey and Lewis trained to Boston to enjoy a Christmas
Dinner with us. Our
family gathered at Brian’s ski home for another wonderful
Christmas celebration.
One of the great dinners is the “gnocchi” pasta night
where Brian has us make noci from scratch.
It is a talent that he learned during one of his visits
to Italy. Everyone pitches in and rolls noci for the eventual
pasta dinner.
Our Family Gathered Around Brian’s
Kitchen Table Making Gnocchi Pasta
In addition to exchanging gifts,
lots of card games, billiards, watching football and getting
caught up with each other, we document each Christmas with a
family photo, usually with us each wearing matching pjs which
typically Kim takes the lead
in ordering.
L to R, Top to Bottom:
Nicole, Brad, Adam, Courtney, Andy, Jamie, Justin, Kyle,
Dave, Jackson, Emerson, Kim, Francine, Jim, Jill, Brian, Kevin,
Mandy, Veronica, Judy, Brett,
Rachel (Jill’s daughter) and Adam
(Jill’s son).
Emerson Is Almost Lost Among Her
Gifts
An added event this year is
decorating gingerbread houses.
Jackson and Emerson really enjoyed this added attraction.
Francine and I returned to Boston
to have dinner with our good friends Norma and Ben Shapiro.
It is always good to catch up with them and to “discuss”
Michigan and Ohio State football.
Brian hosted all of our family that was in Boston on New
Year’s Eve to a wonderful New Year’s Eve Celebration.
With that we “rung out” 2018 and looked forward to a
great 2019.
Lynn celebrates her 60th
birthday -
Francine and I returned to
Scottsdale and prepared for a quick trip to CA to help our
wonderful niece, Lynn celebrate her 60th birthday.
We drove to LA planning to attend Lynn’s birthday
celebration, visit with her mother Lee and husband David, to
have dinner with grandson Brett and to catch up with our good
friends the Hourihans.
Lynn’s celebration was joined by about 30 guests in
addition to her mother, Lynn’s husband
and her brother-in-law
David Niekerk. Lynn
who had survived 60 years with Cystic Fibrous was in fine form
and was most appreciative of everyone attending.
She is a remarkable woman.
Lynn (Swanson) Fite – 60 Years Old
On January 16th we
celebrated Francine’s birthday at one of her favorite Scottsdale
restaurants with a quiet dinner.
Francine had her fill with surprise birthday parties so
we honored her desire for a quiet dinner.
Francine And Jim Celebrating
Francine’s 77th Birthday
On January 29th and 30th
Jeff Martin and Waste Management hosted Francine and me for
dinner before and the Pro-Am on the following day.
It is always a pleasure to be with Jeff and other Waste
Management personnel.
Late in February we experienced one of our rare snow
storms. Our
property was a winter wonderland although the scene quickly
changed later the next day with one of our tremendous scenic
sunsets.
Our Courtyard After The Snow
Looking Southwest Toward Pinnacle
Peak
One Of Scottsdale’s Wonderful
Sunsets
In March we celebrated Allan
Everist’s 82nd birthday in style at The Estancia
Club. Allan always
enjoyed a dinner out and was pleased with the desert treat!
Allan Enjoys The Fireworks
Jill Zimmerman And Her Daughter
Rachel And Son Adam
Brian Holub had established a
relationship with Jill Zimmerman, who had a lovely daughter,
Rachel and son, Adam from a previous marriage.
They along with Brian visited us in March.
We did the obligatory tour of Sedona and it’s wonderful
“Red Rocks”.
ISU Acacia breaks ground for the
new chapter house -
On March 21st and 22nd,
we ISU Acacians again assembled at Dick and Jan Cone’s wonderful
Fountain Hills Country Club for our annual ISU Acacia Arizona
reunion. Our
gathering was well attended as we knew that the old chapter
house would be demolished in the coming months and the new house
construction would be initiated.
There was a considerable amount of excitement about these
prospects.
In May I travelled to Iowa to visit
family and to attend the ISU Acacia good bye celebration of our
almost 100 year old chapter house.
Approximately, two dozen alumni and spouses gathered with
those undergraduates who were still in the house despite classes
being over for the semester.
The house was scheduled to be demolished later that
month. This is only
the second time that I remember revisiting the chapter house in
the 63 years since I lived in the house.
The celebration was
festive as many of us had
fond memories of the house that was
our home when we were at ISU.
