Wishing all of you Health, Peace and Joy in 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
Our New Year resolution is to better keep in touch with all of you. So, here is our first “Christmas letterâ€, in this case a “Happy New Year Letterâ€. An update from the 92102 and a quick recap of our 2006 adventures:
We have been enjoying our first two years of marriage, growing together and loving the journey. We are still in our apartment on Golden Hill, happy with our view, our yard, and the neighborhood we love. Life is good. After a busy week, this morning we told stories and laughed, laughed at our crazy cat, made huevos rancheros and fresh coffee and tea, and sat on the porch enjoying a few rays of sunlight.
We are both still enjoying success in our jobs. Anna’s position continues to keep her busy and traveling, and Chris has been bitten by the photography bug. We definitely have the international travel bug and we have been busy seeing the world whenever we can get time to do so. We invite you to see Chris’ photos of all our adventures on our website at: www.chrisandanna.us/gallery/
Here are some quick highlights from 2006:
April/May: Three weeks in Cambodia and Vietnam.
The temple ruins of Angkor Wat have been on Chris’ travel wishlist for years. So we set out for a new experience in an old world, our days filled with discovery of ancient ruins, interesting religions, children selling photos, entire families on one scooter, and economic disparity. We tried to make sense of a culture in the midst of a huge transition from subsistence to tourism. The trip was beautiful and overwhelming. To cope with the conflict of whether a dollar helps or hurts depending on where it lands, we wrapped up our Cambodia trip by donating blood at the children’s hospital there. Blood is harder for them to come by than tourist dollars, as local people have beliefs that prevent them from donating blood.
Our weeks in Saigon and Hanoi and on Ha Long Bay were equally as wonderful and dramatic. Having to re-learn to cross the street through a sea of motor scooters, maneuver the many customs for politeness, and continually butcher the Vietnamese word for “thank you†kept us on our toes. Saigon is a busy, crowded, noisy, wonderful city of contrasts between traditional culture and modern progress. Our bus trips between cities revealed miles and miles of rice paddies, green, dotted with water buffalo and family shrines.
July: A long weekend road trip to the Sea of Cortez, we saw fin-back whales, moray eels, and ate lots of fish tacos.
Summer: We had a bumper crop of heirloom tomatoes from our garden. The ocean warmed up enough for us to have several snorkeling adventures in La Jolla. Fang, our cat, brought home the bacon this summer; with gifts of mice, one rat, and a pidgeon. What a provider!
November/December: We celebrated an early white Christmas in Calgary with Chris’ family as all were gathering for Brooke and Greg’s wedding. Anna now knows what 25° below 0 (Celsius) feels like. It was a picturesque snow-covered holiday, and a wonderful time. Marlene taught Anna how to make Grandma Beaman’s special butter tarts (Chris’ favorite). Chris also flew to visit Grandma Beaman, bringing wedding photos and holiday cheer during her stay at the cancer treatment center.
We spent a beautiful Christmas day with Anna’s family in Oceanside, enjoying a sunny outdoor Christmas breakfast at the Moe’s, and games around the outdoor fireplace. During our week off from work, we had a quick visit with the Capalongans at Big Dog Ranch, and a road trip up the Northern California and Oregon coast to Portland to celebrate the New Year.
This past year we have especially enjoyed time together with family and friends, and look forward to seeing you all as much as possible in 2007!
Happy New Year to your Casa from Casa de Fang!
Anna and Chris