Back to Bauer Family Web Site Main Page
XMasAl2007.doc
Hi Bauers! Sorry to have missed the Thanksgiving
meeting at Pat and Theresa's. I would
have liked to see all you guys, but I already accepted an invite, and (lame, I
know) my phone machine ate the message from Goodie, so didn't find till several
days after he called.
Well, for me, this has
been a really great year.
In July and August, with
some trepidation, I took my motorcycle north as far as Portland, Oregon. This would be a pretty typical Al trip;
little structure and lots of fun and adventure. I've had this bike for almost two years now and love it. It's a Honda "Pacific Coast
800". It's a real classic, I
think, and just perfect for my brand of cruising. Just enough off-road ability to get me to campsites.
Anyway, I visited friends
and relatives along the way and really enjoyed seeing them; friend Barbara in
Sonoma, Cousins Joe and Lori in Yountville, Cousins Ellen, Roy and Carl near
Eugene, and friends Al and Marsha near Portland. I had finally gotten a cell phone, and was glad I had at least
made it into the 20th Century! This is
no news for you "normal people", but this onetime computer software
developer had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into cellphone ownership.
Didn't quite make it to
the Seattle area, where I would have liked to see Cousins John and Renee, also
college buddy Jim Martin and wife Pat, and Larie Smoyer, daughter of Air Force
friend Frank Smoyer. Oh, well, I hope
to make it up there soon!!
Driving and camping up the
California Coast, especially the "Lost Coast", between Fort Bragg and
Eureka, was spectacular. Traffic was
quite light, and there was plenty of wilderness to camp in. Oh, yes, I had to spend some time and effort
preparing for the trip. Packing enough
decent clothes and essentials as well as tent, air mattress and sleeping bag
onto a motorcycle, felt a little like the Apollo Astronauts' job of
anticipating all the well-dressed Earthoid would need on Luna.
I returned via Crater Lake
and East California. I was fortunate to
find campsites far from civilization and, with moonless nights, the Universe
put on a show I will always hold in Awe.
In fact, just before returning, Cousins Ellen, Roy, Carl, and I shared a
few hours under the stars in their back yard.
We had some excellent meteor sightings; Orion was just appearing; the
Pleiades (seven sisters), Big Dipper, and Cassiopeia were brilliant.
On returning, I became
inspired to start my own herb garden in a dozen flower pots; stuff like chives,
basil, oregano, cilantro, sage. Got all
the seeds planted and (Voila!) in a couple weeks, I had quarter inch high
herbs! Well, by this time, September
was lurking, and I brought them in onto my south-facing living room window sill
for sun reception and frost avoidance.
I guess these little critters really do know what month it is, because
there they sat, same size, for October, November and December!! It was fun and educational, but enough was
enough; away they went to a neighbor with a greener thumb than mine, and I'll
buy my fresh herbs as Safeway.
Hopefully it'll make Cousin Anny's employee stock plan go up.
True to my luddite
tendencies, I have just built a vhs tape library, just when the rest of the
civilized world has gone to DVD! I
realized that I could pick up lots of cassettes at garage sales, and copy tapes
and DVD's from the public library.
Since I am way behind in the movies I've watched, lots of the old
classics are still Terra Incognita for me.
So you can expect me to come out with an enthusiastic cry like
"Wow, I just saw 'American Graffiti!!'".
I'm holding my own on
keeping my ability to speak French and German by getting together with friends
who come from those places. I don't
claim to be grammatically "pure", but the folks I have known who have
gone that route spend most of their time reading, not speaking. So far, fluency and vocabulary have served
me well with real people, and grammar can take a back seat. Now I have to get better with Spanish. Maybe I'll start pressing "2" when
calling 800 numbers.
Cooking is still a
favorite with me. With my gas grill, crock-pot,
freezer, and microwave, I am awesome.
(Hey, what the heck!) Have had a
few dinner parties here, but mostly I just get a kick out of cooking for
myself, often in batch and freezing portions for rapid access. Anybody doubting this, just better drop by
and see what happens. Whipping up a
meal is easy; my biggest challenge having an official party is the dust
removal. If you drop in unannounced, I
can plead that it's YOUR fault the place is a little "lived in".
Here locally, I have had a
great time at Cousin Katie, John and Caroline, also Cousin Anny. Have also visited Cousins Jud and Carolyn in
Rancho Marietta near Sacramento. The
last time I visited cousin Jan Guglielmino and son David in Bishop was last
Thanksgiving, but we keep in touch via email.
Hope to see all you Bauers
in Arizona this Spring!
Love,
Cousin Al