I spent several extra days the following week helping
move the remaining furniture and other items which were
being kept and preparing the house for demolition.
The ISU Acacia Chapter House
Immediately Prior To Demolition
Unfortunately, the scheduled
demolition was delayed by the unexpected finding of asbestos in
the original plaster of this 100 year old house.
We knew of two modest asbestos repairs in the house and
were prepared to manage those in the scheduled demolition,
however, the original house plaster which contained asbestos was
throughout the house and resulted in the need to retain a
separate firm to manage the remediation of this material.
We lost almost two months of time in our schedule
managing this problem and spent an extra $100,000.
While we were dealing with the asbestos problem we
scrambled to find ways of shortening the construction schedule
as it was critical that we have the house ready for the men to
move in at the beginning of the Fall ’20 term which was early in
August 2020.
We were successful in achieving
this schedule thanks to our general contractor who found a way
to avoid the long construction time of building two concrete
enclosed exterior stairwells which served as fire escapes as
well as additional stairs to access the lower level and the two
higher level floors.
These two stairwells were fabricated off-site and
installed at the appropriate time without the long critical path
time that would have been required had the stair wells been
built in place as
the house was constructed.
Unfortunately, it added an extra $200,000 to cost of
construction.
I enjoyed dinner and fellowship
with three of Bob’s children – Kindra, Kyla and Keith as well as
several other members of their families.
Dick and Judy drove over from their home to join us. I
also took time to drive to our “old farm”, the Hartland Cemetery
and to have a Maid-Rite!
L to R: Judy Blocked By Dick, Kolin,
Keith, Barry, Kindra, Kyla, Grace, Morgan and Ashley
Kyle graduates from medical
school -
Francine and
I travelled to Pittsburgh to join Kyle and his family on
a trip to Erie, PA to celebrate Kyle’ graduation from Lake Erie
College Of Medicine.
We were greeted in Erie with a billboard announcing Kyle’
recognition by
LECOM his for excellence in surgery.
Kim and Dave planned a five day
weekend celebration complementing the commencement ceremony for
Kyle’s immediate family.
Kyle’s grandfather Paul, aunt Paula, wife Veronica,
children Jackson and Emerson, uncle Brian and a number of local
classmates and friends joined in the festivities.
Kyle’s uncle Brian “hooded” Kyle at the commencement
ceremony. The
parties/dinners before and after the commencement were joyous
gatherings.
Veronica said it best:
It’s official, my husband is now Dr. Kyle James Holmberg!
There are no words to express how proud I am of him! He’s going
to make one heck of an orthopedic surgeon! Thank you Dr.
Brian Holub for hooding
him and for your endless love and encouragement!”
Unfortunately, Kyle’s grandfather,
Paul suffered cardiac problems shortly after the commencement
and passed away in an Akron hospital at the age of 91.
We always enjoyed being with Paul.
He was a true gentleman with a well-honed sense of humor
and always ready to be with his family.
We are very sorry to lose him.
Kyle And His Grandfathers
Paul Holmberg, Kyle, Kim and Dave
Kyle then began a five year surgery
residency at Allegany General Hospital (AGH) in Pittsburg.
He excelled in medical school and had his
choice of several residency programs, however in as much
as he and Veronica had a home in Pittsburg and his parents were
residing in Pittsburg, it was an easy choice.
Brian, The Rabbi And Jill
Brian and Jill marry -
Brian and Jill Zimmerman were
married in Boston, on June 19th.
It was a festive occasion with primarily family and a few
very close friends of the bride and groom attending.
I was honored to be asked by Jill to “walk her down the
aisle”. The
wedding party included
Brian’s four sons.
Many of my immediate family attended, including sister
Janie, her son, Justin and his wife, Jamie, brother Dick and
Judy, nephew Mike and Lizzette, niece Kyla, Kim and Dave, Brett
and Judy.
Brian and Jill’s wedding party.
L to R: Andrew, Courtney, Mandy,
Kevin, Nicole, Brad, Brian, Jill, Rachael, Adam Z, Adam H's
girlfriend and Adam Holub.
In July, Francine and I travelled to Minneapolis to visit her
daughter, Heather and family.
Francine and I booked a
cottage at Pelican Hills Resort in Newport Beach, CA for the
month of August.
Our good friends Gary and Debbie Hourihan also booked a
cottage there the same time so we were an almost inseparable
foursome for golf, dining, walking along the ocean and shopping
the nearby stores.
It was a wonderful month, with very nice weather except for the
foggy mornings.
