December 21,
2000
Dear Friends and Family,
Things have gotten ahead of me a bit more than usual this December, and so I’m writing this letter at my Mom’s house on her new computer, just a few days before Christmas. The year has gone by fast. It’s nice getting a chance to look back over my calendar for the past year and organize the many pleasant memories.
In February I flew to the Washington DC area for my niece Leigh’s wedding to Isaac Miller. The ceremony was beautiful and unusual, held in a theater where Leigh and Isaac have acted together, with the wedding party in period costumes. Many of their friends sang, and Leigh and Isaac themselves joined in a duet. For me, the trip also served as a nice chance to get together with the other family members and old friends who attended.
In March I went to the second annual WELS Northern California Men’s Retreat, and I again had the chance to help lead the singing with my guitar. The retreat had something of an emphasis on marriage and family skills, but crusty old bachelor Tim did get a bit out of it anyway.
Late in April I made a business trip to visit several Compaq sites in the Boston area. I was able to combine that with a visit to my brother Bill, his wife Nancy, and their six cats; I stayed at their house instead of a hotel, and took a couple of extra days at the end for visiting.
I tried to stay in town most of the summer because I was hosting a summer intern at work. She did an interesting project on flash memory file systems that I hope to turn into a technical note and “publish” on the Compaq Research web site.
I did make my usual trip to Bible Camp during the first week in August, serving again as treasurer, assistant camp director, and music leader. We had the same group of musicians again this year but added a few new songs. It was great fun as always; a wonderful, spiritually refreshing break from the routine of the rest of my year.
At the end of September I helped chaperone the grade school kids from Gloria Dei/Belmont (my church) and Hope/Penryn on a weekend field trip to Mt. Lassen, an active volcano in northern California, about a 4 to 5 hour drive from where I live. The drive was not fun, but the camping, hiking, and sightseeing were great. There was a lot to see, from mountains, trees, and waterfalls all the way to sulfur springs and a lava-tube cave.
In early December I flew to Tucson to spend a weekend with my niece Beth and her family. The desert there is said to be the greenest in the world, and I was certainly struck by how tall and thick the cacti and other desert plants grow. It’s far from one’s usual picture of a desert as endless sand dunes, yet most definitely a desert.
The last couple of days I’ve been in Minneapolis visiting my other niece Amy and her family. Yikes, it was cold! It was -2°F today when we went to lunch. It was sort of a relief to get to Milwaukee this evening and hear that it’s been a balmy +2°F!
The rest of my immediate family all had some fairly serious health problems this year, with my brother, sister, and mother (twice) all needing surgery. Mom’s knee replacement early in the year kept her from visiting me at Easter as she usually does, but she has recovered well and I hope we can renew that tradition next year. Bill and Mary both seem to be doing well too. I’m thankful that I’ve been fine all year except for colds and such.
Only my sister and I will be at my Mom’s this year for Christmas, but fortunately both Mom and I have seen most of the rest of the family at various times during the year. Still, it will be oddly quiet. I’m in town from today (Dec. 21) to Dec. 30 and will try to call those of you who live in the area. My Mom’s number is 414-466-3082 in case anyone would like to call me before I get to you.
Christmas blessings in Christ,
Tim Mann