The golf course was a rugged layout
with several holes along the Pacific Ocean.
Jim, Fran, Debbie & Gary Hourihan
While in California, we were also
able to catch up with our sister-in-law, Lee, niece Lynn and her
husband, David.
David,
Lynn, Lee, Francine and Jim
Fran arranged for a photo shoot of
the two of us to help us to remember a wonderful vacation along
the Pacific Ocean.
Jackson started first grade in late August.
Shortly thereafter we were off to Brian’s for Brad and
Nicole’s wedding. It was
held on September 7th in a lovely wooded setting that required a
somewhat rugged hike of about ¾ mile along a babbling brook.
(Two of the bride’s aunts were not able to finish the hike in
time and unfortunately missed the ceremony.)
The wedding site was
beside a water fall which made hearing the exchanging of
vows a challenge.
Consequently, during the reception which was held in
Brian’s Lincoln ski home, the couple repeated the vows so we all
were able to hear the vows.
Brad and Nicole marry -
Brad Reading His Vows To Nicole
The
Chapter House Construction Has Begun
The Chapter House Lower Level Framing Roughed In
The chapter house excavation was complete, the footings and
foundations, the lower level exterior walls and the two
stairwell structures were in place by mid-September.
Two weeks later the lower level was framed in.
In mid-October, Fran and I traveled to Orlando, FL to
visit her sister and brother-in-law, Joan and Bob Filan.
I also drove to Sarasota, FL to visit my good friend,
Gene Krause who hired me into Archer Daniels Midland in 1965
upon completion of my MBA.
Gene was 92 years old at that time and is a healthy 96
year old as I write this in 2023.
Gene Krause And Jim
In November, several of our older ISU Acacia fraternity brothers
formed a charitable foundation for the sole benefit of our ISU
Acacia fraternity.
The primary purpose of the foundation is to provide the most
cost effective method to support our fraternity with scholarship
and other educational support with tax-deductible contributions.
We chartered the foundation, received an IRS ruling that
it was considered a 501c3.
I was one of six founding brothers all of whom served on
the initial board.
I was elected president of the board. Initially, the foundation
also served as a recipient of the remaining tax-deductible funds
to be collected in the quite successful $4 million campaign to
fund the new chapter house.
Currently, the foundation has four endowed scholarship
funds, two of which are fully funded and two others partially
funded. In total at the end of 2022 the scholarship funds
totaled some $300,000.
The Chapter House Pretty Much Roughed In, October 24, 2019
Fran and I traveled
to Boston to celebrate Christmas with my family.
Lindsey and Lewis came to Boston by train to join us for
a lovely Christmas Dinner.
Lewis, Lindsey, Francine And Jim
Eva Ruth Holmberg is born -
Francine and I then drove to Lincoln, NH to catch up with my
immediate family to celebrate Christmas.
As usual, Brian and Jill were excellent hosts.
Mandy and Kevin were not able to come to NH as Mandy was
pregnant and expecting to deliver anytime.
Their daughter, Eva Ruth was born December 30, 2019 in a
San Francisco, CA hospital. Eva weighed 7 pounds and 15 ounces.
Ruth was Kevin’s
maternal and paternal grandmother’s name.
Eva was Brian and Jill’s first grandchild and she was
Francine and my third great grandchild.
L To R: Dave, Kim,
Emerson, Jackson, Kyle, Brad, Veronica, Nicole, Adam H, Adam’s
friend,
Francine, Andrew, Justin, Jim, Courtney, Jamie, Judy, Jill,
Brett, Rachael, Brian and Adam Z.
Our first pictures of Eva and
Mandy on the day of Eva’s birth.
Mandy And Eva
It was a wonderful Christmas celebration, with too much to eat,
many hours of card and other games, watching football and
reconnecting with each other.
Francine and I spent New Year’s Eve with Brian and Jill.
After dinner we watched fireworks over the Boston Harbor
from the deck of their condo.
Rumors of a virulent disease in China were surfacing.
Although China kept the existence of this disease as
quiet as they possibly could, word was leaking out.
As of December 12, a cluster of patients in China’s Hubei
Province, in the city of Wuhan, began to experience the symptoms
of an atypical pneumonia-like illness that did
not respond well to standard treatments. The World Health
Organization’s (WHO) China office was notified on December 30,
2019. Discussion of
the resulting pandemic is continued in the next chapter.
Click HERE to go to Part XVIII
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